Cameo-Parkway, an independent record company based in Philadelphia, made music that’s impossible to sit down to. The dance music it created from 1957 to 1967 includes the twist, the pony, the fly, the limbo rock, the mashed potatoes, the bird, the watusi, the bristol stomp, and the 81, among many others.
What happened on this day 55 years ago? The Monkees arrived with their first number one record.
Jay and the Americans, a popular male vocal group during the 1960s, wasn’t a hit factory on the charts (although four of the band’s records made the Top Ten), but their clean-cut look and sound attracted record buyers and live audiences the world over. Lead singer Jay Black (born David Blatt), known as “The Voice” for his crooning, doo-wop-inspired vocals, died October 22 at the age of 82.
We’re talking about all those huge and memorable hits by artists that scored one giant Top Forty record that lasted for weeks, that was influential to other songs, and that stay with you long after you’ve turned old.