Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

DEAR JERRY: How many entries did the Beatles have in the Top 100 U.S. singles in 1964? Did anyone ever have more in their first year on the charts? How many different labels were they on that year?
—Nick Kilgore, Pawtucket, R.I.

DEAR NICK: During 1964, the Beatles had 30 titles among one or more of the Top 100 charts. As with many record-setting vinyl era accomplishments, this one-year total can never be equaled.

Their primary label was Capitol, but they charted on six other labels in 1964: Swan; Vee-Jay; M-G-M; Tollie (imprint of Vee-Jay); Capitol of Canada; and Atco. For having hits on this many labels in one year, the Beatles stand alone.

Here are their 1964 hits, in order of chart debut, with the peak position for each title:

1. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Capitol 5112) No. 1
2. "I Saw Her Standing There" (Capitol 5112) No. 14
3. "She Loves You" (Swan 4152) No. 1
4. "Please Please Me" (Vee-Jay 581) No. 3
5. "From Me to You" (Vee-Jay 581) No. 41
6. "My Bonnie (My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)" With Tony Sheridan (M-G-M 13213) No. 26
7. "Twist and Shout" (Tollie 9001) No. 1
8. "There's a Place" (Tollie 9001) No. 74
9. "Roll Over Beethoven" (Capitol of Canada 72133) No. 30
10. "All My Loving" (Capitol of Canada 72144) No. 31
11. "Can't Buy Me Love" (Capitol 5150) No. 1
12. "You Can't Do That" (Capitol 5150) No. 48
13. "Do You Want to Know a Secret" (Vee-Jay 587) No. 2
14. "Thank You Girl" (Vee-Jay 587) No. 35
15. "Love Me Do" (Tollie 9008) No. 1
16. "P.S. I Love You" (Tollie 9008) No. 10
17. "Why" With Tony Sheridan (M-G-M 13227) No. 88
18. "Four By the Beatles" (Capitol 2121) No. 86 (A 45 EP treated as a single)
    Side 1: "Roll Over Beethoven" and "All My Loving"
    Side 2: "This Boy" and "Please Mister Postman" (cover shows "Please Mr. Postman")
19. "Sie Liebt Dich (She Loves You)" (Swan 4182) No. 97
20. "Aint She Sweet" (Atco 6308) No. 13
21. "A Hard Day's Night" (Capitol 5222) No. 1
22. "I Should Have Known Better" (Capitol 5222) No. 43
23. "And I Love Her" (Capitol 5235) No. 12
24. "If I Fell" (Capitol 5235) No. 53
25. "I'll Cry Instead" (Capitol 5234) No. 22
26. "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You" (Capitol 5234) No. 91
27. "Matchbox" (Capitol 5255) No. 17
28. "Slow Down" (Capitol 5255) No. 23
29. "I Feel Fine" (Capitol 5327) No. 1
30. "She's a Woman" (Capitol 5327) No. 4

As Beatlemania exploded in the USA in 1964, things were bloody ordinary in the UK. The band had only five chart records, and for most weeks they had only one tune at a time on the chart:

1. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Parlophone 5084) No. 1
2. "Can't Buy Me Love" (Parlophone 5114) No. 1
3. "Aint She Sweet" (Polydor 52317) No. 29
4. "A Hard Day's Night" (Parlophone 5160) No. 1
5. "I Feel Fine" (Parlophone 5200) No. 1

DEAR JERRY: About 15 years ago, Garth Brooks was a guest on a daytime talk show, and he briefly discussed the death of his mother.

From that interview, I learned that long before Garth was born, she was a country singer. Did she make any records, or perhaps even have a hit?
—Patricia Powers, Miami, Ariz.

DEAR PATRICIA: Garth's mother, Colleen Carroll Brooks (July 10, 1929 - August 6, 1999), made at least two singles, neither of which charted.

Her first is a 1954 issue for a Little Rock label, credited to Colleen Carroll With Al Clauser And His Oklahoma Outlaws: "Broken Hearted Waltz"/"It Isn't Fair" (Camark 505).

As Colleen Carroll, she made her second single in 1955, this time for a Kansas City label: "No Tellin'"/"Bluebonnet Waltz" (Cardinal 1038).

In 1994, taking even some family members by surprise, Colleen and her daughter, Betsy Brooks Smittle, recorded a CD for Atlantic/NorthSound (7567-92428-2). Titled "Rough Around the Edges," it was released only in Europe, but is easily found in the U.S. IZ ZAT SO? There is an unsolved mystery involving Colleen Carroll, and it's based on many sources that claim she recorded for Capitol.

Some are so specific as to indicate how many singles she made for Capitol, as seen in this excerpt from the Find a Grave obituary for Colleen Carroll McElroy Brooks:

"Colleen died in 1999 of throat cancer. She was a singer and recorded under the name of Colleen Carroll. She appeared on the Ozark Jubilee and recorded for Capitol Records. Her strong, sweet, clear voice captured the attention of the folks at Capitol, where she recorded four singles in the mid-1950s."

Other sites and articles reiterate the same story, but without mentioning any titles, or other detail that confirms the Capitol connection.

My research, including a review of the Capitol singles discography of the 1950s, finds no mention of a Colleen Carroll, other than the aforementioned Camark and Cardinal singles.

Though it's not the way the story's told, perhaps Colleen did record at Capitol, but they chose not to release her material.

IZ ZAT SO? "Come Softly to Me," by "Fleetwoods" (no "The"), was first issued as Dolphin 1, then later as Liberty 55188 (mono) and 77188 (stereo). The Liberty release came about when the Dolphin people opted to change their name to Dolton rather than litigate the matter with someone claiming the Dolphin name. Thus, Dolphin is the only label on the list to have made only one record … and a No. 1 hit at that.



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