"So Long" is a song written by Remus Harris, Russ Morgan and Irving Melsher in 1940 and later recorded by Russ Morgan and his orchestra.
The song was first a hit for the Charioteers, whose single reached number 23 on the U.S. pop chart in 1940. [1] The best-known version was recorded by Ruth Brown, whose rendition reached number 6 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1949. [2] The Four Aces' cover, backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra, [3] peaked at number 26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1954. Roy Hamilton's cover peaked at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1957.
The song was also covered by Sam Cooke for his 1957 debut album Sam Cooke , Sarah Vaughan on her 1962 album You're Mine You , James Brown in the mid-1960s and again with a funk version in the mid-1970s, Aretha Franklin in 1969 for her album of cover material, Soul '69 , Pat Benatar for her 1991 album True Love , and Dr. John on the 1995 album Afterglow.
Additional recordings include versions by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Charles Brown, the Ramsey Lewis Trio, the Orioles, the Three Chuckles, Big Maybelle, Floyd Dixon, the Castaways, JAY-EL, and Georges Jouvin.
"Blue Moon" is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934 that has become a standard ballad. Early recordings included those by Connee Boswell and by Al Bowlly in 1935. The song was a hit twice in 1949, with successful recordings in the U.S. by Billy Eckstine and Mel Tormé.
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The song appeared first in the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956. From 1967 to 1973, it was also used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing, the soap opera based on the movie.
"Blueberry Hill" is a popular American song published in 1940 first recorded and released by Sammy Kaye in 1940 on RCA Victor. It is best remembered for its 1950s rock and roll version by Fats Domino.
"Stranger in Paradise" is a popular song from the musical Kismet (1953), credited to Robert Wright and George Forrest. Like almost all the music in that show, the melody was adapted from music composed by Alexander Borodin (1833–1887), in this case, the "Gliding Dance of the Maidens", from the Polovtsian Dances in the opera Prince Igor (1890). The song in the musical is a lovers' duet and describes the transcendent feelings that love brings to their surroundings. Later versions were mostly edited to be sung by male solo artists.
"Tennessee Waltz" is a popular country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in January 1948. The song became a multimillion seller via a 1950 recording – as "The Tennessee Waltz" – by Patti Page.
"Pledging My Love" is a blues ballad. It was written by Ferdinand Washington and Don Robey and published in 1954.
"Wonderful World" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Released on April 14, 1960, by Keen Records, it had been recorded during an impromptu session the previous year in March 1959, at Sam Cooke's last recording session at Keen. He signed with RCA Victor in 1960 and "Wonderful World", then unreleased, was issued as a single in competition. The song was mainly composed by songwriting team Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, but Cooke revised the lyrics to mention the subject of education more.
"All the Way" is a song published in 1957 by Maraville Music Corporation. The music was written by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.
"You Send Me" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer Sam Cooke, released as a single in 1957 by Keen Records. Produced by Bumps Blackwell and arranged and conducted by René Hall. The song, Cooke's debut single, was a massive commercial success, becoming a No. 1 hit on both Billboard's Rhythm & Blues Records chart and the Billboard Hot 100.
"Bring It On Home to Me" is a song by American soul singer Sam Cooke, released on May 8, 1962, by RCA Victor. Produced by Hugo & Luigi, and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the B-side to "Having a Party". The song peaked at number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart, and also charted at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has become a pop standard, covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
"Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods.
"In the Chapel in the Moonlight" is a 1936 popular song written by Billy Hill, and first performed by Shep Fields.
"You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" is a popular song written by Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, and James Cavanaugh and published in 1944. The song was first recorded by Morgan and was a hit for him in 1946, reaching the No. 14 spot in the charts. The best known version was Dean Martin's, which was released in 1960 and reissued in 1964.
"A Woman in Love" is a popular song. It was written by Frank Loesser and published in 1955. It was introduced in Samuel Goldwyn's 1955 cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, for which Loesser contributed three new songs – including "A Woman in Love" – which had not been in the original stage production. In the film, it was sung as a duet between Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons. The cover version by Frankie Laine reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1956.
"That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls around Heaven All Day)" is a 1949 popular song with music by Beasley Smith and words by Haven Gillespie.
"Trust in Me" is a song written by Ned Wever, Milton Ager, and Jean Schwartz. Popular versions in 1937 were by Mildred Bailey and by Wayne King & his Orchestra.
"You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" is a popular song with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, written in 1938 for the Warner Brothers movie Hard to Get, released November 1938, in which it was sung by Dick Powell.
"Cupid" is a song by American singer Sam Cooke, released on May 16, 1961. It charted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B Sides chart; the track performed best in the United Kingdom, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on Cooke's greatest hits album, The Best of Sam Cooke (1962). Cooke's producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show—but once they heard her sing, they kept "Cupid" for Cooke himself.
Jack K. Pleis was an American jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer. He recorded on London and Decca Records in the 1950s, and Columbia Records in the 1960s. During the course of his career, Pleis worked with many artists, including Louis Armstrong, Harry Belafonte, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Benny Goodman, Earl Grant, Brenda Lee, and Joe Williams. Between 1950 and 1976, more than 150 songs were arranged by Pleis. His surname is pronounced "Pleece".
"Surrender" is a 1946 song co-written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss. It was originally performed by Perry Como and covered by various artists including Woody Herman, George Olsen, and Bob Chester. Como's version of "Surrender" peaked at number one on the Billboard Best Selling Popular Retail Records chart and sold over a million copies.
The Charioteers, No. 23 for one week
LITTLE LITTLE as Little Miss Sharecropper and Ruth Brown scored her first breakthrough hit with a note-for-note rendition of Little Miss Cornshucks' signature song, a bluesy reworking of Russ Morgan's 1940 hit 'So Long'.