From: Flippar Date: Fri Jan 18, 2002 8:23 pm Subject: Born To Be With You - Don Lang DON LANG Born Gordon Langhorn on 19th January 1925 in Halifax,Yorkshire, England Played trombone in several jazz bands eg Ken Mackintosh band (Don played on "The Creep"). He had some 1955 releases out under his real name, solo and with Cyril Stapleton`s Orch. (Hip old Cyril once covered a Hank Williams tune as well as a boogie or two) Under the more rocking monicker of Don Lang (sounded more American I suppose)had a top 20 hit with the tongue twisting novelty Cloudburst in 1955 and became a regular feature (with his band the Frantic Five) on Jack Good`s groundbreaking BBC tv youth/pop show The 6:5 Special. He overcame the trombone`s unhip image (and his hale `n hearty jolly uncle appearance) in those teenage days by having an unlikely hit with a reasonable cover of Chuck`s Schoolday (with 6:5 Special on the flip). Some songs like Darin`s Queen of the Hop and Ramshackle Daddy, also perhaps deserved hit status but again, it was the cover of a novelty, Witch Doctor which gave him his biggest hit, number 5 in May 58. A minor hit followed in 1960 with a cover of Horton`s Sink The Bismarck. Often his 45s had much better b sides like Don`s own Rock Around The Cookhouse Door or They Call Him Cliff! Our answer to My Boy Elvis I suppose, Cliff`s been called many things since, as well! A flirtation with the twist craze came to naught, the word desperate, bandwagon and jumpin` come to mind for some strange reason. . In the mid 60s and 70s he then sang with MOR bands like Cliff Adams and Mike Sammes` mob, just like the dance band era again. He also played trombone on a few tracks on the Beatles innovative White Album 2lp, as did Scouse rocker Howie Casey. From dance hall bands, through novelties, dawn of pop tv, films,rock n roll, the twist to the Beatles, the full gamut of post war pop, Don was there giving it plenty of enthusiasm, I bet he put out an undetected punk rock record too! It`s sad to note that the Virgin Encyclopaedia of the 50s doesn`t even give him his own entry, just a passing note in the 6:5 Special part. Music legends like Yul Brynner, Ronnie Carroll and even the bloomin` Mudlarks get entries but not the Donster, he deserves more than that. Check out his HMV Rock N Roll ep or either of his rare 10" HMV lps for evidence. Don died in the summer of 1992 of cancer, forever to be remembered whenever the opening credits of 6:5 Special crop up on tv docs. Recommended Listening The HMV goodies listed above See For Miles lp Rock Rock Rock - his best 50s HMV sides this would make a nice cd for SFM with a few bonus cuts added. SFM - 20 Rn R Twists Don and Twisters few tracks on various British R N R/Skiffle cd compilations ref the recent Disky comps.