Record #0847: Honey Love / Warm Your Heart – THE DRIFTERS FEATURING CLYDE McPHATTER

Atlantic 1029 (original) USA, May 1954
Words & Music by:  Side A – Clyde McPhatter, Gerald (Jerry) Wexler; Side B – Tom Dowd, Nugetre (Ahmet Ertegün), Wexler
Musicians: Clyde McPhatter (lead tenor vocals), Bill Pinkney (bass vocals), Andrew "Bubba" Thrasher (baritone), Gerhart "Gay" Thrasher (tenor), Jimmy Oliver (guitar), Sam Taylor (sax on side B), Harry Van Walls (piano on side B), Mickey Baker (guitar on side B), others unknown
Recording sessions: Atlantic Studios, New York, NY, Side A – 4. February 1954; Side B – 12. November 1953
Highest chart positions: Side A - US #21, US R&B #1; Side B - none

I have already posted the original 45 RPM record here.

The Drifters’ “Honey Love” was one of the first “forbidden songs” of the early rock’n’roll era. Clyde McPhatter sings intensely: ”I need it, I need it when the moon is bright / I need it, I need it when you hold me tight”. The lyrics never explicitly state what ”it” refers to. However, the authorities were absolutely convinced that it was a blatant reference to premarital sex.

As the song climbed the charts, the censorship machinery clamped down heavily. In Memphis, TN, the local police chief ordered officers to raid the city's bars and cafes. The police physically removed the Atlantic 1029 shellac and vinyl discs from jukeboxes to prevent the youth from hearing this "corrupting" music. 😊The song was placed on official ban lists and censored by radio stations and authorities in cities like Boston and Houston.

List price: Les Docks lists this for $10-$15. 45cat.com Price Guide shows €69. I found 7 copies sold in eBay for $20-$35.

 

Record #0846: Crying In the Chapel / Don’t You Think I Ought To Know – THE ORIOLES

Jubilee 5122 (original) USA, July 1953
Words & Music by:  Side A – Artie Glenn; Side B – Melvin Wettergreen, William Johnson
Musicians: Sonny Til (lead tenor vocals), Alexander Sharp (tenor vocals), George Nelson (baritone vocals), Johnny Reed (bass vocals and upright bass), Tommy Gaither (guitar and backing vocals), others unknown
Recording sessions: Produced by Jerry Blaine at Atlantic Studios, New York, NY, on 30. June 1953
Highest chart positions: Side A – US #11, US R&B #1; Side B – none

“Crying in the Chapel” was written by country singer Darrell Glenn and his father, Artie Glenn. The Orioles’ recording became an early example of a Black doo-wop group reinterpreting a country song for a wider pop audience.

Their version sold more than a million copies and helped bridge country, rhythm and blues, and mainstream pop. According to contemporary accounts, the recording came about almost by accident.

Jerry Blaine, the head of Jubilee Records, was looking for new material for the group and had ordered sheet music and demo acetates from various sources, including country music publishers. Artie Glenn, who wrote the original song, had sent his son Darrell Glenn's country version to be pitched, and the demo accidentally ended up in the same pile that Blaine was planning to present to The Orioles. Sonny Til fell in love with the song and the rest is history.

Elvis had a major hit with his cover of “Crying In the Chapel” in 1960 (US #3, UK #1).

List price: Les Docks lists this for $25-$50. I found 9 copies sold in eBay for $15-$30.