6 of the 60s: 12/4/13 (1962)...

Hey gang, it's this week's "humpday" 60s flashback, and this week I've got a half-dozen more nuggets from 1962, the year Prince Rainier III of Monaco gave away some of his governing powers to national councils.

The Tornardoes - "Telstar"
from the EP Telstar (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriter: Joe Meek

The first #1 single in America by a British rock group, the record ended up a sad one, with producer and songwriter Meek being sued for plagiarism wrongfully, but keeping him and his band tied with legal snafus until he committed suicide before the lawsuit was decided in his favor.

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Chris Montez - "Let's Dance"
from the album Let's Dance and Have Some Kind Of Fun (1963)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Songwriter: Jim Lee

This school dance fave became a hit in England eleven years later from its original release in the States.

Jimmy Clanton - "Venus In Blue Jeans"
from the album Go, Jimmy, Go!: The Very Best Of Jimmy Clanton (1997)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Songwriters: Howard Greenfield, Jack Keller

The clean-cut teen idol from New Orleans had his third and final top-10 single with this combo of goddess and denim.

Johnny Crawford - "Rumors"
from the album Rumors (1963)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12
Songwriters: Howard Greenfield, Helen Miller

This former child star went from being a Mouseketeer to being the first man to appear naked in Playboy magazine (in a promo shot for the film The Naked Ape with Victoria Principal)...

The 4 Seasons - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
from the album The 4 Seasons Greetings (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23
Songwriters: J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie

 The hottest group of the early sixties tried to adapt the classic Christmas sing-a-long to their pop style. Judging.

Bobby "Boris" Pickett - "Monsters' Holiday"
from the album The Original Monster Mash (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30
Songwriter: Charles Underwood

Well, talk about taking advantage of a fad while the iron is hot. Pickett snagged a top-40 hit with the follow-up to his #1 "Monster Mash"...

That's it for this week's 60s trip...I'll be back tomorrow with 7 more from 1972 and 8 from 1982....