Graham Chapman - Baby Let Your Hair Down (1966)

(Bobby Hart - Bill Barberis)
Australia

Single on Kommotion. The label shows Graeme Chapman.

Graham Chapman (1949-2009) was a British-born singer whose family had emigrated to Brisbane. He recorded seven singles 1966-1971 on Kommotion, Columbia and HMV, notably Gee I'm Gonna Miss You (1968, #18 Sydney #1 Brisbane).

In the mid-70s Graham Chapman moved to New Zealand and soon after became lead singer of Salty Dogg, a band that released two singles and an album 1976-1977. After Salty Dogg broke up he stayed on in New Zealand for a while before returning to Sydney where he worked in the clubs for many years as a singer and compere. See the Salty Dogg page at Bruce Sergent's NZ Music site, and gallery at the site of Salty Dogg member Mike Harvey.

On CD: Anthologised on Ace Records' Of Hopes & Dreams & Tombstones: Beat 'n' R&B from Down Under [Ace Records]

Further reading: An entry at this page (writer and sources not given) gives Chapman's birth details as 9 February 1949 in Watford and states that he was groomed as a new pop star after Normie Rowe was conscripted.

Thanks to Mike Harvey and Bruce Sergent.

Suggestion and version alerts from Philippe.

Force Five - Baby Let Your Hair Down (1966)

(Bobby Hart - Bill Barberis)
UK

Single on United Artists, B-side of Don't Know Which Way To Turn. Band from Canvey Island, Essex.

The Robin Hoods - Baby Let Your Hair Down (1966)

(Bobby Hart - Bill Barberis)
USA

Single on Mercury.

Les Gaelic - Gardez les cheveux longs (Baby Let Your Hair Down) (1966)

(Bobby Hart - Bill Barberis - Guy Bertret)
France

EP on Festival Gardez les cheveux longs.

The adaptation (= keep your long hair) is by French lyricist Guy Bertret, also known as Jan Dulierre or Jan Humbert.

♫ Listen at YouTube

Les Gaëlic were a five-piece rhythm & blues band formed in Rennes, capital of the French region of Bretagne (Brittany). They recorded on Disques Festival: no connection with the Australian label Festival.

On the same Les Gaëlic EP was a French version of Graham Gouldman’s You Stole My Love, also recorded in Australia by Mike Furber & The Bowery Boys.

Further reading: Listing at encyclopedisque.fr.

Merci à Philippe.

Bobby Hart - Baby Let Your Hair Down (1965)

(Bobby Hart - Bill Barberis)
USA
Original version

Single on DCP by Bobby Hart, best known as one half of singing and writing duo Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart.

Boyce & Hart had some success with their own records, including I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight (1968, #8 USA) and Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend) (1968, #27 USA), and they worked on The Monkees' TV series, notably as the composers of (Theme From) The Monkees and Last Train To Clarksville.

See also Opportunity, a Bobby Hart co-write that was a #1 hit in New Zealand for Mr Lee Grant.

Further reading: 1. Boyce & Hart Artist Biography by Richie Unterberger at All Music. 2. Boyce & Hart official website. 3. Boyce & Hart Discography at Wikipedia.

Les Kitschenette’s - Garder Les Cheveux Courts (2014)

France
Later version

On EP 2e Etage: Lingerie Pour Hommes.

The hair is short (courts) in this Gaelic-inflected variation by French 60s revivalists from Saint-Malo in Brittany.

Linguists will notice that the form of the verb is garder, instead of gardez on the earlier French version by Les Gaëlic (above).

Further reading: Les Kitschenettes at Discogs.comme.

Merci à Philippe de me signaler cette version.

Don Adams & The Greenfield Express - Baby Let Your Long Hair Down (1974)

(Rory Bourke - Eddie Rabbitt)
USA
Red herring

SIMILAR TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS
BABY LET YOUR HAIR DOWN BY GRAHAM CHAPMAN.

Single on Atlantic, co-written by pop-country singer-songwriter Eddie Rabbitt (1941-1998) who co-wrote (for example) Elvis Presley’s Kentucky Rain (1970, #16 USA, co-wr. Dick Heard), and had several mainstream chart hits of his own including Drivin’ My Life Away (1980, #5 USA), I Love A Rainy Night (1980, #1) and Step By Step (1981, #5).

Rabbitt’s co-writer here, Nashville songwriter Rory Bourke (b.1942), wrote a number of songs recorded by well-known country artists, including Charlie Rich’s biggest crossover hit, The Most Wonderful Girl (1973, #1 USA, co-wr. Norris Wilson & Billy Sherrill).

Some other red herrings:

• Everett Carpenter – Let Your Hair Down Baby (Carpenter)
USA 1960 Single on Square Deal by obscure rockabilly artist from Alabama. Covered by The Skip Rats (2001).
• Big Daddy Simpson – Let Your Hair Down Baby (Melvin Simpson-Marcellus Simpson)
USA 1965 B-side on M-Pact by blues singer-guitarist, real name Melvin Simpson.
• Joey Welz – Baby Let Your Hair Hang Down (Joey Welz)
USA 1965 B-side on Tear Drop by multi-skilled singer-pianist in Haley’s Comets in the 60s.
• Billy Reed – Let Your Hair Down Baby (Billy Reed)
USA 1967 B-side on Men-Del.
• Steve Douglas – Baby, Let Your Hair Down (J. D. Lawrence)
USA 1989 B-side on Dorman Productions, co-prod. D. J. Fontana (also on drums), from album To A San Antonio Rose.

Merci à Philippe pour la pêche.