1969: "Aquarius" by The Fifth Dimension

Who remembers the radio in the spring and early days of summer 1969?

I remember enjoying The Fifth Dimension.

The 5D were Lamonte McLemore, Ron Townson, Billy Davis, Jr, Florence LaRue and the amazing Marilyn McCoo.

They had a crisp and elegant sound. The group recorded some wonderful albums and songs. They had huge hits like "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "One Less Bell to Answer" and "Up, Up and Away".

Most of all, they had Marilyn McCoo's lead vocals!

"Aquarius/Let the sunshine in" was the group's biggest hit. It was one of the biggest hits of 1969:

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We remember President James Monroe (1758-1831)

We remember President James Monroe who was born on this day in 1758.  My guess is that most people have heard about The Monroe Doctrine.   Yet, I would argue that very few people know about President Monroe who served 2 successful terms, 1817-25.

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Had not heard "The sun ain't going to shine anymore" for a long time!

A few days ago, I heard "The sun ain't gonna shine anymore" by The Walker Brothers.

It was a great tune. I love the harmony and arrangement. It was also a big international hit.

Last, but not least, this is one of the best "heartbreak" songs ever!

The Walker Brothers were not really brothers. It was a stage name!

In fact, they were Noel Scott Engel, Gary Leeds and John Maus.

Here is a collection of some other other hits!

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Whatever happened to Bob Lind?

Bob Lind wrote "Elusive Butterfly", one of the greatest songs of the 1960's.

And then he did not record any other hits!

I understand from his website that his songs were recorded by other artists. Frankly, I am not familiar with them.

Whatever happened to Bob Lind? Is he the all time "one hit wonder"?

Elusive Butterfly
(written by Bob Lind)

You might wake up some mornin'
To the sound of something moving
past your window in the wind
And if you're quick enough to rise
You'll catch a fleeting glimpse of someone's fading shadow
Out on the new horizon
You may see the floating motion of a distant pair of wings
And if the sleep has left your ears
You might hear footsteps running through an open meadow
Don't be concerned,
it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love
You might have heard my footsteps
Echo softly in the distance through the canyons of your mind
I might have even called your name
As I ran searching after something to believe in
You might have seen me runnin'
Through the long-abandoned
ruins of the dreams you left behind
If you remember something there
That glided past you followed close by heavy breathin'
Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin'
I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love"

Pretty good song!

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Remembering "Summer Wine" by Nancy and Lee!

"Summer wine" was a great song recorded many summers ago.

It's a song about a stranger who meets a stranger. I guess that I will leave the rest of the story to your imagination.

I love the song because it lends itself to a male and female vocalist.

The woman repeats the chorus over and over again. ("Strawberry cherries and an angel's kiss in spring....my summer wine is really made from all these things.")

The man tells the story.

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood recorded the original version of "Summer wine".

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1719: Robinson Crusoe was published

It was 1719 and a wonderful new book by Daniel Defoe was published in England.   

It was about a shipwrecked sailor who spent years on a deserted island.   It was apparently based on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor lost off the coast of South America in the early 1700's.

By the way, I recently saw this 1953 movie about "Robinson Crusoe".  It was interesting.

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1954: # 1 of 755 for Hank Aaron

We remember Henry, or Hank, Aaron today.    He hit # 1 off Vic Raschi of the Cardinals.  

Aaron was the last of the Negro League players to play in the majors.   

He hit # 1 of 755!

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The old "Little Women" is still great

Yes, "Little women" is your quintessential "chick flick".    Nevertheless, it is a very good story.

The 1949 version, with Meg (Janet Leigh), Jo (June Allyson), Amy (Elizabeth Taylor), Beth (Margaret O'Brien) and Mrs March (Mary Astor), is a great film about family.    

It is often featured on TCM and very good.

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April 21, 1904: Ty Cobb made his professional debut!

On April 21, 1904,  Ty Cobb made his professional with Augusta (South Atlantic League).  He hit a double and HR in an 8-7 loss to Columbus.

Cobb broke with Detroit in 1905 and his career numbers still leave you in total shock:  .366 batting average, 4,189 hits, 724 doubles, 295 triples, 892 stolen bases and 117 "dead ball era" HR.    He did it all in 3,035 games!     

What an amazing hitter!

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1951: "The House on Telegraph Hill" is a good movie

Want a good movie?  Check out a retro movie channel?    

This morning, I caught just about all of "The House on Telegraph Hill", a 1951 movie with a rather interesting plot:  

Concentration camp survivor Victoria Kowelska finds herself involved in mystery, greed, and murder when she assumes the identity of a dead friend in order to gain passage to America.....

Well, let me give the movie a pretty good grade.   

The cast includes  Richard Basehart, Valentina Cortese and William Lundigan.    I don't know much about their backgrounds but did enjoy their performance. 

I may have to watch it again to understand a couple of things about the story.   It is very intense and the dialogue is great.

The movie is based on a book:  "The frightened child" by Dana Lyon.

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