This is just beautiful!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxr8Qyd2t1E

A somewhat unusual take on the classic song "Misty". This was released in March or April of 1975 and hit the top 20 in the US, Canada and even the UK. It also won Ray a Grammy for "Music Arrangement of the Year".

My preferred Misty -
While I like Burl Ives, I don't think I would like him doing Misty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPnh2sa4Fek

Found this earlier. Released in the UK and several other European countries in mid-1984. A "Stars on 45" style medley of "La Bamba", "Besame Mucho", "Perfidia", "Guantanamera", "America" (from West Side Story), "Tequila", the Spanish version of the Italian song "Quando, Quando, Quando" and the English version of "El sucu sucu".

One of my favorite albums from years ago was Hugo Montenegro's Arriba. This is my very favorite cut:


The whole album is great.

Remember Trini Lopez? He passed away in August 2020 from COVID-19. He was 83.

Probably the most famous song from Jamaican-American singer Harry Belafonte, This was released in 1956 and hit #5 in the US. Belafonte is still alive today and celebrated his 95th birthday a few weeks ago.

I remember that well.

Michael...
...reminds me of the time i briefly ( 6 months ) lived in St Lucia, the West Indies, back in 1982..reggae and calypso was everywhere..

And on a related note, Stan Freberg's famous parody of it featuring a beatnik bongo player complaining about how loud the singers are...

Stan Freberg, graduated from my high school, about 5 years before I started there.  By the time I was a senior, he had already become well known and popular doing stand-up comedy and radio shows around Los Angeles.  He would return to our suburban high school every Spring, and put on a show for the student body.  One of his first hit recordings, at that time,  was the controversial,  "John and Marsha". 

"Freberg's first novelty recording was this satire of overwrought radio soap operas, in which a couple wring a vast range of emotions – lust, grief, slaughterous rage – just from intoning each other's names. (Freberg performed both roles.) It remained one of the most popular records of his career, and was referenced in The Benny Hill Show and The Parent Trap. It even eked a smile out of Peggy Olson when Mad Men's fourth season premiere paid a quick homage.

When I was a Senior, he gave his yearly  performance  at school, which happened to be at the same time that,  "John and Marsha", was at its peak of popularity.  Of course, he did the parody on stage, and it turned out to be the last of his yearly school performances!    The students all knew the comedy routine, and loved it, but the faculty didn't have the same opinion!    They were shocked and upset with his performance, and he was banned from the school forever more!  Never was he invited back.    Teachers and faculty members were extremely conservative back then . . .  just the opposite of what they are now. 

Marilyne, --- I well remember "John and Marsha". I probably couldn't count the number of times it played on my car radio.  It kind of reminds me of The Old Philosopher, - You think you have troubles -----
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NfeTavdiY8

Rick - I had forgotten all about,  "The Old Philosopher".   He reminds me of another one from that same era.  We called it,  "Grandma's Lye Soap", but it had another official name, which I can't recall? 
"Do you remember Grandma's lye soap - good for every thing in the place.  The pots and pans - the dirty dishes - and for your hands and for your face".

I remember that song, but have no idea what the Title is.  I'll try to find it.

Grandma's Lye Soap --- Is available at Amazon.
Or - http://www.americana-music-and-memories.com/grandmas-lye-soap.html

For a little fun, follow the links on the last site above.

Great song. According to Wikipedia, that was the only one of the three records Standley released that was a hit and he died of pneumonia at the age of 79 in 1992.

Here's another funny one from Freberg. This time featuring a loud-mouthed patriotic Texan and a hot shot snare drummer (jazz drummer Alvin Stoller, who also played snare on Mitch Miller's hit version of this song)

My newspaper features a list every day,  of well known people who are celebrating their birthdays.  Today is the 87th birthday  of Herb Alpert, of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.  Remember when they were extremely popular back in the mid 1960's?  Here is one that I especially liked, called  "Tijuana Taxi".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vtF5GjVeaY

From a 1966 album by vocal group The Modernaires saluting the Tijuana Brass. This version of "Spanish Flea" would be all but forgotten had it not been used briefly in an episode of The Simpsons. The lyrics were written by Cissy Wechter, wife of Baja Marimba Band front man Julius Wechter.

Michael/Oldiesmann -  I vaguely remember that song from so long ago.  "The Tijuana Brass", and the "Baja Marimba Band",  had the same musicians playing in both bands.    My favorite number from Baja, was called, "Coming' in the Back Door".  Somewhere in my basement, I have a number of big boxes full of albums from that era.  I'd love to go through them, and play them all once again.   

I remember that, but more from  The Bob Hope Special (25th visit to the Far East visiting the GIs).  It was done by Joey Hetherton. As I recall she was wearing a rather abbreviated costume, and took some flack for it.
That may not be the right Bob Hope Special.

Englebert Humperdinck, who was in his late 60s here, doing a cover of a song originally recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine show (a 70s rock band known for their on-stage antics and humorous songs such as "Cover of the Rolling Stone"). Not as good as the original but still fun.

Great music in the 60's.

I have three or four Herb Alpert albums, including Whipped Cream and Other Delights.  I liked their rendition of A Taste of Honey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07YiTpVhf8

One of my favorites was The Lonely Bull

Just ran across this 1969 release. Someone put it together with film clips for the old Scifi movie Metropolis.

A fun cha cha number from 1959 by The Ames Brothers. This is from the 1940 Western film of the same name and was originally recorded by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra.

An interesting rendition of "Hernando's Hideaway". This version is from the 1961 album Stereo Action Goes Broadway. "Stereo Action" was a series of records introduced by RCA to show off the capabilities of the then relatively new stereophonic sound format. This is best experienced with headphones or a set of good speakers that aren't right next to each other.

Patricia, you brought this on when you said good golly in Norms and of course I just had to look for this.. ..

https://tinyurl.com/324fvxdm

Amy, when I was posting, I almost put Miss Molly!      

60s teen idol Bobby Rydell has died at the age of 79.

A cover of the classic Coasters song by a trio of South Korean sisters who had success in the US in the 50s and 60s. I don't know a whole lot about them but apparently a documentary about them was produced a while back.

Michael - I don't remember The Kim Sisters, but I do remember Bobby Rydell.  I thought he was very good in the memorable movie musical, Bye- Bye Birdie, from 1963.  I love that old movie, and watch it whenever it plays on TCM.  Also stars Dick VanDyke, Ann Margret, Janet Leigh, and lots of good character actors.   Ageless entertainment,  and fun to watch.