6 of the 60s: 5/7/14 (1961)

"Hump day" 60s flashback is upon us again, and I'm serving up a half-dozen more nuggets from 1961, the year of the US Freedom Riders, civil rights activists who challenged the lack of enforcement of non-segregation laws in the South...

The Marcels - "Blue Moon"
from the album Blue Moon (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers

The integrated doo-wop group got resistance from the South while touring, because reasons (ahem, the Civil War is over). They incorporated their classic bridge on this record from another of their own songs.

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The Capris - "There's A Moon Out Tonight"
from the album There's A Moon Out Tonight - The Very Best Of The Capris (2000)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3
Songwriters: Alfonso Gentile, Joseph Luccisano, Alfred Striano

The doo-wop quintet recorded this gem in 1958, but it wasn't until the early sixties that what would be known now as a "viral campaign" spread the knowledge of the record until it belatedly made the top of the chart, while its members had gone on to more pedestrian jobs.

Barry Mann - "Who Put The Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)"
from the album Who Put The Bomp (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Songwriters: Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann

The hitmaking songwriters inadvertently had a big hit with this single which joked about the style of the songs they were writing for others, using nonsensical lyrics based on the likes of the first song of this post.

The Chantels - "Look Into My Eyes"
from the album On Tour (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14
Songwriter: Richard Barnett

One of the first African-American girl-groups to make it big on the pop chart in the late 50s, scored again with a new lead singer three years later with this single.

The Edsels - "Rama Lama Ding Dong"
from the single (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21
Songwriter: George Jones Jr.

Another record that took its time to reach the chart as doo-wop had a resurgence in the early 60s, this 1957 ditty was another in the inspirations for Barry Mann's song...

Rochell & The Candles - "Once Upon A Time"
from the single (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26
Songwriters: Rochell Henderson, Johnny Wyatt

This obscure doo-wop group from Ohio finishes this week's trip with their sweet harmonies to put us to bed.

Tomorrow I'll be back with 7 more from 1971 and 8 from 1981...