First one that immediately comes to mind is The Wonder Who, actually the Four Seasons (Don't Think Twice).

Not sure if this exactly fits your topic.

Ron Dante (along with studio musicians) recorded Sugar Sugar, but they released it as by The Archies.

Ron Dante (along with studio musicians) recorded Tracy, but they released it as by The Cuff Links

Bernard Webb wrote the Peter & Gordon hit "Woman."

He was better known by his other name: Paul McCartney.

Bobby Darin's song "Early In The Morning" was released as being by The Ding Dongs on Brunswick because Darin was already under contract to Atco. When Atco found out about this, they threatened legal action which resulted in the Brunswick record being pulled -- and it was then released by Atco as being by The Rinky Dinks. With "Splish Splash" having been released shortly before all of this by Atco, I wonder if they used The Rinky Dinks name to avoid having two different Darin records being out at the same time. 

And something similar might have been going on with the Eivets Rednow record. It was released by Motown's subsidiary Gordy, and so there were no legal issues involved with it. However, Wonder's instrumental cover of "Alfie" as Eivets Rednow was released not long before "For Once In My Life", and so using that name avoided having two Stevie Wonder records being out at the same time. In addition, "Alfie" was an easy-listening instrumental, and so it was quite different from a typical Wonder record. It only got to #66 on the Hot 100, but it did reach #11 on Billboard's adult contemporary chart and so there did end up being some overlap with when "For Once In My Life" started making the charts.

Re: The Rinky Dinks, I take it these aren't the same Rinky Dinks that backed Johnny Bower on "Honky The Christmas Goose". I thought that was a pretty clever name for his back-up group.

None of the Canadians (including myself) on this board has mentioned Andy Kim, who, in the late 70's, released a couple of singles and two albums as Baron Longfellow.

Last edited by GrimsbyFan (September 8, 2024 11:23 am)

Roman wrote:

Re: The Rinky Dinks, I take it these aren't the same Rinky Dinks that backed Johnny Bower on "Honky The Christmas Goose". I thought that was a pretty clever name for his back-up group.

It was, and it's entirely possible that those involved with the record didn't know of the use of this name for the Darin record as it never made the CHUM chart (CHUM played Buddy Holly's cover of "Early In The Morning" instead). Interestingly, in 1959 a different Rinky Dinks group did make the CHUM chart with "Catch A Little Moonbeam", but that record only got to #43 in a two-week run and so I doubt they would have known of that one either. And so what this also means is that of the three Rinky Dinks records, Bower's was actually the most successful in Toronto.

Lorne wrote:

Roman wrote:

Re: The Rinky Dinks, I take it these aren't the same Rinky Dinks that backed Johnny Bower on "Honky The Christmas Goose". I thought that was a pretty clever name for his back-up group.

It was, and it's entirely possible that those involved with the record didn't know of the use of this name for the Darin record as it never made the CHUM chart (CHUM played Buddy Holly's cover of "Early In The Morning" instead). Interestingly, in 1959 a different Rinky Dinks group did make the CHUM chart with "Catch A Little Moonbeam", but that record only got to #43 in a two-week run and so I doubt they would have known of that one either. And so what this also means is that of the three Rinky Dinks records, Bower's was actually the most successful in Toronto.

But Johnny still hasn't cracked Spotify, although some guy named Edward Tobin is there with a cover of Honky.