#2: Artificial Flowers by Bobby Darin
City: Sudbury, ON
Radio Station: CKSO
Peak Month: November 1960
Peak Position in Sudbury ~ #1
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #17
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #20
YouTube: “Artificial Flowers”
Lyrics: “Artificial Flowers”
Walden Robert Cassotto was born in the Bronx in May, 1936. His mother, born in November 1917, was pregnant with him when she was only sixteen, giving birth to him when she was seventeen. In the 1930’s, being a pregnant teenager was very improper. So she gave birth and was introduced to her son as his older “sister.” In order for the deceit to be pulled off, young Robert was raised by his grandmother, Polly, who he understood was his mother. And he understood that his “mother” had given birth at a later stage in life. His “mother” was a showgirl in her earlier days and so not the “grandmother type.” So the ruse was successful. It was not until 1968, when he was 32 years of age, that he discovered that his older sister, Giovannina Cassotto, was actually his mother. In his childhood, Robert learned to play piano, drums and guitar. According to his biographies, Walden Robert Cassotto suffered from rheumatic fever as a child. Bobby’s real sister, Vivienne, said years later, “my earliest memory of Bobby as a child was about his rheumatic fever. We couldn’t walk on the floor because just walking across the floor would put him in agony. I remember Bobby crying and screaming and my father having to pick him up and carry him to the bathroom, he was in so much pain. I remember being told all my life, “Bobby’s sickly. You have to be careful, and you have to protect him.” Between the ages of eight and thirteen, Bobby had four illnesses with rheumatic fever. Each one damaging his heart muscle more severely than the previous illness.
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#98: X-Ray Eyes by Jim Foster
City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CJME
Peak Month: April 1986
Peak Position in Regina ~ #13
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #27
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “X-Ray Eyes”
Lyrics: “X-Ray Eyes”
James Edwin Foster was born in Victoria, Canada, in 1950. His family moved to Edmonton and then Calgary. There he met Vern Willis around 1970 and they played in a few bands and learned the ropes of performing in concert. Willis moved on to New York City while Jim Foster formed a quartet named Fosterchild where they were a regular band at Calgary’s the Scotch and Sirloin. The band went to Edmonton and recorded a demo of a song Jim Foster wrote called “Let Me Down Easy.” On the strength of that demo the band got a record deal with CBS Records. However, CBS was unimpressed with the other three musicians in Fosterchild and got session musicians to work on the single release. Consequently, Jim Foster had a new record out to the general public but no intact Fosterchild band. It was 1976 and Vern Wills had come back to Calgary since his US visa had expired. Jim Foster recalls, “So I called Vern who was living in Edmonton. He said he’d just heard me on the radio. I said ” You wanna join forces?” and that was it. He’d always been one of my faves. Then we had to find more players and get an album together.”
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#54: Everyday I Have To Cry Some by Steve Alaimo
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: March 1963
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #8
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #32
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #46
YouTube: “Everyday I Have To Cry”
Lyrics: “Everyday I Have To Cry”
Stephen “Steve” Alaimo was born in 1939 in Omaha, Nebraska. He entered the music business during his time as a pre-med student at the University of Miami. He joined his cousin’s instrumental rock band the Redcoats. Alaimo became the guitarist, and shortly took the role of lead singer. The Redcoats played at a sock hop held by local disc jockey Bob Green and record label owner Henry Stone. Subsequently, the Redcoats were signed to a record contract with Stone’s Marlin Records. In 1959, “I Want You To Love Me” became a regional hit for the band. That year Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars came to Miami. They needed a band to back up headliners, so the Redcoats got the nod. As well, Steve Alaimo and the Redcoats climbed to number-one on WINZ in Miami with “She’s My Baby” in August 1959. In the winter of 1959-60, the band released “You Can Fall In Love”, credited to Steve Alaimo and the Redcoats on Dade Records. It charted in Miami. In September 1960, Steve Alaimo and the Redcoats charted the rockabilly tune “Blue Fire” into the Top 20 in Bakersfield (CA), and the Top 30 in Portland (OR).
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#230: Golden Girl by The Rabble
City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CJMS
Peak Month: July 1967
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Golden Girl”
Lyrics: “Golden Girl”
Formed in 1965, The Rabble were a psychedelic/garage act that hailed, originally from Pointe-Claire, Quebec on Montreal’s west island. They consisted of Tim Charbonneau on bass guitar, Mike Harris on guitar, Rick Metcalfe on guitar, and John Pimm on vocals. McMahon had previously been with The Mighty Avengers who released a cover of the Rolling Stone’s “Blue Turns To Grey” in 1965, and also a cover of the Tymes’ number-one hit from 1963 titled “So Much In Love”. The Rabble’s first single was the Mike Harris written “I’m Alaboundy Bam” released in 1966. With no substantial support from RCA, and a failing debut single, the band recorded their next single, “Golden Girl”, in December 1966 which saw release in the summer of 1967 on Trans-World Records. Late addition, Walter “Wally” O’Reilly, was on drums for both the single and the album after Brian Robillard (formerly of The Haunted) quit The Rabble to form his own band. Though Brian Robillard was in the recording studio for “Golden Girl” and other tracks on the band’s debut album, he was not in the photo with the other five bandmates for the album photoshoot.
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#55: Big Wide World by Teddy Randazzo
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: March 1963
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #10
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #51
YouTube: “Big Wide World”
Lyrics: “Big Wide World”
Teddy Randazzo was born in 1935 in Brooklyn (NY). He learned to play accordion, and around 1953 joined the Three Chuckles. The group was named after a candy bar. Randazzo became the lead singer and the group had a #20 hit with “Runaround” in 1954. The group had two more minor hits the following years. This brought Teddy Randazzo to the attention of rock ‘n roll DJ Alan Freed. He was cast in the teen flick Rock! Rock! Rock! in 1956. Other recording artists in the movie were Connie Francis, Chuck Berry, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, The Johnny Burnette Trio, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and LaVern Baker. Later that year he appeared in The Girl Can’t Help It, starring Jayne Mansfield. The movie featured songs performed by Ray Anthony, Julie London, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, The Platters, Gene Vincent, the Treniers, and Nino Tempo.
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#22: Find Your Way Back by Jefferson Starship
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: June 1981
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #3
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #29
YouTube: “Find Your Way Back”
Lyrics: “Find Your Way Back”
Jefferson Starship morphed from the Jefferson Airplane in 1974. By 1981, the lineup in the band consisted of lead vocalist and piano player Grace Slick; Keyboard and bass guitarist David Freiberg; Paul Kantner on banjo, harmonica, rhythm guitar and synthesizers; Craig Chaquico on guitar; Pete Sears on keyboards and guitar; Mickey Thomas on lead and backing vocals; and Ansley Dunbar on drums and percussion. Paul Kantner was born in San Francisco in 1941. His mother died when he was eight, and his father sent him to see the circus instead of allowing him to attend the funeral. Kantner was sent to a Catholic Military boarding school. In the face of his strict upbringing, Paul Kantner became interested in Pete Seeger, folk and protest songs. He was one of the co-founders of Jefferson Airplane in 1965.
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#57: My Boyfriend Got A Beatle Haircut by Donna Lynn
City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: March 1964
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #6
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #83
YouTube: “My Boyfriend Got A Beatle Haircut”
Lyrics:
Camille Donna Albano was born in 1950. In April 1964, The Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had an article about the 14-year-old pop singer Donna Lynn. The paper wrote of “The short dark-haired Maureen O’Hara in Christine, and Anna Marie Alberghetti in Carnival. She has played Helen Keller as a child, in a summer stock production of The Miracle Worker. In Pittsburgh today to promote her new release, “Java Jones,” backed by “The Things that I Feel,” Donna expressed a strong desire to continue her professional career. She hopes to eventually end up back on Broadway or in the movies.” The article described Donna Lynn as “a 14-year-old who belts out rock ‘n roll for Capitol records,” and who “also knows her way around.” A subtitled in the article exclaimed “DONNA LYNN: Broadway her goal.” The Pittsburgh Press contrasted “Lynn, the recording artist” with “Camille Albano, the girl from around the corner.” Reflecting on her anonymity as a girl from around the corner, Donna Lynn told reporter Barbara Holsopple, “…there is a little jealousy. I guess that’s the price you have to pay for being a public figure.”
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#10: Draggin’ You Down by Streetheart
City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CJME
Peak Month: June 1980
Peak Position in Regina ~ #3
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Draggin’ You Down”
Lyrics: N/A
Kenny Shields was from Nokomis, Saskatchewan in 1947. When he was six years old he won an amateur talent contest. Once he graduated from high school he pursued music and in 1967 formed a band in Saskatoon named Witness Inc. The band had several Top Ten hits in local radio markets in the Canadian Prairies and in Ontario. These include “I’ll Forget Her Tomorrow”, “Jezebel” and “Harlem Lady”. In 1969 Shields had a near fatal car accident and had to undergo therapy and rehab for a number of years. This meant he had to quit the band. In 1975 Shields was back with Witness Inc. and by that time he was the only original member in the band. But the pseudo-psychedlic sound that Witness Inc. was known for was no longer in vogue. The band changed its name to Streetheart and with it got a newer rock ‘n roll sound. Bass player Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve and keyboard player, Daryl Gutheil, made the transition from Witness Inc. As Streetheart, they were joined by Paul Dean and Matt Frenette who both moved on to form Loverboy.
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#24: Magic Power by Triumph
City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CJME
Peak Month: November 1981
Peak Position in Regina ~ #5
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #51
YouTube: “Magic Power”
Lyrics: “Magic Power”
In 1975 three local Toronto rockers, guitarist Rik Emmett, drummer Gil Moore and bass and keyboard player Mike Levine decided to jam on a chance encounter at a club called the Hollywood Tavern on The Queensway in Toronto. They decided to form a band and started to perform in clubs in the local Toronto area. Moore and Emmett did the vocals for this hard rock trio. From their live performances they were able to secure a record deal with Attic Records.
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#3: My Heart’s Symphony by Gary Lewis and the Playboys
City: St. John’s, NL
Radio Station: VOCM
Peak Month: April 1966
Peak Position in St. John’s ~ #1
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ #12
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #13
Peak Position on UK Singles chart ~ #36
YouTube: “My Heart’s Symphony”
Lyrics: “My Heart’s Symphony”
Gary Lewis & the Playboys were a band formed in 1964 as Gary & the Playboys. The “Playboys” was dreamed up given Gary Lewis thought the tardiness of his bandmates cast them as less than serious musicians, and in a word – playboys. They auditioned for a job at Disneyland without telling Disney employees about Lewis’ celebrity father, Jerry Lewis. They were hired on the spot, audiences at Disneyland quickly accepted them, and the Playboys were soon playing to a full house every night. The orchestra bandleader Les Brown, who had known Jerry Lewis for years, told record producer Snuff Garrett that the younger Lewis was playing at Disneyland. After listening to the band, Garrett thought using Gary’s famous name might sell more records. He convinced the group to add “Lewis” into their name. So they became Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
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