The Heartbeats, a quintet formed in Queens, NY in 1955, had a brief but reasonably successful run of infectious doo-wop singles until their sudden disbandment in '59. Their most popular song, A Thousand Miles Away, peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was eventually reintroduced to more modern audiences when included in the American Graffiti soundtrack 17 years later. Rendering James Sheppard's incredibly intimate lead vocal performance all the more convincing is the fact that he had written it - along with the help of William Miller - for his ex-girlfriend right after she had moved away to Texas. As a result, it feels as though Sheppard is not addressing us with his laments but rather her directly.
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Friday, November 27, 2015
The Heartbeats - A Thousand Miles Away [1956]
The Heartbeats, a quintet formed in Queens, NY in 1955, had a brief but reasonably successful run of infectious doo-wop singles until their sudden disbandment in '59. Their most popular song, A Thousand Miles Away, peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was eventually reintroduced to more modern audiences when included in the American Graffiti soundtrack 17 years later. Rendering James Sheppard's incredibly intimate lead vocal performance all the more convincing is the fact that he had written it - along with the help of William Miller - for his ex-girlfriend right after she had moved away to Texas. As a result, it feels as though Sheppard is not addressing us with his laments but rather her directly.
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