Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Shambala

First single release by B.W. Stevenson (US #66/SA #8 1973).
Other hit version by Three Dog Night (US #3/CAN #4/SA #13 1973).

From the wiki: “‘Shambala’ was written by Daniel Moore and made famous by two almost-simultaneous releases in 1973: the lesser-known but first-released version by Moore’s sometime-collaborator, Texas singer-songwriter B.W. Stevenson (‘My Maria’), and the better-known but slightly later-released version by Three Dog Night. While the Three Dog Night arrangement was the first to be recorded, in December 1972, it was released on May 19, 1973, one-week after Stevenson’s February 1973 recording.

“Stevenson’s arrangement is often regarded as Country-Pop or Country-Rock with the twang of Stevenson’s steel-string acoustic guitar, his Southern accent and an American Folk music sound that distinguished it from Three Dog Night’s Pop-Rock arrangement.

“Stevenson’s version eventually peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 during an eight-week run. Three Dog Night’s recording spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #3 in July 1973. However, in South Africa, Stevenson’s single charted higher, peaking at #8, compared to Three Dog Night’s #13.”

Three Dog Night, “Shambala” (1973):

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