Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 27, 2000

DEAR JERRY: I am in a quandary regarding a song from 1969. I have tried many, many sources and keep coming up empty. This tune is driving me crazy, and in turn now even my associates. You may be our last option.

This song refers to the Apollo 11 Moon Mission, and Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon. The title may be “A Man Named Armstrong,” but I may be wrong about that.
—Darren in Australia (dagwood@optusnet.com.au)

DEAR DARREN: I'm glad you came to me before you ran out of options altogether.

The full title is just “Armstrong,” and it is by John Stewart. Though not a big hit, “Armstrong” did chart for a few weeks in August and September of 1969.

Exactly 10 years later, the summer of '79, John Stewart really struck gold with “Gold,” a Top 5 smash that earned John — you guessed it — a gold record.


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DEAR JERRY: I read your recent column where you discussed various girls names in song. In it, you say that you have never personally known of a girl named Cinderella. Well, now you do. My name is Cinderella Cecelia.

Would you please tell me what the six song titles are that my name appears in? I can only think of two. Keep up the good work.
—Cinderella Cecelia, Tacoma, Wash. (gnccng0@hotmail.com)

DEAR CINDERELLA: Okay, I admit I never thought I'd be starting off a response with those words.

Actually, there are dozens of songs with your name in the title, but each of these six made the Top 100 chart. Also, the first word in the title of each is “Cinderella.” They are listed chronologically:

1958 - “Cinderella” (Four Preps)
1961 - “Cinderella” (Paul Anka)
1962 - “Cinderella” (Jack Ross)
1968 - “Cinderella Sunshine” (Paul Revere and the Raiders)
1968 - “Cinderella Rockefella” (Esther & Abi Ofarim)
1977 - “Cinderella” (Firefall)

Finally, for you and all other Cinderellas that I have yet to meet, let me get in a plug for my favorite of all your namesake tunes. It's a 1960 issue, by Rodney and the Blazers, titled “Teenage Cinderella” (Dore 572).


DEAR JERRY: I don't recall the year, but right when the Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl, in the 1980s, some of the players on that team made a record. I believe it is titled “Super Bowl Shuffle.”

Not long ago, when this song was being discussed with friends, the question of whether or not any other pro sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) teams recorded a song like this. It does not matter if it was in connection with a championship or not.
—Kelvin Haverhurst, Paducah, Ky.

DEAR KELVIN: The “Superbowl Shuffle” you mention is a January 1986 release, on which the following (alphabetically listed) Bears are heard: Richard Dent, Gary Fencik, Steve Fuller, Willie Gault, Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, William “Refrigerator” Perry, Mike Richardson, Mike Singletary, and Otis Wilson.

On “Superbowl Shuffle,” this bunch is actually credited as the Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew. Many professional athletes have recorded as solo acts; however, a couple of songs come to mind by several members of the same team.

One is credited to the Fearsome Foursome, a quartet of defensive linemen from the 1965 Los Angeles Rams: Merlin Olson, Roosevelt Greer, Deacon Jones, and Lamar Lundy. The tracks are “Stranded in the Jungle” backed with “Fly in the Buttermilk” (Capitol 5482).

The other is a community service number, “Hugs, Not Drugs” (Brave Dog 21065), which is appropriately credited to the Tall Boys — four members of the Atlanta Hawks 1988 NBA team. These particular tall boys are: Wayne “Tree” Rollins, Jon Koncak, Cliff Levingston, and Kevin Willis.

Brian Heverling (brihev@hotmail.com) , of Tampa, Florida, writes to tell us of another: “Phillies Fever,” from the mid-'70s. The performers on it are Dave Cash, Larry Bowa, Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, and Garry Maddox.

IZ ZAT SO? When Dave Guard left the Kingston Trio, in 1961, to form the Whiskeyhill Singers, his replacement was John Stewart. Stewart's successful solo career took off shortly after the Trio disbanded, with the 1969 release of his “California Bloodlines” album.






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