Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Adorable

First recorded and released by The Colts (R&B #11 1955).
Other hit version by The Drifters (R&B #1 1955).

From the wiki: “‘Adorable’ was written by Buck Ram, best known as the manager of, the producer and prolific songwriter for, and the guiding force behind the Platters (‘Only You‘, ‘The Great Pretender’). But, in 1955, the Colts had also caught the attention of Ram who then signed the group and got them a deal with an indie record label, Mambo Records. Ram used the group to do a recording session for a song he wrote called ‘Adorable’.

In 1955, originally released on Mambo but later switched to the Vita label (because Ram was concerned the buying public would think the song itself was ‘mambo’), the Colts’ ‘Adorable’ was on track to become a national hit. Their single charted at #1 locally in Los Angeles on the Zeke Manners Show on KFWB Radio. The group has appeared on local TV shows – The Al Jarvis Show, and Larry Finley’s TV shows – and closed out the year headlining an R&B Revue hosted by popular L.A. disc-jockey Hunter Hancock. ‘Adorable’ also reached the top of Cashbox’s Los Angeles R&B Chart where it stayed for three months.

“The Colts’ single charted nationally on Billboard‘s R&B chart from late October 1955 into November and could have become an R&B Top-10 hit had it not been for a competing version released in November after on Atlantic Records by the Drifters, produced by Ahmet Ertegun with Johnny Moore singing lead tenor (the group’s first single after Clyde McPhatter’s departure). In the end, Atlantic’s better distribution system and more polished production version won out. The Drifters took ‘Adorable’ to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, while The Colts version peaked at #11.”

The Drifters, “Adorable” (1955):

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