1 Response to "The Sock Hop Soda Shoppe"

1. Tim Magee 17 Feb 2011

   I am not a professional in the music industry and I do not represent anyone in the business.

   I am a long time passionate lover and follower of “Rock & Roll”. I am sharing with you a great concern and injustice. In addition I have a question.

   The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame defines a list of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock”. Some of the songs that are included in the list are:

   •Randy Newman, “Sail Away”
   •Queen Latifah, “Ladies First”
   •Bonnie Raitt, “Something to Talk About”
   •Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
   •The B-52's, “Rock Lobster”
   •Boston, “More Than a Feeling”

   These are not bad songs. Their impact on Rock and Roll can be debated. My shock is an omission.

   The list of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock” does not include Bobby Lewis’s "Tossin' and Turnin'"!! Bobby Lewis’s performance on this song was one of the great bridges of blues, gospel, and basic Rock and Roll. Aside from the great performance, it was named Billboard's number-one single for 1961, after spending seven consecutive weeks at the top. It sold more than three million copies beating out such strong competition as Del Shannon's “Runaway”, Jimmy Dean's “Big Bad John”, and the Tokens' “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the song as the 27th biggest song of all time that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the chart. This omission is criminal.

   My question is where is Bobby Lewis now? His story is one of those where someone overcomes their tragic upbringing. I have included a short bio for Bobby Lewis below:

   “There's something particularly American about the Bobby Lewis story, a sort of rags to riches saga that outlines the slippery slope of modern pop culture. Lewis spent his childhood in an orphanage, and when he was finally adopted by a family from Detroit when he was 12, it apparently wasn't a good fit, and Lewis ran away two-years later, finding work with a circus, of all places. Somewhere along the way Lewis met Ritchie Adams, lead singer for doo wop group the Fireflies, who was working as a staff writer for Joe Rene's New York-based Beltone Records. Adams had written something called "Tossin' and Turnin'" and Lewis was in the right place at the right time to record it. The song became the number one single of 1961, spending some 23 weeks on the charts and eventually selling over three million units, and it made Lewis a star. He followed it with another Top Ten hit, "One Track Mind," and then attempted to make lightning strike a second time in 1962 with "I'm Tossin' and Turnin' Again," which failed to generate any sparks. Beltone went bankrupt a year later, and Lewis' ride at the top was over. "Tossin' and Turnin'" deserves its status as a rock & roll classic, and Lewis' vocal has the exact right mix of gospel shout and wry amusement that keeps it fresh no matter how many times it gets played on oldies radio. Although he had no more hits after 1962, Lewis adapted readily to the nostalgia circuit, and seemingly grateful for his success rather than embittered at its brevity, he continued to deliver a solid stage show even into his seventies. This set has all you need, including two versions of his biggest hit.” - Steve Leggett

   Tim Magee
   Lexington Kentucky
   (859) 806 8987
   tmagee@ureach.com