{} mike curb : years 82 · discography. mike {}mike curb : hit. artist: writer:publisher:...

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DISCOGRAPHY

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“PACK MY BAGS” ART I S T: JIMMY WITHERSPOON TIME : 4 : 0 4

“The Spoon,” as he was known, made morethan 200 albums during his career. Born inArkansas in 1923, Jimmy Witherspoon served inthe Merchant Marines during World War II, thenjoined The Jay McShann Band before performingwith Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker. Thesinger’s first hit was “’Tain’t Nobody’s Business” in1952; later, he re-worked the LeRoy Carr song, “InThe Evening When The Sun Goes Down.”

In 1969, Witherspoon recorded an albumwith Harvey Mandel of Canned Heat,Danny Kalb of Blues Project, BarryGoldberg of Electric Flag and harmonica aceCharlie Musselwhite. The Spoon was withthe same management firm that handledEric Burdon and War; he sang on theBurdon album Guilty and toured with him,which led to Spoon recording for MGM.

This is an easy-going, blues-based number aboutmissing the taste of comfort food back home. Burdongrew up in a working class family in Newcastle, Englandbefore retiring to California. He joined forces with theAfrican-American group War, but they split after a

European tour in 1971. Burdon published his memoir, IUsed To Be An Animal, But I’m All Right Now, in 1986.The group War continued to record and had a total of

20 records on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“HOME COOKIN’” ART I S T: WAR AND ERIC BURDON WRITER : PAPA D EE A L L EN , HAROLD B ROWN , B . B .

D I CKER SON , L ONN I E J O RDAN , M I L L ER , O S KAR L E E O SKAR , HOWARD S COTT PUBL I SHER : FAR OUT MUS I C I N C . /

UN I V ER SA L - POLYGRAM I N TERNAT IONAL ( A S CAP ) T IME : 4 : 1 1 PRODUCER : J E RRY GOLDS TE IN MGM

Larry Norman is a pioneer in contemporary Christianmusic, which was called “Jesus Music” when he began hiscareer. Norman’s group People was formed in San Jose,California, and had a Top 15 hit single with “I Love You(But The Words Won’t Come)” on Capitol in 1968.Norman left the group and was signed by Curb as a solo

artist to Verve, a subsidiary of MGM, while Mike Curbwas president of the label. “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”was on Larry Norman’s debut album and became astandard in Christian music, covered by d.c. talk in the1990s. Larry’s debut solo albums are considered the firstcontemporary Christian albums.

“I WISH WE’D ALL BEEN READY” ART I S T: LARRY NORMAN WRITER : LARRY NORMAN PUBL I SHER :

BEECHWOOD MUS I C CORPORAT ION ( BM I ) / O RDURE B L ANC MUS I C PRODUCER : ROD EDWARDS , J ON M I L L ER AND ROGER

HAND 1 9 7 2 MGM

Pat Boone called Mike Curb about The 2nd Chapterof Acts, which featured a young teenager named MatthewWard and his sisters Annie and Nelly. Curb had never meta young pop/rock act totally dedicated to Christian musicuntil he met them. Buck Herring produced the record

“Jesus Is” with Matthew Ward singing lead, and it wasreleased by Curb as their first single. The pioneering groupwent on to become a major artist in the field ofcontemporary Christian music.

“JESUS IS” ART I S T: THE 2ND CHAPTER OF ACTS WR ITER : E . OV ER S TREET PUBL I SHER : LAT TER R A IN MUS I C

( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 2 4 PRODUCER : BUCK HERR ING S PEC I A L THANKS : PAT BOONE MGM K 1 4 2 98

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M I K E C U R B : 50Years{ }

Billy Joe Royal grew up in Georgia and was part ofThe Georgia Jubilee with Ray Stevens, Freddy Weller, JoeSouth and Jerry Reed. Royal had pop hits with songswritten by Joe South titled “Down In The Boondocks” in1965 and “Cherry Hill Park” in 1969. “This MagicMoment,” written by the Brill Building team of Doc

Pomus and Mort Shuman, had been a hit for TheDrifters in 1960 and Jay and The Americans in 1969before Royal recorded it. Bill Lowery, the great record andmusic publisher from Atlanta, arranged for Billy Joe Royalto record for Curb during the early ‘70s.

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“THIS MAGIC MOMENT” ART I S T: BILLY JOE ROYAL WRITERS : DOC POMUS , MORT SHUMAN PUBL I SHER :

UN I CHAPPE L L MUS I C I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 5 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA MGM S 7 0 1 1 , 1 9 7 3

“Butterfly” was originally recorded by French artistDaniel Gerrard. Mike Curb wrote English lyrics to thesong and produced it with Trini Lopez, whose recordingof “If I Had A Hammer” reached number three on the

Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. Lopez left Reprise and joinedMGM at the suggestion of Merv Griffin while Curb waspresident. Merv had performed before with The MikeCurb Congregation on his successful TV show.

“BUTTERFLY” ART I S T: TRINI LOPEZ WITH THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER : DAV ID , G ERARD,

BARNE S , B E RNET, C URB PUBL I SHER : S ABACTHAN I MUS I C P UB L I SH ING / CHRYSA L I S S . A . ( A S CAP ) T IME : 3 : 2 0 PRODUCER :

MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA S PEC I A L THANKS : DAN I E L G ERRARD, C AROLE CURB AND MERV G R I F F IN MGM G 5 04 , 1 9 7 3

Julie Chester – who worked withParamount’s music publishing company –brought Lou Rawls to MGM, and MikeCurb agreed to sign him. Bobby Hebb,who had a hit with his self-penned“Sunny” in 1966, wrote “Natural Man”with Sandy Baron and Rawls recorded it,backed by The Mike Curb Congregation.

The song was a crossover hit, reachingTop 20 on the Adult Contemporary,Rhythm and Blues and Hot 100 charts inBillboard in 1971. In addition, Lou Rawlswon a Grammy for Male Vocalist in theRhythm and Blues category for his per-formance of “Natural Man.”

“NATURAL MAN” ART I S T: LOU RAWLS WITH THE MIKE CURB

CONGREGATION WRITERS : S ANDY B ARON , BOBBY H EBB PUBL I SHER : BERE SOF SK Y -

HEBB UNL IM I T ED ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 4 0 PRODUCER : MICHAEL L LOYD S PEC I A L THANKS :

J U L I E CHE S TER MGM K - 1 4 2 6 2 , 1 9 7 1

“HIS SONG SHALL BE SUNG” ART I S T: LOU RAWLS WRITERS : S ANDY B ARON ,

BOBBY H EBB PUBL I SHER : BERE SOF SK Y -HEBB UNL IM I T ED ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 4 5

1972{ {

“Billboard couldn’t honor a more ‘Natural Man.‘ Thanks for my Grammy Award for that record.”

—LOU R AWL S I N B I L L BOARD MAGA Z INE

Jimmy Witherspoon

P086-103_Discography3-JUN14_Lr2_qxd_P86-103 6/22/14 9:49 PM Page 86

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DISCOGRAPHY

Burl Ives was one of the greatest pop/folk singers of the20th century who launched a career as part of the CBSradio show The Wayfaring Stranger. It was later in hiscareer that he recorded many of his classic hits, including“Holly Jolly Christmas” and “A Little Bitty Tear.”

Ives appeared in a number of movies, including Cat ona Hot Tin Roof, East Of Eden and Hugo The Hippo. TheHugo film also featured Jimmy and Marie Osmond, andBurl Ives sang the title song, “Best Day Ever Made.”

“Puppy Love” was a pivotal record forDonny Osmond as a solo artist. Don Costaand Mike Curb co-produced the song, whichhad been a big hit for Paul Anka in 1960.“Puppy Love” was the first number-one recordany of the Osmonds had in Europe. It wasDonny’s fourth release as a solo artist, and itrose to number three on the Billboard Hot100. Osmond was established as a superstarand teenage idol; he would eventually have 20chart records in his solo career.Donny won the Dancing with the Stars

competition in 2009 and sang “Puppy Love” on

the last episode in front of almost 20 millionviewers for the ABC show – almost 40 yearsafter it had been a hit for him. Curb wrote some of the Osmond’s songs,

including “Ours,” “If Someone Ever BreaksYour Heart” and “Theme From Last Of TheRed Hot Lovers,” a 1973 film based on NeilSimon’s Broadway play.Donny Osmond was 16 when he sang his

version of “Young Love” in 1973. Produced byMike Curb, the song became a hit in the U.S.and then went on to become a number-onerecord for Donny in the United Kingdom.

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“BEST DAY EVER MADE” ( F ROM THE MOT ION P I C TURE HUGO THE H I P PO ) ART I S T: BURL IVES WR ITER : ROBERT

LAR IMER PUBL I SHER : BRUT MUS I C P UB L I SH ING ( A S CAP ) UN ITED ART I S T S , 1 9 7 6

“IF SOMEONE EVER BREAKS YOUR HEART” ART I S T: DONNY OSMOND & THE

MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER : MIKE CURB & MACK DAV ID PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB

MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 0 0

“THEME FROM LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS” ( FROM THE MOTION P ICTURE

LAST OF THE RED HOT LOVERS ) ARTIST: DONNY OSMOND WRITER : MIKE CURB/ALAN

OSMOND/MACK DAVID PUBLISHER : MIKE CURB MUS IC (BMI ) /POLYGRAM INTERNATIONAL PUB . INC .

(ASCAP) /FAMOUS MUS IC (ASCAP) /ENS IGN MUS IC (BMI ) TIME : 2 : 24

“OURS” ART I S T: DONNY OSMOND WRITER : MIKE CURB PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB MUS I C

( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 6

“PUPPY LOVE” ART I S T: DONNY OSMOND WRITER : PAUL ANKA PUBL I SHER : CHRYSA L I S

S TANDARDS I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 0 3 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA S PEC I A L THANKS :

DON CO S TA MGM K - 1 4 3 6 7 , 1 9 7 2

“YOUNG LOVE” ART I S T: DONNY OSMOND WRITER : CAROLE J OYNER , R I C C ARTE Y

PUBL I SHER : LOWERY MUS I C CO . , I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 3 1 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA

“I HAVE A DREAM” ART I S T: DONNY OSMOND WRITERS : SOLOMON BURKE – K . S . H . S .

BURKE PUBL I SHERS : F I R S T C ENTRAL MUS I C COMPANY ( BM I ) K I D S MUS I C , I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 2 2

PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA

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Mike Curb and Roy Orbison wrote “It Takes AllKinds Of People” at Curb’s home. The song was finishedquickly so Mike, Orbison and Orbison’s wife, Barbara –who had never seen Elvis perform – decided to fly to LasVegas. After the show, Elvis invited Roy backstage to

chat; Barbara and Mike went along and spent about 45minutes with The King. The song was written for the filmThe Moonshine Wars (1970), directed by Richard Quineand with the screenplay by noted mystery novelist ElmoreLeonard, who also wrote the novel by the same name.

Argentinean pianist and composer Lalo Schifrinstudied sociology and law at the University of BuenosAires, then attended the Paris Conservatoire where hestudied classical music by day and performed jazz in theclubs at night. He moved to the United States in 1958and worked with Dizzy Gillespie and Xavier Cugat. In1964, he moved to Hollywood and wrote scores forMission: Impossible and Mannix on TV and for films Cool

Hand Luke, Bullitt, Dirty Harry, The Cincinnati Kid andthe Amityville Horror. Schifrin has written more than100 scores, won four Grammys (and 21 nominations)and six Oscar nominations. “Sanctus Benedictus,”backed by The Mike Curb Congregation, is apolyrhythmic piece from the liturgy that was originallyreleased on the album Rock Requiem.

Jimmy Osmond was the youngest member of theOsmond family, so he was not part of the hit-makingOsmonds. “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool” hadbeen recorded by The Mike Curb Congregation but didnot hit; Curb brought young Jimmy into the studio andproduced this version. The song became a Top 40 hit on

the Billboard Hot 100 in America, but reached numberone in England in 1972 and, at the end of that year, wasdeclared the number one song for the entire year. PerryBotkin played a major role in arranging and co-producingthis song.

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“IT TAKES ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE” ( F ROM THE MOT ION P I C TURE THE MOONSH INE WARS ) ART I S T: ROY

ORBISON WITH THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER : ROY ORB I SON , M I K E CURB PUBL I SHER : EM I HA S T ING S

CATALOG I NC . / B A RBARA ORB I SON MUS I C T IME : 3 : 2 1 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB S PEC I A L THANKS : WESLE Y RO S E 1 9 7 1

“SANCTUS BENEDICTUS” ART I S T: LALO SCHIFRIN WITH THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER :

LA LO S CH I F R IN PUBL I SHER : EM I HA S T ING S MUS I C / S CHER ZO MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 3 0 PRODUCER : LA LO S CH I F R IN

VERVE VK 1 0 66 3 , 1 9 7 1

“LONG HAIRED LOVER FROM LIVERPOOL” ART I S T: LITTLE JIMMY OSMOND WITH THE MIKE CURB

CONGREGATION WRITER : CHR I S TOPHER K ING S L E Y PUBL I SHER : V I RG IN E AR MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 1 6 PRODUCER :

MIKE CURB AND P ERRY BOTK IN J R . S PEC I A L THANKS : OL I V E O SMOND MGM K 1 4 3 7 6 , 1 9 7 2

Curb signed Jeannie C. Riley – best known for hernumber one record “Harper Valley P.T.A.” – and put outseven chart records. Her biggest MGM hit was “Give

Myself a Party,” which was written by Don Gibson.Jeannie “was always willing to ‘push the edge’ and made arockin’ country record,” said Curb.

88“GIVE MYSELF A PARTY” ART I S T: JEANNIE C. RILEY WR ITER : DON G I B SON PUBL I SHER : SONY ACUF F RO S E

MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 2 5 PRODUCER : J IM V I ENNEAU S PEC I A L THANKS : SHELBY S I NGLE TON MGM K 1 4 34 1

Donny Osmond and Mike Curb


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DISCOGRAPHY

Mike Curb signed Billy Walker to MGM, and Billyhad fourteen Billboard chart albums that included five TopTen records. Nicknamed “The Tall Texan,” Walker andElvis Presley teamed up for a tour of Texas in 1955.Walker was a member of the “Big D Jamboree” in Dallas,the “Louisiana Hayride” and the “Ozark Jubilee” in

Springfield, Missouri, before he became a long-timemember of the Grand Ole Opry; he joined in 1960, a yearafter he moved to Nashville. During the late 1960s hestarred in a TV series, Billy Walker’s Country Caravan.Billy had a Billboard hit with his duet with The MikeCurb Congregation, “Gone (Our Endless Love).”

Pierre Cosette, producer of the Grammy Awards ontelevision, introduced Mike Curb to Jud Strunk, who wasa regular on the popular television show Rowan andMartin’s Laugh In. Curb and Don Costa produced “Daisya Day” with the singer, and the song was a multi-format

hit, reaching number four on the Adult Contemporary,number 14 on the Hot 100 and number 33 on theCountry Charts in Billboard. Strunk died in 1981 whenthe small private plane he was piloting crashed.

Brook Benton was a great songwriter as well as a greatsinger; during his career he had four Gold records and 16Top 20 singles. Influenced by Nat “King” Cole and BillyEckstine, he first achieved success as a songwriter bypenning “Looking Back” for Cole and “A Lover’sQuestion” for Clyde McPhatter in 1958 (both co-writtenwith Clyde Otis). Benton was signed to Mercury where he

and Otis wrote “It’s Just A Matter Of Time,” “Endlessly,”“Thank You Pretty Baby” and “So Many Ways.” Bentonhad a hit with Tony Joe White’s “Rainy Night In Georgia”on Cotillion in 1970. “If You’ve Got The Time, I’ve GotThe Place” was recorded for MGM after Mike Curbsigned Brook to the company. Brook had 58 Billboard Hot100 chart records, and this was his final hit.

Mel Carter had a very successful career, primarilyrecording pop/R&B songs such as “Hold Me, Thrill Me,Kiss Me,” a Top 10 record in the mid ‘60s. His recordingof “I Only Have Eyes For You” featured Mel’sinterpretation of the classic recording by The Flamingos,

which was a Top Five hit on the R&B chart and number11 on the Hot 100 in Billboard in 1959. Mel’s recordingwas his eleventh and final chart record on the BillboardHot 100 and a Top 40 single on the Billboard AdultContemporary chart.

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“GONE (OUR ENDLESS LOVE)” ART I S T: BILLY WALKER AND THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER :

D. G L ENN , B . WA LKER PUBL I SHER : ANNE -RACHEL CORPORAT ION / B E S T WAY MUS I C ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 5 5 PRODUCER : MIKE

CURB AND DON CO S TA MGM K 1 4 3 7 7 , 1 9 7 2

“DAISY A DAY” ART I S T: JUD STRUNK WITH THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER : J UD S T RUNK

PUBL I SHER : S EVEN H I GH MUS I C , I N C . ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 4 6 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA S PEC I A L THANKS :

P I E RRE CO S S E T TE AND BURT S UGARMAN MGM K 1 4 46 3 , 1 9 7 3

“IF YOU’VE GOT THE TIME, I ’VE GOT THE PLACE” ART I S T: BROOK BENTON WRITER : WIL L I AM

BACKER PUBL I SHER : SHADA MUS I C , I N C . ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 5 0 PRODUCER : B I L LY DAV I S F OR B COMPANY MUS I C , I N C .

MGM K 1 4 440 , 1 9 7 2

“I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU” ART I S T: MEL CARTER WRITER : AL DUB IN /HARRY WARREN PUBL I SHER :

WARNER B RO S , I N C . ( A S CAP )

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Mary Wells had a number one hit in1964 with “My Guy” on Motown; thatsame year, British act Petula Clark had herfirst single enter the chart. “Downtown”became a number one hit in 1965 and wasfollowed by other chart-toppers like “IKnow A Place,” “My Love” and “Don’tSleep In The Subway.” In 1972, Mike

Curb signed Petula Clark – a major star inEngland who had starred in a TV seriesand appeared in more than 20 movies –and he and Don Costa produced “MyGuy,” which brought Petula Clark back onthe charts after a period of two and a halfyears with a top Billboard hit.

92“MY GUY” ART I S T: PETULA CLARK WRITER : WIL L I AM ROB IN SON , J R . PUBL I SHER :

J O B E TE MUS I C CO . , I N C . W /O EM I MUS I C P UB L I SH ING ( A S CAP ) T IME : 3 : 0 0 PRODUCER :

MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA

92A“WEDDING SONG (THERE IS LOVE)” ART I S T: PETULA CLARK WRITER :

NOEL S TOOKE Y PUBL I SHER : WB MUS I C CORP. ( A S CAP ) T IME : 3 : 1 2 PRODUCER : MIKE

CURB AND DON CO S TA MGM K 1 4 4 3 1 , 1 9 7 1

Dick Frank, the attorney for WesleyRose – whose Acuff-Rose PublishingCompany published Hank Williams’songs – suggested that Curb sign hisneighbor, Mel Tillis; Curb agreed.Mel Tillis had his first chart record in

1958 for Columbia, and then moved overto Kapp until he signed with MGM in1970. When they met, Curb encouragedhim to record “I Ain’t Never,” a song Tillishad written that was a crossover hit forWebb Pierce in 1959. Curb loved Pierce’sversion and wanted Tillis to record thesong with a rock beat. He considered itand agreed.The record was produced by Jim

Vienneau and released in the summer of1972. It became Tillis’s first number one

country record and was an important stepin his career, which hit its peak when hewas named Entertainer of the Year by theCountry Music Association in 1976.Later, Tillis was inducted into theCountry Music Hall of Fame and alsothanked Curb for signing him to his firstmeaningful contract.

93“I AIN’T NEVER” ART I S T: MEL TILLIS WR ITER : WEBB P I E RCE , ME L T I L L I S

PUBL I SHER : UN I VER SA L - CEDARWOOD PUB L I SH ING ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 0 7 PRODUCER : J IM

V I ENNEAU S PEC I A L THANKS : D I CK F RANK MGM K 1 4 4 1 8 , 1 9 7 2

“Wedding Song (There Is Love)” waswritten by Noel Paul Stukee of Peter, Pauland Mary and reached number 24 on theBillboard Hot 100 in 1971. Mike Curbproduced the song with Petula Clark in1972, and it reached both the Adult

Contemporary and Hot 100 charts inBillboard, rising into the Top Ten. British-born Clark was a movie star

before she began recording; she had herfirst hit in England in 1954.

Mike Curb and Mel Tillis

1975{ {

“Mike, I’ll never forget you signed me to my first meaningful record contract.

Thanks for believing.”—MEL T I L L I S


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DISCOGRAPHY

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The Classics IV, led by vocalist Dennis Yost, had theirbiggest hits, “Spooky,” “Stormy” and “Traces” before theyjoined the MGM family. All of those hits were written byBuddy Buie and J.R. Cobb, the same duo who wrote“What Am I Crying For.” The group joinedMGM/South, the label formed in the early 1970s by Bill

Lowery and Karl Engemann in Atlanta with MGM,headed by Mike Curb. This song reached Top Ten on theAdult Contemporary and Top 40 on the Hot 100 Chartsin Billboard. After The Classics IV disbanded, formermembers Buie, Cobb and Dean Daughtry formed TheAtlanta Rhythm Section.

The New Seekers had the hit “I’d Like To Teach TheWorld To Sing (In Perfect Harmony),” which laterbecame a Coke commercial. In 1973 they joined theMGM family, recording on Verve. Their first release was“Come Softly To Me,” a re-make of the hit originally

record by The Fleetwoods. Their next single was“Pinball Wizard,” which had been a hit for The Whofrom their rock opera, Tommy. The New Seekers’ versionreached Billboard’s Hot 100 and Adult Contemporarycharts in 1973.

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The Thing With Two Heads was a sci-ficomedy starring Ray Milland, RooseveltGrier, Don Marshall and Roger Perry thatattempted to confront racism when it wasreleased in 1972. The plot involved thehead of a bigoted white doctor (RayMilland) being attached to the body of a

black man (Roosevelt Grier) on DeathRow. The “problem” came when theinmate’s head remained attached as well.In this movie, noted soul singer JerryButler – a founding member of TheImpressions with Curtis Mayfield – sang“A Prayer.”

102“A PRAYER”/“OH HAPPY DAY” ( FROM THE MOT ION P ICTURE THE TH ING WITH TWO

HEADS ) ARTIST: J ERRY BUTLER WRITER : J ERRY BUTLER , S . F. BROWN I I I PUBLISHER :

BUTLER MUS IC , INC . ( ASCAP ) TIME : 3 : 1 2 PRODUCER : MICHAEL V INER MGM, 19 72

The Incredible Bongo Band was a studioband for The Sylvers. After “Bongo Rock”hit, a live group was formed for touring.This song was originally a hit by PrestonEpps in 1959; in 1973 producers MichaelViner and Perry Botkin Jr. revived it. Thesong reached several genres; it rose to num-ber 35 on the Adult Contemporary, number42 on the Rhythm and Blues and number57 on the Hot 100 charts in Billboard. The group first recorded the song

“Bongolia” for the soundtrack album TheThing With Two Heads. After hearing theconcept of re-recording major instrumentalhits, Curb agreed to finance the recordingsession with the understanding that PerryBotkin Jr. would co-produce the album.Curb gives Botkin much of the credit for thesuccess of his song “Burning Bridges” by The

Mike Curb Congregation. Also, “Apache 65”was Curb’s first chart record by his highschool band The Arrows and the first chartrecord for Curb’s own Sidewalk label.The amazing thing for the band hap-

pened years later when DJ Kool Herk used“Bongo Rock” and “Apache 65” by theIncredible Bongo Band as the foundationfor his new style of DJ-ing, which he putinto practice at the Havalo Club in theBronx. It was there that he took a secondcopy of the record and used it to repeat thepercussion break, extending the sectionand sending the dancers into raptures.According to articles in the New York

Times and other historians, this music wasa major factor in the start of hip-hop, back-beats and loop-based, sample-driven music.

103“BONGO ROCK” ( F ROM THE MOT ION P I C TURE THE TH ING W I TH TWO HEADS ) ART I S T: THE

INCRED IBLE BONGO BAND WRITER : A . E GNO I AN , E P P S PUBL I SHER : DR I V E - IN MUS I C

CO . , I N C . T IME : 2 : 2 6 PRODUCER : MICHAEL V I NER AND P ERRY BOTK IN , J R . MGM K 1 4 5 8 8 , 1 9 7 3

The Sylvers was a family group fromMemphis who began as a quartet knownas The Little Angels. In the early 1970s,the group was living in the Watts sectionof Los Angeles; by 1971, they were calledThe Sylvers and had added three morefamily members – Foster, Edmund andRicky – to create a seven-member group.The group signed with Pride, an MGMsubsidiary, in 1972. “Fool’s Paradise” wasreleased, reaching the Top 15 on the

Rhythm and Blues chart and hitting theHot 100. Curb released “Misdemeanor” by

Foster Sylvers on MGM’s Pride label andthe recording climbed to the Top Ten onthe Rhythm and Blues chart and Top 25on the Hot 100. Foster Sylvers and The Sylvers

combined to have 10 chart records on theBillboard Hot 100, including their numberone hit, “Boogie Fever.”

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“WHAT AM I CRYING FOR” ART I S T: DENNIS YOST AND THE CLASSICS IV WR ITER : BU I E & COBB

PUBL I SHER : SONY / ATV S ONGS L L C T IME : 3 : 0 1 PRODUCER : BUDDY BU I E S PEC I A L THANKS : B I L L L OWREY AND KAR L

ENGEMANN MGM SOUTH MSH- 7 0 2 , 1 9 7 2

“PINBALL WIZARD/ SEE ME, FEEL ME” ART I S T: NEW SEEKERS WRITER : PE TER TOWNSHEND

PUBL I SHER : CAREER S - BMG MUS I C P UB L I SH ING I NC . O / B / O TOWSER TUNE S I N C . / A BKCO MUS I C I N C . / FA BULOUS MUS I C

LTD . T IME : 3 : 2 3 PRODUCER : MICHAEL L LOYD MGM MV 1 0 7 0 9 , 1 9 7 3

“FOOL’S PARADISE” ART I S T: SYLVERS WRITER : L EON S Y LVER S I I I PUBL I SHER :

UN I CHAPPE L L MUS I C , I N C . ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 2 8 PRODUCER : J E RRY BU T LER S PEC I A L

THANKS : J E RRY BU T LER PR IDE PR 1 0 0 1 , 1 9 7 2

“MISDEMEANOR” ART I S T: FOSTER SYLVERS WRITER : L EON F . S Y LV ER S I I I

PUBL I SHER : CHAPPE L L & CO . O / B / O DOTTED L I ON MUS I C T IME : 2 : 3 6 PRODUCER : KEG

JOHNSON S PEC I A L THANKS : MICHAEL V I NER PR IDE PR 1 0 3 1 , 1 9 7 3


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Mike Curb agreed that MGM wouldbe a partner in Kenny Rogers’ label, JollyRogers, and Rogers recorded the song“Today I Started Loving You Again” from

a Merle Haggard album. Curb calledHaggard and asked if he was going torelease it as a single, but Merle said Kennycould use it. Rogers had recorded “Ruby, Don’t Take

Your Love To Town” – which crossed tocountry radio – but he had never had apurely country record until “Today IStarted Loving You Again.” After Curbleft MGM, Rogers moved to UnitedArtists, where he recorded a string of hitslike “Lucille,” “The Gambler” and“Coward Of The County.”

104“TODAY I STARTED LOVING YOU AGAIN” ART I S T: KENNY ROGERS

WRITER : MERLE HAGGARD, BONN I E OWENS PUBL I SHER : SONY / ATV T R EE PUB L I SH ING

T IME : 3 : 0 2 PRODUCER : KENNY ROGER S S PEC I A L THANKS : L E LAND ROGER S J O L LY

ROGERS J 1 0 0 4 , 1 9 7 2

The 1973 film Lost Horizon was a re-make of the 1937 movie Lost Horizon ofShangri-La; both were based on the novelby James Hilton. “Living Together,Growing Together” came from that film. While Curb was president of Verve, he

signed Tony Bennett to the prestigiousjazz label. Bennett wanted to do whatSammy Davis Jr. had done – record a hitsong from a movie. This was in 1972 andBennett had not had a record on the popcharts for five years… his biggest hit, “ILeft My Heart In San Francisco” hadbeen released in 1962.

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote“Living Together, Growing Together,”which Mike Curb and Don Costaproduced. The single reached the BillboardSingles chart. The next year, Bennett’srecord “Tell Her It’s Snowing” reached theTop 40 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

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“LIVING TOGETHER, GROWING TOGETHER” ( F ROM THE MOT ION P I C TURE

LO S T HOR I ZON ) ART I S T: TONY BENNETT WITH THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION

WRITER : BURT B ACHARACH , HA L DAV ID PUBL I SHER : WB MUS I C CORP. O / B / O N EW H IDDEN

VAL LE Y MUS I C / C A S A DAV ID / COLGEMS - EM I MUS I C I N C . T IME : 3 : 1 9 PRODUCER : MIKE

CURB AND DON CO S TA S PEC I A L THANKS : DERR I CK BOULTON VERVE MV 1 0 6 9 0 , 1 9 7 3

“MY LOVE” ART I S T: TONY BENNETT WRITER : PAUL MCCARTNE Y , L I NDA MCCARTNE Y

PUBL I SHER : MPL COMMUN ICAT IONS ( A S CAP ) T IME : 3 : 0 5

[ 9 5 ]

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme met and married while both were castmembers of The Tonight Show in the early 1950s. Eydie’s biggest hit forMGM was “It Was A Good Time” written by Mike Curb and Mack David. “We Can Make It Together” was recorded by Steve & Eydie with The

Osmonds and The Mike Curb Congregation and was a Top Ten AdultContemporary hit. The film The Last Run starred George C. Scott; the title song was

composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Mike Curb and performed by SteveLawrence. Steve Lawrence’s first number one hit was “Go Away, Little Girl”in 1962. “Hallelujah” was Steve and Eydie’s last chart record in 1979.Curb said that “Steve and Eydie are definitely two of the most incredibly

gifted artists and two of the best friends I have ever had a chance to workwith. The saddest moment in our 50th year was the loss of one of thegreatest singers in the history of the music business, Eydie Gorme, onAugust 11, 2013. Remarkably, in 2014 Curb released a very special newlyrecorded album by Steve Lawrence which contained background vocals byGarth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

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“HALLELUJAH” ART I S T: STEVE & EYDIE WITH THE MIKE CURB

CONGREGATION WRITERS : KOB I O SHRAT, SH IMR I T O RR PUBL I SHER : GOGLY MUS I C

PUBL I SHER S ( ACUM ) A L L R I GHT S ADM IN I S T ERED BY I N T ER SONG-U SA , I N C . ( A S CAP ) T IME :

3 : 2 4 PRODUCER : MICHAEL L LOYD AND M I KE CURB WARNER / CURB 1 9 7 9

“WE CAN MAKE IT TOGETHER” ART I S T: STEVE & EYDIE WITH THE

OSMONDS WRITER : ALAN O SMOND PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB MUS I C P UB L I SH ING CO .

( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 1 5

“IT WAS A GOOD TIME” ART I S T: EYDIE GORME WRITER : MIKE CURB /MACK

DAV ID /MAUR I C E J A RRE PUBL I SHER : METRO -GOLDWYN-MAYER , I N C . R I GHT S A S S I GNED TO

EM I C ATA LOGUE PARTNER SH I P . A L L R I GHT S CONTROL LED AND ADM IN I S T ERED BY EM I

F E I S T C ATA LOG I NC .

“THE LAST RUN” ( F ROM THE MOT ION P I C TURE THE L AS T RUN ) ART I S T: STEVE

LAWRENCE WRITERS : MACK DAV ID , J E RRY GOLDSM I TH , M I K E CURB PUBL I SHER :

SH INKO MUS I C P UB L I SH ING / EM I A F F I L I AT ED C ATA LOG T IME : 2 : 1 2 PRODUCERS : DON

COSTA AND M I KE CURB S PEC I A L THANKS : J E S S E K AY E MGM K 1 4 2 88 1 9 7 1

Mike Curb and Kenny Rogers were inducted into theGeorgia Music Hall of Fame together.

Mike Curb and Tony Bennett

Mike Curb with Steve Lawrenceand Eydie Gorme

The Mike CurbCongregation had theopportunity to perform withSteve & Eydie, SammyDavis Jr. and other artistsat major hotels such asCaesar’s Palace.

IN MEMORY OF EYDIE GORME

“IT WAS A GOOD TIME”


109A

[ 9 7 ]

DISCOGRAPHY

Eddie Ray, the African-American executive at Capitolwho became a mentor to the young Mike Curb, moved toMemphis in the early 1970s and set up a school to teachyoung black students about the music business. In Memphis, Ray found a group whose lead singer,

Louis Williams, sounded remarkably like Sam Cooke, sohe contacted Curb at MGM. Eddie Ray and Gene

Luchessi were partners in the Sounds of Memphis label,and Curb signed an agreement to distribute their records.The Ovations released “Touching Me” in mid-1972, andit reached the R&B and Hot 100 charts in Billboard. Later, Curb moved over to MGM, where they had a

number seven hit with a medley of Sam Cooke songsentitled “Having A Party.”

Jim Stafford, a Florida native, was touring with HowardBellamy as his roadie; Howard’s brother, David, was a co-writer on “Spiders And Snakes,” which reached the Country,the Adult Contemporary and hit number 3 on the Hot 100charts in Billboard. After this hit, Stafford hosted a summer

TV variety show. Curb first met Phil Gernhard in 1973 when he brought

this recording of “Spiders And Snakes” to MGM.Gernhard was later involved in a number of Curb records,including those by Tim McGraw and Jo Dee Messina.

Coven – comprised of Jinx Dawson, Oz, ChristopherNelson, John Hobbs and Steve Ross – was a pop/rockgroup from Chicago that Mike Curb signed to MGM.Curb worked closely with Tom Laughlin on the Billy Jackmovies, beginning with The Born Losers, and the recording

of “One Tin Soldier” came from the movie The Legend OfBilly Jack. This recording has the distinction of being oneof the few records in history to hit the charts on twoseparate labels, both Warner and MGM.

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“HAVING A PARTY” ART I S T: THE OVATIONS WRITER : S AM COOKE PUBL I SHER : ABKCO MUS I C , I N C . ( BM I )

S PEC I A L THANKS : GENE LUCHE S S I AND EDD I E R AY

“SPIDERS AND SNAKES” ART I S T: JIM STAFFORD WRITER : J IM S TA F FORD, DAV ID B E L LAMY PUBL I SHER :

© 1 9 7 3 , 1 9 7 4 FAMOUS MUS I C L L C ( A S CAP ) A L L R I GHT S R E S ERVED . U S ED BY P E RM I S S I ON . T IME : 3 : 0 5 PRODUCERS : PH I L

GERNHARD AND LOBO S PEC I A L THANKS : PH I L G ERNHARD MGM K 1 4 648 , 1 9 7 3

“THE WILDWOOD WEED” ART I S T: JIM STAFFORD WRITER : J IM S TA F FORD, DON BOWMAN PUBL I SHER :

FAMOUS MUS I C CORP. ( A S CAP / EN S I GN MUS I C / PARODY PUB L I SH ING ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 0 PRODUCER : PH I L G ERNHARD

“ONE TIN SOLDIER” ART I S T: COVEN WRITER : LAMBERT / POTTER PUBL I SHER : CENT S AND P ENCE MUS IQUE

COMPANY ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 1 4


“It Was A Good Time” was writtenby Mike Curb, Mack David and MauriceJarre for the movie Ryan’s Daughter. The1960 film starred Robert Mitchum, SarahMiles, Trevor Howard, and Leo McKern.

Curb had produced the songfor Eydie Gorme,

which hit the

Adult Contemporary chart in 1971 androse to number 23. While working onher TV special, Liza With A Z, Minnelliassembled a video montage of hermother, Judy Garland. She heardGorme’s recording of “It Was A GoodTime” and decided to sing that song tothe video montage at the end of theshow, which won an Emmy. The song fitthe moment, and Minnelli made it partof her concerts.

107“IT WAS A GOOD TIME” ( F ROM THE SHOW L I Z A W I TH A Z ) ART I S T:

LIZA MINNELLI WR ITER : MIKE CURB , MACK DAV ID , MAUR I C E J A RRE

PUBL I SHER : EM I F E I S T C ATA LOG I NC . T IME : 2 : 3 6 PRODUCER : ANDREW

KA ZD IN S PEC I A L THANKS : MACK DAV ID COLUMB IA 4 - 4 5 7 1 5 , 1 9 7 1

Marie Osmond wanted to be a country artist, so MikeCurb decided to have her record in Nashville withsuperstar country producer Sonny James. Osmond andJames recorded the song “Paper Roses,” which had been ahit for Anita Bryant in 1960. Marie Osmond’s record went number one Country,

number one Adult Contemporary, and number five on theHot 100 charts. Ironically, her follow-up record was “In MyLittle Corner Of The World,” which had also been AnitaBryant’s follow-up to “Paper Roses” back in 1960. MarieOsmond would go on to have 23 charts singles as a soloartist, in addition to her seven chart singles with Donny.

111“PAPER ROSES” ART I S T: MARIE OSMOND WRITER : J . TORRE , F R ED S P I E LMAN PUBL I SHER : L EW I S MUS I C C / O

MUS I C S A L E S CORPORAT ION ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 3 8 PRODUCER : SONNY J AMES S PEC I A L THANKS : DON OVENS AND SONNY

J AMES KOLOB K 1 4 6 09 , 1 9 7 3

1973{ {

“Dearest Mike,…It was a partyjust to be near you….”

—L I Z A M INNEL L I


DISCOGRAPHY

[ 9 8 ]


Sammy Davis Jr. played a major role atMGM Records during the time MikeCurb was president – especially with “TheCandy Man,” the biggest hit of his career.“The Candy Man,” from the film Willy

Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, wasrecorded by The Mike Curb Congregationas the follow-up to their hit “BurningBridges,” but “Candy Man” did notinitially hit. Curb had signed Sammy Davis Jr., who

was looking for a hit but didn’t like rock n’roll; he thought the production on “CandyMan” was too rock-oriented. In fact, hedidn’t even like the song, telling Curb “It’shorrible. It’s a timmy-two-shoes, it’s whitebread, cutems, there’s no romance.” But

Mike convinced him to record it with hisCongregation, using Frank Sinatra’srecording of “High Hopes” as aninspiration. The result was a record thatwent number one on both the BillboardHot100 and Adult Contemporary charts andbecame Davis’s signature song.“Movin’ On Up” by Sammy Davis Jr.

became the theme song for The Jeffersons,a popular comedy on the CBS televisionnetwork that ran from 1975 until 1985.Davis also recorded “Keep Your Eye OnThe Sparrow” – the theme song fromBaretta – and “Chico And The Man” fromthe show by the same name, which washis last chart record.

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“THE CANDY MAN” ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. WITH THE MIKE CURB

CONGREGATION WRITER : L E S L I E B R I CU S S E , AN THONY N EWLE Y PUBL I SHER : TARADAM

MUS I C I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 0 5 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA S PEC I A L THANKS :

S Y MAR SH MGM K 1 4 3 2 0 , 1 9 7 1

“LEGEND IN MY TIME” ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. WR I TER : DON G I B SON

PUBL I SHER : ACUFF - RO SE PUB L I SH ING , I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 0 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB

AND DON CO S TA

“MOVIN’ ON UP” ( F ROM THE T E L EV I S I ON SHOW THE J E F F ER SONS ) ART I S T: SAMMY

DAVIS JR. AND THE MIKE CURB CONGREGATION WRITER : J E F F B ARRY / J E ANNETTE

DUBO I S PUBL I SHER : EM I B E L FA S T MUS I C , I N C . ( BM I )

“TIME TO RIDE THEME” ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. WR I TER : MIKE CURB ,

MACK DAV ID PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB MUS I C ( BM I )

“CHICO AND THE MAN” ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. WR I TER : J O S E F E L I C I ANO

PUBL I SHER : J &H PUB L I SH ING CO . ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 3 5 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON

COSTA

“BARETTA’S THEME” ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. WR I TERS : DAVE G RU S IN ,

MORGAN AMES PUBL I SHER : L EEDS MUS I C CORP. ( A S CAP ) / DUCHE S S MUS I C CORP. ( BM I )

T IME : 2 : 2 3

“SHAFT” ( SHAFT ’ S B I G S CORE ) ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. WITH I S AAC HAY E S

WRITER : I S AAC HAY E S PUBL I SHER : I RV ING MUS I C I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 4 9 PRODUCER :

I S AAC HAY E S S PEC I A L THANKS : AL B E L L MGM S E 4 8 3 2 , 1 9 7 1

“FIRST MEETING” ( F ROM SHAFT ’ S B I G S CORE ) WRITER : GORDON PARK S

PUBL I SHER : EM I F E I S T C ATA LOG , I N C . ( A S CAP )

“PEOPLE TREE” ART I S T: SAMMY DAVIS JR. AND THE MIKE CURB

CONGREGATION WRITERS : L E S L I E B R I CU S S E , AN THONY N EWLE Y PUBL I SHER :

TARADAM MUS I C , I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 2 5 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA

1972{ {

“That (Candy Man’s) Gold – don’t forget it. I waited 43 years for that, but I must tell you that ittook the talents of a lot of people... first of all, the

belief that Mike Curb had.”—SAMMY DAV I S J R .

Mike Curb and Sammy Davis Jr.

Mike Curb producedSammy Davis’ hit

recording of the remake ofGene Kelly’s classic song “Singing

In The Rain”. Gene Kelly and Mike Curb per-formed the song together on the national CBSGlen Campbell television show.


[ 1 0 1 ]

DISCOGRAPHY

Eddy Arnold spent 25 years recordingfor RCA before signing with MGM in1972 at the encouragement of Mike Curb.Mike’s group had once opened for Arnoldin San Jose, California. The two struck upa friendship and Arnold eventually agreedto sign with MGM if he could record inLos Angeles.

Curb and Don Costa producedArnold, backed by an orchestra and TheMike Curb Congregation. Arnold had 10chart singles with Curb, including “I WishThat I Had Loved You Better” (his mostsuccessful on the Billboard chart), “Oh,Oh, I’m Falling In Love,” and “Butterfly,”which Curb co-wrote.

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“I WISH THAT I HAD LOVED YOU BETTER” ART I S T: EDDY ARNOLD

WRITER : CH I CK R A IN S PUBL I SHER : AL LE Y MUS I C CORP. / T R I O MUS I C COMPANY , I N C . /

TW IN FORK S MUS I C , I N C . T IME : 2 : 5 0 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB AND DON CO S TA MGM M3G

496 1 , 1 9 7 4

“BUTTERFLY” ART I S T: EDDY ARNOLD WRITER : CURB , DAV ID , G ERARD, B ARNE S ,

B ERNET PUBL I SHER : S ABACTHAN I MUS I C P UB L I SH ING / CHRYSA L I S S . A . ( A S CAP ) T IME :

2 : 5 8 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB , DON CO S TA

“OH, OH, I ’M FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN” ART I S T: EDDY ARNOLD

WRITER : A . HOF FMAN , D . MANN ING , M . MARKWELL PUBL I SHER : P LANETARY MUS I C

PUBL I SH ING CORP. ( A S CAP ) T IME : 2 : 3 0 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB , DON CO S TA

[ 1 0 0 ]


Mike Curb created a distribution partnership withAndy Williams’ Barnaby Records label. Shortly afterward,Ken Mansfield recommended signing Doyle Holly, whowas a member of Buck Owens’ band The Buckaroos.

Holly, originally from Oklahoma, had seven Billboardchart singles, with his biggest hit being “Queen Of TheSilver Dollar.”

The soundtrack to the movie Shaft,starring Richard Roundtree, was releasedin 1971 by Memphis-based artist IsaacHayes on Enterprise, in association withMGM. Mike Curb and his sister, Carole,recommended Hayes to Jim Aubrey andthe producer of Shaft. The album by

Hayes was nominated for Grammys in theAlbum of the Year category and the singlefor Record of the Year.Curb approached Sammy Davis Jr.

about doing a vocal for Shaft. Davisagreed, and the song won an AcademyAward for Original Song from a Movie. “This soundtrack would not have been

possible without the incredible talent ofIssac Hayes and Al Bell, who waspresident of Stax Records at the time,”said Curb. Richard Roundtree also starred in the

sequel, Shaft’s Big Score, in 1972 and inShaft In Africa in 1973. Roundtreerecorded several singles; “This MagicMoment,” produced by Mike Curb, washis biggest hit on the Billboard R&B chartin 1976.

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“QUEEN OF THE SILVER DOLLAR” ART I S T: DOYLE HOLLY WRITER : SHEL S I LV ER S TE IN PUBL I SHER : EV I L

E Y E MUS I C , I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 2 4 PRODUCER : KEN MANS F I E LD S PEC I A L THANKS : K EN MANS F I E LD“THIS MAGIC MOMENT” ART I S T: RICHARD ROUNDTREE WRITER : DOC

POMUS , MORT SHUMAN PUBL I SHER : H I L L & R ANGE S ONGS , I N C . / QU INTE T MUS I C ,

I NC . / T R EDLAW MUS I C , I N C . / F R EDDY B I EN S TOCK MUS I C , I N C . ( BM I ) UN I CHAPPE L L MUS I C

INC . ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 5 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB

“SO MUCH IN LOVE” ART I S T: RICHARD ROUNDTREE WRITER : W. J ACK SON , R .

S T RA I G I S , G . W I L L I AMS PUBL I SHER : ABKCO MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 0 6 S PEC I A L THANKS :

GORDON PARK S ART I S T S O F AMER ICA AOA - 1 1 5 , 1 9 7 1

Mike Curb produced “For Your Love” for NeilBogart’s Casablanca record label. Christopher Paul andShawn Engemann were the son and daughter of KarlEngemann, the long-time manager of Marie Osmondand a very successful A&R executive at CapitolRecords. Shawn is married to the famous talk show

host, Larry King. Throughout his career, Curb has always believed in

co-ventures with other labels. Records that Curb hasbeen involved in are represented on more than 100different labels.

115“FOR YOUR LOVE” ART I S T: CHRISTOPHER PAUL AND SHAWN KING WRITER : ED TOWNSEND PUBL I SHER :

BEECHWOOD MUS I C COMPANY ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 5 4 S PEC I A L THANKS : KARL ENGEMANN AND NE I L BOGART

1976{ {

“If Mike had not worked with us to produce thefilm soundtrack to Shaft, and the money

that we made on it which out-grossed the film,then I’m here to tell you that there never wouldhave been a Wattstax. That was because of

Mike Curb.”—AL B E L L , C O -OWNER , S TAX R E CORDS

AND FORMER P R E S IDENT O F MOTOWN R ECORDS

1976{ {

“Thank you for making Shaft possible.”— I S S AC HAY E S

Mike Curb and Al Bell

Issac Hayes

Mike Curb, Eddy Arnold and Billboard historian Joel Whitburnpresenting Eddy with the seven decade Artist of the Century Award


[ 1 0 2 ]


Zig Zag was directed by Richard Colla and starredGeorge Kennedy and Eli Wallach in 1970. The plotinvolved a man diagnosed with a brain tumor who arrangeshis own death so his wife can collect the insurance money,but then discovers the diagnosis was wrong.

The title song was written by Guy Hemric, Bob Endersand Mike Curb. “Roy Orbison did a ‘Pretty Woman’interpretation,” said Curb. “Bob Enders was the producerof the movie and had the idea of what he wanted thetheme to be, so he joined us in writing the song.”

Johnny Bristol began his recording career in 1960 aspart of Johnny and Jackie (Beavers), who recorded theoriginal version of “Someday We’ll Be Together” in 1961;this became a major hit for The Supremes when theyreleased it in 1979. Bristol was a successful songwriterwho wrote “Love Me For A Reason,” which was a Top 10

hit for The Osmonds. When Bristol wrote “Hang On In There, Baby,” he

told Mike Curb that he’d like to record it himself. Thesong reached number eight on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart,and number two on the Rhythm and Blues chart in 1974.

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“ZIG ZAG” ( F ROM THE MOT ION P I C TURE Z I G Z AG ) ART I S T: ROY ORBISON WITH THE MIKE CURB

CONGREGATION WRITER : GUY HEMR I C , R OB ENDER S , M I K E CURB PUBL I SHER : EM I HA S T ING S MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 5 0

PRODUCER : MIKE CURB S PEC I A L THANKS : BOB ENDER S MGM 1 S E - 2 1 S T

“HANG ON IN THERE BABY” ART I S T: JOHNNY BRISTOL WRITER : RON T Y SON , J AME S B AT TON PUBL I SHER :

© 1 9 8 1 EN S I GN MUS I C ( BM I ) / DA J OY E MUS I C ( BM I ) A L L R I GHT S R E S ERVED . U S ED BY P E RM I S S I ON . T IME : 3 : 2 1 PRODUCER :

J OHNNY B R I S TOL MGM M 1 4 7 1 5 , 1 9 7 4

“I’M LEAVING IT ALL UP TO YOU” ART I S T: DONNY & MARIE OSMOND WRITER : DON

HARR I S , D EWEY T E RRY , J R . PUBL I SHERS : SONY / ATV S ONGS L L C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 9 PRODUCER : MIKE

CURB S PEC I A L THANKS : GEORGE O SMOND MGM M14 7 3 5 , 1 9 7 4

“TAKE ME BACK AGAIN” ART I S T: DONNY & MARIE OSMOND WRITER : MIKE CURB

PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 9 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB

“A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT” ART I S T: DONNY & MARIE OSMOND WRITER :

MIKE CURB AND MACK DAV ID PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 1 8 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB

“MORNING SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN” ARTIST: DONNY & MARIE OSMOND WRITER:

LARRY STOCK , D ICK MANNING PUBLISHER: WARNER BROS . INC . (ASCAP) TIME: 3 :02 PRODUCER: MIKE CURB

“MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY” ART I S T: DONNY & MARIE OSMOND WRITER : HANK

COCHRAN PUBL I SHER : SONY T R EE PUB L I SH ING CO . , I N C . ( BM I ) T IME : 2 : 4 8 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB

DISCOGRAPHY

“Love Me For A Reason” was the first Osmonds record that reached number one inEngland. The song was the group’s tenth chart record in the United States, reachingnumber two on the Adult Contemporary chart and Top 10 on the Hot 100. The Osmonds also had an incredible tour of England. “They were like the Beatles,”

said Curb, remembering how the group was mobbed by fans during their time there. “The Proud One” was written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe and reached number one

on the Billboard chart. Mike Curb produced “The Proud One” and “Love Me For A Reason.”While Curb was producing “Love Me For A Reason,” the songwriter Johnny Bristol

played another song he wrote for Curb, ”Hang On In There Baby.” Mike liked it somuch that he signed Johnny Bristol as an artist, and the record became a major hit.

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“LOVE ME FOR A REASON” ART I S T: THE OSMONDS WRITER : J OHN B R I S TOL ,

J R . , WADE B ROWN , J R . , DAV ID J ONE S PUBL I SHER : J O B E TE MUS I C COMPANY , I N C . ( A S CAP )

T IME : 4 : 0 2 PRODUCER : MIKE CURB S PEC I A L THANKS : H . B . B A RNUM MGM M14 7 46 , 1 9 7 4

“THE PROUD ONE” ART I S T: THE OSMONDS WRITER : BOB GAUD IO , B OB C R EWE

PUBL I SHER : LONG I TUDE MUS I C CO . ( BM I ) / S E A SONS FOUR MUS I C ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 0 3

PRODUCER : MIKE CURB

“LET ME IN” ART I S T: THE OSMONDS WRITER : ALAN O SMOND, WAYNE O SMOND,

MERR I L L O SMOND PUBL I SHER : MIKE CURB MUS I C CO . ( BM I ) T IME : 3 : 3 7

“I’m Leavin’ It All Up To You” was originallyrecorded by Don and Dewey, then Dale andGrace, before Donny Osmond recorded it. WhenDonny returned later to sing the harmony, hisvoice had changed. Donny’s sister, Marie, sangharmony and added her voice throughout thesong, and Curb billed them “Donny and Marie.” This debut single of Donny and Marie

reached the number one position on the AdultContemporary chart, number four on the Hot100 and number 17 on the Country chart in1974. It began a series of hit recordings forDonny and Marie that included “Morning SideOf The Mountain” and “Deep Purple,” andwhich led to their successful TV variety show onABC from 1976-1979.

1999{ {

“You know what really blew me away aboutMike Curb? He had an amazing ear for

hearing a song and knowing it was going tobe a hit. He just kept coming up with these

number one songs for us.”—MAR I E O SMOND

Mike Curb with Donny and Marie Osmond


{} mike curb : years 82 · discography. mike {}mike curb : hit. artist: writer:publisher:...

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