Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – Nov 05, 2023
One thing that pretty much hasn’t changed over the years are people’s negative reactions to those who boast about themselves. One of the few exceptions to this was Mohammad Ali who proclaimed himself as “The Greatest” and constantly stepped into the boxing ring and proved it. He had an engaging way about him that many admired.
Such was not the case for an English singer/songwriter who, after just one hit single, claimed he was going to be “bigger than Presley, was more talented than Sammy Davis Jr,” and “more exciting than Tom Jones.” These comments did not go down well in the pop music press …
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This pop artist also claimed to be a better songwriter than the Beatles. Yet, his first two hits that got his career going were remakes of songs that were written by others.
His first success that went Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart was a 1966 release of “You Were On My Mind,” a song written and first recorded in 1964 by the Canadian folk duo, Ian & Sylvia. It was also a hit in the U.S. for the We Five in 1965, climbing to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The English pop singer’s second success came in the summer of 1966 when he made his debut on Billboard with a cover version of a song that came out the previous year in 1965. This remake went to #4 on the Hot 100, #5 in the UK and #1 in Canada. It was originally written and recorded by the Changin’ Times, a duo featuring Steve Duboff and Artie Kornfeld.
Duboff and Kornfeld would go on to co-write for others, including the 60s hits “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” and “We Can Fly” for the Cowsills. Kornfeld is best known as the music promoter for the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
By the time 1970 rolled around it was all over for the English pop star Crispian St. Peters, the self-proclaimed mega-talent, who really wanted everybody to follow him because he was “The Pied Piper,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube video of this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe13bACgcJs
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.
