Johnny Cymbal

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johnny Cymbal , born as John Hendry Blair (born February 3, 1945 in Ochiltree , Scotland , † March 16, 1993 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was a songwriter , singer and record producer in the USA .

Musical career

Johnny Cymbal grew up in Scotland as John Hendry Blair, through a later adoption by his Polish stepfather he received his family name Cymbal. When Johnny was seven years old, his family first relocated to Canada, but soon after took permanent residence in Cleveland , Ohio . As a student, Johnny became a fan of rock 'n' roll, and Elvis Presley in particular . At the age of 13 he had his own guitar and started composing songs. Sid Lawrence, a music dealer in Cleveland, took on Johnny and began promoting his music career.

Through the agency of broadcast manager Jack Gale, Johnny got a record deal with MGM Records at the age of 15 . In 1960 two singles were produced on which Cymbal also sang his own compositions. Since the records were unsuccessful, MGM ended the record deal after a year. For the next two years, Gale tried in vain to find a new record label for Cymbal while Cymbal worked as a shoe seller. 1963 succeeded in getting record companies interested in cymbals again. First he recorded a single with Vee Jay , then a contract for two years with New York label Kapp was signed. Directed by producer Allan Stanton, the first three singles were immediately successful. Each A-side was placed in the Hot 100 of the US music magazine Billbord , with the debut title Mr. Bass Man , written by Cymbal, coming off the best with 16th place. Teenage Heaven , also a cymbal work (58th), and Dum Dum Dee Dum didn't do quite as well.

At the end of 1964 the record contract between Cymbal and Kapp expired and several years followed during which Cymbal was only able to release records sporadically with various companies. None of the publications made it into the hit lists. Cymbal had some small successes as a songwriter, for example with the country song Mary in the Morning , sung by Tommy Hunter or with Gene Pitney's Somewhere in the Country , which became a hit in Great Britain. From 1968 Cymbal tried to gain a foothold as a singer again under various pseudonyms . This succeeded under the name "Derek" and the titles Cinnamon and Back Door Man . Both were a joint effort between Cymbal and the producer George Tobin, who both appeared as composer and producer. A total of three singles were released between 1968 and 1969 on the New York record company Bang. The title Cinnamon reached number 11 in the Hot 100 in December 1968, a few weeks later Back Door Man came in 59th place. Cymbal and Tobin started another attempt under the pseudonym "Milk" with the single Angela Jones / Ochiltree , which was released on Buddah Records was issued but met with no success. In 1971 Cymbal teamed up with the singer Peggy Clinger. Both of them sang three singles at Marina and Chelsea as "Cymbal and Clinger", the titles of which they had also written together. In 1972 Chelsea also produced a long-playing record with the two of them under the title Cymbal & Clinger .

After that, Cymbal finally ended his recording career. He settled in Nashville and joined a team of composers. He later worked as a composer at BMG . In the 1980s he made music himself again with a friend in the Cymbal Roberts Band. He died of a heart attack on March 16, 1993, shortly before his 48th birthday in Nashville.

US charts on Billboard

Started title Hot 100
2/1963 Mr. Bass Man 16.
5/1963 Teenage Heaven 58.
8/1963 Dum Dum Dee Dum 77.
as Derek
10/1968 Cinnamon 11.
2/1969 Back Door Man 59.

US discography

Vinlyl singles

From page Catalog no. published
MGM
Always, Always * / It'll Be Me 12935 08/1960
The Water Was Red * / Bunny * 12978 01/1961
Vee Jay
Bachelor Man / Growing Up with You 495 02/1963
Cap
Mr. Bass Man * / Sacred Lovers Vow 503 01/1963
Teenage Heaven * / Cinderella Baby 524 04/1963
Dum Dum Dee Dum / Surfin 'at Tia Juana * 539 07/1963
Marshmallow / Hurdy Gurdy Man 556 10/1963
There Goes a Bad Girl / Refreshment Time * 576 02/1964
Robinson Crusoe on Mars / Mitsuo 594 05/1964
Connie * / Little Miss Lonely * 614 9/1964
Cheat, Cheat / 16 Shades of Blue * 634 12/1964
DCP
Go VW Go * / Sorrow and Pain 1135 03/1965
Summertime's Here at Last * / My Last Day * 1146 06/1965
Columbia
Jessica * / Good Morning Blues 43842 10/1966
Musicor
It Looks Like Love * / May I Get to Know You 1261 08/1967
The Marriage of Charlotte Brown * / Breaking Your Balloon 1272 09/1967
Amaret
Save All Your Lovin '/ Ode to Bubble Gum * 110 08/1969
"Derek" Bang
This Is My Story / Cinnamon * 558 08/1968
Back Door Man * / Sell Your Soul * 566 02/1969
Sell ​​Your Soul * / | Inside Out-Outside In * 571 08/1969
"Milk" Buddah
Angela Jones / Ochiltree * 80 01/1969
Cymbal & Clinger Marina
Pool Shooter * / Mookie Mookie Man * 14256 5/1971
Chelsea
God Bless You Rock and Roll * / Forever and Forever * 0106 10/1972
The Dying River * / Little Bit No, Little Bit Yes 0112 2/1973

* composed by J. Cymbal

LPs

  • Johnny Cymbal: Mr. Bass Man, Kapp 1324, 1963
  • Cymbal & Clinger: Cymbal & Clinger, Chelsea 1002, 1972

Compact discs

  • Very Best Of Johnny Cymbal, 1995
  • Mr. Bass Man & Other Classics, 2006
  • Johnny Cymbal: Some Songs I Left Behind, Volume One, 2008
  • Johnny Cymbal: Some Songs I Left Behind, Volume Two, 2008

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Cymbal, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blair, John Hendry (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American songwriter, singer and record producer
DATE OF BIRTH February 3, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Ochiltree , Scotland
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 1993
Place of death Nashville , Tennessee