OT: Older songs that have great voices and harmonies

[JD Seller]

I was killing some time on You Tube and started to listen to some older songs. It is funny how they will transport you back to your youngers years just like a time machine. LOL

One of my first wife's all time favorites was the Righteous Brothers "Lost that loving feeling". That song filled the air ways when we where dating and where first married.

When all we had for entertainment was a small radio. I can remember the two of us setting in our "house/room" doing homework/housework and listening to some great music.

Some of our favorites:

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles " Who is loving you"

Dean Martin " Everybody loves somebody"

Elvis " Crying in the Chapel"
also we both loved Elvis's gospel songs. He had a wonderful voice.

These are just a few of the songs. I am not a big music guy but I like a good singing voice. It seems like that is getting to be more rare in todays music. It is more the "show" than the skill. There are some with good voices but the music covers their voices up.

We both grew up during the 1950 and early 1960s. This means that we grew up in the end of the big bands and then the start of Rock and Roll. I can't forget the early Rock and Roll bands. That fifties music was just great. The switch to the harder Rock of the later 1960s and later is not as good to me as the 1950s style.

Here is "Rock Around the Clock Tonight" in a video. Look at the pictures in this and see if you are taken back in time. I can remember my Mother and Father in one of the "good" times dancing in the living room to this. They would have been 23-24 years old at the time. Just a little more than kids themselves. I was looking at some old family pictures a while back my Mother was quite a pretty women when she was younger. That is something that you don't notice when your just a kid.
Rock Around The Clock 1955

 

[Lou from Wi.]

JD Sellers.
Your forgeting Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett,Frank Sinatra,Mel Torme, Ray Charles,Lena horn, etc,.Elvis was a promoted freak, who had no talent other then shaking his tooshie.like Jerry lee lewis who pounded the piano heys. All Hippie fans, Pure junk !!!IMHO
LOU.

 

[NCWayne]

I wasn't born until '68, but grew up with my parents listening to the 'old' music they grew up with, so I developed a great appreciation for the music of the '60's. It's funny you should mention the Righteous Brothers and "Lost That Lovin' Feeling" because it was the first song that popped into my head when I saw the title to your post.


Others that I always liked were The Mommas and the Poppas, Petulla Clark, The Chiffons, The Ronnettes, Leslie Gore, Smokie Robinson and the Miracles, J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, and many more than I can even begin to list here.

Granted I like music from all eras, but there is nothing that beats the pure harmony of the groups, nor the power and melodies of the individuals from the '60's.

I just got ahold of the record collection that Dad had when I was growing up, along with several in the box that were picked up by me when we'd make a special trip to the "Wax Museum" (an old time record store)on the occasional weekend. Now all I've got to do is get myself a belt for one of the turntables I've got, or find myself one of the old record players (((the kind that have the ability to stack several records and let them drop and play in sucession))))) to listen to that old music "the right way".

 

[Dan T in MO]

I'm a '67 model myself. But when I read the title of the thread, I instantly thought of Buck Owens and Don Rich.

 

[bill mart]

father daughter harmony
sometthing stupid
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[bill mart]

brother harmony
let it be me
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[Bret4207]

Andy Williams, the Mills Brothers, Ed Ames, Marty Robbins, Roger Whitaker, The Statler Bros, Deano, Bobby Darin, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Chet Atkins, Merle Haggard when he was young, Jim Reeves, Faron Young....my "like list" is pretty long, and I just stuck to the older stuff.

 

[RESLLS]

Harmony doesn't get much better than The Statler Brothers.
Untitled URL Link

 

[Fergienewbee]

JD;

I grew up in that same era. The first record I ever bought was a 45 rpm "Locomotion" by Little Eva. I took my dates to our house when the parents were gone and swayed to Pat Boone, Andy Williams, and Nat King Cole.

"Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones immediately transports me back to an armory and outside dances. Four or five guys doused with Canoe, English Leather, British Sterling or Brute cruising for chicks. It was the best time to grow up. I still only listen to the oldies from the 60's. I don't recognize many artists after Hendricks and Janis Joplin.

Larry

 

[JD Farmer]

WOW, reading the posts on here this morning has me all shook up....really.
I was born in 1950, and spent some time on U-tube watching and listening to my old songs...
Well 3 years ago this little miracle came into my life, grandson, so I was honored to baby set him a couple of times last year and the winter before.

When it came nap time for him I would put the TV on 60's on 6 or 6006 channel on dish. He would go to sleep to the 60's music. And ever since that day he still takes his naps here to that music and wants it on before he goes to sleep. How special is that!

Both my kids grew up to that music also, and especially my son who spent his summer days at his Grandma's house listening to the old country songs on the radio. Now days you will find his radio in his garage tuned to the old country station.

 

[cannonball]

Try this one JD Seller

Elvis Presley One Pair of Hands
Untitled URL Link

 

[Dave in Tx]

Not many before or since Elvis had a voice with the range or pure musical quality that he had. He sold more music in the ten years after he died than all you named did in their lifetimes.

 

[Unruh]

My all-time favorite comes from the early to mid 50's - "Melody of Love". It was on the hit list for a long time. I still love it!

 

[howdy1960]

What about a lil folk, Peter, Paul and Mary. My favorite, Puff The Majik Dragon. Some truck driving music. Red Sovin, Nitro Express. Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire (on Sun no less).
I grew up with a number of old country albums that were played each weekend when was housecleaning time that were played on a Victor record player.
I was born in 1960.

 

[rrlund]

How can anybody be overlooking The Statler Brothers first hit,Flowers on the Wall?
Talk about great voices and harmony!

 

[sotxbill]

My elusive dreams.. there's one version that will take paint off the walls.

 

[Dave H (MI)]

Hey JD...my wife likes that Righteous Brothers song also. I got it in my head at least 15 years ago to buy an old Seeburg jukebox. Was a wreck but I rebuilt it inside and out. 100 selections and by some odd coincidence #99 (the "A" side of the 45 rpm disk) was You've Got That Loving Feeling. It is the only record on the juke that I have never swapped out at one time or another. Another coincidence, I have been doing the Youtube thing myself the past couple nights. Pick a song you like and when you are done it gives you referrals to similar songs/artists. Great way to while away a couple hours before bed! I'll probably run thru this post tonight and play all the recommendations.
Seeburg C

 

[SweetFeet]

Statler's are the favorite around our house. They also had some great songs that didn't get radio play or at least not much...

Daddy (not Dad)

We Got Paid by Cash (they used to open shows for Johnny... back in the day)

The Boy Inside of Me

All the Times

A Child of the Fifties (though we missed that by a decade)

Nothing as Original as You

Regular Saturday Night Setback Card Game (I can't find this on youtube... it's a great song with a funny ending)

Statler Brother's Quiz (the answers are in the song, but also on the album cover)

Things Just Aren't the Way They Used to Be

Tribute to the Blackwood Brothers

There is You

AND a great tribute to the Statlers by two of their sons...
The Statler Brother's Song by Grandstaff (it'll make you cry - even a grownup guy)

"I'd love to see them, just one more time again... on the stage."

 

[Dean]

Bingo.

I love the Statler Brothers, and I especially love Daddy.

Dean
Daddy

 

[dr sportster]

There is too much good stuff from that era to even start naming bands or artists. The stuff the kids listen to today I notice has very rushed lyrics ,like too many words trying to be jammed into one line. Back then they took time to let you understand what they were singing. Well, until Mick Jagger came along. After the Beatles came out it is amazing how many kids learned instruments and formed bands. They was a band from my town called the Dynamics,who thought they made it pretty big when they played at the 1964 Worlds Fair.[ The youngest was in 5th grade] Heres one by the Trashmen : Bird bird bird bird bird bird bird bird is the word bbb bird bird bird. Not so relaxing .

 

[dr sportster]

Elvis was also and still is called 'The King". He was actually poorly promoted.He sold alot of records .

 

[Mike (WA)]

Being a barbershop quartet guy, I naturally gravitate toward the close harmony groups- Crosby, Still, Nash and Young (who Bill O'Reilly calls "the barbershop quartet of rock), Peter and Gordon, Everly Brothers, etc.

Our quartet (The Midas Touch) sang at the fair this past week, and "In the Still of the Night" (5 Satins) and "MTA" (Kingston Trio) were very well received. We also did "Blue Skies" and "Shenandoah".

 

[rrlund]

I never thought anybody could sound any better,but Dailey and Vincent did an album of their songs that knocks my socks off.

 

[wfw]

My Dad got me loving the Blue Sky Boys. Still listen to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5xrj-roOZ8

 

[gwece]

cannonball: The consensus is this is not Elvis singing but that it is Carroll Roberson. Whoever it is, he's dang good!
see this link

 

[Ray]

In the still of the night,will you still love me tomorrow.

 

[NCWayne]

The Statler Brothers were great, but the country side of misuc had several others too. One of them I ccan think of was the Bellamy Brothers? I started to mention them in my other post on this thread but had too many names to list to start with.

Heck when you go on the country side you can carry the vocal harmonies into the eighties with groups like Alabama, and Exile who both had a lot of really great songs.

 

[SweetFeet]

Howdy,

What about Tiny Tim and Tiptoe through the Tulips?

Can't stand it now... but loved that song when I was about 5. LOL.

 

[redforlife]

Back in the day, singers reached the top by being talented. Fast foreword to modern day, its hard to tell what might get you to the top. Good looks, connections, or some stupid song that shouldn't sell one dang record but happens to hit number one on the charts because of the lericks or whatever. Whole different world in the music buisness today. To make matters worse, the producers and managers are only in it for the big bucks. Its not about the talent anymore. Its about taking a one hit wonder, and milking anything than they can get out of it, and move on to the next one hit wonder. They make more money doing this than actually searching for real talent and sticking with the people they find in that manner.

 

[JerryS]

Sweetfeet, I agree that the Statlers are about as good as it gets. Their harmonies work so well because their voices don't blend into a smooth, seamless tone; instead the voices are distinctly different--kinda like having a horn, a guitar, a violin and and piano sounding the different notes of a chord.

I also like many of the groups already mentioned, plus a few that weren't: the Four Freshmen, the Four Aces, the Limelighters, and others. My real preference is Southern Gospel quartets, maybe because I sing bass in one. There are many good ones in the business: Kingsmen, Statesmen, Palmetto State, Florida Boys, Gold City, Legacy Five, and on and on.

The greatest of the gospel quartets were the Cathedrals. Their musicality and their sound were unmatched. Other musicians in other venues held them in high respect. Even Elvis used to hang out backstage when the Cathedrals were performing at a Quartet Convention. He loved gospel music, which is a large reason he chose the Jordanairres as his backup group.

So, to bring this back to the Statlers: in the final years of his life George Younce, the much-loved bass singer for the Cathedrals, developed kidney disease and needed a transplant. Harold Reid, bass singer for the Statlers, was the first to step forward and volunteer one of his own kidneys. He was not a match, but he offered. When he died both the Statlers and Oak Ridge Boys (originally a gospel group) sang at his funeral. In a way it illustrates how much the mainstream performers owe to the gospel genre and how willing they are to pay homage to it. I

As for me, I like music of many kinds, but as a blanket statement I greatly prefer music that can be made without electricity.

 

[bill mart]

great harmony
daddy sang bass
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[GordoSD]

Check out "Dream Lover" Tanya Tucker and Glen Campbell for harmony.

 

[SweetFeet]

Jerry S.,

I'm going to bookmark this thread so I can come back to it and look up music suggested.

Neat story on Harold Reid/George Younce.

My husband and I also like country gospel... Statlers being our favorite. We also like other music too - husband used to play guitar (never in a band). I like everything from classical to old time to country to oldies rock/classic rock and new rock.

 

[wolfman]

When Toby Keith and his daughter did " Mockingbird " live, that was one excellent piece of music. They nailed it.

 

[John_PA]

(quoted from post at 15:14:28 08/20/14) Howdy,

What about Tiny Tim and Tiptoe through the Tulips?

Can't stand it now... but loved that song when I was about 5. LOL.

Tiny Tim actually died on stage from a massive heart attack while playing that song. I guess you can only hear it so many times...

 

[NEKS]

Johnny Cash come to Topeka, KS to do a show in the early sixties. The Statler Brothers opened the show for him and he never showed. They had to do the whole show. That's when I heard the song We Get Paid by Cash. You could get a refund after the show, but I'd didn't cause I thought the Statlers put on a good show.

 

[redforlife]

I got to see him at Worlds of Fun in K.C. I think it was in the early 80's, if not real late 70's. He had his family there that day, and they all performed something on stage. June and the boy, and I think maybe Roseanne might of even been there that day. June really had her hands full keeping him on track early on. They had trouble with him even at the Grand Ole Opry. Getting drunk, missing appearances, and one time he threw a fit and bashed out light bulbs right there on the stage at the Ryman. I think that was even after they had barred him for awhile and he was trying to work his way back in. I liked his music and was glad I atleast got to see him once in concert.

 

[Royse]

How about a little a cappella?
These guys are as much comedians as they are singers,
and some of there stuff borders on vulgar.
This is not one of those. Give a listen to the voices.
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