December 6, 1960 : LaVERN BAKER is at Atlantic Studios in 
NYC to record her next single, "Saved"/"Don Juan" (Atlantic 
2099, March 1961), produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. 
Personnel: Dick Vance, Taft Jordan, trumpets ; Rudy Powell, alto
sax ; Al Sears, tenor sax ; Lilton Mitchell, organ ; Bert Keyes, 
piano ; Phil Spector, guitar ; Abie Baker, bass ; Gary Chester, 
drums ; Sticks Evans, bass drum.

December 7, 1960 : First L.A. session for THE COASTERS since
February 1957, possibly at Radio Recorders. At least 28 takes are
recorded of "Riding Hood" before producers Lester Sill and Lee
Hazlewood are satisfied. The single is released in February 1962
on Atco 6219. Personnel: Plas Johnson, tenor sax ; Jewell Grant,
baritone sax ; Sonny Forriest and Rene Hall, guitars ; Ernie Freeman,
piano ; Eddie Williams, bass ; Melvin Pollan, drums. 

December 7-8, 1960 : ERSEL HICKEY's first and only Kapp session,
at Bradley Studio in Nashville. On December 7 he records "Teardrops
At Dawn" (the new single, Kapp 372, February 1961), "Lips Of Roses"
(Kapp 406, June 1961) and "Magical Love" (originally unissued),
followed on the next day by "I Guess You Could Call It Love" (B-side
of Kapp 372),  "What Have You Done To Me?" (B-side of Kapp 406) 
and "A Mighty Square Love Affair" (unissued, but now available on 
Bear Family BCD 15676, like "Magical Love"). Grady Martin plays 
guitar, Floyd Cramer piano, other details unknown. 

December 9, 1960 : Final Imperial session for SMILEY LEWIS, at
Cosimo Recording Studio in New Orleans. "Tell Me Who"/"Stormy
Monday Blues" (Imperial 5719) is released in January 1961. "These
Bones" and "Goin' Down the Road" are first released on the Bear
Family box-set ("Shame, Shame, Shame", BCD 15745) in 1993.
Personnel: Melvin Lastie, cornet ; Oscar Moore, drums ; Lawrence
Nelson, guitar ; James Booker, piano ; Clarence Hall and Warren 
Payne, tenor sax ; Meyer Kennedy, alto sax ; Dave Bartholomew,
trumpet, producer ; Unknown, vocal chorus.

Saturday, December 10, 1960 : FLOYD CRAMER, whose "Last 
Date" is at # 2 in the charts, records the follow-up, "On the Rebound",
for release on RCA 7840 in February 1961. Produced by Chet Atkins
in Nashville, arranged by Anita Kerr. Vocal chorus : the Anita Kerr 
Singers, other personnel details unknown.

December 13, 1960 : The first Atlantic session for SOLOMON 
BURKE, produced by Jerry Wexler in New York City. "Keep the 
Magic Working"/"How Many Times" is chosen for the first Atlantic
single (2089, January 1961). "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open
Arms") is released on Atlantic 2114 in August 1961, coupled with
the frantic "Be Bop Grandma", which had already been recorded 
on November 6, 1959, for Artie Singer's Singular label (purchased 
by Atlantic). Session men include George Barnes on guitar, Moe
Wechsler on piano, Bert Keyes on organ and Wendell Marshall 
on bass. Arranged by Ray Ellis.

December 14, 1960 : The third PILTDOWN MEN session results
in the single "The Great Impostor" (A-side in the US) / "Goodnight
Mrs Flintstone" (A-side in the UK), released on Capitol 4501 in 
January 1961. Personnel is probably the same as on the first two 
singles : Scott Gordon and Jackie Kelso, tenor sax ; Bob Bain, 
guitar ; Tommy Tedesco, six-string bass ; Lincoln Mayorga, piano, 
and an unnamed timpani player from the LA Philharmonic. Produced 
by Ed Cobb and Lincoln Mayorga in Los Angeles. Engineered by
John Palladino.

December 14, 1960 : SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON (Rice Miller)
has another session at the Chess studio in Chicago. "The Hunt"/
"Stop Right Now" is selected for the next single (Checker 975,
March 1961). "Too Young To Die" and "She's My Baby" will be
used as LP tracks in 1966-67. Personnel : Sonny Boy Williamson, 
vocals / harmonica ; Otis Spann, piano ; Robert Lockwood, Jr and 
Luther Tucker, guitars ; Odie Payne, drums ; Willie Dixon, bass
and second vocalist on "The Hunt". 

December 19, 1960 : In New York City, JOHNNY MAESTRO records 
"What A Surprise" for release on Coed 549 in April 1961. Together with
the Crests he records "Let True Love Begin", which is first released on
Collectables CD COL-8812 in 1991. See also December 29.

December 20, 1960 : HANK BALLARD and the Midnighters record 
four tracks in Cincinnati : "Let's Go Again (Where We Went Last 
Night)" /"Deep Blue Sea" (the new single, King 5459, February 1961) 
and the LP tracks "You Ain't Nothing But Fine" and "Where Is the 
Love". On December 22 they lay down "I'm So Crazy About You" 
for release on the LP "Let's Go Again" (King LP 748) in mid-1961.

December 20, 1960 : The first Atlantic session of the ISLEY 
BROTHERS (in New York City) produces two singles : "Jeepers 
Creepers"/"Teach Me How To Shimmy" (Atlantic 2092, February
1961) and "Shine On Harvest Moon"/"Standing on the Dance Floor"
(Atlantic 2100, April 1961). Produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. 
Orchestra conducted by Ray Ellis.

December 22, 1960 : NAPPY BROWN still records for Savoy Records,
which gets two singles out of this session in New York City : "Hoonie-
Boonie"/"Coal Miner" (Savoy 1594) and "Anytime Is the Right Time"
coupled with a new version of "Don't Be Angry" (Savoy 1598). "Most
Of the Time" from this session remains unissued. Personnel includes
Sam Taylor on tenor sax, Abie Baker on bass and Shep Shepherd
on drums.

December 22, 1960 : In New York City, BOBBY DARIN records 
"Similau" (originally recorded by Peggy Lee in 1949), which stays
on the shelf until September 1964, when it is released on Atco 6316
as the B-side of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". Also recorded is a first
unreleased version of  "Look For My True Love", to which Bobby will 
return the next month.

December 23, 1960 : At United Recorders, Hollywood, CA, BOBBY
BARE records "Book Of Love (not the Monotones song) and "Lorena"
for his next Fraternity single (878). Another track, "Zig Zag Twist", 
will be used as the future b-side of "Brooklyn Bridge" (890), while
"Can Can Ladies" will stay in the vaults until the Bear Family boxset 
"The All American Boy" is released in 1994 (BCD 15663). On this 
session Bobby (vocal) is supported by Perry Botkin Jr (guitar), 
Clifford Hills (bass), Earl Palmer (drums), Robert Florence (piano), 
William Pitman (trumpet) plus a number of violin-players. Session 
produced by Bobby himself and Barry deVorzon. 

December 28, 1960 : Another FATS DOMINO session at Cosimo 
Recording Studio in New Orleans. All four tracks are released as 
singles : "What A Price"/"Ain't That Just Like A Woman" (Imperial 
5723) in January 1961, "Fell In Love On Monday" (Imperial 5734)
in March 1961 and "It Keeps Rainin'" (Imperial 5753) in May 1961. 
Personnel: Fats Domino, vocals, piano ; Roy Montrell, guitar ; Dave
Bartholomew, trumpet, producer ; Unknown, bass ; Lee Allen and 
Buddy Hagans, tenor sax ; Clarence Ford, baritone sax ; Cornelius
Coleman, drums.

December 28, 1960 : Elvis Presley's former girlfriend ANITA WOOD
records "I'll Wait Forever"/"I Can't Show How I Feel" at the new Sun
studio in Memphis. Released in June 1961 in the US (Sun 361) and
August 1962 in the UK (London HLS 9585).

Thursday, December 29, 1960 : In New York City, CONNIE FRANCIS
records the Sedaka-Greenfield composition "Baby Roo", which is 
issued as a UK single (MGM 1121, B-side of "Where the Boys Are")
in March 1961. One Tear Too Many" and "Let the Rest of the World 
Go By" from the same ession are first released on the Bear Family 
box-set "Kissin', Twistin', Goin' Where the Boys Are" (BCD 15826) 
in 1996. Orchestra conducted by Stan Applebaum.

December 29, 1960 : More recording activity by JOHNNY MAESTRO,
with two singles as a result : "Model Girl"/"We've Got To Tell Them" 
(Coed 545, January 1961) and "Warning Voice", which is coupled with
the above-mentioned "What A Surprise" for Coed 549. "Keep Away 
From Carol" by Johnny's group The Crests, also from this session, 
is first released in 1991 on Collectables COL-8812 (2 CD set "Johnny
Maestro and the Crests - For Collectors Only").

With thanks to Steve Walker and Henk Gorter, as usual.

Additions and corrections welcome.
 
Dik

In the can index