were by black and brown performers, many of whom are retired, departed, and forgotten now. So, below, these were some of those favorite songs that impressed a white kid growing up in a Canadian prairie town listening to their music, lyrics, and spirit.
1956 Long Tall Sally- Little Richard
1956 Blueberry Hill- Fats Domino
1957 Jamaica Farewell- Harry Belafonte
1957 Chances Are- Johnny Mathis
1958 A Lover’s Question- Clyde McPhatter
1959 Along Came Jones- Coasters
1960 A Rockin’ Good Way- Dinah Washington & Brook Benton
1960 The Twist- Chubby Checker
1960 Chain Gang- Sam Cooke
1960 New Orleans-Gary U.S. Bonds
1961 Spanish Harlem- Ben E. King
1962 Baby It’s You- Shirelles
1962 I Can’t Stop Loving You- Ray Charles
1962 Mashed Potato Time-Dee Dee Sharp
1962 The Loco-Motion- Little Eva
1962 Green Onions- Booker T & The M.G.’s
1962 Don’t Hang Up- The Orlons
1963 He’s So Fine- Chiffons
1963 Hello Stranger- Barbara Lewis
1963 That Sunday, That Summer- Nat King Cole
1963 Heat Wave-Martha & The Vandellas
1964 Hello Dolly!- Louis Armstrong
1964 Walk on By- Dionne Warwick
1964 Chapel of Love- Dixie Cups
1964 Baby Love- Supremes
1965 The Name Game- Shirley Ellis
1965 The ‘In’ Crowd- Ramsey Lewis Trio
1965 Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag- James Brown
1966 Reach Out I’ll Be There- Four Tops
1967 Up, Up and Away- Fifth Dimension
1967 I Heard It Through the Grapevine- Gladys Knight & The Pips
1968 Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay- Otis Redding
1968 Baby Now That I’ve Found You-Foundations
1969 My Cherie Amour- Stevie Wonder
Many of these people like The Supremes, Dionne Warwick, Fats Domino, and Sam Cooke charted many times.