A Baby Boomer's Tribute to The Four Tops

This blog post is dedicated to Levi Stubbs--former lead singer of The Four Tops. Levi passed away this morning at the age of 72. Published reports say he died peacefully in his sleep.

Stubbs was born in Detroit on June 6 1936 into a family with a strong musical tradition. The soul singer Jackie Wilson was a cousin, and his brother Joe Stubbs sang with the Detroit R&B group the Falcons.

Between 1964 and 1968 the Tops enjoyed 12 Top 20 American hits, including I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honeybunch), It's The Same Old Song and Bernadette. This is one of my favorites by the group. Tell me yours in this special tribute:

***A special note*** this video was shot in 1966---

My Baby Boomer Love

You can't have a Baby Boomer Girlfriends Week without showcasing something by The Supremes.

Diana Ross, Mary Wells and Flo Ballard were the envy of every little girl in my neighborhood. We wanted to be like them and we all thought we could sing! I recently wrote a blog about my "Supremes" experience.

Of all of the hit songs they recorded, this was one of my top two favorites. What was your favorite Supremes song?

Don't Mess with Baby Boomer Bill

The first song the Marvelettes ever sang went to number one on the Top 100 Billboard chart in 1961. That was Please Mr. Postman. They went on to have a string of hits until the late 60s. This song ended up at number 7 on the charts.

Looking back, it's amazing to see that these women didn't have to shake their butts to get attention. I guess they just had glamour and natural singing talent so they didn't need other distractions.

I wonder if this is one of Hillary's favorite songs?

It's Baby Boomer Girlfriends Week

It's Baby Boomer girlfriends week here on my baby boomer jams blog. I'm starting out with one of the most successful Motown groups of the 60s. During their nine-year run on the charts from 1963 to 1972, Martha and the Vandellas had over twenty-six hits. Ten of those songs reached the top ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart. Twelve of the Vandellas' songs hit the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Martha and the Vandellas #96 on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

I might also add our very own Jaisun McMillian, of Boomer Diva Nation, used to perform with the group---although she wasn't on this recording.

I'm Your Vehicle Baby Boomer Baby

When I first heard this song I thought it was sung by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Many called the Ides of March a "knock-off group" for BS&T and that's why their one-hit wonder ended up being a huge success.

Apparenty the song is based on a true story where the lead singer of the group (Jim Peterik) fell for a girl and after 6 months of dating, the girl dumped him. A few months later he got a call from her asking him for a lift. He didn’t even hesitate in offering the lift and this continued for a long time. Even though he knew she was using him, he didn’t mind being her Vehicle.

Baby Boomers Enjoy Montego Bay

This was the only song that became a top 10 hit for Bobby Bloom. When I saw Bloom, I always wondered if it was really his voice. Remember Milli Vanilli?

Anyway, Bloom was killed in an accidental shooting a year after this song became popular (1971).

Baby Boomer One Hit Wonders

OK, this is the week we're going to jam to those songs that made us baby boomers move and groove in the 1960s and 70s. BUT, for the group, it was their one and only big hit.

This is the first song I remember that had sound effects. It was pretty cool.

So now you tell me how many one-hit wonders you remember.

With a Little Help from my Baby Boomer Friends

This song was written for and sung by Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in 1967. I always wondered what they were talking about when they said, "I get high with a little help from my friends." I would imagine some fellow baby boomers know since Woodstock was just around the corner.

OK, so come on and sing along:

Baby Boomers Soaking Up the Beatles Sunshine

After all the rain we had yesterday, this is the PERFECT song for today. Did you know Paul McCartney wrote this on a sunny day at John Lennon's house in 1966. It was influenced by the Lovin' Spoonful, who had a happy hit with "Do You Believe In Magic?"

This is one of those happy go luck songs for baby boomers. How old were you in 1966? I was nine.

Will You Still Need Me My Baby Boomer Love

I had actually forgotten about this song until a few people posted it as their favorite Beatles song on a previous post.

When I'm 64 is a song sung by a young man to his lover, and is about his plans of growing old together with her. Although the theme is about aging, it was one of the first songs McCartney wrote, when he was sixteen.

What baby boomer doesn't remember this song? And now that I'm much closer to 64 myself, that song has special significance. (Hope you're reading this Nate, honey!)

Come on and sing along!

All Aboard The Baby Boomer Beatles Train

My tribute to the Beatles continues this week with another one of my favorite songs by them. This song was also sung by the Carpenters in the 1970s.

Baby Boomer Beatles Week

Now that I've recovered from the shock of the deaths of Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac, I'm back with my favorite baby boomer jams.

This week is dedicated to The Beatles. Ever since I saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964 (I think), I was a fan. What I admired and respected about the group from Liverpool is they never hid the fact that their music was greatly influenced by the Rhythm and Blues music they heard in the United States. Many white artists in this country stole the music originally made by black artists, claimed it as their own and went on to make millions.

The Beatles are forever etched in music history. The songs I post this week are in no particular order of how I like them, although this song ranks in my favorite top three.

What is your favorite Beatles song?

Baby Boomer Issac Hayes

I came home from my mother-in-law's birthday party today and learned that Isaac Hayes had passed away.

I was going to dedicate this week to Baby Boomer Beatles jams, however, in the wake of the death of a music icon like Hayes, I am dedicating this week to him and his music. He was known as the "Black Moses."

Isaac Hayes had teamed up with the late Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson for the movie "Soul Men" due out in November of this year. Bernie Mac died one day before Hayes.

Here's the song that made Hayes a cross-over sensation:

Baby Boomer Soldier Boy

No matter how old this song gets, it will always be a favorite of the men and women who have loved ones serving in the military.

Solider Boy by sung the Shirelles and became a number one song for them in 1962. The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock and roll era. OK, so I was only five-year-old when the song came out but it's one of those "oldies but goodies" romance jams that grew up with me.

If you have someone in the military you would like to dedicate this to, please list his/her name here:

Baby Boomer Beatles Romance

What baby boomer female didn't like the Beatles growing up? As a matter of fact, I'm going to devote an entire week to my favorite Beatles tunes, giving every baby boomer a chance to take a trip down Penny Lane---no I mean Memory Lane.

OK...so here is my favorite Beatles Romance Song. The cool thing about some songs is, even as a baby boomer woman, I love them just as much now as I did back then.

As a matter of fact, I could place this over and over and over again, which I'm already doing! :)

You Can't have Baby Boomer Romance without The King

I wasn't a big Elvis fan but he did sing a few songs that I enjoyed. All Shook Up was one of them and this song makes the list of my favorite baby boomer romance jams:

A One in a Million Baby Boomer

Before he went out on his own, Larry Graham was the lead singer of a group known as Graham Central Station. But even before that he played bass in the highly successful and influential funk band Sly & the Family Stone from 1967 to 1972.

I had just graduated from college when One in a Million came out. It was a very popular wedding song at the time.

By looking at this video you can see how far lip syncing has come!

Baby Boomer Romance Week

To this day, this song remains on my all-time greatest hits list. Granted, I was only seven-years-old when the song became a hit but I think the reason I liked it so much is because my parents played it a lot and I heard it played on the radio quite a bit.

What I didn't know was the members of the group were from Akron, OH---which is not to far from where I grew up in Canton. That may explain the popularity of the song. The lead singer was Ruby Nash who went on to work for AT&T to earn a real living.

This song was the only hit for the group.

The Greatest Baby Boomer Dancer

They were sisters who used to perform under the name of "Mrs. Williams Grandchildren" when they first started out in Philadelphia. Then they went on to become Sister Sledge and burst onto the disco scene in the late 70s with their big hit: We are Family.

Bet you didn't know that We are Family hit the Billboard Charts three different times: it reached number 7 in 1979, number 33 in 1984 and number 5 in 1993.

But that wasn't my favorite song. This one was:

My Baby Boomer Boogie Shoes

Harry Wayne Casey ("KC") was a part-time record store employee and part-timer at TK Records in Miami. As a teenager he played and sang with several local bands and played piano at the Pentecostal church his family attended. He studied music at Miami-Dade Community College.

In an interview after the band became big, Casey said he noticed often that customers would come in to the record store not remembering the titles of the records they wanted, and the store would lose the sale. This is the reason so many of his songs repeat their titles over and over.


So here is my favorite Disco song by KC & The Sunshine Band:

It's Baby Boomer Disco Week

As a teenager growing up in the 70s, I was a big fan of disco music. The music was upbeat, alive and easy to dance to!

The one entertainer that I enjoyed listening to over and over again was Donna Summer. She was known as the Queen of Disco.

I remember the first time I heard "Love to Love You Baby" I couldn't believe they would play something like that on the radio. It wasn't one of my favorite songs by her. Maybe because I wasn't thinking about sex at that time.

I have two favorite songs by baby boomer Donna Summer. One was "Last Dance" and the other is this one. And I just discovered when I pulled this video from YouTube that the guy she's singing with is white. I always thought he was black.

One more thing: A friend of mine said she saw her not long ago performing in Boston and she was as good as she was back then:

Did You Ever Take a Magic Carpet Ride?

You know, it's interesting. If this song had been released today, I probably would've never heard it--much less list it as one of my favorites. But just like the song, Born to Be Wild, there was something about Steppenwolf's music that I could really get into.

"Magic Carpet Ride" appears in numerous movie soundtracks, including Star Trek: First Contact, Team America: World Police, Apollo 13, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Sahara.

Now that I'm older and have really listened to the lyrics, I wonder if this song was about sex or drugs or both. Do you know?

Born to be Baby Boomer Wild

OK...as you can see my taste in music VARIES. This is the song I sang during a karaoke night while my husband and I were on a cruise to the Bahamas. Actually, it was the second leg of our honeymoon. We spent the first part in St. Lucia.

I actually won a prize for this song---NOT BECAUSE I could sing--but I was very entertaining. I even got a couple of audience members up to dance with me.

I might also add there were members from the Couples Ministry from my church (including the pastor) on the cruise. I'm sure I was the subject of many conversations after that!

The Box Tops: What a Name for a Rock Group

The Box Tops began as The Devilles, who had started playing in Memphis in 1963. They recorded "The Letter" which became an international hit in late 1967. It reached Billboard's number-one position and remaining there for over a month. The record, produced by Dan Penn, sold over four million copies and received two Grammy awards nominations.

I was 10-years-old when this song became a hit.

Baby Boomer Rock-N-Roll Week Begins

They met in a Los Angeles coffee shot when he was 27 and she was just sweet 16. Well, maybe she wasn't so sweet.

When they first recorded this song, I was eight-years-old. This was my favorite song by them.

It's amazing to think that 40 years ago, you didn't see not one black teen dancing on any of these TV shows. Now, we're all over the place as dancing video hos!

Country Western Round -Up

I'm wrapping up County Western Week with another Patsy Cline. It was a choice btween this song and Walkin' After Midnight. I chose this one: Next week is Rock-n-Roll on the blog where baby boomers jam!!!

His Songs Gave Me A lot of Pride

He was born in a Mississippi town called Sledge and was one of eleven children of poor sharecroppers. Though he also loved music, one of his life-long dreams was to become a professional baseball player.

During his career, he has had thirty-six number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. He was one of my dad's all-time favorite singers:

Boomers Jam in Canada, Too!

I'm not she if she was classified as a country western singer but her music kind of had that cw sound--a little twang is what I call it.

One interesting tidbit I learned is her birthday is the day before mine. This Canadian Diva took this song all the way to #1 on the Hot 100 Billboard Charts in 1970.

I was 13 years-old then and just starting to get into the "lyrics" of a song versus the "beat." This is my next favorite country western baby boomer jam.

It's Country Western Week on Baby Boomer Jamz!

OK...so who says a black baby boomer can't appreciate all types of music? My parents LOVED music. My dad was a big Charley Pride fan. I fell in love with the sultry sound of this woman who was born Virginia Patterson Hensley September 8, 1932.

She died tragically at the age of 30 in a plane crash in 1963 but her music lives on forever. Can you guess who I'm talking about?

It's Not the Same Old Song

This song was released on July 9, 1965. Even though this group had other songs that seemed to be more popular, this one was my favorites.

Here's the story on how the song was made according to Wikipedia: Duke Fakir recalled: Lamont Dozier and I were both a little tipsy and he was changing the channels on the radio. He said, 'It sounds like the same old song.' And then he said, 'Wait a minute.' So he took 'I Can't Help Myself' and reversed it using the same chord changes. By 5 P.M., The Tops had recorded the song and mixing began.

Motown was a Big Hit for Baby Boomers

This song was recorded in 1964 when I was seven-years-old. Every time I hear it, it brings back memories of the times when my neighbors and I would put towels on our heads and pretend to be singing this tune. Do you know what song I'm talking about?

A Baby Boomer "Miss You" Song

Even though I was only 8 years old when I first heard this song, it became one of my favorite ballads by the Temptations. The lyrics were written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore and produced by Robinson. The record, which was released on June 1, 1965, was a top 20 pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

* Lead vocals by David Ruffin
* Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, and Otis Williams

How ironic that David Ruffin would die on the SAME DAY the song was released June 1 in 1991. He was 50-year-old at the time.

Luther Vandross went on the record the song in the 80s but as far as I'm concerned, not even Luther, could hold a candle to the original Temptations Sound. Can you guess which song it is before you hit the play button?

What was your favorite Temptations slow baby boomer jam?

Baby Boomers Grew Up on Motown

This blog is dedicated to baby boomers, like me, who grew up listening to music---all kinds of music! I'm a baby boomer whose parents were music lovers and always had the latest hit records in our home. The songs featured in this blog are the ones I would include on my all-time favorites list. Maybe we share some of the same interests. Take a listen to the best song I believe The Temptations ever sang.

What was YOUR favorite Temptations song?