Record #0038: Burn That Candle / Oh My Darlin’ – THE CUES

Capitol 3245 (original 78 rpm) USA, Sep. 1955
Words & Music by:  Side A – Winfield Scott (Robie Kirk); Side B – Charles Calhoun (Jesse Stone)
Musicians:  Jimmy Breedlove (lead vocals on side A), Ollie Jones (lead vocals on side B), Eddie Barnes (vocals), Robie Kirk (vocals), Abel DeCosta (vocals), others unknown
Recording sessions:  Capitol Studio, New York, NY, Side A – Aug.11. and Side B – Aug.24, 1955
Highest chart positions:  US #86

Three posts ago I mentioned a group called “the Cues” as they provided backing vocals for Chuck Willis. This was their second biggest hit (their highest charting came with single “Why?”, US #77).

“Burn That Candle” had just started to climb the charts, when Bill Haley & His Comets released their cover version of the song in November 1955. The Cues’ original stopped climbing and Haley’s cover went up to #9 in US charts (also in R&B).

The Cues backed many hit artists of the day, but they did it under different names. They provided backing vocals for LaVern Baker in “the Gliders” (including her biggest hits “Tweedle Dee” and “Jim Dandy”), for Joe Turner in “the Blues Kings” (incl. hits like “Shake, Rattle And Roll” and “Flip, Flop And Fly”), for Ruth Brown in “the Rhythmakers” (incl. hit “I Can See Everybody’s Baby”) and for few others as well.

Robie Kirk became a very successful songwriter. The biggest hit he ever wrote was Elvis Presley’s “Return To Sender” (co-written by Otis Blackwell), which went #1 in the UK and #2 in the US, where it sold over one million copies.

List price:  As per Les Docks’ “American Premium Record Guide 1900-1965” this record would go for $8-$12. This is a fairly rare record as 78 rpm.