Record #0481: Warm and Tender Love / Sugar Puddin' – PERCY SLEDGE

Atlantic 2342 (original) USA, Jul. 1966
Words & Music by:  Side A – Bobby Robinson; Side B – Marlin Greene, Bruce Gist
Musicians: Percy Sledge (lead vocals), most likely backing by: Spooner Oldham (organ), Marlin Greene (guitar), Albert "Junior" Lowe (bass), Roger Hawkins (drums), unknown horns and chorus
Recording sessions: Produced by Marlin Greene and Quin Ivy at FAME Studios (?), Muscle Shoals, AL, 1966
Highest chart positions:  US #17, US R&B #5, UK #34

This single was preceded by Sledge's biggest hit, "When a Man Loves a Woman" (US #1, US R&B #1, UK #4). "Warm and Tender Love" didn't quite match the success, but it did pretty well in the charts anyway.

List price:  Very Good+ is $6, Near Mint is $12

Record #0480: Secretly / Make Me a Miracle – JIMMIE RODGERS

Roulette 4070 (original) USA, Apr. 1958
Words & Music by:  Side A – Al Hoffman, Dick Manning, Mark Markwell; Side B – Hoffman, Manning, Markwell
Musicians: Jimmie Rodgers (vocals) with an orchestra conducted by Hugo Peretti
Recording sessions: Bell Sound Studio, New York, NY, Dec. 1957
Highest chart positions:  Side A - US #3, US Country #5, US R&B #7; Side B - US #16, US R&B #7

This artist is Jimmie Rodgers, the pop singer from Camas, WA, not Jimmie Rodgers, the country singer from Meridian, MS.

This was one of Rodgers' biggest hit singles. The biggest one and his only US #1 was "Honeycomb", which also topped US R&B chart in 1957.

I believe I have the picture sleeve for this somewhere. I'll add the pic here when I find the sleeve.

List price:  Very Good+ is $10, Near Mint is $20. Picture sleeves are $40 for a NM.

Record #0479: The Hula Hoop Song / Keep In Touch – GEORGIA GIBBS

Roulette 4106 (original) USA, Sep. 1958
Words & Music by:  Side A – Carl Maduri, Donna Kohler; Side B – Noel Sherman, Jack Keller
Musicians: Georgia Gibbs (lead vocals) with an orchestra & chorus conducted by Hugo Peretti
Recording sessions: New York (?), NY, 1958
Highest chart positions:  US #32

Gibbs had 19 US Top 40 songs in her career and this was the last one of those. This might have done even better if there wasn't Teresa Brewer's version of the song (US #38) competing for the radio play at the same time.

The modern hula hoop was invented in 1958 and the hula hoop craze started in July that year. 25 million plastic hula hoops were sold in less than four months.

List price:  Very Good+ is $5, Near Mint is $10

Record #0478: Lady Willpower / Daylight Stranger – GARY PUCKETT AND THE UNION GAP

4-44547 (original) USA, May 21, 1968
Words & Music by:  Side A – Jerry Fuller; Side B – Gary Puckett, Fuller
Musicians: Gary Puckett (lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar), Dwight Bement (bass), Gary Withem (keyboards), Paul Wheatbread (drums and percussion), possibly James Burton (rhythm guitar), The Sid Sharp Strings (strings), others unknown
Recording sessions: Produced by Jerry Fuller at Columbia Recording Studios (?), Hollywood, CA, 1968
Highest chart positions:  US #2, US AC #26, UK #5

1968 was the pinnacle in this band's chart success. Just a couple of months before this single, the group had a US #2 with "Young Girl". The follow-up for this single ("Over You") was also a Top 10 hit, reaching US #7. All three were written by Jerry Fuller.

Jerry Fuller has had quite a career as a producer and a songwriter. Among other hit songs he wrote "Travelin' Man" (US #1, UK #2 in 1961) for Ricky Nelson (sold 6 million copies), "A Woman's Touch" (US Country #16 in 1982) for Tom Jones and "Show and Tell" for Johnny Mathis (US AC #36 in 1973) covered by Al Wilson (US #1, US AC #3, US R&B #10, UK #51 in 1973) and Peabo Bryson (US R&B #1 in 1989).

When I first heard the title song, the first two things that came to my mind were Tom Jones (for the voice) and The Four Seasons (for the song). Although I like The Four Seasons and Tom Jones is kind of ok, this is really not for me. But hey, this is a Pacific Northwest group, so extra points for that. :)

List price:  Very Good+ is $4, Near Mint is $8

Record #0477: The Green Door / (The Story of) The Little Man In Chinatown – JIM LOWE

Dot 15486 (original, 1st pressing) USA, Jul. 1956

The details are same as in the 2nd pressing, which I already posted here.