An interview
with veteran studio musician Vincent "Vinnie" Bell: Guitar man to the stars
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Mr Bell was contacted along with several other American music industry identities for a magazine article that I wrote some years back about Space Age Pop and the main emphasis of our discussion was placed on the work that he did in that easy listening instrumental genre : https://backinthedayblogspot.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2023-05-30T02:09:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=1&by-date=false
Born Vincent Edward Gambella on July 28,1932 in Brooklyn, New York, the genial axeman passed away on October 3, 2019 in Tenafly, New Jersey at the age of 87. A highly respected "behind the scenes" talent and a million-selling recording artist in his own right, he is, perhaps, best remembered as the inventor of the bubbly "underwater" guitar sound. We communicated on several occasions and I very much appreciated being given the opportunity to document some of his memories.
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Bruce: Vinnie, great to catch up with you. Thanks for finding the time to have a chat
Vinnie: Likewise Bruce. Nice to hear from Australia
Bruce: I used to work at a radio station where the promotional slogan was "Hits and Memories" and I was reminded of that line as I looked through your incredible list of recording credits. Indeed, you've played on so many million - sellers. But just to reel off a few of them as an introduction... they include such chart toppers as the Monkee's "I'm a Believer" , Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York", "Color my World" by Petula Clark, Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By" , Del Shannon's "Runaway", "My Boyfriend is Back" by the Angels, the Lovin" Spoonful's "Summer in the City" and "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies. You had your own gold record with the love theme from the movie Airport. Your guitar work was also prominently featured on Ferrante and Teicher's "Midnight Cowboy" and the soundtrack of the TV series "Twin Peaks" and Vincent "Vinnie" Bell is that your funky pickin" on the opening bars of Wilson Pickett's "Funky Broadway"?
Vinnie: Sure is..... the Wicked Pickett they called him .....
(Live on stage in Los Angeles in the 1960s)
(Wilson's Pickett's "Funky Broadway")
%20edit.jpg)
Bruce: It's a solid gold hit list of classics from the '60s, '70s, '80s and beyond and I'll include a much more extensive rundown of them at the end of this piece. However, I know that your career extends into other areas of the industry and we'll also discuss that a bit later. But, first up, where did it all begin?
Vinnie: It all started around 1950 in New York City when I was a teenager and got my first guitar
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| A young Vincent Bell in New York circa 1950s (danacountryman.com) |
Bruce: You're from New York originally?
Vinnie: Born and bred. Although I have lived in New Jersey for a long time.
Bruce: Has most of your session work been in New York?
Vinnie: New York and LA
Bruce: Were you self-taught as a guitarist or did you have lessons?
Vinnie: I studied for a number of years with two of the best players in town - namely Carmen Mastren and Tony Mottola
Bruce: I seem to recall that Tony appeared on one of Frank Sinatra's television specials in the ' 80s, possibly Sinatra's "Concert for the Americas": a show that was produced in the Dominican Republic
Vinnie: He did. Both Tony and I backed Frank in the studio as well as on stage
(Tony Mottola and Frank Sinatra ''Send in the Clowns")
(Tony shares his memories of working with Mr Sinatra)
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| (Left to right) Vinnie Bell, John Pisano and Tony Mottola (Dana Countryman photo) Tony Mottola - Wikipedia |
Bruce: That must have been quite an experience. What was Frank like in those situations?
Vinnie: He was a technically perfect singer... a superb stylist and he had amazing charisma.
Bruce: Demanding?
Vinnie: Of course. But that's what made him an outstanding artist.... his pursuit of excellence. He had high standards. So do I. It's easier to deal with people who know what they want. On a personal level, he was a very sharp guy who had a terrific sense humor
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| (New York Theater) |
(Frank sings "New York, New York" original
recording with Vinnie on guitar)
Bruce: How did you get your break as a professional musician ?
Vinnie: I got the ball rolling in the '50s playing at various night spots in New York. I also had a group called the Gallahads. Then I managed to pick up a few studio jobs. Finally, I decided to quit the club scene to concentrate, almost exclusively, on recording
Bruce: Was it difficult to get a foot in the studio door as a session player?
Vinnie: Yes, it was fairly competitive, particularly in New York where there is so much talent. A lot of guys wanted to get away from the grind of the club scene. Session work was generally more convenient and better paid... at least it was from me. I had a couple of contacts, such as Tony, who helped me to get going
Bruce: Do you play any other instruments apart from the guitar?
Vinnie: I do but they're all similar... acoustic and electric guitar also mandolin, banjo and ukulele
Bruce: You played that iconic mandolin on the soundtrack of the original Godfather movie. How did that come about?
Vinnie: I got an offer I couldn't refuse..... boom.. boom...oops.. I mean...only kidding. I knew someone who was involved in the production
.jpg) |
| Original movie poster and soundtrack album (1972) (Original theatrical trailer for The Godfather ) |
Bruce: For those who don't know, what sort of projects do you work on as a studio musician? Presumably, there's more to it than constantly churning out Top 40 hits
Vinnie: Correct. As you would be aware, only a fraction of the music that's recorded becomes extremely popular or even gets radio airplay. But, of course, much of it isn't produced with that objective in mind. I've done all kinds of jobs from TV and movie themes to documentaries, promotional films, many, many advertising jingles....etc.. etc.. etc...
Bruce: What does it take to be a successful session player?
Vinnie: Mainly, you have to be versatile - that is willing, able and enthusiastic to play different styles of music across just about all genres. Also, you must respect the producer's authority and give them what they want. You can make suggestions and offer ideas. But don't argue. They're giving the orders
Bruce: What do you like most about doing sessions?
Vinnie: Well, I could just go back to what I said before. There's always something new in the pipeline. As far as albums and singles are concerned, I've really enjoyed working with artists who have come from different musical backgrounds because I listen to a broad cross section of genres. And, yes, you certainy get a special buzz contributing to a major hit. But, again, that's only part of the musical kaleidoscope
Bruce: Is there anything that you don't like about it?
Vinnie: I honestly, can't think of anything
Bruce: You mentioned that you started in the 1950s and I've seen your name cropping up in connection to the band leader Les Elgart. My favorite instrumental album of that decade is Elgart's For Dancers Only although I didn't discover it until the '70s when I was rummaging through my parent's record collection. Just wondering if that's your melancholy strumming that we can hear on the Earle Hagen composition "Harlem Nocturne" which is included on the album?
Vinnie: It is. That was one of the very first studio jobs that I got and it did quite well on the charts
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| Family heirloom: The author's well-worn original 1950s copy of the Les Elgart album For Dancers Only |
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| Band leader Les Elgart (left)(Wikipedia) and an early Vincent Bell publicity shot (Stereo Candies) Les Elgart - Wikipedia |
(Title track from the album)
(Vinnie's guitar featured on the track "Harlem Nocturne")
Bruce: Right... and, of course, Les Elgart's band played the theme to Dick Clark's famous TV show American Bandstand
Vinnie: They did. It was called "Bandstand Boogie". Written by Charles Albertine and a great, swinging, brassy arrangement. Then Barry Manilow did a vocal version in the '70s when '50s nostalgia was all the rage. And, by the way, Charles did all the arrangements on For Dancers Only
Bruce: I didn't know that. Les also recorded a dynamite version of Big Joe Turner's "Flip, Flop and Fly" with singer Johnnie Ray
Vinnie: Correct. I remember that
Bruce: Vinnie, there seems to have been three, separate parts to your career which you have pursued simultaneously. One has been your work as a studio musician. Another was establishing yourself as a successful solo recording artist and the third is your involvement in the technical production side of the industry. In fact, you were a pioneer in several instances where you invented a number of guitars and guitar - style instruments along with other pieces of equipment which produced some interesting sounds. When did you start to experiment with music related technology?
Vinnie: Oh, almost as soon as I took up the guitar. My friend and mentor, Les Paul was already blazing a trail in regard to electric guitars, overdubbing, phasing and delay effects and he was using them on records such as "How High the Moon". He inspired me. I was always interested in electronics and, like Les, I combined that with my aptitude for playing
Bruce: The effect for which you're best known is your bubbly "underwater" or "watery" guitar sound which will be familiar to many from Ferrante and Teicher's Top 10 cover version of the theme from "Midnight Cowboy" and your own million-seller which was the love theme from Airport. I'm going to provide links to those tracks when this interview goes online. Are we allowed to ask how that particular effect is created? For example, can it only be made on a special guitar or do you prefer to keep that information confidential?
Vinnie's pic from the back of the Airport Love Theme album
(Love theme from Airport)
(The theme from Midnight Cowboy featuring Vinnie's "watery "guitar)
Vinnie: Frankly, I do prefer to keep the precise details to myself because it's become a trademark for me. However, just to offer some sort of response, the short answer to the second part of your question is "no". It has nothing to do with a special guitar. It is generated on an effects unit; the prototype of which I built back in the ' 50s. It has fourteen circuitry pedals and one of them makes the watery sound
Bruce: There's a rather witty photo on Dana Countryman's website which suggests another possibility as to how you came up with the "bubbly bit" which I might include with this piece
Vinnie: Please do. In fact, I think I'll use that shot as my Facebook profile pic .....although, in all honesty, I was a bit out of shape at the time...
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| (Dana Countryman) |
Bruce: When was the underwater effect first used on a record?
Vinnie: 1959's "Barracuda" by the Gallahads....was, perhaps, the earliest but the sound wasn't quite as smooth as it became later
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| The Gallahads (1956?) Vinnie Bell (right) and their RCA disc "Barracuda" |
(NOTE: As I now understand, the Gallahads were mainly a doo wop vocal group; something that I wasn't aware of
when I was in contact with Vinnie. However, "Barracuda" is definitely an instrumental track that features his guitar playing)
Bruce: Do you still use it?
Vinnie: Very much so. It's still in demand for commercials, TV and movie themes
Bruce: You also devised the "chick" sound that was featured on Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By"; the Hal David and Burt Bacharach song. How did that come about?
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Dionne Warwick's 1964 album Make Way for Dionne Warwick which included the song "Walk on By" |
Hal David (left) and Burt Bacharach
(Details of musicians who worked on the "Walk on By" session
- including Vinnie)
Vinnie: That has been mentioned in several books and articles. However, most of the guesswork has been wrong. I had actually introduced it a year or so before "Walk on By". I had been booked by Hugo and Luigi, Sam Cooke's producers, to back a new teenage discovery by the name of Little Peggy March. We did a couple of tracks. One was titled "I Will Follow Him" which was a huge hit. The other was called "The Impossible Happened". I used the "chick" on one or both of those songs. The arrangements were fine but I felt that they needed something else. A short, muted afterbeat was all I could think of. From the control room a voice said "let's record". At the end of the first take I asked if it was OK. Luigi said "It sounds like your guitar is broken but everyone in here loves it so we'll keep it".
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| (Twitter) |
Bruce: Some sources also credit you as being the creator of the wah-wah. What's the story there?
Vinnie: Well, I had a wah-wah type of sound that was produced by my FX unit that I mentioned before. You can hear it on "Smoke Rings" by the Overtones from around 1956
Bruce: You collaborated with the French electro pop pioneer Jean Jacques Perrey. Tell me about that association.
Vinnie: I did. Jean Jacques came over here with two fascinating electronic instruments which were quite revolutionary. One was the Ondioline. The other was the Martinot. They were novel, made intriguing sounds and immediately attracted a lot of attention. Anyway, he soon landed a record deal and I worked with him on the majority of his sessions in this country. One of the most commercially successful projects we did was in partnership with Kai Winding, the outstanding Danish trombonist, who had also relocated to New York and that was an instrumental version of a song called "More" which was the theme to the bizarre Italian shockumentary titled Mondo Cane. Actually, I think it was originally an orchestral piece then they wrote Italian lyrics and, finally, English words... fairly sure that was the sequence. Jean played the Ondioline, I handled the guitar and Kai was on trombone. It zoomed up the charts. Jean and I remain close friends to this day.
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| Jean-Jacques Perrey (Songkick) and an early promotional sign for his French nightclub performances (wikipedia) |
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| The Ondioline (left) (WNYC) and the somewhat complex Martinot (Wikipedia) |
(Vinnie mentioned in the fifth paragraph about "More")
Jean Jacques Perrey and Vinnie
(Dana Countryman)
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| Jean Jacques Perrey - Gershon Kingsley's album Kaleidoscope Vibrations which included the track "Baroque Hoedown" |
(NOTE: In order to fully enjoy the brilliance of Monsieur Perrey's recordings listen through headphones or position yourself in front of
and in the middle of stereo speakers... a former medical student, he was both an outstanding musician and an engineering wizard as well)
(Theme to Disneyland's "Main Street Electrical Parade")
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| Perrey's album The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sounds of Jean Jacques Perry which included the track "Little Ships" |
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| Jean- Jacques with his biographer; musician and pop culture historian Dana Countryman. The pair joined forces on several musical projects (Dana Countryman) |
Vinnie Bell's tribute to Jean-Jacques:
Rolling Stone magazine's obit piece about Jean:
Bruce: Apart from the special effects that you created you also invented several guitars and guitar - style instruments for the Danelectro company which were used on ... dare I say it ?.... a string of hits ...
Vinnie: A guitar string of hits... indeed...
Bruce: These included the electric sitar, the Bellzouki, Coral Firefly and the Coral Hornet. Vinnie, which came first and can you recall the specific recordings on which each of them made their debut?
Vinnie: It all began with the Bellzouki which took its bow on a Joe Harnell album; the name of which escapes me right now. That was an electrified Bouzouki which is a traditional Greek instrument. I also played it on the title track of Don Costa's album Never on a Sunday which featured music from the movie of the same name and that got a lot of airplay. Next came the electric sitar which you can hear me using on "Midnight Cowboy", "Airport", Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", Petula Clark's "Colour my World" and the Lemon Piper's "Green Tambourine". However, it was really showcased on one of my own albums called Pop Goes the Electric Sitar. Third cab off the rank was the Coral Firefly which I played on many sessions. But, again, I can't remember the first one. Coral was a product line of Danelectro.
Bruce: What about the Hornet?
Vinnie: The Hornet... yeah...that must have been number four. I also designed the Vincent Bell Combo which was two-in-one acoustic and electric
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| Vinnie and the Bellzouki (Stereo Candies) and the Don Costa album Never on a Sunday Don Costa And His Orchestra And Chorus - Never On Sunday - YouTube |
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| Vinnie dons a turban to promote the Coral Electric Sitar |
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| The Lemon Pipers "Green Tambourine" (left) and Vinnie's album Pop Goes the Eletric Sitar Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine - YouTube (1960s television performance by the Lemon Pipers) THE LEMON PIPERS Green Tambourine 1968 HQ - YouTube (Better audio on original stereo recording) |
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| Vinnie (right) in the studio with singer Gene Pitney. Probably taken during the session that produced Gene's record "She's a Heartbreaker" on which Vinnie played the electric sitar (pictured) (Dana Countryman). Vinnie had previously worked with Gene on his chart toppers "A Town without Pity" and "Only Love can Break a Heart" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh0JKzXJyqw (Gene Pitney "She's a Heartbreaker" filmed at the Speak Easy in London) |
.jpeg) |
| Another shot of Vinnie in the studio with the electric sitar around 1967/68 (Stereo Candies) |
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| The Coral Firefly (left) (Norman's Rare Guitars) and the Hornet (Reverb) |
Guitar of the Day: 1960's Coral Vincent Bell Firefly | Norman's Rare Guitars - YouTube
1960s Coral Hornet (Danelectro) Guitar Demo - YouTube
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| Vincent Bell Combo (Reverb) LEMMO DEMO: Late 60's Coral Vincent Bell Combo $1695 | "My Affordable Favorites" - YouTube Danelectro - Wikipedia |
Bruce: It seems that the experimentation in the business started to surge ahead in a major way during the second half of the '50s with the arrival of hi fi and stereo
Vinnie: Correct. Things had been developing since the beginning but the progress was comparatively slow. However, the pace certainly picked up from the mid-'50s. Hi Fi and stereo were total game changers from both a listening and production viewpoint. Suddenly, recorded music was truly life-like
Bruce: Right. In fact, as I recall one of the companies featured a "Living Stereo" logo on their covers
Vinnie: I vaguely remember that .. RCA possibly
Bruce: Yes, I think it might have been
Vinnie: So, the creativity increased dramatically in tandem with the technology and we were encouraged to experiment in the studio. The record companies and the public were keen to hear new and different sounds. There was a mood of open mindedness and playfulness
Bruce: ...and this brings me to another, related, point .. namely....looking back at the mainstream music scene of, say, the 1960s and '70s there seemed to be a lot more variety. The Top 40 charts of the era show that there was usually something for everyone. There could be middle of the road, rock, folk, folk rock, jazz rock, soul, disco when that came along. There might be country flavored songs, instrumentals, occasional comedy records and a few spoken word/ narrative discs such as Tom Clay's "What the World need Now". But, what was even more amazing, a lot of that product sometimes went to air on the same station. However, all of that gradually changed and most of the new releases appeared to be aimed at a very young audience. So, the first part of my question is...do you agree with my thoughts on this and, if so, why do you think the variety dried up?
Vinnie: Yes, I do agree with you. There was, definitely, a much wider range in terms of what was being released and also in regard to mainstream radio and television progamming. I tend to be of the opinion that the music market and the culture in general was more sophisticated. You could go from the latest
Rolling Stone's track to Sinatra's "New York, New York" within 15 minutes on the same station and listeners were sophisticated enough to live with that
Bruce: Exactly
Vinnie: Although a station like that probably wouldn't have played any other Sinatra records. "New York, New York" was an unusual, late entry into the Top 40 for Frank. As for why things changed...I suspect that a number of factors may come into it. But just to offer a couple of quick thoughts on the subject ... to begin with, the novelty of hi fi and stereo eventually wore off. Also, all areas of the industry were being increasingly run by corporate bean counters who just wanted to keep churning out the same product that they knew was going to sell. Everyone started to copy each other and the spontaneity among session men was halted.
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Top 30 chart of weekly records sales published by station KHJ Los Angeles, September 20, 1967 |
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Weekly Top 40 chart in Melbourne, Australia. This one from February 7, 1975. Prepared by radio station 3XY (click on image to supersize) |
Bruce: Understood. Also, as I recall, there was more middle of the road music on television
Vinnie: For sure. The reason was that MOR was the mainstay of the big, national light entertainment shows such as Johnny Carson because they were primarily aimed at older viewers. And remember that back in that era programs like Carson had a massive audience because we only had the three major networks. We didn't have all the viewing options that we have these days, particularly at night. There was no internet, no You Tube, no DVDs. Home video and Pay TV probably arrived near the end of the '70s. So, in addition to getting a lot of radio airplay during the day, middle of the road music got a huge, extra boost with television exposure in peak viewing period. But, rock, soul, disco etc also got plenty of TV publicity. However, it was mainly on dedicated music shows like "Bandstand", "Soul Train" and "Midnight Special" which were broadcast in off peak time slots
Bruce: Right. And, speaking of Midnight Special, there's an interview on You Tube with the legendary DJ Wolfman Jack who, as you would be aware, was host of that show, in which he describes, what he saw, as being the decline of music radio and how different it was back in the ' 60s and '70s
The Midnight Special (TV series) - Wikipedia
Vinnie: OK. I must check that out. By the way, you mentioned Tom Clay's "What the World needs Now" which was a combination of that song and another one called "Abraham, Martin and John" both of which had been recorded previously and very successfully not long before by other artists and I played on those sessions. The former was written by Bacharach and David and sung by Jackie De Shannon. The latter was a Dick Holler composition and recorded by Dion who had a million seller with it. However, Tom did a fine job with his unique recording, particularly in regard to the way in which he incorporated actual news broadcast audio
Bruce: Yes, I saw Dion on your credit list. A deeply moving tribute as was Mr Clay's monumental production
Vinnie: Indeed. The '60s was a period of great change and upheaval in many respects...politically and socially and that influenced a lot of the music
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What the World Needs Now Is Love - Wikipedia |
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Tom Clay's "What the World Needs Now"/"Abraham, Martin & John |
Bruce: Vinnie, we've briefly touched on your own moment in the sun as a Top 40 artist with the love theme from the movie Airport which went gold for you and won a Grammy for its composer, Alfred Newman. Also, you joined the duo pianists Ferrante and Teicher for their Top 10 cover version of "Midnight Cowboy" and, finally, your guitar took center stage on the theme from the television show "Twin Peaks". Having personal gold on your CV is quite an achievement. Did you ever think about winding back your session work to devote more time to a solo career?
Vinnie: No. That was never a priority. I've done as much solo recording as I've wanted to. I've had contracts with major labels, turned out a few albums which I was pleased with and it gave my ego a nice little boost when, as you said, my playing took center stage on a few million sellers. But I really enjoy what I do as a session guy. That's my priority.
(Badalamenti says, “Vinnie and I were born and raised, a few blocks from each other in an Italian section of Bensonhurst- Brooklyn, and we went to the same Jr. High School. Vinnie played on my very first recording session, as well as just about every session I ever had. His unique contribution on Twin Peaks series, is beyond words. I loved Vinnie dearly)
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| Two of Vinnie's albums Big Sixteen Guitar Favorites (left) and Whistle Stop |
(1960s TV stars rock out to
Vinnie's track "Dawn" from the album Whistle Stop)
Bruce: What motivates you from a recording viewpoint? By that I mean, how do you decide whether or not you want to do a studio gig?
Vinnie: Usually, I'm happy just to go with the flow. When I'm booked for a session, I bring whatever instrument the leader asks for... acoustic or electric guitars, banjo, mandolin, ukulele... whatever.. and ,of course, I give it 100%. However, when I'm making one of my own albums I only want to record material that moves my soul. It's my time to howl... from a spiritual viewpoint ..
Bruce: Your time to howl from a spiritual viewpoint... I love it!
Vinnie: That's how I see it. I've been very fortunate to make a good living doing something that has been one of my passions
Bruce: I guess that's the ultimate goal.... to make a good living or even just "a" living doing what we love
Vinnie: That's my belief
Bruce: Vinnie Bell, once again, thanks for sharing your memories and for giving us a glimpse into the New York and LA hit factories of the 1960s and '70s. Music fans across the world have probably heard your playing so much over the years on records, movies and TV themes without knowing much, if anything, about the man who was responsible for it
Vinnie: Oh well, as I say, I'm a famous guitarist whose name doesn't ring a Bell... with a capital "B"
Bruce: Not any more...appreciate your time Vinnie.
Vinnie: Thanks Bruce. I enjoyed talking to you.
.... and... to finish ....one of my favorites..... Vinnie's soft and dreamy version of the beautiful old standard "I Didn't know What time it Was" from his album Good Morning Starshine
Vinnie Bell may be the best-kept secret of pop music history, when it comes to having hits. After you look at this list, you'll have to agree that
Vinnie may have played on more hit records than just about any other session musician. In fact, if you listen to an hour of Golden Oldies' radio, at any given time
of day or night, you're bound to hear Vinnie's playing at least a couple times! And you probably never knew!
Here is a list of just some of the amazing hits that Vinnie has played on:
GOOD MORNING STARSHINE - Oliver
MI DEBILIDAD - Ismael Quintana
THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN -The Brooklyn Bridge
BABY I LOVE YOU - Andy Kim
HELLO DOLLY- Louis Armstrong
CHAPEL OF LOVE - The Dixie Cups
REMEMBER (WALKIN' IN THE SAND) - The Shangri-Las
YOU DON'T OWN ME - Lesley Gore
A SUMMER SONG - Chad & Jeremy
WALK ON BY - Dionne Warwick
GOIN' OUT OF MY HEAD - Little Anthony & The Imperials
WE'LL SING IN THE SUNSHINE - Gale Garnett
A LOVER'S CONCERTO - The Toys
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE - Jackie DeShannon
BRAND NEW KEY - Melanie
CANDY MAN - Sammy Davis Jr.
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW - Johnny Nash
SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS - John Denver
REUNITED - Peaches & Herb
MISTER BASSMAN - Johnny Cymbal
BABY I'M YOURS - Barbara Lewis
THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS - Sgt. Barry Sadler
HANKY PANKY - Tommy James & The Shondells
SUNSHINE SUPERMAN - Donovan
YOUNGER GIRL - The Critters
I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN - The Four Seasons
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO NICE - The Lovin' Spoonful
IT MUST BE HIM - Vikki Carr
FUNKY BROADWAY - Wilson Pickett
98.6 - Keith
PORTRAIT OF MY LOVE - The Tokens
HONEY - Bobby Goldsboro
I LOVE HOW YOU LOVE ME - Bobby Vinton
CANDIDA - Tony Orlando & Dawn
FOR THE LOVE OF HIM - Bobbi Martin
WHY CAN'T I TOUCH YOU - Ronnie Dyson
LAY DOWN (CANDLES IN THE RAIN) - Melanie
KNOCK THREE TIMES - Tony Orlando & Dawn
DAYDREAM - The Lovin' Spoonful
IF I WERE A CARPENTER - Bobby Darin
THIS DIAMOND RING - Gary Lewis
ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART - Gene Pitney
RUNAWAY - Del Shannon
LIGHTNIN' STRIKES AGAIN - Lou Christie
HANG ON SLOOPY - The McCoys
SOLDIER BOY - The Shirelles
SUNDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME - Spanky & Our Gang
LAZY DAY- Spanky & Our Gang
SOCIETY'S CHILD - Janis Ian
PALISADES PARK - Freddy Cannon
THIS MAGIC MOMENT - Jay & The Americans
CARA MIA - Jay & The Americans
ONLY IN AMERICA - Jay & The Americans
COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER - Jay & The Americans
SHE CRIED - Jay & The Americans
HAIR - The Cowsills
MOCKINGBIRD - Charlie & Inez Fox
EVE OF DESTRUCTION - Barry McGuire
ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN - Dion
HAPPY TOGETHER - The Turtles
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC - The Lovin' Spoonful
SUMMER IN THE CITY - The Lovin' Spoonful
THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE - Simon and Garfunkle
ITSY BITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI - Brian Hyland
"1-2-3" - Len Barry
THE DAWN OF CORRECTION - The Spokesmen
CONCRETE AND CLAY - Eddie Rambeau
NAVY BLUE - Diane Renay
WALKIN' IN THE RAIN - Jay and The Americans
ONGNI VOLTA - Paul Anka
A STEEL GUITAR & A GLASS OF WINE - Paul Anka
THE LEADER OF THE LAUNDROMAT - The Detergents
TRACY - The Cufflinks
SUMMER OF '42 - Peter Nero
THE NAME GAME - Shirley Ellis
MANY more hits to be added to this list soon! -
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* The title of this piece, "Bell's Spell", was coined by Brad Bigelow - the internet's most prominent historian of space age pop - and someone whom I also had the pleasure of interviewing.
Bruce Corneil is a former radio music programmer and recording engineer
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