KEEP ON PUSHING
EPISODE 6

From Studio C Chicago, it's "Keep On Pushing," a motley and mind-expanding exploration of the Sixties, with plenty of air time given to pop, soul, British Invasion, blues, bossa nova, Broadway, jazz, lounge, film music, folk music, garage rock, country, and more. I'm Andy Miles, and this is Henry Mancini & His Orchestra.

Henry Mancini & His Orchestra “Charade (Main Title)” (1963)

Little Anthony & The Imperials “Hurts So Bad” (1965)

Margo Guryan “Don’t Go Away” (1968)

Dionne Warwick “Message To Michael” (1966)

It was 1966 when Dionne Warwick hit the top 10 with that song, the Burt Bacharach-Hal David-penned “Message To Michael.” It was the third top 10 single of Warwick’s young career, and enjoyed simultaneous success on the R&B and easy listening charts, as well as in Canada. Earlier versions of the song had gone by the titles “Message To Martha” and “Kentucky Bluebird,” and Motown cover versions from The Marvelettes and Barbara McNair came soon after. But the song really belongs to Dionne Warwick.

Margo Guryan before that, “Don’t Go Away” from 1968, a track from her debut and only album, “Take A Picture,” whose lead track, “Sunday Morning,” was a minor pop hit. The New York City native Guryan was a prolific composer and lyricist, “Sunday Morning” being the biggest hit of her catalogue, with other notable versions of it performed by Spanky and Our Gang, and Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell in duet. Her songs also appealed to jazz vocalists like Anita O’Day, Julie London, and more recently Dianne Reeves. Guryan died in late 2021 at the age of 84.

We heard Little Anthony & The Imperials with their 1965 hit “Hurts So Bad,” which later gave Linda Ronstadt her final top 10 single, in 1980. The mid-’60s version we heard was the second of back-to-back hits for Little Anthony & The Imperials, coming on the heels of “Going Out of My Head,” from the same songwriting team of Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein. “Hurts So Bad” was produced by Don Costa, who later scored and produced Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” album.

And at the top of the show, Henry Mancini & His Orchestra with the main title from the 1963 romantic comedy/suspense thriller “Charade,” which starred Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Mancini teamed up with Johnny Mercer for the film’s score, earning a Best Original Song Oscar nomination for “Charade,” which usually is presented as a ballad in waltz time.

And you're listening to "Keep On Pushing." I'm Andy Miles. Thanks for joining me. Lots of good stuff on the way, including Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles, and this from June Carter Cash.

June Carter Cash “The Heel” (1961)

Cliff Nobles & Co. “The Horse” (1968)

Celia Cruz “Caramelos” (1960)

Irma Thomas “Time Is On My Side” (1964)

It’s Irma Thomas with her 1964 recording of “Time Is On My Side,” a version that preceded The Rolling Stones’ version by a couple of months, and was itself preceded by a 1963 recording from the jazz trombonist Kai Winding, who made a version of the song when its only lyrics were “time is on my side, yeah” and “you’ll come running back,” sung by a group of singers called The Gospelaires, which consisted of Dionne Warwick, her sister, Dee Dee, and Cissy Houston, whose own singing career was eclipsed by her daughter, Whitney’s. By the time Irma Thomas and The Stones recorded their 1964 versions, Jimmy Norman had added the additional lyrics, and a classic was born. The Thomas version didn’t break through, but the Rolling Stones took it to the top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic, enjoying their first top 10 hit in America.

We heard Celia Cruz with a 1960 recording, and Cliff Nobles & Company with “The Horse,” a million seller in 1968. “The Horse” was actually an instrumental version of the single’s A-side, “Love Is All Right,” which had a Cliff Nobles vocal. Nobles is not on the instrumental B-side, but it was nonetheless the biggest record of his career. I’ll play “Love Is All Right” on some future edition of this show.

And June Carter Cash at the top of the set, a 1961 release called “The Heel.”

From Studio C Chicago this is "Keep On Pushing." I'm Andy Miles. Next up it’s Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan “Corrina, Corrina” (1963)

Sheila Jordan “Baltimore Oriole” (1962)

Quincy Jones Big Band featuring Clark Terry “Moanin’” (1960)

Dusty Springfield “Just A Little Lovin’ (Early in the Morning)” (1968)

That’s Dusty Springfield with “Just A Little Lovin’,” the opening track on the classic album “Dusty in Memphis.” It was also the B-side of the hit single “Son of a Preacher Man,” which was Springfield’s third and final top 10 single in the U.S. It was also her final top 10 record in her native England.

Before that, The Quincy Jones Big Band featuring trumpeter Clark Terry, their 1960 instrumental recording of “Moanin’.”

We heard Sheila Jordan’s version of the Hoagy Carmichael standard “Baltimore Oriole,” recorded in 1962 and put out on Jordan’s 1963 debut album “Portrait of Sheila,” on Bluenote Records.

And Bob Dylan, “Corrina, Corrina,” an American blues song that dates back to the 1920s. Like the Sheila Jordon song we heard, Dylan recorded it in 1962 and released it in ’63, on the classic record “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” his second album.

And you're listening to "Keep On Pushing." I'm Andy Miles. We’re going to keep on pushing with one last set; it starts with The Beatles.

The Beatles “I’ll Be Back” (1964)

Nickie Lee “And Black Is Beautiful” (1968)

The Pyramids “Penetration” (1964)

Ella Fitzgerald “Hernando’s Hideaway” (1963)

It’s Ella Fitzgerald from a 1963 album of show tunes. “Hernando’s Hideaway” comes from “The Pajama Game,” which opened on Broadway in 1954 and opened in movie theaters in ’57.

Before that, The Pyramids with the surf rock hit “Penetration.” It came out in 1964, near the end of the surf rock craze.

We heard “And Black Is Beautiful” from Nickie Lee, a Miami deejay best known for spending 226 continuous hours on the air in the early ’60s when such endurance stunts were popular on American radio stations. For those of you scoring at home, that’s nine days and 10 hours.

And at the top of the set it was The Beatles, “I’ll Be Back,” a 1964 Lennon-McCartney composition written for but not included in the film musical “A Hard Day’s Night,” with lead vocal by John Lennon.

And you've been listening to "Keep On Pushing" from Studio C Chicago. I'm Andy Miles; thanks for listening. One last song on the show; it’s Pharoah Sanders with a nine-minute version of “The Creator Has A Master Plan,” a 32-minute spiritual jazz creation by the tenor saxophonist released on Impulse Records in 1969.

Pharoah Sanders “The Creator Has A Master Plan” (1969)

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