Hi everyone! Today I was thinking of the first record in my collection! I heard this song a number of times on the radio. I don't remember how old I was, I think I was 5 or 6, but probably closer to 5 years old. I also believe my older sister had the record and she ended up giving it to me. I no only listened to the record hundreds of times, but I also carried around wherever I went! With no sleeve, just the record itself! (I know GASP! right!) LOL!
Anyway, I'm sure by now you are wondering what great record this was. It was Chubby Checker's "Pony Time"! I don't remember the "B" side. But I do remember it had an orange label. Alas, I do not have that record anymore. As I said I carried this record everywhere! One of these times was a trip in my sister's boyfriend's car. We went to a park and was there a while and I left the record in the car. I know what your'e thinking. "Oh, no the heat got to it!" No, I left the record on the car seat. The drivers side seat and as I got in the car and started to reach for it my sister's boyfriend sat down and cracked it in half! Of course he told me he was going to buy me a new one. But as you can guess, he never did!
Anyway, years later while I was record hunting in a local store, as an after thought I asked if they had a copy of Chubby Checker's "Pony Time" and they did albeit a re-issue. It was on a ABKCO label and made into a double "A" side hit single. the other side was "The Hucklebuck" a song I gather made popular buy one of "The Honeymooners" episodes, if anyone remembers that. On a little side note about that "Honeymooners" episode. I think the kid "Tommy Manicotti" the kid that lived upstairs and was on a few episodes. The kid that played "Tommy" was Van Dyke Parks, who later became a partner in songwriting with the famous Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys! On the fate of "Parkway Records", the whole Cameo-Parkway catalog was bought up by ABKCO. ABKCO was the record label of Allen Klein, who managed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, not at the same time. Right now ABKCO only releases Cameo-Parkway records in various Greatest Hits packages.
I still haven't bought an original issue of Chubby Checker's "Pony Time", but I haven't really looked hard for it either. I still have the ABKCO re-issue of "Pony Time" though. Other records That I got after "Pony Time" was a bunch of kids records my mother picked up for me whenever she went to the Dept. Store. I still have a few of those. One called, "The Crazy Mixed Up Zoo", which I guess explains a lot about me. A few others were these "Play-A-Long" records where you played along as an Astronaut and other things like that. It was fun. Because it continued on side B and I remember as a kid rushing to turn over the record to get to side B as fast as possible, because at that time I guess Ihad a real work ethic! LOL!!!!
Anyway, that's my first record story. Peace be with you and may you always find the hidden track!
RB
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