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Paul Leka
Paul Leka (February 20, 1943 – October 12, 2011) was an American songwriter, record producer, pianist, arranger, and orchestrator, most notable for co-writing the 1960s hits "Green Tambourine" and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", the latter of which has become a standard song at sporting events. Life and career Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Leka was one of four children of Theodore and Dhimitra Leka, immigrants from Albania. His father worked as a short-order cook. Soon after he started taking piano lessons, Paul was writing songs, and by age 16, his brother said, he was trying to sell them to music publishers in New York. Described as "one of those rare, genuinely prodigious musicians who was too talented to limit himself to actually being a member of one group or recording project",Bruce Eder, Biography of Paul Leka www.allmusic.com. Leka grew up in Connecticut and played piano as a child and later became a multi-instrumentalist. He played with a group called the Chatea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound, it is a port city from Manhattan and from The Bronx. It borders the towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull to the north, Fairfield, Connecticut, Fairfield to the west, and Stratford, Connecticut, Stratford to the east. Bridgeport and other towns in Fairfield County make up the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, as well as the Greater Bridgeport, Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, the second largest Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area in Connecticut. The Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolis forms part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Left Banke Too
''The Left Banke Too'' is the second studio album by American baroque pop band the Left Banke, released by Smash Records in 1968. It would be the final album of the band's initial lifespan, with their next album not appearing until 1986. Background In between the release of the Left Banke's debut album '' Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina'' and the making of this album, the original five-piece band had been whittled down to a trio after the departures of songwriter and keyboardist Michael Brown and guitarist Rick Brand. To replace them, the band brought in guitarist Tom Feher, who had written songs with Brown for the group's first album. Half of the album, consisted tracks that had been issued as singles in the period since the release of the band's debut album in February 1967. "Desirée", released as a single in June 1967, barely scraped into the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 98. The band's next two singles, "Dark is the Bark", released in the summer of 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy James & The Shondells
Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. The band has had two No. 1 singles in the U.S.: " Hanky Panky" (1966), the band's only RIAA Certified Gold record, and "Crimson and Clover" (1969). The band also charted twelve other top 40 hits, including five in the Hot 100's Top 10: "I Think We're Alone Now" (1967), "Mirage" (1967), " Mony Mony" (1968), " Sweet Cherry Wine" (1969), and " Crystal Blue Persuasion" (1969). History Origins The band The Echoes formed in 1959 in Niles, Michigan, then evolved into Tom and the Tornadoes, with 12-year-old Tommy James (then known as Tommy Jackson) as lead singer. While attending Niles High School in Niles, Michigan, the group released its first single, "Long Pony Tail", in 1962.Tommy James and the Shondells. ''40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966–2006)''. CD booklet. Aura Records, 2008. In 1964, James renamed the band the Shondells because the name "sounded good" and in honor of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and formerly fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. Between March and August 1965 in the United States, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the Top Ten of ''Billboards Hot 100 with five singles, including the two number ones " Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and " I'm Henry VIII, I Am". Their other international hits in the 1960s include " I'm into Something Good" (their sole UK number one), " Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", the two covers " Silhouettes" and " Wonderful World", " A Must to Avoid", " Listen People", " No Milk Today", " There's a Kind of Hush", " I Can Take or Leave Your Loving", " Something's Happening" and " My Sentiment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lemon Pipers
The Lemon Pipers were a short-lived 1960s American rock band from Oxford, Ohio, known chiefly for their song "Green Tambourine", which reached No. 1 in the United States in 1968. The song has been credited as being the first bubblegum pop chart-topper. The members of the Lemon Pipers were drummer William (Bill) E. Albaugh (1946–1999), guitarist Bill Bartlett (born 1946), vocalist Dale "Ivan" Browne (born 1947), keyboardist Robert G. Nave (1944–2020), and bassist Steve Walmsley (born 1948), who replaced the original bass guitarist Bob "Dude" Dudek. Career The band was formed in 1966 by student musicians from Oxford, Ohio, who had played the college bars with previous groups that included The Wombats (Nave), Ivan and the Sabres (Browne), and Tony and the Bandits (Bartlett, Albaugh and Dudek). The band played a mixture of blues, hard rock and folk rock, with a few covers from The Byrds and The Who. They gigged regularly in an Oxford bar called The Boar's Head, and Cincinnati u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Peppermint Rainbow
The Peppermint Rainbow was an American sunshine pop group from Baltimore, Maryland, known for their song "Will You Be Staying After Sunday". History The group formed in 1967 under the name "New York Times" playing to local gigs in the mid-Atlantic states. It was signed to Decca Records in 1968 at the behest of talent agent Alan White at Action Talents in NYC, who brought it to New York and showcased it for producer Paul Leka who saw the group play and sing both a medley of the Mamas and the Papas and the 5th Dimension tunes. The group changed its name to "The Peppermint Rainbow" following its signing by Leka. Under Decca the group was produced by Paul Leka; its first single "Walking in Different Circles" b/w "Pink Lemonade" did not chart. The second single, "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", reached No. 4 on KHJ on April 2, 1969. Nationally, it spent 14 weeks on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached No. 32 on May 3, 1969, selling over one million copies and r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cat's In The Cradle
"Cat's in the Cradle" is a folk rock song by American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin, from his fourth studio album, '' Verities & Balderdash'' (1974). The single topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1974. As Chapin's only number-one song, it became his signature song and a staple for folk rock music. Chapin's recording of the song was nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. Composition and background "Cat's in the Cradle" is narrated by a man who becomes a father in the first stanza. He is constantly too busy with his work to spend time with his son, despite his son looking up to him and promising he will grow up to be just like him. When the son graduates from college, he declines his father's offer to relax with him and instead asks for the car keys. In the final stanza, the now-retired father calls his adult son and asks to spend some time together, but the son is now too busy w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway musical song), I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974). Early life Gloria Fowles was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Daniel Fowles and Queenie Mae Proctor. Her grandmother lived nearby and was involved in her upbringing. "There was always music in our house", Gaynor wrote in her autobiography ''I Will Survive''. She enjoyed listening to the radio, and to records by Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan. Her father played the ukulele and guitar and sang professionally in nightclubs with a group called Step 'n' Fetchit. Gloria grew up as a tomboy; she had five brothers and one sister. Her brothers sang gospel music, gospel and formed a quartet with a friend. Gaynor was not allowed to sing with the all-male group, nor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lori Lieberman
Lori Lieberman (born November 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who accompanies herself on guitar and piano. She co-wrote and recorded the first version of "Killing Me Softly with His Song", which became a hit single for Roberta Flack in 1973, and again in 1996 with a new arrangement by the Fugees. Lieberman's writing partners and management team of Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel did not assign her credit for helping to write the song, so she did not receive millions of dollars worth of royalties. Lieberman released four studio albums through Capitol Records in the 1970s, in the style of soft rock and folk. After a retreat in 1978, she resumed her recording career in 1995. Biography Early life Lieberman was born in Los Angeles in 1951 to a Jewish family. Her father, Kenneth Lieberman, was a chemical engineer who invented popcorn ceiling treatment. The middle of three sisters, she spent her childhood and adolescence traveling between California and Switzerland where sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American Rock music, rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. Their best-selling album, ''Hi Infidelity'' (1980), contained four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies. REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million records and charted 13 Top 40 hits, including the number ones "Keep On Loving You (song), Keep On Loving You" and "Can't Fight This Feeling". History Formation In the fall of 1966, Neal Doughty was just beginning an electrical engineering program at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, as a junior. On his first night of classes, he met fellow student Alan Gratzer. Doughty had learned some Beatles songs on his parents' piano, and Gratzer had been a drummer in local bands since high school. The two held an impromptu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy Award-winning artist and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, has sold over 16 million records worldwide. Chapin recorded a total of 11 albums from 1972 until his death in 1981. All 14 singles that he released became hits on at least one national music chart. Chapin's best-known songs include "Taxi (Harry Chapin song), Taxi" and "Cat's in the Cradle." As a dedicated humanitarian, Chapin fought to end world hunger. He was a key participant in the creation of the Presidential Commission (United States), Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work. Biography Harry Forster Chapin was born on December 7, 1942, in New York City, the second of four children ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Moore (singer-songwriter)
Tim Moore (December 31, 1949) is an American pop singer and songwriter who recorded four albums for Asylum Records in the 1970s. Moore's songs were praised by critics and admired by a diverse range of peers including Keith Richards, Jimmy Webb, James Taylor and Michael McDonald. Career Early bands A self-taught musician, Moore grew up in Philadelphia, where he went to art school and played his early songs at local coffee houses. His rock career began with DC & the Senators opening arena rock concerts in Philadelphia. He played drums with Woody's Truck Stop, the first band to feature Todd Rundgren. He and a friend started the Muffins, the first group to record and perform Tim Moore pop songs. The Muffins had minor success on RCA Records with the single "Subway Traveler". During its year of existence, the band did one week residencies at the Trauma, a psychedelic club in Philadelphia, with acts like the Velvet Underground. After the Muffins disbanded, Frank Zappa heard Moore play s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
