Joe Jones

There are, and have been, many many people named Joe Jones. The one we are interested claimed to have written many songs that he did not, in fact, write. It’s kind of like that guy on Monty Python (Stake Your Claim) who claimed to have written all of Shakespeare’s plays. Ok, well, not exactly like that, but you get the picture.

Jones had two hits and I have them both.

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Joe Jones:

• You Talk Too Much – Plain spoken. Not the kind of thing you’d think to write a song about but there you have it. And the truth is that we all know people we'd love to sing this to. From the fall of 1960.
• California Sun – The California myth was just beginning to get itself a foothold in the top 40, though this version of this song didn’t actually make the top 40. Annette did this, but it was the Rivieras’ version that hit the top 5 in 1964. Jones’ version did not get higher than 89, though for my money, his was the better one. From the spring of 1961. http

Bob Luman

Unlike all those almost-one-hit wonders we’ve been looking at, Bob Luman was a genuine one-hit wonder; Let’s Think About Living was the only hit he ever put on the Billboard Hot 100. But then he had dozens of hits on the country charts, over 18 years. So he’s not really a one-hit wonder after all, is he…

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Bob Luman:

• Let’s Think About Living – It’s not rare than pop music offers comments on itself, but it’s rare that the comments are deeper than “let’s party to this great music.” Luman, in a light-hearted country song, makes some not-so-lighthearted observations about the morbidity of songs like El Paso and High Noon, and he does it with an eloquence that others have failed to achieve in multiple paragraph essays.

Jimmy Charles

The truth is that though he is known for only one song, Jimmy Charles had a follow-up to A Million To One, called The Age For Love, which reached number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the winter of 1961.

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Jimmy Charles:

• A Million To One – The curse of being young. It’s about love, but the subtext is more . Jimmy sings of the frustration of not being taken seriously by adults. Isn’t that the whole purpose of rock and soul music? From the fall of 1960.

Larry Verne

The truth is that though he is known for only one song, Larry Verne had a follow-up to Mr. Custer, called Mister Livingston, which reached number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the winter of 1961.

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Larry Verne:

• Mr. Custer – “I don’t want to end up dead or bald,” says our hero, referring to the Native Americans (“injuns” he calls them) fighting General Custer’s troops at the Battle Of Little Bighorn. Very funny. It’s amazing listening to this; it wouldn’t get within 20 miles of radio airplay in today’s politically correct world, and that’s a good thing, not just because it’s racially insulting, but the humour is kind of juvenile besides. It was funny enough at the time (fall of 1960) to reach number 1.

Johnny Bond

The truth is that though he is known for only one song, Johnny Bond had a follow-up to Hot Rod Lincoln, called 10 Little Bottles, which reached number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1965.

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Johnny Bond:

• Hot Rod Lincoln – I was in high school when Commander Cody’s version of this was riding high; I remember cruising around with a friend on our respective bicycles, and he yelled over and said “My fender is clicking the guard rail post!” and I didn’t miss a beat; “you’re white as a ghost!” I yelled back. Bond’s version of this went head to head with Charlie Ryan’s in the fall of 1960; Ryan wrote the song but Bond placed about 10 points higher on Billboard. Their styles were very close.

The Demensions

The truth is that though they are known for only one song, The Demensions had a follow-up to Over The Rainbow, called My Foolish Heart, which reached number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the winter of 1963.

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The Demensions:

• Over The Rainbow – This is one of those songs that you really can’t touch. There’s a story of Harry Nilsson wanting to do it for his album of standards (A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night) and Gordon Jenkins refusing. (Actually they did record it but it didn’t make the final cut). The song belongs to Judy Garland and to The Wizard Of Oz. That’s it. This version was a neo-doo wop arrangement (with no actual doo-wop) that was the group’s only real hit, in the fall of 1960.

Charlie Ryan

A one-trick pony for sure. The truth is that though he is known for only one song, Charlie Ryan had a follow-up to Hot Rod Lincoln, called Side Car Cycle, which reached number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1960.

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Charlie Ryan:

• Hot Rod Lincoln – Credited to Charlie Ryan & The Timberline Riders, Hot Rod Lincoln was a Charlie Ryan original, co-written by H. W. Stevenson. Like Maybelline and Beep Beep, the story is that of a car chase, but unlike those two, we have the tale here of someone driving (in both senses) a vehicle to its utmost limits and beyond. We are presented with the whole macho culture of physical achievement for its own sake, replete with the run-ins with authority: the law, “the cops was after my hot rod Lincoln,” and parents, “my pappy said son you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’.” It fought its way up the charts (not all that high up, either) with a competing version by Johnny Bond. In the early 70s it was revived by Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, who, true to his assumed name, took complete command of the song. From the fall of 1960.