Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Worthy Finds

Hello, after looking thru the stacks of vinyl, I decided to feature a couple of artists whose music has fallen thru the cracks over the years that are worthy to be heard again . The first of these is by a group called The Swivel Hips. They recorded a version of the Ventures "Walk Don't Run" on the Top Hit Tunes record label. Top Hit Tunes records were sold mostly in the Woolworth's five and dime stores. They featured six low budget recordings of the popular songs from the day performed by different artists. As far I could find this was the only song the group recorded. My guess is that this was a studio group. The second song is by Jack Fraley. He wrote and recorded  two songs "Trust in Me" and "Wanderer" on Westland Records in 1966. I highlighted "Wanderer" which was the B side of the 45.  It's a catchy ballad. I think for the time period it certainly had the potential to be a hit.
                                                                        The Swivel Hips - Walk don't run

                                                                          Jack Fraley - Wanderer
Posted by at

7 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2015 at 5:27 PM

    Hey Johnnie;
    Walk, Don't Run...very kool. Sounds like it was the Band down the block when I was a kid in the early 60's. Thanks for the listen.
    TomK

    ReplyDelete
  2. johnnie oSeptember 11, 2015 at 11:21 PM

    Your welcome Tom, thank you for your comment.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 10, 2015 at 5:41 AM

    I do love 'Wanderer' by Jack Fraley ... it is such a beautiful song, the lyrics and everything ... it really is a sad song although the allegro music ... I want to thank you Artyfacts ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. johnnie oOctober 11, 2015 at 12:27 PM

    Hi Mousiko , I appreciate your thoughts about the 45.

    ReplyDelete
  5. philoSeptember 2, 2016 at 6:30 PM

    This is weird. This Jack Fraley disc was recorded in my home town. I know nothing about this man, record, or this Westland studio.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2017 at 3:19 PM

    I knew and played with Jack...would like to find a copy of the disc. The studio was not called Westland, it was a studio on Thayer drive in the basement of Shorty Holloway. Put out records under a number of different labels.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMay 19, 2018 at 12:27 AM

    Jack Fraley is my Uncle. I remember hearing him sing The Wanderer, and many other songs when I was a child . He taught my cousins , my sisters and myself the lyrics to several songs and we would sing along with him as he played the guitar. My Aunt has many photos , as she played guitar alongside him for a time. With her permission, I will copy and send photos. Thank You So Much for recognizing my Uncle ,Jack Fraley.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)