The 'In' Crowd
| "The 'In' Crowd" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dobie Gray | ||||
| from the album Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go" | ||||
| B-side | "Be a Man" | |||
| Released | November 1964[1] | |||
| Recorded | October 1964 | |||
| Studio | Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | Charger | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Page | |||
| Producer(s) | Fred Darian | |||
| Dobie Gray singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "The 'In' Crowd" on YouTube | ||||
| "The 'In' Crowd" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Ramsey Lewis Trio | |
| from the album The In Crowd | |
| B-side | "Since I Fell for You" |
| Released | June 1965 |
| Recorded | May 1965 |
| Venue | Bohemian Caverns, Washington, D.C. |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 3:00 (single version) 5:50 (album version) |
| Label | Argo |
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Page |
| Producer(s) | Esmond Edwards |
| Official audio | |
| The "In" Crowd (Live At The Bohemian Caverns, Washington, D.C., 1965) on YouTube | |
"The 'In' Crowd" is a 1964[2] song written by Billy Page[2] and arranged by his brother Gene and originally performed by Dobie Gray on his album Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go". It appeared on an episode of Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember, featuring in the last week of November 1964, the month Gray's rendition was released.
Chart performance
[edit]In the US, Gray's powerful Motown-like version, complete with brass section, reached number 11 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart[3] and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 February 1965.[4] Outside the US, "The 'In' Crowd" went to number 25 on the UK Singles Chart[5] and number 8 in Canada.[6] Gray's Shindig! performance of the song aired on 10 March 1965.[7]
Ramsey Lewis instrumental (1965)
[edit]The Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded an instrumental version of the tune in May 1965. Performed live at Bohemian Caverns nightclub in Washington, D.C., their jazzy take was released in June[8] and reached number 5 on the Hot 100 on 9 October 1965,[9] as well as peaking at number 2 for three weeks on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart.[10] In Canada, the record reached number 6 in the RPM charts.[11] A longer edit of the song provides the title track for the Trio's successful live album.[12]
Writing in 2015, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead said: "As Lewis has told a couple of interviewers, the trio met at a nearby eatery to discuss repertoire. Their kibitzing waitress Nettie Gray suggested a current pop hit, "The 'In' Crowd" by Dobie Gray. Ramsey Lewis didn't know that tongue-in-cheek ode to hipster self-congratulation, so they dropped a coin in the jukebox. ... I hope they left Nettie Gray a very good tip. Ramsey Lewis liked "The 'In' Crowd" enough to work up an arrangement in the unjazzy key of D major so bassist Eldee Young could work his open strings. And the trio really amped up the groove. Opening night, the audience instantly locked in with drummer Redd Holt."[13]
The Lewis Trio Argo single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.[14]
Other versions
[edit]- Bryan Ferry on his 1974 album Another Time, Another Place; also released as a single, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart.[15]
- "The 'In' Crowd" was the last cut on If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, the first album put out by the group, the Mamas & the Papas, in 1966, with "Mama" Cass Elliot singing the lead vocal. The album reached number one on the Billboard album chart. In a 2020 retrospective review, published on the occasion of the album's reissue on vinyl, the staff of Best Classic Bands dubbed this version a "rollicking cover".[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "The 'In' Crowd / Be A Man - Dobie Gray". 45cat. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ a b "Second Hand Songs - Recording: The 'In' Crowd - Dobie Gray". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 236.
- ^ "The Hot 100: Week of February 20, 1965". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- ^ "Drift Away and In Crowd singer Dobie Gray dies at 71". BBC News. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
- ^ "RPM Magazine - February 8, 1965 (page 5)" (PDF).
- ^ "Shindig! Show 27: March 10, 1965 - Beau Brummels, Tony Bennett, The Drifters, Aretha Franklin, Dobie Gray, Mickey Rooney Jr". tv.com. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
- ^ "The 'In' Crowd / Since I Fell For You - Ramsey Lewis Trio". 45cat. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 348.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - September 27, 1965" (PDF).
- ^ "50 Years Ago, Ramsey Lewis Joined 'The In Crowd'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ Whitehead, Kevin (13 May 2015). "The In Crowd': An Audience-Fueled Jazz-Pop Crossover Hit". npr.org. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Grammy awards". grammy.com. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "UK Charts - Bryan Ferry". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Staff, Best Classic Bands (2020-12-06). "Mamas & the Papas' 'Toilet' Cover Gets Reissue". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
