Three Recording Artists From 1960!

Rod Lauren was born Roger Lawrence Strunk in Fresno, California on March 20, 1940. He moved with his parents to Tracy, California when he was three. Father Larry Strunk was a school teacher who subsequently found work as a switchman for the Southern Pacific Railroad; his mother was also a teacher and a church organist. While attending Tracy High School, he appeared in school plays and played the trombone in the high school band. Graduating in 1957, he began singing in local clubs in Tracy. A recording executive was taken by his easy vocal style that differed significantly from the popular rock 'n' roll genre. The exec gambled with it, offered the teen an audition, and Roger ended up winning an RCA recording contract. He took on the professional name of Rod Lauren. The fledgling singer appeared on both Ed Sullivan and Dick Clark's variety showcases between the years 1959 and 1960 and earned a mild hit along the way (#31 on the Billboard chart) with "If I Had a Girl" in 1960. But with the British invasion, his singing career fell away. Fortunately, Rod had a dark, sulky, greaser-type appeal that recalled the rebel in Fabian, and, with that look, started to find acting jobs on TV. He also earned singing work in Vegas and Southern California lounge clubs on the sly.

The band known as the Fendermen were Formed in 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, the Fendermen were a trio best known for the 1960 US chart Top 5 rock ‘n’ roll adaptation of the Jimmie Rodgers country standard ‘Muleskinner Blues’. The group consisted of guitarists Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey both born 26 November 1937, Sundquist in Niagara, Wisconsin, USA, and Humphrey in Stoughton, Wisconsin, USA and drummer John Howard, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA. The two guitarists, who preferred the Fender brand of electric guitar, hence the name of the group, recorded ‘Muleskinner Blues’ initially for the small Cuca label. It was picked up by the somewhat larger Minnesota-based Soma Records and became a hit in May 1960. (Howard was added at that time, for live appearances. The group recorded one album for Soma, now a valued rarity in the USA, and continued together until 1966, with no other chart successes.

Dorsey Burnette was born on 28 December 1932, Memphis, Tennessee, Burnette was a member of a classic 50s rock ‘n’ roll act, had his own hit soloist act in the 60s and became a country singer in the 70s. He helped to form the highly respected Johnny Burnette Trio with younger brother Johnny Burnette and Paul Burlison in 1953, but after appearing in the movie Rock Rock Rock in 1956, Dorsey left the trio. He recorded with Johnny as The Texans and wrote major hits for Ricky Nelson, including ‘It’s Late’ and ‘Waitin’ In School’. As a soloist, he recorded for Abbott, Cee-Jam, and then Era, where he had his two biggest solo hits, ‘Tall Oak Tree’ and ‘Hey Little One’, in 1960, both classics of their kind and both showcasing his deep, rich, country-style voice. He then recorded without luck on Lama, Dot Records, Imperial Records, Reprise Records, Mel-O-Day, Condor, Liberty Records, Merri, Happy Tiger, Music Factory, Smash (where he re-recorded ‘Tall Oak Tree’), Mercury Records and Hickory. In the 70s he had 15 Top 100 country hits (none making the Top 20) on Capitol Records, Melodyland, Calliope and Elektra Records, with whom he had only recently signed when he died of a heart attack in August 1979.