Oldies Bands & Songs

June 30, 2010

The Beatles and their loved ones

This video says more than words:

June 29, 2010

The Rubettes

The Rubettes were an English pop band of the 1970s. As a trademark, they were wearing on stage white suits and cloth caps. Their first release, "Sugar Baby Love", was an instant hit remaining at number one in the UK for four weeks in May 1974 and remains their best-known record. The album "Sugar Baby Love" was sold in around 500,000 copies in the UK and three million copies globally. Two million copies were sold in France alone, an achievement matched by no other British group! Maybe their French style caps contributed a little bit :)

In 2008, "Sugar Baby Love" was declared to be the most successful oldie of all times by the German television station RTL!

They also had other hits, but none of them reached the success of "Sugar baby Love".

Here are two that I particularly like: "Juke Box Jive" and "Tonight" :)

Source: wikipedia.org

June 28, 2010

The Ronettes - a family business :)

The Ronettes were a 1960s girl group from New York City: singer Veronica Bennett, her sister, Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. They reached the peak of their success after releasing "Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica" in 1964.

They began singing together as teenagers in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The sisters grew up listening to rock and pop and their grandmother encouraged them to harmonize. Their grandmother was the one that entered them into a talent show at the Apollo Theatre in 1959 as The Darling Sisters, which they subsequently won. Phillip Halikus, who was to become their manager, saw their potential and promoted the group's early appearances at hops and charity shows.

The group's first four singles had little success. They released their first single, "I Want A Boy", during the summer of 1961, under their new name, Ronnie and the Relatives. :)

In 1963 they came to the attention of producer Phil Spector. He loved Veronica's voice and style and wanted to sign her as a solo artist, but the three girls refused to be broken up. As Spector's new protégées, they assumed the image of the first “bad girls of rock and roll,” with beehive hairdos, heavy eyeliner and tight skirts. Their songs were addressed directly to their subjects, giving them a more seductive manner, using lyrics such as “I love you” instead of “I love him.” :)

And the rest is history: hits like "Be My Baby" or "Baby, I Love You" and opening the 1966 Beatles' tour.

The saddest thing is that, in 1968, Ronnie Bennett married Phil Spector and retired from performance for several years under his oppressive control. In 1988, the original Ronettes sued Spector for nonpayment of royalties. In 2001, a New York court announced a verdict in favor of The Ronettes, ordering Spector to pay nearly three million dollars in back royalties.

The Ronettes' influence on music was significant: Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen have both cited Veronica Bennett as an influence.

Source: wikipedia.org