Sonny Casella | |
---|---|
Occupation(s) | Music producer, Music Executive, musician |
Instrument | Drums |
Sonny Casella is a musician, composer and music producer. He managed the group, The Magic Mushrooms as well as produced their recordings. He composed and produced the hits "(Nobody Loves Me) Like You Do" for Jenny Burton and "Let Me Be the No. 1 (Love of Your Life)" for Dooley Silverspoon.
Sonny Casella was a staff producer for the Paramount Records section of Famous Music in the early 1970s. [1]
His hit compositions include, "It's-A-Happening" by Magic Mushrooms (1966), "Ah, Ha, Ha, Do Your Thing" by The Hit Parade (1969), "(Nobody Loves Me) Like You Do" by Jenny Burton (1975) and "Bump Me Baby (Part 1)" (1975) and "As Long As You Know (Who You Are) (Part 1)" by Dooley Silverspoon (1975). [2]
Casella also formed the companies, World Wide Music and Cotton Records. [3]
In 1965, a record " I Keep Forgettin’" / "Ooh-Poo-Pah-Doo", credited to The Thornton Sisters was released on Cuppy 102. It was produced by Sonny Casella. [4] [5] One of the credited musicians who is now a doctor, [6] [7] Dr. Yvonne Thornton is adamant that she and her sisters did not participate in the recording of that song. [8] It has been speculated that Cassella who was a producer for the label brought in a studio band to record the track. [9] Sonny Casella and Donna Thornton of the Thornton sisters did co-write "Bad News" which was registered in 1965. [10]
The July 5, 1975 issue of Record World reported that Casella was releasing "New York City Bump" by Black Rock. The song which went for nearly nine minutes featured a background of street and subway sounds that Record World said gave it " a fascinating cinema verite feel". [11]
According to Cash Box in the magazine's July 29, 1967 issue, Casella along with Bill Smith and Otis Pollard were the three independent producers who were to each exclusively produce an act for the Mercury label. Casella's assignment was to produce the recordings of Philadelphia band The Magic Mushrooms. [12]
Casella played drums on the self-tltled The Deirdre Wilson Tabac album that was released in 1970. In addition to composing seven of the album's ten songs, he also produced and arranged the recordings. [13] [14]
Casella composed and produced "Bump Me Baby" for Dooley Silverspoon. [15] It was released on Cotton 836. It was reviewed by Record World in the magazine's January 18, 1975 issue. A single pick, the reviewer said that it mingled the sound patterns of "Rock the Boat" and "Rock Your Baby" with original melodic appeal. The reviewer finished off saying "his Silverspoon is born with a hit in his mouth. [16] A Newcomer Pick, it was reviewed in the February 1, 1975 issue of Cash Box. Giving it a positive review, the reviewer noted that it was gaining a lot of attention. [17] The following week with the title misspelt as "Bump In Baby", it made its debut at no. 70 in the Cash Box R&B Top 70 chart. [18] On the week of March 1 with the title now corrected to "Bump Me Baby", it was at no. 58. [19] [20] It peaked at no. 24 on the week of March 29. [21] [22]
Casella's publisher Springfield - ASCAP was listed in the December 27, 1975 issue of Cash Box as one of the publishers hitting the Top 100 chart that year. [23] He was also listed as one of the producers doing the same. [24]
Casella wrote "Closer to Loving You" which was recorded by Dooley Silverspoon and released in 1977 on the Seville SEV 102. It was also released in a 12" format. [25] [26] The following year, Clem Curtis & The Foundations recorded their version which was produced by Bill Connor and Simon Cohen, and released in the UK on the Psycho label. [27] [28]
"Baby I Need Your Loving" is a 1964 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was the group's first Motown single and their first pop Top 20 hit, making it to number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number four in Canada in the fall of 1964. It was also their first million-selling hit single.
All Platinum Records was a record company started in 1967 by singer/writer/producer Sylvia Robinson and her husband, businessman Joe Robinson, who had previously worked in the recording industry.
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a 1968 single released by American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, on the Tamla label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's United LP. The first release off the duo's second album: You're All I Need, the song—written and produced by regular Gaye/Terrell collaborators Ashford & Simpson—became a hit within weeks of release eventually peaking at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart, the first of the duo's two number-one R&B hits. In the UK "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number 34.
"Delta Dawn" is a song written by musician Larry Collins and country songwriter Alex Harvey. The first notable recording of the song was in 1971 by American singer and actress Bette Midler for her debut album The Divine Miss M. However it is best known as a 1972 top ten country hit for Tanya Tucker and a 1973 US number one hit for Helen Reddy.
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful hit "The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his credit, and produced songs by such recording artists as Brenda & the Tabulations, David Ruffin, The Stylistics, The Presidents, Faith, Hope & Charity, New Censation, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Lesley Gore, and Stacy Lattisaw.
"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It was a 1965 hit single by the Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label.
"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.
Alfred Jesse Smith, better known as Brenton Wood, is an American singer and songwriter known for his three 1967 hit singles, "The Oogum Boogum Song", "Gimme Little Sign", and "Baby You Got It".
John William Bristol was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a native of Morganton, North Carolina, about which he wrote an eponymous song. His composition "Love Me for a Reason" saw global success when covered by the Osmonds including a number one on the UK charts in 1974. His most famous solo recording was "Hang On in There Baby" recorded in 1974, which reached the top ten in the United States and number 3 in the United Kingdom. Both singles were in the UK top 5 simultaneously.
"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, The Sonny Side of Chér (1966). It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. It reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week (behind "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" by The Righteous Brothers), eventually becoming one of Cher's biggest-selling singles of the 1960s.
Willie Henderson is an American R&B and soul musician and producer.
Irving Martin is an executive producer, creative director and record producer. Not including other record labels he worked with, during the 1960s, he produced more than forty-five singles that were released on the CBS label. He produced Guy Darrell's Top 20 hit, "I've Been Hurt" and had further chart success with the London Philharmonic Choir. In addition to producing solo artists and bands, he has either produced or composed music for television shows or films such as Return of the Saint, The Sweeney, Space 1999 and The Jigsaw Man, and has appeared on Make 'Em Laugh. He has often worked with Brian Dee and has also worked with Des Champ.
Retta Young is an American former singer best known for her 1975 disco hit "Sending Out An S.O.S." which made the Billboard Hot Soul Singles, Cash Box Top 100 R&B and UK Top 30 charts. She released an album and three singles during the 1970s.
Paul Kyser is an American promoter, record label owner, singer, songwriter, record producer and arranger. He wrote and co-produced the hit "Dawning of Love" with Tom Vetri for Devotion. He also wrote "Body and Soul " for the group Soul Generation and "Where Were You " for Jimmy Briscoe and the Little Beavers. Along with Leon Stuckey he co-wrote "Just How Sweet Is Your Love" for Rhyze, which appears on the Boogie's Gonna Getcha: '80s New York Boogie compilation album. He co-wrote "Be My #2" which appears on the R. Kelly Untitled album. He is also credited with discovering Jimmy Briscoe & The Little Beavers.
Judd Douglas Hamilton is an American musician, former band leader, writer, film producer, actor, inventor. He recorded for the Dolton, Liberty, American International, United Artists and RCA Victor labels. He contributed to the music of California, and to surf music from his involvement with the T-Bones and 1960s surf groups, the Avantis and the Ventures. During the 1960s, he was part of the groups Judd Hamilton & the Furys, The Marketts and The T-Bones. As a film and television producer, he was the executive producer and co-screenwriter for the films Maniac and The Last Horror Film, and the executive producer for The 7th Annual Sci-Fi Awards, a 90-minute TV special. His brother was Dan Hamilton. He was married to English actress Caroline Munro for some years.
"Baby, Get It On" is song written by Ike Turner, and released by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner on United Artist Records in 1975. The song was the lead single from Tina Turner's solo album Acid Queen. It is noted for being the last chart entry for Ike & Tina Turner before their separation.
Clem Curtis & the Foundations were an English soul, R&B recording and performing act who were fronted by Clem Curtis. They were formed some years after the Foundations broke up. They were entrants in the 1977 UK Eurovision contest. They also had a chart hit with "On Broadway" in 1980. One of their early members would go on to be a member of the Glitter Band. One would later join the band Hot Chocolate and another would go on to be a member of the funk band Heatwave. At times, the group would alternate between the names Clem Curtis & the Foundations, and the Foundations.
Dooley Silverspoon is an American soul singer who had a number of hits in the 1970s. He is remembered for his hits "Bump Me Baby" and "Let Me Be the No. 1 "
"Let Me Be the No. 1 " was a 1975 single for Dooley Silverspoon. It charted in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Bump Me Baby was a 1974 single for soul singer Dooley Silverspoon. It was a hit in the UK as well as in some European countries.