Post by Rob Durkee on Mar 8, 2011 20:40:16 GMT -5
BY ROCKIN' ROBIN
Johnny Preston, who rose to fame with the #1 hit song "Running Bear" in 1960 plus had two other top 10 hits, died Friday, March 4, 2011, at a Beaumont, Texas, hospital. He was 71. He had undergone bypass heart surgery last year, according to his son, Scott.
According to writers Fred Bronson and Roger Dopson, John Preston Courville was born on August 18, 1939, in Port Arthur, Texas. He was singing with his group, Johnny And The Shades, at the Twilight Club in Port Neches, when he was discovered by the Big Bopper (a/k/a J.P. Jape Richardson) and a record producer, Bill Hall. They liked Preston's singing style and urged him to try studio singing for them. Initially, Preston's didn't fare well. However, he was still a teenager and was admittedly nervous.
Richardson continued to believe in Preston, so much so that he wrote a song inspired by a Dove soap commercial. Preston, however, wasn't all that impressed with a song about an Indian named Running Bear and his first love, Little White Dove. Richardson continued to encourage Preston, saying, "John, if you record this, I guaranteed you it'll be a smash." A still-skeptical Preston replied, "Well, I do blues...and this ain't anything like we do in the clubs. I just don't know if this song is what everyone is looking for." Preston added, "I went ahead and did it anyway, though, because I thought we could book the band for more money if we had a record cut."
Thus, in December, 1958, "Running Bear" was recorded in Houston. Richardson not only wrote the song, but he produced it and provided the background "ooom pahs" along with Hall and future country music superstar George Jones.
Mercury Records had to hold up the release of "Running Bear" due to the tragic February 3, 1959 death of Richardson, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and pilot Roger Peterson in the famous "Day The Music Died" plane crash. The single was finally released in July, 1959, and wouldn't debut on the Cash Box pop chart until the week of October 17, 1959. Fourteen weeks later on January, "Running Bear" would spend the first of three weeks at #1 as the second #1 single of the 1960's. "Why" by Frankie Avalon was first.
"Running Bear" became the #10 single for all of 1960. The success of that single helped propel Johnny to tours of the USA, Canada, Australia, England, Japan and the Philippines. Nine years later in June, 1969, Sonny James' remake of "Running Bear" became a #1 country chart for three weeks.
Preston's two followup releases to "Running Bear" were also top 10 hits--"Cradle Of Love" (#6) and "Feel So Fine," (#9), which was a remake of a 1955 Shirley and Lee song originally entitled, "Feel So Good." Preston also recorded a version of "The Twist" and a remake of a Little Willie John song, "Leave My Kitten Alone." Although "Kitten" would only make #80 in early 1961, a fledgling group over in England was listening. Eventually, the Beatles, according to Wikipedia, would record five takes of the song in August, 1964, during their "Beatles for Sale" sessions.
This writer had the pleasure of knowing Preston through a series of phone calls on his birthday. He was a pleasure to chat with. He continued to tour and perform in the later years of his life with 1960's acts like Little Eva and Bobby Vee. He once sent me a complimentary CD with the note, "I hope you enjoy the CD. Always a pleasure to talk with you."
Johnny Preston, who rose to fame with the #1 hit song "Running Bear" in 1960 plus had two other top 10 hits, died Friday, March 4, 2011, at a Beaumont, Texas, hospital. He was 71. He had undergone bypass heart surgery last year, according to his son, Scott.
According to writers Fred Bronson and Roger Dopson, John Preston Courville was born on August 18, 1939, in Port Arthur, Texas. He was singing with his group, Johnny And The Shades, at the Twilight Club in Port Neches, when he was discovered by the Big Bopper (a/k/a J.P. Jape Richardson) and a record producer, Bill Hall. They liked Preston's singing style and urged him to try studio singing for them. Initially, Preston's didn't fare well. However, he was still a teenager and was admittedly nervous.
Richardson continued to believe in Preston, so much so that he wrote a song inspired by a Dove soap commercial. Preston, however, wasn't all that impressed with a song about an Indian named Running Bear and his first love, Little White Dove. Richardson continued to encourage Preston, saying, "John, if you record this, I guaranteed you it'll be a smash." A still-skeptical Preston replied, "Well, I do blues...and this ain't anything like we do in the clubs. I just don't know if this song is what everyone is looking for." Preston added, "I went ahead and did it anyway, though, because I thought we could book the band for more money if we had a record cut."
Thus, in December, 1958, "Running Bear" was recorded in Houston. Richardson not only wrote the song, but he produced it and provided the background "ooom pahs" along with Hall and future country music superstar George Jones.
Mercury Records had to hold up the release of "Running Bear" due to the tragic February 3, 1959 death of Richardson, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and pilot Roger Peterson in the famous "Day The Music Died" plane crash. The single was finally released in July, 1959, and wouldn't debut on the Cash Box pop chart until the week of October 17, 1959. Fourteen weeks later on January, "Running Bear" would spend the first of three weeks at #1 as the second #1 single of the 1960's. "Why" by Frankie Avalon was first.
"Running Bear" became the #10 single for all of 1960. The success of that single helped propel Johnny to tours of the USA, Canada, Australia, England, Japan and the Philippines. Nine years later in June, 1969, Sonny James' remake of "Running Bear" became a #1 country chart for three weeks.
Preston's two followup releases to "Running Bear" were also top 10 hits--"Cradle Of Love" (#6) and "Feel So Fine," (#9), which was a remake of a 1955 Shirley and Lee song originally entitled, "Feel So Good." Preston also recorded a version of "The Twist" and a remake of a Little Willie John song, "Leave My Kitten Alone." Although "Kitten" would only make #80 in early 1961, a fledgling group over in England was listening. Eventually, the Beatles, according to Wikipedia, would record five takes of the song in August, 1964, during their "Beatles for Sale" sessions.
This writer had the pleasure of knowing Preston through a series of phone calls on his birthday. He was a pleasure to chat with. He continued to tour and perform in the later years of his life with 1960's acts like Little Eva and Bobby Vee. He once sent me a complimentary CD with the note, "I hope you enjoy the CD. Always a pleasure to talk with you."