Somethin' Smith and the Redheads

Last updated
Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
A-656752-1420850592-6201.jpg
Background information
Origin University of California, Los Angeles
Genres
Years active1955–1966
Labels
Past members
  • Major Short
  • Robert H. Robinson
  • Saul Striks

Somethin' Smith and the Redheads were an American vocal group, doing mostly pop standards in the 1950s. Their biggest hit single was "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" in 1955, which reached number seven in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The following year they reached number 27 with their cover version of "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town". Both releases were issued on the Epic Records label.

The group consisted of Smith (Robert Hugh (Red) Robinson, September 23, 1922 – December 6, 2002; vocals, banjo, and guitar), Saul Striks (December 8, 1924 – December 3, 1979; piano) and Major Short (June 22, 1924 – March 30, 2018; double bass).

Minor chart records included "Heartaches", "Ace in the Hole", and "You Always Hurt The One You Love". In 1961, they recorded their final album for the MGM label, which also resulted in one final single being released from the album.

The trio parted ways in 1966. Saul Striks began a new group called the Saloonatics with himself on piano and Ralph J. Guenther on bass and banjo.

Striks died from a heart attack whilst visiting Chicago, on December 3, 1979, at the age of 54. [1] Robinson died in Salisbury, Maryland on December 6, 2002, at the age of 80. [2]

Short lived in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, [3] where he got into the banjo hall of fame, [4] until he died on March 30, 2018, at the age of 93. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Four Seasons (band)</span> American rock band

The Four Seasons is an American vocal quartet formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The band evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. On nearly all of their 1960s hits, they were credited as The 4 Seasons. The band had two distinct lineups that achieved widespread success: the original featuring Valli, Gaudio, DeVito, and Massi that recorded hits throughout the 1960s, and a 1970s quintet consisting of Valli, Lee Shapiro, Gerry Polci, Don Ciccone and John Paiva, with Gaudio and Long providing studio support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Isley Brothers</span> American musical group

The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".

The Orioles were an American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cars</span> American pop-rock band

The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Troggs</span> English band

The Troggs are an English beat music band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all of which sold over 1 million copies and were awarded gold discs. "Wild Thing" is ranked No. 257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was an influence on garage rock and punk rock.

Ram Jam was a short-lived American rock band formed in New York City and active in 1977 and 1978, mainly known for their hit single "Black Betty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pure Prairie League</span> American country rock band

Pure Prairie League is an American country rock band which featured in its original lineup, singer and guitarist Craig Fuller, drummer Tom McGrail and steel guitarist John David Call, all from Waverly in southern Ohio. Fuller started the band in 1970 and McGrail named it after a fictional 19th century temperance union featured in the 1939 Errol Flynn cowboy film Dodge City. In 1975 the band scored its biggest hit with the single "Amie", a track that originally appeared on their 1972 album Bustin' Out. Pure Prairie League scored five consecutive Top 40 LPs in the 1970s and added a sixth in the 1980s. They disbanded in 1988 but regrouped in 1998 and continue to perform as of 2023. The line-up has been fluid over the years, with no one member having served over the band's entire history. The band's most recent line-up consists of Call, drummer Scott Thompson, keyboardist Randy Harper, guitarist Jeff Zona and bassist Jared Camic. Among the other notable past musicians to have played with Pure Prairie League include guitarists Vince Gill, Gary Burr and Curtis Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desmond Dekker</span> Jamaican musician (1941–2006)

Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group the Aces, he had one of the earliest international reggae hits with "Israelites" (1968). Other hits include "007 " (1967), "It Mek" (1969) and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" (1970).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings of Rhythm</span> Band led by Ike Turner

Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone considerable line-up changes over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Hartman</span> American musician (1950–1994)

Daniel Earl Hartman was an American pop rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter and original frontman for several bands, including The Soploids, Mak and the Turnarounds, Our Wringer, Last Wing, and Orion. Among songs he wrote and recorded were "Free Ride" as a member of the Edgar Winter Group, and the solo hits "Relight My Fire", "Instant Replay", "I Can Dream About You", "We Are the Young" and "Second Nature". "I Can Dream About You", his most successful song, reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984 and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985. The James Brown song "Living in America", which Hartman co-wrote and produced, reached No. 4 on March 1, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Stoneman</span> American singer-songwriter (1893–1968)

Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman was an American musician, ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade.

The Harptones are an American doo-wop group, which formed in Manhattan in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You've Really Got a Hold on Me</span> 1962 Motown song by the Miracles

"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, which became a 1962 Top 10 hit single for the Miracles. One of the Miracles' most covered tunes, this million-selling song received a 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame Award. It has also been selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was recorded by the Beatles for their second album, With the Beatles (1963). Many other musicians also recorded versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shop Around</span> 1960 song recorded by The MIRACLES

"Shop Around" is a song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Records' Tamla subsidiary label. It was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. It became a smash hit in 1960 when originally recorded by the Miracles, reaching number one on the Billboard R&B chart, number one on the Cashbox Top 100 Pop Chart, and number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the Miracles' first million-selling hit record, and the first-million-selling hit for the Motown Record Corporation.

The Spaniels were an American R&B and doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".

<i>Rhinestone</i> (soundtrack) 1984 soundtrack album by various artists

Rhinestone is the soundtrack album from the 1984 film of the same name starring Dolly Parton and Sylvester Stallone. It was released on June 18, 1984, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Mike Post and Parton. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 135 on the Billboard 200. The Dolly Parton-composed soundtrack produced two top ten singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: "Tennessee Homesick Blues" and "God Won't Get You", which peaked at numbers one and ten, respectively.

The Houghton Weavers are an English folk music band formed in 1975, in Westhoughton, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The current band members are David Littler, Steve Millington and Jim Berry.

<i>Playin Favorites</i> 1973 studio album by Don McLean

Playin' Favorites is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Don McLean, released in 1973. It was re-issued by BGO Records in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Players</span> American funk and R&B band

Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models featured in Playboy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Police Dog Hogan</span> British band

Police Dog Hogan are a British band whose music combines elements of country, folk and bluegrass. The band have been active since 2008 and released five albums and three EPs.

References

  1. "Saul Striks of 'Redheads' Dies on Chicago Visit". Cincinnati, Ohio: The Cincinnati Enquirer. 6 December 1979. p. 21. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. "Robert H. "Bob" Robinson". Salisbury, Maryland: The Daily Times. 7 December 2002. p. 4. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. "Hilton Head Resident Gets Inducted Into Banjo Hall of Fame". Islandpacket.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.(subscription required)
  4. "Photographic image" (JPEG). Islandpacket.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.(subscription required)
  5. "Major Conklin Short 1924 - 2018". The Island Funeral Home & Crematory. Retrieved November 12, 2022.