(Michael Nesmith [credited here to 'J. Reed'])
Australia
Single on Festival, a B-side by band formed in Brisbane 1966, based in Melbourne from early 1967.
The label wrongly credits 'J. Reed', clearly a mix-up with blues artist Jimmy Reed's song of the same name.
For more details on Bay City Union, see the A-side, Moreen.
Thanks to Andrew Ainsworth for verification.
(Michael Nesmith)
USA
#3 Sydney #2 Melbourne #2 Brisbane #15 Adelaide
On 1967 Colgems album More Of The Monkees, also on a single in several countries including Australia (1968). It doesn’t appear to have been on a US single in the 60s, unless you count a cereal box giveaway in 1969.
(Michael Nesmith)
USA
Original version
On East-West, a landmark album by influential, eclectic rock-blues band featuring harmonicist Paul Butterfield and guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, with Jerome Arnold (bass), Billy Davenport (drums, here replacing Sam Lay), and Mark Naftalin (keyboards). This was quite a line-up. For example, Arnold was an alumnus of Howlin' Wolf's band (as was Lay), and Davenport had worked with several blues stars including Otis Rush, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.
Not only did Butterfield clear the way for white musicians to build upon blues tradition (instead of merely replicating it), but his storming sound was a major
catalyst in bringing electric Chicago blues to white audiences who'd previously considered acoustic Delta blues the only really genuine article.
– Steve Huey, All Music
Further reading (all at All Music): Steve Huey's biography of Paul Butterfield and Steve Leggett's band biography, and Mark Deming's review of the album. Follow the links there to bios of the other distinguished personnel.
(Ray Cane)
UK
Red herring
SAME TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS
'MARY MARY' BY THE BAY CITY UNION.
Single on Deram by Jim Kelly (1946-1995) of British band Honeybus (aka The Honeybus). Written by Honeybus's Ray Cane who also produced and arranged the single.
See under the version by Sydney band The Clik(1970).
(Adam Pringle - Nina Grant - Chris Paine - Syd Green)
Australia
Red herring
#50 Sydney #39 Melbourne #24 Brisbane #36 Adelaide
SAME TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS
'MARY MARY' BY THE BAY CITY UNION.
Single on Polydor by hard rock band from Melbourne previously known as Killing Time, formed 1989. Mary Mary was an original, written by band members.
There are
many songs with Mary Mary as a title or part of a title, no doubt because the phrase is familar from the nursery rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. See, for example, these search results from 45cat.com.
(Robin Shaw - Micky Keene - Ritchie Yorke)
Australia (recorded in UK)
Red herring
#8 Perth
SAME TITLE BUT NOT THE SAME SONG AS
'MARY MARY' BY THE BAY CITY UNION.
Single on Sunshine, also in UK on Polydor, B-side of It's Not Easy, a double-sided hit in Perth. Elsewhere, It's Not Easy alone charted (#5 Sydney #3 Melbourne #2 Brisbane #6 Adelaide #21 NZ).
As far as I can tell, this was the original recording of this Mary, Mary.
For more details, see under It's Not Easy, and under Ooh La La, another Normie Rowe hit recorded in London and written by two of these writers, Shaw & Keene.
(Michael Nesmith)
Ireland
Single on Pye by Irish beat band ("Ireland's Beatles") formed 1963, B-side of Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow), the Neil Diamond song also recorded by The Monkees YouTube.
Further reading: Strangers history & discography at IrishRock.org.
Disambiguation: For the 60s Australian band The Strangers, start here.
Pop Archives
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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…