This has proven to be our most popular and enduring series ...
We are STILL receiving emails from new readers discovering our site and stumbling across this page
It has been used on countless radio programs as both a daily and weekend feature, with local disc jockeys encouraging their listeners to send their experiences to us so we can publish them on the web page.
The page has grown so much over the years that, even despite crashing a couple of times and losing a load of entries, it STILL manages to fill THREE PAGES. (Note the other links below!)
And please ... keep those cards and letters comin', people! EVERYBODY remembers their FIRST!!!
*****
FIRST 45's
One of our most popular, on-going
FORGOTTEN HITS features EVER has been our FIRST 45's Series ... memories supplied by YOU, our readers, regarding your first record purchases.
We will now be posting these memories on a regular basis on this special FIRST 45's page of our FORGOTTEN HITS Website.
To get YOUR FIRST 45's posted, simply send us the info in an email to: kk@ForgottenHits.com ... and then check back to this page frequently to see if your entry appears!
A while back, we asked our readers to
tell us about the FIRST 45's they ever bought with their own money.
MINE were
ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE YELLOW POLKADOT BIKINI by BRIAN HYLAND
and SPEEDY GONZALES by PAT BOONE ...
probably pretty standard fare for a seven year old ...
and I played those two records ... and their B-SIDES ...
virtually non-stop!!!
(In fact, that's why I nominated both DON'T DILLY DALLY, SALLY and THE LOCKET, the respective B-SIDES for each of those singles, as amongst my all-time favorites!)
***BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR TOP 200 FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES PAGE!!!***
https://fhfavoriteb-sides.blogspot.com/
By 1964 when THE BEATLES hit, pretty much EVERYTHING I bought was by them!!!
But we wanted to know what YOUR FIRST 45's were ...
And, in honor of FORGOTTEN HITS' EIGHTH Anniversary,
here are just some of the answers that we received:
When I was about 4, my grandparents bought me a red and white Disney record player and a few 45s to go along ... I remember getting She Loves You and Please Please Me by The Beatles, Surfin' USA by The Beach Boys, Surf City by Jan and Dean, and How Will I Know My Love by Annette ... lol. My parents / aunts / uncles wouldn't let me play their records ... I suspect it had something to do with the fact that the record needle looked like a metal spike and tended to destroy the records in record time. I remember smuggling one of my Aunt Dorothy's records to my house ... Rhapsody In The Rain ... and playing / ruining it on my player. I was in deep trouble but it was so worth it ... I WANTED that record. My first 45s bought with my own spending money were from around 1971 ... Want Ads and One Monkey Don't Stop No Show by The Honey Cone, Chick-A-Boom by Daddy Dewdrop, Old Fashioned Love Song and Joy To The World by Three Dog Night, Never Can Say Goodbye by The Jackson 5, and Yo-Yo and One Bad Apple by The Osmonds. It was my self-designated responsibility as a 5th / 6th grader to supply our music class with the cool music on Fridays, so every Thursday I would stop by G.C.Murphy's on the way home from school and buy one new 45. I received all of The Partridge Family albums for Christmas / birthday presents. I began buying my own albums when I got into high school; first purchases were by: The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Pure Prairie League, Gino Vannelli and Steely Dan ... and The Brothers Johnson's Look Out For Number 1 ... I really loved that album!
Cherricat /
Mrs. K.
Here's a couple of first 45's. It's hard to believe but my first 45 I ever bought was "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron". The first 45 I ever received was "Winchester Cathedral" at a dance party. That was the start of collecting over 6,000 45's, and I still have them all. They're in very good condition, stacked neatly on shelves in my basement. Almost all them have the original covers on them. I was a baseball card collector and peer pressure made me find a new hobby. So I started collecting the WLS and WCFL surveys and went back and bought all the 45's I didn't think about buying before then. There was a record store across the street from the Portage Theater on Milwaukee Avenue on the northside called Deluxe Music Shop. I was able to go back and get the great records I didn't think about buying before. Some also have original picture sleeves. The hobby died out in the late 80's but my collection is unbelievable. Hope you enjoyed this short story.
Thanks for letting me share,
Randy Anderson
Deluxe Music was one of my favorite regular stops for many, many years ... was heartbroken when they decided to close up shop. Bill, the owner, provided countless copies of WLS, WCFL and Top Tunes surveys missing from my own collection, including the charts that were only displayed in stores. A lot of great memories of this place. (Bill was on our list when we first started Forgotten Hits but then he and his wife moved and we lost contact ... but those memories will last forever.) kk
Growing up, the records in our house were pretty much family community property. However, several of them were "mine", as they were given to me for birthdays or Christmases: "Downtown," "My Love," "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," "The Cat in the Window," "Georgy Girl," "To Sir, With Love," "Reach Out of the Darkness," "Young Girl," "Lady Willpower" and "Those Were the Days" are the ones that come to mind right away.
The first 45 I ever bought (at the Abraham & Strauss Department Store in Hempstead, N.Y., for the record) was (surprise, surprise) by The Supremes - "I'm Livin' in Shame." I was all of 7 years old, accompanied by my older sister and feeling like a big boy because I was spending my Christmas money. After making my purchase, we met Mom by the escalator. On the way down, she asked me what I bought. When I told her, she promptly pitched a fit. "How could you waste good money on such a stupid record?," she shrieked, embarrassing the hell out of me. The way she carried on, I honestly thought she was going to make me return it. It was quite a long time before I was allowed to go record shopping again without her supervision.
MF Ping
I am a newbie on your email list and have really enjoyed reading all your newsletters. I grew up in Helena, Arkansas, a delta town on the Mississippi River about 75 miles south of Memphis. That neck of the woods spawned Elvis, B B King and Conway Twitty and many others. Our little radio station, KFFA, was the first radio station in the country that had a radio show centered around a black blues singer, Sonny Boy Williamson. KFFA was the originator of King Biscuit Time / Hour. With that kind of musical heritage, who would have thought that my first 45s were either by Petula Clark or Bobby Vinton and my First LP was the one featuring "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean. For my taste, the mid 50s to the mid 70s was the zenith of good listening music. Thanks again, for the incredible job you do in helping to keep that music alive and kicking.
Roy W - now in Utah
I'm pretty sure it was Runaway by Del Shannon. I KNOW it was at Vine Records at the corner of Broadway and Preston St. in Louisville, KY. 45's were 99 cents. The old stock records were marked down to 69 cents. This was 1961. They had several booths set up so you could listen to the disc before buying. That sure seems long ago and yet just yesterday. I can close my eyes and picture being there. A simpler time in retrospect, but we always tend to remember the good and forget the bad times.
Thanks for urging me back.
Mike / Louisville, KY
My first 45's were Del Shannon - Runaway, flipside Hats Off To Larry. My dad bought me it and i could whistle the solo pretty good. After i wore it out, my teacher gave me the Beatles 4 Albums - obviously wore those out fast. At 12, with my newspaper money, i bought the Doors' Riders On The Storm single, then spent the rest of the dough i had reserved for, well other things ... lol. Then Deep Purple, Made in Japan double 12 inch live, Bad Co and BTO. That was the start of my collection. Tried to play my drums to THE Mule ... lol
Sam
The first 45 that I bought myself was Soldier Boy by The Shirelles. I think I was around 9. I then went to a Salvation Army store and bought myself a red and white record player (not a stereo, a record player.) I was thrilled beyond delight to have my "own." You see, my parents owned a tavern. It was my job to change the 45's in the jukebox every week. (My Dad had purchased it outright.) Of course, we kept the old ones, but they weren't "mine." That little record player didn't last long but I sure had a lot of pleasure from it ... and Soldier Boy was quickly worn out. LOL
Thanks for all of the fun.
Chris (Crystalblue)
Here is another First 45 ever bought. SOLDIER BOY, by The Shirelles. And the reason I bought it was because my boyfriend just went into the Army and was stationed in Germany. I was so lost without him ..... I guess some things never change. They are still going off to war and ladies are still missing them.
Edie Andrews
My first purchase was
"Have I the Right" by the Honeycombs. I think I was about 11 or 12
years old. The keyboard had such a unique sound, I just had to own it.
denzack
Mine was Allan Sherman's "The Twelve Gifts Of Christmas." My 4-year-old ears must have bled when faced with hearing "naked" in the uncensored version of the song. (Yes, I bought it with my own money - although it came from saving a small allowance for several weeks.) I didn't buy another 45-rpm record until 1970. My older brother got all the good '60s records. I had to play catch up later.
Lindy
Here's my story: My first 45 was "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis! I ordered it off the back of Kellogg's Corn Flakes! It was free with the box tops of several boxes of corn flakes. I was so proud when I got it, and didn't have anything to play it on! I had to wait until I could go to my older brothers house to play it, but I was truly excited about having it! Thanks!
Lynn
My first 45 was, I think, "I Get Around / Don't Worry
Baby" by the Beach Boys. I was already into the Beatles, but didn't buy
any of their 45's at first because I already had the "Meet the
Beatles" and "Twist and Shout" (a Canadian Capitol release) on
LP.
But my second 45 was "Can't Buy Me Love." I'm
trying to remember the flip.
Charlie
KENT,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
AND I CANT BELIEVE I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO GET MY "1ST 45" STORY IN TO YOU YET ....
THE FIRST RECORD I EVER PURCHASED WAS:
SOMETHIN' ELSE BY EDDIE COCHRAN
TO THIS DAY I STILL LISTEN TO IT 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK AND CONSIDER IT TO BE ONE OF THE GREATEST ROCK & ROLL SONGS EVER RECORDED!!!
IT WAS ONLY A MID-CHART HIT, BUT IT'S GOT A HUGE BEAT, A NASTY ATTITUDE AND IT'S ALL ABOUT LIVING THE ROCK & ROLL LIFE.
I WAS LUCKY ENUFF TO BE AT A PARTY IN MALIBU BACK IN THE LATE 80'S, AND FOUND MYSELF TALKING TO GEORGE HARRISON. I MENTIONED THE SONG TO HIM AND HIS EYES LIT UP ... HE WENT INTO A LONG STORY ABOUT HOW MUCH HE LOVED THE SONG AND SAID HE STILL HAD A COPY OF THE 45 AT HIS HOME ... HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT WHEN HE WAS A KID ONE OF HIS OLDER FRIENDS WAS IN A BAND THAT BACKED UP EDDIE COCHRAN & GENE VINCENT ON A BRITISH TOUR. HE WOULD TELL GEORGE BACKSTAGE STORIES ABOUT HOW THE ENGLISH GROUPIES WOULD FLOCK AROUND EDDIE AND TOTALLY IGNORE A DRUNKEN GENE, WHO WOULD BEG EDDIE TO HAVE ONE OF THE GIRLS GIVE HIM JUST A PEEK AT THEIR BOOBIES ..... WHICH EDDIE WOULD DO FOR HIS HORNY FRIEND.
FLASH BACK TO THE PARTY IN MALIBU --- AFTER A FEW COCKTAILS, GEORGE AND I WERE SINGING A VERY LOUD, OFF KEY VERSION OF OUR FAVORITE SONG, "SOMETHIN' ELSE," WHEN THE MANAGER OF TOM PETTY (TONY D.) CAME OVER TO US AND TOLD US THAT HE RECOGNIZED THE SONG, ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF PETTY'S FAVORITES AND EARLY IN HIS CAREER THE HEARTBREAKERS WOULD PLAY IT ON STAGE ..... IT WAS ALSO RECORDED BY LED ZEPPELIN, SID VICIOUS, SLADE & OTHERS.
IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND HAVE NEVER HEARD THE SONG, I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND A LISTEN!!! IT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I KNOW IT CHANGED MINE ...
SCOTT SHANNON / DEEJAY
(BY THE WAY, I GAVE YOU LOTS OF COVERAGE TODAY ... STARTED THE "FIRST 45" PROMOTION ON THE TRUE OLDIES CHANNEL ... GOOD RESPONSE, BUT YOU KNEW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!!! I'M GOING TO START PLAYING 'EM BACK NEXT WEEK ... I THINK A NICE ON AIR INTERVIEW WITH YOU WILL BE IN ORDER ... THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS ONE AND THE OTHERS YOU'VE DONE, IS ....... PEOPLE WILL HEAR YOU! ... LOL .... THANKS!) SCOTT
And it sounds like it's been a HUGE success over on THE TRUE OLDIES CHANNEL ... LOTS of responses so far (and now an on-going feature! Heck, they even had to set up a special email address to accommodate all the memories!!! LOL) kk
I KNEW IT WOULD BE BIG ... SOUNDS EVEN BETTER ON THE RADIO THAN IT DOES IN PRINT ... THANKS! ... SS
It lends itself PERFECTLY to radio ... I always knew it would ... the idea of reading the email (or playing back the person's pre-recorded memory off the phone line) and then going right into the playing of their FIRST 45 on the air is radio magic!!! (Just remember to vote for me as Programmer of the Year!!! LOL) BTW: SCOTT finally had me on his program this past Friday ... and he played MY FIRST 45, ITSY-BITSY, TEENIE-WEENIE YELLOW POLKA-DOT BIKINI by BRIAN HYLAND!!! kk
The first two 45's I ever actually BOUGHT were Surfin' Safari and Monster Mash. But my brother and I had won the TOP 40 in a radio contest a month or so before that happened, including records like The Locomotion, Party Lights, Things, Sherry, Sealed With A Kiss, and a bunch more.
Brad
I have two first 45s. On the same day in 1965, I bought A World Of Our Own by the Seekers, and Concrete And Clay by Unit 4 Plus 2. The flip side of the Seekers song was Sinner Man, and I'm sure I played it once or twice, but it wasn't anything special. The flip side of Concrete And Clay was Wild Is The Wind, which I did like, and I have voted for as one of my favorite B sides. Like you, I also collected the local music surveys each week, and I made my personal lists, too. I started with my Top 20 in January, 1966, jumped up to a Top 40 in September, and to a Top 50 in October. I made a new list every week until February of 1971, by which time I was too busy being a college student to keep up with it any longer. I still have them all in a box, and I look through them a couple times each year, and they always bring back some good memories.
Doug
First one I can remember buying is Walkin' / I'm Hurtin' by Nat King Cole with the Billy May Orchestra. I mention the orchestra because at this time in my life I was really big on Billy May and his instrumentals. Nat was always a favorite, so the combination was simply irresistible. I never had any money for records growing up (poor as dirt kid) and I always listened to my big sister's records, which doubtless accounts for my early musical taste. It took me YEARS, literally, to appreciate much of the new type of music, mostly the new stuff that didn't seem too far removed from the old stuff (The Platters, The Flamingos, The Penguins) and things of that nature. But, I digress. Nat and Billy May got the first $.98 cents out of me and it was a 78 RPM as I recall.
HIL (THEONEBUFF)
My Mom took me into a Woolworth’s some time in the late ‘50s and as we were passing the section filled with albums and 45s, she suddenly said, “Here. I’m going to buy you a record.” She reached into the singles rack and pulled out a 45 with a black label and said, “You’re going to love this.” I looked at both sides but did not recognize the songs or the artists. Once home, I played it on our hi-fi. And my life has never been the same since. The record was “Cocktails For Two” b/w “Chloe” by Spike Jones & his City Slickers – a black label reissue 45. (“Cocktails” reached #4, “Chloe” #5, both in 1945.) Spike Jones immediately became my favorite artist and I played those two songs hundreds of times. Eventually I got a copy of his “Thank You Music Lovers” LP – which included the same two tracks – and I played THAT to death. The original 45 itself disappeared over time, not to return for more than 25 years – when it mysteriously rolled out of an LP jacket stored with my parents’ albums. By then, though, I had met a girl who startled me one day by remarking in passing that she not only knew who Spike Jones was but had a copy of his “Dinner Music For People Who Aren’t Very Hungry” LP (which features the song “Wyatt Earp Makers Me Burp”). What else could I do? I married her – and on July 9 we’ll be celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary.
Gary Theroux
My first 45's were Mrs. Robinson and Gavelston. Both those singles were because I loved the lyrics but was too young to understand. I always say my real first 45 was Let It Be by the Beatles. For it was in early 1970 I discovered just how great NY Top 40 radio was at the tender age of 9 years old. The rest of the summer was spent listening to WOR-FM, WABC and a few other things as I started to break away from listening to WOR-AM which was my parents' station.
Regards,
Rich Klein
OK ... I, for one, never ... ever ... purchased a "45." But albums are a different story.
Between my brother and I, we purchased hundreds. And yes ... I remember the 1st LP I ever bought. It was 1963. My brother was 3 years older than I and he knew that buying an album was a "major" purchase, quite expensive for a young boy living on 50 cents allowance / week. So ... in 1963, I distinctly remember him coming to me to solicit my help, "It's time we started buying record albums. Everybody I know's buying them. It's what we need to do. Let's go halfzies - I'll put up a couple of bucks and you do the same." Who was I to argue??? So, I said "OK" and off to the record store we went ...
What as it going to be? ... decisions, decisions, decisions. This was a toughie. No need to worry though. My brother knew what to do. "We need to buy something with a cover that's not too "racy." Something where the musician looks wholesome ... a good boy. Something that Mom wouldn't find too objectionable. Something that Mom would NOT throw out." His choice, and of course, I concured ...
Yep ... Mom had no problem with the cover and she even sorta liked "Sugar Shack." Soon thereafter, between my brother and I, we purchased hundreds of albums, some with pretty racy covers! But, Sugar Shack was our 1st. Thanks to Jimmy Gilmer choosing a suit and tie to pose in on the cover. He was such a nice looking boy ... Ha!
PLQQKER
My first 45 was Go Away Little Girl by Donny Osmond when I was 10 years old. I still have it. It has a crack but still plays if I press it together just right, lol. I pull it out and play it about once a year or so.
librablue61
Hi, Kent!
I'm replying to the "First 45"
question. My very first 45 was given to me by a neighbor, and it was
Soldier Boy by the Shirelles. Strangely enough, I couldn't remember what the B
side was (which is weird, because I have a pretty good memory), but looking it
up I see it was called Love is a Swingin' Thing (any chance you could highlight
that for possible votes?). Anyway, as for your real question, the
first record I ever bought with my own money was (surprise, surprise) I Wanna
Hold Your Hand / I Saw Her Standing There. Unfortunately, back then it
seems we tossed the sleeves to 45s, so although I still have that one, it's
pretty scratched up (probably also from use!) Of all the things I
still own from my childhood, which involved many moves during the years due to
my dad being in the navy, the two things I treasure most are family pictures
and my "teeny bopper" memorabilia. My box of records, scrap
books, 16 magazines, pictures, Davy Jones love beads, etc., was always
lovingly packed and unpacked first upon destination to make sure everything was
OK.
As always, thanks for the memories!
Debbie
It's really weird that Brian Hyland was your main feature today, after asking about first record purchases. My first 45 that I personally bought was his Sealed With A Kiss in 1962. I was 10 at the time, living on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, and had a paper route. The song struck home for me, not exactly the rockers of my future years, and I bought it the first time we went to Billings on our monthly shopping trip soon after I heard it on the radio for the first time. I also bought my first chess set that same day, paying about 3 dollars for the set and like 39¢ for the 45. I made about 8 dollars a month from my route, all paid in Morgan Silver Dollars, you couldn't find a paper dollar in Montana then, and my mom was incensed that I would spend half my months wages on these 2 items LOL I wish I had all those silver dollars back now. The record is long gone now, and I have no idea what was the "b" side.
Scott
I honestly don't remember the first record(s) I bought, but I do remember where I bought them. One of the biggest record stores <way> back when was in Lakewood, CA called Wallach's Music City. This place was huge!!! The unique feature I remember most about Wallach's were the booths all around the store where you could listen to the 45's or albums you wanted to buy. No headphones, just small rooms big enough for 1 or 2 people, a turntable and a couple of stools .. I think they call them studios now. We used to spend entire afternoons there, just listening to songs and hangin' out. Lotsa fun !!
Thanx for the memories ...
RocNSteve
My first five 45’s I bought from my own money were:
Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker
Love Makes The World Go Round - Paul Anka
I Got Burned - Ral Donner
Pin A Medal On Joey - James Darren
Wild Weekend - Rockin Rebels
These were bought between Xmas of ’62 & March of '63. Xmas & Birthday money in March, 6 to 7 years old. The beginning of my lunacy!
Ken
I was a late bloomer when it came to buying records. I had an older sister who did buy records so I listened to hers instead of spending my own money for them. I soon tired of her fascination with Johnny Mathis and other pop stars of the day. I wanted uptempo fun music, not sappy romantic ballads. In 1961, on a family vacation to visit relatives in Poughkeepsie, NY, (actually Whoppinger Falls or something like that), we made a side trip into New York City for an afternoon of shopping, tourism and dinner (I think at Mama Leoni's, where they served spaghetti by the shovel full.) While walking the streets of the city, we came to a record store and decided to go in and look around. I had just turned 14 and was about to make my first record purchase. I looked at the local chart survey (probably WABC) and could not decide which of my favorites two songs to buy. So I bought them both. One was "Runaround" by the Regents and the other was "Last Night" by the Mar-Keys. I still love both records some 46 years later. I have since made up for my late blooming record collecting habit. My 45 collection has grown substantially since those days with over 20,000 45s - all anal retentively filed by song title with each sleeve indicating (according to Whitburn) song title, artist, highest chart position, peak chart date (mm/yy) and number of weeks charted. They are stored in "The Record Room" which features a juke box, walls covered floor to ceiling with pictures sleeves and tons of Rock & Roll Memorabilia. The Record Room itself stores only pre-1970 records. The room also has a huge walk in closet filled with records which charted after 1970. On your next trip to Dallas come see it - we'll have a blast.
All my best,
Steve
My first 45 was "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Early 1965, I was in 3rd grade and I still remember that the B-Side was "Tijuana Wedding." My first album? Late 1969. "68 WRKO Now Goldens Volume 2"
Scott Levison / Pinellas Park, FL
Back in the 60s, my brother and I got a whopping 25 cents each for our weekly allowance! I would hand my money over to him so we could buy a 45. There was a corner store, two short blocks away, that had a small record bin. Danny would run over there, pick out a record (I have no idea how he chose them), run back to the house, we would play the record and if it was deemed worthy, we would keep it. If it wasn't, he would run back over to the store and pick another. I was surprised the store owner would let us do that. There were two that are a toss-up in my memory banks that could have been the first we bought. The Doors' Hello I Love You or The Turtles' She's My Girl. Thanks for the opportunity to stroll down memory lane and share it with such good people, Kent. ~Suzanne
In response to the first record bought with my own money: In the early 60s in my household, there was no money for records. I don't even recall my older brother ever bringing home 45s. It wasn't until 1966 that I had enough loose change of my own to plunk down money for a 45. It probably wouldn't surprise anyone who knows me well, but that record was They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha, by Napoleon XIV. 41 years later, even the funny farm doesn't want me. Mrs. Rock And Roll Never Forgets reports her first 45 was Delta Dawn, by Helen Reddy.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
The very first record I ever bought was by Herman's Hermits ... Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter. What was I ... maybe ten years old at the time? I loved it. In fact, the first ALBUM I ever bought was by them, too!
Rose
I can remember buying my very first 45 like it was yesterday, it was 1969, I was 12 yrs old, we were living in Lompoc, CA, but were about to leave the country on our way to Okinawa. I remember hearing this song on the radio and loving it & begging my mom to no end to let me get the record. It was "Hair" by The Cowsills. In our move to such a desolate country, we weren't allowed to take a lot of our own belongings with us, but I DO remember carrying that 45 on the plane with me, and I played it til I wore it out. In fact, if I remember correctly, I'd play it for a few seconds, remove the needle & write down the words, it was a hard one to recognize and remember all the lyrics to, so it took awhile & I think that is what drove my mom so crazy.
Debi
My first 45 was in 1957, when I was ten years old. It was Frankie Avalon's Dee Dee Dinah. The same year, when my sister was 9, she bought At The Hop, by Danny and the Juniors.
Arlene
In regards to our "first ever" pieces of music, I LOVE that scene in Almost Famous where the big Sister leaves the little Brother her albums under the bed. When he looks underneath and pulls out those albums and looks them over one by one, it still brings a tear to my eye. (OK more than one) My older Brother, by 10 years, left me many of his albums when he got married at the age of 18. This was at the height of Beatlemania, but it opened my eyes to all kinds of music that he had grown up listening to. What a treat, and gift that was for me. The Everly Brothers, Roger Miller, the West Side Story soundtrack, Herb Albert (oops, not that cover again ... ) and, of course, Elvis.
Mark
a late entry in the 45 derby .......... the first wax i purchased was chuck berry's 'rock and roll' music.' i played the sucker 200 times a day until my mother finally went nuts .........
Chet Coppock
Mine was Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks
Meadowlands NJ
I think it's normal that someone can remember their first 45, first dance, first kiss, etc., but then I meet people all the time who think I'm crazy because they don't have a clue to these answers. My guess is that those of us who do remember have enjoyed life much more than those who don't! On the other hand, I DO think I'm a little strange because I can recall every record in the first 45 record box that I ever filled (remember those carrying cases that held 50 or 75 records with dividers). I just sat here and am pretty sure I got all 50 correct. But then again, who cares? Anyway, I bought three 45s the first day, plus the above mentioned case. The first two were "Ain't No Way In the World" by Mamie and Robert and "You're Mine, Oh Mine" by Bobbie and Ronald. My guess is that no one has heard of these records. I must have really been into duos though, as the third was "Love is Strange" by Mickey and Sylvia. And yes, I do remember the flip sides! These were not the first records that I had purchased though, as I had amassed about a couple hundred 78s by this time (January, 1956). The first actual records that I purchased were in the summer of 1954. They were "Gee" by the Crows, "Sh-Boom" by the Chords and "Shake, Rattle and Roll" by Joe Turner. The reason that I already had so many records is that my Dad had given me his collection in 1953 (those that I hadn't stepped on, dancing around when I was little), which included great groups like the Delta Rhythm Boys, Mills Brothers, Ink Spots, Ravens, Charioteers, Southernaires, Four Tunes, Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five and the great Billie Holiday. Wonderful stuff! Today I have over 150,000 records! All these years I have thought that this collecting obsession was my fault, but now I realize that my father got me going. Thanks Kent, for helping me see this by making me think of my first purchases. I can't wait to let my wife know that it isn't my fault!
Danny Guilfoyle
My first two 45's that I actually bought myself were "Waterloo" by Stonewall Jackson and "Keep A Knockin" by Little Richard. I had one of those very small 45 rpm stacker players with one speaker , maybe 2 feet by 2 feet and you could stack up to like fifteen 45's on it. Anyway, if you just wanted to play one (or it if was the last one at the end of the stack) at the end of the song the needle and arm would pick up and go back to the beginning and play it again and again and again and again! The Saturday I got "Keep A Knockin" by Little Richard, I had it CRANKED TO THE MAX! And my mom was downstairs ironing, after over 90 minutes of nothing but Little Richard, she calmly walked over to the 45 player, picked up the record and smashed it to pieces!!! To this day, I still love that song. The reason I bought "Waterloo" is Stonewall Jackson mentioned that Napoleon"lost his pants," I would get a visual and thought it was hilarious and also played that record continually until it got a crack in it, then taped up the B side and it continued to play with a little bit of a clicking sound when it would hit the broken part of the record. You remember those little 45 rpm players were totally indestructible, AND you NEVER needed a new needle. I wish I had that sucker today. I have to ask you and everyone else, did you ever do the same thing with a broken 45 ..... just put scotch tape on the B side, line up the vinyl so it was pretty even and just continue to play the record???? I couldn't have been the ONLY one!
Wild Bill
My early 45's were "Kansas City" by Wilbert Harrison and "Sorry I Ran All The Way Home" by the Impalas!
Carolyn
I think the first 45 I bought was Dreamy Eyes by Johnny Tillotson. (Whatever happened to him, anyway? He had so many fabulous songs!) There was a little variety store in town where we'd go once a week on allowance day and buy a 45 for 98 cents. I remember when albums came out and they were $3.99 in mono and $5.99 in stereo. I had no idea what the difference was, just that mono was so much cheaper - and probably on the chintzy record player I had, it made no difference anyway! I still have every album in mono, and duplicated in stereo for most of them (starting with the Beatles) and the old 45s are in my jukebox. I also remember my brother buying Harry the Hairy Ape, and laughing every time we played it.
Eileen
I actually have two "First 45s Bought With My Own Money" ...
In 1961, while shopping with my mother, my brother and I found about 50 cents in the coin return of a pay phone (remember how it was almost automatic behavior for a kid to check them for money?) My mother let us use it to buy a record. We chose "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean. In early 1964, for some reason I had my own actual money and when my brother told me something about the Beatles, I decided to do something nice for him and buy him "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at a small department store in Hackensack NJ. I have no idea why I did this for him since I don't think I'd even heard the song yet and brothers usually didn't treat each other that way back then. Anyway, I remember being in line to ask the cashier if the store had anything by the "Beatles" and the response I got to my inquiry, as he looked at me in disbelief and simply gestured to the four walls covered with Beatles stuff and the 2 stacks of 45s on either side of him at the counter. I was 9 years old and have never looked back since!
Paul Soderman
In 1990, I was 5 years old, we had just moved in to our new home and my dad had set up the stereo system. I had long been infatuated with records, having destroyed several on my little Fisher Price record player (including my mother's MONO pressing of Sgt. Pepper by the Beatles.) One Saturday afternoon he took me to an odds & ends shop that was downtown, and told me to pick out one 45rpm record that he would buy for me. Obviously at that point I had no idea just what any of it was, and since there were what seemed like several thousand in the shop and I couldn't stay there to look at them all, so I picked out one that appealed to me because of how the record label looked (it was red and had colored arrows on the label - a mid 60's 45 on Warner Brothers, of course.) I took it home and took it to the basement where my little Fisher Price record player was set up (I wasn't yet allowed to touch my mother's record player at this point), and I played the record and immediately fell in love with the song called (So It Was ... So It Is ...) So It Always Will Be by the Everly Brothers. I fell in love with it so much so that I kept playing it over and over. Now, needless to say, when you have an older brother who can't stand that kind of music, playing something over and over is not really a smart idea. Two weeks later I came home from school and headed right to the basement so I could play the 45 over and over again, and saw that it had been broken in half .... it took me 9 and a half years to locate the record again, which I had only done so thanks to a wonderful ebay seller who knew his stuff. All I had to do was mention what the record label looked like, and what I thought might have been the lyrics to the song (after all, I had forgotten what the song sounded like over those years), and I didn't remember the artist at all .... but the ebay seller knew what it was and helped me out and the B side title had rung a bell so I knew I had gotten back on the right track, and for $6.50 plus shipping ended up buying a Canadian copy of the 45 on ebay in 1999 (from the seller who helped me figure out what the record was, no less) and have held on to it since then. Coincidentally, not two weeks after I got the 45 in the mail, I was visiting my grandmother in Florida and she took me to record shops in her area, where I found three copies of the record in one store. I didn't purchase any of them since I already had the record, but how interesting would that have been to come across it if I had not been told what the record was? Oddly, the B side of the record was the one that bubbled under, but it was not the side I liked, a song called Nancy's Minuet.
Tom Diehl
The first 45's that I purchased with my own money were Ramblin' Gamblin' Man by Bob Seger, Hot Smoke & Sassafrass by Bubble Puppy, In The Year 2525 by Zager & Evans and One by Three Dog Night. The first album that I ever bought was The Monkees first album. I had a paper route and I usually bought albums instead of 45's back in the day. My first ever 45 was Love Me Tender by Elvis that my older brother gave me. My first album that was bought for me was Meet The Beatles.
Mark Z / Hayward, CA
I remember, in 1960, walking with my 'much older' and 'slightly younger' sisters ... LOL ... to Two Guys From Harrison (in RD#1 Allentown, PA) to buy our 45s. My younger sister bought 'The Twist' by Chubby Checker; my older sister bought 'It's Now Or Never' by Elvis; and I bought 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool' by Connie Francis. The records were a whopping 49 cents! We'd walk back home, singing the songs, anticipating playing them on our record player with the nickel taped to the arm (needles were wayyy too expensive ... LOL) ... then my older sister would teach us to dance to them!! Wonderful memories ... thanks so much, Linette / Largo, FL
Try as I may, I can't remember the first 45 (s) I got .... I do recall that some of them were the Beatles singles such as "Ballad Of John & Yoko" that weren't on albums yet ... Others, used ones by other performers, fell into my hands somehow ..... There's one single that bugs me to this day as to what the song was and by whom .... It was a girl group very like the McGuire Sisters if it wasn't them. The end of the song had an abrupt three part harmony "Ya, da da da da da dah!!!!" Does this ring any brain cells? I lost a bunch of mine! :)!
~JBK
My first 45 was Mother-In-Law. I remember the lady at Mullers Record Shop saying, oh yes, Mother-In-Law by Ernie k. Doe on the Minit label. I was amazed at her knowledge of music. After that day, whenever I had a question about music, I knew where to go for the answer.
Forever3fandasr
First 45 that I bought myself was "She Loves You / I'll Get You" on the Swan label. Played it so much the grooves started turning white!!! LOL Still have the record today.
Ron (The Womp Thang)
I bought my first 45's from a local Drug store which also sold albums, but I can't recall which was the very first record. All my 45's were lost over time to my chagrin. I do remember some though. Probably, the Beatles' "She Loves You" was the first. Some of the others included Don Fardon's "Indian Reservation," "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" by Georgie Fame, "Carrie Anne" by the Hollies and "Understanding" by Ray Charles. Maybe you could comment on "Understanding" and maybe somebody could send me a file copy please.
Thanks. ........
bd poe
My first 45? "Poison Ivy" / "I'm a Hog for You" by the Coasters (Atco.) My first LP? "Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks" with the original "metallic" front cover art work and pressed in the original red vinyl.
--dB
My mom helped me buy "The Twist" on Parkway Records, it's FIRST time out in '60 when I was 7 ... It wasn't until '63 that I bought records by myself. The summer of that year was mystical to me. At age 10, it was all about "Surf City," "Easier Said Than Done," "Then He Kissed Me" and "My Boyfriend's Back." It was ALL downhill from there. The bug hit me. I have thousands and thousands of 45's now ... and over 1000 LP's, and hundreds of CD's ... many times just to have a pristine copy of something I adored as a teen. I don't always LIKE the "metallic" sound that I perceive from CD's, but I never liked clicks and pops. Man, did I hate it when I saw people let records just float around without it's cover ... or be roughed up. I knew that it would muck up the SOUND ... and the SOUND was everything to me. I didn't always get the lyrics of some songs ... (there were some over my head) ... but the SOUND was what got me. NOW I know the genius of getting all that SOUND out of only a few tracks ... but back then I just was mesmerized. I have gotten to know many of my childhood idols in the record industry and the RADIO legends as well. SO I have had the advantage of doing the radio thing on the air since 1970. But I knew that summer of '63 that I would DO what Cousin Brucie, Dan Ingram, B. Mitchell Reed, and later George Micheal would do ... play the hits ... and have FUN doing it.
BE BIG!
Big Jay Sorensen
My first 45 was, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles. I was 6 or 7 yrs old, and distinctly remember being with my Dad at the store one Saturday, just looking around. There was a huge wall full of 45's that seemed to be calling my name .... so I went over to it. I had a little red phonograph at the time, and used to play some of my older brothers records, and my parents old 78's on it, but didn't have any records of my own yet. When my Dad saw me looking through all of those 45's, he came over and told me to pick one out and he would get it for me. He actually bought me a few that day, but I remember choosing that 45 first because I knew & loved the song. The second was "I Should Have Known Better." I had seen the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show when I was 4, which is when I first fell in love with the band. It's funny how far back we can remember certain things ... especially when it makes such a great impression. I had a little plastic AM/FM transistor radio that I listened to all the time, so I knew about the Beatles, as well as The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Monkees, etc. After 40 years, and over a thousand records (bought or traded w/friends), LP's, tapes, 8-tracks, and CD's later, as well as some music video & DVD's, I still have those 45's. I won't ever part with them. :)
Debbie ... aka ... FLOWRSONG
Here are photos of my first 45s. There's the Four Seasons BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY, Ray Stevens with SANTA CLAUS IS WATCHING YOU, and an Extended Play Ray Charles 45. (Just for fun, I'm also including a photo of the only 45 I own that's worth more than 25 cents. It's not one of my first. )
David
The first 45 I remember buying with my own money was Help / I'm Down at the ripe age of 7 yrs old. I remember going to Woolworth's on 19th Ave in Melrose Park with my Mom and asking her if I could buy it. My brother had bought the earlier Beatles 45's and albums, but, that was my first. I've also got a picture somewhere with me in a Beatle wig from "65" .... I've gotta find that pic ......
Mike
The response to this segment is just one more indicator of the emotional tie our generation continues to have with the music we grew up with. I was really fortunate in that I had two older brothers who both bought records, so I didn't really have to buy them until I was about 16. The first 45 I actually remember going out and buying downtown at Polk Brothers (just like the appliance store in "That Thing You Do") was a release by a local band I was acquainted with called the Intrigues. The song was "I'll Cry Over You" and it sold only in my hometown area. At about the same time, though, I did buy a record that's been discussed in this space, "Never Be Lonely" by another local band, the Boyz, which New Colony also released a few years later. Again, Kent, thanks for prompting some great memories.
Rick Barr / New Colony Six
My first 45 was "Little Darlin'" by The Diamonds. How could I forget? lol
Shirley/Chair
Yes, I remember it well. I was in a record shop in my hometown (Akron, NY) and I narrowed it down to “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis or “Love Me Tender” b/w “Any Way You Want Me.” By Elvis. I also remember that both 45s were picture sleeves. Anyway, I choose the King and never looked back.
Dave Frey / Pine City, NY
My first 45 was Sherry by the 4 Seasons .... loved all their stuff!! I think I got it at Sears for 49 cents. My first album was Meet the Beatles ... also purchased at Sears. I remember running to Langtry's Record Store on Granville & Broadway in Chicago every week to get the new WLS Silver Dollar Survey and, of course, the new Beatle record if I had enough money. Now I can't wait to see Jersey Boys and hear all that great music again ... everyone I've heard talk about it gives it rave reviews! I forgot to add ... I had an older cousin who gave my sister and I all his old 45's too ... lots of Elvis, Everly Brothers and stuff from the late 50s ... loved to sing and dance to it ... two of my favorites were "You ain't nothing but a hound dog" and "Bird Dog" .... maybe that's where I started my love for dogs .......
Marlene
I remember my first 45 ... Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly and the Crickets! I played it to death. To this day I am not tired of it. Rock on!
Pat Fogel
MY first 45's were under the tree on Christmas, 1950, along with that neat little brown plastic 45 rpm player. It was an "album" of Sons of the Pioneers hits, including Cool Water and Tumbling Tumbleweeds. I only found out recently that these three records were the fourth, fifth and sixth records released by RCA when they introduced the genre. AND it turns out I had the FIRST release too, of Eddy Arnold's Texarkana Baby, which became a skeet target when it cracked or warped one hot El Paso summer. Who knew?? THANKS for evoking the great memories!
Mike
Despite my shame, honesty compels me to relate that the first 45 I ever bought was Carly Simon & James Taylor's "Mockingbird" in April, 1974, at the departed Laury's Records in Evanston, IL, the week after I turned 11. Far better records were to come ...
Stu Shea
I remember my first 45 rpm record, I got it for my 6th birthday ... Nancy Sinatra's immortal "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" on Reprise (with that Godawful gray/orange label)! It was the only record we had, so at my birthday party, all I heard was "Boots" and "The City Never Sleeps At Night." We must have played it about 20 times. The next day, the record went in the garbage! Even at six years old, there is such a thing as burnout!
Mark Q¿Q (Computer DJ 61)
It's Only Make Believe by Conway Twitty.
Olen
Since I am probably the oldest member of the forum, I have to relate that my first 45 purchase was The Ballad of Davy Crockett by Tennessee Ernie Ford on Capitol. At the time, I did not know there were several versions available, and in the south, Tennessee Ernie got LOTS of airplay. I bought the record at W T Grants record department for a whopping 89 cents. It was spring of 1955. Jeeze, that was a long time ago!
Bob Mayben / THE GOOD TIME GOLD SHOW
I'm not for sure but I recall buying a 45 of Jerry (The
Beaver) Mathers. The song was "Wind Up Toy" and the 45 only cost me
20 cents at the local S.S Kresges. I would have much rather bought a Ricky
Nelson 45, but The Beaver record was in the discount bin and I could afford
it. I was a big fan of Ricky Nelson music but what always
drew me to his albums and 45 record sleeves were the great sweaters he
wore on the covers. If we would of had Sweater Boys in the 60's like we had
Sweater Girls in the 40's/50's, Ricky and Bobby Vee would of been at the
top of the list. I'm much more certain about the first 45's I
bought as gifts for other people. I know one Christmas I gave my older sister a
45 of "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" by The Lovin' Spoonful. I can
also recall getting my Dad a shirt one Christmas that he never would wear
because it had a button down collar. He told me he was too old to wear a shirt
like that. I can recall My Dad singing along with Georgy Girl on the car
radio. I had never heard him do that before unless the song was from the War
Years or the early 50's. I really thought that was kinda neat, the fact that he
was too old fashion for button down shirts but not for singing along to
Georgy Girl. Later that month I bought him a 45 of Georgy Girl by The Seekers
for his birthday. My best recollection of buying someone 45's was in 1966
when I took Mary Pat Leslie to the E.P. Plaza and bought her three Top 40
45's. She picked out "Land Of Milk And Honey" by The
Vogues, "Sweet Pea" by Tommy Roe and "Sugar And Spice" by The
Cryan' Shames. Not long after that, Mary Pat appeared to be putting on some
weight and that was when I quit buying her records and seeing her. True
story.
Jerry
The 1st 45 I bought was a three songs on each side. I can only remember two of the songs right now ... "Ya-Ya" and "Finger Poppin' Time" ... they were on a yellow and black label, and I was just 8. I also bought "Sailor" (can't remember the woman's name) and "It Will Stand" by the Showmen. Sorry, I wish I could remember more, but -- these meds mess up my memory! "Dear One" -- Larry Finnegan ...
Just to let ya know .... I DO still have all those old 45s, but they are packed away in the garage. One day, when I have some extra strength, I will dig them out, and write them down.
Vicki
The first 45s I remember buying were "D.W. Washburn" by The Monkees, which was unfortunately warped when I played it at home and "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley on the green and white Plantation label.
Howard Luloff / St. Louis Park, MN
I never was one for 45's. The first record I bought was an LP, Deja Vu, which was the beginning of my life-long crush on Graham Nash. I guess I always thought that LP's were a better value than 45's - I grew up in a very poor family and spending money was hard to come by ... Later on, I can remember buying 45's of "Dead Skunk" by Loudon Wainright III, "Uneasy Rider" by Charlie Daniels, and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper ... what a trip!
Diana
I was brought up listening to all Classical Music because that is what my parents were into. I'm not exactly sure which was my first 45, but the first one I can recall is Sugar Sugar by the Archies in 1969. I was 9 then. I do, however, remember what my first LP was. My first album was "More Of The Monkees" by the Monkees in 1967. I think I got my first album before I got my first 45! I remember my Mom having a fit because I was becoming interested in "pop" music. Isn't that interesting?
Karen
Talking about first 45's, remember when you'd go over to a friend's house and they wouldn't have a 45 adapter so you'd look for one of those yellow 45 inserts so it would play on the spindle? If you didn't have one of those and you really wanted to hear the song, you'd "eyeball it" and try and get it as close as possible to where the 45 should be on the turntable and let her loose!
I had this question on the air and filled four hours! You're right ... everyone remembers their first car, first kiss and first record!
Wild Bill
My Dad gave me a record player when I was 5 years old (1947), and my first 78 was "Begin The Beguine" by Artie Shaw. There were some more in there, but the one worth noting was "Guitar Boogie" by Arthur Smith, an early hint of music that was coming. The first 45 I bought was a birthday present for my Dad in 1954, "Vaya Con Dios," by Les Paul and Mary Ford. My first 45 for me happened in 1957. The PX at Anderson AFB in Guam got in a bunch of 45's, and a lot of the kids got up there to check them out. I bought "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox and "I'm Sticking With You" by Jimmy Bowen.
Chuck Wroste
My first 45 was "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles ...
My second 45 was Nel Blu Depinto de Blu (Volare) (spelling???) by Domenico Modugno.
Alex Burp
I was born a poor white child ... Seriously, we were fairly
poor and had no pocket money to speak of. The rare treat was the ice cream
truck that rolled by or fresh fruit instead of that canned fruit cocktail
... ewwww! Embarrassing as it might be, I was in my late teens when I bought
my first 45's. Everything else I bought before was either a cassette tape or an LP. (Can you say Columbia House???) The first two 45's I bought were Tired of Toeing
the Line by Rocky Burnette and How Much I Feel by Ambrosia. Sometime after that,
I bought Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy with Bing and Bowie and I have two
copies of that one still. One with the picture sleeve and one with a generic
sleeve. My sister, on the other hand, had all kinds of Beatles,
Herman's Hermits, Monkees and Hollies 45's, which my stepmonster threw away when
we moved. bastard.
Shar
I grew up in Rochester, NY, so a lot of music I learned about thanks to TV. After Ed Sullivan had the Beatles on, they became instantly OK in my parents eyes. Yes, we watched as a family every Sunday night. I went out and bought 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' and 'She Loves You.' If they were on the Ed Sullivan Show, then they had to be ok for kids according to my parents' way of thinking. Soon after, my grandmother, who lived with us, flew to NY City to visit family and she wanted to know what she could bring back for me. Gee, I think records would be great, Grandma! Beatles records even better. Sadly my aunt hadn't a clue who they were so I got 'Let's Twist Again' by Chubby Checker on Parkway and this odd 45 on this Philles label that I never heard of. My grandmother called me Eddie, which is why I got a Crystals record called "I Love You, Eddie." While I thought it was a generous and sweet gesture on her part, I had never heard of the record. The flip was 'He's a Rebel.' Grandma had much better taste and knew better than her grandson. She liked the B side best, she told me. My sister loved Johnny Mathis, so I got her hand-me-downs. Her boyfriend got a DJ/promo 45 with his new stereo called Don't Destroy Me by Crash Craddock. I love the flip on that one, 'Boom Boom Baby.' That one literally bounced off the grooves, even on my cheap record player. First album was 'Introducing the Beatles.' Great LP, purchased at a record sore in downtown Rochester called Jay's Record Ranch. This coming from a city that had a gas station called 'The El Rancho Gasateria'. Jay's ... that place was a real record store.
Bomp aka Eddie
Had an older sister and shared 45s and lps for a while. The first 45 I recall purchasing myself was "Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful. Loved the lyrics and "fall on my face in somebody's new-mowed lawn." I was 8 or 9 and that song reminds me of the fun and carefree days of bein' a kid. My sister got the "Day Tripper" 45 w/PS twice for X-mas, so the extra copy was given to me. I also remember Spanky and Our Gang's "Lazy Day" for a birthday present one year. I'm noticing a theme here in the song titles! Dr. Mindburger
What a great topic you've got here. Y'know, I can't remember what my first 45 was. My mother discouraged me from buying 45s because she thought they were a waste of money when you could buy an LP. However, she also discouraged me from buying LPs because she felt THAT was a waste of money when you could listen to music for free on the radio. However, with that said, there was always music playing in the house. The oldies station was always on and my mother was always singing along. Yet, we had a popsicle box of 45s, mainly garage sale finds and my mother's sister's cast offs, under the bathroom sink of all places, and I'd spend hours and hours listening to them. Now I am of a different generation from a lot of your readers, and this was in the 1980s, so these cast of 45s were really the opening of my love for music. I would, however, like to share my favorite memory of listening to 45s with my mother.
When I got to be about 12 or 13, like most teenage boys, I became a moody teen with a chip on my shoulder who spent a lot of time in his bedroom alone. Also, by this time, I had acquired a very large and extensive record collection and I had the only working record player in the house (this is during the days of the cassette revolution.) Anyhow, one Saturday, as I was reading comics, my mother barged into my room to my annoyance with a box full of 45s that she had bought at a garage sale. I just wanted to be alone and I knew that there wasn't going to be any Doors or Beatles of Rolling Stones amongst them. However, my mother was always the bold type and she began pulling them out and slapping them on the turntable, much to my bad attitude and protests. I think she had some Lesley Gore and Herman's Hermits and Freddie Cannon and whatever ... that kind of stuff. Nothing that, at the time, really thrilled me Suddenly she laid the needle on "My Mammy" by the Happenings. I'm not sure if it was a B side or what it was (I've never heard the song outside of the record.) Anyhow, the song was absolutely TERRIBLE. Both me and my mother hated it immediately, but somehow, the look of repulsion on my mother's face just killed me! I mean, I didn't have much of a sense of humour at that time, but I just started laughing uncontrollably. My mother tried to turn it off, but I stopped her. Jumping off my bed I listened to the whole song, and then made her play it again as I laughed and laughed at how bad it was. I think I played it over and over again about four times. It was suddenly like it was an Ed Wood movie of sorts. So terrible that it was awesome! I think this odd outburst from me over "My Mammy" gave my mother enough of the 45s and she left them with me and went on to other things. Thing is, twenty years later, I still have that record and I often put it in my jukebox and play it and think about my mother and how much she always tried with me and how good she always was. I still think it's a terrible song, but its one of my most prized possessions in the world.
Sam Tweedle / Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict
This is awful ... I DON'T remember the first 45 I ever bought. I DO recall my 1st album ... bought it @ the Drug Fair off Dupont Circle around this time of year. What a thrill to take home that Elvis Christmas/Gospel album as I slogged thru the messy slush. I still love every one of those songs.
Pttibg
My first memory of 45's was at the age of three. When I was small, I was sick a lot from what the doctor called glandular fever. I'd be fine one minute and running a 105 temp the next. I spent much time on the sofa. One of these times, my dad brought home a wood RCA Victor 45 rpm record player (1 repair in 52 years and still plays/looks great) and some 45's for me to play. These 45's were fairy tales put to music and voice. There were at least two stories on each side, making it four stories for the whole 45. Stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Chicken Licken, The Ugly Duckling, etc. Since there were no books accompanying these 45's as in latter days, my full attention was on listening to the words (a great tool for later life use.)
The first two 45's I remember asking my parents' to buy for me (at the age of 9 --- 1961) were: Roses are Red by Bobby Vinton and A Little Bitty Tear by Burl Ives.
The first 45 I bought (age 13 -- 1965) with my own money was Days of Wine and Roses, for the sale price of 10 cents.
The last 45 I bought (25 yrs old --- 1978) was Magnet and Steel.
The first 45 that turned "white" from so much use was Society's Child by Janis Ian (I believe)
Thank you,
Cheryl Caswell (caz)
OKAY ... i'll throw my 45 in ... i was a mere child, shopping with my mother, in perth amboy, nj ... we were in some 'junk' store ... i had an older brother and sister who brought home the music ... so i never had to ... there was a junk bin of 45's there ... i went thru them not recognizing ANYTHING ... but thought it was a sign of being grown up, and rite of passage, to start buying records.. (like girls, i figured i was soon going to be 'into' both) ... and lo, and behold ... a 45 by the 4 SEASONS ... an oldie by now ... RONNIE ... i knew the song and had an aunt ronnie ... and since it was only 49 cents, i took the plunge ... the opening beat still haunts me ... lol ... (gary) RENFIELD ...
My 1st 45 was Bobby Sherman's "Julie Do Ya Love
Me."
Diana / Bloomfield Hills, Mi
I received my first stereo record player from my parents on Christmas, 1968. My two older brothers already had theirs ... I was 13 years old at the time. I believe I got a gift certificate for Sears to go along with that. I bought one double LP and two singles. My one brother was a 4 Seasons fan so I guess that influenced my purchases. I bought the 4 Seasons Gold Edition album and their current single at the time, "Electric Stories." Needless to say, it was not of their "golden" ones, finishing at only # 61 on Billboard. The other single I bought was "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins, a song written by that hip young chick, Joni Mitchell. It would be years before I heard the original version. (LOL) I was a sucker for those sad self-pitying songs even then (haven't changed much there.) The first single I actually walked to the store to buy with my allowance money was "Hooked On A Feeling" by BJ Thomas, which was hot on the charts at that time. I purchased it at the old WT Grant store for 88 cents. This was early 1969, and I was listening to WFIL, WIBG and WABC, which came in well in South Jersey. I was hooked on the top 40 and became an avid collector and countdown follower. Like some of you, I even had my own "chart." A couple of years later, my parents gave me my first 6-month subscription to Billboard Magazine (then "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" was the hot record. But, back to '69: I started to go through a run of buying 45's: "This Magic Moment," "Build Me Up Buttercup," "Dizzy," "Time of the Season," "Morning Girl" and many others. I would take my record player out to the garage and play them there, hoping that the girls across the street would come over and join me (they probably couldn't even hear them!) I didn't start getting into albums until summer, '71, when I bought "Tapestry" by Carole King (good choice that time.) James Taylor, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Moody Blues and Joni Mitchell followed soon afterward. Actually, I fibbed a little bit ... I was crazy about Neil Diamond. I bought his live "Gold" album and "Tap Root Manuscript" before I discovered Carole :-)
Paul in NJ
North To Alaska
yanks00
I Wonder Why ... by Dion & The Belmonts ... Summer of '58.
Ya, I still got it!
Dave S.
Mine wasn't really money spent, but boxtops collected, sent with a couple bucks, I assume, in 1969. The glorious Banana Splits 2 EP set. And yes, I still have and cherish them.
Astroboy
I seem to recall two 45s I got around the same time, not sure if I bought either one of them. I think my grandmother gave me The Battle of New Orleans, and I'm not sure if I came up with the finances for it, or my parents bought me Night by Jackie Wilson. They were for sure my first 45's.
Flo
Either the Everly's "Wake Up Little Suzie" or Buchanan & Goodman's "Flying Saucer I & II". I'm thinking 45s were about $.89 at that time.
johnnyaa
My cousin Bill was a disc jockey and was sending me promotional copy 45's, so it's kinda hard to remember. I think Hey Let's Twist / Roly Poly by Joey Dee & the Starliters was the first one I bought with my allowance money if memory serves me correct.
Dan
Is there such a thing as a "first 45" that you never owned? I went to stay at my cousins' while on a Christmas break from grade school. My cousin, who is four years older than me, had a "thing" for "Different Drum." She played it constantly and wherever she went in the house, the record player and record would follow. When I returned home after listening to that song for four days, I knew every word!!! LOL Years later, my friend gave me the 45 when she was cleaning out the ones she was tired of. To this day, I still know the words! Thanks for reading my nostalgia! Merlianna / Marshfield, WI
I've been reading all of the of memories that the FH members have been sharing about their first 45's, so I thought I'd share mine ... When I was a kid (about 8 yrs. old), my brother Gordon (who is 10 yrs. older than me), took on the role of playing " father figure" to me and my other brothers, since our "real" father refused that responsibility entirely. Anyways, he would take me for rides in his car while he was cruising around looking for girls. Gordon would always have the radio on as he was cruising around town , so I was always able to hear the current songs that were on the local charts, plus the occasional "Oldie But Goodie" that the jocks would throw in between the regular songs. When I heard a song that I really liked, he would ask me if I wanted a copy to take home and play on the stereo ... I always said yes, so Gordon would stop at the local record shop and buy me a copy of the 45.
Because of my big brother's big heart, the first 45's that I actually owned, (and believe it or not, still have), were "Telstar" by The Tornadoes on the purple & white London label, "That's How Heartaches Are Made" by Baby Washington on the Sue label, "442 Glenwood Ave." by The Pixies Three (with the picture sleeve) on the black & silver Mercury label, "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet" by The Reflections on the Golden World label, "Have I The Right" by The Honeycombs on the Interphon label, "Peanuts" by The Sunglows on the orange & white Sunglow label, and "A Walk In The Black Forest" by Horst Jankowski on Mercury. It's funny how the "hand of fate" works ... Years later, I ended up writing the liner notes for the Pixie Three's 1995 reunion CD titled, "Now and Then," and The Reflections' 1997 reunion CD titled, "We're Back." How wild is that??
In my early teens, I obtained my first copies of most of the New Colony Six Sentar & Mercury singles w/pic. sleeves for the "Treat Her Groovy" & "Can't You See Me Cry" 45's) through my discovery of those WONDERFUL "10 Hit '45s for 99 cents" record packs that you used to find in piles on a table in your local Woolworth's and S.S. Kressge dime stores. Those packs filled a huge hole in my record collection with many obscure "non-hit" singles, as well completing half of my New Colony Six 45 collection ... And look what my collecting of THOSE '45s eventually led me to! ...
Fate struck once again!
Jerry Schollenberger
My first 45 was "Going to a Go Go" by the Miracles. My sister and I got a portable record player for Christmas and we played this song over and over again. Loved the 45 record boxes (we might still have one buried somewhere in moms basement!) We had our white go-go boots, our fishnet stockings and hot pink mini skirts. We danced on milk crates for our brothers, their friends, and our family. What a riot! In 1965 - I was 9 years old! -----
Joanie :o)
I've already chimed in on this question, but I've got to mention another one of my first singles ... It was "What Kind Of Love Is This"? by Joey Dee and the Starlighters. I remember enjoying the b-side even more .... it was the rollicking "Wing Ding" ... that one drove the parents NUTS!
Alex
The first 45 I ever got was the Beatles' "She Loves You" for my seventh birthday in 1964. The first 45 I ever bought with my own money was the Fireballs' "Bottle of Wine" in 1968.
Crazy Don
You Can’t Sit Down by the Dovells (flip side unknown — I don’t have it anymore.) I found this 45 in the dirt basement of an old Victorian house. You would think I found gold! I had to play it on my girlfriend’s portable record player since I didn’t have one at the time. I think this was the turning point to my interest in pop music. Shortly after, the Beatles and British Invasion hit America, and I got my first transistor radio (one earphone / AM only --- LOL --- OMG!) ----------
doreen
my first 45 was a song called "the dark town struters ball" by who i don't really remember ---- i think bob crosby ---- bing's brother. out of all the thousands of 45's i still have today, i can't find it, i must have lost it. i was about 7 or 8 at the time and i am 58 now - how about that .... but i used to dance and sing to it in my mother's kitchen ..... and it seems like yesterday. you know, i must say that of all the posts ever put here i think "my first 45" is the best one yet - cause if you're an oldies freak like we are , we can say that's where it all started ... the love of music ----------
just my thought. thanks!
big carl
This is my first e mail to the page. I would like to respond to the first 45. It is odd how we all remember our first 45 (no matter what age we were.) And the memories they carry. I bought two and both were regional bands. First thing I did was record them on to a suit case sized portable reel to reel. I carried it on one shoulder with my paper bag on the other. Delivering papers at 4 in the morning. Listening to these two songs. But it did not end there. A local station a few years later was offering free tickets to a local movie theater if you brought in records they were looking for. Of course, it was one of my first 45s. I traded it, but in the process at age 14, asked the local dj how do you get into this business. He offered to let me be his gopher on weekends, which led to a part time and then full time dj gig. at age 15 (1969), I got a full time gig on a oldies station, WAKX, and so went life. Still spinning oldies up here in the great white north, Duluth, Mn.
Oh, and the name of those songs were, first spring rain by we ugly dogs and Tompkin Square by the Harbingers. both songs are attached, and that’s the name of that tune.
Jiffyjeff.net
Mine was "The Streak" by Ray Stevens -- I even wrote the purchase date on the wrapper, which was 5/28/74.
Roger
Digging back through the "senior memory banks," I already had several 45's that my folks had picked up for me when I gathered my financial resources and went to the local record shop. It was early in 1960 and I just had to have "Thinking Of You" by the Jaguars. In the summer of '58, I tried to acquire an EP with "Poor Little Fool" on it, but the fellow at the grocery store objected to me stuffing it in my pants and trying to get out the door without passing by the gal at the cash register.
Jim Southern
LOL ... so we've gone from a theme of "The First 45's You Ever Bought With Your Own Money" to "The First 45's I Ever Shoved Down My Pants and Shoplifted"!!!!! (lol) Excellent! (FORGOTTEN HITS ... ALWAYS raising the standards!!!) kk
"The Happening" - The Supremes and "I Got Rhythm" - The Happenings
BklynBarb
Kent,
You should have been a shrink! You got someone to admit their first 45 was
Julie Do Ya Love Me! Actually, I'm liking this series better than the
B-sides.
Jack - Rock And Roll Never Forgets
My first 45 was Georgy Girl by the Seekers. Was a 9th birthday present and came complete with a record player with a handle that you could carry around. Was pretty cool, as you could turn it upside down and records would keep right on playing. Still have the record laying around somewhere 40 years on.
Scott
I guess I can add an addendum to my 45 list. The first 45’s I ever received were from Xmas 1959, and my 4th B-day in March, 1960.
Oh Carol - Neil Sedaka
Happy Reindeer - Dancer, Prancer & Nervous
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans – Freddy Cannon
Down By The Station - 4 preps
Wild One - Bobby Rydell
Also, my older brothers 1st five 45’s were:
Whole Lotta Lovin' - Fats Domino
La Bamba / Donna - Ritchie Valens
Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
Lucky Devil - Carl Dobkins
Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson
If anybody cares!
Ken
"All Shook Up" Elvis.
Lari
Silhouettes by the Rays
studeski
"I Wonder Why" ... by Dion & The Belmonts. Summer of "58."
Ya, I still got it.
dschreier
My first 45 was actually a 78 - "Love Me Tender" by Elvis. It
was followed closely by a couple of Elvis EP's and a single of "Too
Much" w/sleeve.
DooWop Daddy
My very first 45 with my own money was "Love Me Tender" by Elvis. I had just seen the movie and cried my eyes out at the end when he died ...
Diane
My very first record was "Maybe Baby" by Buddy Holly. I was ten or eleven and I went into the local Woolworth's store and that's where a portion of the store was dedicated to records. When I first heard that song, I was hooked and became his most ardent fan. I had first heard "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy but in all honesty, it didn't do anything for me and to this day still doesn't. Everything after "Maybe Baby," though, was what I had to have. I'll still pick up my guitar everyday and pick one of his songs. I still have that old 45 and it looks white and you can barely make out the Brunswick label. HE WILL ALWAYS BE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE. I'll share another story later about what happened at the Buddy Holly museum in Lubbock when I visited in the summer of 2006.
Alex Valdez
The Yellow Balloon
My first 45 was a battle between The Closer You Are by The
Channells OR Autumn Leaves by Roger Williams. The Channells 'won
out' ... after all, they were on the WHIRLIN' DISC label! Roger became
the second however ...
Al Kooper
Kent,
I'm sure many artists have told a similar story. All it took for me to know what I wanted to be when I grew up was that first moment of seeing Elvis on TV. That led to buying my "first 45," which was "All Shook Up" and to getting a four string toy guitar (Emenee) with Elvis' picture on it. I learned very little on that one, but really got into it with a Gibson "Les Paul, Jr." Things got totally serious with my 1965 Fender "Jazzmaster" that I use today (the doubleneck Mosrite was only for a short time in '67 but there was definitely a lot of publicity associated with that guitar.)
Thanks and Happiest of Holidays to you and your readers / listeners,
Davie Allan
I think the first 45 I bought was Heartbreak Hotel, for
obvious reasons.
Happy Holidays to all,
Austin Roberts
Kent,
I guess I can jump in on this "first 45's" topic. The first record I ever bought, at age 11 wasn't a 45, but an album. It was "The Gene Krupa Story in Music." I still have that record in mint condition. The first 45's I got were birthday presents, also at age 11. They were "Step By Step" by the Crests and "Cathy's Clown" by The Everly Bros. As you know, I was the drummer for The Electric Prunes, Linda Ronstadt, Dobie Gray, James Brown, etc. But something no one knows is what records were the very first I ever learned how to play drums to. They were: "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Bros., "The Wanderer" by Dion (my current band plays this), and "PT 109" by Jimmy Dean (the guy that makes the sausages!) Some may remember his other hit, "Big Bad John." So those 45s started a career that is still going almost 48 years later! I didn't buy many 45's after that, but mostly albums. I bought everything that Sandy Nelson put out. Still have all that stuff in perfect condition.
Preston Ritter
Kent:
I actually gave the topic quite a bit of thought, but, similar to what I'd answer if asked about last night's dinner faire, could not recall my initial acquisitions, so figured it'd be better to remain on the sidelines than make up something. Now that you have pressed me, I will share this …
I am quite certain that my very first records were 78s and not 45s. I remember my brother, Ron, taking Elvis and Phil & Don (Everly Brothers - I loved to add a third harmony part to their songs … ) and some extended play records acquired through American Bandstand (those might have been 45s) - using them as precursors to Frisbees, breaking them as they crashed into the walls of my parents' abode. Seeing as it is the Christmas season, I also clearly recall my parents taking out the Williams' Bros. Christmas album every year so mom, Ray, Sr., and we four kids (although my baby sister Dianne may have been too young) could serenade Grandma, as we sang along with all the songs. We were the white, suburban, uncoordinated, dancing-challenged equivalents to the Jackson Five - you know = Chicago's Osmonds! ;o) That choral singing made it a natural for me to join the St. Patrick (all boys' school) H.S. choir as a freshman, where I was a First Tenor (and remained one all four years), standing alongside new classmate, fast friend and fellow First Tenor, Wally Kemp. He introduced me to his friends and band mates/band rivals, Chic and Gerry, and I introduced them to my childhood best bud, Pat McBride, who did emceeing at some of the St. Pat's concerts. In case it is not already obvious, that quintet became 83.33% of the New Colony Six, when, three years later, at our Senior Spring Concert, we played and sang the Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" for the crowd. That single selection led to an invitation from Notre Dame's gals (all girls' H.S. just down Belmont a few blocks) to sing it again at their first 1964 fall sock-hop and that led to our decision to learn a few more tunes and play them at parties, calling ourselves a band and naming the entity, the Patsmen, and that led to the quick name change to the New Colony Six and, as the cliché goes, the rest is history!
Ray Graffia, Jr.
My first purchase was actually an album rather than a 45. It was "Meet The Beatles!" I was 8 years old at the time. The record probably cost about $2.50, which was way beyond my 25 cents a week allowance. It would have taken me 10 weeks to save for it, so my mother was kind enough to buy it for me as a special present. I remember playing the record over and over again and reading the liner notes. I was impressed that most of the songs were written by the same two people, who were also in the band. Now that was cool. The LP instantly became my favorite disc, passing up my previous fave, "The Coasters Greatest Hits," which I had permanently "borrowed" from my older sisters a few years earlier. "Meet The Beatles!" made me a fan for life. I even took up guitar in high school and played in bands through college. I wrote music reviews for my high school and college newspapers. After letting my law practice distract me from my love of music for a while, I got into serious Beatles collecting in 1996. I wrote and published my first book on the Beatles in 1998 and have since written six more. I also edited and published the most recent edition of Perry Cox's Beatles Price Guide for American records. For details, check out my site www.beatle.net . So I guess you could say that I sure got my money's worth out of that $2.50 purchase of "Meet The Beatles!" I still have the album, which is VG at best. I play it on a vintage Beatles record player that I bought in 1998. That cost me a bit more than $2.50! My mom is very proud of my accomplishments in the Beatles world and is equally glad she bought me that album all those years ago.
Bruce Spizer
I grew up in a musical household, thanks to my mother, who was a singer and a music fan and conversely, the radio was always on. I had no option but to become a music junkie myself with the radio blaring 24 hours a day. As early as 1956 I can remember by mom buying 45's. We had Guy Mitchell, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Pat Boone, Teresa Brewer, Georgia Gibbs, The Four Lads, Julius LaRosa, Patti Page and many other 50's stars in the collection. But the 1st 45's I bought with my own money I remember like yesterday. Doesn't everybody? It was September of 1962 and a 6th grade school friend suggested I tune into WLS, a Chicago radio station I wasn't familiar with, as I was only listening to the local Kalamazoo stations. I went home that afternoon and positioned our AM Zenith table radio so that it was angled properly to receive 890 from Chicago. What I heard that day changed my life forever. Some guy named Gene Taylor was counting down the Silver Dollar Survey and following him, Dick Biondi, the wildest guy I'd ever heard on the radio was screaming about all the great records he was playing. The guy was actually screaming on the radio!! Can you do that? Well, I was hooked, line and sinker. Within a couple of weeks, I'd saved enough allowance money to go downtown to Dodd's Music Center, where you could go into a private booth and actually listen the records of your choice! Did it get any cooler than that? Nope. There at Dodd's I picked up my 1st Silver Dollar Survey. Scanning the the list for the week of September 15, 1962, I knew exactly what I wanted to buy: 1st, my favorite song at the time, "Sherry" by The Four Seasons. It was also at No. 1 on the Silver Dollar Survey. 2nd, "Monster Mash." Hey, I was 11, gimme a break! 3rd, "Alley Cat" by Bent Fabric. My mom liked the song so I knew I would score brownie points. And 4th, a song that I had been informed had fallen off the survey the week before but I still liked, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka. So there you go, four records that made a difference in a kids life. Four records that I still own. Four records that would eventually lead to a career. And 45 years later (appropriate number, huh?) I still get the same thrill of hearing a new song and going to the music store and making the purchase. It just doesn't get any better than that.
Bob Stroud
Rock And Roll Roots / WDRV
Hi Kent;
It was the summer of 1956 and I was a dj on polka station, WBKV in West Bend, Wisconsin. Here I was playing “She’s Too Fat For Me” by the Six Fat Dutchman for a living and a rock and roll monster was lurking inside of me. One day I heard Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps with Be-Bop-a-Lula on WIND in Chicago and I went out and bought the record. I did sneak it on the air at that polka station one day and both the audience and the owner of the station almost had a stroke! That was the moment I knew I had to make a dj career change. A year later, I was indeed rocking and rolling at WRIT in Milwaukee and I never looked back!
Clark Weber
I'D HAVE TO SAY THAT MY EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES WERE ALL PRE ROCK AND ROLL. MY MOTHER HAD A COLLECTION OF 78 RPM RECORDS AND WE HAD AN OLD WIND UP RECORD PLAYER THAT I COULD OPERATE. SO WHEN I WAS JUST A TINY LAD, I WAS HEARING HER RECORDS OF PERRY COMO, BING CROSBY, TERESA BREWER, FRANKIE CARLE AND HIS HONKY TONK PIANO, EDDIE FISHER, DINAH SHORE AND DOZENS OF OTHERS. I WAS FASCINATED WITH THE WAY RECORDS SEEMED TO "FREEZE TIME." AROUND THE AGE OF KINDERGARTEN, I HAD ALREADY ABSORBED THAT VIBE OF "RECORDS APPROACHING IMMORTALITY" ... A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE WAS CAPTURED FOREVER IN THAT TWO AND A HALF MINUTES. I REMEMBER VIVIDLY WHEN ELVIS PRESLEY HIT ... IT WAS LIKE A BOMB GOING OFF. I HAD A 78 OF "HOUND DOG B/W DON'T BE CRUEL." IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST RECORDS I OWNED MYSELF. I ALWAYS LOVED FATS DOMINO AND GENE VINCENT. A BIT OF JERRY LEE AS WELL. THEN CAME PEOPLE WHO BLEW ME AWAY, SUCH AS SAM COOKE, BOBBY DARIN AND JACKIE WILSON. I LIKED ALL KINDS OF RECORDS. "ONCE IN A WHILE" BY THE CHIMES STANDS OUT IN MY HEAD, AND "ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART" BY GENE PITNEY. THEN A BIT LATER ... THE BEATLES ... THEY DRASTICALLY CHANGED THE LIVES OF MYSELF AND THE OTHER GUYS IN THE DEVERONS. EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE BEATLES CAME ALONG. THE SONGS WERE FRESH AND DIFFERENT ... AND THERE WERE TONS OF THEM.
BURTON CUMMINGS
Mine is an unusual experience of record-buying. When aged 16, 45s were invented and we had a small record store in an upstairs room which stocked all the latest releases and had little booths with headphones so we could play them first before we bought them. Then, a year later, the little store moved to a big shop and the 45s were all laid out in their boxes, and one raked rack featured the Top 20 of the week. I was given a Saturday job in the store and reported for work after school at 12.30 pm. I was lucky. I soon got into the swing of this and we'd sell anything up to 1,000 copies of the lasted top 10 and No.1. on that Saturday afternoon. I loved it because we were given a handful of the top-sellers after we packed up and shut up shop. I was also asked to do DJ work before DJs and discos were invented. Hi-Fi's, PA's, lighting rigs, and all that stuff came later. Then I worked in the local theatre where gigs were staged and met young 60s stars without knowing they would become world famous. It was a great time to be a teenager and to meet and be close to the artists 'live' rather than on TV or on stage.
David Parker / Editor / The Beat
Hey Kent ...
I have a very clear memory of my first 45's. The year is
1958 and my Dad would come home from work with a handful of 45's or LP's under
his arm and he would always hand me one or two 45's and say, "Mitch, these
are for you ... take care of them." They seemed so magical to me. A
round piece of plastic that came alive with sounds from somewhere else ...
musicians and singers playing their hearts out ... just for me ... on my little
record player! And the labels ... they were great! Who could forget the
seriousness of that black RCA label with "Nipper" barking into a
Gramophone ... or that great ABC/Paramount Label with that circular design on
top! Wow! I could identify an artist, just by looking at the labels by the age
of 5!! I do believe my first 45 was "Love Me Tender" b/w
"Anyway You Want Me" By Elvis Presley ... and to this day, when I hear
either of those sides, I can smell my Mom's kitchen and my Dad's after shave. Thanks for this great series, Kent, and for helping me to bring back such
wonderful memories.
Mitch Schecter/The Rip Chords
Okay, mine is rather boring. My first purchase (and these
are supposed to be the first record you bought with your own money) was the
"Jailhouse Rock" EP from Elvis. However, I didn't buy it in 1958. If
memory serves me right, it was in a box of older, but still new, records at the
Montgomery Wards at Evergreen Plaza, probably around 1962. (To liven up the
story, that's the same mall that was recently shut down because their
Christmas tree caught on fire!)
-Ron Smith
Good morning, Kent ...
Boy, you don't want me to get any work done, do you? :)
Could not help but comment on the "first 45" series you're doing. It's a nostalgic moment for me. Maybe 'therapy' is a more apt word.
Back in the mid-50's -- when rock & roll hit like a bolt of thunder, I was buying 45's so frequently, as in about every two or three weeks when I could save up enough allowance to purchase a 45 for $0.89, that I can't actually recall my 'first.' However, my 'introduction' to 45's preceded rock & roll by at least five or six years.
Other than "Golden Records," those little yellow plastic 5" children's discs that came out in the early 40's, the first 45 RPM record I remember was Eddy Arnold's "Bouquet of Roses," issued on 'green' vinyl around 1949. It is one of my proudest possessions. And, by the way, Eddy, who will turn '90' in May of 2008, is still recording! David Sarnoff had changed the name of "Victor" to "RCA Victor" in 1946 and was looking to replace the shellac 78 with something smaller and more marketable. To say nothing of the fact that he wanted to come up with a gimmick to sell more phonographs! He introduced the 45 -- along with a little 'spindle' record player -- in 1949. We had one of those early record players and since it did not have an amp, you had to hook it up to a radio via a small cable. What was so cool about 45's in those early years was that Sarnoff also decided to 'color code' the discs by style of music. "Genre" would have been a far, far too sophisticated word for the market he was trying to reach :) So, there was 'green' for country, 'black' for pop, 'red' for classical, 'sky blue' for International, 'blue' for what they called 'popular classical' (reportedly the color was selected to promote Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"), 'yellow' for children's records, and 'cerise' (cherry) for rhythm and blues. I wish I could specifically remember my first 'rock' 45 -- but that was many years (and at least 10,000 records) ago!! My brother and I did have a Sun copy of Elvis' "Blue Moon of Kentucky" that we bought in a 'bargain bin' at Walgreen's Drug Store for $0.10 -- that's right TEN CENTS -- but that was not my first 45, I'm sure of that. I'm enjoying the series. Keep 'em coming!!
Happy Holidays to you and all the Forgotten Hits readers!
Fred Vail
kent ...... i love this topic ......
my first wax - 'rock 'n
roll music' - by chuck berry .... i played the sucker until both my
parents went nuts .......... another early buy - mother in law - by the
new orleans funk man ernie k. doe. however, i like to recall that i lost my
virginity listening to the grass roots - let's live for today ..... oh yeah, the
song lasted much longer than i did .......
chet coppock
Thanks for sharing, CHET ... I don't know about YOU guys, but I'll NEVER be able to listen to this song the same way again!!! (lol) kk
>>>In the summer of '58, I tried to acquire an EP with "Poor Little Fool" on it, but the fellow at the grocery store objected to me stuffing it in my pants and trying to get out the door without passing by the gal at the cash register. (Jim Southern)
>>>LOL ... so we've gone from a theme of "The First 45's You Ever Bought With Your Own Money" to "The First 45's I Ever Shoved Down My Pants and Shoplifted"!!!!! (lol)
kk
I'm rather partial to the story of the first single someone
tried to shoplift!
-Ron Smith
Loved your story, Jim. Kind of reminds me of another now famous DJ and programmer I used to run with that did the same thing at the Marsh grocery store in Lawrence, Indiana where I bought my first two records ... only he used the bag from his paper route instead of his pants to acquire his new 45's. As I've mentioned before, my first two purchases were "Tallahassee Lassie" and "My Heart Is An Open Book," but my first two records were given to me at Christmas by the aforementioned DJ. It was Rick Nelson's first EP on Verve and Tommy Sands' "Sands Storm" EP on Capitol. I've still got all of 'em.
OKCitySlicker
Incredibly, we received a FEW emails from folks who obtained their FIRST 45's by way of the "five-finger discount"!!! Apparently, FORGOTTEN HITS is not only a GREAT place to share your musical memories, but it's ALSO become a nice place to "cleanse your soul" after all these years!!! (lol) kk
I never tried shoplifting 45s, but I started switching sleeves on 45s I bought in 1968. My brother had bought "Hello Goodbye" when it came out and I wanted HIM to have the pic sleeve when it showed up later in stores. I looked around and quickly slipped another 45 I wanted into the Beatles sleeve and vice versa. So, I bought one 45, but switched sleeves. That started quite a binge of sleeve swapping for me. By the 70's, I was swapping sleeves for pic sleeves I did not even buy the 45 until much later because I just wanted the sleeve and didn't like the SONG! I guess the one thing I DID shoplift weekly was the Oklahoma City KOMA Tunedexes from our local Dodge City Montgomery Wards store. They would get ONE copy they would order off of weekly. They would write 5 or 6 next to ones they wanted that many copies of from distributors, I guess. Anyway, they displayed these in a plastic sheath, just putting the new in front of old every week. If no one was watching, I would slip the old one/ones out and take them home. SOMEONE had to see this 10 year old doing this, but no one ever said anything. Lucky for me! It reminded me of when I first saw the Mothers' "Absolutely Free" LP at that same store one day and wondered if it was actually a free album!! I am not sure if I asked or not, but if I had taken it, how could they dispute what I did?? :)
Clark Besch
Hey Kent,
I was wondering if I was gonna respond to this first 45 thing as the first ones I remember were given to me ... I don't remember what 45 I first bought. I got my first record player for Christmas and my sister gave me her 45's. I remember no particular place to go by chuck berry, and the crystals, I think, with then he kissed me and my most prized 45, death of an angel by donald woods. My first record I bought with my own money was the Monkees' first album. Now after reading vol. 7 of first 45's I can tell you the memories that most came to mind when you started this series.
I remember the first 45 I ever stole and I learned a valuable lesson that day. #1, don't steal, #2 - if you are gonna steal, don't steal the only copy of a 45 the store has and #3, and most important, don't ask a clerk where to find the 45 you want to steal. that being said, the record I stole that day was "They're coming to take me away." I remember leaving the store and the clerk following me down the street so I ducked into a clothing store and hid the record in some clothing and walked out the back door and then had to avoid the record store for the next year. I decided I never wanted to do that again.
Trish
Kent:
Oh boy, here we go ...
Seeing the email from the guy that had stolen his first "45," I'll never forget, my sophomore year in high school, I was running around with a bunch of hooligans in Denver, and our Catholic High School was just blocks from downtown Denver. Well, one day, five or six of us guys get out of school, walk downtown and waltz into J.C. Penny's, all intent on a five finger discount on something ... ANYTHING. Well, I pick up the 45 of the Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown," put it in my history book, the other guys all grabbed something and we all exited the store at the same time, only to have the biggest store gumshoe I've ever seen tear out after us. Of course, we all run in different directions. Well, wouldn't you know it, I was the guy he caught. He scared the crap out of me and told me I was going to jail, then got all my personal info and said he was going to call my dad THAT night and tell him. Well, one of the guys I was with was on the football team and had a deep voice, so he came over to the house that night and was going to answer the phone as my dad. Didn't work ... long story short, "Wild Bill" was grounded for two months, my dad shaved my head (because he said "Hey, if you can't act like a man, at least you'll look like one.") People pointed at laughed at me in high school and that was the LAST time I ever took anything without paying for it. Everytime I hear "19th Nervous Breakdown" I CRINGE!
"Wild" Bill Cody
>>>my first 45 was a song called "the dark town strutters ball" by who i don't really remember ---- i think bob crosby ---- bing's brother. out of all the thousands of 45's i still have today, i can't find it, i must have lost it. (big carl)
For Big Carl’s benefit, versions of “The Darktown Strutter’s Ball” were released on 45s by the following artists: Ray Anthony (Capitol), Seymour (HB), Lou Monte (RCA), Russ Morgan (Decca), The Platters (Mercury), Lester Lanin (in a medley; Epic) and Brad Swanson (TBRD). For some reason I’ll bet that the version he had was Russ Morgan’s, even thought it was Monte’s that hit #7 in 1954.
Gary Theroux
To the guy who's 1st 45 was " Dark Town Strutters Ball," I know that song well. I remember at family get togethers, my uncle would get out his guitar and that was one of the songs he always played. I don't think I ever heard the actual record, but I've heard the song.
Mike
Kent,
Reading all these First 45's stories, one thing that seems constant is that everyone comments not just on the record, but on the whole purchase experience. The store that sold records always features prominently -- Ron Smith mentions the Montgomery Ward in Evergreen Park, which was really pretty big-time for the era. More common seem to be the "small store upstairs with listening booths" sort of environment. My purchase was at Polk Brothers Appliances in downtown Joliet, Il, which looked just like the appliance store in "That Thing You Do" -- the reason that scene resonated so strongly with me. The Saturday pilgrimage was to Polk Brothers to listen to and buy 45's, then over Bill Mueller's Drum Studio for my lesson, then to the Wurlitzer store to hang out with the musicians, and eye up the guitars and drums. No Rose Records, Guitar Center or Sam Ash Music in that era, that's for sure.
Rick Barr / The New Colony Six
Great to hear from one of my musical 'heroes' -- Al Kooper -- in your newsletter today (Dec 31), Kent. And his remembrance is followed by another friend (and fellow 'dinosaur'), Austin Roberts. It was also nice reading good guy Mitch Shecter's remembrances, but Mitch, "you're a 'kid' compared to some of us who read the sheet!! :)
Yes, keep this "first 45's" alive. Great comments, observations, and rock and roll trivia from some great folks, many of whom not only remember those great years of rock but helped 'create' it as well! Kooper goes back to the "Royal Teens" days of New Jersey / New York doo woop music. Bob Gaudio and Bill Crandell were also part of that group, Gaudio jumping ship to create The Four Lovers (i.e., Four Seasons) and Bill, "The Knickerbockers."
Ironically, when I first booked Medley and Hatfield in August / September '63, I vaguely remember them talking about The Royal Teens. Was there a 'connection' there? By the time I booked them they were on the small "Moonglow" label -- I still vividly remember the blue label with silver print. I believe they only had the one hit at the time, "Little Latin Lupe Lu," but that was not to be their last!! RIP, Bobby.
One other thing, one of your readers, Bob Mayben, laid claim to being your 'oldest' list member -- but since I don't know Bob, there's no way to challenge him:) I know I'm NOT the oldest because Kooper is just a little less than two months older than me:) And, after my conversation last week with "Wild" Bill Cody, I know I have him beat by several years -- but how about some 'demographics,' Kent. I'm eager to see if Mayben IS, in fact, the oldest dinosaur on your list!! :)
May 2008 be blessed to you, your family and ALL the fellow Forgotten Hits readers out there!!
Fred Vail
Treasure Isle Recorders, Inc.
Nashville, TN
"Music City, USA"
>>>And remember how a lot of the girls used to put an address label on the record to identify it as theirs when they brought it to a party??? Well, just for kicks, these guys would sometimes call the phone number on an old 45 ... some 25 years later ... and say, "Hey, Diane ... I've got your copy of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO here." lol (kk)
Check out THIS link ... Was This Your Record?
Tom Diehl
Here's a response from Brian who runs WAS THIS YOUR RECORD? website ... he's now joined our FORGOTTEN HITS Mailing List, too!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
I have always thought this was an interesting topic, thus the reason I
added
the page to my website. Of course I took a few liberties with my
descriptions, but it is all in fun. I have only heard from people who
used to know one of the person's records I have listed. I am still
waiting for that elusive person that actually owned one of the records
...... I
have had an oldies radio show on a small local station for over 20
years, but am certainly not too well known like most of your subscribers
appear to be. Please do add me to your mailing list! I also have a
weekly blog that covers three or four lesser known artists or music related
topics,
that are probably only interesting to those that like digging way beyond
the
top 100 charts: http://www.colorradio.blogspot.com/
Thanks for including me, and the best for 2008!
Brian
I bought my first 45 in 1957. It was Black Slacks by Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones. I remember that I bought it in the A&P grocery store.
Kris
It was 1962 and The Lonely Bull by Herb Alpert was all over the radio, I just had to have it. No one in my family had ever bought a 45 before (we only had a 78 radiogram) but my parents gave me a little portable record player for my 14th birthday, which helped fuel my desire for a career in radio - which has so far lasted 42 years. As soon as I had that player, I hopped a train to the nearest major shopping centre with a record store, and for 50 cents, Herb was mine. And yes, I've still got that single.
Gary H
Mine was "Oh-Oh I'm Falling In Love Again" and
"Ring-A-Ling-A-Lario" by Jimmie Rodgers.
Larry G.
It was 1966, and the record was "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys at the local Shop Rite Supermarket checkout lane. They would stock about 10 new discs for the week. I wasn't too thrilled though when I played the flip side and heard a (throwaway?) instrumental, "Let's Go Away For Awhile." I felt that I'd wasted my 79 cents on it.
Fred C
My first 45 was a birthday present from my 6th grade girlfriend. It was Go Jimmy Go by Jimmy Clayton on ACE records. I still have it. Robert
And then ...
Having thought about it for 24 hrs I have to correct my original post . "Go Jimmy Go" was the first "serious" rock 45 but much earlier my mom & dad sent off peanut butter labels and got me "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" w/ "Green Grow The Lilacs" on the flip side. I still have that as well.
MemphisBoy
Well, I don't remember which one was rung up first at the
register! However, I bought two 45's at the same time for my first 45's. I had
78's prior to. Year was 1956 and the Continentals' "Dear
Lord"/"Fine Frame" on Whirlin' Disc was one. The other was
the Valentines "Woo Train"/"Why" on Rama Records.
Both "Dear Lord" & "Woo Woo Train" were being blasted
on the radio by Alan Freed, Dr. Jive & Alan Fredericks.
If I remember correctly, these 45's set me back 59 cents a
piece.
Bruce
Hi Kent, my man, I don't know if you heard, but Scott Shannon has picked up on your First 45's on True Oldies. He's getting great responses! Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and Scott sure knows good stuff when he sees it. I'd be lost without my Forgotten Hits newsletter and my oldies station 106.3. I really appreciate both of you - thanks again!
Pat Fogel
Oh yeah, I've been listening ... he's been playin' the FIRST 45's for WEEKS now!!! (This series is PERFECT for radio ... and I KNEW it would be!!!) In fact, last week he called me, put me on the air and then played MY FIRST 45 ... ITSY BITSY TEENIE-WEENIE YELLOW POLKA-DOT BIKINI by BRIAN HYLAND!!! (kk)
>>>The 1st 45 I bought was a three songs on each side. I can only remember two of the songs right now ..... "Ya-Ya" and "Finger Poppin' Time" ... they were on a yellow and black label, and I was just 8. (Vicki)
>>>EPs were very popular in the late '50's and early '60's ... don't know if the one you're referring to was some type of compilation EP featuring a variety of artists or not ... but it SOUNDS like you're describing the old MGM label ... and FINGER POPPIN' TIME was done by HANK BALLARD AND THE MIDNIGHTERS on KING while YA YA was a hit for LEE DORSEY on FURY Records ... so I'm guessing these were either cover versions of these tunes or one of those "sound-alike" hits of the day type of releases. Amazing how we remember this stuff!!! (kk)
>>>The 45's of three songs on each side, etc ... are knockoff 45's by companies such as Tops, Big 4, etc ... however, this one is probably on Promenade (which was a yellow and black label.) Cheap to buy and an 8 year old probably wouldn't care, just to have the song was enough! (Tom Diehl)
This was probably the "Big 4 Hits" label out of Cincinnati, which generally had two or three songs on a side and they were all cover versions of hit songs. It was usually yellow with black writing. The company was similar to the "Tops" label, which did the same thing and probably started the trend. These EPs were very inexpensive, usually 49 to 69 cents, and came with generic covers showing people dancing or partying. Some of the "memorable" artists singing were Eileen Scott, Jack Daniels (seriously), Art Rouse, the Roy-Cliffs and their most often used group, the Four Jacks. I have a bunch of these awful EPs, which I probably got when I used to offer someone an amount for their entire collection. I must admit that I actually purchased one back in 1956 as I saw that the Four Jacks were singing "Earth Angel" and Ko Ko Mo." Much to my dismay, as soon as I put the record on I knew immediately that these were not the Jacks (black group) that I had expected, but some white group who sounded like a bad imitation of the Crew Cuts, which was definitely not what I was anticipating. Danny Guilfoyle
First 45’s I ever got, as Christmas gifts, were on the Hit label. Three of those sound-a-like recordings, including “Don’t Hang Up” by the Dacrons, which I ended up preferring to the original Orlons record.
Tony Waitekus
>>>My first purchase was "Have I the Right" by the Honeycombs. The keyboard had such a unique sound, I just had to own it. (denzack)
Hey Kent ...
The other day, a Forgotten Hits member mentioned The Honeycombs' "Have I The Right" and that "unique keyboard sound." Actually, that's not a keyboard at all. It's a Guitar played by my friend and yours, the great Vic Flick.
The track was produced by Joe Meek, who had a way of creating very unique and different sounds on his records. Maybe Vic can write in and tell us a little about that actual session.
Mitch Schecter/The Rip Chords
>>>When my mother found out I had bought new record by The Supremes, "I'm Livin' In Shame," she shrieked, "How could you waste good money on such a stupid record?," embarrassing the hell out of me. (MFPing)
Ping -- I'm sorry she embarrassed you in public like
that but . . . your mother has impeccable taste.
.......... Ed44
>>>I began buying my own albums when I got into high school; first purchases were by: The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Pure Prairie League, Gino Vannelli and Steely Dan ... and The Brothers Johnson's Look Out For Number 1 ... I really loved that album! (Cherricat / Mrs. K.)
If you hadn't already nabbed her, I'd be proposing ... Diana
LOL! Thanks, DIANA ... this one made my day!!! (lol) kk
Kent,
Your e-music-columns really have been a knock-out with the First 45's and the Phil Spector series. It is great to hear the "behind the scenes" stories behind classic records from the legendary artists involved in their recording and production ---- every one from Al Kooper to Bill Medley, etc. Scott Shannon's words concerning the song: "Somethin' Else" by Eddie Cochran really caught my attention. A couple of years ago I caught Mike Smith at a Rock n' Roll show in Denver and, as to be expected, he was really astounding ------ still the great pipes and when he autographed the CD I purchased, he was as cordial and friendly as you would hope. So when I got home and put on his CD it was a killer, and one song especially caught my ear. It sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it until I read the writing credits and it said: Sheeley / Cochran and I thought it must have been a hit by Eddie Cochran. So when Scott commented with his stories concerning the song, and you enclosed it in your column it really validated why it stood out on the CD. Kent, I am enclosing Mike Smith's version so you and Scott can hear it. With Mike Smith's big soulful voice, he nails it. You can certainly see why he carried the Dave Clark Five to the charts countless times. Keep the stories at the Daily Planet coming Mr. Kent because they really are Super, man!
Best Regards,
Tim Kiley/KDZA
>>>My first 45's was Del Shannon - Runaway, flipside Hats Off To Larry. (Sam)
>>>Actually, HATS OFF TO LARRY was the FOLLOW-UP Single ... unless this was one of those TWO-SIDED HITS Reissue Singles ... but I don't think so. The original flipside of RUNAWAY was a tune called JODY, which earned a few votes in our recentFAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDESSeries! (kk)
And the B side to Hats Off To Larry was Don't Gild The Lily
Lilly, written by my old friend Billy Meshel.
Here's to a great 2008 for all.
God Bless,
Austin Roberts
>>>My first 45 was "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis! I ordered it off the back of Kellogg's Corn Flakes! It was free with the box tops of several boxes of corn flakes. (Lynn)
That must've been the Doin' The Flake EP then! It also included the song Little Miss Go-Go in addition to the song Doin' The Flake. It came with a picture sleeve, too.... most copies these days are found without the picture sleeve.
Tom Diehl
Probably so ... we've covered this record a couple of times now in FORGOTTEN HITS! (kk)
Can you ask Lynn what the flip-side of her copy of "This Diamond Ring" was? As you know, it was also MY first 45 and I had "Tijuana Wedding" on mine.
Scott Levison
Pinellas Park, FL
As described above, I believe this was a special promotional EP that came via a promotion with KELLOGS Cereals ... meaning there was no real B-SIDE ... three tracks as I recall: DOIN' THE FLAKE / THIS DIAMOND RING / LITTLE MISS GO-GO (kk)
I'm really enjoying the 1st 45's thing, it stirs a lot of memories. I know I've already told you my 1st was Help/I'm Down, but I think about wasted money on 45's, too, like "Brand New Key" by Melanie ... What the Hell was I thinking when I bought that one???
Keep up the good work, kk!!!!!!!!
Happy New Year!!!!!
Mike
kk: All our talk about shoplifted 45's inspired THIS comment from THEONEBUFF:
I was born February 20, 1935, and I read all this stuff about first 45s with pure pleasure. My first purchased music came in a time before chain stores, or at least it seems that way. The little record store around the corner was just that and I carried my brittle 78 RPM records home very carefully. Try stuffing one of THOSE things down your trousers!
Hil
LOLOL! Just another reason why Hil is one of our most beloved
list members!
-- Mrs. K
I recall buying my older sister "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" at the E.P.'s Monkey Wards one Christmas. I use to work in the Plaza at Tart N Tray inside Carson's as a pearl diver for a brief time. If you aren't familiar with the Tart N Tray, it was a cafeteria type restaurant which was a real big hang out for teens back in the 60's. My buddy Skip and I were fired for discarding dirty dishes and trays behind the wall and under the conveyor for a week or so. I actually used the place as a job reference and was hired down the street at Evergreen's Hollaway House for the next two high school years. After one week on the job seniority I got the same buddy Skip a job working there.
Jerry
I listened to music on the radio and bought Beatles albums. It was
not until Paperback Writer in 1966, that I bought a 45. It eventually had plenty
of company.
Mark
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(Note: This article was first published in Forgotten Hits in 2007 ...
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