The nice jazz artists are, for essentially the most half, rare guests to the world of hit singles. But on January 7, 1967, saxophone participant and bandleader Julian “Cannonball” Adderley stunned everybody by coming into the hallowed ranks of the Billboard Hot 100. Even extra amazingly, the monitor in query, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” would go on to peak simply exterior the Top 10.
The instrumental was written by one other nice jazz man, Joe Zawinul, who was a member of Adderley’s quintet all through the Sixties. He then labored with Miles Davis earlier than co-forming one of many biggest and most creative jazz bands of the Nineteen Seventies, Weather Report.
Perhaps surprisingly, “Cannonball” had appeared on the Hot 100 twice earlier than, and the primary time was earlier than he ever made the album chart. “African Waltz” reached No.41 for the Cannonball Adderley Orchestra within the spring of 1961, then “The Jive Samba” managed No.66 in 1963 for his Sextet. His album chart debut was with Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley, his collaboration with the distinguished jazz vocalist, a No.30 hit in 1962.
“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” – a kind of tunes that you could be effectively acknowledge with out understanding it by the title – was produced by Capitol Records studio eminence David Axelrod, and entered the US singles chart at No.82. Both label and artist would have been as stunned as anybody that it leapt 15 locations the next week after which simply stored on climbing.
In simply its fourth chart week, the only entered the Top 40, rubbing shoulders with different breaking hits such because the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’” and James Brown and the Famous Flames’ “Bring It Up.” In late February and early March, 1967, “Mercy” spent two weeks at its No.11 peak, as the Rolling Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday” climbed to No.1.
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The hit was included on the reside 1967 album of the identical identify, which presupposed to be recorded on the Club de Lisa in Chicago however was truly taped in entrance of an invited viewers on the Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Buckinghams underlined the power of the melody by reaching No.5 within the States with a model that added lyrics, later the identical 12 months.
Buy or stream “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” on the Cannonball Adderley Quintet’s reside album of the identical identify.