Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Tales From the Edge of Wetness

From 1965 and Shindig, television's greatest pop music show ever, please enjoy the mysteriously obscure Donna Loren and an appropriately gorgeous performance of "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair."



That song was unknown to me until a couple of weeks ago, when I heard Dennis Day sing it on a 1940 episode of The Jack Benny Show (it was a hit for a bunch of singers that year). Don't worry, I won't inflict Day's version on you, but I was immediately taken with it; apparently, its writer -- Clara Edwards -- was a slumming composer of classical art songs.

Donna Loren -- who was a regular on Shindig, although I don't remember her at all -- was obviously a pretty fabulously soulful singer, and but for the vagaries of fortune might well have been a major 60s pop figure on the level of Dusty Springfield or Jackie DeShannon; she had to settle for merely being in a lot of AIP beach movies, episodes of Batman and Dr. Kildare, and a five year stint as the "Dr. Pepper Girl." I am pleased to add that she's still with us (like yours truly she was born in 1947) and you can find out more about her over at her official website HERE.

Also -- a coveted PowerPop No-Prize© will be awarded to the first reader who divines from whence the title of today's post derives.

5 comments:

edward said...

Firesign Theater?

steve simels said...

Nope. :-)

Mark said...

The town of Sludge Falls, perhaps parodically located near Oakdale, Illinois, where As The World Turns was set.

edward said...

Well, since nobody else has cheated and looked it up, Johnny Carson.
It's a slow day

steve simels said...

Edward -- WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

DING DING DING!!!!