Those who came of age in the ’60s witnessed a truly unique evolution of popular music. It was in this era that Top 40 radio stations presented a delightful mixture of pop vocalists as well as R&B, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, folk-rock, straight-ahead rock, the British Invasion, country, psychedelic sounds, bubblegum and numerous sub-genres, on their playlists. If you’re younger than that, you were deprived of listening to these performances on your transistor radio and watching them on the family television set with the rabbit-eared antenna.
It was an era when male performers frequently wore a suit and tie while female vocalists often donned an evening gown to perform on stage or when appearing on a TV network variety show.
In 2023, we published a list of 12 favorite recordings featuring soaring vocals from this era including gems from Aretha, the Four Seasons, the Mamas & the Papas, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Little did we know that it would become one of our most popular feature stories of the year. This follow-up was always a matter of “when.” As with Part One, this new list intentionally omits performances of rock groups. No doubt that singers like Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant and Grace Slick are among those known for exhibiting their powerful, soaring vocals in the 60s and later. No, we’re avoiding rock completely here and instead focusing on some of the magical combinations of the right song, the right singer and the right producer. Perhaps when you first heard them, decades ago, you didn’t realize just how special they were.
“More Today Than Yesterday”—Spiral Starecase
The peppy soul-based, horns-infused pop song was written by lead singer Pat Upton. It’s inexcusable that this one from 1969 only reached #12 on the Hot 100. The group, formed in Sacramento, CA, and commonly misspelled as “Staircase,” had two other minor hits. [More on the group on the song: here.]
“Daydream Believer”—The Monkees
At a party in 1967, its songwriter was asked by producer Chip Douglas, “Got any songs for the Monkees?” and he played the song he had written. Douglas loved it and John Stewart gave him a demo tape. The recording of the John Stewart song, “Daydream Believer,” with lead vocals by Davy Jones, became the Monkees’ third #1 single.
“Georgy Girl”—The Seekers
Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1962, the vocal group became highly popular in their home country and tasted their first U.S. success in 1965 with the folk-rock number “I’ll Never Find Another You.” At the end of 1966, they released the theme song from the film, Georgy Girl, starring Lynn Redgrave. With the great lead vocal by Judith Durham, it became their biggest Stateside hit, peaking at #2.
“Happy Together”—The Turtles
“By the time ‘Happy Together’ had hit, we had our own plane,” lead vocalist Howard Kaylen told us in a 2016 interview. “We were working out of Chicago in the Astor Tower hotel, where we had two floors of rooms and two 24-hour drivers waiting for us to go wherever we wanted. We thought we were the shit. We were spending so much money; it was certainly more than we were making. But we wanted to live the good life, and we could afford to do it at the time.” The crescendo at the end is one of 1967’s finest musical moments.
“See You in September”—The Happenings
The music group comprised of high school friends from Paterson, N.J. earned nine chart hits including this Gold-certified cover in 1966. We have no idea how they hit those high notes.
“Sunday Will Never Be the Same”—Spanky and Our Gang
The folk-rock band took their name from the popular comedy shorts that are also known as The Little Rascals. In this case, “Spanky” was their leader, Elaine McFarlane. The group had only one Top 10 hit: this one from 1967 which peaked at only #9.
“I’m Gonna Make You Mine”—Lou Christie
The singer, born Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco, was 26 when this 1969 bubblegum favorite was released and just hearing that amazing vocal brings me back to my 12 year-old self singing along to it on my transistor radio. One of its backing vocalists was none other than Ellie Greenwich.
“(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”—Jackie Wilson
Is there a more perfect song to feature in the closing credits of a feel-good movie? Wilson’s phenomenal vocal is perfectly matched by the musicians who were all members of the Motown Records house band, known as the Funk Brothers. While the Brunswick Records 1967 release reached #1 on the R&B chart, it peaked at just #6 on the pop chart, becoming Wilson’s final Top 10 single. Here’s what edged it out…
The top 10 singles on Record World’s October 7, 1967, Top Pops chart
“Woman, Woman”—Gary Puckett & the Union Gap
The members of the band from San Diego dressed in garb based on Civil War uniforms. This debut single, from 1967, was the first of four consecutive Top 10 singles, all within a year.
“Love Child”—Diana Ross & the Supremes
Despite the “hush, hush” topic, the song became the trio’s 11th of twelve #1 pop singles.
“Silence is Golden”—The Tremeloes
The British group released a faithful, harmony-rich remake of the B-side of the Four Seasons’ “Rag Doll,” which earned them their second #1 in the U.K. and their biggest U.S. hit (at #11) in 1967.
“Good Vibrations”—The Beach Boys
When it comes to soaring vocals in the ’60s, it’s hard to top the Beach Boys. And while they have plenty of recordings to choose from, Brian Wilson‘s masterpiece—recorded with the Los Angeles studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew—was our choice for this story.
- 12 (More) Soaring Vocals of the ’60s: Good Vibes - 03/08/2025
- The 9 Number One Albums of 1981: Take It On the Run - 03/01/2025
- The Number One Singles of 1970 - 02/28/2025
No Comments so far
Jump into a conversationNo Comments Yet!
You can be the one to start a conversation.