Kip Tyler born 31 May 1929

Kip Tyler (May 31, 1929* – September 23, 1996) was an American rock and roll singer and bongo player.

To become a true rock 'n' roll singer back in the fifties meant that almost everyone hated you - parents, the church, the establishment and the old time musicians. But this did not bother a cool cat like Kip Tyler, as long as the kids loved him and his music. He often joined his band on stage dressed in black leather and on a motorbike. But let there be no doubt - he was an important leader, and part, of the fifties Californian rockabilly and rock 'n' roll history.

Kip Tyler, born Elwood Westertson Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois. Lead singer of Sleepwalkers during his time at Union High School and later teamed up with rival musicians from Fairfax High School to form the early version of Kip Tyler and the Flips. Besides the usual shows at high school dances and parties, the group's wild rockabilly sound and stage performances soon made them the most popular band at the legendary shows at the El Monte Legion Stadium. Indeed, they virtually became the house band as they often provided the backing for other artists appearing at the venue.

In early, 1957, Kip caught the attention of arranger Joseph Gershenson who hired him to work on a project connected to the movie "Rock, Pretty Baby". Stemming from the success of movie, Tyler took on the name of Jimmy Daley (the main character of the movie who he provided a voice over for) and formed the band Jimmy Daley And The Ding-A-Lings. He recorded his first album at Decca records. Songs such as "Red Lips and Green Eyes", "Hole in the Wall" and " Bongo Rock" were produced at Decca Records. Unfortunately for Tyler, the sequel to "Rock, Pretty Baby", "Summer Love" was a flop and so was the career of his surname, Jimmy Daley.

In late 1957, he formed a new group, Kip Tyler And The Flips. Their first record was "Lets Monkey Around" (b/c "Vagabond Mama"); recorded at Starla Records. The group recorded at Challenge Records and found more success from their singles produced there. In early 1958, Challenge released their first hit "Jungle Hop" and the great driving rockabilly tune "Ooh Yeah Baby" complete with one heck of an instrumental break. Whilst again achieving good reviews in the musical press upon release on Challenge, sales were poor.

                               

Later in 1958, after a change of band members, they recorded at Ebb Records with another single: "She's My Witch" (b/c "Rumble Rock"), on which they were assisted by Jim Horn, saxophone player with Duane Eddy's Rebels. The next, and final, session for Ebb Records was in January 1959 and this brought "Oh Linda" and 
"Hali-Lou" to the listening public. It was one of the final releases on Ebb before the label closed its doors. Some noteworthy members of all those that played in the band included Bruce 
Johnson, Sandy Nelson, future Wrecking Crew members Larry Knechtel of Bread and guitarist Mike Deasy.

Kip Tyler formed another new group and signed a deal with the Los Angeles based Imperial Records with the help of his old drummer Sandy Nelson - who had already joined the label after leaving Art Laboe who had only signed him to a publishing contract and not as a recording artist. In 1960, Tyler recorded four songs for the label but only two "Rocket Round The Universe/The Goblin Trot" were issued. These were commercially still born.

Despite his meagre success as a recording artist, Kip was in demand for personal appearances in the Los Angeles area and around the West Coast in which he constantly captured the audience with his dynamic live performance. He also succeeded in obtaining a weekly television show in the early sixties. There are rumors that Tyler in 1962 recorded the single "Drum Twist 1 & 2"  under the name of Kipper & The Exciters but there is no conclusive proof of this. Similarly, it remains to be established the "Target Twist/Stompin" released under the name of Kippster was Kip Tyler.

Dick at the Gyro Disc Hollywood office.

In 1964 Tyler was provided with the opportunity to record for the label Gyro Disk as well as producing other talents. One of the all time classics was the Bossa Nova song "The Girl From Ipanema." The people at Gyro Disc attempted to get a version by Kip, now billed with a new "swinger" image, into the door in order to cash in elsewhere, especially in Europe. But as the record failed in the US, although they managed to get Kip on at least twenty networked television shows and on a promotional tour, in the end they did not bother with Europe. 

For jukeboxes, a stereo version of Kip's interpretation of the song was made available. His success briefly peaked after recording a number of songs. Tyler's last single was made in 1965.

Seemingly Kip had become disillusioned by this lack of success, especially as many of his former band members had made the big time. Whilst he remained a local star, he entered into other forms of business. He died on September 23, 1996 Los Angeles, California from natural causes.

(Edited mainly from CD liner notes) (*one source gives 29^th as birth date)

Priscilla Bowman born 30 May 1928

Priscilla Bowman (born Priscilla I. Mills, May 30, 1928 – July 24, 1988) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues singer who had a No. 1 hit single on the Billboard magazine R&B chart in 1955 with the song "Hands Off". She was the lead singer for the Jay McShann band.

Born the daughter of a Pentecostal minister, Priscilla made her singing debut at age seven in front of inmates at the state penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas. As a teenager she was encouraged by local pianist Roy Searcy as she began singing in area nightclubs. She has been called the city's "original rock 'n' roll mama" and was influenced by singers Ruth Brown and Annie Laurie. She joined the Jay McShann band in the early 1950s. In 1955 the band signed with Vee-Jay Records, and Bowman recorded two sessions with them. Priscilla sounded simply fabulous; her talent was on a par with the more successful R&B vocalists of the time, yet one big hit was all she would be able to muster. 'Hands Off' was a runaway smash, hitting number one on the R&B charts for three weeks in December 1955.

                               

She recorded three sessions for Vee-Jay and its subsidiary label, Falcon, as a solo singer between 1957 and 1959 but could not repeat her success. However, in 1958 she was the first to record the song "A Rockin' Good Way", with uncredited vocal backing by The Spaniels. The song was written with Brook Benton and became a hit when Benton recorded it himself as a duo with Dinah Washington in 1960.

Bowman continued to record through the end of the 1950s, achieving artistic and critical triumphs in the face of waning commercial success. Highlights include "I've Got News For You, the follow-up to her #1 hit (1956); "Everything's Alright," a Billboard Magazine pick (1957), and collaboration with doo-wop group The Spaniels (1958-59). However, Bowman failed to rekindle her initial success or to tap into the emerging rock 'n' roll market, a style ironically owing much to the rhythm and blues music she purveyed. Priscilla Bowman's last session for Vee-Jay, which took place on July 30, 1959, was led by Riley Hampton. It yielded her final single. 

Constant touring was highlighted by engagements at Mel's Hideaway on the south side of Chicago and the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. With marquee performances and hit records to promote, the incessant grind of the road took a toll on Bowman. On the advice of entertainer Moms Mabley, who shared the same tour bill, the exhausted and ill Bowman returned to Kansas City for much needed rest. Her career as a commercial recording artist had lasted a little over four years. By the early 1960s, Bowman had put her career on hold to get married and to raise a family. 

Bowman revived her singing career in the late 1970s and was reunited with Jay McShann on more than one occasion. She continued to perform at area nightspots and festivals. Her only other recording that is known of was a limited-issue LP recorded in Kansas City by pianist Roy Searcy. Roy Searcy and Friends: Live Jam Session President Hotel in 1976. It was released, probably in early 1977, on Stage Three Sound. 

Despite surgery to remove a cancerous lung during 1986, she continued to perform into 1987. She died on July 24, 1988, at the age of 60 and was honoured posthumously with a Kansas City Jazz Heritage Award (1988) and an Elder Statesmen of Kansas City Jazz
Award (2003).

In 2019 Jasmine Records issued Jay McShann & Priscilla Bowman - A Rockin' Good Way ~ 1955-1959 which virtually contains all of her records. She appears on many compilation albums mostly with the inclusion of "Hands Off" which remains one of the biggest R & B records of the nineteen fifties and for this alone Bowman remains part of the story of the music that changed everything. 

(Edited mainly from Wikipedia & Priscilla Bowman Collection)

Dick Stabile born 29 May 1909

Dick Stabile (May 29, 1909 – September 18, 1980) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. He was one of the great alto sax player of his time.

The son of a band leader and violinist, Stabile learned piano and violin at an early age. His father got a job with band leader Vincent Lopez on the condition that he learn saxophone. Seeing his father play, Stabile started playing saxophone, too, and was hired by Jules Ansel at the Brunswick Hotel in Newark. At the age of 15, he then went on tour with band leader Ben Bernie, Ansel's cousin, and remained with Bernie from 1928–1935, appearing on Bernie's weekly radio show as lead alto saxophonist and soloist.

In 1935 Stabile started his own ensemble, the All-America "Swing" Band, which featured Bunny Berigan, Dave Barbour, Frank Signorelli, and Stan King. Introduced by his own composition, "Blue Nocturne", Stabile enjoyed a lengthy engagement at the Lincoln Hotel in New York, before going on an extended tour of ballrooms and hotels across the United States.

                               

At this time, he featured a predominant reed sextet and several good musicians, including composer/arranger Chauncey Gray. Vocalists included Evelyn Oaks who sang with the band in 1939, Paula Kelly sang with him prior to joining the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1941, Gracie Barrie who wound up becoming Mrs. 

Stabile and not forgetting Burt Shaw. During World War II Stabile led a band while serving in the Coast Guard; Gracie Barrie led his ensemble in his absence.

After World War II, Stabile divorced Grace Barrie and had a quick succession of marriages with Mary Kirk and, Trudy Ewan in the 40’s, ending with Mimi Gendal in the 60’s. Stabile formed a new band which worked in L.A.-area nightclubs, including Slapsie Maxie's (owned by the champion light heavyweight boxer-actor Max "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom) on Wilshire Blvd.

Stabile also played at Ciro's, on Sunset Blvd., where, in 1949, a young singer and his comic sidekick, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, were part of the show.  Martin and Lewis soon graduated from clubs to national television (such as NBC's "Colgate Comedy Hour") and hired Stabile as their musical director and, often, made him a target of their antics. Stabile also conducted for Martin and Lewis when they recorded, together and separately, at Capitol, including on two of Martin's hit singles, That's Amore and Memories Are Made of This; a 1953 10-inch LP, "Dean Martin Sings" (Capitol H-401); and his 1956 12-inch album, "Swingin' Down Yonder" (Capitol T-576). After Martin and Lewis broke up in 1956, Stabile remained friends with both. He also recorded with Della Reese.

In addition to his theme song “Blue Nocturne”, Stabile composed several other popular tunes, such as "Cloudburst", "Raindrops on the River" and "That's How I Need You". During its heyday, his band had lucrative recording contracts with Decca, Bluebird, Victor and Vocalion. At one time, Dick Stabile was also featured in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" for his ability to blow the highest note possible on the saxophone. Healso designed a line of saxophones and clarinets that carried his name.

When Jimmy Dorsey lay dying of cancer in the hospital in 1957, he chose Stabile to play his saxophone parts at a Fraternity recording session with The Dorsey Orchestra, conducted by Lee Castle, held that June 17th. Stabile also made several albums under his own name during this period, including "Dick Stabile Plays For You" (Bethlehem BCP-5003, 1955), "Dick Stabile at the Statler" (Tops L1590, 1958), and "This Cat Really Blows" (Dot DLP 3286, 1960). His band worked often in hotels in New York City and was chosen to play at the New York World's Fair in 1959–60. He led the house band at the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles for seven years, from around 1961 to 1968.

When that job ended, he continued to perform at various venues, including, in 1969, at the newly-opened Circus Lounge of the Sheraton-Universal Hotel in Los Angeles, where critic Leonard Feather reviewed Stabile's performance as "traditional, though this a tradition too noble to have become antiquated."

By the mid-1970s, Stabile had relocated to New Orleans, and his band became the featured attraction in the Blue Room of the Fairmont Hotel (which had formerly been known as The Hotel Roosevelt) for a number of years.  Though he suffered a stroke which paralyzed his left side, following recuperation he was able to return to work at the Fairmont.   Stabile's last national appearance was with Lewis on the 1980 Labour Day muscular dystrophy telethon from Las Vegas.

He died from a heart attack in New Orleans, Louisiana. September 18, 1980 (Aged 71)

(Edited from IMDb, Big Band Library & Wikipedia)

Dave Barbour born 28 May 1912

 David Michael Barbour (May 28, 1912 – December 11, 1965) was an American jazz guitarist. He was married to singer Peggy Lee and was her co-writer, accompanist, and bandleader.

Barbour was born in Long Island, New York. He was educated at Flushing High School and in private music study. When Barbour was twelve, he played banjo at Carnegie Hall.  He came out of an early generation of jazz string players who changed from banjo to guitar as the swing era took off. He began playing professionally with one-armed Dixieland trumpeter Wingy Manone in the early '30s, and at that point he was still on banjo. 

By 1936 Barbour had picked up guitar and was in the group of vibraphonist Red Norvo, who almost always featured guitars. Through the late '30s and into the early '40s, the guitarist was extremely busy with a variety of studio and performing groups, 

including those of Lennie Hayton, Charlie Barnet, Raymond Scott, Glenn Miller, and Lou Holden. He also recorded with André Previn in 1945.

While a member of Benny Goodman's orchestra in 1942 the guitarist fell in love with the band's singer, Lee naturally, and the pair ran off, leaving Goodman minus two band members. They got married 8 March 1943 and moved to Los Angeles where they bagan a flourishing partnership writing songs whose titles might have suggested elements of their evolving personal relationship: i.e., "It's a Good Day," "Just an Old Love of Mine," "I Don't Know Enough About You," "Confusion Says," "(I'm Not Gonna) Let It Bother Me," and "Blum Blum, I Wonder Who I Am." 

                              

 Barbour also conducted and arranged for record companies and joined ASCAP in 1947. Lee wrote "Johnny Guitar" with Victor Young, but listeners familiar with Lee's personal life will no doubt hear Barbour in there somewhere, as the singer couldn't have helped but think about him while interpreting this especially sad ballad. They divorced in 1951.

Barbour’s drink problem continued after the relationship with Lee had fallen apart and no doubt accounted for his fallow period. If there was life after Lee for him, it was for the most part sustained by royalty checks, as songs written by the couple were covered by a wide range of performers, from top jazz vocalists to '50s pop icons such as Doris Day and Perry Como. 

During this era, Barbour recorded a few sides as orchestra leader for Capitol, Decca and Arwin record labels between 1949 and 1959. he also made a dash at an acting career and shows up in two films, both with vaguely biographical titles: The Secret Fury and Mr. Music. From 1952 on his musical appearances were limited to a small number of charity events and a 1962 Benny Carter recording session.

Barbour died in 1965 of a haemorrhaged ulcer in Malibu Beach, California, at the age of 53. Late in life, Lee wrote in her autobiography that shortly before his death she and Barbour were considering remarriage. After her death, their daughter had Barbour's ashes interred with those of Miss Peggy Lee.

(Edited from AllMusic & Wikipedia)

Cilla Black born 27 May 1943

Priscilla Maria Veronica White OBE (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, television presenter, actress, and author.

Cilla grew up in one of the toughest parts of Liverpool. She was encouraged to sing by her family and as a young teenager was determined to break into show business. She worked as a cloakroom attendant at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool as well as waitress at the Zodiac coffee (Duke Street). A personable girl she was popular in the clubs and when Rory Storm asked her to join him on the stage to sing there was no stopping her.

She became the female vocalist for the Dominoes (which featured Richard Starky on drums) and would also freelance as there were no other girl singers in Liverpool at the time and Cilla’s appearance on stage was much appreciated. When she sang with The Big Three she was referred to as "Swinging Cilla." When the music paper, the Mersey Beat misprinted and called her Cilla Black, the singer liked the sound of it and decided to use the name professionally. Lennon persuaded Brian Epstein to audition Cilla and when he saw her singing, Bye Bye Blackbird at the Blue Angel jazz club, Epstein signed her and matched her with George Marin, she recorded “Love of the loved” (written by Lennon and McCartney).

                              

The song did well for a debut but was not a top twenty hit. George Martin had expressed some doubt about her singing ability as the scrawny girl was raw but eager. He recognised something in her voice which gave Cilla distinction over her close UK rivals of Lulu, Marianne Faithful, Sandie Shaw and Dusty Springfield. George 

Millicent Martin, Kathy Kirby, Cilla Black
and Brenda Lee 1964

and Brian thought it was just a question of matching her with the right song. Her second single was a cover version of a Dionne Warwick hit, written by Burt Bacharach-Hal David, the song was "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and gave her first #1 in the UK.

George Martin became Cilla's producer for the next 11 years and she was among the few EMI acts that he continued to produce after he left the company in 1966 to set up AIR Studios. For the next single they took an Italian song “Il Mio Mondo” translated into English, this rich treasure trove of ballads was to set a trend for other divas, including Dusty. The world sat up when Cilla released “You’re my world.“

Cilla Black was never going to be a serious rival to Dusty Springfield, lacking her depth or subtlety, but she had a distinctive and identifiable voice despite the uncertain range and instincts. Her vocals were attractive in their delivery and seemed to get better as she gained experience. Cilla made her acting debut in 1964 in Ferry Cross the Mersey, with Gerry & The Pacemakers. The film enjoyed some critical success, remembered now mainly because of the title track, but it was back to the recording studio for Cilla.

Cilla’s voice had an intense soulful quality and her next single was to show this off to very good effect. It was another cover version, this time the Righteous Bros, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." 1966 was a watershed year for Cilla and her previous recordings had interested song writer, Burt Bacharach.

When Cilla was chosen to sing the theme tune to a new Michael Caine that was almost the equivalent to singing the next Bond theme the song was a Bacharach- David composition and the theme and film shared the same title, “Alfie“. Burt came to London to produce at Abbey Road Studios and the well know perfectionist must have tried the singer’s patience because she cites this has the most harrowing experience in her recording career. However it was all worthwhile and the song paid justice to their hard work.

Paul & Cilla

Cilla was beginning to have doubts about her management by the end of 1966 and was poised to leave the Epstein stable the following year and join Robert Stigwood. They met when Robert worked in the NEMS organisation, but when Brian died the plans fell through and Cilla’s management was taken over by her husband Bobby Willis. Cilla meantime was rather unique and being close friends with Sir Paul McCartney had the advantage to select the best Beatle compositions for herself. In the waltz like "It's For You," the singer displays a surprisingly adventurous jazz arrangement and the single reached No. 7 in England.

Only days before Brian’s premature death, Epstein had engineered Cilla's switch to television and it proved to be a shrewd move. The Cilla Black Show regularly commanded a staggering audience of 22 million in the UK. A disastrous appearance in the flop film Work Is a Four-Letter Word, (1968) coincided with her decline as a pop diva. 

Her TV work began to eclipse her musical fame and she went on to host several popular television programmes including Blind Date, and Surprise, Surprise. Black was appointed OBE for services to entertainment in the 1997 New Year Honours. 

One enduring feature of Cilla was her marriage to Bobby for over 30 years until his premature death in 1999. The couple had three sons. Sadly Cilla Black died after suffering a stroke following a fall at her home in Estepona on the Costa del Sol on 1 August 2015.

(Edited from History of Popular Music)

Linda Laurie born 26 May 1941

Linda Maxine Laurie (May 26, 1941 - November 20, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for the novelty record "Ambrose (Part 5)", which went to #52 on the Billboard chart while she was still a high school student in 1959.

She made her first record, 'Sun Glasses' by The Shades Featuring The Knott Sisters, with her friend Susan Yellin when she was just 17 years old and the two were still attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. It was issued on Big Top 3003 in 1958. The flip side was 'Undivided Attention' simply credited to The Knott Sisters.

Linda Laurie is one of several artists who made some great records, but never got on the Top 40 charts with any of them. That's not to say she never made a chart record, as the second record she ever made, and the first one to bear her name as the artist, reached No.52 on Billboard's Hot 100 in March 1959. 

It was a bizarre novelty record that she made in 1958 on Glory Records, then personally shopped it around to radio stations. It got a lot of airplay on the East Coast, particularly in the New York City and Philadelphia areas.

To say this record was strange would be an understatement. It's a spoken-novelty record with heavy Brooklyn accents. It features Linda Laurie as a girl walking through a dark subway tunnel with her boyfriend, Ambrose, an almost perverted-sounding older guy whose deep voice was also done by Linda! Although it was called 'Ambrose (Part Five)' there were never any earlier versions. (The flip side, "Ooh, What A Lover", also received some airplay.)

                                   

The songs success helped to land her a spot on rock and roll package shows—including Alan Freed’s stage shows at the Brooklyn Paramount and Lee Gordon’s “Big Show” tours in Australia—as well as television show appearances.The song's notoriety was enough to get young Linda on the February 10, 1959 edition of To Tell The Truth; only two of the four panelists correctly identified her.

Laurie found the travel strenuous and eventually settled back in New York. In the sixties, Laurie co-owned a boutique dress shop in Manhattan, but she continued to perform music on her own terms. She was a regular at Trude Heller’s club in the West Village. She made several more teen and novelty records, for various labels.. Although she never hit the charts again with her own material, her records have become very popular with collectors, such as "Stay with Me" (Andie 5015); "Chico" (Keetch 6001); "Lucky" (Recona 3502); "Prince Charming" (Rust 5022); and "Stay-At-Home Sue" (Rust 5042).  

Linda also cut some records to follow-up her only chart hit. They include 'Forever Ambrose' and 'Return Of Ambrose'. There was even a record about Ambrose made by another group, Jimmy And The Valentines on Cub 9024 in 1959. It was called 'Just Keep Walkin' by Ambrose. Linda also made a favorite Answer Song when she cut 'Stay-At-Home Sue', a response to Dion's 'Runaround Sue."

After relocating to the West Coast, Laurie started writing songs for other artists such as Bobby Vinton, Sonny And Cher, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, and Love Unlimited. Her biggest claim to fame came when a song she wrote and recorded herself got covered by Helen Reddy and became a No.3 chart hit in 1973. That song was 'Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)'. Linda also wrote the theme music for the Saturday morning show, 'Land Of The Lost', which was later used in the 2009 movie version starring Will Farrell. It was even covered by Everclear. 'I Did It For Love', the disco song she wrote for Love Unlimited in 1977, was sampled on several hip hop songs in the 1990's, like 'It's All About The Benjamins' by Puff Daddy (on an extended remix for DJ Clue's Holiday Holdup mix tape in 1996), 'Money In The Bank' by Swizz Beats, 'Miss You' by Mariah Carey, and 'The Gang' by Shyne.

Linda Laurie became Executive Director for Theatre Of Life For
Children, a community-based organisation dedicated to providing multi-cultural access to performing arts for children. In addition to providing organizational leadership, she worked directly with student actors.

She was diagnosed with cancer and passed away at the age of 68 on 20 November 2009 in Santa Barbara, California.

(Edited from article by David McKee @ 45cat.com & womeninrockproject)

FOOTNOTE: There are not many pictures of Linda on the web. The same old few crop up repeatedly, which I have used.  But there is one glamorous picture that appears frequently (look right). I cannot confirm that it is in fact her. A few comments on various web sites state that it is definitely not. But the mystery continues as I managed to trace the photo back to Bert Berns web site. Bert was a songwriter, producer and label chief. He produced two of Linda’s singles: Jose He Say & Chico, also this photograph is currently on sale on ebay, as Linda Laurie.……. Any comments anyone?

Clint Ballard Jr. born 24 May 1921

Clinton Conger Ballard Jr. (May 24, 1931 – December 23, 2008) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. Ballard also pursued a solo singing career. With minor success he recorded under his own name, as well as under the pseudonym Buddy Clinton.

Ballard was born in El Paso, Texas where his mother encouraged him to play music at an early age. When he was just three years old, Ballard performed piano for KTSM, an El Paso radio station. At the age of eleven, he attended a program for gifted young musicians at North Texas State Teachers College in Denton. He went on to attend the State University of Iowa and graduated from what is today the University of Texas at El Paso with a degree in radio studies. While in college, Ballard spent much of his time directing fraternity choirs and dance bands.

Kalin Twins

Upon graduating from college, Ballard joined the United States Army. After serving as a radio operator in Japan, Ballard moved to New York City to pursue a career in music and often played piano in nightclubs and pitching his original compositions at the famed Brill Building. On a trip to Washington, D.C., in 1957, he discovered the harmony duo the Kalin Twins. Impressed by the brothers, Ballard managed the group and secured them a recording contract with Decca. 

Ballard wrote the Kalin Twins’ first single, “Jumpin’ Jack.” However, it was not until three months later that the twins scored their first hit with “When,” written by Paul Evans and Jack Reardon, not by Ballard. Too devoted to his own songwriting to focus on the Kalin Twins’ career, Ballard went on to write “Ev’ry Hour, Ev’ry Day of My Life” in 1958. It became a hit in the United Kingdom for British balladeer Malcolm Vaughn.

Ballard’s “Hey Little Baby” became the theme song for the 1958 World’s Fair in Belgium after Mitch Miller and his orchestra recorded the single on the B side of “March From the River Kwai.” In 1960 Ballard co-wrote the hit “Good Timin’” with Fred Tobias. Singer Jimmy Jones took the song to the top of the British charts and to Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Following this success, Ballard wrote “Game of Love,” which was recorded by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. The song became a Number 1 hit in the United States and a Number 2 hit in Britain in 1965.

                                

Ballard's own recording career was less successful. In addition to recording several singles under his own name without much success, in 1960 he adopted the alias Buddy Clinton to cut a two-sided single featuring the songs "Take Me to Your Ladder (I'll See Your Leader Later)" and "Joanie's Forever," both co-written by then-unknown composer Burt Bacharach with his writing partner Bob Hilliard.

He scored his first Number 1 hit in Britain with “I’m Alive” for the Hollies in 1965. In 1987 “Game of Love” was featured in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, starring Robin Williams. Although Ballard often wrote with a partner, he penned Linda Ronstadt’s Number 1 single “You’re No Good,” by himself. The song was featured on Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel album, released in 1974. “You’re No Good” had previously been recorded by Dee Dee Warwick and Betty Everett in 1963. The song also was covered by the Swinging Blue Jeans in 1964 and became a Top 10 hit in Britain. “You’re No Good” was featured in the movie My Best Friend’s Girl in 2008. Other songs written by Ballard include “Gingerbread” by Frankie Avalon, “There’s Not a Minute” by Ricky Nelson, and “Gotta Get a Hold of Myself” by the Zombies.

However, as the sixties continued on, Ballard gravitated away from pop, writing songs for the Ricky Nelson feature film Love and Kisses and teaming with Lee Goldsmith to write a musical adaptation of the drama Come Back, Little Sheba -- while it never reached its intended destination, Broadway, a 2001 revival yielded an original cast recording. 

Ballard also wrote a series of commercial jingles, including a theme for the Greyhound bus line. Ballard settled in Dallas in 1981 and then moved thirty-five miles north to Denton three years later. He eventually left the music business and became a real estate investor and manager. In 2006 Ballard suffered a stroke, and his health 

deteriorated in the years that followed. On December 23, 2008, Clint Ballard died at his home in Denton at the age seventy-seven. He is in the Honour Roll of Songwriters in the West Texas Music Hall of Fame.

Ballard later wrote songs for the Ricky Nelson film, Love and Kisses. He also wrote a series of commercial jingles, including a theme for Greyhound Line.

He died in at his home at Denton, Texas, in December 2008, two years after suffering a stroke.

Having no immediate family, his estate and contents were auctioned off during April 2009.

(Edited from The Texas State Historical association & Wikipedia)