Steve Alaimo
Steve Alaimo (born December 6, 1939 in Omaha , Nebraska ) is an American pop singer and teen idol of the 1960s , who later became a record producer and owner of a record label . He was also in the late 60's co-presenter on a TV show and Dick Clark on US television ( American Bandstand ).
Early years and the Redcoats
Steve, who moved to Rochester , New York with his family when he was 5 , studied medicine at the University of Miami before forming his first own group with a cousin, The Redcoats , an instrumental band . They had a first small hit with "I Want You To Love Me" in 1959 , and disc jockey Bob Green became their manager. In the same year, Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars came to Miami. Clark found a local backing band to support the performing stars, and the Redcoats got the job.
Solo career
The Redcoats split in 1960, however, and Alaimo began a solo career as a " blue-eyed soul singer" with a mixed African-American band that soon became the house band for a local club called "Edan Roc" . Alaimo released two solo albums almost on the side, but they were not particularly successful. Alaimo also worked as a promoter for Henry Stone , the owner of a record label, and became known in the music industry.
In 1961 he got his first "big" record deal with the record company " Checker Records ", a subsidiary of Chess Records . He released "Mashed Potatoes" and created a song that is still part of the repertoire of many rock bands. The record reached number 84 on the US singles chart. The follow-up single "Every Day I Have To Cry" was his most successful record, reaching number 46 on the US singles chart in 1963. Towards the end of the year Alaimo moved from Checker first to Imperial Records and then to ABC Records in early 1965 , but his musical success waned increasingly, especially since he was trying to reach an older audience with his recordings at ABC, for example with the song Real Live Girl (a title from the Broadway musical Little Me or with a cover version of Cast Your Fate To The Wind ).
American Bandstand - "Where the Action Is"
Dick Clark always fondly remembered the Redcoats and wanted to hire the group again for his new TV show "American Bandstand - Where the Action Is" . However, the band no longer existed. Instead, Steve Alaimo became the co-host and music director of the daily show. Now Alaimo had ample opportunity to present his own records, but at the same time less and less time to make new recordings. In 1965 and 1966 he was also co-producer of the show.
music producer
After the end of "American Bandstand" Alaimo became an employee of Atlantic Records or its sub-label Atco Records. In the mid-1960s, he produced groups like Sam & Dave , Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and The Beginnings of the Allman Brothers . It was a very fruitful time with many successful titles. He also starred in some feature films, but could not earn a name as an actor.
TK records
In 1969, Henry Stone and Steve Alaimo reunited. Together they produced the song "Cleanup Woman" by Betty Wright and had great success. Alaimo, who at that time was still on the US charts for a short time with his own titles such as "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" or "American Music" , decided to quit as a singer and only work as a producer. In 1972, "Why Can't We Live Together" was a big hit for Timmy Thomas , and Stone and Alaimo founded the music label TK Records. In 1974 a certain Harry Wayne Casey and Rick Finch made a demo recording. Stone and Alaimo advised giving the song to a young singer named George McCrae . The song Rock Your Baby became the absolute smash hit of the year. A short time later, Casey and Finch formed their own band, KC and the Sunshine Band, under the direction of TK Records .
Vision Records
TK Records was dissolved in 1981, and Henry Stone was looking for new donors for further projects. Steve Alaimo was more than unsuccessful on his own, and went through tough times. It wasn't until 1987 that he landed on his own two feet again and founded Vision Records with the industrial giants Ron and Howard Albert . The company specializes in recording music from the great stars of the legendary Criteria Studios of the 1970s and also promotes young artists and artists of the Miami Bass .
Discography
Albums
title | Catalog no. | published |
---|---|---|
Checker | ||
Twist with Steve Alaimo | 2981 | 1961 |
Mashed potatoes | 2983 | 1962 |
Every Day I Have to Cry | 2986 | 1963 |
Crown | ||
Steve Alaimo | 382 | 1963 |
ABC paramount | ||
Starring Steve Alaimo | 501 | 1965 |
Where the Action Is | 531 | 1965 |
Sings and Swings | 551 | 1966 |
Singles
From page | Catalog no. | published |
---|---|---|
Dade | ||
Home by Eleven / I Wanna Kiss You | 1800 | 1958 |
Love Letters / You Can Fall in Love | 1805 | 1959 |
marlin | ||
I Want You to Love Me / Blue Skies | 6064 | 1959 |
The Weekends Over / Girls! Girls! Girls! | 6065 | 1959 |
She's My Baby / Should I Care | 6067 | 1959 |
Spooky / The Redcoats are Coming (as Count Stephen) | 6103 | 1961 |
Dickson | ||
Blue Fire / My Heart Never Said Goodbye | 6444 | 8/1960 |
Imperial | ||
My Heart Never Said Goodbye / Blue Fire | 5699 | 10/1960 |
It Happens Ev'ry Time / Unchained Melody | 5717 | 1/1961 |
Gotta Lotta Love / Happy Pappy | 66003 | 11/1963 |
Checker | ||
Big Bad Beulah / I Cried All the Way Home | 981 | 6/1961 |
All Night Long / I'm Thankful | 989 | 8/1961 |
The Waiting's So Hard / You Got Me Whistling | 998 | 11/1961 |
Mashed Potatoes (Part 1) / Mashed Potatoes (Part 2) | 1006 | 2/1962 |
My Friends / Going Back to Mary | 1018 | 7/1962 |
One Good Reason / Cry Myself To Sleep | 1024 | 9/1962 |
Every Day I Have to Cry / Little Girl | 1032 | 12/1962 |
It's a Long, Long Way to Happiness / A Lifetime of Loneliness | 1042 | 4/1963 |
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying / I Told You So | 1047 | 8/1963 |
Michael (Part 1) / Michael (Part 2) | 1054 | 9/1963 |
ABC paramount | ||
Love's Gonna Live Here / Let Her Go | 10540 | 3/1964 |
Fade Out - Fade In / Love Is a Many Splendored Thing | 10553 | 5/1964 |
I Don't Know / That's What Love Will Do | 10580 | 8/1964 |
Happy / Everybody Knows But Her | 10605 | 11/1964 |
Real Live Girl / Need You | 10620 | 1/1965 |
Tomorrow Is Another Day / Laughing on the Outside | 10643 | 3/1965 |
Cast Your Fate to the Wind / Mais Oui | 10680 | 5/1965 |
Blowin 'in the Wind / Lady Of The House | 10712 | 8/1965 |
Bright Lights Big City / Once a Day | 10764 | 1/1966 |
So Much Love / Truer Than True | 10805 | 4/1966 |
ABC | ||
Happy / On the Beach | 10833 | 7/1966 |
Pardon Me / Savin 'All My Love | 10873 | 11/1966 |
You Don't Know Like I Know / You Don't Love Me | 10917 | 3/1967 |
Atco | ||
New Orleans / Ooh Poo Pah Thu | 6512 | 8/1967 |
Cuando Yo Vuelva A Mi Tierra / Todavia | 6560 | 2/1968 |
Denver / I Thu | 6561 | 2/1968 |
My Friend / 1 X's 1 Ain't 2 | 6589 | 6/1968 |
Watching The Trains Go By / Thank You for the Sunshine Days | 6620 | 10/1968 |
After the Smoke Is Gone / I'm Thankful (& Betty Wright) | 6659 | 4/1969 |
One Woman / And Then I Tripped Over Your Goodbye | 6710 | 8/1969 |
Smilin 'in My Sleep / Melissa | 6732 | 2/1970 |
Wild Side Of Life / Can't You See | 6797 | 12/1970 |
Entrance | ||
When My Little Girl Is Smiling / Gemini | 7501 | 6/1971 |
Nobody's Fool / Thorn in Our Roses | 7503 | 10/1971 |
American Music / Nobody's Fool | 7507 | 3/1972 |
Sand in My Pocket / Gemini | 7513 | 9/1972 |
Chart placements
Singles
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
|||
1962 | Mashed Potatoes (Part 1) |
US81 (1 week) US |
|
1963 | Every Day I Have To Cry |
US46 (10 weeks) US |
|
Michael - Pt. 1 |
US100 (1 week) US |
||
Gotta Lotta Love |
US74 (6 weeks) US |
||
1965 | Real Live Girl |
US77 (2 weeks) US |
|
Cast Your Fate To The Wind |
US89 (2 weeks) US |
||
1966 | So much love |
US92 (2 weeks) US |
|
1971 | When My Little Girl Is Smiling |
US72 (6 weeks) US |
|
1972 | American Music |
US79 (3 weeks) US |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Although the title is very well known - especially through the repertoire of the later British beat bands - the title was listed in the US singles charts for only one week under the Hot 100 and reached number 81 there
- ↑ The original recording is from "Nat Kendrick and the Swans" from 1960, catalog number Dade 1804
- ↑ Catalog number Checker 1032
- ↑ Chart sources: US
literature
- Julia Edenhofer: The Great Oldie Lexicon . Bastei-Lübbe 1991, p. 10, ISBN 3-404-60288-9 .
- Martin Popoff : Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991 . Krause Publications, Iola 2010, ISBN 978-1-4402-1131-7 , p. 33.
Web links
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Alaimo, Steve |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pop singer and record producer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 6, 1939 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Omaha , Nebraska , United States |