June 1, 1961 : In Cincinnati, LATTIE MOORE records a new version
of  Jerry Reed's "If the Good Lord's Willing (And the Creek Don't Rise)", 
which he had already recorded for Starday in 1959, but that version
stayed in the can until 2000 (Westside CD). This new King recording
is released in July (King 5526), coupled with "Sundown And Sorrow"
from the same session.
 
June 2, 1961 : In New York City, CONNIE FRANCIS records her next
single, "Together"/"Too Many Rules" (MGM K 13019). Produced by
Arnold Maxin. Orchestra conducted by Cliff Parman.
 
June 4, 1961 : JOHNNY PRESTON is at Phillips Studio in Nashville
to record three tracks. "She Once Belonged To Me"/"Let Them Talk"
is issued on Mercury 71865 in August. A first attempt at "Kissin'
Tree" is rejected, but this version will become available on the Bear 
Family CD "Running Bear" (BCD 15473) in 1989. Session men 
include Ray Edenton (guitar), Bob Moore (bass) and Buddy Harman
(drums). Produced by Bill Hall.
 
June 6, 1961 : FATS DOMINO lays down four tracks at Cosimo 
Recording Studio in New Orleans, all of which will come out on
the LP "Let the Four Winds Blow" (Imperial LP 9153) in July :
"Won't You Come On Back" (also released as a single, Imperial
5895, in November 1962), "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" 
(also Imperial 66005, August 1963), "I'm Alone Because I Love
You" and "Good Hearted Man" (also released as the B-side of
"Let the Four Winds Blow", Imperial 5764, July). 
Personnel includes Lee Allen, Buddy Hagans, Roy Montrell, 
Cornelius Coleman and Dave Bartholomew, who also produced 
the session. See also June 20.

On the same day, June 6, 1961 : Aaron Neville is at Cosmo's Recording
Studio in New Orleans, to record "I Found Another Love" and "Let's
Live" for his next single (Minit 631). Also recorded are "I've Done
It Again", to be released on sister-label Instant (3282), while "The
Ticks Of The Clock" will be included on the LP "Best of Art and Aaron
Neville" (Bandy 70013). Personnel include: Roy Montrell (guitar),
Chuck Badie (bass), John Boudreaux (drums), Nat Perilliat (tenor sax),
Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax), Melvin Lastie (cornet), and Allen
Toussaint (piano). Session produced by Allen Toussaint.

 
June 7, 1961: At Audio Recorders, Phoenix, AL CASEY produces
and records "Cookin' " and "Hotfood" for his first single on Stacy
(925). Al plays both guitar & organ, and is supported by his wife,
Corky Casey (bass), Brad Bauder (sax) and Bob Taylor (drums).
The session is engineered by Jack Miller.
 
June 8, 1961 : BOB LUMAN records two singles in Nashville :
"Private Eye"/"You've Turned Down the Lights" (Warner Bros 
5233, July) and "Boston Rocker"/"Old Friends" (Warner Bros
5506, November). Produced by Wesley Rose.
 
June 9, 1961 : SONNY JAMES is now recording for RCA, at 
RCA Victor Studio in Nashville. Three tracks are laid down :
"Innocent Angel"/"Hey Little Ducky" (RCA 7919, August) and
the LP track "Listen To My Heart" (Camden CAS 2140). 
Personnel: Sonny James, vocals / guitar ; Hank Garland and
Velma Williams, guitars ; Buddy Harman, drums ; Bob Moore, 
bass ; Hargus "Pig" Robbins, piano. Plus 4 violins. Produced 
by Chet Atkins.
 
June 12, 1961 : JERRY LEE LEWIS records four tracks at Phillips
Studio in Nashville. "It Won't Happen With Me" becomes the A-side
of his new single (Sun 364, rush-released), while "Save the Last
Dance For Me" will be used for his subsequent single (Sun 367).
"See See Rider" and "I Love You Because" will stay in the can
until they become available on various LP's during the 1970s.
Backing by Kelso Herston and Wayne Moss (guitars), Bob Moore
(bass) and Buddy Harman (drums). Produced by Marvin Hughes,
who may be playing piano on some tracks.
Three further tracks are recorded on June 14 : "Hello Josephine"
(first issued on Jerry's second Sun LP, "Jerry Lee's Greatest", Sun
LP 1265 in mid-1962), "High Powered Woman" and "My Blue Heaven"
(both unissued until the 1980s). Session men : Ace Cannon (sax),
Brad Suggs (guitar), J.W. Brown (bass) and Gene Chrisman (drums). 
 
June 13, 1961 : At the same studio, CARL MANN records four tracks.
A new, faster version of "Ain't Got No Home" is chosen for the A-side
of his next single (Phillips International 3569, August), coupled with
"If I Could Change You". "Blueberry Hill" is first released on a Swedish
(?) LP in 1977 (Spotlight SPO-133) and "Long Black Veil" on "Carl
Mann : 14 Unissued Sides" (Jan/Star Club 33-8022) in 1985.
Personnel: Carl Mann, vocals ; Eddie Bush, guitar ; Kelso Herston,
guitar ; Bob Moore, bass ; Hargus "Pig" Robbins, piano ; Buddy
Harman, dums ; The Anita Kerrr Singers, vocal chorus. Produced by
Sam Phillips and Billy Sherrill.
 
June 14, 1961 : ROY ORBISON is back in Nashville (RCA Victor
Studio), where he records "Lana" (originally a track for the "Crying" 
LP, issued as a single, Monument 939, in 1966) and a second 
version of "Dance" (first released on the LP "Orbisongs" in 1965).
Personnel: Harold Bradley and Hank Garland, guitars ; Bob Moore,
bass ; Buddy Harman, drums ; Floyd Cramer, piano ; Boots Randolph,
sax ; Charlie McCoy, harmonica. Produced by Fred Foster.
See also June 26-27.
 
June 19, 1961 : Another Los Angeles session for BOBBY DARIN.
Selected for the new single are "You Must Have Been A Beautiful
Baby" and "Sorrow Tomorrow" (Atco 6206, August). The third track
is "Things", released in June 1962 on Atco 6229. Personnel : Rene
Hall and Glen Campbell, guitars ; Plas Johnson and Nino Tempo,
saxophones ; Red Callender, bass ; Ernie Freeman, piano (marimbas
on "Things") ; Earl Palmer, drums. Unknown : female chorus. 
Produced by Ahmet Ertegun and arranged by Jimmy Haskell.
(Bobby also had a session on June 8, the results of which - "Special
Someone", "Teenage Theme" and "Movin' On" - have never been
issued.)
 
June 20, 1961 : Second June session for FATS DOMINO, again at
Cosimo's. Almost all of the tracks end up on the "Let the Four Winds 
Blow" LP (see June 6) : "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town", "Along the
Navajo Trail", "One Night" (also on Imperial 5980, July 1963), "Trouble
Blues" (also on Imperial 5937, March 1963), "Your Cheating Heart" (also
on Imperial 66016, January 1964), "You Win Again" (also on Imperial
5816, February 1962) and "Let the Four Winds Blow" (also the new 
single, Imperial 5764, July). Finally, "Someday" is first issued on the
LP "Let's Dance With Domino" (Imperial LP 9239) in May 1963. Same
personnel as on June 6, augmented by Herb Hardesty (tenor sax) and 
Clarence Ford (baritone sax). 
 
June 20-21, 1961: JACK SCOTT is at Bell Sound Studio, New York
City for a two-days session to record "Strange Desire", "My Dream
Come True", "One Of These Days" and "Steps One And Two" for
his next Capitol singles (4597 & 4637). "Fancy Meeting You Again"
will stay on the shelves for some 30 years, until its selection on CD
("Capitol Collector's Series CD 93192), while a second attempt at
"True True Love" is finally rediscovered by Richard Weize for the
CD boxset "Classic Jack Scott", Bear Family BCD 15534.
The session is produced by Manny Kellum, further details unknown.
 
June 21, 1961 : At Bell Sound Studio in New York, DEL SHANNON 
records six tracks for his first LP, "Runaway With Del Shannon" (Bigtop
BT 12-1303) : Misery, Day Dreams, His Latest Flame (precedes the
Presley recording by four days!), The Prom, Lies, He Doesn't Care. 
Persnnel : Al Caiola, guitar ; Milt Hinton, bass ; Joe Marshall, drums ; 
Max Crook, piano / musitron ; Bill Ramal, saxophone, arranger. 
Produced by Harry Balk.
 
June 23, 1961 : The second and final Atlantic session for THE ISLEY
BROTHERS results in two singles : "Your Old Lady"/"Write To Me"
(Atlantic 2110, July) and "A Fool For You"/"Just One More Time" 
(Atlantic 2122, November). Produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
in New York City.
 
June 25, 1961 : At RCA Studio B in Nashville, ELVIS PRESLEY 
records "Kiss Me Quick" and "That's Someone You Never Forget",
both first released on the LP "Pot Luck", RCA LPM 2523 in May
1962. The next day he records his new single, "Little Sister"/"His
Latest Flame" (RCA 7908, August) and "I'm Yours", also for "Pot
Luck", issued as a single (RCA 8657) in August 1965.
Personnel: Hank Garland and Scotty Moore, guitars ; Bob Moore,
bass ; Floyd Cramer, piano, organ ; Boots Randolph, claves ; Buddy 
Harman and D.J. Fontana, drums ; The Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham, 
backup vocals. Produced by Steve Sholes.
 
June 26-27, 1961 : More recording activity by ROY ORBISON in
Nashville. "Crying" (the new single, Monument 447), "She Wears 
My Ring" and "The Great Pretender" will find a place on the LP 
"Crying" (Monument M 4007), "Sunset" on Roy's third Monument 
LP, "In Dreams" (LP 8003, 1963). The B-side of "Crying", "Candy 
Man" is recorded on the 27th, along with a first (unreleased) attempt 
at "Blue Bayou".
Personnel: Harold Bradley, Scotty Moore, Boudleaux Bryant (guitars),
Bob Moore (bass) ; Floyd Cramer (piano) ; Boots Randolph (sax) ;
Buddy Harman (drums) ; Charlie McCoy (harmonica) ; 6 violins.
Produced by Fred Foster.
 
June 28, 1961 : LaVERN BAKER is back in the Atlantic studio in
New York City, for four tracks. "I Didn't Know I Was Crying"/"Hurting
Inside" becomes the new single (Atlantic 2109, July). "No Love So
True" will find a place on the B-side of "Must I Cry Again" (Atlantic
2137) in March 1962. "All the Time" ends up on the 1962 LP "See
See Rider" (Atlantic LP 8071). 
Personnel : Joe Wilder, Jimmy Nottingham, trumpets ; Lee Anderson,
piano ; Al Casey, Carl Lynch, guitars ; Milt Hinton, bass ; Panama 
Francis, drums ; Phil Kraus, xylophone ; 12 strings. Produced by
Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler.
 
June 29, 1961 : In Nashville, FLOYD CRAMER records his next single,
"Your Last Goodbye"/"Hang On" (RCA 7907, August), and possibly
also some other tracks for the LP "America's Biggest Selling Pianist"
(RCA LPM 2466). Produced by Chet Atkins, arranged by Anita Kerr.
 
June 1961, unknown date : HOWLIN'  WOLF is back in the Chess
studio in Chicago, to record "Shake For Me" and "The Red Rooster",
which will be issued back to back on Chess 1804 in October, and
also on Chess LP 1469, simply titled "Howlin' Wolf" (aka The Rockin'
Chair album). Personnel: Chester Burnett (Howlin' Wolf), vocal, guitar ;
Johnny Jones, piano ; Hubert Sumlin and Jimmy Rogers, guitars ;
Willie Dixon, bass ; Sam Lay, drums.
 
June 1961, unknown date : LARRY WILLIAMS' last recording session
before his 18-month prison sentence. "Lawdy Mama"/"Fresh Out Of
Tears" is released on Chess 1805 in October. However, that version
of "Fresh Out Of Tears" comes from a November 1960 session. The 
June 1961 version remains unissued, just like "Have Fun" and "Boss 
Lover". Location : Los Angeles, unknown studio.
 
June 1961, unknown date : IKE AND TINA TURNER record "It's Gonna
Work Out Fine"/"Won't You Forgive Me" for release on Sue 749 in July.
Personnel: Ike Turner, vocals, piano ; Tina Turner, vocals ; Mickey Baker
and Sylvia Vanderpool (guitars) ; Jesse Knight, Jr. (bass), T.N.T. Tribble
(drums) ; The Ikettes, vocal group. 

With thanks to Henk Gorter, Steve Walker and Jarle Jensen.

Additions and corrections welcome.
 
Dik

In the can index