Featured Songs for Saturday 12 December 2009

*Benny Hill – Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West). UK#1(4) from 11 December 1971

Bill Haley
Joey's Song Au#1(4) from 12 December 1959, an instrumental that peaked at US#46 as Haley's moment of fame was waning (12 wks in Top 100 from 5 October 1959). But not in Australia, with a tune named for it's composer, arranger/conductor, Joe Reisman. (Not to be confused with Lou Reisman!) MONSTER HIT in N.Z. – in Bits

Pat Boone
APRIL LOVE Dot [USA] US#1(6) from 16 December 1957, 26 weeks in Top 100 from 28 October, NZ#1, January 1958 and UK#7in 1957, 18 weeks in Top 20 from 20 December (23 wks in Top 30) HUGE HIT in N.Z. – By 1958 April Love became Pat’s 9th million seller, a reworked title song from the movie starring Pat Boone and Shirley Jones. Written by Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) and Sammy Fain (music) from Pat’s first musical film.
backed with WHEN THE SWALLOWS COME BACK TO CAPISTRANO

Eddie Fisher
DUNGAREE DOLL, US#7, 19 weeks in Top 100 from 17 December 1955. Initially the flip-side, a Rodgers and Hammerstein ballad, "Everybody's Got A Home But Me" attracted the interest before the focus shifted to this number which had more appeal as Rock 'n' Roll started to take off. Monster Hit. – in Bits

Barry Gordon with Art Mooney & Orchestra
NUTTIN' FOR CHRISTMAS, Another youngster in the Jimmy Boyd tradition of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa", Barry Gordon was Massachusetts born 21 December 1948, so this song came out just before Barry's 7th birthay. 4 weeks in Top 100 from 17 December 1955 with a peak of US#6.
Barry also made many TV appearances and had one other chart, in 1958, with "Rock Around Mother Goose" - again with the Art Mooney Orchestra. Art Mooney features again later with "Honey-Babe" Not Released In NZ.

Teresa Brewer
LET ME GO, LOVER!, (with The Lancers) US#6 in 1955, 12 weeks in Top 100 from 18 December 1954, UK#9 from February 1955 and her 5th million-seller. Also a million-seller for Joan Weber in 1954, written by Jenny Lou Carson in 1953 with revised lyrics by Al Hill in 1954. Big Hit in N.Z.