From: Dik de Heer 
Date: Thu Jul 8, 2004 1:29am
Subject: This Is My Story : The String-A-Longs

THE STRING-A-LONGS

The String-A-Longs may not have been the most exciting instrumental
group of the Shakin' All Over era, but they had a very distinctive sound 
(with three guitars) and one giant international hit in 1961.

The group originated in Plainview, Texas, in 1957, as the Patio Kids.
This name was soon changed to the Rock 'n' Rollers, who in their turn
became the Leen Teens. The nucleus of this group were Keith McCormack
(born 19 October 1940, Dalhart, Texas ; guitar, vocals), Aubrey de Cordova 
(bass) and Richard Stephens (guitar). Jimmy Torres (guitar) and drummer
Don Allen joined later. 

Their first recordings were made at an Amarillo radio station and pressed
up by the Ven label. They were strictly a vocal band then, with McCormack
handling the vocals. In 1958, the Leen Teens auditioned for Norman Petty
at his studio in Clovis, New Mexico. This resulted in the single "So Shy"/
"Dream Around You", which Petty placed on Imperial. It bombed, but the
group continued to record every few months down at Clovis over the next
three years. Meanwhile the group were playing locally in Texas, amassing
plenty of publicity.

In the autumn of 1960, the group was booked for another recording session,
but singer Keith caught a cold on the way to Clovis and could hardly speak
when they arrived in the studio. Norman Petty suggested to record two
instrumentals. He offered them a song called "Wheels", which had been 
turned down by the Fireballs, Petty's regular instrumental group. Torres
and Stephens came up with their own melody, which they called "Tell the
World". When the record came out on the Warwick label, the labels had
been switched. "Wheels" had become "Tell the World" and vice versa.
However, label credit for "Wheels" (as we now know it) went to Petty,
who claimed it as his own, though the melody was written by Torres and
Stephens. A settlement was reached in 1964 and the BMI database now
lists three writers for "Wheels": Petty, Torres and Stephens.

Petty renamed the group "The String-A-Longs", though the members 
disliked the name. When both sides started to take off, Warwick split
it in two separate singles : "Wheels"/"Am I Asking Too Much" (with a
vocal by McCormack) on Warwick 603 and "Tell the World"/"For My
Angel" on Warwick 606. "Wheels" went to # 3 in the US, # 8 in the UK,
and # 1 in several other countries, including Holland, where it stayed on
the charts for 32 weeks. Worldwide sales of the String-A-Longs version
reached 7 million and the combined sales of all versions now exceed a
staggering 16 million. The Billy Vaughn cover on Dot sold a million in 
Germany alone and outsold the original version there.

Two follow-ups also made the Billboard charts : "Brass Buttons" (# 35)
and "Should I" (# 42), both in 1961. Over the next four years the group
released a further ten singles and two albums. Keith McCormack also
recorded vocals as Bryan Keith and "Sad Sad Song"/"Mean Woman" 
was released in the UK on London HLU 9707, but went unnoticed.

The group were doing some tedious tours around the States, receiving
very little financial reward. When they tried to get a settlement from
Warwick, the label filed for bankruptcy. The group now refused to tour.
Petty signed them to Dot, where they made more good singles, like
"Twist Watch" (written by Jimmy Torrres), "Mathilda"/"Replica" and my
own personal favourite, "Sunday (Salve Regina)", but in 1965 the releases
stopped.

In 1968 Keith McCormack replaced Jimmy Gilmer in the Fireballs as
lead vocalist for the next six years. He had already written them hits 
in the shape of "Sugar Shack" (the biggest hit of 1963) and "Daisy Petal
Pickin'", so he was justly qualified.

All five members are still living and incredibly, just as I'm writing this, 
on July 7, Jimmy Torres announces that the group will reunite shortly:
http://www.jimmytorres.com/archive.php 

(Look at the date : Wednesday July 7, 2004. You heard it first on SAO!)

More info (interview): http://www.musicdish.com/mag/index.php3?id=7875

CD: The String-A-Longs, Wheels. Ace CDCHD 390. Released in 1993.
28 tracks from Warwick and Dot.