"A Thousand Stars" is a

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

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 C ...

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

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s 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 by his stage name Billy Fury, was an English musician. An early star of rock and roll, he spent 332 weeks on the UK singles chart. His hit singles include " Wondrous Place", " H ...

released a version of the song as a single that reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1961. * Linda Scott 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 ...

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 was a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1965. The band found their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, wit ...

performed the song live in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

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. Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes' ver ...

''.''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