#1 R&B Song 1951: “Don’t You Know I Love You,” the Clovers
Born: Tommy Evans (the Drifters), 1927; Archie Bell (the Drells), 1944
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1956 The Keynotes “Now I Know” ($100) was released. Its melody turned up a year later in Dion & the Belmonts’ “I Wonder Why.”
1956 Johnny Ray’s “Just Walkin’ In the Rain” debuted, eventually reaching #2. The original version was done three years earlier by the Prisonaires, an R&B quintet who were all inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary.
1958 Two doo-wop classics, “I’m So Young” by the students (#26 R&B) and he Moonglows’ “Ten Commandments Of Love” (#22 pop, #9 R&B), were issued.
1958 The Clara Ward Singers broke up, forming two gospel groups, the Gay Charmers and the Stars of Faith.
1961 The Marcels (formerly a mixed-race group) had their first session as an all-Black group recording “Heartaches” (#7 pop, #19 &B).
I first heard the Marcels’ singing talents when I saw the movie “An American Werewolf In London.” Here is the Marcels’ version of “Blue Moon”, a song originally sung by Bobby Vinton.
1980 Smokey Robinson charted with his lucky thirteenth solo outing as “Cruisin’ ” became his first Top 5 hit sans the Miracles (#4 pop and R&B).
1984 Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” reached #1 pop (#2 R&B) on the same day she was offered a part in the third of the Mad Max film series.
Ann
