Starter of this subject: Ted Hering
Last post in this subject: 8/18/2000
Messages in this subject: 13
| Ted Hering | 8/18/2000 13 replies |
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This was a Hit Parade tune in 1953 or 1954 by Stuart Hamblin and the Coyboy Church on the Air (Columbia Records). Hamblin was the composer. The words I remember:
My mommy told me something That all of us should know It's all about the devil And I've learned to hate him so She says he causes trouble When he comes into the room (?) And he never, never leaves you If your heart is filled with gloom So let the sun shine in Face it with a grin Smilers never lose And frowners never win So let the sun shine in Face it with a grin Open up your heart and let the sun shine in. |
| Jim Hilliker | 8/19/2000 5 replies |
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Yes, the song was by the late Stuart Hamblen, a western singer/songwriter who had his own local radio show in Los Angeles starting back in the 1930s on station KMTR-Hollywood. He later beat alcoholism and became a born-again Christian.
He recorded many Gospel type songs and albums later, in addition to Country-Western music and was quite popular on the West Coast and elsewhere. Even in his later years, in the 1970s, on Country music station KLAC-570 AM in L.A., Hamblen hosted a Sunday morning religious program called "Cowboy Church of the Air." This song from the '50s, I heard, used a technique where the recording was speeded up to make it sound as if it was a little girl singing the song. That's about all I know, but yes, it was written and recorded by Stuart Hamblen, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. By the way, in the 1960s, a song that sounded like this, or used the same melody was sung on the ABC-TV cartoon series, "The Flintstones"...The plot had Pebbles and Bam-Bam becoming famous recording stars and singing after it was discovered they could use their voices at such an early age...Turned out, Fred was dreaming the whole time. |
| Jim Hilliker | 8/19/2000 4 replies |
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I almost forgot...One of Stuart Hamblen's biggest songs that he wrote was a hit record for Rosemary Clooney around 1950 or so, called "This Old House"....
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| Don Neagle | 8/20/2000 3 replies |
| A hit gospel song by Hamblen was "It Is No Secret What God Can Do". I also remember hearing that the Cowboy Church Sunday School Choir was a group of grownups with the vocal speeded up to sound like kids. |
| Nate Williams | 8/21/2000 0 replies |
| Wouldn't it be neat if we could all form a circle and join together and sing So Let the Sun Shine In? Those of you (like me) not knowing the words could just hum. I always liked Les Paul and Mary Ford starting the morning program with "Dear One, the World is Waiting for the Sunshine" man could Les put together some snappy tunes. P.S. those of you that can't hum on key (like me) could just put on a happy face and smile. |
| Michael Biel | 9/12/2000 1 replies |
| I'm surprised that nobody corrected the original posting's contention that the record was on Columbia. It was on Decca. The credit was The Cowboy Church Sunday School Choir. Hamblin was the producer, and supposedly also the discoverer of the group. There were four sides issued. "Let The Sun Shine In" was coupled with "The Lord Is Counting On You." There also was another single and both of these were coupled onto a 45 EP. As for the contention that it might be a recording of an adult group speeded up, this is a possibility. One time I was listening to Martin Block's Make Believe Ballroom when he was on WABC on Saturday mornings in the 50s, and he accidentally played it at the wrong speed. I remember him coming back on and saying that it seemed odd that the recording sounded fine--and different--on the wrong speed. It was available on both 78 and 45, so I am not sure which speed mistake he made, but in both cases the next speed down is not as big a jump as half-speed like is used for the Chipmunks. I immediately went out and bought a copy of the 45 so I could fool around with the speed myself (I've since also found the 78.) When I play these records only slightly slowed down it does sound like it might be a chior of teenagers--not adults--that made the original, and Hamblin speeded it up slightly to make it sound like 8-year-olds. The vibrato gets too slow if you try to make them sound like adults. I've never seen a picture of the chior, and I know that no picture of them appeared on the cover of the EP. I believe that Hamblin denied that there was any monkeybusiness with the recording, but I would think that Ed Sullivan was probably on his tail to get an appearance. That there were no such appearance and no further releases beyond the two is very suspicous. |
| Jim Stokes | 9/18/2000 0 replies |
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"Let It Be" bears a strong resemblance to "Let The Sun Shine In!' Tribute?
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| Catherine D | 8/23/2000 6 replies |
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Dear Ted:
Once again you are right on the mark! (You helped me with Reginal Gardiner, too) Thanks! Since no one in the string of replies has mentioned it, it appears no one has the recording. What is my best bet for trying to locate it? Should I contact Columbia? Thanks - Catherine Dickey Wilson |
| Nate Williams | 8/23/2000 5 replies |
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This quest for info on Let the Sun Shine In leads me to query if anyone could let me know who recorded a similar song of the fifties that went something like:
"The sun is shining, oh happy day; No more troubles and no skies so gray; Ever since, you said those words to me, to me. The moon is shining, oh happy night; Come to me darling and hold me oh so tight ..." Anybody remember that little ditty? |
| Jim Stokes | 8/23/2000 0 replies |
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Nate -- That was OH HAPPY DAY recorded by the Lawrence Welk Orchestra with the deep-voiced piano player, Larry Hooper on the vocal. I had a 45 rpm record of it as a teenager. On Coral Records, as I recall. And that was back in the 50's.
Not to be confused with OH HAPPY DAY that was by a gospel group in the mid-60's. That had the same title, but was an entirely different tune! That one went something like -- Oh Happy Day. Oh Happy Day. When my Jesus walked. The version I recall was on Kama Sutra records. Jim Stokes |
| Pudge | 8/24/2000 3 replies |
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The 50's record "Oh Happy Day" with the lyrics quoted by Nate Williams was recorded by Don Howard on Triple X records. Howard sang and accompanied himself on guitar. A cover version was cut by the Five Satins (known for "In The Still Of The Night").
The late 60's gospel/pop hit was recorded by the Edwin Hawkins singers. |
| Nate Williams | 8/24/2000 2 replies |
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Pudge - yes, if I recall it was the Don Howard version that I remember, low budget recording, the guy was deep voice and strummin his guitar and somehow it was a hit for awhile. Jim, while L. Welk might have done it also it would have been head and shoulders above Don Howard whose version sounded like he was in a record your voice booth. Thanks guys
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| Jim Stokes | 8/24/2000 1 replies |
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Thanks for the great background. I had no idea that Lawrence Welk's OH HAPPY DAY was by anyone else, previously. Something similar to the case of HOUND DOG. Elvis had the blockbuster hit. But was not the original version.
Jim Stokes |
| Pudge | 8/24/2000 0 replies |
| The Lawrence Welk version was news to me, Jim. And you're right about "Hound Dog"--recorded by blues singer Willie Mae |