#735: Why by The Chartbusters
Peak Month: November 1964
9 weeks on CFUN’s Vancouver Chart
Peak Position: #8
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #92
YouTube.com: “Why”
Lyrics: “Why”
The Chartbusters were the house band at the Crazy Horse in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. Vernon Sandusky, a guitarist and vocalist, was the frontman for the band. He had previously been in a Coffeyville, Kansas rockabilly group named Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats. The Poe-Kats had been on tour with country star Wanda Jackson. In fact, Bobby Poe and the Poe-Kats were Wanda Jackson’s backing band and can be heard on a number of her recordings in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The Chartbusters formed in 1963. Other members of the band included guitar player and backing vocalist Vince Gedeon, bass player and backing vocalist Johnny Dubas, and drummer Mitch Corday. Bobby Poe, of the same group ended up being the manager of the Chartbusters. As an American band trying to start making records at the beginning of the British Invasion, the Chartbusters chose to imitate the Beatles sound.