Songoftheday 12/16/15 - You can have a Cajun queen down in New Orleans, and take a movie stars who drive impress me more cars...

"I Wish I Had A Girl" - Henry Lee Summer
from the album Henry Lee Summer (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 7

Today's Song of the Day comes from rock singer/songwriter Henry Lee Summer, who like John Mellencamp grew up in the heartland of Indiana in the late-50s/early sixties. Forgoing a sports career, Summer released a couple of independent records before being signed to Epic Records (possibly as that label's answer to Mellencamp?). For his self-titled first major-label release, he re-recorded a track from one of his earlier albums, "I Wish I Had A Girl". With a mullet that Richard Marx would envy, Summer's ability to sound gruff at such a high range set him apart from the other mainstream rockers...

"I Wish I Had a Girl" became Summer's first top-40 pop hit in April of 1988, while reaching #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart.

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Here's Henry in concert in Florida in 1988...

..and a more recent performance in his home state...

Up tomorrow: For this British pin-up queen, temporary love's so bad but it feel so good.