They sure don’t make song titles like “Big Honky Baby” anymore. This 1962 release by “Kellie Douglas” was, in actuality, famed Brill Building-era songwriter, Ellie Greenwich, stepping out in front of the microphone with a song penned by long-time partner, Jeff Barry:
“Big Honky Baby“
Ellie Greenwich (1962)
“Big Honky Baby” was the B-side to “My Mama Didn’t Like Him,” a single that appears not to have charted very high, if at all. Amusingly, a couple websites list the title as “Big Hunky Baby,” which actually makes a lot more sense – had RCA mistranscribed the title in much the same way Atlantic came up with “Goin’ Up To Country“? 45Cat contributor KeithS adds some helpful historical background:
Ellie Greenwich gives the impression that she made just one record for RCA. She claims she was asked to pay them 600 dollars which she refused to do but got signed anyway. She recorded as Ellie Gaye. edit… but wait a minute…talking of Barry & Greenwich in early days of their romance…They also made two records of their own “Red Corvette” with a song by Greenwich on the B side which she used the name Ellie Gee and the Jets and “Big Hunky Baby” a song by Barry that she sang as Kellie Douglas.
Armed with this information, 45Cat contributor mickey rat then consults Library of Congress’s records and locates the song’s actual title – “Big Hunky Baby” (authored by Jeff Barry) – as well as its copyright date, 31Aug61.
Arranged and conducted by Ray Ellis
How amusing to see Cash Box similarly struggle to make sense of the title and instead come up with “Big Honky Tonk Baby” for their March 10, 1962 singles review.
Cash Box
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One Response
I bought this record in Portsmouth England in 1965 – it is on the Victor label [47-8005] – Since that time I have played it many many times not knowing anything about Kellie Douglas whatsoever and today [31/05/2014] I find out her real name and that sadly she is no longer with us. My copy of the record is still in mint condition.