In this series I have been talking about songs that became hits, but were cover versions of originals that did not chart. I had been exploring the R&B charts of the 40s, 50s and 60s, but found no songs in the 70s. With no more tunes there the focus shifts to the Hot 100 to see what other songs landed on the #1 spot on that chart, where the original release did not appear at all.
“Harper Valley P.T.A.” was written by the very prolific Country singer songwriter Tom T Hall. It was first recorded and released by Bobbi Martin.
Bobbi Martin had recorded the song in April of 1968 but it floated around for a few months and did not get released. A so far unsuccessful, 22 year old singer named Jeannie C. Riley was working as a secretary for another Nashville songwriter. It came across her desk and she got to hear this unreleased record. She figured she might be able to do a better job with it and took it to a small independent label called Plantation Records. She recorded it on July 26, 1968 and it was released just a week after the original finally got put out in August of 1968. It was Jeannie C. Riley’s first released record.
And the rest as we say, is history. The otherwise quite good original version of the song was forgotten and it was a massive hit for Riley. By September it went to #1 on the Hot 100, The Country chart, Cashbox and #4 on the Easy Listening Chart. It was also #1 in Canada and Australia. Sales reached a reported 6 million copies. Other than her follow-up song “The Girl Most Likely” hitting #1 in Canada, also in 1968, she never got to the top of the charts again. But Jeannie C. Riley had a great career and put dozens more songs on the charts.
We just past both the birthdate of Etta James which was January 25 (1938) and the date of her death January 20, 2012 at the age of 73. I have been thinking that it’s high time I featured this amazing singer. She was born Jamesetta Hawkins, to a 14 year old mother and an unknown father.
It’s easy to imagine the hardships a child born during The Depression in 1938 would face. Without support, it was nearly impossible for a young girl to raise a child.
Somehow pushing beyond the poverty, the child neglect and abuse, Etta went on to become one of the premier R&B singers in history. Her story is one I cannot do any justice today. So I will go right to the songs, as soon as I wrap up this brief introduction.
Unfortunately, Etta James’s background is shared by other renowned R&B singers who have faced significant challenges during their childhood. Notable names include Billie Holiday, Anita Baker, Josephine Baker (unrelated to Anita Baker), Patti LaBelle, Tina Turner, and more recently, Mary J. Blige.
While I would not want to judge anyone’s pain and hardship, but from what I have read very few match Etta’s experience. The closest comparable name I can think of would be the French singer Édith Piaf and she may have faired better than Etta. The strength to do this must have come from some inner spirit. It seems like it was destiny, that their voices had saved them. So many others like Etta also rose from the deepest depths of poverty, and we are all the richer for it.
And for Etta, meeting Johnny Otis at age 14 would make all the difference, she would learn the business and hone her craft. By age 18 she had a record contract with Otis. For a woman, Black or White, it was a bit unusual for the time, but she was able to record some of the songs she wrote/co-wrote herself. She “learned the ropes” by singing on what was informally referred to as the “chitlin circuit’ which existed from the 1920s to the 1960s. Etta and other names like Little Wille John, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, would tour various venues as a group of performers, not all that dissimilar to a travelling Vaudeville show.
At least 35 of her original recordings have been covered, including six of the songs she wrote. “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” being the most popular. Etta set a high bar for several of the 260 plus songs she covered. If we are looking at her whole body of work however, there is one song that we know is a standout.
If you only recall one Etta James song, it’s this one. “At Last” leads off my Top 10 most favorite.
“At Last” was written by two very talented writers, Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. The song appeared in the movie Sun Valley Serenade in 1941. It was performed by Glen Miller and his Orchestra with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday. Nineteen years and Fourteen versions later1, Etta James recorded this in Studio B at Chess Records2 and it was released on Argo Records, in October of 1960. It was part of an album of the same name. “At Last” was released as a single in December. It was a #2 hit on the R&B Sides Chart but remarkably only #47 on the Hot 100. After her death in 2012, it charted #39 in the UK. It is ranked at #115 on the Top 500 Greatest Songs of all Time by Rolling Stone Magazine.
“I’d Rather Go Blind” was written for James by Billy Foster and Ellington Jordan, it was released as a single in October 1967. It reached #42 on the R&B and #46 on the Hot 100 charts.
“Something’s Got A Hold On Me” was written by Etta James, Leroy Kirkland and Pearl Woods. It was produced by Leonard and Phil Chess and as often the case it was released on Argo Records in 1961. It reached #4 on the R&B and #37 on the Hot 100 charts.
“All I Could was Cry” was written for Etta by Chess staff songwriter Billy Davis along with Berry Gordy and his sister Gwen Gordy. It was released as a single in 1960. It reached #2 on the R&B chart and #33 on the Hot 100.
“Damn Your Eyes” was written by Steve Bogard and Barbara Wyrick. It appeared on the album Seven Year Itch, released in 1988. It was not released as a single.
“Tough Lover” was written by Etta James and Joe Josea, it was released as a single in 1956 and surprisingly (to me anyway) it did not chart. It was credited as Etta “Miss Peaches” James, that name was for her short tenure in the a cappella group The Peaches3. both names had been selected by Johnny Otis.
“If I Can’t Have You” was written by Etta James and Harvey Fuqua and released as Etta and Harvey in 1960 and charted #6 on the R&B chart.
“A Piece Of My Heart” was written by Bert Russell, Jerry Ragovoy. Etta was not a fan but became a convert after meeting Janis Joplin. Some years later (1978) she recorded this song in a somewhat similar style by way of tribute to her. It reached #93 on the R&B chart.
“I Got You Babe” was written by Sonny Bono and famously recorded by Sonny & Cher (1965). But Etta has her own way about a song and I quite like what she did with it. The song was recorded at the FAME studio in Muscle Shoals and has all the earmarks of a Rick Hall production. It charted #10 on the R&B and #23 on the Hot 100 in 1967.
“The Wallflower” also known as “Roll With Me Henry”. It was written by Etta James and Johnny Otis. Released in 1955 in the era of “the answer song”. So they share a song credit with Hank Ballard as they ‘answered’ his “Work with Me Annie“(1954) and used that melody. At the start of her career she was very briefly lead singer of Etta James and The Peaches as noted above in song #6. So that is name the song was released under. It went to #1 on the R&B chart. The uncredited male voice you hear throughout the song is none other than Richard Berry, who would soon write and first record “Louie Louie” (1957).
There are so many songs I could have chosen for this list, so I cannot resist leaving you a bonus song. This is one of the reasons that cover songs can be so amazing. You don’t need to listen to all of the song but I urge you to click on the YouTube links in order to see how the song changes from the original to Etta’s version.
“When I Stop Dreaming” (1955) is beautifully written by Charlie Louvin and Ira Louvin, known as The Louvin Brothers. Ray Charles covered many Country4 songs and this one appears on his album A Portrait of Ray (1968). Etta put her own stamp on any song she did and you can feel it here with her rendition of “When I Stop Dreaming“.
I visited that (restored) studio at Chess Records in Chicago. When they played this song during the tour, and standing in the very place it was made, it just gave me chills. ↩︎
The Peaches, I believe only offered backing vocals for a couple of Etta’s early recordings ↩︎
In these immortal words (“I Love Country”) of the late and great Mojo Nixon↩︎
Start Route and Star Route U.S.A. was a Country Music variety program that ran for only 26 episodes in 1964. It was taped from Toronto and hosted by Rod Cameron, episodes in Hollywood were hosted by Charlie Williams. It was an independent (syndicated) program that did not get picked up by any major network and it was discontinued. But not before they featured some amazing and now legendary talent.
I could find very little information about the show but there are a few clips on YouTube with guest stars like Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Faron Young, Carl Smith and Leroy Van Dyke. Glen Campbell appeared as a regular on the show. And so did the Columbia Records artists The Collins Kids who had been touring with Johnny Cash for years prior to this show. Larry Collins was an amazing guitar player, seen in the clip below playing his signature double neck Mosrite electric guitar. Larry later co-wrote the country classic song “Delta Dawn”. Older sister Lorrie Collins had a great voice and stage presence, she dated Ricky Nelson and appeared on an episode of Ozzie and Harriet (1958). Lorrie later married Johnny Cash’s manager, Stu Carnall.
There are so many stories to tell about the people on this show and it’s a shame it did not continue as it was a great showcase for Country talent. Somewhat coincidentally, two of the guest stars, were married to June Carter who was on husband #2 at the time, Edwin “Rip” Nix. Carl Smith was her first husband and father to Carlene Carter. June’s soon to be third husband Johnny Cash was also a guest star on a separate episode.
“L’amour est bleu” (Love is Blue) was written by André Popp and a cover version released by Le grand orchestre de Paul Mauriat in 1968 went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Australia, #2 in Canada and #12 in the UK. In all it placed on at least 14 charts worldwide.
This instrumental was a hit due to a DJ in Minneapolis playing it and asking for feedback from the listeners and it went from there. I am sure most of you recognized the melody. Apparently Paul didn’t even like the song.
Actually it was first recorded with lyrics and released in 1967 by Vicky Leandros after placing fourth at Eurovision. She would record it in several languages but to my knowledge the English version did not chart on the Hot 100 but did place #40 in Canada. The various versions appeared on several charts around the world.
Before Paul Mauriat’s cover, the first instrumental was released by Beagá Band’s, also in 1967. Italian composer Marcello Minerbi was the first to release a version with the English name, “Love is Blue”.
“L’amour est bleu” by Greek singer Vicky Leandros, who sang in French but was for some reason representing Luxembourg at Eurovision. There they speak Luxembourgish, German and French.
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