Today's Lesson: Cher and Cher Alike! (Echoes of the Spectorian Era, Vol. 9)

 Welcome to volume 9 of Echoes, 

 my 17-part salute to Phil Spector 

 and the producers, arrangers 

 and recording artists  

 influenced by him. 

The stars of this episode include Sonny and Cher

and I'll bring them out shortly. But first, as my

warm-up act, a young lady who sounds a lot

like Cher. Maybe that's because it is Cher,

recording early in her career as Cherilyn!

 CHERILYN 

Early on, Cher found work as a backing singer for
Phil Spector's Crystals, Ronettes and Darlene Love.
Sonny and Cher released singles as Caesar and Cleo
but those platters came and went almost unnoticed.
In 1964, using the stage name Bonnie Jo Mason,
Cher waxed "Ringo I Love You." The 45 fizzled.

Later that year, using her birth name, Cherilyn,
Sonny's singing sweetheart released one of the
greatest examples of a Spector sound-alike
recording. Penned and and produced by
Bono and performed by his teenage
girlfriend and future wife, here is
the scintillating "Dream Baby."

 "Dream Baby" - Cherilyn 

 (December 1964, uncharted) 

 SONNY AND CHER 

Sonny Bono landed a recording contract with Atco

for himself and Cher and the duo cut the Spector

soundalike single "Just You." The record failed to

attract much attention until the Sonny and Cher

release "I Got You Babe" rocketed to the top of

the chart. It was a game changer. Suddenly,

Sonny and Cher were hot and fans couldn't

get enough. "Just You" was given new life

and rode the chart to the top 20.

 "Just You" - Sonny and Cher 

 (Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #20) 

 P.J. PROBY 

Plain and simple, this next recording is a

masterpiece, one of the finest and most

dramatic examples of Spectorian production.

"I Can't Make It Alone," a Goffin-King song,

is performed by underrated singer/songwriter
P.J. Proby along with the Blossoms, backed
by the group of veteran West Coast studio
musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.
The elements were spun into golden wax
by crack producer/arranger Jack Nitzsche.

The resulting single runs more than four
minutes. That TRT didn't fly very well in
the "time is money" universe of top 40

radio. DJs who skipped over this gem
didn't know what they were missing
and neither did their listeners!

 "I Can't Make It Alone" - P.J. Proby 

 (Nov. 1966, highest chart pos. #131) 

 THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS 

Up next, in all its Spectorian splendor,

an exciting release by the blue-eyed

soul duo The Righteous Brothers.

This Philles single was a doublesider.

"Hung On You," the killer bee side of

"Unchained Melody," spent 7 weeks on the

chart and cracked the top 50. Over the years

"Hung On You" grew on me until I found myself

playing it more often than “Unchained Melody.”

 "Hung On You" - The Righteous Brothers 

 (August 1965, highest chart position #47, 

 B side of "Unchained Melody") 

 SEND IN THE CLONES! 

 DON AND JUAN 

In April 1962, Don and Juan (Roland "Don" Trone

and Claude "Juan" Johnson) achieved a top 10 hit

with "What's Your Name." Subsequent releases by

the Brooklyn R&B duo fell far short of that mark.

The last record Don and Juan made before splitting up

features soaring Righteous Brothers style vocals and

top notch sound by EmBee, the production company

named after Detroit record moguls Irving Micahnik

and Harry Balk, the co-founders of Twirl Records. 

Released in 1965, this one should have been a hit.

Instead it languished in obscurity and missed the 

chart entirely. That's "The Heartbreaking Truth."

 "The Heartbreaking Truth" - Don and Juan 

 (October 1965, uncharted) 

 I hope Volume 9 

 has you feelin' fine. 

 We'll do it all again 

 in Echoes Volume 10. 

 Please join me! 

Have a Shady day!