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.

 

Record #0845: Ape Call / Wild Dog of Kentucky – NERVOUS NORVUS

Dot 15485 (original) USA, June 1956
Words & Music by:  Side A – Jimmy Drake; Side B – Jimmy Drake
Musicians: Jimmy Drake (vocals, piano, baritone ukulele), Red Blanchard (ape calls, sound effects)
Recording sessions: Produced by Jimmy Drake and Red Blanchard at Drake’s home studio in Oakland, CA, in May / June 1956
Highest chart positions: Side A – US #24; Side B – none

Well, this is something … different, but I love it! Nervous Norvus (Jimmy Drake) was a truck driver who bough himself an Ampex 600 tape recorder, a piano and a baritone uke – and started recording demos. His breakthrough came with the song “Transfusion” (US #8), which I have posted here.

Unlike “Transfusion”—which was banned by many stations for making light of fatal car crashes—"Ape Call” was deemed safe and harmless, leading to immediate airplay.

Red Blanchard's loud Tarzan shrieks on the A-side amused listeners, but the agonizing dog howls on the B-side caused many DJs to outright refuse to play the flip side.

The Blue Cats covered “Wild Dogs of Kentucky” on their 1992 album “The Tunnel”.

“Ultra High Fidelity” 😊

List price: $5-$10, but these have been sold in eBay for about $15.