Today in Music History: December 18, 1961
Welcome into the spotlight...
The Tokens:
A group of Brooklyn boys hit it big-g-g-g-g time in the 60s when they recorded what is known today as the most recognizable song on the planet! The group began in 1955 as the Linc-Tones, a name formed from the school where all the boys attended, Lincoln High School. The original group members included Hank Medress, Neil Sedaka, Eddie Rabkin and Cynthia Zolitin. The following year Rabkin left and was replaced by Jay Siegel. In 1958, Neil Sedaka left the group to pursue his solo career as a performer and songwriter. That same year Zolitin also left the group. Twelve-year-old Mitch Margo and his brother Phil joined Medress and Siegel in December 1959 and the band changed its name to The Tokens.
A Bit of Token Trivia...
The Tokens enjoyed success recording commercial jingles in the 1970s and 1980s for such products as Benson and Hedges cigarettes (“Silly Millimeter Longer”), Pan American Airlines (“Pan Am Makes the Going Great”), and Clairol hair products (“She Lets Her Hair Down”).
"It's hard to believe, at least for me anyway, that there's not a person in the world who doesn't know that song." ~The Lion King himself: Jay Siegel
1961 The Tokens started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'; it reached No.11 in the UK. REM included a live version of the song on the 1993 'Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight' single.Roaring Trivia...
Decades after not receiving any publishing credit for their specific original musical composition part of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the band began a lawsuit in order to regain some of these publishing rights. The case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations. To this day, the Tokiens claim that some of the original musical composition of the 1961 song was created by them, even though they have not been awarded this status by their record company. Source: wikipedia.orgNo.1 singles on this day...
No. 1 Album on This Day...
1971 Sly and the Family Stone went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'There's A Riot Going On'.
2005 ‘Fairytale of New York’ was voted the favorite Christmas song ever in a VH1 poll. The song by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl took the top spot, Mariah Carey's ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’, was voted into 2nd place and Wham's ‘Last Christmas’ came third. Other songs voted into the Top 10 were, ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, Sir Cliff Richard at No.4, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ by Slade at No.5, ‘I Wish it could be Christmas Everyday’, Wizzard, No.6, ‘Christmas Time’, The Darkness, No.7, ‘Saviour's Day’, Sir Cliff Richard No.8, ‘Do They Know It's Christmas’ (1984), Band Aid at No.9 and ‘Lonely This Christmas’ by Mud at No.10.
And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...
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