Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – April 28, 2024
One of the great record producers who was instrumental in shaping the “California Sound” and folk rock movements of the 60s was the late Terry Melcher (1942 – 2004).
In the early 60s, Melcher and musician/singer/songwriter Bruce Johnston formed the vocal duet Bruce & Terry. Johnston would later join the Beach Boys. While together, they created another group, The Rip Chords, which had a hit with “Hey Little Cobra,” which went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964.
That same year, while with CBS, Melcher got his 42 year old mother to record a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. A lost treasure, it was never released in the U.S. but did chart in the UK.
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Melcher’s mother had an outstanding career that spanned seven decades, passing away at the age of 97 in 2019.
She was one of the leading Hollywood movie stars of the 50s and 60s, starring alongside the likes of Clark Gable, Cary Grant, James Cagney, David Niven, Ginger Rogers, Jack Lemmon, Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, and Rod Taylor in films of many genres, including musicals, comedies, dramas, and thrillers.
One of her most memorable roles was in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) with James Stewart, where she introduced us to the hit song “Que Sera Sera.”
She also costarred with Rock Hudson in three successful comedies including Pillow Talk (1959), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
After ending her film career in 1968, she starred in her own television sitcom for five years from 1968–1973.
What more can you say about Doris Day, and this lost treasure, other than “OO-Wee Baby,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
You Tube link to song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGa_pSFLDdM
This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.
