Tom Maxedon, songwriter

[bruiser]

I heard Tom wrote "All These Things" by The Uniques, but sold the song because he needed some quick cash. Anyone know the story?

[Travis]

Wow! Can't say that I've heard that one. I always thought that Joe Stampley wrote that song along with another member of the Uniques. I actually had the 45 of that tune back in the late '60s. I can't remember what was on the "B" side, but Paula was the record label.

Sounds like a job for WAKY's Mike Marvin. The station is playing the song (I heard it on John Quincy's guest aircheck) and Mike has a mind for this sort of thing. I'll send him an email.

[John Quincy]

If you believe Wikipedia, it's true:

The Uniques were an American rock band based in Louisiana with Joe Stampley at the helm. They were active from about 1965 to 1970, recording most of their material at Robin Hood Studios, Located in Tyler, Texas. They released their material on Paula Records of Shreveport, Louisiana. Their two biggest hits were "Not Too Long Ago" and "All These Things", which Stampley would re-record in his country solo career and take to the top of the charts. The song "All These Things" was written by a newscaster in Louisville, Kentucky, named Tom Maxedon, written as a love song for his wife Carrie. In a time of need for supplemental income, Maxedon sold the rights to the song for $200 to an unknown producer making his rounds around the radio stations. The song hit the charts in 1966, and Maxedon's home station, WAKY in Louisville, began playing the song in their regular rotation in respect to Maxedon. The song became a nightly staple on WAKY, regularly one of their top-requested songs each night for over 10 years. The song stayed in the top 40 for just a few weeks nationwide, but was a local phenomenon in Louisville for over a decade. The song "You Ain't Tuff" was also featured on the Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era collection.

[lfplfilmwindera]

In my research of this song, I've found Naomi Neville to be given credit for the writing of this song. Naomi Neville is the pen name of Alan Toussant. Here is a link to the article from which I got this info.

www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Naomi_Neville

[bruiser]

According to the Billboard Book of Top 40 hits, "All These Things" by The Uniques never made the top 40. It sure was played to death around the 'ville.

[Travis]

I just got a reply from WAKY's Mike Marvin (aka Mr. Oldie)

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"All These Things" was listed as written by "Naomi Neville", reportedly a non de plume for New Orleans record producer Allen Toussaint. Naomi Neville was his mother's maiden name.

"All These Things" was first recorded by Art Neville about 1961 or 1962, and this first version was supposedly a huge hit in New Orleans. The Uniques started doing that song at various teen dances throughout the South. In an interview Joe Stampley said that the teenagers could not get enough of it. So they recorded their take on the song, and even though their record only peaked at #97 nationally, it was a big seller in the South.

It was number one in Louisville in July, 1966. It was number one in Dallas for three weeks! In 1976, Joe Stampley redid "All These Things" as a country song. It went to number one in that genre.

"How Lucky (Can One Man Be)" was written by Joe Stampley. The song was top ten on the old WAKY back around the fall of 1968. But it never charted nationally. I guess it was too sentimental for these politically adversial times.

The Uniques did have one other nationally charted record in 1965 with "Not Too Long Ago" which peaked at #66. It was top five in Louisville. I believe that Joe Stampley wrote that.

Got to go. got a ball game to run. Thank you for your e-mail. MM

---- End Paste ----

I'm going to download Neville's version of the song (if I can find it) and see if it's the same tune.

Also, since anyone can write anything on Wikipedia, one really has to take whatever is found there with a grain of salt. As I always like to say, "It must be true, I read it on the Internet."

[Travis]

I'm back.

Not only did I find a '60s version of the tune by Art Neville, but also one by brother Aaron. I also came across a jazz instrumental version of the tune by Allen Toussaint. All songs are the same as the one we know from The Uniques. Others have recorded the song as well. In fact, about the only person that did not turn up was Joe Stampley, but Mo Bandy did a live album in which Joe Stampley is introduced on stage and they do the song together.

By the way, the Neville brothers versions sounded... well... okay for the early '60s, but it really didn't work for me.

[John Quincy]

This just in to me from Johnny Randolph:

"John: I tracked down Carrie Maxedon a few hours ago and indeed Tom did write 'All These Things' in the early '60s. He peddled the song in Nashville with zero success so he sold it. It blows me away that in all the years I worked with Tom (and the thousands of times I played the song) I never knew. Talk about modest!

"BTW the song still is in the highest rotation bracket at WAKY. It came up again this afternoon."

So it looks like Maxedon *did* write the song, but sold it many years before he came to WAKY. Now we know.

[Travis]

And what a wonderful, and incredible, story this has turned out to be. I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams that one of my all time favorite sucky-face songs (as Bailey would refer to it) would turn out to have been written by a WAKY newsman. You just can't make this stuff up.

That was a pretty mushy tune for a boy under 16 years of age, but I really liked that song. By 1968, I owned a copy and it was one of my favorite slow-dance songs at any teen dance. Joe Stampley's voice was so fine in those days (reminded me a bit of B.J. Thomas) and it's sad to note that he no longer sounds that way. He doesn't sound bad, just not the same.

I can remember buying all my 45 RPM records at the old Arlen's, or Arlan's, Department Store on 7th Street Road back in the day. Man, that really takes me back.

[lfplfilmwindera]

I know this is a little off the subject of the song "All these Things", but I could not resist commenting on the record collection at Arlans. They used to have a table that had the cheaper 29c records. This is where I spent most of my shopping time. It was quite a splurge to buy a brand new hot record from the 65c rack. Thanks.

[Travis]

Do you recall if those records had a BB hole punched clear through the label? I believe that was some indication of a defect, but I'm not sure. I had many 45 RPM records with a BB hole in the label, but they all played just fine.

[bruiser]

Those records with a small hole, or other mark, were "cutout" records. The records were going out of print and the distributor put a mark of some kind on them, and reduced the cost so as to get rid of them. Nothing wrong with them. I've had plenty of them.

www.dccblowout.com/showpages.asp?pid=1035

[mmcwill]

Does anyone remember the "Hit Records" 45s that sold for 39c at Kroger? They were knock-offs of originals. Too bad, my parents were too cheap to buy the real deal.

[bruiser]

Yep, I remember "HIT" records. It seems as if "HIT" was spelled out with each letter inside a square.

[Max]

bruiser said:

Those records with a small hole, or other mark, were "cutout" records. The records were going out of print and the distributor put a mark of some kind on them, and reduced the cost so as to get rid of them. Nothing wrong with them. I've had plenty of them.

Yeah, I've gotten several of those "punched" cutout records, as well as the LP's with the corners cut from the jacket. At the music store I worked at in Virginia, the 'updated' way of doing cutouts was to have a hole punched in the corner of the jewel case, or have a cut in the plastic. Of course, with plastic being as it is, that would usually result in a crack in the jewel case.

Yes, cutouts have even evolved...I'll let Travis chime in with his ph-nork (or whatever that is!)

[bruiser]

Yep, I've seen the cutout CDs. Haven't bought any.

[Travis]

That *pH-nOrK* (fuh-nork) was taken from Gary Burbank. He can be heard saying it on his WAKY airchecks after doing a bit.