"A Thousand Stars" is a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

written by Eugene Pearson and performed by

Kathy Young Kathy Young (born October 21, 1945) is an American musician; she was a teen pop singer during the early 1960s, whose rendition of " A Thousand Stars", at age 15, rose to No. 3 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Biography A native of Southern ...

and the Innocents. The song was produced and arranged by James Lee, and was featured on her 1961 album ''The Sound of Kathy Young''.

Background

Sandy Nelson Sander Lloyd Nelson (December 1, 1938 – February 14, 2022) was an American drummer. Nelson, one of the best-known rock and modern jazz drummers of the late 1950s and early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and released over 30 ...

played drums on the record.Charlie Gillett, ''The Sound of the City: the rise of rock and roll''. Da Capo Press, 1996, p.104.

Chart performance

"A Thousand Stars" reached #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #6 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in 1960.

Other versions

*The original version was made by Rivileers in 1954, who enjoyed a short (less than two years) recording career from 1954 to 1955. The Rivileers most stable lineup consisted of neighborhood and high school buds: Eugene Pearson, Milton Edwards, Earl Lennard, Herb Crosby, and Alphonso Delaney. *

Billy Fury Ronald Wycherley (17 April 1940 – 28 January 1983), better known as Billy Fury, was an English singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. An early star of rock and roll, he equalled the Beatles' record of 24 hits in the 1960s and spent 332 week ...

released a version of the song as a single that reached No. 14 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in January 1961. *

Linda Scott Linda Scott (born Linda Joy Sampson; June 1, 1945) is an American pop singer and actress who was active from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Her biggest hit was the 1961 million-selling single, "I've Told Every Little Star". She went on to ...

released a version of the song on her 1961 album ''Starlight, Starbright''. *

The Daughters of Eve Daughters of Eve were an American all-female garage rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1965. The group was formed and managed by Carl Bonafede, who was managing The Buckinghams as they were gaining national success. The Daughters of Eve is ...

released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1968 single "Social Tragedy". *Canadian rock band

The Guess Who The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of " Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After ...

performed the song live in Mobile, Alabama on August 14, 1971.

In media

*Billy Fury's re-recorded version was included on the soundtrack to the 1973 film ''

That'll Be the Day "That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. The 1957 recording achieved widespre ...

''.''That'll Be the Day'' soundtrack.
Retrieved January 13, 2016.

References

1960 songs 1960 singles Kathy Young songs Billy Fury songs Linda Scott songs Decca Records singles {{1960s-single-stub