Grandma’s Tonic - Hi Hi Hazel (1966)

Gary & The Hornets - Hi Hi Hazel (1966)

(Bill Martin - Phil Coulter)
 USA

Single on Smash October 1966 by Ohio band of kid brothers, surname Calvert, aged (at one stage) 7, 11 and 14. They released four singles on the Smash label 1966-68, including versions of There’s A Kind Of Hush and Baby It’s You.

Reference: Kids Rock 4 at Art of the Mix.
Further Reading: Conklin Guitars has a profile of one of the Hornets, Greg Calvert. Skinny Robbie has a photo of The Hornets at his Wants page;

The Troggs - Hi Hi Hazel (1966)

(Bill Martin - Phil Coulter)
 UK
#42 UK #16 Adelaide #40 Perth

Influential version*

On album From Nowhere The Troggs July 1966. Single on Page One released July 1967 charted in Australia.

Although this didn’t chart as a single until 1967, its first release had been a year earlier, in July 1966, on The Troggs’ first album, From Nowhere… The Troggs, covering the recent release of Hi Hi Hazel by Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band.

The single of Hi Hi Hazel, released July 1967 on the Page One label, was one of several charting singles 1966-68 by British Invasion band from Hampshire led by Reg Presley.

The Troggs’ first hit, Wild Thing (#2 UK, #1 USA), was by American songwriter Chip Taylor, but many of their following hits were originals by Reg Presley, including With A Girl Like You (#1 UK, #29 USA), I Can’t Control Myself (#2 UK) and Love is All Around (#2 UK, #7 USA).

*It is reasonable to assume that Grandma’s Tonic were covering The Troggs, whose version would have been better known in Australia than Geno Washington’s original.

References: Alan Clayson & Jacqueline Ryan, Rocks Wild Things: The Troggs Files as cited by honeydhont (email); M. C. Strong, The Great Rock Discography.

Thanks to Gwyneth for setting me straight on the release date.