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DADDY COOL
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) Australia 1972 Track on the 1972 album Sex, Dope, Rock n Roll by wildly popular goodtime rock revivalists from Melbourne who created a classic with their own Eagle Rock, Australia's #1 single of 1971. Ultimately, Daddy Cool left their mark with original compositions (Eagle Rock, Come Back Again), but they were also known for their revivals of old songs (Cherry Pie, I'll Never Smile Again), amongst which Baby Let Me Bang Your Box was a relatively obscure choice. Daddy Cool grew out of an informal 50s-styled band-within-the band of Sons Of The Vegetal Mother, the progressive band of Daddy Cool founders Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford. The band shared its name with another old song, Daddy Cool, originally by The Rays (1957). Further reading: 1. Daddy Cool history at Milesago. 2. DaddyCool.com.au Thanks to Keith Glass.
DOUG CLARK & THE HOT NUTS
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) USA 1966 Single on Jubilee by long-lasting North Carolina band formed as The Tops in 1955 to specialise in frat party gigs. A re-formed line-up became Doug Clark & The Hot Nuts in 1956 after they recorded a song called Hot Nuts. A band billed as Doug Clark's Hot Nuts continued to perform after Doug Clark's death in 2002 with a line-up that included Doug's son. The official site (1999) refers to the band's raunchy style of telling dirty jokes and singling out audience members.
THE BANGERS
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) 1965 Single on R&B label, #65-101. The Bangers' version was popular in Pittsburgh, but the label shows the record originated with Hitcity in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was produced by Ken Green, and the writer credits show D. Wadley - K. Green, although it is the same song as the McRae-Wyche composition. Little seems to be known about The Bangers. Further reading: Ron's post on The Bangers and the song at Old Mon Music: Pittsburgh Sounds.
THE TOPPERS
(I Love To Play Your Piano) Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) USA 1954 Original version Single on Jubilee by black vocal group formed in Brooklyn in the early 50s as The Tune Toppers. The longer form of the title appears on the label.4 On their one single for Jubilee the group was billed as The Toppers, but they are better known as The Hurricanes, releasing several singles on King under that name 1955-1957. They also recorded later as The Memos on the Memo label. Several lead singers featured over the years, but it was John Kelly on Baby Let Me Bang Your Box. Co-writer Sydney Wyche's compositions include Talk That Talk (Jackie Wilson), Big Hunk O' Love (Elvis Presley, co-wr. Aaron Schroeder) and Alright, Okay, You Win (Ella Johnston, numerous others, co-wr. Mayme Watt). The other writer, Teddy McRae (1908-1999) was a tenor saxophonist, composer, arranger and music director whose extensive résumé from the big band era included work with numerous orchestras including those of Chick Webb, Cab Calloway and Lionel Hampton. Artie Shaw's Back Bay Shuffle and Traffic Jam were both Shaw-McCrae compositions. McRae also recorded as Teddy 'Mr Bear' McRae in the 50s (Hi Fi Baby/Hold Out Baby on New York label Amp 3). References: 1. Marv Goldberg's Hurricanes page which includes a Toppers-Hurricanes-Memos discography. 2. The Hurricanes by Jim Dunn at All Music Guide. 3. Teddy McRae: New Scotsman obituary at JazzHouse.org and All Music Guide biography. 4. Post by Norm Katuna to rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1950s. The lyric goes: Well my baby had a party the other night/ The party was gettin' dead/ I spied a piano in the corner/ Looked at my baby and said/ Baby let me bang your box, baby let me bang your box…
ROBIN BYRD
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) Long used during the outro of the adults-only Robin Byrd Show, the New York cable TV show hosted by the Debbie Does Dallas actress since the late 70s. Further reading: The song and the show rate a mention on blackstar27's Essential New York: The things you gotta do before you can call yourself a real New Yorker (Be able to sing 'Baby Let Me Bang Your Box').
JONNY DESTRY & DESTINY
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) USA 1980 Track on Millennium (RCA) album Girls, Rock'N'Roll & Cars by band led by Jonny Destry (John Speenkamp), Netherlands-born musician working in US.
J. SILVER
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) USA 1980 Single on Columbia.
DALE HAWKINS
Baby Let Me Bang Your Box (Teddy McRae - Sidney Wyche) USA 1987 Unreleased recording by Dale Hawkins (vocals) with Roy Yeager (drums), Duck Dunn (bass), Joe Khoury (guitar) and Nashville Horn section. Reference: All the above details are from Tapio Väisänen's Dale Hawkins Sessionography. Corrections or comments? Contact the writer. |
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