Although this thread is reviewing songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a few of the songs you listed actually did top some of the other national music surveys of the time: Sally, Go ‘Round The Roses by The Jaynetts hit #1 on the Music Vendor Top 100 Pop Sales And Performance chart for one week the week before Sugar Shack reached #1 in Billboard Be My Baby by The Ronettes reached #1 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles, Variety Tune Index of Popular Songs, and the Gavin Report Record Popularity Index charts, with the first two occurring during the time that Sugar Shack sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen topped the Cash Box, Music Vendor, and Gavin Report charts for a time in late 1963 and early 1964 while Billboard listed these songs at #1: Spoiler The Singing Nun’s Dominique and Bobby Vinton’s There! I’ve Said It Again
"Sally Go 'Round The Roses" I didn't like it then, absolutely hate it now. Having spent three of my teen years in Paris, I always got a kick out of hearing "Dominique" on the radio. Earlier I while living there, I really liked Modugno's rendition of Nel Blu di Pinto di Blu. I guess I had some interest in foreign language hits.
This is another occasions where I feel one of their lesser hits should have been the most popular. their 1966 single "All Strung Out" only went to number 26, but was a far superior song, IMO:
April Stevens (Carol LoTempio) came up with the idea of recording the longtime standard Deep Purple while she and brother Nino (Antonino LoTempio) were considering songs to record as a follow-up to Sweet And Lovely (Sweet and Lovely by Nino Tempo & April Stevens 1962 »), their modest hit released on the Atlantic Records subsidiary ATCO during the summer of 1962. Deep Purple was written by pianist Peter DeRose in the early 1930s and published as a piano composition in 1933. Paul Whiteman had the song scored for his orchestra in 1934 (Paul Whiteman - Deep Purple ») and after the tune became very popular in sheet music sales, lyricist Mitchell Parish added words to it in 1938. The following year, the song was recorded by a number of orchestras, including those led by Larry Clinton (vocalist Bea Wain), Jimmy Dorsey (vocalist Bob Eberly), Guy Lombardo, Matty Malneck (vocalist Bing Crosby), and Artie Shaw (vocalist Helen Forrest). Dick Todd, the “Canadian Crosby”, also recorded a version with orchestra. The Clinton-Wain recording was the most popular: Over the ensuing years, Deep Purple remained a traditional pop favorite with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sammy Davis, Jr. and many others recording versions of the song. With the advent of the “Rock ‘N’ Roll era”, Bill Ward and His Dominoes recast Deep Purple in a doo wop vein, with vocals by Eugene Mumford (1957 HITS ARCHIVE: Deep Purple - Billy Ward & His Dominoes »). April thought that a new approach to Deep Purple might make it a hit again. Nino experimented with different arrangements for the song on piano before deciding on one with a stepped up tempo (inadvertent pun!). Nino quickly realized he didn’t have the range to sing Deep Purple as originally written and, as a lark, started singing the song in falsetto with April. Personnel at the recording studio overheard the vocal improvisation, told the duo they liked it, and asked to hear more. Encouraged, April and Nino continued to flesh out the arrangement for their “new” version of Deep Purple. At one point, Nino decided to sing one chorus alone but he kept forgetting the lyrics so April softly fed him the words. Those listening loved the combination of April’s narration and Nino’s singing but Nino wasn’t sold on the approach. Eventually, April convinced Nino to keep her spoken interlude in the arrangement and the duo made plans to record it. On October 4, 1962 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, Nino and April recorded Deep Purple in the limited time remaining from a scheduled session for another song, Paradise. Musicians for the session included Glen Campbell and Billy Strange on guitar, and Earl Palmer on drums. Nino, April and the musicians were able to record two takes of Deep Purple in the 14 minutes of remaining studio time. These takes, containing some erroneous chords and a harmonica solo that Nino wished he could redo, were used to make a master which was sent to the duo’s producer, Ahmet Ertegun, in New York City. Ertegun did not like the duo’s version of Deep Purple and Atlantic opted to release Paradise in late January 1963 as the follow-up single to Sweet And Lovely. Paradise (Paradise ») received strong airplay in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area (KRLA and KFWB in Los Angeles; KMEN and KFXM in San Bernardino) and Phoenix, Arizona (KRUX) radio markets but ultimately failed to capture national attention (the song “bubbled under” at position 126 in Billboard). Nino lobbied Ertegun for Deep Purple to be the next single release but Atlantic decided on the novelty song Baby Weemus (Nino Tempo & April Stevens - Baby Weemus ») instead. Baby Weemus and its flip side, (We’ll Always Be) Together, released in mid-May 1963, received a modest amount of radio airplay on many of the same stations that had featured Paradise earlier. Nino persisted in his efforts to have Deep Purple released as a single and Atlantic finally relented, issuing the song on 45 in late August 1963. Even then, Ertegun thought the B-side, with the lengthy title I’ve Been Carrying A Torch For You For So Long That I Burned A Great Big Hole In My Heart (Nino Tempo & April Stevens - I've Been Carrying a Torch For You So Long... »), had greater potential to be a hit. In the end, radio listeners and the record buying public proved Ertegun wrong. Ertegun was on hand in Hollywood when April and Nino received their Billboard No. 1 Award for Deep Purple in mid-November 1963:
I know they have to protect the copyright, but that damn ID strip is blocking my view of April Stevens.
Reading that makes me want to hear the song without the Solovox...the bottom end sound really makes the record for me, and frankly it's not one of my favourites. My parents gave me a little Sony transistor radio in 1964 and Sugar Shack seemed to be on an endless play list loop for quite some time. Little trivia note -- the bottom end and the whole song, really, was the inspiration for Surf Route 101 on Jan & Dean's Drag City Lp from later on in 1963. A great tune. If you listen to it, you'll hear the connection to Sugar Shack immediately.
I love this song! Did not discover it for myself until the early or mid-70s and it took me forever to finally figure out who it was singing it. It just wasn't played on the radio very often by that point and I always missed hearing who it was. Wonderful song though, both for the vocals and the backing track.
The song once again went top 20 in 1975 with a version by Donny and Marie, topping out at # 14 on the Billboard chart.
They also covered "Deep Purple"'s replacement at #1 and took it to #4 on the Pop Charts and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1974.
I don't remember this song at all. I think there's a reason for that, although perhaps it's the precursor to oldies covers by contemporary '60s acts, like "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" covered by The Mamas and the Papas, or The Beatles doing Paul's faux-oldie "Honey Pie".
The spoken lyrics interlude was hokum of a high order and made me love the song all the more. April's low, throaty reading against Nino's upper register was inspired. I need to check out some of their other stuff.
The one April Stevens song I know is "Teach Me Tiger", but I'm sure I must have "Deep Purple" (almost certainly on a Time Life comp). I love the spoken interlude, and the whole song is fun. I see it won a Grammy for (wait for it...) Best Rock & Roll Recording. I know the Grammys were very square then, but that seems like the 1963 equivalent of Jethro Tull winning Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1988.
"Deep Purple" was reportedly Ritche Blackmore's grandmother's favorite song, hence the name of his band.
Actually the song itself Is nostalgia. I feel Vinton's version while more obviously Top 40 styling, is a bit too jejune to convey it properly. So I agree with others that the Clovers did it best, at least on versions that charted. A beautiful song but harder to sing than it might appear.
Billy Ward and the Dominos took it to # 20 in 1957 as well. 1957 HITS ARCHIVE: Deep Purple - Billy Ward & His Dominoes »
The song "Deep Purple" is definitely one of the all time great melodies. The lyrics are lovely as well.
Another huge fan of Deep Purple in that 1963 version. I have a fair number of Nino and April cds. Very little of their song style I don't care for.
It's excellent. But this is even better. From Ace NINO / STEVENS, APRIL TEMPO - Hey Baby! The Nino Tempo & April Stevens Anthology - Amazon.com Music » Track List - 1. Deep Purple 2. All Strung Out 3. Sweet And Lovely 4. Wanting You 5. You'll Be Needing Me Baby 6. Honeysuckle Rose 7. I Love How You Love Me 8. Follow Me 9. Whispering 10. Hey Baby 11. Love Kitten 12. The Habit Of Lovin' You Baby 13. The Coldest Night Of The Year 14. Alone Alone 15. Lovin' Valentine 16. Out Of Nowhere 17. Wings Of Love 18. Teach Me Tiger 19. Boys Town (Where My Broken Hearted Buddies Go) - Nino Tempo 20. I Can't Go On Livin' Baby Without You 21. Sister James - Nino Tempo & 5th Avenue Sax 22. Amazon River 23. Soft Warm Lips 24. America's Weather Girl (Spoken Word) It features tracks from Nino's solo work. The album called 5th Avenue Sax was one of my favorites, but has never come to cd.
I somehow have never come across this one. I noticed there are many raves for this in the YT comments. I like it, but doesn't seem like anything like a classic to me. I think they look cooler than their contemporaries Sonny and Cher. A good-looking platonic couple
