(Wayne Shanklin)
Australia
#1 Sydney #8 Melbourne #3 Brisbane #3 Adelaide #9 Perth
Double-sided hit in Sydney with Stage To Cimarron.
Instrumental version by Rob E.G., guitarist, songwriter and producer, born Robert George Porter, but better known internationally as Robie Porter.
See also From The Inside by Marcia Hines and 55 Days At Peking by Rob E.G.
Further reading: Rob E.G. from Howlspace [archived page].
(Wayne Shanklin)
UK
#19 UK
Single on Philips by Marty Wilde, British pop idol born 1939 as Reginald Smith. In 1957 he joined the management stable of Larry Parnes, whose clients included Tommy Steele, Billy Fury, Duffy Power, Vince Eager, Dickie Pride, Johnny Gentle… you get the picture. Popular in the UK, he didn’t have an Australian hit until Abergavenny in 1968.
Update 2021: Under the headline BACK ON-THE-ROAD JUNE 2021!!!!!!!!!!! Marty Wilde’s website was posting a long list of tour dates, beginning in June 2021.
Father of 80s pop star Kim Wilde.
Further reading: Official site at MartyWilde.com.
(Wayne Shanklin)
USA
Original vocal version
#2 USA
Columbia release on 78 rpm record and 45 rpm 7″ single. Frankie Laine (1913-2007) was an American singing star of the 1950s, especially popular in the UK and Europe, often on records with a Western theme produced by Mitch Miller.
Wayne Shanklin (1916-1970) wrote many familiar songs and was also an innovative and influential arranger and producer.
Shanklin’s compositions include
• Chanson d’Amour (Art & Dottie Todd 1957; Manhattan Transfer 1976);
• The Big Hurt (Miss Toni Fisher 1962);
• West Of The Wall (Miss Toni Fisher 1960);
• Primrose Lane (Jerry Wallace 1959, written with George Callender).
Miss Toni Fisher is often said to have been married to Wayne Shanklin, but according to the apparently well-researched Wikipedia entry on Shanklin “no record of the marriage is known to exist”.
References, further reading: 1. Frankie Laine biography by John Bush at AllMusic. 2. Wayne Shanklin entry at Wikipedia. 3. Wayne Shanklin listings at discogs.com.
Other versions: See the list of versions by Arnold Rypens at his Originals website.
Thanks to Vicki.
(Wayne Shanklin)
Australia
Later version
#28 Adelaide
Jezabel with an a is an accepted spelling of Jezebel and is listed at ASCAP as an “Alternative Title”.
Single on Columbia by Adelaide band.
After Bobby James had moved on to The Bobby James Syndicate, a new line-up of The Vibrants was formed with original member Geoff Skewes. From a new base in Melbourne from 1966 they became a nationwide success. See their biggest hits Something About You Baby (#43 Sydney #3 Melbourne #2 Brisbane #4 Adelaide) and My Prayer (#24 Sydney #6 Melbourne #10 Brisbane #20 Adelaide #2 Perth), both from 1967.
Reference: Milesago’s Vibrants page which covers all line-ups in detail.
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2024. 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, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…