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Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil in collaboration with the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, this song was originally recorded by The Cookies (although The Crystals' version beat them to release and The Cookies have become a footnote to the Never Weres of music history). When Leiber & Stoller let it be known that The Drifters had booked studio time for the day following the Crystals and were a song short, Mann & Weil forwarded "On Broadway". Leiber and Stoller liked the song, but felt that it was not quite right and The Drifters. The two legendary writing teams held an overnight brainstorming session which culminated in the best-known version of the song, in simple time and with a backing riff that modulated down to the flattened 7th, giving it a more bluesy feel that matched the new lyric in which the singer was now actually on Broadway and having a hard time. A young Phil Spector played the distinctive lead guitar solo on The Drifters' recording. In 1963, The Drifters version reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has continued to chart through the years for Billy Joe Royal, George Benson and the Johnny Mathis version from the Broadway hit, "Smokie Joe's Café".

On Broadway (1963)
~ The Crystals ~

On Broadway (1963)
~ The Drifters ~

On Broadway (1967)
~ Billy Joe Royal ~

On Broadway (1981)
~ George Benson ~

On Broadway (1989)
~ Neil Young & The Lost Dogs ~

On Broadway (1994)
~ Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers ~

On Broadway (1995)
~ Johnny Mathis ~

I'm feeling a bit tuckered out this evening and need to hit the rack. I'll be back tomorrow with some more tunes, Lord willing. Happy Canteening FRiends.