Gary took me and his nephew fishing in 1961. I was staying at the Guemes Island fishing resort with my parents and Gary had rented the cabin next to ours. His nephew was my age (10 yo) and we became friends that summer and his nephew (David) wanted me to come along. I didn't know who Gary Troxel was until a bunch of teenage girls descended on him later that day. The owner of the resort (Charlie Townsend) gave me one of his albums and I asked Gary to autograph it for me, which he happily did. I still have that album. I'm 71 years old now. What a memory! Oh, this all happened on Guemes Island, one of the San Juan islands.
One of the most compelling videos on youtube. A glimpse of how rapidly the culture/music had shift in just 15 years. I don't think my fellow millennials realize that these acts didn't just go from American Bandstand to the PBS oldies show, they went through the cultural shift as it happened. In 1959, Troxel was clean shaven and in a suit, here in 1974 at just 34-35 he's wearing a tab collared 70s flowered shirt and Gretchen & Barbara also dropped their innocent 50s style for a contemporary Helen Reddy look. And here on the Midnight Special, just think you're expecting to hear America, Al Green, Diana Ross, The Bee Gees....then it's this late 50s classic (for comparison if 2023 was 1974, then this song would've originally come out in 2008) that sounds like it's from a completely different century. I want to give the Fleetwoods credit for keeping this great song the same, instead of trying to update it with some techno sound like The Singing Nun tried to do with her early 60s hit "Dominique".
I was born the year the song came out, heard it the first time in the 80s--as a New Wave kid--and have loved it ever since. I've just realized the bridge is reminiscent of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark's 'Stanlow'.
I was born in 1959. The first time I heard the song was around 1974. I’ve loved it since, along with a few others from the ‘50s, that I got into when American Graffiti came out (‘73). In the ‘70s, those ‘50s Oldies seemed really old (fashioned) to me. lol I wonder if ‘70s music seemed that was to my kids in the ‘90s. Probably. BTW, I love ‘90s alt rock.
@@annrcantu9273 Yes, same age as you, started listening to 'oldies' (do they call 90s and 2000s music oldies now?) radio in the early 70s. And that's when I heard this, and adored it. Voices of honey.
In 1954 I was a 10 y/o boy sitting in the the Spudnut Shop in the wee hours of the day in Albany. Oregon USA rolling my newspapers for my am route. My 2 favorite groups were the Fleetwood's from Olympia, Washington and the Domino's. When I went to bed the radio said The Fleetwood's wold be driving to sign a new record contract. That meant either US99W or E. While working in the corner in they walked in the door sat down and ate Spudnuts with me and gave me a 45rpm autographed record that travelled with me in the US Navy atound the world to the Philippines and the Vietnam War. And here I sit in Philippines with my family in covid lockdown. Now I am a 74y/o disabled veteran sharing this memory with them. When I pass to my reward I will have military funeral at Clark Field. On this 2020 Veterans Day may god bless you all and the USA
same, 43 years old here. first heard "Mr Blue" about age 7 on the radio. about 1993 i saw the 1959 lp Mr Blue at the thrift store & got it.@@VirginSuicide77
The original member of the Fleetwoods (Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis) performed their 1959 single "Mr. Blue" on Midnight Special back in 1974.
...you know how wonderful this is,when they create that lovely sound with the blending of their voices...it would have been magic ,the first time that happened ,in the studio...
Boy this song takes me back to 1959 graduated high school bought my first car fixed it up and painted it Blue, and we named our cars then an I named mine "MR BLUE"....because I painted it blue !!! And here it is 2022, and I still call my Blue pickup "Mr Blue !!!!
I was 14 when this first came out. I had a lot of slow dances and good memories of the with the fleetwood's. They showed me the right way to appreciate great music
This song was a favorite when I was 10. After all these years it is still a favorite. Gary still has that choirboy voice (on PBS in 2000s), but I truly miss Si Zentner's trombone. This song has GOT TO HAVE that soulful and melancholy 5 note trombone element. When PBS did their oldies be-bop special that included Gary they took no chances, they included both a trombone AND a trumpet. For me brass part is just too integral a part of the song. Also, this may seem a little weird, but when I play this song (from my 50s playlist) I sing (try to anyway) along with Gary 50% of the time, and 50% I'm singing with the ladies backup. Any cover without the ladies bee-wop backup is heard by me only one time. I got to have that element too. The ladies above and the PBS backing vocals were great.
I agree about the trombone. It added something very special. Havin' Fun by Dion, from the same era, also had a trombone line which added that same kind of plaintive tone.
I always loved their music, great guitar playing subtly in the background. A class act. Good songs and arrangements, beautiful performances. I never get tired of listening to this reflective music. Delicate, not in your face.
Certainly that is Gary Troxel of the Fleetwoods we loved to har in the 50's . he was very kind to reply to my email and send ma a singed photo of the group too.
Back when it was released, young guys used to paint rock songs on their cars that tied in with how they were doin'. My navy bud painted "Mr. Blue" on his car.
I like this old song I used to hear the year it was released I was thirteen then and in my Freshman year at High School. I liked to play baseball in those days. Very nice to hear again after all these years.
Such a heartbreakingly beautiful song. Wow, the color motion picture camera is absolutely one of our greatest inventions. Just imagine only being able to look at a painting of this wonderful performance.
It must been a trip to see this in the 70s so much changed from 1959-1970 I mean look at how he is dressed must been like a reminder of an iconic era of America
I was in Jr High School (early 60s) when I met Gretchen, who was married to one of my teachers. Instant boyhood crush occurred, and I received several autographed pics from her a week later, which I still have. She is still performing up in Seattle, WA. I think.
One of the most distinctive voices in late 50's pop music, the ultra smooth delivery, coupled with what are really pretty overt lyrics ( come to me softly) make these folks classics... and yet nowhere are their names given in these videos !
Neato! All are in fine voice. I like the trombone part and so sad it is missing. Hal Blaine, ubiquitous L.A. session drummer, once made a good joke referring to the lack of work for pro trombone players. "What do you call a trombone player with a beeper? An optimist."
Are you familiar with the work of a trombone player who WOULD'VE had a beeper had they existed in his day? One of his first bands came to the attention of Marlon Brando, who hired them for one of his films. He went on to work with Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman, among others. He quit the Goodman gig in disgust, when the bandleader refused to stand up to racial discrimination towards one of the orchestra members. While with Kenton, his work came to the attention of a singer who couldn't read a lick of music but knew what he liked. The singer requested the trombonist for a recording session, the result of which, was what the singer's biographer called, "the most famous song" of the singer's legendary career. The "perfect storm" of talents blowing through the studio that night into the next morning: Frank Sinatra, his arranger Nelson Riddle, trombonist Milt Bernhart. The song, "I've Got You Under My Skin," featured a 'bone solo described by one critic as the "greatest 8 bars of instrumental music ever recorded."
Yes sir I agree to Cynthia love the Fleetw oods just a nice melancholy sound we w I'll never have music like this again my fa mily had and AM radio and everymoring when I was dressing for school I would h ear this song.
I was six when this came out but I remember it like it just happened yesterday. This is one of the songs that made me understand "magic." Still an incredibly beautiful song, very special. BTW, notice the way he stands; look at his hips the last 15 seconds and the way he bows. It's very obvious to me he is having severe back pain while performing. Been there; can wreck your entire life and ruin every relationship you ever had or hope to have. May God bless them, and Thank You to whoever recorded, saved and uploaded this. Would love to turn on the radio and tune in a station playing 50's & 60's songs of this type.
First time I’ve seen a video of them singing. I remember my oldest brother had a LP of them and he played this song and as a very young child I thought Mr Blue was the funniest name I ever heard.
I'm sorry that I didn't know who they were, I knew the songs, but I couldn't find then at hen old record shops in the late 70's when I was in high school, I found a Japanese release of Blossom Dearie at ($50) easier than I found them. My partner of 18 years hated 'em and called them the Drift Woods, but he's dead now so I can Listen peacefully, I hope he finally is as well.
The Fleetwoods have always been my fave group. Some of the sons on their LPs are beautiful and sad-songs only Fleetwood people would know-like Love Alone, their version of Before and After, Hey Little Tear, and Sure Is Lonesome Downtown.
There was a huge 50s revival in the early 70s. All the old groups got work, often in Dick Clark TV specials. Some kept the old outfits, but a lot of them tried to look "with it" for the kids -- with mixed results at best.
nice to see this Live 1974 version, thanks for the post , been mezmorized by this tune since discovering it played on WJAS am in pittsburgh in the 1980's as a young boy :)
To jockejocke: It was 1974 "Midnight Special" TV show,this is probably from the DVD,since it has a tag. Back then halter dresses/tops were worn the "proper way" WITHOUT BRAS!! unlike today's more modest(unless your a celeb who flaunts hers) dress code,of a bra under halters or tank tops...please if the "girls" can fill it let 'em breath!! >> One of my fave groups,I have a anniversary CD,and missed the group in a Doo-Wop Concert tour in Denver late 2011 due to the $65 tix cost!! ;>O
I like any version of this song...but I got distracted when I realized here was the long sought answer to the question..."what was the world like before Red Bull?"
I thought the same thing Polly. I was looking up videos of some of the top 100 records of 1959 on RUclips using the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I couldn’t believe it when #7 was The Three Bells by the Browns and the very next one on the list at #8 was Come Softly to Me by The Fleetwoods. Back-to-Back! The stars seemed to line up to have them recording at the same time. I think both of the guys even had to interrupt their music careers to serve in the military about the same time. 🧨
![CENTRAL CEE - GEN Z LUV [VERTICAL VIDEO]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VIbidJm9q34/mqdefault.jpg)
Gary took me and his nephew fishing in 1961. I was staying at the Guemes Island fishing resort with my parents and Gary had rented the cabin next to ours. His nephew was my age (10 yo) and we became friends that summer and his nephew (David) wanted me to come along. I didn't know who Gary Troxel was until a bunch of teenage girls descended on him later that day. The owner of the resort (Charlie Townsend) gave me one of his albums and I asked Gary to autograph it for me, which he happily did. I still have that album. I'm 71 years old now. What a memory! Oh, this all happened on Guemes Island, one of the San Juan islands.
Gary Troxel has the kindest eyes I've ever seen.
Mary Miller
YES! His eyes are hypnotic.
Yes , gentle and calming
Yes, those kind eyes!
Beautiful with beautiful memories of golden voices and times gone by. I miss them terribly.
Gary Troxel has such a cool soothing singing voice.
Bill Accord Is he a gay?
@@iVenge No. He married some girl he dated in High School.
Dylan Cannon: Yes. That is true. Such a soft voice and manner though.
One of the most compelling videos on youtube. A glimpse of how rapidly the culture/music had shift in just 15 years. I don't think my fellow millennials realize that these acts didn't just go from American Bandstand to the PBS oldies show, they went through the cultural shift as it happened. In 1959, Troxel was clean shaven and in a suit, here in 1974 at just 34-35 he's wearing a tab collared 70s flowered shirt and Gretchen & Barbara also dropped their innocent 50s style for a contemporary Helen Reddy look. And here on the Midnight Special, just think you're expecting to hear America, Al Green, Diana Ross, The Bee Gees....then it's this late 50s classic (for comparison if 2023 was 1974, then this song would've originally come out in 2008) that sounds like it's from a completely different century.
I want to give the Fleetwoods credit for keeping this great song the same, instead of trying to update it with some techno sound like The Singing Nun tried to do with her early 60s hit "Dominique".
I was born the year the song came out, heard it the first time in the 80s--as a New Wave kid--and have loved it ever since.
I've just realized the bridge is reminiscent of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark's 'Stanlow'.
I was born in 1959. The first time I heard the song was around 1974. I’ve loved it since, along with a few others from the ‘50s, that I got into when American Graffiti came out (‘73). In the ‘70s, those ‘50s Oldies seemed really old (fashioned) to me. lol I wonder if ‘70s music seemed that was to my kids in the ‘90s. Probably. BTW, I love ‘90s alt rock.
@@annrcantu9273 Yes, same age as you, started listening to 'oldies' (do they call 90s and 2000s music oldies now?) radio in the early 70s. And that's when I heard this, and adored it. Voices of honey.
I would argue that Heart Waves, Bad Habit and Kill Bill are visually and musically very different to Hot N Cold, Baby, Poker Face or Tik Tok
In 1954 I was a 10 y/o boy sitting in the the Spudnut Shop in the wee hours of the day in Albany. Oregon USA rolling my newspapers for my am route. My 2 favorite groups were the Fleetwood's from Olympia, Washington and the Domino's. When I went to bed the radio said The Fleetwood's wold be driving to sign a new record contract. That meant either US99W or E. While working in the corner in they walked in the door sat down and ate Spudnuts with me and gave me a 45rpm autographed record that travelled with me in the US Navy atound the world to the Philippines and the Vietnam War. And here I sit in Philippines with my family in covid lockdown. Now I am a 74y/o disabled veteran sharing this memory with them. When I pass to my reward I will have military funeral at Clark Field. On this 2020 Veterans Day may god bless you all and the USA
Thank you for your service sir
I love this song and am so glad that Gary Troxel stayed true to the original music. It's unforgettable!!
It's 2021...I'm 71...Still loving The Fleetwoods
59
I have a handful of their albums (I’m 45)
25 and I adore their sound. :)
same, 43 years old here. first heard "Mr Blue" about age 7 on the radio. about 1993 i saw the 1959 lp Mr Blue at the thrift store & got it.@@VirginSuicide77
awesome vincent! You should check out their entire first album of the same name. Mr. Blue from 1959. @@vincent.van_gogh
I got to see the Fleetwoods in 2000. The song is timeless. And their performance was followed by a standing ovation.
And they still sound as smooth as they did then.
The original member of the Fleetwoods (Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis) performed their 1959 single "Mr. Blue" on Midnight Special back in 1974.
This was their second Billboard # 1 hit within one year. Great song.
...you know how wonderful this is,when they create that lovely sound with the blending of their voices...it would have been magic ,the first time that happened ,in the studio...
Boy this song takes me back to 1959 graduated high school bought my first car fixed it up and painted it Blue, and we named our cars then an I named mine "MR BLUE"....because I painted it blue !!! And here it is 2022, and I still call my Blue pickup "Mr Blue !!!!
What a great Fleetwoods song! So good to listen to it after so many years. Those are three exquisite voices singing together.
I like all versions - 1959, 1974 and 2006. Singing voice is still clear and pristine.
What breathtaking humility.
I was 14 when this first came out. I had a lot of slow dances and good memories of the with the fleetwood's. They showed me the right way to appreciate great music
They didn't know the 1950's ended... 15 years later! Great sound continued!
I love to hear this song when I'm driving my red '55 Chevy Bel Air
Bill Poe The only thing better would be a 58 Chevy Impala convertible and this song! But you are lucky to have a '55!
Bill Poe The only thing better would be a 58 Chevy Impala convertible and this song! But you are lucky to have a '55!
My first car was a 55 Bel Air I bought for $165.00 in 1962 Sure wish I still had it!
Perfect 55 Chevy music! Heck yea!!
What happened to all the great song writers? Nobody writes great harmonies like this anymore.
leafyutube there's still plenty of great music, just not on the radio.
There’s no talent anymore,it’s a shame!!!
Yes!
This song was a favorite when I was 10. After all these years it is still a favorite. Gary still has that choirboy voice (on PBS in 2000s), but I truly miss Si Zentner's trombone. This song has GOT TO HAVE that soulful and melancholy 5 note trombone element. When PBS did their oldies be-bop special that included Gary they took no chances, they included both a trombone AND a trumpet. For me brass part is just too integral a part of the song. Also, this may seem a little weird, but when I play this song (from my 50s playlist) I sing (try to anyway) along with Gary 50% of the time, and 50% I'm singing with the ladies backup. Any cover without the ladies bee-wop backup is heard by me only one time. I got to have that element too. The ladies above and the PBS backing vocals were great.
I agree totally.
I agree about the trombone. It added something very special. Havin' Fun by Dion, from the same era, also had a trombone line which added that same kind of plaintive tone.
I'm only 58 years old so when they sing this in 1974 I was only 11and I knew back then as a kid this was great music and will never be done again ❤️
Superb.They've lost none of their beautiful harmonies!!
i have an original .45 of this. played it over and over as a young teenager.
I always loved their music, great guitar playing subtly in the background. A class act. Good songs and arrangements, beautiful performances. I never get tired of listening to this reflective music. Delicate, not in your face.
what a simple, beautiful, classic
HERE WE ARE IN 2017 AND GARY IS AS GOOD TODAY AS BACK THEN. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!
Great song with moving message
This song is relaxing to listen while it’s raining at night
Gary is wearing typical 1970's fashion. Still a beautiful song 15 yrs. after it was released, and the same is true today. No horn in this
Certainly that is Gary Troxel of the Fleetwoods we loved to har in the 50's . he was very kind to reply to my email and send ma a singed photo of the group too.
Wow great!
Where can I reach him by email?
My kitten's name is Mr. Blue and whenever I play this song, he gets up and comes over to listen and rock.
1974 ... Please come back.
Really cool to see these folks do this tune in the 70's! SMOOOOOTH.
Love the Flwwtwoods. I still have their album. In the sixties and early seventies, college kids love their music. Peaceful and melodic.
Back when it was released, young guys used to paint rock songs on their cars that tied in with how they were doin'. My navy bud painted "Mr. Blue" on his car.
I like this old song I used to hear the year it was released I was thirteen then and in my Freshman year at High School. I liked to play baseball in those days. Very nice to hear again after all these years.
Such a heartbreakingly beautiful song.
Wow, the color motion picture camera is absolutely one of our greatest inventions. Just imagine only being able to look at a painting of this wonderful performance.
Not enough white geniuses now 😥
I re-call hearing this song when I was a kid, thought it was Great then, and today , it's still Great. I wish them the Best!
It must been a trip to see this in the 70s so much changed from 1959-1970 I mean look at how he is dressed must been like a reminder of an iconic era of America
The 70's and 80's had a big oldies revival. That's why they did this
Gretchen on Left, Barbara on right. Always the same. I went to school with Barbara. :)
I was in Jr High School (early 60s) when I met Gretchen, who was married to one of my teachers. Instant boyhood crush occurred, and I received several autographed pics from her a week later, which I still have. She is still performing up in Seattle, WA. I think.
Right and left, as in stage right and left from Gary’s point of view? Or from the audience point of view?
omg, what a difference in their looks and outfits since 1959!
It appears he took care of his voice over the years. Nice.
~~ calms my parrot down , bless them.
Great Song
As a early 2000s kid i love this song
Very beautiful song and group...always touching to the heart since my days of the very young.
Troxel had an incredible voice.
One of the most distinctive voices in late 50's pop music, the ultra smooth delivery, coupled with what are really pretty overt lyrics ( come to me softly) make these folks classics... and yet nowhere are their names given in these videos !
Yeeeeees stilll a huge killer song!!!!my old time favorite greetings from cancun Mexico !!!!
Still awesome after all these years .
Still great in 2022.
Gary was just the cutest ❣️
Neato! All are in fine voice. I like the trombone part and so sad it is missing. Hal Blaine, ubiquitous L.A. session drummer, once made a good joke referring to the lack of work for pro trombone players. "What do you call a trombone player with a beeper? An optimist."
Are you familiar with the work of a trombone player who WOULD'VE had a beeper had they existed in his day?
One of his first bands came to the attention of Marlon Brando, who hired them for one of his films. He went on to work with Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman, among others. He quit the Goodman gig in disgust, when the bandleader refused to stand up to racial discrimination towards one of the orchestra members.
While with Kenton, his work came to the attention of a singer who couldn't read a lick of music but knew what he liked. The singer requested the trombonist for a recording session, the result of which, was what the singer's biographer called, "the most famous song" of the singer's legendary career.
The "perfect storm" of talents blowing through the studio that night into the next morning: Frank Sinatra, his arranger Nelson Riddle, trombonist Milt Bernhart. The song, "I've Got You Under My Skin," featured a 'bone solo described by one critic as the "greatest 8 bars of instrumental music ever recorded."
Smooth and mellow. Very nice!
Loved it back then......love it now!!!!!
This song sounds as good as it did the first time I listened to it.
Yes sir I agree to Cynthia love the Fleetw oods just a nice melancholy sound we w I'll never have music like this again my fa mily had and AM radio and everymoring when I was dressing for school I would h ear this song.
Absolutely awesome...I love this music...Truly an ERA lost...
Thank you for posting this timeless Classic!!!
I was six when this came out but I remember it like it just happened yesterday. This is one of the songs that made me understand "magic." Still an incredibly beautiful song, very special. BTW, notice the way he stands; look at his hips the last 15 seconds and the way he bows. It's very obvious to me he is having severe back pain while performing. Been there; can wreck your entire life and ruin every relationship you ever had or hope to have. May God bless them, and Thank You to whoever recorded, saved and uploaded this. Would love to turn on the radio and tune in a station playing 50's & 60's songs of this type.
I enjoy humming this as I bake :)
They should've kept with the times and cut a disco song or bubble gum pop song. They're incredible!!!
I discovered this band the last week and this is the band i prefer after the beach boys
First time I’ve seen a video of them singing. I remember my oldest brother had a LP of them and he played this song and as a very young child I thought Mr Blue was the funniest name I ever heard.
great song fantastic memories of my jamaica
I'm sorry that I didn't know who they were, I knew the songs, but I couldn't find then at hen old record shops in the late 70's when I was in high school, I found a Japanese release of Blossom Dearie at ($50) easier than I found them. My partner of 18 years hated 'em and called them the Drift Woods, but he's dead now so I can Listen peacefully, I hope he finally is as well.
The Fleetwoods have always been my fave group. Some of the sons on their LPs are beautiful and sad-songs only Fleetwood people would know-like Love Alone, their version of Before and After, Hey Little Tear, and Sure Is Lonesome Downtown.
this is good and there are many other versions of them singing it live .
I love the 70's sorta-paisley shirt and beard crossed with the 50's Doo Wop!
Sweet song... sigh...
There was a huge 50s revival in the early 70s. All the old groups got work, often in Dick Clark TV specials. Some kept the old outfits, but a lot of them tried to look "with it" for the kids -- with mixed results at best.
Thank you for posting, truly and awesome generation.
Just beautiful 💕
still awesome!!!
Real music!
Exactly. Today's music is garbage.
Pretty mellow
There is a message in the music 🎵
Beautiful
In 1967, my first high school dance, my fired dance with a girl
nice to see this Live 1974 version, thanks for the post , been mezmorized by this tune since discovering it played on WJAS am in pittsburgh in the 1980's as a young boy :)
조회수 187,448회... 잘 보고 들었습니다.
I miss the great trombone.
Thank you AI my friend 😊
To jockejocke: It was 1974 "Midnight Special" TV show,this is probably from the DVD,since it has a tag. Back then halter dresses/tops were worn the "proper way" WITHOUT BRAS!! unlike today's more modest(unless your a celeb who flaunts hers) dress code,of a bra under halters or tank tops...please if the "girls" can fill it let 'em breath!! >> One of my fave groups,I have a anniversary CD,and missed the group in a Doo-Wop Concert tour in Denver late 2011 due to the $65 tix cost!! ;>O
This might've been performed on the Midnight Special on Oldies Night.
Still got it
Precious
Awesome video, and great music!
smooth sound awesome original singer but sung after
I like any version of this song...but I got distracted when I realized here was the long sought answer to the question..."what was the world like before Red Bull?"
I see you Olympia Washington!!!
This is really nice
Wow!!!!!!!😮
Is it just me, or is the harmony a lot like the Browns, with a male lead and two female harmonizers? Great sound.
I thought the same thing Polly. I was looking up videos of some of the top 100 records of 1959 on RUclips using the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I couldn’t believe it when #7 was The Three Bells by the Browns and the very next one on the list at #8 was Come Softly to Me by The Fleetwoods. Back-to-Back! The stars seemed to line up to have them recording at the same time. I think both of the guys even had to interrupt their music careers to serve in the military about the same time. 🧨
I loved BOTH groups!
Fabulous
everything is good about this.
they were a local group...North Thurston High
WOW ...Sweet
March 2 2024 im 39 yrs old
Nice job!
Unbelievable, I thought it was sing by a teenage group.
It was. This is the group many years later before they broke up
What a terrific song. I remember it from way back in 1959.
❤❤❤❤❤💯⚘