Re James Ray, he was one great talent, although that song was better known over here because Freddie & The Dreamers took it to nearly the top of the UK charts around 1963 in a most dreadful version.

There was also a great version by Maxine Brown a few years later.

Lots of Liverpool groups did the song, and also his two follow-ups "Got My Mind Set On You" (which of course George Harrison re-did again in 1987), and "Itty Bitty Pieces" which every Mersey band had a go at at one point or other.

I bought his US album which was called "James Ray", which has some great stuff on it. I don;t think he wrote much - Rudy Clark (who penned "The Shoop Shoop Song") seems to have written most of the album.

Odd thing is that James Ray is dead, but nobody knows when it happened, or how. Some say drugs, some say he died in a street accident. Some say 1962 - some say 1964 and some say 1969. Oddly enough, or perhaps because he was a vagrant, there is no death certificate filed for him anywhere apparently.

Another influential US song from that period which lots of bands over here did, but which meant little back in its home country was "Everyday I Have To Cry", by Steve Alaimo. Great brass sound - it came out on Checker in the USA I think.

Somebody said recently that he is the same Steve Alaimo who runs Vision Records in Miami, but I am not sure if that is correct.

There were an awful lot of really great records that never made the Top 20, but were really influential - the trouble is trying to recall them all at this stage!

• RE: Election Day - John 11/09/2008 15:15:52 EST (1)