Joe Simon was born in Simmesport, Louisiana in 1943. His family moved to California in the late 50s, when he joined gospel group The Golden West Gospel Singers, with whom he subsequently moved into secular music in 1959. In the early 60s he attemped to find success as a solo artist, his first break coming on the Vee-Jay label, when he scored a #13 R&B hit in 1965 with "Let's Do It Over".However he was left without a label again when Vee-Jay folded the same year.

He was then discovered by Nashville radio DJ John Richbourg, who signed him to the Sound Stage 7 label and became both his manager and producer. He quickly scored another hit, "Teenager's Prayer" getting to #11 on the R&B chart. His debut album came out in 1966 - Pure Soul introduced him as one of the great singers of southern soul. Being produced in Nashville, some interesting country music influences crept in with the strings and backing vocals. Simon would soon become known for his blending of soul and country music..

 

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Following the arrival of keyboard player Zoot Money, bassist Danny McCulloch left The Animals. Guitarist Vic Briggs was also replaced by Andy Summers, who had been with Money in British psychedelic group Dantalian's Chariot. This new lineup (Eric Burdon, Money, Summers, John Weider and Barry Jenkins) thus had no bassist - Money handled it in the studio, and on stage it was passed around between guitarists Summers and Weider.

They released a new album in 1968, the group's third from that year. Love Is was a double album, and consisted almost entirely of covers. There was also an excellent original song from Burdon, and a twenty-minute medley of two Dantalian's Chariot numbers written by Summers and Money. The album's sound was big and powerful, and the result was surely the masterpiece of the latter-day Animals. It even generated one final minor hit, as "Ring Of Fire" got to #35 in the UK.

 

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from the LP "Pride" Warner Bros WS 1848 (1970)

"Do You Believe In Magic" had given The Lovin' Spoonful a massive hit in 1965, and they were quick to follow up with more. "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" reached #10 in early 1966, followed by two which got to #2 - "Daydream" and "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind" (the latter had originally featured on their debut album). These singles secured their place as a hit-making pop group, not only in the US but also the UK (the last two singles getting to #2 and #3 on the UK charts).

Their second album came out in 1966, featuring both "Daydream" and "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice". It was a fine example of their upbeat blend of pop and jug band music. Whilst their debut album had featured covers of traditional folk songs, Daydream was notable for all the songs save one being written or co-written by frontman John Sebastian.

 

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Dion DiMucci had seen success with a number of hits in the early 60s. However the mid 60s were a period of commercial decline for him, as changing public tastes rendered his brand of pop music obsolete. His last Top 10 hit was in 1963, and for the next four years he did not trouble the charts. The singles he did release during this time saw him experimenting with both blues and folk-rock, as he tried to find a new direction. In 1967 he re-united for one album with his original group The Belmonts, but that too failed to produce any hits.

1968 was the year of his comeback. Citing a religious experience as inspiration, he kicked his heroin addiction and resigned with Laurie Records, with whom he had released most of his original hits. He recorded a recent song by Dick Hollier which was a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans - Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy (the last two having both been killed just earlier that year). "Abraham, Martin & John" was a beautiful record, a completely new sound for Dion, set to a folk-rock backing with lush, swirling orchestration (including some notable harp flourishes). It suited his supple, soulful voice perfectly, and became a huge hit, getting to #4 on the pop chart and effectively relaunching his career.

 

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