Mexico (song)
| Mexico | |
|---|---|
| Bob Moore | |
| publication | July 1961 |
| length | 2:37 |
| Author (s) | Boudleaux Bryant |
| Publisher (s) | Monument Records |
| Award (s) | BMI Award , Lion from Radio Luxembourg |
| album | Bob Moore & His Orchestra Play Mexico (and Other Great Hits) |
Mexico is an instrumental piece in the Mexican mariachi sound that made the session musician Bob Moore and his orchestra famous in 1961 .
History of origin
Bob Moore is one of the most important session musicians in country music . He was only known in the music industry and not with the audience. Other famous session musicians such as Chet Atkins (guitar) or Boots Randolph (saxophone) had already released records under their own names. Therefore Moore decided at the end of 1960 to recruit his own orchestra from well-known country session musicians.
In his second own recording session on June 19, 1961 in the RCA studios in Nashville, he made the instrumental recording Mexico with the Bob Moore Orchestra , composed by the successful country writer Boudleaux Bryant . The recording was produced by label boss Fred Forster, sound engineer was Bill Porter. Participants in the studio were the so-called Nashville A-Team - responsible for the Nashville sound in most RCA productions - with Harold Bradley and Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland (guitar), co-composer Boudleaux Bryant (rhythm guitar), Bob Moore (double bass), Howard Carenter, Lilian Van Hunt and Brenton Banks (violin), Floyd Cramer (piano), Marvin Hughes (marimbas), Boots Randolph (maraccas), Carl Garvin (trumpet / clarinet), William McElhiney (trumpet) and Murray M. "Buddy" Harman (drums).
The sound, which is unusual for the US music market, was arranged by William McElhiney. Anita Kerr, Dorothy A. Dillard, Louis D. Nunley and William Guildford Wright served as the background choir for the instrumental recording. The recording was the first to use the Mexican mariachi sound commercially, later successfully adapted by Herb Alpert 's Tijuana Brass.
Publication and Success
The single (My Heart's in) Mexico / Hot Spot was released on Monument Records in July 1961 (# 45-446). Due to the contributors belonging to the A-Team, the sound is not automatically assigned to the country style of the Nashville Sound, which is why it was not listed in the country charts. Moore believes that the single Mexico only had a chance because he was involved in the label.
In the USA, the record only made it to 7th place in the pop hit parade, while the reception abroad was considerably better. In Germany, she took first place for 9 weeks from the end of January to the end of March 1962. It was also the front runner in the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia. More than two million copies of the single were sold worldwide. In Germany, Moore was presented with a gold record for the success and sales of 500,000 records . In 1962 Bob Moore was awarded the bronze lion by Radio Luxembourg , and in the 1962 BRAVO annual charts he reached 3rd place with 359 points.
In October 1961 the LP Bob Moore & His Orchestra Play Mexico (and Other Great Hits) was released , which was listed at 33rd place on the LP chart and was supposed to pick up on the success of the single hit. His song remained a one-hit wonder . Moore left Monument Records in 1965.
Cover versions and awards
Bryant's title Mexico has been covered 14 times and received a BMI award. German, French or Italian texts were added to the cover versions, so that the original instrumental recording was edited into a vocal recording.
Individual evidence
- ^ Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One Hit Wonders , 1997, p. 124
- ^ Colin Escott , Interview with Bob Moore , Toronto, November 1988
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 155
- ^ Günter Ehnert: Hit balance sheet - German chart singles 1956-1980 . 1st edition. Verlag popular music-literature, Norderstedt 2000, ISBN 3-922542-24-7 , p. 445 .