VIC DANA - IF I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME

VIC DANA

Vic Dana was born in Buffalo, NY in 1942. He began his entertainment career as a Tap Dancer and was spotted by Sammy Davis, Jr., who encouraged him to move to California to further his career. His family did, but eventually he decided to focus on singing rather than dance. His first chart hit was in 1961 with the Christmas song, “Little Altar Boy.”  Following that, he stayed in the middle regions of the chart until 1965 when he recorded “Red Roses For a Blue Lady” which finally propelled him into the Top Ten for the first – and unfortunately only – time. His songs were all from the Bobby Darin / Frankie Avalon / Fabian school, generally teenage romance ballads. He was a solid, if unspectacular seller.

In 1969, Vic switched labels from Dolton to Liberty and issued a new, hipper, “edgier” album called “If I Never Knew Your Name.” The album included two cover versions of Neil Diamond songs, the title track and “Red Red Wine” both of which charted, the first reaching #45 and the second reaching #72. (Both made the Top 30 of the Adult Contemporary chart.)  The other tracks on the album, mostly never issued as singles, (Sad Day Song and Another Dream Shot Down were issued as “B” sides) were undiscovered gems.

“Mama Come and Get Your Baby Boy” is a country rocker by DeWayne Blackwell, writing songs since the 50s, but it wasn’t until the 90s that he had his biggest hit –  called “Friends In Low Places”. This song is from a genre that appeared more than once in the late 60s, the “I ran away and boy am I sorry now” school, but very well done.  Add a third harmony, you would have early 70s Byrds. What is unique about this song is the way it plays with words:

I was just sixteen when I quit school

Learned just enough to be a fool

Mama cried when I left home with my guitar

Mama, I won’t stop pickin’ ‘til I’m a star

I picked potatoes in Washington, beans in Oregon

Honeydew melons in Oklahoma and in Chowchilla, California

Picked cotton up to my adam’s apple

Speaking of apples, I picked them too.

Mama, that ain’t what I set out to do

Mama, if I’m still your pride and joy

Mama, come and get your baby boy

“Good Woman” is a loving ballad about the woman who done him right! “This time I know I’m gonna make it, There ain’t no way to stop me now. Whatever happens I can take it, I got a good woman now.” This one is written by a pretty interesting trio, starting with Dana himself, along with Robert Velline and Thomas Glasser. (If those names don’t sound familiar, their professional names might – Bobby Vee and Tompall Glaser.)

“Everything” is another love song, and my favorite track from the album. Written by Kenny Nolan (“Lady Marmalade”, “My Eyes Adored You”)

“Everything she does works its way into my heart

And with every word she speaks

I know she knows I can’t help but care

She knows I know love is ours to share

Yes, everything she does turns me on.”

The song ends with a long, high note that is held for about eight bars.  I used to be able to match the note and the length. I also used to be 20.

The first side continues with a song that Vic Dana wrote all by himself, although it sounds as good as Neil Diamond’s work from the same period. It’s called  ”Another Dream Shot Down”  Here’s a version that was posted on YouTube, when the song was used as the B side of Red Red Wine

<video removed becuse it was some bizarre thing in Japanese. Sorry!>

And the last song on the side is called “Who Would Ever Think That I Would Marry Margaret” a bright and upbeat song written by Ralph Dino and John Sembello.

Side two starts with Neil Diamond again, Red Red Wine, sounding a lot more like Diamond’s original than by the rather bizarre UB40 version from a couple of decades later.

Angeline by Buzz Clifford comes next, the required Earth Mother song that seemed to be on every album at the time “Angeline lives in the forest where the shadows creep, She turns the fireflies on, sings the owls to sleep.”

Then comes “Sunshine On a Cold Morning” written by Bob Stone who would later have a huge hit called “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.

Half and Half by Mac Davis (about twelve million hits) was next on the list. Davis’ own version of this did rather well a few years later.

Sad Day Song by Martin Kosins is essentially a song about a man’s conversation with God – “Then he asked me the question – What’s the reason for this war? And I swear I couldn’t tell him, just what the war was for.” This album, of course, was issued during the Vietnam debacle.

The last song was once again made more famous later when recorded by it’s composer. In this case, the song was called "Rebecca", the composer was Glenn Frey and he recorded it with Longbranch Pennywhistle.

Researching for this post, one thing that strikes me was the number of early works from composers on the album who really didn't make it big until years later. Frey, Stone, Davis, and Nolan all fall into that category.

I bought this album in a cut-out bin somewhere around 1971 or 1972. I still have my original copy which you can certainly tell by the condition of the scan (that scan is from my copy) above. Over the years, I have recorded it onto 8-track tape, cassette, cd and now mp3. Still love the album, still one of my favorite over 40 years after I first heard it!.