"Cotton Candy" | ||||
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Single by Al Hirt | ||||
from the album Cotton Candy | ||||
B-side | "Walkin" | |||
Released | 1964 | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 2:11 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Russ Damon | |||
Al Hirt singles chronology | ||||
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"Cotton Candy" is an instrumental written by Russ Damon and recorded by Al Hirt for his 1964 album, Cotton Candy . The piece was also featured on Hirt's greatest hits album, The Best of Al Hirt . [1]
"Cotton Candy" reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart in 1964. [2]
Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album Honey in the Horn (1963), and for the theme music to The Green Hornet. His nicknames included "Jumbo" and "The Round Mound of Sound". Colin Escott, an author of musician biographies, wrote that RCA Victor, for which Hirt had recorded most of his best-selling recordings and for which he had spent most of his professional recording career, had dubbed him with another moniker: "The King." Hirt was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in November 2009. He received eight Grammy nominations during his lifetime, including winning the Grammy award in 1964 for his version of "Java".
"If (They Made Me a King)" is a popular song with music written by Tolchard Evans and the lyrics written by Robert Hargreaves and Stanley J. Damerell. The song was written in 1934, but the most popular versions were recorded in 1950–1951. Perry Como's version, recorded November 28, 1950, was a number-one hit on the Billboard charts for eight weeks. The Como version was released under the following labels and catalog numbers:
"Memories of You" is a popular song about nostalgia with lyrics written by Andy Razaf and music composed by Eubie Blake and published in 1930.
"Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song)" (also known as In Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home) is a song written by American blues musician Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, who made the first recording of the song in 1940.
"Al di là" ("Beyond") is a song written by Italian composer Carlo Donida and lyricist Mogol, and recorded by Betty Curtis. The English lyrics were written by Ervin Drake. The song was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in Italian by Curtis at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, on 18 March 1961, after Curtis had won the Sanremo Music Festival 1961 on 2 February.
"I Love Paris" is a popular song written by Cole Porter and published in 1953. The song was introduced by Lilo in the role of La Mome in the musical Can-Can. A line in the song's lyrics inspired the title of the 1964 movie Paris When It Sizzles.
John Henry "Ace" Cannon was an American tenor and alto saxophonist. He played and toured with Hi Records stablemate Bill Black's Combo, and started a solo career with his record "Tuff" in 1961, using the Black combo as his backing group. "Tuff" hit #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1962, and the follow-up single "Blues " hit #36 that same year. In April 1965, he released Ace Cannon Live ; according to the liner notes by Nick Pesce the album was recorded in front of a live audience inside Hi's recording studio, and Pesce claims this was the first time such an album had ever been recorded.
"Up Above My Head" is a gospel song of traditional origin, first recorded in 1941 by The Southern Sons, a vocal group formed by William Langford of the Golden Gate Quartet. In the version that is now the best-known, it was recorded in 1947 by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight as a duo.
"Baby Won't You Please Come Home" is a blues song written by Charles Warfield and Clarence Williams in 1919. The song's authorship is disputed; Warfield claims that he was the sole composer of the song.
"Last Date" is a 1960 instrumental written and performed by Floyd Cramer. It exemplifies the "slip note" style of piano playing that Cramer made popular. It peaked at number 11 on the country chart and at number two on the Hot 100 behind "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley. Cramer's recording inspired a number of successful cover versions, including a vocal adaptation by Conway Twitty.
"Java" is an instrumental adaptation from a 1958 LP of piano compositions, The Wild Sounds of New Orleans, by Tousan, also known as New Orleans producer/songwriter Allen Toussaint. As was the case of the rest of Toussaint's LP, "Java" was composed in studio, primarily by Toussaint.
Cotton candy is a form of spun sugar.
"Sugar Lips" is a song written by Billy Sherrill and Buddy Killen and recorded by Al Hirt for his 1964 album, Sugar Lips. The song reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart in 1964.
Cotton Candy is an album by Al Hirt that was released in 1964 by RCA Victor. The album features the Anita Kerr Singers.
Honey in the Horn is an album by Al Hirt released by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Chet Atkins and Steve Sholes. The Anita Kerr Singers provided the vocals for the album. The backing band on the album consisted of saxophonist Boots Randolph, bassist Bob Moore, guitarists Ray Edenton and Grady Martin, and pianist Floyd Cramer.
Beauty and the Beard is an album by Al Hirt and Ann-Margret released by RCA Victor in 1964. The album was arranged by Marty Paich and produced by Steve Sholes.
Sugar Lips is an album by Al Hirt released in 1964 by RCA Victor.
The Best of Al Hirt is a compilation album by Al Hirt released by RCA Victor in 1965. The album peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Top LPs chart.
That Honey Horn Sound is an album by Al Hirt released by RCA Victor in 1965. The album was produced by Chet Atkins and arranged by Anita Kerr and Claus Ogerman.
"It's Just a Little Bit Too Late" is a song written by Clint Ballard Jr. and Les Ledo, which was originally recorded by Clyde McPhatter in 1963. A British beat group named the Druids would release their version in 1964 before the definitive version by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders was recorded and released as a single in 1965. Their version was the second of three songs by Clint Ballard Jr. that the group recorded together with "The Game of Love" and "She Needs Love". Their rendition of the song reached number 20 in the UK's Record Retailer but failed to emulate the success of their previous single "The Game of Love", only reaching number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.