Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Tagged: Jerry Ross

1960s, Pop

Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie

First recorded (as “Ready or Not”) by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs (1966).
Hit version by Jay & the Techniques (US #6/R&B #8/CAN #61 1967).

From the wiki: “Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs released a non-single version entitled ‘Ready or Not’, written by Maurice Irby, Jr., on their 1966 The Best of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (MGM SE-4422). ‘Ready or Not’ was then retitled ‘Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie’ when recorded by Jay & the Techniques in 1967.

“Bobby Hebb (‘Sunny‘) was originally offered ‘Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie’, but rejected the song due to its ‘novelty sound’. After Hebb declined, record producer Jerry Ross offered the song to Jay & the Techniques.

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1960s, Folk

Sunday Will Never Be the Same

Written (by Terry Cashman) and first recorded (as a demo) by Cashman, Pistilli & West (1967).
Hit version by Spanky and Our Gang (US #9/CAN #7 1967).

From the wiki: “‘Sunday Will Never Be the Same’ was written by Terry Cashman and Gene Pistilli, who, with Tommy West, recorded it for their debut album, Bound to Happen, in 1967. Hedging his bets, Cashman also sent a copy of the song to Lou Adler at Dunhill Records, with the hope that The Mamas & The Papas would record the song.

“Cashman recalls: ‘Adler saying ‘Hey, this is a great song.’ But John Philips was doing mostly his own songs [for the group] right now. So, okay, fine. The Left Banke sounded to me also like a group that could do this song, but they also passed on it. And then with nobody else in mind I went to a producer named Jerry Ross, who was [at that time] a very hot producer (‘Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie‘, ‘98.6’).

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1960s, Soul

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me

First recorded by Dee Dee Warwick (US #88/R&B #13 1966).
Also recorded by Jerry Butler (1967), Jay & the Techniques (1968).
Hit versions by Madeline Bell (US #26/R&B #32 1968), Diana Ross & The Supremes with The Temptations (US #2/R&B #2/UK #3 1968).

From the wiki: “Written by Philly Soul songwriters Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’, ‘Love Train’, ‘Now That We Found Love‘), and producer Jerry Ross (‘Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie‘, ‘Sunny‘), ‘I’m Gonna Make You Love Me’ was originally a Top-20 R&B hit for Dee Dee Warwick in 1966. It was released as the follow-up single to her Top-10 hit ‘I Want To Be With You’. Co-writer Ross produced the track while Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson provided background vocals. Warwick’s recording reached #13 R&B and crossed over to the Billboard Top 100 in December 1966.

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1960s, Pop

Sunny

First released by Mieko Hirota (1965).
Also recorded by Dave Pike (1966), Chris Montez (1966), Marvin Gaye (1966).
Hit versions by Bobby Hebb (US #2/R&B #3/UK #12 1966), Boney M. (UK #3/NETH #1/GER #1 1976).

From the wiki: “Bobby Hebb’s breakthrough as a songwriter would be born of tragedy. In November 1963, already upset over the JFK assassination, Bobby then learned that his older brother, Harold, had been stabbed to death the same night in a fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Out of his depression, Hebb began to write. Using past hurts (‘Yesterday my life was filled with rain’) and inspired by the anonymous smile of a complete stranger (‘You smiled and it really, really eased the pain’), ‘Sunny’ came into being.

“The upbeat number was included in Hebb’s nightclub act at his gig at the New York club Brandy’s. The audiences responded positively as did record producer Jerry Ross (‘I’m Gonna Make You Love Me‘), who included the song on a publisher’s demo record that found its way to Japan.

“That was how ‘Sunny’ came about to be first recorded and commercially-released in Japan – not the US – by Mieko ‘Miko’ Hirota, the ‘Connie Francis of Japan’, where it was said to have done well on the charts.

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