TOMMY DEE’S TRIBUTE TO…BUDDY HOLLY, THE BIG BOPPER AND RITCHIE VALENS BECAME A HUGE HIT IN 1959. THE SONG WAS ABOUT THE THREE ROCK STARS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN A PLANE CRASH ON FEBRUARY 3, 1959.
TOMMY’S VERSION CHARTED ON MARCH 30, 1959 ON CREST RECORDS (1057). TOMMY A RADIO DJ AT THE TIME (KFXM-SAN BERNADINO) RECORDED THE SONG, (THAT WAS FIRST RECORDED BY EDDIE COCHRAN), WITH CAROL KAY AND THE TEEN-AIRES. THE SINGLE BECAME A #11 HIT ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 AND REMAINED ON THE CHART FOR 12 WEEKS.
TOMMY DEE, WHO WAS BORN THOMAS DONALDSON ON JULY 15, 1933 IN VICKER, VIRGINIA WOULD NOT CHART ANOTHER HIT RECORD. HE WOULD LATER BECOME A RECORD COMPANY PRODUCER/PROMOTER IN NASHVILLE. TOMMY DEE PASSED AWAY IN JANUARY OF 2007 AT THE AGE OF 73.
CLICK ON THE TITLE 
BELOW…TOMMY DEE IS WAITING TO PERFORM HIS CLASSIC TRIBUTE TO…BUDDY HOLLY…THE BIG BOPPER…AND…RITCHIE VALENS…”THREE STARS”…SOLID GOLD FROM THE “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL”.
TILL THE NEXT TIME—JOE
Laurie London was born on January 19, 1944 in London, England. He was just 14 years old 
when his recording of…HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD (IN HIS HANDS) became a world-wide hit. The million-selling single record on Capitol Records (3891) became a huge hit on both the Billboard R&B chart and the Billboard Top 100 chart.
On April 7, 1958 the single charted on the R&B chart and reached #3, holding that spot for 2 weeks. The single remained on the chart for 11 weeks. On March 24, 1958…HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD (IN HIS HANDS) made its Top 100 debut. The single became a #1 hit record and held the #1 spot for 4 weeks. Laurie’s hit became one of the biggest hits of 1958 and sold over 1 million copies, earning him a “Gold Record”. HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD (IN HIS HANDS) would be Laurie London’s only hit record in the US.
The flip-side of the si
ngle…HANDED DOWN, did not chart.
THE “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL” IS HAPPY TO BRING YOU…LAURIE LONDON…SINGING HIS CLASSIC 1958 #1 MILLION SELLER…”HE’S GOT THE WHOLD WORLD (IN HIS HANDS)”.
He’s Got The Whole World (In His Hands)
Till the next time—Joe
Jerry Engler was born in my hometown of Rochester, New York in 1936. He was always 
interested in music but it did not take hold of him until he was about 10 years old. His family moved out west around that time and that’s when he heard Country and Western music. His parents split and he returned to Rochester with his mother, and his brothers and sisters.
Jerry was playing his country music, that was until he heard Elvis Presley singing on the radio. That was a turning point in his musical direction. He went out to find a guitar player that could play like Scotty Moore…that proved hard to do in Rochester at the time. After graduating high school he found local guitar ace…Neil Marvel, who already had a band. Together they were soon Rochester’s first rock and roll band.
One of Rochester’s top disc jockeys…Nick Nickson (“The ‘Ole’ Professor), of WBBF-AM…became Jerry Engler’s manager. Jerry was very popular locally. In 1957 the Soviet Union put the first man-made object into orbit…a satellite named…Sputnik. The newspaper coverage of the satellite caught Jerry’s attention. He was working at Eastman Kodak at the time and wrote the song on a coffee-break. Jerry wanted a vocal group to record on the record…He enlisted the Four Ekkos (Hand In Hand). The record was cut in Rochester at Fine Recording on St. Paul Street. The cost of the recording was $600, kind of expensive for the day. Jerry took the song to Nick Nickson who called Len Levy at Decca/Brunswick Records in New York. Len loved the song…he had the group come to New York. The record was released on Brunswick Records. The flip-side of the single was…UNFAITHFUL ONE. The label had changed his last name from Englerth his birth name to Engler and retitled the record to… SATELLITE GIRL. Jerry was performing in Buffalo, Syracuse, Detroit and Canada.
SPUTNIK did not chart nationally but did make a buzz across the country. Jerry would not hav
e another hit record but would play on shows with artists like, Buddy Holly And The Crickets, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers and Paul Anka. He then went to Clovis, New Mexico and recorded with Buddy Holly in 1958.
Jerry would never chart a national hit but his recording of…SPUTNIK (Satellite Girl) on Brunswick 
Records (9-55037) remains a very sought after single of record collectors. We are proud to present…JERRY ENGLER…singing his classic 1957 hit…SPUTNIK…another great hit from the, “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL”.
Till the next time—Joe
Floyd Robinson was born in 1937 in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a rock and roll singer/composer. On July 20, 1959 he charted his only Billboard Hot 100 hit record…MAKIN’ LOVE on RCA Victor Records. The single did very well and was a big hit, charting at #20 on t
he Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for 18 weeks. 
The flip-side of the single record was…MY GIRL it did not chart.
Floyd would not have another hit record, but his one hit sounds great after all these years. The “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL” PRESENTS…FLOYD ROBINSON…SINGING HIS HIT…”MAKIN’ LOVE”.
Till the next time—Joe
The Graduates, a doo-wop group from Buffalo, New York charted just one hit record. It was not a smash hit on the charts but it was a radio favorite and has become classic doo-wop. The single record of…BALLAD OF A GIRL AND BOY…on the local Buffalo label, Shan-Todd Records made its Billboard Hot 100 debut on March 9, 1959. The single charted at #74 and remained on the Hot 100 for just three weeks. It is amazing that the song remains even more popular today, than when it was a hit.
The Graduates included, John Cappello, Bruce Hammond, Fred Mancuso and Jack Scorsone. In June of 1959…WHAT GOOD IS GRADUATION on Corsican 
Records would appear on the Billboard, Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart at #110. This song has always been a personal favorite of mine…it was a big hit in the Buffalo and Rochester, New York areas.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW…THE GRADUATES…ARE SINGING, THEIR DOO-WOP CLASSIC…”BALLAD OF A GIRL AND BOY”.
Graduates – Ballad Of A Girl And Boy
Till the next time—Joe
The Murmaids were a teen “girl group” from Los Angeles, California. The group included sister
s, Carol and Terry Fischer and Sally Gordon.
On November 23, 1963 The Murmaids charted their only Billboard Hot 100 hit record…POPSICLES AND ICICLES on Chattahoochee Records. The single record charted at #3 on the Hot 100 and remained on the chart for 14 weeks. The flip-side of the record is…HUNTINGTON FLATS, it did not chart.
On March 14, 1964 The Murmaids recording of…HEARTBREAK AHEAD with the flip-side of…HE’S GOOD TO ME made its Billboard chart debut. The single did not chart on the Hot 100 but did reach the Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart, at #116. The group would not chart another Hot 100 hit.
THE “GOLDEN ERA OF ROCK AND ROLL” IS PROUD TO PRESENT…THE MURMAIDS…SINGING THEIR CLASSIC HIT RECORD…”POPSICLES AND ICICLES”
Till the next time—Joe
