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mahatmakanejeeves

(57,290 posts)
Mon May 7, 2018, 01:08 PM May 2018

Today's birthday boys: Gabby Hayes, 1885; and Rick Westwood, lead guitarist of The Tremeloes, 1943

http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/

1943, Born on this day, Rick Westwood, guitarist, who with Brian Poole and the Tremeloes had the the UK 1963 No.1 hit 'Do You Love Me' and with The Tremeloes the 1967 UK No.1 & US No.11 single 'Silence Is Golden'.

George "Gabby" Hayes



Hayes in 1953

George Francis "Gabby" Hayes (May 7, 1885 – February 9, 1969) was an American actor. He began as something of a leading man and a character player, but he was best known for his numerous appearances in B-Western film series as the bewhiskered, cantankerous, woman-hating, but ever-loyal and brave comic sidekick of the cowboy star.

Here is rare color footage of Gabby Hayes:



More typical, black and white:





The Tremeloes

The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.

Career

They were formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes (the spelling "tremoloes" was soon changed because of a spelling mistake in an East London newspaper) influenced by Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

On New Year's Day, 1962, Decca, looking for a Beat group, auditioned two promising young bands: Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and another combo (also heavily influenced by Buddy Holly) from Liverpool, the Beatles. Decca chose Brian Poole and the Tremeloes over the Beatles, reportedly based on location – the Tremeloes were from the London area, making them more accessible than the Liverpool-based Beatles.

The original quintet consisted of lead vocalist Brian Poole, lead guitarist Rick West (born Richard Westwood), rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Alan Blakley, bassist Alan Howard and drummer Dave Munden.

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes first charted in the UK in July 1963 with a version of "Twist and Shout", a song previously popularised in America by the Isley Brothers, and already released by the Beatles in the UK in March 1963 on their first British LP, Please Please Me. Brian Poole and the Tremeloes followed "Twist and Shout" with a chart topping cover of the Contours' US million-seller "Do You Love Me" in the same year, in turn followed by "I Can Dance". The group also had success in the UK in 1964 with covers of Roy Orbison's B-side, "Candy Man" and a previously obscure Crickets' B-side ballad, "Someone, Someone"; both entered the UK Singles Chart Top Ten, with the latter peaking at no. 2. Other Decca-era chart singles included "Three Bells" and a version of "I Want Candy".

Everyone's heard the Contours' version of this tune. Here is The Tremeloes' cover:



"This Day in Music" says today is also the birthday of Keith (James Keefer), who gave us "98.6." Wikipedia says it isn't:

Keith

Keith (born James Barry Keefer, May 17, 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American vocalist. He legally changed his name to Bazza Keefer in 1988, in memory of his mother.
....

Chart success

He is best remembered for his hit "98.6"; the recording was issued on the Mercury Records label, and reached #24 in the UK Singles Chart in 1967. It was considerably better received in his homeland – the single reached #7, and remained for 14 weeks in the bestsellers in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold over one million copies worldwide, earning a gold disc. The track was written by Tony Powers (lyrics) and George Fischoff (music), arranged by Joe Renzetti, and was produced by Jerry Ross. Its title relates to the normal human body temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

His debut album, 98.6/Ain't Gonna Lie, was also issued on the Mercury label.

Okay, thanks for pointing that out. Here is his best-known tune anyway:

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