Here's the first of a series of WIXY-SIXTY Surveys from 1966 that'll be featured here.
Some of these WIXY-SIXTY Surveys have never before been posted online. These were given to me recently, and I believe these surveys should be preserved and shared with you so they can be enjoyed and used for research for generations to come. This particular survey has never appeared anywhere online before, so you're seeing it here first!
The earliest known WIXY-SIXTY Survey was published on February 28, 1966 - a little more than two months after WIXY signed on the air for the first time on December 12, 1965. The margins of the surveys in 1966 featured caricatures of the WIXY Supermen - and they changed frequently that year. This particular survey features "Dixie the WIXY Pixie." Let's dive into the survey!
"Hanky Panky" tops the WIXY-SIXTY Survey this week. It's not certain whether its the first or second week at #1 because a June 06, 1966 WIXY Survey either doesn't exist or is still lost in time. "Hanky Panky" would hold on to the #1 spot for all of June.
Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl," one of the great garage rock classics, peaked at #2 on WIXY. It reached #8 on Billboard and #5 on Cashbox.
The Beatles with a double-A side "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" hit #4. It would peak at #2 the following week - unable to dethrone "Hanky Panky." The Leaves and their version of "Hey Joe" comes in at #11. Nationally, the record hit #31 - making it the only version of "Hey Joe" to reach the top 40 nationally.
Cyrkle is misspelled.
A few "regional hits" making an appearance on this WIXY-SIXTY Survey. "Cheryl Ann" at song #27 by Tim Tam (and the Turn-Ons) is the follow up to "Wait a Minute," a top 5 hit in their native Detroit. Also from the Detroit area are The Tidal Waves, hitting #39 with their version of "Farmer John." Nationally released on Hanna-Barbera Records, "Farmer John" hit #1 on WKFR in Battle Creek and WTRX in Flint, Michigan in June of 1966.
The "I'des of March" appear on this week's WIXY-SIXTY Survey at song #49 with the Kinks sounding "You Wouldn't Listen To Me." The song would hit the top 30 in Cleveland. The Ides of March would make it big four years later with the release of "Vehicle."
The Robbs with their great 12 string gem "Race With The Wind" at song #54. The Robbs have quite the unique distinction of having 5 records chart on the Billboard Bubbling Under Charts - not a single one reached the top 100.
"Wild Thing" "Pied Piper" and "Sweat Pea" at songs #44-46 respectively would launch into the top 5 in a matter of two weeks. "Wild Thing" and "Pied Piper" would ultimately reach #1.
A personal favorite down in the basement, The Clefs of Lavender Hill's "Stop! Get A Ticket!" comes in at song #43. The song wouldn't chart much higher, which is surprising since the song was later covered by a Cleveland group called The Statemen - and released on Tema Records. According to Buckeyebeat.com, labelmates The Baskerville Hounds discovered the song while touring Florida and brought the record back to Cleveland. Why the Statemen recorded it instead of The Baskerville Hounds is a mystery to me. The original by the Clefs of Lavender Hill has since been immortalized on the Nuggets box set.