6 of the 60s: 7/24/13 (1965)...

Hey gang, it's hump day and time to roll out another half-dozen nuggets from the 60's, and this week I'm back to 1965, the year Mariner 4 flew by Mars giving us the first close-up images of the planet. This week I've included some inspirations from the Royal Baby announcement...

Herman's Hermits - "I'm Henry VIII, I Am"
from the album Herman's Hermits (1965)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Fred Murray, R.P. Weston

With the appearance of the presumed future king of England, may Henry be one of the named considered? Probably not. But hell, I'll bring out this teen-rock remake of a 1910 musichall song.

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Roger Miller - "King Of The Road"
from the album The Return Of Roger Miller (1965)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Songwriter: Roger Miller

A different kind of "royalty" from this country songsmith was once one of my first learned songs on the organ.

Johnny Rivers - "Seventh Son"
from the album Meanwhile Back At The Whisky a Go Go (1965)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Songwriter: Willie Dixon


One of the first American pop artists to have a live hit, Rivers did it with this concert cover of a blues number from a decade prior.

Jody Miller - "Queen Of The House"
from the album Queen Of The House (1965)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12
Songwriters: Roger Miller, Mary Taylor

The country singer's "answer" record to Roger Miller, who co-wrote this one as well...

The Temptations - "My Baby"
from the album The Temptin' Tempations (1965)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
Songwriters: Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, Robert Rogers

Smokey Robinson and two of his Miracles lent the Motown vocal group this song to have a dance party hit with extolling the virtues of his "baby"...

Maxine Brown - "Oh No Not My Baby"
from the EP Oh No, Not My Baby (1964)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24
Songwriters: Gerry Goffin, Carole King

One of two singers of that name to make the charts, this soul singer scored with this early Goffin/King tearjerker.

That's it for this sixties flashback...I'll return tomorrow with 7 more from 1975 and 8 from 1985...