Category: People
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“Wake Up Little Susie” Is #1
On this day in 1957, “Wake Up Little Susie” by The Everly Brothers started a six-week run in the #1 spot on the CKWX Top 50 chart! This follow-up to Don & Phil’s debut hit “Bye Bye Love” was even bigger, reaching #1 on Billboard’s sales, jukebox, and radio airplay charts. The song’s lyrics were…
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Fats Domino Sets A Record
The story has been told many times in the music business of a small label getting started from humble beginnings. Lately many record companies have climbed to the top of the heap and made millions in a very short time. The same thing is true of Imperial Records. Label founder Lew Chudd discovered Fats Domino in New…
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An Announcement From Michael Bublé
Details on Michael Bublé‘s “Christmas” coming up… but first, a word from our sponsor.
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Johnny Tillotson – Poetry In Motion
Johnny Tillotson‘s “Poetry In Motion” moves to the very top of the C-FUNtastic Fifty this week in 1960! Cadence Records owner Archie Bleyer, the force behind much of the success of The Everly Brothers, Andy Williams, the Chordettes and many other artists, was so impressed with Johnny that he signed him to the label. “Poetry…
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Happy Birthday, Chubby Checker!
Come on, let’s Twist again… like we did last summer! Happy 80th birthday to Chubby Checker, the man who introduced social distancing to dancing! “The Twist” was a #1 song not once but twice — in 1960 and again in 1961. The song that started a worldwide dance phenomenon was a cover of an old…
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Sugar Shack – Jimmy Gilmer/Fireballs
“Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs hits the #1 spot on the C-FUNtastic Fifty this week in 1963! The song was recorded at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, the same studio where Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Buddy Knox recorded their early hits. “Sugar Shack” sold over a million copies and…
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VoicePlay – Sh-Boom
“Sh-Boom” was the record that changed everything for doo-wop music. Groups like the Chords, the Five Satins, and the Moonglows started getting radio airplay and record sales, paving the way for four young guys from New York named DION and the Belmonts. Who better to demonstrate the staying power of doo-wop’s street corner acapella harmony…
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The Chords – Sh-Boom
In my December 1958 column in The Vancouver Sun I wrote: “This is contract termination time in New York and Hollywood. This week the Crew Cuts move to RCA Victor from Mercury. The Crew Cuts were responsible for one of the first rock’n’roll songs, ‘Sh-Boom’. They are Canadians and have enjoyed much success in the…
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The Crew Cuts – Sh-Boom
In the early era of rock’n’roll three Canadian singing groups were predominant on the hit parade: The Four Lads, The Diamonds and The Crew Cuts. I met The Crew Cuts – Rudi Maugeri, Pat Barrett, Ray Perkins and John Perkins – during a 1956 Vancouver appearance shortly after Bill Haley and the Comets had played…
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CFUN Is Back – Part III
On this day in 1973, CFUN returns to Vancouver — and the good times are back at 1900 West 4th Avenue! #14CFUN‘s Chuck McCoy wraps up a great day: “By mid-1976 CFUN had the largest radio listenership in the Vancouver area. A true ‘Worst To First’ story. I have often been asked if I felt…