6 of the 60s: 7/31/13 (1966)...

Hey gang, it's time to serve up some sixties realness with a half-dozen nuggets from 1966, the year President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom Of Information Act into law. This week I've got six summertime-themed classics (or titles) from the greats.

Lovin' Spoonful - "Summer In The City"
from the album Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 
Songwriters: John Sebastian, Mark Sebastian, Steve Boone

This song is so cool and busy at the same time that is perfectly alliterates the title of the song as the band's single #1 hit.

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Bobby Hebb - "Sunny"
from the album Sunny (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak; #2
Songwriter: Bobby Hebb

Hebb was inspired to write "Sunny" as a release from the grief of the murders of both his older brother and President Kennedy within two days of each other. Hearing it on 'easy-listening' stations most people don't pay attention to the well-thought lyrics in the song.

The Righteous Brothers - "Ebb Tide"
from the album The Best Of The Righteous Brothers (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriters: Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman

This remake of a hit for Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra was the last production of Phil Spector for the duo, and while it isn't a song that comes to mind to this generation weened on "Unchained Melody", this actually IMHO is the better song and performance.

Billy Stewart - "Summertime"
from the album Unbelievable (1965)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10
Songwriters: George Gershwin, Dubosa Hayward

The jump-blues singer died tragically from a car crash in 1970, but this slice of soul mixed with Latin nuances gave new life to the Gershwin classic.

Ramsey Lewis - "Wade In The Water"
from the album Wade In The Water (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19
Songwriter: Traditional (Ramsey Lewis, arranger)

Lewis' treatment of the Negro spiritual from the turn of the century (the last century) originally was conceived as a parable of the Israelites escape from Egypt across the river to slaves to instruct how to avoid capture. Powerful stuff.

Frank Sinatra - "Summer Wind"
from the album Strangers In The Night (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak; #25
Songwriters: Johnny Mercer, Henry Mayer

That does it for this week's sixties trip...I'll be back tomorrow with 7 more from 1976 and 8 from 1986...