Awakenings: ♫Songs That Keep on Spinning♫

Sunday, October 2, 2016

♫Songs That Keep on Spinning♫

http://www.allmusic.com/album/100-golden-oldies-of-the-50s-60s-70s-mw0000453189

Songs among the Golden Oldies keep in spinning. These are the songs of which one never tires. Sales of the original songs keep in rising and covers keep on appearing. They are played repeatedly on the radio and become mega hits all over again when included as movie song tracks.

Today in Music History: October 2

Welcome into the spotlight...

Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs an American doo-wop/R&B vocal group in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Originally the (Royal) Charms, the band changed its name to the Gladiolas in 1957 and the Excellos in 1958, before finally settling on the Zodiacs in 1959.

Maurice Williams is one of the most extraordinarily durable figures in the history of classic R&B and rock & roll, despite the fact that, as a performer, he only ever racked up one major national hit on the pop charts. That song, "Stay," became one of the classic singles in the history of rock -- a number one hit upon its release in 1960 on Al Silver's Herald label, and a popular favorite for decades since, revived in 1987 with its prominent use in the movie Dirty Dancing. Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs recorded only two more minor pop hits before they disappeared from the charts, but Williams has remained active as a performer and, periodically, as a recording artist and songwriter ever since. [Source: allmusic.com]

1960 'Stay' by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs entered the US chart on its way to No.1. At just 1:37, it becomes the shortest US chart topper in Rock and Roll history. The song was written by Maurice Williams. It is his only major hit as an artist, though he also wrote the successful single "Little Darlin'," which was a hit for The Diamonds in 1957.

While 'Stay' became a major hit as a single, Williams re-emerged as a recording artist in the wake of Dirty Dancing when 'Stay' yielded sales of another eight million copies. Its recording label Ripete has since released the impossible-to-find 1965 live album on CD, and an excellent career anthology of Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs.