BARRY LEVINE: The hits, and the years, keep coming

This would be a project for The Herald’s editor, Carlton Fletcher, Albany’s version of The Music Man. During my hiatus, I had time to develop my Top 25 songs during the first 20 years of the rock era (1955-1975).

Here are my 25 listed in chronological order.

1955 – The Four Lads, a Canadian group, had a Top 5 song with “Moments To Remember.” “Moments To Remember” is one of my all-time favorites because of its sentimental lyrics. It was one of their 12 Top 40 hits, the biggest of which were “No Not Much!” and “Standing on the Corner” in 1956. … Three versions of “Unchained Melody” were in the Top 6 midway in the year. Les Baxter had a No. 1 hit with his instrumental version. Al Hibbler had the No. 3 slot, and Roy Hamilton, of Leesburg, had the sixth spot.

1956 – The Jaguars, rock’s first multiracial group, had a hit with “The Way You Look Tonight,” and five years later, The Lettermen covered the same song and had a Top 12 hit. That was the first of their six Top 40 songs. … Fats Domino had 11 Top 10 hits, and his first was “I’m In Love Again.” I remember the song because I used to run around the house singing “This is me and I’m In love again.”

1957 – Johnny Mathis made his way on the charts with “Wonderful, Wonderful,” which peaked at No. 12 on the charts. Six years later, The Tymes covered the song and their version reached No. 7. Mathis, will celebrate his 84th birthday in September, and he is still performing concerts.

1958 – Although failing to break into the Top 40, “Shout,” by the Isley Brothers, has become an iconic rock hit. I’ll never forget seeing the Isley Brothers perform at a “Murray the K Holiday Show” at the Brooklyn Fox, where they stole the show. … Bobby Darin, broke onto the charts with “Splish Splash,” the first of his 10 Top 10 hits. … Jerry Lee Lewis, aka “The Killer,” had the third of his Top 5 hits with “Breathless.” His others were “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire.”

1959 – The great Jackie Wilson had his first No. 1 hit with “Lonely Teardrops.” Wilson’s choreography helped “sell” the song.

1960 – “The Twist,” by Chubby Checker, hit the No. 1 spot and became a worldwide dance craze. It became the only song to reach No. 1 through two different releases, as it also topped the charts in 1962. … Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” climbed to No. 2 and was his biggest hit after “You Send Me” in 1958. … “Tell Laura I Love Her” was Ray Peterson’s biggest hit and among the best of the “tragedy” songs.

1961 – After splitting with The Belmonts in 1960 over song selections, Dion made his mark with his No. 1 hit “Runaround Sue.” … Gary U.S. Bonds grabbed the top spot with “A Quarter to Three.” It is one of my all-time favorites because I had my record store owner in New Jersey order it six weeks before he had another copy of it.

1962 – “Sherry,” by The Four Seasons, hit the top spot and remained there for five weeks. It was one of the group’s five No. 1 hits. This song has always been a favorite because I dated two girls by the name of Sherry that year. … The Drifters had many, many hits, including “There Goes My Baby” and “Save the Last Dance For Me.” Of their five Top 10 hits, perhaps the most memorable is “Up On the Roof,” an all-time favorite because of its catchy melody and tune.

1963 – One of the strangest songs of the year was “Louie, Louie” by The Kingsmen, an Oregon group, which peaked at No. 2. What helped the song’s popularity was that many felt the lyrics were questionable. …

1964 — “If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening, All over this land.” Two versions of “If I Had A Hammer” reached the Top 10. Trini Lopez’s version hit No. 3, and Peter, Paul & Mary’s climbed to No. 10. I always felt that Peter, Paul & Mary’s version was better.

1965 – “Yesterday,” by The Beatles, was No. 1 for five weeks. The only Beatles’ song that was No. 1 longer was “Hey, Jude” for nine weeks in 1968. Paul McCartney was the first Beatle to solo on a song with “Yesterday.” … “Satisfaction” was the first of seven No. 1 hits by the Rolling Stones. It was No. 1 for four weeks, the longest stay the group had at No. 1.

1966 – The Beach Boys, a surf-rock group, had 14 Top 10 hits, and “Barbara Ann” topped at No. 2. The Regents first did it in 1961, and it rose to No. 13. Among the Beach Boys’ other major hits were “Surfin’ Safari” and “Surfin’ USA” in 1963, “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “I Get Around” in 1964, “Help Me, Rhonda” in 1965 and “Sloop John B” and “Good Vibrations” in 1966.

1967 – “Respect” was Aretha Franklin’s only No. 1 hit. She had 43 Top 40 hits, of which 16 reached the Top 10. Franklin, nicknamed “The Queen of Soul,” continued to perform until her death this year. Her other Top 3 hit was “Natural Woman.”

1971 – Chicago, a jazz-oriented group, had 37 Top 40 hits. My favorite is “Beginnings,” which reached No. 7. The group had three No. 1 hits, “If You Leave Me Now” in 1976, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” in 1982 and “Look Away” in 1988.

1974 – “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” recorded by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, a hard rock band from Vancouver, hit the top with that tune. It was written for Bachman’s brother, who had a stuttering problem. … One of the most successful female singers during the second half of the 20th century was Barbra Streisand. The 77-year-old began her career on Broadway at age 11 in “The Anne Frank Story.” From 1964 to 1972, she had 18 Top 40 hits. Her last No. 1 hit was “The Way We Were,” from the movie of the same name.

In my Aug. 12 column, I wrote that Chuck Berry died this year at age 92. Daryl Davis correctly emailed me that Berry died in 2017 at age 90. Davis played piano for Berry for 32 years and spoke at the rock legend’s funeral.