Twistin' Sixties

Elvis Presley, The King of Rock'n'Roll

Theatrical version of The Shirelles

The Shirelles are an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s.  They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston-Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McPherson), and Beverly Lee.  They have been described as either the first African-American girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100, or the first girl group overall, with the song Will You Love Me Tomorrow. The Shirelles have been described as having a naive schoolgirl sound that contrasted with the sexual themes of many of their songs.  Several of their hits used strings and baião-style music (African-influenced baiãos are accompanied with atabaque drums and include overlapping call and response singing).  They have been credited with launching the girl group genre, with much of their music reflecting the genre's essence.  Their acceptance by both white and black audiences, predating that of the Motown acts, has been noted as reflecting the early success of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The Shirelles have received numerous honors, including the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, as well as being accepted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and named one of the 100 best acts of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004.  Two of their songs, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Tonight's the Night, were selected by Rolling Stone on its list of the greatest songs of all time.

Roy Orbison with trademark dark sunglasses

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), also known by the nickname The Big O, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads.  Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country and western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis.  His greatest success came with Monument Records between 1960 and 1964, when 22 of his songs placed on the Billboard Top Forty, including Only the Lonely, Crying, and Oh, Pretty Woman. Influenced by contemporaneous hits such as Come Back to Me (My Love) and Come Softly to Me, Orbison and Songwriting acquaintance Joe Melson, wrote a song in early 1960 which, using elements from Uptown employed strings and the Anita Kerr doo-wop backup singers.  It also featured a note hit by Orbison in falsetto that showcased a powerful voice which, according to biographer Clayson, came not from his throat but deeper within.  The song was Only the Lonely.  They recorded the song at RCA's Nashville studio with Porter trying a completely new strategy: building the mix from the top down rather than from the bottom up, beginning with the close-miked background vocals in the foreground and ending with the rhythm section soft in the background.  This combination became Orbison's trademark sound.  The single shot to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number 1 in the UK and Australia.  According to Orbison, the subsequent songs he wrote with Melson during this period were constructed with his voice in mind, specifically to showcase its range and power. The Big O was initiated into the second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen.  The same year he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame two years later.  Rolling Stone placed Orbison at number 37 on their list of The Greatest Artists of All Time, and number 13 on their list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.  In 2002, Billboard magazine listed Orbison at number 74 in the Top 600 recording artists.

The energized Crystals

The Crystals are an American vocal group based in New York, considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era of the first half of the 1960s.  Discovered by Phil Spector while they were still in high school.  Their first recording, There's No Other (Like My Baby) was also their first hit which catapulted them straight to the Apollo theatre.  They continued their successful recordings with five more TOP TEN records: Uptown, He's A Rebel, He's Sure The Boy I Love, Da Doo Ron Ron and Then He Kissed Me. Two of the TOP 50 most popular records in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame belong to The Crystals.  The group has scaled from five members to three.  The Crystals now consist of Dee Dee Kenniebrew, who was there from the very first recording, Patricia Pritchett-Lewis and Melissa Antoinette Grant (a.k.a. MelSoulTree). The Crystals had three successive female lead singers from 1961 to 63.  All are featured on Twistin' Sixties: Barbara Alston - He Hit Me (it felt like a kiss); Darlene Love - He's a Rebel; Dolores "LaLa" Brooks - Da Doo Ron Ron and Then He Kissed Me.

Teen idol Bobby Rydell

Bobby Rydell (born Robert Louis Ridarelli, 26 April 1942, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music.  In the early 1960s he was considered a teen idol.  According to Allmusic music journalist Kim Summers, Rydell, whose interest in show business began at the age of four years, is one of the most sought-after nightclub and concert acts in the US.  His performance in Bye Bye Birdie and his recordings Wild One and Swingin' School made him a famous performer in the 1960s.  Rydell used his talents as an impersonator and drummer mostly in pursuing a musical rather than an acting career. For the Broadway musical drama and the film, Grease, the high school was named Rydell High after Bobby Rydell. In Jan 2013, just 6 months after double transplant surgery, Rydell made a triumphant return to the stage in Las Vegas for a three night engagement to a sold out audience.  He continues to perform internationally as well; and a return tour of Australia is in the works for 2014.

Wanderin' Spirit
February, 2014
"Twistin' Sixties"

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