The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. Today's theme was "name game" in which every song played this morning except for the first and last had in the title a full name (both first and last) of a person, either real or fictional. As a tribute to Gene Pitney who passed away earlier this morning, today's program began and ended, respectively, with "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" and "I'm Gonna Be Strong."
- Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa - Gene Pitney - 1963 (in memory)
- Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey - Bobby Darin - 1960
- The Ballad of Ira Hayes - Johnny Cash - 1964
- The Ballad of Bobby Dawn - Baby Washington - 1965
- Jennifer Eccles - The Hollies - 1968
- Abigail Beecher - Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon - 1964 (by request)
- Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile) - Van Morrison - 1972
- John McGuinn - Gallery - 1973
- Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles - 1966 (by request)
- Charlie Brown - The Coasters - 1959
- The Ghost of Billy Malloo - Dorsey Burnette - 1960
- I'm Gonna Be Strong - Gene Pitney - 1964 (in memory)
Notes:
- "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" is one of Gene Pitney's best known songs and it is one of several by Burt Bacharach and Hal David that became hits for Pitney in the early 1960s. Gene Pitney was himself a prolific songwriter who wrote many oldies classics for other artists. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002. Both "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" and "I'm Gonna Be Strong" as heard, respectively, at the beginning and end of today's show were played in memory of Gene Pitney.
- "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" and its flip side, "I'll Be There," were both hits for Bobby Darin in 1960. "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" was written in 1902 by Hughie Cannon and it topped the charts for Arthur Collins that same year. Dan Quinn and Silas Leachman also had hits with "Bill Bailey" in 1902, and Della Reese (1961) and Ella Fitzgerlad (1963) much later also charted with this famous song. Bobby Darin had a long string of hits from 1958-1973. He also acted in several movies and was nominated for an Oscar in 1963 for his role as Corporal Jim Tompkins in "Captain Newman, M.D." Darin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
- "The Ballad Of Ira Hayes" and its flip side, "Bad News," were both Top 10 hits on the country charts in 1964 for famed country singer Johnny Cash (d. Sept. 12, 2003). He had numerous hits on both the pop and country charts that also included "I Walk The Line" (1956), Folson Prison Blues" (1968), and "A Boy Named Sue" (1969). Johnny Cash was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
- Jeanette "Baby" Washington was an R&B singer and pianist with several hits from the early 1960s that included "That's How Heartaches Are Made" (1963). Baby Washington's "The Ballad Of Bobby Dawn" was the B-side of her 1965 hit, "Only Those In Love."
- The Hollies were a highly-acclaimed British Invasion band with many hits throughout the mid 1960s-early 1970s. Key group members included Graham Nash (later of Crosby, Stills, and Nash). Their best known songs include "Bus Stop" (1966), "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" (1972), and "The Air That I Breathe" (1974). Their 1968 hit, "Jennifer Eccles," is about a school-age crush on a girl by the same name.
- "Abigail Beecher" (1964) was one of many in a string of hits for rocker Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon. "Abigail Beecher" is an upbeat and energetic song about a well-liked history teacher.
- Van Morrison is a highly acclaimed pop-rock-soul singer-songwriter. He had many solo hits and also founded the group Them (of "Here Comes The Night" and "Gloria" fame). Morrison's best known songs include "Brown Eyed Girl" (1967), "Come Running" (1970), and "Wild Night" (1971). He also had a hit in 1972 with "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" as heard this morning. This song makes reference to Jackie Wilson and his well known "Reet Petite" (1957) in the first verse. Van Morrison was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
- Gallery was an early 1970s group led by Jim Gold best remembered for "Nice To Be With You" (1972) and "I Believe In Music" (1972). Gallery's noncharting "John McGuinn" was included on the 1973 album, "Gallery Featuring Jim Gold" (Sussex SXBS 7026).
- The Beatles' classic "Eleanor Rigby" was included on their "Revolver" album. "Eleanor Rigby" is a melancholy chamber music-styled composition about the dreary everyday lives of Eleanor Rigby and other lonely people. This song later also charted for Ray Charles (1968) and Aretha Franklin (1969). (In her version, Franklin changes the words to the first person narrative, "I'm Eleanor Rigby, ...") As with many Beatles' songs, "Eleanor Rigby" has also been covered by numerous other artists over the years.
- The Coasters' smash hit, "Charlie Brown," (1959), was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and this song features King Curtis on the saxophone. This hysterical song, in which the Coasters' bass singer chimes in periodically with the immortal "why's everybody always pickin' on me," is about a mischievious boy who is always playing pranks and getting into trouble. "Charlie Brown" later became a country hit for the Compton Brothers in 1970. The Coasters were a highly acclaimed doo-wop group with a flair for comedy. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
- Dorsey Burnette was a rockabilly singer from Memphis best remembered for the 1960 hit, "(There Was A) Tall Oak Tree." He and brother Johnny Burnette also performed as a duo known as the Texans. Dorsey Burnette's "The Ghost Of Billy Malloo" as heard today was a minor hit in 1960 (peaking at only #103).
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