More Of Your First 45's Memories

Here Are MORE of Your FIRST 45's Memories!!!

Sharing MORE of your Musical Memories ... keep 'em comin' folks!!!

Send us YOUR FIRST 45's and then watch for them to appear in these FORGOTTEN HITS Pages!!!

kent .....

i'm so glad my girlfriend, Doreen, turned me on to your site. i am totally enjoying it. my first 45 was bought for me by my dad, who i think you know was Art Carney. he loved music, especially jazz piano. Oscar Peterson was like a god to him. anyway, my first 45 was "Cappucina" by Nat King Cole. great record which came out in the late 50's. i was about 8 yrs. old. i still have it today. anyhow, i just had to write you and thank you for all the time you put into your site. Very much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Paul Carney

Wow! Thanks for writing. (I'm not sure I knew that ART CARNEY's son was on our list ... so I appreciate the email ... and the participation!!!) Glad you're enjoying FORGOTTEN HITS! (kk)

My first 45 came as quite a shock to my parents. Our home was filled with records as my father, Jimmie Rodgers, was a record star in his own right. Dad was very cool but fairly middle of the road at that time. I walked in the house at about 9 years old with my first 45 purchase of Joe Tex singing "I Gotcha" b/w Mama's Prayer. To this day, I can still remember the look on Dad's face when I started howling at the top of my lungs "I GOTCHA ... thought I didn't see ya now didn't cha!" all through the house. I would sneak up behind anybody I could find and scream "I GOTCHA!" It was all so entertaining. Great memories.

Michael Rodgers / Roatan Honduras.

How cool is that?!?!? ANOTHER "Famous Son" on our list!!! Yeah, I can't picture JIMMIE singin' along with JOE TEX on THIS one!!! (lol) Thanks for sending, MICHAEL ... glad you're enjoying FORGOTTEN HITS! (kk)

Kent:

Thanx for including Mike Smith's "Something Else", it is definitely better than the original as is the DC5's "Do You Love Me." Unfortunately, I'm forced to play the Contours' version on the radio and banned from playing the DC5's version which to me, is much MUCH BETTER!

Wild Bill Cody

I wasn't familiar with MIKE SMITH's version so thanks go out to TIM KILEY for sharing that one with us. HE hadn't made the connection between this tune and the EDDIE COCHRAN original, a #56 CASH BOX Hit in 1959, until he read SCOTT SHANNON's account of HIS First 45. (By the way, SCOTT told me that it was a REAL pleasure to hear his all-time favorite song sung by one of his all-time favorite singers!) I've mentioned before that I was fortunate enough to catch MIKE SMITH in concert when he passed through the midwest a few years back ... right before his accident ... and it was, without question, one of the BEST concerts I've ever seen in my life. (I don't remember them selling CDs out the lobby afterwards, however, or I SURELY would have bought the one that this came from!!!) Here's hoping that MIKE will warble a note or two at this year's ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Ceremony ... he has one of the GREAT voices of rock and roll. By the way,

DIDJAKNOW?-1: SOMETHIN' ELSE was written by SHARON SHEELEY, who was injured in the same car accident that took EDDIE COCHRAN's life???

DIDJAKNOW?-2: The MIKE SMITH CD is now COMPLETELY out of print ... I talked to some of the folks at his website and the hope is that now that MIKE is out of the hospital, efforts will be made to have more copies pressed and offered for sale via the website. We'll keep you posted. (I DID find a VINYL copy of the LP on EBAY for around $30 if anyone is interested.) kk

Kent,
The first single I remember buying myself was "Runaround" by The Regents on Gee Records, I believe. It was the single after "Barbara Ann" and before their next single called "Liar." I loved those songs. My father liked the 45 so much he made a deal with me ... I wouldn't play that record when he was around and he wouldn't kill me!
Strangest thing, when Sha Na Na was playing the Steve Paul Scene, on West 46th Street in Manhattan in 1969, after a night of jamming, at about five o'clock AM, I got a cab back up to Harlem where I shared an apartment with another group member. When I got in, the cab driver asked me, in a heavy duty Bronx accent if I was one of "Those Sha Na Nas." He went on to talk to me for over an hour about a group he was in when he was a kid: "The Regents!" While the story he told was a textbook case of a band being ripped off by everyone involved with them, his love of the music was untarnished. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. Here's to "The Regents, Doo-wop and first 45's!

Henry Gross

Lucky Devil by Carl Dobkins, Jr. was one of my oldest brother's first 45's. He (like Kent) also had "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Bikini" on Keen (with pic of Brian taped to sleeve that he got somewhere to make his own pic sleeve at the time) as well as "Transistor Sister" by Freddy Cannon and his first was "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston. My OTHER younger than above brother, but older than me brother, had first 45s of "Jump Over" and "Muskrat Rumble" by Freddy Cannon as well. Shout out to Freddy: WE LOVE YOU! We still have those 45s and always loved the fact that Swan gave you pic sleeves for most all of them! I gotta say that my love for the DC5 and their sax rock had to be in part from the great sax stuff on your rockin 45s. Both your 45s and the DC5 had that same incredible energy. Now that the DC5 are in the RNR Hall of Shame, Freddy needs to be there. I'm not saying anymore on that horrible Hall of Shame stuff, tho. I was right there buying "Action" and "Dedication Song" in '65. I still remember all the kids holding the hips of the one in front in a chain (what dance is that?) behind Freddy as he did the song on Bandstand. So many great memories of Freddy's music!!!

WLSClark

I can't remember if you had featured this answer song before but after reading about your first 45 purchase, I wanted to make sure that you had it. I'm still in one of my old PCs transferring songs. It's called "Four Shy Girls" and was done by The Girlfriends.
Danny

Nope, I've never heard this one! (I'm guessing not a lot of other people have either ... it never charted!) kk

I think it was my aunt who more or less introduced me to music. I can remember listening to "Oh Carole" at my grandmother's at the beginning of the '60s. She would have been about 17 at the time. (I was a small boy, of course.)

The first record I bought with my own money was Hedgehoppers Anonymous' "It's Good News Week." I was about 8 at the time, but it takes me back to the days when I used to buy singles at a record shop downtown called "Thornes." Great days, at least when I think back - saving my pocket money to go down into town to Thornes. The records were sold in the basement in a little room and had their own maroon colored cardboard sleeves with Thornes printed on the front. It doesn't seem to be the same anymore, going to the huge electronic hypermarkets to buy CDS ... ah, the memories!

Dave

my first 45 - myself and my siblings had enough money to buy a 45 and we chose Green Door by Jim Lowe - a great track, but i was disappointed by the short playing time and i did not like the b side, Little Man In Chinatown -
Brian the poet
Glenbrook NSW Australia

I believe it was ''Atom Bomb Baby''by The Five Stars on the Kernel record label.
Kay

I didn't buy 45s in the '50s. It always seemed that the 45 was out-of-date so soon. (Who knew about collecting back then?) I much preferred to drop a quarter into the jukebox and make my six selections. Next week there would be new songs I could hear for my quarter. I also chose LPs over 45s because I got tired of putting pennies and nickels on the tone arm to keep the record from skipping after the second or third song had played. There was one 45 I recall buying. I wasn't hearing it much on the radio, and the jukeboxes didn't have it, so I had no choice. I'm sure it wasn't the first, but it's the one that I recall - Long Line Rider by Bobby Darin. I might still have it.

The first 45's I purchased were "My Bonnie Came Back" by Duane Eddy and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by The Platters. My first 45 gift was "Young Love" by Sonny James. The first bought were from my birthday money. The next few days, my Dad gave me money to go buy "16 Candles" by the Crests and "Let's Love" by Johnny Mathis. My mother's birthday was his reason.

Lee

I was living in Rome, NY, in 1962 and on cold nights all we would do was watch TV. One of the shows we would regularly watch was "The Donna Reed Show" and I developed a huge crush on Shelley Fabares. When she sang "Johnny Angel" on that show, I nearly flipped. I remember I got on my bike and went to the store and spent part of my allowance money on my first 45 - "Johnny Angel" - and from then on, it was "Shelley who was an angel to ME."
Sergio

The first 45 I ever got was a gift - "Alvin's Harmonica" by the Chipmunks, along with an album, Dean Martin's "Swingin' Down Yonder." (Actually, Dino's laid back vocal style fits nicely with the easygoing Southern image.)
My first two 45s I bought with my own allowance money - bought at the same time when I was 10 - were Bobby Rydell's "Volare" and Paul Anka's "Hello Young Lovers." Love that big band, big beat sound!
-- Ken Williamson in Burbank, CA

My first 45 was Bad To Me by Billy J Kramer, which my sister gave to me.

WHAT GREAT STORIES!!! THERE WERE SOME GREAT, GREAT RECORDS AND SONGS BACK THEN! TO ME, THE THE BREAKTHROUGH RECORD OF R&B AND ROCK AND ROLL WAS: SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL BY BIG JOE TURNER ... THIS SONG LIVES ON ... YOU HEAR IT ONE TIME AND YOU'RE SINGING IT! HAPPY NEW YEAR

FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON

Thanks, this is your best series ever.

Dolph

Thanks!!! Keep 'em comin', folks ... we LOVE it!!! (kk)

What a delightful assortment of music and memories - great stuff - My first 45 (which I still have) was Frankie Avalon's "Venus" (Chancellor Records) that plays well on my refurbished 1950s era RCA Victor record player - it's a delightful machine with true high fidelity sound. Makes all those original pressing 45s a delight to listen to and a thrill to watch change and drop onto the turntable - vinyl rules!

Mike

Well, I finally decided to get in on your First 45 being that my first 45 has not been mentioned. (I wonder why!)

My first 45 was The All American Boy. There seems to be some controversy concerning the artist. Some say it was Bobby Bare - others say Bill Parsons. My 45 had Bill Parsons as the artist, but I've read through the years that it was actually Bobby Bare. Anyway, I didn't actually purchase the 45 as I was all of 8 or 9 years old. I acquired it through a radio show called "Name It and Claim It." All you had to do was be the first to call in when "The" song was played and if you could name it, it was yours and, of course, I could name any tune in two notes back then lol. As far as the first 45 I purchased, I don't think I ever did purchase a 45 being that I had four older sisters and they had every 45 we wanted. My actual first purchase was the Meet the Beatles album because by then, my sisters were not into the Beatles so I was on my own. After that it was every Beatles album I could get my hands on. Funny how some memories stick with you .....

Dove

Loving this first 45s talk. Before I knew, I thought EP had something to do with Elvis Presley & I wasn't sure who LP was. My first EP WAS an Elvis Presley record on RCA Victor label, I believe, so you can see where that one came from. I Was The One was one of the songs ... that one had a quaint message, didn't it?

OK, here's my first post to this group ....
First 45: Rivieras, "Count Every Star" (Coed.) Loved - still love - their rich harmonies throughout, and the bass-and-chorus interplay on the "count now" section. The huge ending still gets me every time.
Second 45: Tommy Sands, "Teenage Crush," proving that I was still a little kid at the time. (Dumb flip, "Hep Dee Hootie," is still a VERY guilty pleasure.) I confess to have never outgrown my taste for good doo-wop or good pop, despite a long history in progressive rock and a still-eager appetite for new music.
First 78 (!): Frank Chacksfield & His Orchestra, the original "Ebb Tide," betraying my classical roots. My piano teacher said the song was structurally "elementary," but it has certainly endured.
Second 78: David Whitfield, "Cara Mia" (backed by Mantovani!) Again, betraying my classical roots; I never stayed with opera, however. As much as I like this, I dislike Jay & The Americans' version, although I appreciate Jay Black's amazing lung power.
Coolest rock & roll 78s I own: one Elvis on Sun (I think it's "That's Alright, Mama," but it's been years without a viable 78 player); Playboys' "So Good" (Tetra - New York doo-wop); some Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers and Cleftones on Gee. All are also on either 45, LP or CD, so I do play the songs if not the original copies.
Country Paul
(happy to be aboard)

Hi Kent,

I remember my first 45, it was Sukiyaki, don't know who it's by, and never knew what they said, but I loved it nonetheless. I played it over and over and over again, much to my family's dismay. I could even sing along with it, parroting the syllables of Japanese.

Take Care,

Cathy

I love it, too ... beautiful melody ... c'mon, everybody, sing along!!! (kk)

Kent -

My first 45 record was "You Don't Have to Be A Baby To Cry" by the Caravelles. It was not one of Rock and Roll's greatest hits, but was my first purchase. It was in the early 60's and I remember I used my Christmas money to go to Norsworthy's Music Store in Vernon , Texas, to purchase it.

Buddy

Kent,

I enjoy reading people's accounts of their first 45. For me it was "Sink the Bismarck" by Johnny Horton in the spring of 1960. I bought it at a 5 & 10 cent store (remember those?) in my hometown of Lexington, KY. It was 99 cents (no sales tax in those days) -- a lot of money at the time. A haircut was also a dollar. I recall later that year hearing the news that Horton had died in a car wreck. Buddy Holly's death had not registered with me, but the death of Johnny Horton did, and at the age of 10, I was quite sad.
Dan Crabtree

I haven't contributed to the "First 45s" feature for a couple of reasons, number one of which is the fact that I've always been an LP kinda guy. Our family didn't have a whole lot of what's now known as disposable income when I was growing up (cue weepy violins) so when I had a little extra $$, I tried to make it stretch as far as I could. By my brand of logic, it made more sense to spend $2.67 for a mono copy of an album and get 12 songs rather than spend $0.79 for 2 songs on a 45. I can remember the first three albums that I bought - The Rolling Stones / Out of Our Heads, Bob Dylan / Bringing it All Back Home and Simon & Garfunkel / Sounds of Silence - but I couldn't even remember ever buying a 45. But, after reading some of the responses to the "First 45s" thread, a little light bulb went off. I do remember buying a 45! I had heard Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" on the radio. It knocked me out. Loved it. But I was in the minority. Radio airplay for that song quickly dried up. I couldn't hear it anywhere on the dial. I figured I'd just have to wait to get it on Dylan's next album but somewhere I heard or read that it was only to be released as a single and not issued on an LP. So, I trekked to the local discount department store and coughed up my money for a copy of the single. I now remember later on buying another Dylan 45, "I Want You" (with picture sleeve) that had that great live version of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" as its B-Side. Other than those two singles, however, I can't recall buying any other 45's back in the 60's. The LP habit grew and grew until it now has taken over waaaaay too much space in our house. I've picked up plenty of 45's along the way, but nearly all of those have been on the wholesale/re-sell market. At any rate, add me to the list of "First 45ers" now that the fog has cleared (at least temporarily) from my memory banks.
................ Ed44

Ok, lets go back a few years, I already told you my first 45 was mother-in-law, now I'll tell you my first 78 -- it was poor old kaw liga by hank williams

date of birth 5/25/1945; gonna be 63

Forever3fandasr

First 45’s I ever got, as Christmas gifts, were on the Hit label. Three of those sound-a-like recordings, including “Don’t Hang Up” by the Dacrons, which I ended up preferring to the original Orlons record. Deluxe Music on Milwaukee Ave in Chicago was indeed a great place. I found it in the 80’s. They had listening booths in there, although they weren’t operational by that time. The guy there told me they had a ton of records in the basement, but would never let me down there. They are closed now. I wonder what was down there and where those records ended up. When WFYR / Chicago was an oldies station, they had an advertiser called “Universal Music” on Ashland Ave. So I went there. The place was huge. Not only did they have tons of new stuff, but they must have had 20 or 30 banquet tables with cut out 45’s, all for 9 cents. I’d take the EL there and spend hours looking at 45’s.

Tony Waitekus

Hi there!

First, I would like to say 'thanks' for sending the newsletters - I enjoy reading them and really do appreciate all the effort and hard work that goes into sending them out.

The first record I ever bought was ... (are ya ready for this one?) - "Love Is Strange" by Mickey and Sylvia - BUT - I was only 10 years old! However, the first record I ever OWNED was "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino (which I still have.) It was given to me by my uncle with a neat little record player to play it on. I have to say that my parents (especially my dad) really liked this 'new thing' called Rock N Roll. They had no objections to it what-so-ever. (Altho - Mom hated "Little Richard" - Dad loved him!) Having a brother four years older that me exposed me to the music at a pretty early age ... which was great for me. I remember, we were always allowed to spend our allowance, or any xmas, birthday money on anything we wanted. - so of course - it was records! records! records! Such nice memories.

Oldeebutgoodie

Grew up in a small city in north AL named Arab. Went to work in a TV repair shop in 1963. The shop also sold 45's . The first one I purchased and brought home was Walk Like A Man by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I still have the record today.

Enjoy the Newsletter Very Much ... Keep up the good work.

Troy

It took me a long time to locate my old LPs and 45s to be able to answer this question. I was surprised to find I had only six 45s total; apparently I always went for the LPs (over 250). I do remember my very first record of any sort was a Christmas gift the year I was 11 - The Monkees' "Headquarters" LP. I did get copies of the first two LPs for my 12th birthday. The first 45 was The Monkees' Colgems release "I'm A Believer" with the flip side of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (little surprise there), with the picture jacket.
Anita

Can't remember exactly what might have been the first 45 I ever bought [probably Elvis, Jerry Lee or Little Richard] but I do remember the very first record I bought with my own money was a 78 -- "Lotta Lovin" - Gene Vincent.
coodercat

One of those great records in my sister's collection of 45's. She's still got her copy packed away in one of those boxes that used to have 75 45s in them. She had two boxes and I'll bet I spent five nights a week just listening to them instead of doing my homework. I think I was rewarded a whole lot more for the music than I would have been studying algebra and biology.

I got “Way Down Yonder” by Freddy Cannon for my 4^th Birthday in March, 1960!

Ken

I've been lurking long enough and this first 45 trend has pushed me to come out in the open, but mainly to try and remember what was my first 45. Living in France in the late 50's and early 60's meant that it wasn't easy getting US artist records in those days. There was one weekly 30 minutes radio program in which some woman, apparently based in New York, played the latest rock and pop releases. I'll never forget her, she molded my taste in music forever. This is when I heard for the first time Elvis, Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee, Bobby Rydell, Gary US Bonds, Freddy Cannon, you name them, she played them all. My father had the first tape recorder I ever saw. I quickly managed to make it work and I religiously recorded those programs. I still have some of them! The next step was to try and get hold of some of these records, but that's another story, which brings me back to the topic of the day. I think it may well be "My Prayer" by The Platters (which, by the way, was a huge hit in France.) At about the same time, there was also Paul Anka and "Diana." So it's got to be one of those two. After that, there was no stopping ... and I started collecting records up until today ... which explains the huge size of my collection.

Frank

my grandmother bought me several for my birthday, the only two i remember of that group are 'the rain, the park and other things' by the cowsills, and 'come on down to my boat, baby' by every mothers' son.

jim trawicki

austin, tx

Hi Kent,

My first 45 was "Take Good Care Of My Baby" by Bobby Vee. I bought it at Polk Bros. (Remember those stores?) It would be just the beginning of many I would buy there. I also remember hiding in the corner of one of their TV rooms to watch "Bonanza" in color about the same time. NBC and the peacock. Of course, that is another subject all together. Thanks for putting me on the list. It's just too much fun.

Bill Emerson

Holy Moly! Some of these first 45's people are writing to you about make mine seem new! My first 45 was My Special Angel ... but not by Bobby Helms or Keely Smith {never even HEARD that version!}, but the 1968 version by The Vogues. I was 14 and I had a "boyfriend" whom this song just reminded me of. If I was home sick from school, I called the radio station to ask them to play it and also several times a day after school. I'm sure they got sick of hearing from me! LOL I finally decided I had to have a copy of it. So, I used some of the money I made from my paper route to buy it. My older sister had all of the Beatles songs so I didn't have to worry about hearing them .... she played them all of the time anyway.

~Sharon {TokeiTwo}

When I was but a wee lass, I already knew that I would be a music lover, as I think I came out of the womb singing. And never stopped singing. Does this scare you? Anyway, on my 6th birthday, (when Mason Ramsey was approximately three weeks old), my parents bought me a record player. The first 45 rpm record I ever owned was The Ballad of Davy Crockett. It was the best present I ever got from them. And, wow, ten years later I had an amazing collection, which I worked to pay for by transporting a young girl who couldn't walk from class to class. $24.00 per month seemed like a lot in the '60's. And, to this day, I cannot get enough music in my house.

Jan Howard

My first ones had a "lot of legs" i.e., I liked them early and late. "Bye Bye Love" was my first. Buddy Holly the next three.

Dolph

My first memory of buying my first 45 was Hound Dog by Elvis. Did you know ... Ed Sullivan had a nasty auto accident which caused him to miss five shows, including the one on September 9, 1956. Actor Charles Laughton filled in as guest host, and it was he who first introduced Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show.

CPass

My first 45 was a beat-up copy of Elvis' "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" / "I Gotta Know" from a kid down the street for 10 cents. I remember thinking the "2:34" (or whatever the duration was) meant the time of day the song was recorded. The first time I tried multi-tracking (with two cassette recorders) was with a rendition of "I Gotta Know."

VoteForDan

I was 10 years old in 1956 when I bought Elvis's Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel .... still got it in good condition .....

Ken ... Rangely1952

How about "April Love" by Pat Boone. It was actually, get this, attached to the side of a laundry detergent box from the grocery store back in 1957 here in the MN. Also in those days, one could "dial up" a phone number which played excerpts from several 45 songs released that week.
Wow, how things have changed.
beefer

Kent,

How about some First 45's from Canada! Early in 1960, I had just discovered Top 40 radio (actually back then, it was Top 50 radio). I listened to it non stop on my parents Stromberg-Carlson HUGE console radio (well, it was huge to a little kid like me). The first RECORD I bought that year was Freddy Cannon's "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans"... but it wasn't on a 45. It was a 78 rpm because that's all my parents had to play records on The record player was on the top of the Stromberg-Carlson radio. You lifted the lid to play records. I spun that 78 so often that the shellac started to wear out. Later that same year, I got a Seabreeze record player for my birthday that played both 33 and 45 ... but not 78. While we were visiting my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Easton, Pennsylvania, I bought my first '45' at a tiny record store on the main street ..."Volare" by Bobby Rydell in a red picture sleeve. I still have the 45, but not the 78. It's too bad because Freddy's 78 is probably worth more than Bobby's 45 these days.

Doug Thompson

I have been SO busy up to this time that I have been unable to comment on any of your cool pages you have sent. I want to try to write a first 45s here before I leave town again for New Years, so I have no idea how it will turn out because of time again! Great series.

Like many, my first 45s were ones my mom and dad gave me. I have no idea how they got them. Maybe the 39 cent bins?
Apple Blossom Time / Ebb Tide - Platters (Great renditions but flop 45. This one looks and plays like I once taped 5 quarters on the tone arm to go thru skips. I probably did that. I know I taped coins to it sometimes to get 45s to play.)

Kissin' Tree / Gotta Travel On - Billy Grammar (2 sided winner! Actually, we more often laughed at these two 45s than liked them!)

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer / Spain - Chipmunks (My dad brought this back from Oklahoma City for Christmas. He was often stationed there in the 60's with FAA for school and brought the Chipmunks Christmas LP a year earlier. That got broken.)

Two non-parent freebies: Walkin' the Chalk - Swingin' Conners (This one the actual group showed up at our new shopping strip in Dodge City and played out of a Bond Bread truck and signed 45s for us kids! My first "concert"!!

That Sunday, That Summer / Mr. Wishing Well - Nat King Cole When we visited KOMA in OKC in '63, DJ Chuck Dann gave us a tour of the station and gave each of us four kids an autographed (by him) 45. This was mine. Great song!!

As for first 45s I ever bought:
Heartaches - Marcels
Cradle of Love - Johnny Preston
Everybody - Tommy Roe
It's All Right - Impressions
Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton
South Street - Orlons
Stewball - Peter, Paul & Mary
Hoochie Coochie Coo - Hank Ballard
Alvin for President - Chipmunks
Volare - Bobby Rydell
Runaway - Del Shannon (Once tried to clear a skip by cleaning grooves with a screw driver. Did not work. Made it much worse! Wonder why?)

I still have all of these originals except Swingin Conners.

WLSClark

The first 45 I ever bought on my own was 1,2,3 Red Light by The 1910 Fruitgum Co. I bought it at the local drugstore at the corner of Cicero and Fullerton where I grew up. I was 7 or 8. I still have it, too. Actually, I still have ALL my 45's. It's so funny some people don't even know what a 45 is.

Happy Holidays

Debe Welch

Kent,

My first 45 was At The Hop by Danny and the Juniors, which I bought at the Lincoln / Belmont / Ashland Woolworths in Chicago. The other record I wanted to buy, but couldn’t afford, was Bad Motorcycle by The Storey Sisters. Needless to say, some 25 years later, I found Bad Motorcycle at Mad City Music in Madison, WI. Keep up the great work.

Joe

We had many 45 singles around my house that were mostly bought by my Mom and Dad or Aunts and Uncles. Most of them I remember the tunes but not the names. Well, come to think of it, I do remember hearing "Purple People Eater," "John and Marsha" and "The Witch Doctor," but the rest are now nameless melodies in my head. Others were Christmas songs or songs to teach children math and other scholastic lessons. Sometimes I would go to see my cousins who might be listening to Elvis or the Beatles, but none of these were mine.
I saw other rock and roll acts on TV and heard them on the radio but never bothered to buy them or ask my parents for them. My biggest exposure to Rock and Roll music was seeing reruns of the Monkees on Saturday mornings. I recall in the opening how they would always sing "...we may be coming to your town." Now I lived out in the country and the nearest friend from my school lived too far to walk or ride a bike to see. So I was pretty much a loner in the summertime. I always hoped that the Monkees would come to my town and play with me. I was too young to understand that four men in their 20's may not want to play all day with a little boy and if they did my house would be mobbed by any kid or teen who found out they were there. But I did have my dreams.
One Saturday I was with my Mom, Grandma, Aunt Joan and my little cousin Rachel in a second hand store. Shopping with females has always been boring to me and that day was no exception. As always, I went to the toys or books. I wound up finding some used records and while looking at them I found the 45 single of the Monkees and Daydream Believer. At that time it was one of my favorite songs from their show. I asked my Mom if I could have it. I forget the price now but it wasn't much so she bought it for me. I couldn't believe that I had my favorite Monkees tune and on the flip side one that I didn't remember hearing before. It is, of course, "Goin' Down." Once we got home, Rachel and I had a lot of fun listening to it. We would dance to it and I am not ashamed to say that I did like dancing. Mostly, I had fun listening to Micky on "Goin' Down" and trying to keep up as I sang along.
As I got closer to my teen years and almost ready for high school we moved from the country to a town a few miles away. We were in a newly built home with new furniture. One of those pieces of furniture was a console stereo system. You had to lift a heavy wooden top to have access to the turntable. Rachel and her family had also moved next door to us and we would play together. One day I got out the old 45 of Daydream Believer. It had been three or four years since my Mom bought it for me, but we still loved to listen to it. After we were done I took the record off of the turntable and set it on the side next to the top. I carefully lowered the top of the stereo when I suddenly heard a cracking noise. I looked to see that the 45 was just barely hanging over the edge and the top put a small crack in the record. Unless I wanted to start farther in on the song, the 45 wouldn't play again. It was a sad day to realize that I accidentally destroyed my favorite song and had to throw it away.
I have bought reissues and now have both songs on other Monkees collections that I got over the years, but the enjoyment I get from hearing them is nothing to the joy I felt when I listened to it as my first 45 record.

Rick Phillips

My wife Gay's first 45 was something from Motown. J5? Smokey Robinson perhaps? Mine was Steppenwolf - perhaps Magic Carpet Ride? However, the biggest musical influence on me by far was seeing GENESIS in 1973 when they came around to perform the Selling England By The Pound album. Blown away. Best concert ever!!! Even weirder, my buddy was supposed to get me tickets for YES, but they were sold out, so he got me "ticks" for Genesis, who I hadn't even heard of back at that time. Thanks to my buddy Russ for introducing me to some of the coolest music ever. So many great bands - Yes, Gentle Giant, UK, PFM, Tull, Genesis, Buggles, Procol Harum, ELP, Kansas, etc - so little time. Keep on rockin', Kent!

Ron Graffia

Kent, I had to really think about the first 45 I bought. When my family moved up to Oregon in 1976, my dad got a job for a company who stocked jukeboxes with 45's. They had a whole warehouse full of boxes of 45's- everything you could think of, from way back to current (1976). They told my dad that his son could have them. So, I ended up with 12-14 boxes of 45's, and a shitload of albums. I never bought a 45 until I moved to Oregon, but I'm pretty sure the first one I purchased (actually, my parents for me) was "Magic Man" by Heart, on the Mushroom Records label. Of course, thanks to CDs, the goldmine I thought I had in 45's disappeared in a puff of chronic smoke. I still have them (I took out all the good rock and pop for myself!) I still love to pull them out and play them - my albums, too. I love the pure sound of CDs, but there's nothing like vinyl for music. I remember buying "Still The Same" by Bob Seger, too. I didn't start buying 45's en masse until I was in high school. That's when MTV finally came to our little burg, and I bought a lot of songs that I saw on videos. I especially fell in love with 12" singles - I hate edited versions of songs! I wish that the major labels were still releasing CD Maxi-Singles. I can still remember the first four albums I bought as a kid - "The Partridge Family Shopping Bag" (I thought I was SO hot carrying that shopping bag around!), "Jingle Jangle" by the Archies, "Rock Of The Westies" by Elton John and "Wings At The Speed Of Sound" by Wings.

Happee Noo Yeer to all!

Ed Pond

I think it was "Lonely Days" by the Bee Gees. I had been into rock 'n roll for five or six years before I realized "Hey, why don't I buy some of these songs so I can hear the ones I like whenever I like?" Now, I have around 6,000 45s, l.p.s and 78s.

Dube

I believe my first 45 rpm record was ANY WAY YOU WANT IT by the Dave Clark Five. I guess this was around 1965. I bought perhaps 50-75 more over the years, then I pretty much bought 33s, and then a few cassettes, and then CDs.
Now as a reminiscing fossil (approaching age 56) I just save my money and listen to the radio, or to clips on the Internet. I occasionally go to live concerts.
Kit / Arlington, VA

It wasn't until 1968 that our family of eight finally got our first record player. For years, I had not bought any 45's or 33's but I had been collecting all of the "Top 40" lists to keep up with who's who of music. The very first record I bought was "The Tears of a Clown" by Smoky Robinson followed by "Stoney End" by Barbra Streisand. Don't ask me to explain !?!? I made up for it by getting the "Meet The Beatles" and 'A Hard Days Night" LP's in one day. Anyways, record collection growth became a primary reason to live!

Rich Davis

I never bought 45s, I figured I could get a whole album for about a dollar and a half more back then, and in those days, most of the folks I listened to had several hits on each album. My first album though, happened to be Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits (this was after I got my first "paying" job in 1973) followed the next week by the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers. Since then, I've only bought about four or five hundred other vinyl creations, and a bunch of 78s which came with the mint condition Victrola I bought a few years ago. Still haven't bought a "single" to the best of my recollection. : )

Mike (aka Daddyo)

I remember clearly in 1956 when I was just 10 years old riding my bicycle down to the local music store called Norty's on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. I purchased my first 45 record on RCA Victor label. It was called Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel by an up an coming artist by the name of Elvis Presley. I still have the 45 today and it's in pretty good shape too.

Ken .... Rangely1952

It was the summer of 1956 and Elvis was top of the charts. I met a boy at the school who was a newcomer to Ripley. His name was John Constantine. He came from a well-off middle-class family who lived on the outskirts of the village and we became friends because we were so different from everybody else. Neither of us fit in. While everybody else at school was into cricket and football, we were into clothes and buying 78 rpm records, for which we were scorned and ridiculed. John had a copy of “Hound Dog,” Elvis’s number one, and we played it over and over. There was something about the music that made it totally irresistible to us, plus it was being made by someone not much older than we were, who was like us, but who appeared to be in control of his own destiny, something we could not even imagine. I got my first record player the following year. It was a Dansette, and the first single I ever bought was “When,” a number one hit for The Kalin Twins that I’d heard on the radio. Then I bought my first album, “The ‘Chirping’ Crickets” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, followed by the soundtrack album of “High Society.”

Eric Clapton

My first 45 was Sam's Place by Buck Owens. Since it was more country and I was only 10, my parents didn't mind so much that I bought it. I was actually able to get it at a local grocery store in Keokuk, IA. I loved the song and played it constantly. My older sister eventually talked me into giving it to her in exchange for her copy of Dedicated to The One I Love by The Mama's & Papa's. I think we both came out winners!!

My first 45 rpm was "Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful. It was September, 1966, and I was just four years old. My oldest brother already had the first two Lovin' Spoonful albums, so I couldn't wait for him to get home from school that day to show him my first 45. About a month later I purchased my second single, "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris. A year or so later I bought my first LP, a Gary Lewis and the Playboys album on the Sunset label. Little did my parents know what an impression those early 45s would have on me. Now I'm in the process of obtaining a mint/near-mint copy of every record to hit Billboard's Hot 100 / Top 100 from 1955 to 1979. (Why 1979? It's because nearly everything recorded after 1979 sucks.) I don't know the exact number of 45s in my collection, but it's something like 10,000, so I still have about 8,000 to go before it's complete.

45vinyljunkie

Jerry LePore

My first 45 was Wipe Out by The Surfaris. Ordered it from Rumore's Record Rack, ran by Joe Rumore, a DJ for WVOK AM in Birmingham, AL. I was about nine years old (1964) and nearly wore that 45 out on my little portable record player. I think I still have that 45, hidden somewhere. Ordered several more 45's from Mr. Rumore. He was a fun DJ to listen to ... a breed that is almost gone.

Ray Perkins

Woodstock, AL

"Ronnie" by The Four Seasons was the first record I ever bought with my own money --- 79-cents at the National Record Mart in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, while out for the day with my grandma. I was only seven, but as any shrink will tell you, an event at seven can define the rest of your life. And it did. I played that record 'til the grooves wore out, and listening to "Ronnie" today still has the same sway over me. It's just now I can put it in bigger words. It's Bob Crewe's finest hour (or at least 177 seconds) of many finest hours, from that Spectoresque eviscerating intro by a drummer who should have been arrested for violent crimes to Frankie's falsetto-to-end-all-falsettos on the final be-ca-aa-aaa-aaa-use! Even 42 years later I can (and will always) say that this is the record that changed my life and put me in the game.

Bill Inglot

I can't really remember exactly what my first 45 was because I had three older siblings so I listened to their records. I did have a lot of LP's I believe the first one was the Monkees and then the Osmond Brothers. My older sister would sit in her room and listen to The Beatles with her friends but we weren't allowed to come in. My four siblings and myself got a set of fake plastic wigs for Christmas one year so we would put them on and put on a show like we were the Beatles with fake instruments and shake our heads! I can remember in 1968 I was eight years old and I got my first transistor radio and I would spend the whole summer calling the local radio station and requesting songs like Patches by Clarence Carter about three times a day! I miss those days so much! I now have a ten year old daughter who is in love with the Jonas Brothers just like I was with The Monkees.

Edie T

I grew up in Montreal Quebec. In early 1960, my parents decided that I should take piano lessons. The lessons were given in the back of 'B Sharp Music,' a record shop in Saint Laurent Quebec. The shop stocked the Top 100 (according to Cash Box) and sold them for an even dollar (94 cents plus 6 cents tax.) The piano lessons only lasted till hockey season started. When I finally convinced my folks to buy a record player, I had to get something to combat the Mitch Miller stuff my mother loved. My first two purchases (same day) were "Because They're Young" by Duane Eddy and "Coming Down With Love" by Mel Gadson. (My first LP was "Gunfighter Ballads" by Marty Robbins.)

Damian Bassett

My first 45 I bought was actually a 78 ... I was visiting my Aunt in Covington, KY, and walked down to the 5 & 10 ... I bought "Flying Saucer" by Buchanan & Goodman ... I took it back to her house and played it over and over trying to figure out all the songs that were sung in the record ... It took me many years to get all those records ...

Zimp - Pittsburgh

I walked into a record store and said to the clerk, "Gimme My Coloring Book." He said "By who?" I said "I dunno, I just heard it on the radio, I don't know who did it." So he gave me Sandy Stewart and I walked out the door.

George Dailey

From 6/56 to 6/58, I enjoyed life in the tropics on the Pacific Island of Guam, my Dad being the US Navy officer he was. However, now and then, he would take the family and motor to the north end of the island to Anderson AFB, just to put a little variety in our shopping habits.
I had already bought some 45's by Les Paul and Mary Ford, but those had been birthday gifts for Dad, and while I could play them, they weren't mine.
As you might guess, we keen teens had very limited access to the current pop music scene. 1 hour a day on KUAM-AM, between 4-5 PM. On Saturday, they had the Top 10 countdown, so I had heard a bit of the current stuff. Also, whenever new kids showed up, they always seemed to have at least a few 45's with them, so I did hear those at our Saturday dances.
As we snooped the Base Exchange on the AF base, I found the record section. They had just received some of the latest tunes, so dad allowed as how I could get two of them.
Since it was the spring of '57, I went for the big one, "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox. For my second choice, I stayed in house and went with "I'm Sticking With You" by Jimmy Bowen. However, I must confess that I bought it for the flip side, "Ever Lovin' Fingers," which had been the inspiration of many a lewd comment among the bunch that I ran around with.
21 years later, it was a thrill to see Buddy in person at a bar in Coos Bay, OR as he put on a show. After the gig, I walked up and introduced myself, and we spent a delightful 15 minutes or so talking about music, West Texas (where I had been a radio DJ), and other fun stuff. He was a great guy, and meeting him rates right up there with Bill Haley and the Everly Brothers as artists I met that were big in the 50's.

Jim Southern

I believe my first 45 purchase was "Duke of Earl" by Gene Chandler, from the Tunis Record Shop on Lake Street in Oak Park (IL) back in 1962.
Back in those days there were no music videos, and most 45s did not have picture sleeves. Unless you saw the artist on TV (e.g., American Bandstand or local shows like Chicago Bandstand, with Jim Lounsberry), you probably didn't know what they looked like. In this case, I didn't know if Chandler was black or white and didn't know about his "duke costume." I just knew I liked the record.
Seems appropriate he was a Chicago artist on a Chicago record label, but I didn't know that at the time.

BJ the DJ

I had a ball reading all the postings on first 45's. Ron, I think we share the fact that both of our first 45's were bought at the Evergreen Park Plaza. My first (purchased) 45's were at the EP record shop but ... the first 3-finger discount 45's were at the Montgomery Wards store.
If there is anyone that hasn't read the posting at the FH site, they need to check it out. I also believe our own Jim (Sticky Fingers) Southern was the first to reference (the first stolen 45's post.) Jim, I believe was responsible for bringing the rest of us thieves out of the closet.
Happy New Year to all.

Jerry

My first 45 wasn't bought at a store. I bought it from my sister who is 9 years older than me. It was 'Ring-A-Ling-A-Lario' by Jimmie Rodgers. About six months after she got it, I gave her 20 cents for the 45, & others along with it at 20 cents a piece. They all still play good today. I have bought 78's before that from my dad. Still play them.

Larry G.

My first 45 was Sammy Davis Jr's 'Candy Man.' I don't think it was related to 'Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.' I got it at a garage sale in 1977. I was nine years old. I have never heard this song on the radio. Thank you for taking the time to correspond with me.

Jeffrey Dean

Silver Surfer

My first 45 was BIG BAD JOHN by Jimmy Dean. Bought the record in a downtown Lebanon, Indiana drugstore in 1961, not long after its release. I was 10 years old. Man, that was a GREAT song and I still enjoy listeneing to it today.

-- John Blazier

Kent,

My uncle owned a supper club in the 60s and he used to give me all the juke box throw aways. Many of them were roached, but on my little Decca brand record player, they sounded pretty good. I had many great 45s before I actually went and bought my first at a local music store in my home town. I was a big fan of the early 60s vocal groups and doo wop songs. I purchased 'Have You Seen Her' by the Chi-Lites, which at the time was the number one record in late 1971. I loved the background harmony which reminded me of some my vintage 45s. Looking back on it, that was a pretty cool first 45 for a poor white farm kid from Wisconsin. My sister bought her first 45 the same day. It was 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing' by the Hillside Singers. That wasn't as cool as mine! From that first 45 have come thousands of singles, albums and cds. I am a collector that doesn't like to part with anything, so I have sold or traded very few over the years. This hobby became a full time radio job in the 80s and I still play many of those old records on my Saturday night show. I have cleaned up and transfered many to digital over the years.

Phil Nee / Wrco FM 100.9

It's been ohhhhh soooooo long, and if my memory serves me correctly, my First 45 was "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters. The 45 looked strange to me. I was so used to the 78s at that time and my favorite had been "Tequila" by The Champs. Am I telling my age here?

Anita

>>>My first two 45's that I actually bought myself were "Waterloo" by Stonewall Jackson and "Keep A Knockin" by Little Richard. I had one of those very small 45 rpm stacker players with one speaker, maybe 2 feet by 2 feet and you could stack up to like fifteen 45's on it. Anyway, if you just wanted to play one (or it if was the last one at the end of the stack) at the end of the song the needle and arm would pick up and go back to the beginning and play it again and again and again and again! The Saturday I got "Keep A Knockin" by Little Richard, I had it CRANKED TO THE MAX! And my mom was downstairs ironing, after over 90 minutes of nothing but Little Richard, she calmly walked over to the 45 player, picked up the record and smashed it to pieces!!! To this day, I still love that song. The reason I bought "Waterloo" is Stonewall Jackson mentioned that Napoleon"lost his pants", I would get a visual and thought it was hilarious and also played that record continually until it got a crack in it, then taped up the B side and it continued to play with a little bit of a clicking sound when it would hit the broken part of the record. You remember those little 45 rpm players were totally indestructible, AND you NEVER needed a new needle. I wish I had that sucker today. I have to ask you and everyone else, did you ever do the same thing with a broken 45 ... just put scotch tape on the B side, line up the vinyl so it was pretty even and just continue to play the record???? I couldn't have been the ONLY one! (Wild Bill)

Scotch tape ... no, never did that. BUT, I did have to use a sewing needle to replace my broken needle in my record player. Bad choice, I know, but it was about hearing the tunes back then, not keeping the record in mint condition.

The first 45 I ever BOUGHT for myself was (and this is going to make you laugh) Stars on 45 and the second was George Harrison's All Those Years Ago. But, my sister moved into a home three years before with one of those cable spools that someone was using as a table. They even put a hinge on a couple of the center planks and made a door. Inside was a collection of about 16 Beatles 45s (all original orange/yellow swirl labels and some Apple -- no picture sleeves though). She gave them to me as I was in the genesis of my Beatle thing. Those were the first non-kid 45s I owned.

Donald Jack

I can still remember the very first 45 I ever bought ... and even though it was over 50 years ago now, I can still remember every single word. My first 45 was "Tequila" by the Champs!

Cal

My first record was I'm A Believer by The Monkees. I cried whenever Mickey Dolenz was on tv in 60s.

TiggythePiggy

The first record that I bought was "Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley.

JSWolck

My first record: You are all sooooo young. My first record was Get Off (Of - I think) My Cloud by the Rolling Stones.

Annabel Weir

First record: Donna by 10cc, 50p record token won at disco, that's what brother bought as it was no.1. Thanks ;(

ScattyJan

My First Record - the 45 rpm of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine. Still have it, too!

CeeCee720

My first record was Help by the Beatles.

idmentor

My first record was David Bowie on vinyl, inherited from my mom and starting my obsession with vinyl records :)

BaileyStoney

Chantilly Lace ... and I still know the words and dance! CreativeCowz

My first 45 rpm was The Beatles, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' & 'I Saw Her Standing There' on my first record player!

RedRoosterGal

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue - First record on the sony "walkman"...

McKennaRadio

My first record? Captain & Tennille Love Will Keep Us Together (sixth grade)

TweetGirl65

The first record I ever bought was the 45 of "I Love the Nightlife." Which bears no resemblance to anything else I ever bought! KCosmopolitan

My first record was Dancing Queen by Abba -

yeruncleportly

Get Back by the Beatles was the first record I bought. I'm a 60s child.

NOToldandgrumpy

Sultans of Swing ... 8th birthday token from my bro. & he wanted the record. Bought during my sisters wedding in Boots. Not cool! Goldyfinch

My first 45 was rubberband man by the spinners.

PatBone21

My first 45 rpm record was reflections of my life by marmalade. Jacquijam

My first record (or tape actually), was American Pie by Don McLean. He is still the greatest.

PortLee

my first record and concert: lmao :) -- "Hair" by the Cowsills. eglesslush

My first record was Kind of a Drag by The Buckinghams.
And I still like it ...

Parkangel08

The first record I bought myself was Jesus Christ Superstar, which was quite a chunk of change for '70!

ShimmerPuppy

First Single: Stevie Wonder - Superstition;

First Album : The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed

Both purchased 1973.

Dave from NY

My first record was by the Jackson 5 ... "ABC" ... cut out from the back of a Sugar Pops cereal box (!)

bewildia

My first record was probably Red Rubber Ball by the Cyrkle or possibly Gloria by Them or 19th Nervous Breakdown by the Stones.

George Roberts

My first record??? It's been too long ... I think it was something by Sonny and Cher. :sniggle:

XPhile1908

Telstar by the Tornados (1962) my mum bought it for me because I 'rocked out' in my high-chair whenever it came on the radio. GatwickSolo

My first 45 was Green Tambourine by 1910 FruitGum Company. Lord, I'm getting old!

rjmann56
[Actually that one was by the Lemon Pipers -kk]

What kind of record are you talking about? That one that Phil Spector has now or the kind he use to make in the studio?

Tigerpixel

Johnny Horton "Sink the Bismark"

Zoyn

First Record I ever bought was "Peanuts" by Rick & the Keens / Smash Records 45 rpm disk (I see it's worth $8 now)

ScotFP

[Hmm ... now THAT's what you call a "sound" investment!!! -kk]

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And we have been adding to it ever since!!!)

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Friday, March 14, 2025