Jean Simmons

RADIO JINGLE STYLE IN THE 1960s

Radio advertising long has included jingles in radio commercials.

In this article, we’ll look at the jingle styles of the 1960s.

Sixties vocal stylings

The typical jingle vocal group of the Top 40 days usually consisted of one of these configurations:

1) Five-voice mixed group (three guys, two girls);

2) Seven-voice mixed group (four guys, three girls);

3) All-male sound (either four or five guys in harmony or three voices in unison)

Occasionally, writers experimented with all-girl groups, kids’ vocals, and male leads with three females as a back-up group; but those were distinctly in the minority.

Memorable soloists popped up in certain PAMS packages.

For example, Trella Hart added her distinctive breathy sound to Series 32 and 33, Bill Simmons sung those classic bass solos in Series 17 and 18, and Peyton Park contributed soulful and intense Ray Charles-like scat lines in Series 24, 25 and 34. The blistering rock solos from Series 34? That was Lucy Crane.

Often the lead female vocalist from the group would step up to take a solo, as Jean Oliver did in the “Smooth Sailing” cut from PAMS Series 17. From 1967 to 1973, Jackie Dickson performed similar chores on many jingle packages.

A versatile male singer, Dan Alexander had a rare combination of solo and ensemble capabilities. He sang on jingles in the Dallas studios beginning in the 1950s and continuing into the ’90s. Virtually every jingle singer with whom I’ve spoken says there’s no question – far and away, he was the best.

In the late ’60s, PAMS began experimenting with a younger vocal group named after the studio in which they recorded, “Studio C.” The music charts were topped by “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Godspell”. Indeed, the times they were a-changing. The Age of Aquarius had dawned.

The Studio C group, led by Jim Kirk and later Chris Kershaw, had a more contemporary sound; the personnel were more familiar with current rock. This was the post-Big Band generation of jingle singers. Kershaw and Kirk both excelled in writing and arranging as well as singing with an ensemble or singing solos.

Movie Legends – Jean Simmons