#15: The Dawn Of Correction by the Spokesmen

City: London, ON
Radio Station: CFPL
Peak Month: October 1965
Peak Position in London ~ #4
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #43
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #36
YouTube: “The Dawn Of Correction”
Lyrics: “The Dawn Of Correction”

The Spokesmen were a folk trio consisting of David White, John Madara and Ray Gilmore. David White Tricker was born in Philadelphia in 1939. In 1955 he joined a doo-wop group named The Juvenaires. In 1957, White, John Madara and fellow bandmate Artie Singer cowrote a song called “Do The Bop”.  When they introduced the song to Dick Clark, he suggested they change the title to “At The Hop”. The group changed the lyrics a bit and also changed their name to Danny & The Juniors. “At The Hop” a number-one hit for the first seven weeks of 1958. It later was featured in the 1973 film American Graffitti. A followup Top 20 hit for the group was “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay”, cowritten by David White. With Danny & the Juniors, White appeared in Patti Page’s TV show The Big Record, Merv Griffin’s Saturday Night Prom,  The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and Dick Clark’s Saturday Night Beechnut Show.

John L. Medora was born in Philadelphia in 1936. He wrote his first song, “Be My Girl” in 1957. Medora later had the songs he wrote credited to John (or Johnny) Madara. With David White, Madara cowrote “The Fly” for Chubby Checker in 1961, which climbed to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1963 the songwriting duo of Marada and White cowrote “You Don’t Own Me”, a #2 hit for three consecutive weeks for Lesley Gore in February 1964. The song was kept out of the number-one spot by The Beatles “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. In 1965 Madara and White wrote another #2 hit, this time for former lead singer of the Dovells, Len Barry, titled “1-2-3”.

In 1965, White and Madara teamed up with Ray Gilmore to form a folk trio they named The Spokesmen. They recorded an answer song to Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” titled “The Dawn Of Correction”.

The three members of The Spokesmen wrote “The Dawn Of Correction”. The song depicts the mid-sixties in the USA asserting “The Western world has a common dedication, to keep free people from red domination.” This was in contrast to the “Eve Of Destruction”‘s lament “you’re old enough to kill, but not for voting.” The singers warned listeners of the Soviet Union and communist advances in the world. It didn’t matter if you were too young to vote. It was time to “man your battle stations.”

Barry McGuire warned “If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away. There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave.” McGuire’s single topped the Billboard Hot 100

But the Spokesmen answered,
There are buttons to push in two mighty nations.
But who’s crazy enough to risk annihilation?
The buttons are there to ensure negotiation.
So don’t be afraid, boy, it’s our only salvation.

Considering more of the message in “Eve Of Destruction”, The Spokesmen add:
You tell me that marches won’t bring integration,
But look what it’s done for the voter registration.
Be thankful our country allows demonstrations,
Instead of condemnin’, make some recommendations.

In the “Eve Of Destruction”, Barry McGuire views sending missions into outer space a distraction: “You may leave here for four days in space, but when you return it’s the same old place.” The Spokesmen regard this, and other sentiments in McGuire’s protest song as unproductive criticism. The trio in reply, rebut:
What about the things that deserve commendation?
Where there once was no cure, there’s vaccination.
Where there once was a desert, there’s vegetation.
Self-government’s replacing colonization.
What about the Peace Corp. organization?
Don’t forget the work of the United Nations.

The Spokesmen came up with a list of things all working for the good. Their stern answer song to “Eve Of Destruction” caught on in a few radio markets, at least enough to crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“The Dawn Of Correction” peaked at #3 in Tucson (AZ), #4 in London (ON), #5 in Cleveland, Erie (PA), Oklahoma City, #6 in Fall River (MA), #7 in Boston and Grand Rapids (MI), #9 in Newark (NY), #10 in Syracuse (NY), #12 in Norfolk (VA), and #13 in Winnipeg (MB). On the Billboard Hot 100, “The Dawn Of Correction” reached #36.

In addition to “The Dawn Of Correction”, there were other answer songs to the “Eve Of Destruction”. One of these, “Eve Of Tomorrow” had singer Tony Mammarella insist “If you think it’s the ‘Eve of Destruction’ go hide in the dark of a cave. It’s only the Eve of Tomorrow, and tomorrow belongs to the brave.” At the end of ’65, Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler released “Ballad of the Green Beret”. In the song the soldiers who achieve the green beret are regarded as “America’s best.” In the song the green beret dies, and leaves a request that his son be given his silver wings. Hopefully, the slain green beret’s son with aspire to become one of the Green Beret himself one day. “Ballad of the Green Beret” became a number-one hit and the best selling single in the USA in 1966, tied with “California Dreamin'” by The Mamas and the Papas.

The Spokesmen released an album, The Dawn of Correction.

While they were riding on the popularity of the single, the Spokesmen appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, Shindig!, Shivaree, Where the Action Is, Hollywood-A-Go-Go, and other shows.

The trio released five more singles in 1966-67. In early 1966, the Spokesmen had a region hit with their cover of the Beatles’ song “Michelle”. Their cover topped the pop chart in Vineland (NJ), and made the Top Ten in Allentown (PA), Harrisburg (PA), Philadelphia, and Portland (ME). This was their only marginal hit, and the Spokesmen’s other single releases were commercial flops. However, White, Madara and Gilmore wrote “Sadie the Cleaning Lady” which became a number-one hit in Australia for 18-year-old Johnny Farnham.

Ray Gilmore wrote a track for Spanky And Our Gang on their self-titled debut album released in August ’67.

Medora (Madara) spent two years in Las Vegas working with Wayne Newton. He produced two of Newton’s albums, and further produced and wrote songs for a Christmas television special for Wayne Newton on CBS. In the mid 1970s he moved to Los Angeles. It was there he produced music for movies including Cinderella Liberty and Hey Good Lookin’, as well as for television.

White went on to lecture at a community college. He also studied film scoring and orchestration at UCLA Extension.

In 2016, the White-Madara song “You Don’t Own Me” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. David White died in 2019 at the age of 79.

March 3, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Dave White, Hitmaker with Danny & The Juniors, Dies at 79,” New York Times, March 31, 2019.
Aaron S. Robertson,”Exclusive Interview: David White of Danny & The Juniors,” Milwaukee Opportunities, May 9, 2013.
Mick Patrick, “John Madara,” Spectropop.com, 2006.
Barry McGuire, “Eve Of Destruction“, Dunhill Records, 1965.
P.F. Sloan, “Eve Of Destruction- lyrics“, Dunhill Records, 1965.
Tony Mammarella, “Eve Of Tomorrow“, Swan Records, 1965.
Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler, “Ballad Of The Green Beret“, RCA Victor, 1966.

CFPL 980-AM London (ON) Top 15 | October 13, 1965