Record #0030: Wooly Bully / Ain’t Gonna Move – SAM THE SHAM & THE PHARAOHS

MGM K13322 (original) USA, Apr. 1965
Words & Music by:  Side A – Domingo Samudio (Sam the Sham); Side B – Stacy Davidson, Stan Kessler
Musicians:  Sam the Sham (lead vocals & keyboards), David A. Martin (bass), Jerry Patterson (drums), Ray Stinnett (guitar), Butch Gibson (sax)
Recording sessions:  Sam Phillips Recording Studio, Memphis, TN, 1965
Highest chart positions:  US #2, UK #11

“Uno, dos, one, two, tres, quatro” is the opening line of this classic, which became an international hit soon after its release in 1965.

Wooly Bully was the name of Sam’s cat and the song itself is a about “Hully Gully”.

This was the first rock/pop single by a US artist to sell over one million copies during the British Invasion. Wooly Bully ended up selling over 3 million copies and it was the best-selling song in the States in 1965, yet it failed to hit #1 in the weekly US charts. It was also nominated for a Grammy award and Billboard Magazine named it as the Record of the Year.

Ain't Gonna Move is a nice bluesy track where the band sounds very different from the A side.

List price:  “Very Good+” is $7.50 and “Near Mint” is $15