Johnny Chester - Unless You Care (1964)

(P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri)
Australia
#25 Melbourne

Single on W&G, charted late November 1964.

Johnny Chester: Melbourne singer, guitarist and songwriter who started out with the Chessmen in the late 50s, performing at dances he organised in the northern suburbs. Signed to Melbourne’s W&G label, he had a number of Top 10 hits in Melbourne from 1961: see, for example, Shakin’ All Over, one of his early hits (1962, #4 Melbourne), and Shame And Scandal (In The Family) (1972, #1 Melbourne, also #2 Brisbane #2 Perth).

Chester – “Chess” to his fans – became a disc jockey with Top 40 station 3UZ in 1966. He has also hosted TV shows and broadcast on Radio Australia. He built a successful national career in country music from the 1970s: he was Male Vocalist of The Year for three years in a row in the Country Music Awards (The Golden Guitars) 1981-1983. More recently he wrote Rebound: The Musical for the stage.

Further reading: Johnny Chester’s website.

Terry Black - Unless You Care (1964)

(P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri)
Canada
Original version

Terry Black (1949-2009) was a Canadian singer from Vancouver who moved to Hollywood in 1966.

This was Track 1 on Black's album The Black Plague, also released as a single. Sloan and Barri wrote and produced many of the songs on the album, including this one and Say It Again, covered in Australia by Ray Brown (1965, #1 Sydney).

See the Terry Black page at the P.F. Sloan website which includes P.F. Sloan's comments on working with Terry Black.

P. F. Sloan & Steve Barri's compositions include Secret Agent Man (Johnny Rivers) and A Must To Avoid (Herman's Hermit's). They wrote What Am I Doing Here With You, recorded in Australia by Bev Harrell.

P.F. Sloan's best-known composition is probably Eve Of Destruction (Barry Maguire), and he also wrote, for example, Take Me For What I'm Worth (The Searchers).

Further reading: Discographies and background at the P.F. Sloan website.

Bobby Curtola - Unless You Care (1968)

(P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri)
Canada
Later version

Single on Tartan by Bobby Curtola (1943-2016), billed as Canada's Rock And Roll Legend. Produced by his regular producers and songwriters Basil & Dyer Hurdon.

Curtola had twelve Top 10 songs in Canada 1960-1965, all on Tartan. Some discographies date this as 1969, the year of its release in the US on King.

Further reading: 1. Official Bobby Curtola website. 2. Bobby Curtola Discography at the Music Journal blog. 3. Bobby Curtola at Wikipedia.

Cheryl Thibideau - Unless You Care (2013)

(P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri)
Canada
Later version

Track on My Heart Still Remembers by Canadian country singer.

Johnny Chester - Unless You Care (1964)

Terry Black - Unless You Care (1964)

Bobby Curtola - Unless You Care (1968)

Cheryl Thibideau - Unless You Care (2013)

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