The Little Label that Could: Tossin' and Turnin' Part 4

(image via rateyourmusic.com)

Beltone Records. A brief little, wildly influential record label. Sure they didn't have a long discography, and they dissolved in 1963, but their little time gave us the gem we all love, Tossin' and Turnin'.

Beltone Records started out as Beltone Recording Corporation in 1946, and they first gained great notoriety by developing a functional stereo recording system with Design Records in 1959. 

They began their record label in 1960, spearheaded by company president Les Cahan, well known for discovering the Jive Five. Their focus was on Rhythm and Blues, and their A&R representative was composer  Joe Rene, the conductor whose wife was one of the songwriters behind Tossin' and Turnin'. 

Beltone Records was distributed by King Records, which would later be responsible inadvertently of launching James Brown's career. At one point, Beltone had a subsidiary label named Lescay Records, largely a forgettable label, but they were also the publishing company for the song, Tossin' and Turnin'

Most of the above information came from back-issues of Billboard Magazine.

How Payola Put the Tiniest Track on Top in '61: Tossin' and Turnin' Part 3

(image via mobilitysite.com)

So, how in the world did a song recorded in a basement and put out on a rinky-dink label become the #1 hit song of 1961? It was all just another happy benefit of the Payola scandal.

The term Payola refers to the practice by Record Labels to pay off the biggest, most influential DJ's to play their biggest, most important singles. It insured that the label's investment gained a return, and generally succeeded in keeping the smaller labels who couldn't afford to throw their money around out of the limelight.

But then the roof fell in on the industry. The government came sniffing around the questionable practices of the labels, and they had their sights on the DJ's. They specifically targeted Alan Freed and Dick Clark. Alan got fired and eventually drank himself to death in '66, and Dick unloaded his investments and focused on his TV career.

And every DJ in America was terrified of being the next big target.

So they started looking around for singles to play that wouldn't get them accused of participating in Payola. And they found a song they could believe in with Tossin' and Turnin'. It started in Philly, moved on to Boston and the other big markets, except New York, the hardest market to crack.

And then Dick Clark, hoping to clear his own name, featured Tossin' and Turnin' on American Bandstand, and the rest, as they say, is history. The song shot to number one for seven weeks, and Bobby Lewis was able to join the ranks of Elvis and the Beatles as having a #1 hit single.

Tossin' and Turnin' Pt 2: Bobby Lewis, Deconstructed

(Image from last.fm)

Bobby Lewis released Tossin' and Turnin' in 1961, his first hit from his first recording. He was born in 1925, apparently, and started playing piano at age five.

He ran away from home at 14 and began working in the music industry early on, connecting with greats like Duke Ellington, and started performing at the Apollo Theater in 1960. Tossin' and Turnin' was selected by the songwriters for their good friend to perform as a favor, but nobody had a clue just how big of a favor it would be.

Since Bobby had one more hit with the song, "One Track Mind," he can't really be called a One Hit Wonder, but honestly, there's no way he would have ever topped the success of Tossin' and Turnin'. The circumstances were too perfect, which we'll examine on another day.

Bobby Lewis is completely blind now, but he still performs occasionally and grants interviews when asked. Seems like a top shelf guy to me. It's worth noting that he's the first African American since The Drifters to land a number one spot, and the first of the '60s.

See you next time for more inspection of the song!

Tossin' and Turnin' Pt. 1: The Song

The #1 Hit single of 1961 was the song "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis, released early in the year. I'm going to be dissecting the song for the next few days. Check it out below:

See you tomorrow with our first angle!