Thanks to Dr. Joel Keller for sharing his video presentation of One Hit Wonders of the 1960s to Berea Rotarians on Tuesday, Sept. 22. We were tempted to dance and sing along.
Dr. Keller, a retired podiatrist, has collected videos and musical history from the early days of Rock n Roll. He coupled that with history of the times to give a nostalgic trip back to high school and college days – at least for some of us.
Music included these Oldies: “Teen Angel” by Mark Dinning, “Mother-in-Law” by Ernie K-Doe, “Hey, Baby” by Bruce Channel, and instrumentals such as “Stranger on the Shore” by Acker Bilk, “The Stripper” by David Rose and “Telstar” by the Tornadoes.
John Fred and His Playboy Band ended our night with “Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)” – a parody of the Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
All of these performers and their recordings were One-Hit Wonders – never to appear on the Top 40 charts again. But, hey, they were great for those Sock Hops and class reunions.
Guest Sharon Lerch from the Rotary Club of Cleveland recalled that her husband’s brother-in-law was Jamie Lyons of the Music Explosion, a garage band from Mansfield. Their one-hit wonder was “Little Bit ‘O Soul,” which reached No. 2 on the charts.
Jim Walters said a friend’s local band was just getting started in the 1960s when a newcomer named Peter Thorkelson applied as a keyboardist and guitarist. He was rejected but went on to be Peter Tork of The Monkees.
If you have stories of your own encounters with One-Hit Wonders, save them for next time. Dr. Keller was a huge hit and we’ll have him back.
