Rogers60

What can bring up some of our best memories is listening to songs from yesteryear. Yes, our parents and grandparents have lots of memories from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and probably even the 50s--which is our favorite decade of our grade and high school years. I've listed in this some of the songs that I have some specific memories of, and you readers probably do, too. I'd like to hear some of your memories of the years "We Were There"  personal  song hits.

Paul Anka was a Canadian guy, but a teen idol of our generation. Remember, "I'm Just a Lonely Boy"? I do: Norm Cooper and I danced to that in a dancing lesson class. "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" was a song I heard when I was on a date with Nancy Ostby.

Harry Belafonte was born in Harlem in 1927 and became famous with his calypso songs, the first and most famous, "Banana Boat" when the most memorable words were "Day-O, Day-a-a-oh; here I come and I wanta go home..." I remember listening to that when I lived on Hamilton Street and my mom liked it. My Rogers-connection memory was Voyne Purjue leaving a portable classroom and singing shouting-loud, "Day-O; day-a-a-OH!"

Pat Boone, who claimed he was a descendent of Daniel Boone, in 1956 sang, "Since I lost my baby, I almost lost my mind." I remember listening to that with Jack Rojan (who left us and transferred his sophomore year to North Central), and we heard it was taken off the radio stations then because there had been an event in New York of a mother's baby being killed. I think Boone's favorite song is from a video I have, a song from a 1955 movie, "Friendly Persuasion", starring Gary Cooper about a Quaker family during the Civil War.

The Cordettes quartet sang "Mr Sandman" in our 7th grade years. My best Logan friend, Ron Bodvin and I, listened to that at his house the first time. It was also sung when we were Boy Scouts and spent a night in a cabin on Mount Spokane in the winter.

All school kids of our generation will remember Sam Cooke's "Don't Know Much about Geography...don't know much trigonometry; don't know much about the history book, don't know what I took." I remember thinking, "I don't know much about trigonometry" because my math education ended with Mr. Thompson's geometry class my sophomore year.

Bobby Darin was the most popular teen idol our high school years.  A friend of mine who was in the class just behind ours, the 61 Class, Paul Lewis, drove up to my home in his convertible and was singing "Splish-Splash". I didn't like the song but I remember Paul a lot. Darin's most famous songs are "Dream Lover, Mack the Knife, La Mere...Beyond the Sea." I sang along with 3 guys my later adult years singing "Dream Lover." We all knew the exact words.

Jack Rojan and I thought Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" was curious, and we had thoughts about his "having a thrill on Blue Berry Thrill". We thought that was about being on a hill with a girl. Quit a song idea in 1955, the kind we thought would be censored.

I have a clear-minded memory of the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up, a Little Susie" my sophomore year. I was in the cross country locker room after a practice, and teammates, Chuck Kelling and Wayne Hutchinson, were singing that song.

The Fleetwoods, popular in 1958-63, who sang "Come Softly To Me" and "I'm Mr. Blue" were great songs to dance to. I remember one of those mixed group's dancing in a basement weekend nights for us Hillyard Booster Club guys, dancing with Rainbow or Job's Daughters in Art Blum's basement. And, speaking of Art Blum, after one of those Friday night dance nights in Art's basement, Ken Kelling, Bob Martin, Barry Robinson and I stayed at Art's house in his basement all night. It was the beginning of the Christmas vacation. Art had an album by Stan Freeberg. We all enjoyed listening to Freeberg's spoof of Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Music". I can clearly remember the funny words of that: "Wunnerful, wunnerful; turn off the Bubble Machine."

Bill Haley and His Comets were most popular our grade school days. Haley was the founder of Rock and Roll. I remember, visiting with some girls I went to Logan with but they went to North Central when we graduated. Karen and Sharon sang, "See You Later Aligator". I was impressed they knew the words and sang is so well.

The King of Music those days was Elvis Presley.  Who would not recognize and be able to sing to themselves, his famous songs: Heartbreak Hotel,

Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Don't Be Cruel, Love Me Tender, All Shook Up, Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear, Are You Lonesome Tonight". I remember Jim Peterson singing some of those songs to a small group of us guys in the small gym. He was a real Elvis fan.

Wherever you live, you probably have a radio station that plays music from those days; and, you probably have CDs or albums of it. WE WERE THERE in the DAYS OF ROCK AND ROLL ORIGINATION!