It later became a standard, providing teen idol David Cassidy with a bit of emotional heft and giving Crystal Gayle a country chart No.1. Weepy Johnnie Ray found his signature tune here, swamping Churchill Kohlman’s song with his sobbing tones and topping the Billboard chart too. Still, his salsa-tinged instrumental lives on, a cheeky soundtrack to shenanigans the world over. But Flores was under contract elsewhere and the writing credit had to go to one ‘Chuck Rio’. The man behind The Champs’ one and only hit (a massive one, mind you – No.1 in the US, No.5 in the UK) was Danny Flores, who played the wild sax solo and blurted out “tequila!”, as you do. Lee’s version might be the one everyone remembers but Little Willie John’s swinging soul take was a specialist US hit and million-seller in its own right.

She’d actually written the mesmeric ‘Freight Train’ when she was 12 – after 50 years in mothballs, it was soon covered by artists including country star Chet Atkins and folkie Joan Baez.Ĭovered by countless artists – Peggy Lee, Madonna, Beyoncé, funk don George Clinton, The Doors, you name ’em – Otis Blackwell and Eddie Cooley’s ‘Fever’ was originally recorded, reluctantly, by R&B warbler Little Willie John. Elizabeth Cotten got her belated break in 1957 at the grand old age of 62 when her shimmering guitar playing talents were finally spotted by the Seeger family.

Tell me why 50s song