Single on Astor by Melbourne singer and guitarist who was with The Premiers before going solo. Bobby Cookson had – as Ian McFarlane puts it – "a powerful Roy Orbison-style voice which made him a popular attraction".
Bobby Cookson released nine singles 1961-1965, either solo or with The Premiers. He charted in Melbourne with Flutter Flutter (1961, #20), Timber (1962, #29), I Could Have Loved You So Well (1963, #14) and Rona (1963, #28), all on Astor.
His last single was on the new Go!! label, Funny Man (1965), the song that was later a hit in Australia for Ross D. Wylie.
The Premiers also recorded under their own name (Mary Had A Little
Lamb, 1963, #37 Melbourne) and backed Betty McQuade, although not at the time of Midnight Bus.
Listen to Bobby Cookson – I Could Have Loved You So Well at MPH’s Bobby Cookson page.
References: 1. Gavin Ryan’s Melbourne chart book. 2.
First Wave and Second Wave discographies. 3. Go!! discography at Global Dog. 4. Ian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of
Australian Rock & Pop. 5. Spencer et al, Who’s Who of Australian Rock.
Further reading: 1. Notes on a 2004 Premiers reunion (without Bobby Cookson) at the Peter Doyle website. 2.
Bobby Cookson & The Premiers just squeezing into the Top 100 at
5AD Adelaide December 1961 (ARSA page).
3. Image at State Library of Victoria.
Suggestion from Bruce R. Gillespie.
Texas-born singer and label owner (1939-2005) best known for Tell Laura I Love Her (1960, #7 USA) and the Phil Spector-produced Corinna, Corinna (1960, #9 USA).
Single on Ray Peterson's own label, Dunes, formed after the success of Tell Laura I Love Her.
Each of the writers is better known in a songwriting partnership with his wife:
Barry
Mann & Cynthia Weil and Carole King & Gerry Goffin.
I Could Have Loved You So Well was also recorded, for example, by Patty Lemann (1965) and Jack Bedient (1966/7).
References: 1. Barry Mann
song list at Hiroto Yanagida's Magic Town. 2. All Music Guide's Ray Peterson biography.
Further reading: Biographies of Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin at All Music Guide.