Transistor Days: Spring 1959
Episode 12
Episode date - March 6, 2020
By 1959, the rock and roll audience grew wise to the establishment ruse of lame copycat artists releasing inferior versions of original rock and roll and R&B material originally released by Black artists.
Pat Boone and his ilk were waning in popularity while real R&B took off so strongly that it competed with rock and roll for chart domination. Almost every one of these R&B artists were on small independent labels, so the major labels needed a new ruse. This time, they came up with a plan to invent their own ‘rock and roll stars’ by finding young kids with star appeal who were willing to follow orders. It worked for a while, but even that plan was quickly overwhelmed.
Featured tracks include:
It Doesn’t Matter Anymore – Buddy Holly
Sea Cruise – Frankie Ford
Kansas City – Wilbert Harrison
Turn Me Loose – Fabian
That’s Why I Love You So – Jackie Wilson
Almost Grown – Chuck Berry
The Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton
There Goes My Baby – The Drifters
Tiger – Fabian
Lipstick on Your Collar – Connie Francis
What a Difference a Day Makes – Dinah Washington
I Only Have Eyes for You – The Flamingoes
Bongo Rock – Preston Epps