Saturday Night Attitude Dancing at the 2023 Birthday of Mort Shuman, Booker T Jones, and Bob Crewe

by Robert Wilkinson

For our main act today, we celebrate the lives and works of 3 great Scorpio talents! Mort Shuman and Bob Crewe wrote and/or produced some of the greatest tunes of the 50s and 60s, and Booker T has defined cool organ for a half century!

We’ll begin with Mort Shuman (November 12, 1936 - November 2, 1991), Brill Building pianist and songwriter who, in partnership with Doc Pomus (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), created some of the most iconic songs of the last half of the 20th century. Their tunes were major hits, and among the many who took them to the top of the charts were Elvis, Dion, Bobby Darin, and Drifters, and many more! Ready for a bunch of blasts from the past? Here’s the songwriting genius of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman!

From 1960, here’s the original studio version of “Save the Last Dance for Me”

Here are two more big ones from the Drifters, written by Doc and Mort!

From 1960, fronted by Ben E. King, the magnificent studio version of “This Magic Moment”

From 1961 “Sweets for My Sweet”

From 1956, a tune Doc wrote for Ray Charles, “Lonely Avenue”

Live on television in 1976, a great performance by Eric Burdon of “Lonely Avenue”

From 2012, an audio-only live performance by Van Morrison of “Lonely Avenue”

Most don’t know that Doc wrote “Young Blood” before turning it over to another legendary pair of Brill Building songwriters, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who re-wrote it and made it into a huge hit for the Coasters in 1957. For your enjoyment, “Ýoung Blood”

From 1959, Dion and the Belmonts lip synching their huge hit, “Teenager in Love”

From the Mystics in 1959, another huge Pomus-Shuman hit, “Hushabye”

From 1981, now as senior citizens, the Mystics in a PBS special performing "Hushabye"

The Beach Boys did their own version in 1964, with some incredible harmonies! “Hushabye”

From the King of Rock and Roll, the original studio version of the 1961 smash hit “(Marie’s the Name) of his latest flame

From 1986, here's Elvis Costello and the Attractions in a very rowdy live performance of "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" (The music begins about 3:30 into it.)

This is a great find! From a 1989 concert in NYC, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe give us a country fried version of “(Marie’s the Name) of his latest flame

Also from 1961, the King giving us the studio version of Doc and Mort’s major hit, “Surrender”

From 1970, Elvis in a live performance of “Little Sister”

Here’s another great live performance in the studio that really rocks! “Little Sister”

Here’s the original studio 1961 version by the King of “Little Sister”

A clip from the 1964 movie of the same name, “Viva Las Vegas”

From 1964 on American Bandstand, Terry Stafford lip-synching his top 5 hit written by Doc and Mort for Elvis, “Suspicion”

From 1964, here is the original studio version by the Hollies doing “Here I Go Again”

From 1966, here are the Small Faces in a live performance doing an amazing and highly electric version of Mort Shuman’s “Sha-La-La-La-Lee”

Also from 1966, the legendary German rock band, the Rattles, doing “Sha-La-La-La-Lee”

From 1969, Andy Williams in a live performance of a tune he took to #2 in 1963, “Can’t Get Used to Losing You”

Also from 1963, the original studio version by Bobby Darin of "Can't Get Used to Losing You."

We’ll close this tribute with the sweet country sound of the great Emmylou Harris live in 1980 giving us “Save the Last Dance For Me,” which we’ll follow with an earlier undated VERY country performance of “Save the Last Dance for Me.”

Here’s a rare audio-only version by Jon Bon Jovi of "Save the Last Dance for Me.”

We’ll close this tribute with something from the early 70s, when he lived and composed in France. It's a completely different sound which he made a hit in Europe. Here's one of Mort's hit songs, "(Il Neige Sur) Le Lac Majeur"

From 1973, the studio recording of Mort’s “Papa Tango Charly”

And for our closing number, here’s Mort live on French tv in 1976 performing his composition “Brooklyn By The Sea”

RIP Mort. You died way too young at the age of 52 in a London hospital from complications due to a liver operation. Thanks for the tunes of my childhood!

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Our next birthday tribute goes out to musical prodigy Booker T Jones (November 12, 1944). Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, he was key to the Memphis/Stax/Volt sound. With his band, Booker T and the MGs were one of the tightest soul groups ever to hit the airwaves. And they backed some of the greatest of all time!

His keyboards were a compelling part of everything he ever played on, including when he and the MGs were the backing band for a whole host of major talent, including Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and Sam and Dave. You can also see him playing keyboards for the Blues Brothers in their movies, hitting the groove! Along with Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, and Al Jackson Jr., these guys cut some immortal tunes. Today we celebrate his life and music!

Here’s his first foray into commercial fame! This tune features a 16-year old Booker T providing the sax to the Rufus and Carla Thomas hit "Cause I Love You"

From Shindig in 1966, Booker T and the MGs performing a short version of the breakthrough hit “Green Onions”

7 years later George Lukas turned the song into an iconic background for street racing in American Graffiti! Here’s the drag race scene set to “Green Onions”

We now flash forward to 1988 in Montreux for another great performance of “Green Onions.”

For your enjoyment, here are Duck Dunn, Steve Cropper, Booker T Jones, and Al Jackson Jr. in 1967, the originals in a live performance at their peak backing Otis, Sam and Dave, and many more. That year they were the Stax performers' backing band at the Monterey Pop Festival in the legendary Summer of Love in 1967. While last year I had the full 50 minute set of Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, it’s disappeared this year, so instead, here’s the entire Otis Redding performance groovin’ high at Monterey. This is historic footage of one of the greatest live performances imaginable!

“Shake” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”

“Respect”

“Satisfaction” (Mick never rocked this hard!)

“Try A Little Tenderness”

The 10 minute audio clip of Booker T and the MGs taken off the sound board as disappeared. I found them as individual clip. For your enjoyment, Booker T and the MGs at Monterey performing “Booker-Loo” followed by “Hip Hug Her,” and finished by “Philly Dog.”

From Norway in 1967, Booker T and the MGs in a live video cranking out an extended version of their "too cool for words" biggest hit, “Green Onions.”

Unfortunately, the whole set of the Mar-Keys Stax/Volt Review in Europe 1967 is still nowhere to be found. Since last year, “Tic Tac Toe,” “Last Night” and “Philly Dog” have all disappeared. That said, I found this 25 minute clip of parts of the show!

Stax/Volt 1966 European Tour (“Shake” by Otis Redding, “Green Onions,” “When Something is Wrong with My Baby” and “Hold On I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave, “Satisfaction” and “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding)

From that legendary tour, backing Otis Redding, a smokin’ 6+ minute version of the extraordinary musical juggernaut, “Try A Little Tenderness”

Since the Norway show clip disappeared, here’s an audio-only performance in 1967 in France of “Tic Tac Toe.”

This year, I found a great 39 minute audio album of the show in London. Stax/Volt Revue Volume 1 - Live in London

Going back to one of the best, you can hear him laying down the organ grooves behind Otis Redding in the original version of “Respect” the gyrating pulse of “I Can’t Turn You Loose.” and the extraordinarily powerful "Try A Little Tenderness."

Here he and the band are the instrumentation behind Sam and Dave in the oh so funky studio originals of “Hold On I’m Comin’” and "Soul Man."

Here’s the band backing Albert King in the awesome “Born Under A Bad Sign”

Here are Booker T and the MGs doing a live 1970 performance of their smash hit “Time Is Tight.” Here’s a long 12+ minute clip of the band live at the Rochester Jazz Festival in 2010 of “Time is Tight."

In a different atmosphere, here Booker T, Steve, and Duck back George Harrison in Madison Square Garden cranking out a respectable version of Bob Dylan's rocker, "Absolutely Sweet Marie."

From 2002 in Germany, here's a clip of fellow birthday boy Neil Young with Booker T and the MGs laying down "All Along the Watchtower." Last year I had “Two Old Friends,” but this year it’s gone.

Here’s an hour and a half of Booker T and the MGs backing Neil Young in Belgium in the Summer of 1993! Booker T and the Mgs and Neil Young in Belgium

Well close today with Duck and Steve and other great players backing the Blues Brothers in a cooking version of "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love."

To give you a sense of how good they were, Duck Dunn uttered an immortal line in that movie. The immortal line? "We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline."

Happy Birthday, Booker T Jones! Thanks for all the very cool dance grooves throughout the decades. May you rock on for many, many more.

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Our third birthday boy is the legendary songwriter-producer Bob Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014). He was the production genius behind the Four Seasons, as well as a major talent in his own light. Still, he’ll go down in history as the producer and/or co-writer (with the equally great Bob Gaudio) of 11 Top Ten hits for the Four Seasons, of which 5 went to #1. Wow. His songbook includes some of the best known songs of the last half of the 20th century, many of which are still being performed today by all kinds of artists.

Because Bob Gaudio’s birthday is in just a few days, I’ll be giving you all those great 4 Seasons’ songs then. Instead, today I’ll include a few huge hits he wrote and/or produced that are part of the great American pop songbook!

His first hit went to #3 in the 1957 charts! Performed by the Rays, here’s “Silhouettes” Here’s the flip side, also a hit! “Daddy Cool”

He wrote and produced this #1 for Diane Renay in 1963! “Navy Blue”

Here was another huge Bob Crewe production! From 1964 on American Bandstand, here’s Freddie “Boom Boom” Cannon in a live performance of “Tallahassee Lassie”

From 1965, Eddie Rambeau singing Bob Crewe’s “Concrete and the Clay”

Also from 1965, here’s Bob Crewe’s production of the Toys’ gigantic #2 hit “A Lover’s Concerto”

Mitch Ryder was another Bob Crewe artist who scored big with “Devil With A Blue Dress” and “Jenny Take A Ride/CC Rider”

Bob even had this hit under his own name! Here's The Bob Crewe Generation’s studio version of “Music To Watch Girls By”

Here's a great live performance by the Tremeloes of "Silence Is Golden"

From 1966, here are the Walker Brothers in a live performance on Ready Steady Go of Bob Crewe's "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore"

Produced by Bob Crewe, here’s Lesley Gore’s hit “California Nights”

Also produced by Bob, here’s Oliver singing his monster hits “Jean” and “Good Morning Starshine”

In yet another great Bob Crewe production from 1975, here’s Patti Labelle grinding out the song voted one of the top 500 in history, the oh so provocative “Lady Marmalaid” Get your yayas out!

We’ll end this tribute with another BC production, this time of Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson's studio version of “You’re Looking Like Love To Me”

For our encore, we’ll close with the original studio version of one of his greatest hits, delivered by the magnificent Frankie Valli! “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (And of course, there will be an entire tribute to his work with the 4 Seasons on Bob Gaudio’s birthday, so stay tuned!)

Thanks for all the incredible tunes across the years, Mister Bob Crewe. You were a master of your craft, and contributed immeasurably to the Great American Songbook. Your music will live forever!

© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson

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