Johnny O’Keefe - Right Now (1961)

Jackie Wilson - Right Now (1958)

(Randy Starr [Warren Nadel] - Dick Wolf)
 USA
Original version

On 1958 Brunswick album He’s So Fine by influential Detroit R&B-pop-soul singer and performer (1934-1984) who had been lead singer of Billy Ward’s Dominoes since 1953.

From the late 50s, Wilson’s solo Brunswick releases often crossed over into the pop charts, beginning with To Be Loved (1958, #22 USA) and Lonely Teardrops (1958, #7), both written by Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. with Tyran Carlo (Roquel “Billy” Davis). His Reet Petite (1957), another Gordy-Carlo song, was an Australasian hit for Dinah Lee. Wilson’s last big hit was (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher (1966, #6).

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Dick Wolf (also cited as Wolfe) was a prolific songwriter, A&R man and producer. When he was A&R man at Kapp Records he produced Bryan Hyland, including on his Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (1961, #1 USA).

Wolf’s collaborator Randy Starr (b. Warren Nadel) was a qualified dentist turned singer and songwriter who co-wrote or wrote a number of songs for Elvis Presley films, notably Kissin’ Cousins (1964, #12 USA, later recorded by Australia’s Saints on their first album).

Wolf and Starr wrote Randy Starr’s own minor hit After School (1957, #32 USA). They are credited as composers on George Hamilton IV’s version of the traditional song I Know Where I’m Going (1958, #43 USA, #23 UK). See also Australian singer Booka Hyland’s Transistor, another Wolf-Starr composition.

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References: 1. Jackie Wilson biography by Richie Unterberger at All Music. 3. Wikipedia entry on Randy Starr. 4. Repertoire for Warren Nadel at ASCAP-BMI SongView.

Thanks to Tony Watson for IDing the original.

Not to be confused with Dick Wolf the creator of TV crime series (b.1946) who would have been 10 or 11 years old at most when this Dick Wolf started writing songs with Warren Nadel.