Ringo was wrong.  Back in the early-to-mid ‘60s BBC Television ran a popular Saturday night program called Juke Box Jury (based on Jukebox Jury in the States), where celebrity guests served as judges and considered the hit potential of newly released records. They’d then hit a buzzer if they forecasted a “hit” or a hooter if they foresaw a “miss”.

Generally comprising two male and two female judges, the panel changed on a weekly basis and through the years consisted of such diverse figures as: Alfred Hitchcock, Spike Milligan, Johnny Mathis, David McCallum, Cilla Black, Roy Orbison, Petula Clark, Jayne Mansfield, Cliff Richard, Paul Anka, Tony Orlando, Sean Connery, Albert Finney, Peter Sellers, Henry Mancini, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Marianne Faithfull, Liza Minnelli, Twiggy, Lulu and Long John Baldry.

Popular with both younger and older viewers the program is said to have confirmed “adult (anti-pop) and youthful prejudices at the same time.” Certainly this was so when, in 1963, the four Beatles appeared together, and in ’64 when the five Rolling Stones (the only time there were more than four judges) did the same. As Keith Richards later admitted, “We just trashed every record they played.”

Later on, the Beatles also appeared separately on the program, as did Brian Epstein, and in 1964 Ringo Starr “hooted” today’s selection…which would soon peak at Number 7 on the U.S. Billboard Charts.

Discovered in a London club, David Stuart Chadwick (aka Chad Stuart) and Michael Thomas Jeremy Clyde (Jeremy Clyde), both born in 1941, formed the folk rock duo, Chad & Jeremy. After having an international hit with the single, “Yesterday’s Gone” in 1963 (thanks in large part to the “British Invasion” momentum) the duo recorded an album of the same name, which included “A Summer Song”.

Released as a single in July of 1964 (precisely 48 years ago) the UK version, which failed to chart (so maybe Ringo wasn’t all wrong after all) opened with Chad & Jeremy trading vocals, while the concurrent American version (which remained on the Billboard charts for six weeks) featured them singing in unison throughout.

“You’d never hear something that sweet in the British charts,” opined Chad Stuart, “for some reason in America it worked. I don’t honestly know why.”

 LISTEN TO TODAY’S SELECTION – Monday 9 July

A Summer Song

 Trees swayin’ in the summer breeze

Showin’ off their silver leaves

As we walk by

 Soft kisses on a summer’s day

Laughing all our cares away

Just you and I

Sweet sleepy warmth of summer nights

Gazing at the distant lights

In the starry sky

They say that all good things must end someday

Autumn leaves must fall

But don’t you know that it hurts me so

To say goodbye to you

Wish you didn’t have to go

No, no, no, no

 And when the rain

Beats against my windowpane

I’ll think of summer days again

And dream of you

 They say that all good things must end someday

Autumn leaves must fall

But don’t you know that it hurts me so

To say goodbye to you

Wish you didn’t have to go

No, no, no, no

And when the rain

Beats against my windowpane

I’ll think of summer days again

And dream of you

And dream of you