6 Of the 60s: 9/11/13 (1960)...

Hey gang, it's time to head back to the 60s, and this week I'm back to 1960, the year workers at the Pennsylvania railroad strike for two days, shutting down the carrier.

Jimmy Jones - "Handy Man"
from the album Good Timin' (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
Songwriters: Jimmy Jones, Otis Blackwell

Most of our generation knew this from James Taylor's easy-going take, but the song's writer had a swinging mix of jump-blues and doo-wop with this classic.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


Bobby Rydell - "Swingin' School"
from the album Bobby's Biggest Hits (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriters: Dave Appeli, Bernie Lowe, Kal Mann


Philly boy Bobby was 18 when he sent himself back to this school...

Connie Francis - "Many Tears Ago"
from the album More Greatest Hits (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Songwriter: Winfield Scott

While Connie was shifting thousands of albums of foreign-language material, she was also scoring with radio nuggets like this one clocking in at under two minutes.

Spencer Ross - "Tracy's Theme"
from the album Complete Pop Instrumental Hits of the Sixties: Vol. 1 1960 (2011)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
Songwriter: Robert Ascher


Spencer, a former arranger for 40s orchestral king Gordon Jenkins, shines on his own in this later easy-listening hit.

The Paradons - "Diamonds And Pearls"
from the album The Bluejays Meet the Paradons (1998)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18
Songwriter: West Tyler

While Bakersfield brought us some great western music in the 60s, it also gave us this sweet little doo-wop group with their nifty hit.

Joni James - "Little Things Mean A Lot"
from the album More Joni Hits (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35
Songwriters: Edith Lindeman, Carl Stutz

Soft-pop queen James teaches a timeless lesson in this last nugget of the week. 

That's it for this week's sixties flashback...I'll be back tomorrow with 7 more from 1970 and 8 from 1980...