(Kenny Gamble - Leon Huff - Jerry Butler)
Australia
#29 Sydney #5 Melbourne #6 Brisbane #23 Adelaide #21 Perth
The first Meteors were brought together by Max Merritt in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1956. After becoming one of the country's top bands while based in Auckland, they moved to Australia in 1964. The Meteors went through many personnel changes along the way, before arriving at their classic late-60s line-up of Max Merritt, Bob Bertles, Stewie Speer and John 'Yuk' Harrison. Their biggest hit didn't come till 1976, with Merritt's own composition Slipping Away (#2 Sydney, #6 Melbourne, #1 Brisbane, #2 Adelaide, #1 Perth, #5 NZ). See also I've Been Trying (1965).
Further reading: Max Merritt and the Meteorspage at Bruce Sergent's New Zealand Music site. The Max Merritt & The Meteors site has a detailed biography.
(Kenny Gamble - Leon Huff - Jerry Butler)
USA
Original version
#16 USA
Single on Mercury, from the 1968 album The Iceman Cometh.
Jerry Butler had been lead singer with The Impressions, formed 1957, with whom he had one major hit, For Your Precious Love (1958).
He left The Impressions in 1958 for a solo career which saw such hits as He Will Break Your Heart (1960), Moon River (1961) and – with Betty Everett – Let It Be Me (1964).
In the late 60s he teamed up with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and his first album with them, The Iceman Cometh (1968), produced four charting singles in the US: Hey, Western Union Man, Never Give Up, Are You Happy and the #4 hit Only The Strong Survive.
Hey, Western Union Man was also recorded, for example, by Al Kooper (1968, on I Stand Alone), Diana Ross & The Supremes (1969, on Let The Sunshine In), William Bell (1969, on Bound To Happen), Bobby Rush (1979, on Rush Hour, prod. Gamble & Huff).
(Mike Rabon - Norman Ezell - John Durrill)
Australia
Red herring
Similar title but not the same song as "Western Union Man" by Max Merritt & The Meteors.
Go here for history of
Western Union by The Strangers.
(Mike Rabon - Norman Ezell - John Durrill)
USA
Red herring
Similar title but not the same song as "Western Union Man" by Max Merritt & The Meteors.
Go here for history of
Western Union by The Five Americans.
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2021. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Joop Jansen, More…