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"Africa" by Toto.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 80s: By far, the biggest hit for this L.A.-based ensemble came in 1982 with a classic yacht-rock tune composed by bandmates David Paich and Jeff Porcaro. The "band" formed in 1977 when session musicians for Sonny & Cher, Seals & Crofts, Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs decided to start performing as a group. A man is torn between staying in the continent that he loves or leaving it to be with his woman. Paich was experimenting with his recently-acquired Yamaha CS-80 polyphonic analog sythesizer when the opening melody and lyrics "came to him" in 10 minutes. The trademark kalimba sound comes from a Yamaha GS-1 digital piano. #1 Billboard Hot 100, RIAA Certified Platinum and one of the best-selling sogs of all time. Seminal 1983 MTV video. #452 among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Group? Song? Answer: "Africa" by Toto. Released the year Lauren was born, we purchased our home and got Waffles, our...
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Ohio Express.

OK, girls and boys, more 60s TWO-hit wonders: This seminal bubblegum-pop ensemble started out in 1967 as Sir Timothy and The Royals, a high-school garage band from Mansfield, OH (hint, hint!). Renamed by their record producer, they morphed into a group of studio musicians accompanying lead singer Joey Levine. By far, their biggest hit came in 1968 with "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (#4 Billboard Hot 100, #5 UK) followed that same year by "Chewy Chewy" (#15 U.S.). Their original drummer Tim Corwin secured the rights to the name and, to this day, they continue to perform. Group? Answer: Ohio Express. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VECljlG--gE&list=RDVECljlG--gE&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IHn70S8T5Y&list=RD6IHn70S8T5Y&start_radio=1
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Jorge Casas.

OK, boys and girls, an e-a-s-y one today ("monguita") for my friends from P.R.: This founding member of the original Los Challengers went on to become a Grammy-winning bassist and co-producer for the Miami Sound Machine. Name? High school nickname? (graduated from CSI in '69, a year before we did.) Answer: Jorge Casas. Nickname: El Ratón. Born in Havana, Cuba, he left us in 2019 at age 69.
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"I Will Follow Him" by (Little) Peggy March.

OK, girls and boys, back to the 60s: By far, the biggest hit for this Lansdale, PA native came in 1963, when she was only 15-years-old. A love-pop tune about a teenage girl's deep devotion to her boyfriend. It topped Billboard's Hot 100, making her the youngest female solo artist to do so and that record still holds to this day. The melody was composed in '61 by Frenchmen Franck Pourcel and Paul Mauriat as the instrumental "Chariot". The French lyrics were added by Jacques Plante and the English ones by Norman Gimbel. The first vocal version was recorded in French by Petula Clark in '62 as "Chariot" and it topped the French charts. It was featured in "Sister Act" (1992) and, since then, has been widely used as a religious anthem. Separate Spanish versions were released in '63 by Argentinians Alberto Cortez and Violeta Rivas. Song? Artist? For extra credit, what was the title of the Spanish version? Answer: "I Will Follo...
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"Needles and Pins" by The Searchers.

OK, girls and boys, a little Merseybeat for you today: This skiffle band from Liverpool took its name from a 1956 John Wayne movie. They reached #1 in the UK and #13 in the US with this cover version of a Jackie DeShannon tune co-written by Sonny Bono. Band? Song? Answer: "Needles and Pins" by The Searchers. Very respectable cover version by Los Challengers from Puerto Rico (1969). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0oP8e02dpk&list=RDS0oP8e02dpk&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WaR50Q3JOk&list=RD-WaR50Q3JOk&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbM_Zmx9kA&list=RDSSbM_Zmx9kA&start_radio=1
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"O Colombina".

OK, boys and girls, back to the 90s (the 1890s, that is!): Also known as "Harlequin's Serenade", this lighthearted and graceful lyrical tenor aria appears in Act 2 of Leoncavallo's magnum opus "Pagliacci" (1892). Beppe, dressed as Harlequin, serenades his lover, who is played by Nedda, in this play-within-a-play comedia dell'arte segment. Passion, torment and the desire to steal a kiss. He sings from offstage accompaned only by a guitar. A small reprieve from the tragic undertones of the rest of the opera. Perhaps the best-known version is by Tito Schipa from 1926, arguably the finest tenore di grazia in operatic history. Aria? Answer: "O Colombina". My paternal grandfather and my namesake (I am III) "Don Leo" was an avid Italian opera admirer. Growing up, when I stayed at his house on weekends, we would spend hours listening to opera on the ol' hi-fi. He taught me everything I know about the genre and ignited in me a...
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Flo and Eddie.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 60s: The comedic musical duo Flo & Eddie was a "direct descendant" of which popular 60s group? Answer: The Turtles. Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan were founding members of the Turtles. Mark Volman left us last year at age 78. Howard Kaylan is 79. By far, my favorite Turtles song is "Lady-O" by Judee Sill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4tSxbYhUwc&list=RDP4tSxbYhUwc&start_radio=1
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