| G.T.O. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Studio | Phillips Recording, Memphis, Tennessee [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 26:22 | |||
| Label | Mala | |||
| Producer | Bill Justis | |||
| Ronny & the Daytonas chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from G.T.O. | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
G.T.O. is the debut studio album by American band Ronny & the Daytonas, and was released in 1964 on Mala Records, MALA 4001.
The group was formed in 1964 when Bill Justis (best known for his hit "Raunchy") became their producer and manager. They went into the studio and recorded a dozen songs primarily written by group member John "Bucky" Wilkin, who was the son of noted country music writer, Marijohn Wilkin. These were interspersed with several covers of surfing/car songs by artists such as Chuck Berry and Jan and Dean. The album and three singles all charted on US Billboard magazine charts. In 1989, vocalist/guitarist Alex Chilton of the 1960s era group The Box Tops, released a cover of "G.T.O." on his EP Black List . [3]
These were the Daytonas at the time of the recording, although many session musicians were also used. The touring band changed members frequently. [4]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Billboard 200 | 122 [5] |
| Year | Single | Billboard Hot 100 [6] |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "GTO" | 4 |
| 1964 | "Bucket "T"" | 54 |
| 1964 | "California Bound" | 74 |
Ronny & the Daytonas were an American surf rock group, whose members included John "Bucky" Wilkin, Paul Jensen, Thomas Ramey, Lynn Williams (drums), and Lee Kraft (guitar), with contributions from others such as Larry Butler (organ), Ronny Clark, and Buzz Cason.
Surf music is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental surf, distinguished by reverb-heavy electric guitars played to evoke the sound of crashing waves, largely pioneered by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second is vocal surf, which took elements of the original surf sound and added vocal harmonies, a movement led by the Beach Boys.
"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in December 1964, it was Berry's fourth single issued following his prison term for a Mann Act conviction. The record peaked at #41 in the Billboard charts on January 16, 1965.
"Run Rudolph Run" is a Christmas song written by Chuck Berry but credited to Johnny Marks and M. Brodie due to Marks's trademark on the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP) and was first recorded by Berry in 1958, released as a single on Chess Records.
Chuck Berry in London is the eighth studio album by Chuck Berry, released in 1965 by Chess Records. Only eight of the tracks were actually recorded in London with the UK R&B group The 5 Dimensions, in January, 1965. Five other tracks were recorded in Chicago in December, 1964 with the Jules Blattner Group. The remaining track, "Night Beat" was left over from a 1957 session. "I Want to Be Your Driver," which later appeared as the final track on The Great Twenty-Eight, is based on "Me and My Chaffeur Blues" by Memphis Minnie.
The London Chuck Berry Sessions is the sixteenth studio album by Chuck Berry, and consists of studio recordings and live recordings released by Chess Records in October 1972 as LP record, 8 track cartridge and audio cassette. Side one of the album consists of studio recordings, engineered by Geoff Calver; side two features three live performances recorded by the Pye Mobile Unit, engineered by Alan Perkins, on February 3, 1972, at the Lanchester Arts Festival in Coventry, England. At the end of the live section, the recording includes the sounds of festival management trying in vain to get the audience to leave so that the next performers, Pink Floyd, can take the stage; the crowd begins chanting "We want Chuck!". His backing band for that concert included Onnie McIntyre (guitar), Robbie McIntosh (drums), Nic Potter (bass), and Dave Kaffinetti (piano). Both McIntosh and McIntyre would later form The Average White Band. The studio recordings included pianist Ian McLagan and drummer Kenney Jones from the bands the Small Faces and Faces.
St. Louis to Liverpool is the seventh and tenth overall studio album by the American musician Chuck Berry. Released in 1964 by Chess Records. It peaked at number 124 on the US Billboard album chart, the first of Berry's studio albums to appear on the chart. Music critic Dave Marsh called St. Louis to Liverpool "one of the greatest rock & roll records ever made".
"Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it at that year's Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film Jazz on a Summer's Day. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, one of two of Berry's second-highest positions—along with Johnny Rivers cover of "Memphis, Tennessee"—on that chart. "Sweet Little Sixteen" also reached number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart. In the UK, it reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 272 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. He used the same melody on an earlier song, "The Little Girl From Central" recorded on Checkmate in 1955.
Promised Land is the twenty-first studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records on January 8, 1975. It was recorded in December 1973 at Stax Records studios in Memphis and released on Presley's 40th birthday in January, 1975. In the US the album reached number 47 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and number 1 in Billboard's Top Country LPs chart, as well as the Cashbox Country albums chart. In the UK the album reached #21.
"School Days" is a rock-and-roll song written and recorded by Chuck Berry and released by Chess Records as a single in March 1957 and on the LP After School Session two months later. It is one of his best-known songs and is often considered a rock-and-roll anthem.
Marijohn Wilkin was an American songwriter, famous in country music for writing a number of hits such as "One Day At a Time" and "My Long Black Veil". Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography Lord, Let Me Leave a Song. It was honored as “One of the 100 Most Important Books about Nashville’s Music Industry.”
"Almost Grown" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry. It was released as a double A-side with "Little Queenie".
Black List is an EP by the American pop rock musician Alex Chilton, released in 1990. The EP includes three Chilton originals and three cover versions. These are a cover of Ronny & the Daytonas' "Little G.T.O." on which Chilton played all the instruments; a version of Frank Sinatra's "Nice 'n' Easy", and a song penned by country blues musician Furry Lewis.
Brenda Lee is the second studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. The album was released August 1, 1960 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album's second single "Sweet Nothin's" became Lee's first major hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking within the Top 10. This was followed by the third single "I'm Sorry" released the following year that became her first single to top the Billboard Hot 100.
A car song is a song with lyrics or musical themes pertaining to car travel. Though the earliest forms appeared in the 1900s, car songs emerged in full during the 1950s as part of rock and roll and car culture, but achieved their peak popularity in the West Coast of the United States during the 1960s with the emergence of hot rod rock as an outgrowth of the surf music scene. Though this popularity declined by the late 1960s, cars remain a frequently used subject matter in pop music into the 21st century.
Heatwave was a disco-funk band formed in London, England in 1975. Its most popular line-up featured Americans Johnnie Wilder Jr. and Keith Wilder (vocals) of Dayton, Ohio; Englishmen Rod Temperton (keyboards) and Roy Carter (guitar); Swiss Mario Mantese (bass); Czechoslovak Ernest "Bilbo" Berger (drums); and Jamaican Eric Johns (guitar).
"G.T.O." is a song written by John Buck Wilkin and first recorded as the 1964 debut single of his band, Ronny & the Daytonas. It was also featured on their album of the same name. The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 26, 1964, and sold over one million copies, being awarded a gold disc. The song reached No. 7 in Canada. It was produced by Bill Justis. The song's lyrics extol the performance of the Pontiac GTO and express the singer's desire to purchase that particular car.
"Reelin' and Rockin'" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry. It was originally recorded in 1957 and released as the B-side of "Sweet Little Sixteen".
Little Girl is the debut album by American garage rock band Syndicate of Sound, and was released in 1966 on Bell Records, BELL 6001. It blended both garage and psychedelic rock influences. The album was preceded by the single, "Little Girl".
John William "Buck" Wilkin was an American singer-songwriter and session musician. Wilkin started his career as a child on the Ozark Jubilee television program with Brenda Lee. His mother, songwriter Marijohn Wilkin, later moved the family to Nashville, Tennessee, where she started the publishing company Buckhorn Music. Wilkin and Buckhorn Music had a hit in 1964 with his original composition "GTO", which he recorded as a member of Ronny & the Daytonas and was frequently covered by groups such as The Beach Boys and The Hondells.
