By dvdmike (12.84.98.124) on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 08:39 pm:

Originally composed as "Melody In A Major" in 1912 by former Chicago banker Charles G. Dawes, who was Vice President Of the United States under the second Calvin Coolidge administration. Nothing much was heard of the tune for many years until songwriter Carl Sigman wrote lyrics to it in 1951. Several artists recorded the song that year including Sammy Kaye, Carmen Cavallaro and Dinah Shore. Tommy Edwards had the most success with it, taking it to #18 on Billboard's pop chart. Recorded on July 13, 1951 in Studio A of New York's radio station WMGM, producer Harry Myerson and arranger Leroy Holmes waxed the song with a straight pop treatment. Jump forward about seven years, Edwards needed another song at the tail end of session and out came a familiar tune. In 1958, stereo was all the rage and many companies were re-recording old songs for stereo and with a rock & roll feel. Once again, veteran Harry Myerson was the producer and returning as arranger and conductor was MGM Records' musical director Leroy Holmes. This historic session took place at Metropolitan Studios in Manhattan on June 9, 1958. Released the following month, Edwards' upgraded remake did even better than the original, topping both the Billboard pop and R&B charts. The song took on a new life, with later recordings by Brit Cliff Richards, Eddie Holman and The Four Tops. Edwards died of a stroke in 1969.

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Wednesday, March 12, 2003 - 09:20 pm:

Great stuff Mike. Another of my all time favorite songs.