About five or six years into my career, I was fortunate enough to work on a number of Ray Charles records. This is when I learned how far back Quincy Jones’ musical career actually went, seeing him credited as the songwriter of “The Ray” on the 1957 album The Great Ray Charles. In doing some further reading, I also learned that Ray Charles and Quincy Jones met as teenagers and became close friends, lending some insight into Jones’ appearance on that album. It was until now, however, that I learned that Jones’ first hit single as a producer came by way of this classic by Lesley Gore.
Song: “It’s My Party”
Artist: Lesley Gore
Songwriter(s): Herbert Wiener, John Gluck, Jr., Wally Gold
Album(s): It’s My Party (Single) / I’ll Cry If I Want To (Full-length)
Release Year(s): 1963
Song: “Your Mama Don’t Dance”
Artist: Loggins And Messina
Songwriter(s): Kenny Loggins, Jim Messina
Album(s): Loggins And Messina
Release Year(s): 1972
I Wish You Would Hear Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jFrq03xPtVVOexYHZF1OW?si=bc9df95d2d854d