Nino Tempo, "15 Girl Friends" c/w "Loonie 'Bout Junie," RCA Victor 47-7424 (rel. 11/1958)
Nino Tempo was the other half of a talented pair of musical siblings. We heard from his sister April Stevens, via her remarkable "Teach Me Tiger," on a recent post. The two came from Niagara Falls, New York, where Antonio LoTempio was born on January 6, 1935. He and sister Carol were drawn to music in their childhood, and encouraged by their parents. At age 7, Nino met jazz clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman at a concert. He boasted he was such a good singer that Mr. Goodman oughta get him up on the stage. Benny called his bluff, and the kid impressed the audience (and, I'm sure, gave Goodman's band members a story they dined out on for years).
The LoTiempos moved to California, by which time Nino had taken up the clarinet in honor to his first break in show business. Nino played clarinet on nationally-broadcast radio and appeared in movies as a child actor, including a featured role in the 1949 film of John Steinbeck's The Red Pony. As sister Carol (April to us) became a pop vocalist (details are in our post of June 27th), Nino became a jazz saxophonist. He played in Maynard Ferguson's band and did much session work in LA studios. In time, he became part of the A-team of musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.
Tempo can be seen in Frank Tashlin's delirious 1956 rock 'n' roll musical The Girl Can't Help It, with his wailin' sax in Cinemascope and color by Deluxe. Two years later, he did an appearance in one of the best private-eye series ever to grace TV screens. Blake Edwards' Peter Gunn ran from 1958 to 1961 and featured the music of Henry Mancini, who got many of his jazz musician buddies into the episodes. Among them was Nino as a swaggering rock 'n' roller in the 1958 episode "Sisters of the Friendless," which you can watch on Tubi HERE.
Nino performs the B-side of his fab RCA-Victor rock 'n' roll single, where he's backed by Mancini's band. Tempo penned both songs and the record takes a deep dive into the lurid world of popcorn to fine effect. Given the exposure on national TV, one might surmise that this single was a chart success. Nope! Because RCA-Victor didn't bother to publicize records unless they were already successful--your basic brutal Catch-22--Tempo's platter joined dozens of other excellent flops that became tax write-offs for a major corporation that really couldn't care less about the content of their product.
"15 Girl Friends" opens with tambourine and percolatin' guitar. Then, to a chiming minor-keyed riff, Tempo sings as a horny teenager who brags about the plethora of curvy girls he has fawning over him. Just as you begin to dislike this braggart, despite the excellent sax solo he plays, there's a...no, I won't spoil it. Let's just say it has one of the best endings I've heard in a long while. All this and the stellar sound of RCA's LA studios and the tight musicianship of Mancini's band. Shoulda gotten into the Top 40; didn't.
Nino performs the B-side of his fab RCA-Victor rock 'n' roll single, where he's backed by Mancini's band. Tempo penned both songs and the record takes a deep dive into the lurid world of popcorn to fine effect. Given the exposure on national TV, one might surmise that this single was a chart success. Nope! Because RCA-Victor didn't bother to publicize records unless they were already successful--your basic brutal Catch-22--Tempo's platter joined dozens of other excellent flops that became tax write-offs for a major corporation that really couldn't care less about the content of their product.
"15 Girl Friends" opens with tambourine and percolatin' guitar. Then, to a chiming minor-keyed riff, Tempo sings as a horny teenager who brags about the plethora of curvy girls he has fawning over him. Just as you begin to dislike this braggart, despite the excellent sax solo he plays, there's a...no, I won't spoil it. Let's just say it has one of the best endings I've heard in a long while. All this and the stellar sound of RCA's LA studios and the tight musicianship of Mancini's band. Shoulda gotten into the Top 40; didn't.
Cash Box passed on the merest mention of this single; it's up to blurry Billboard to extol its virtues, though they're dismissive of the socko B-side, which abounds in charms.
"Loonie 'bout Junie" has no hidden agenda, but it continues the moody presentation, with some minor-key inflections. Tempo the lyricist has a ball here: dig the Sunday words on the song's amusing bridge.
The same air of giddy delusion carries over from the A-side, as does Tempo's fine sax, which gets short shrift on this side, alas. But the wacky rock 'n' roll escapades of this moody mover are an utter delight. Few rock 'n' rollers got such a lush presentation; it's too bad RCA couldn't be moved to promote Tempo's record. Eccentric and playful, it's also a class act.
The same air of giddy delusion carries over from the A-side, as does Tempo's fine sax, which gets short shrift on this side, alas. But the wacky rock 'n' roll escapades of this moody mover are an utter delight. Few rock 'n' rollers got such a lush presentation; it's too bad RCA couldn't be moved to promote Tempo's record. Eccentric and playful, it's also a class act.
As sister April caused controversy with her 1959 "Teach Me Tiger," Nino tried a few more times to get a solo hit; no dice, son, you gotta work late! Not 'til 1963 would he at last top the pop charts. With April in tow, a rocked-up version of the classic song "Deep Purple" scaled Mt. Hitsville and won a Grammy for Best Rock 'n Roll Recording in 1964. On the flip of this delightful hit is another odd-but-riveting original with one of the longest titles in all of pop music: "I've Been Carrying A Torch For You So Long That I Burned A Great Big Hole In My Heart." You can hear this super B-side on the new episode of our podcast, which drops tomorrow morning!
We'll hear from Nino and April again, when their story will continue...
Thanks to Michael Jack Kirby and his fine website WayBackAttack for helpful info in penning this post!
Tomorrow: two days with Carl Perkins from his stay with Columbia Records. Up first: a 1962 single written by Otis Blackwell, coupled with a decent Nashville ballad.
We'll hear from Nino and April again, when their story will continue...
Thanks to Michael Jack Kirby and his fine website WayBackAttack for helpful info in penning this post!
Tomorrow: two days with Carl Perkins from his stay with Columbia Records. Up first: a 1962 single written by Otis Blackwell, coupled with a decent Nashville ballad.
Both fun songs! Love that twist at the end of "15 Girlfriends"—it was ALL a dream. "Loonie..." has a priceless lyric: 'takes a multitude of my fortitude to keep from taking off like a jet.'
ReplyDelete