The Youngstown, OH band that scored a №8 hit in 1968 with “Nobody But Me” was named the Human Beingz when they signed with Capitol Records. Rhythm guitarist Ting Markulin described on his website what happened next.

“Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” was an unlikely smash hit in 1960. Brian Hyland was a 16-year-old high school student when he recorded the novelty tune. Lyricist Paul Vance wrote the song with composer Lee Pockriss after he took his two-year-old daughter, Paula, to Jones Beach on Long Island, where she wore her new polka dot bikini.

“Respect Yourself” was released in 1971 in an era of black self-empowerment that featured songs like James Brown’s “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud” and Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up.” The song was recorded by the Staple Singers, a family group that featured Mavis Staples and her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples.

It is sad to note the passing of David Clayton-Thomas, the Canadian-born singer of horn rock’s Blood, Sweat & Tears. No cause of death was given. Clayton, 84, died peacefully on June 24 at a Toronto hospital.

Kenny Rogers said that Jimi Hendrix once told him that “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” was his all-time favorite song.

"Twist and Shout” became one of the Beatles’ big hits when it was released in March 1964 at the outset of Beatlemania. The song was a cover of the Top 20 hit two years earlier by the Isley Brothers.

The British Invasion knocked many American groups off the charts in the mid-1960s. Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, who scored a number one hit with “Sugar Shack” in 1963, decided to adopt a grittier sound with “Bottle of Wine.” Gilmer still performed lead vocals, but the band shortened its name to the Fireballs to reflect ‘60s fans’ preference for groups.

“Want to take a mind excursion? How ‘bout a little diversion? The hippest of all trips. The return to reality. Well, join me.” With that introduction, William Mercer, or Rosko to free-form radio fans, would open his shows that showcased a broad range of music: rock, soul, folk, and jazz. Mercer, who grew up on New York’s 114th Street and Manhattan Avenue, read poetry by Kahlil Gibran and delivered impassioned monologues against the My Lai massacre and the Kent State shootings

After leaving the Beatles, George Harrison had an impressive solo career before his untimely death in 2001 at age 58. Harrison notched five Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Of the five, only one was not original to Harrison: “Got My Mind Set on You.”

The Rolling Stones’ 1986 hit “Harlem Shuffle” was first recorded by Bob & Earl, an R&B duo whose version rose to number 44 on the charts in 1963. The song’s roots are not uptown in New York City; instead, the dance was born 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles.

Sly and the Family Stone appeared at promoter Bill Graham’s Fillmore East on three weekends in 1968 and 1969, appearing with bands that include the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Burdon & the Animals.

The Gary Lewis & the Playboys’ tune “This Diamond Ring” song took a labyrinthine path to №1 in 1965.

The 1960s was a watershed era for blue-eyed soul, with multiple hits by the Young Rascals, Mitch Ryder and the Righteous Brothers. Add the Box Tops, whose 1967 “The Letter” became a №1 single and would sell four million copies.

As drug use became more prevalent in the 1960s, pop music reflected the times. Songs that glamorized getting high flooded the airwaves. The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and “Purple Haze” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience had some of the more obvious references to drugs; others, like the Association’s “Along Comes Mary,” were more oblique.

When the Zombies arrived at London’s Abbey Road studios in August 1967, their creativity was high but success was in the past. The British Invasion band had two innovative hits, 1964’s “She’s Not There,” followed the next year by “Tell Her No.”

In The Beatles Anthology, Paul McCartney said he considered writing an “answering song” to “Forget Him.” “John and I wrote ‘She Loves You’ together. There was a Bobby Rydell song out at the time and, as often happens, you think of one song when you write another.”

In 1966, the Left Banke featured flute, harpsichord and string orchestration in their debut hit single, “Walk Away Renée.” The haunting sound of the record was so unusual for its time that its style earned its own names: “Bach-Rock” or “Baroque ’n’ Roll.”

In 1967, Dave Mason founded Traffic with Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi. The British band’s debut album that year, Mr. Fantasy, made them international stars. Despite their instant success, Mason left the band after the album was released, then returned for a few months in 1968.

The Singer-Songwriter Was 79 Frank Mastropolo It is sad to note the passing of Dave Mason, the co-founder of Traffic who performed with many of the superstars of his generation. Mason died April 19, at his home in Nevada. Mason was 79. “Dave Mason lived a remarkable life devoted to the music and the people he loved,” read a statement about his passing. Dave Mason published a cornucopia of backstage stories and unresolved feuds in his 2024 book Only You Know and I Know, also t

Novelty songs first appeared in the late 19th century and were popular on the radio into the 1980s. One of the weirdest and most successful was 1966’s “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” by Napoleon XIV.