Thank you for that introduction and welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback! I'm Jumpin' John, and in this episode I will take you back to the year 1956, and the one hit wonder artist that briefly knocked none other than the King, Elvis Presley, off the top of the charts. That performer's name was Jim Lowe, and this is his story!
James Ellsworth Lowe was born on May 7, 1923 in Springfield, Missouri. His passion for The Great American Songbook began as a youth in his grandfather’s store, Lines Music, on Walnut Street in downtown Springfield. That passion would serve him well later in his radio career. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Lowe graduated from the University of Missouri in 1948. Lowe began his radio career while at Mizzou. After graduation he had short radio stints in Springfield, Indianapolis, and Chicago before moving to WCBS in New York City in 1956. Lowe also dabbled as a songwriter, and he wrote the tune "Gambler's Guitar", which was a million-selling country hit for Rusty Draper in 1953.
Bob "Hutch" Davie was an orchestra leader, arranger, pianist, and composer of popular music. Davie worked out of a studio in his New York City apartment, and in 1956 he composed and arranged the melody for the song "The Green Door". After Marvin Moore added the lyrics, Davie got together with Jim Lowe, and he recorded Lowe singing the song. Lowe was backed by both an orchestra put together by songwriter Davie, with Davie also playing piano, and by a vocal group called the High Fives. The track was arranged by Davie, who added thumbtacks to the hammers of his piano and sped up the tape to give a honky-tonk sound.
The lyrics to "The Green Door" describe the allure of a mysterious private club with a green door. Behind the door a happy crowd is playing piano, smoking, and laughing. The singer cannot get any sleep each evening, due to the sound of the music coming from a private club. He tries to gain entry by knocking once on the green door, telling the person behind the door that he has been there before, only to have the door slammed immediately. The hospitality is thin there. Then, through the keyhole, he says the possible secret password, "Joe sent me", which only results in laughter as he is again denied admission to the club.
In August 1956 Dot Records released Lowe's "The Green Door" as the single's "A" side, backed with "(The Story of) the Little Man in Chinatown". I should mention that it wasn't until two years later, in August 1958, that the Billboard Hot 100 was created. So in 1956 Billboard was publishing five separate singles charts each week. A young singer named Elvis Presley was dominating all five charts for much of the year 1956. However, in November 1956, Jim Lowe's "The Green Door" briefly knocked Elvis Presley out of the #1 spot in two of Billboard's five charts: the Billboard Top 100 chart and the Billboard Most Played in Jukeboxes chart. "The Green Door" also reached #8 in the U.K., #5 in the U.S. Rhythm & Blues chart, and #2 in the U.S. Cash Box Best Selling Singles chart. The record ended up as a million seller and a Gold Record recipient. It is interesting to note that, three years later in 1959 with record producer Bob Crewe, "Hutch" Davie would again be involved in another hit record, as he arranged Santo & Johnny's instrumental hit "Sleep Walk".
[Be sure to check out Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast #82 for more information about Santo & Johnny and "Sleep Walk"]
Some of you listeners might remember a scene from the 2019 Quentin Tarentino film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". In that scene, Leonardo DiCaprio's character Rick Dalton sings, slightly out of key, the song "The Green Door" on the TV show Hullaballo. DiCaprio has admitted that he is not ready to give up acting for a singing career!
Besides "The Green Door", Jim Lowe wrote and recorded a number of early rock and roll songs. He would never again achieve the success of "The Green Door", but his version of the Jim Reeves hit "Four Walls" did reach #15 on the Billboard chart in 1957. By the way, the lyrics to "Four Walls" were written by the same Marvin Moore who wrote the lyrics to "The Green Door". Lowe sang in a kind of booming radio announcer's voice that put most of his catalog in the lighthearted and silly category. Many of Lowe's recordings were novelty-styled titles. A few examples of his novelty recordings included songs like "Santa Claus Rides A Strawberry Roan", "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith", "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", and "Hootenanny Granny". Lowe also recorded covers of rock and roll hits of the day, such as "Maybellene" and "Blue Suede Shoes". He released two albums with Dot Records. They were Songs They Sing Behind the Green Door in 1957 and Wicked Women in 1958.
After the release of his 1956 hit single, Jim Lowe was heard on New York City's flagship radio stations for decades. Working in the New York City metro area, millions of WCBS, WNEW, and WNBC radio listeners became Lowe’s fans. Jim Lowe was far more of a radio personality than he was a rock and roll star, which is most likely how he planned it. His real career was primarily as a disc jockey, radio host, and radio personality.
At WCBS he was the featured host of "Jazz is my Beat" and "Upbeat Saturday Night," and co-hosted with Florence Henderson on the CBS-TV audience participation series "Sing Along" in 1958. Then in 1959 he went to WNBC. He had a daily show, also was heard on NBC Radio’s “Monito Beacon”, and did several stints on “Today” on NBC-TV.
Jim Lowe’s encyclopedic knowledge of the American songbook and legions of show business friends were the centerpieces of his long career. Lowe’s tenure at WNEW began in 1964, and was long and notable for his comprehensive knowledge of the American popular music from the ‘30s, ‘40s and early ‘50s, its composers, lyricists, and singers. His signature show, "Jim Lowe's New York," featured interviews with countless celebrities, and his daily show was a staple of New York radio life throughout the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's.
Jim Lowe was also known to his listeners as "Mr. Broadway". He was acquainted with virtually all the greats and near greats of American popular music, Broadway, and broadcasting. Among his friends was Frank Sinatra, who routinely called him on his radio show to sing "Happy Birthday" to him. He was also friends with dozens of composers including Irving Berlin, and great singers such as Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Andy Williams, Sarah Vaughan, and countless others.
For contributions to the music industry, Jim Lowe was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. When he retired from broadcasting in the 1990's, Lowe turned his attention to charitable and industry endeavors. He was a founding board member of The Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. For decades he hosted many of the annual Lyrics and Lyricists Series performances at New York City’s prestigious 92nd Street Y, as well as special musical events for East Hampton’s Guild Hall, The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, and The Southampton Cultural Center. While singing and songwriting was just a sideline for Lowe, he is nevertheless most remembered for singing his 1956 hit, "The Green Door". Jim Lowe died at his home in East Hampton, New York in December 2016 at the age of 93.
Thank you for listening. In this episode of Rock and Roll Flashback I reviewed the career of Jim Lowe and his 1956 hit "The Green Door". I encourage everyone to check out some of our other podcasts, as Bill and I continue our walk down memory lane as we dig up rock and roll trivia from the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's. I'm Jumpin' John McDermott, and - until next time - Rock On!