Liv Maessen - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1970)

(John Carter - Geoff Stephens)
Australia
#1 Sydney #3 Melbourne #1 Brisbane #8 Adelaide #1 Perth

Single on Fable April 1970. Co-charted in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth with the original by Mary Hopkin.

This Fable cover version of a British release charted in May 1970. It probably benefited from the Radio Ban which began on 23 May. After that, the competing original version by Mary Hopkin would not have been heard on Australian commercial radio. Fable’s records were not affected by the ban.
• See under The Mixtures – In The Summertime for more background on the Radio Ban.

Deep-voiced Melbourne-based singer who won 1970 Logie Award (Australia’s equivalent of the Emmys) for Best New Talent.

See also, at this site, the origins of Liv Maessen’s – Snowbird and The Love Moth.

Further reading: Liv Maessen biography at Milesago.

Andra Willis - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1970)

(John Carter - Geoff Stephens)
USA

Single on Paramount by singer from West Virginia (b.1943). This version charted regionally in the US (ARSA search).

Andra Willis was a regular singer on The Lawrence Welk Show in the late 60s. Her husband, the musician, arranger and conductor Larry Muhoberac was keyboardist with Elvis Presley’s TCB band in the late 60s and worked with a number of big names over the years.

Since the mid-80s The Muhoberacs have lived in Australia. Andra’s recordings as Andra Willis Muhoberac appear here and there: her Carol For The Wheat Country is on ABC Radio’s Macca By Request, and she duets with John Rowles on one of his albums. Larry has, for example, produced for Grace Knight, arranged for Silverchair, and conducted on Neil Diamond’s tour of Australia.

Thanks to Terry Stacey for finding and verifying this version.
Image from Old Favourites page at WelkMusicFamily.com.

Mary Hopkin - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1970)

(John Carter - Geoff Stephens)
UK
Original version
#2 UK #92 USA #1 Sydney #3 Melbourne #1 Brisbane #1 Perth #1 NZ

Single on Apple, #26. This was a Eurovision Song Contest entry, produced by Mickie Most: it came second to All Kinds Of Everything.

The breakthrough for Welsh singer Mary Hopkin was her appearance on the talent show Opportunity Knocks. Her first single, an international hit, was Those Were The Days, the second single released on The Beatles' Apple label (1968, #1 UK, #1 USA Cashbox and elsewhere). She was something of a protégée of Paul McCartney who produced Those Were The Days and her first album, Postcard.

John Carter - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1969)

(John Carter - Geoff Stephens)
UK

Demo version by one of the writers of Knock Knock Who's There?

Unreleased at the time, now available on the 2003 RPM Records album Measure For Measure: The John Carter Anthology 1961-1977. More details at RPM Records.

The Orlons - Knock! Knock! (Who’s There?) (1964)

(Bob Crewe - Larry Santos)
USA
Red herring
#64 USA

Same title but not the same song as ‘Knock Knock Who’s There?’ by Liv Maessen.

Single on Cameo by early 60s Philadelphia vocal group whose first and biggest of three Top 5 singles was The Wah Watusi (1962, #2 USA). One of The Orlons’ B-sides was the original version of Don’t Throw Your Love Away (1963), famously recorded by The Searchers in 1964. See ARSA for some regional chart activity.

Thanks to Terry Stacey for Red Herring alert.

Liv Maessen - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1970)

Andra Willis - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1970)

Mary Hopkin - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1970)

John Carter - Knock Knock Who’s There? (1969)

The Orlons - Knock! Knock! (Who’s There?) (1964)

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