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(Redirected from Santo and Johnny)
'Santo & Johnny' were an American rock and roll duo from Brooklyn comprised of brothers Santo Farina and Johnny Farina. They are best known for their instrumental "Sleep Walk" which became a regional hit and eventually reached #1 on the pop charts when it was released nationally.
Santo and Johnny Farina were born in Brooklyn, New York; Santo on October 24, 1937 and Johnny on April 30, 1941.[1][2]
Their father was drafted into the Army while they were children and was stationed for some time in Oklahoma. After hearing a steel guitar on the radio, he wrote to his wife, "I'd like the boys to learn to play this instrument". ''Santo & Johnny Bio''
Upon returning from World War II, the boys' father found a music teacher who gave the boys steel guitar lessons. When Santo was a teenager, he was able to get a local music store to modify an acoustic guitar, allowing him to play it like a steel guitar.
Within two years, Santo was performing amateur shows on a new Gibson six-string steel guitar and had started receiving lessons from a steel guitar teacher who had studied in Hawaii. By the age of fourteen, Santo was composing songs, and formed an instrumental trio with a guitarist and drummer. This trio appeared at local dances and parties, performing both original compositions and some Hawaiian standards. With money Santo made from these performances, he bought another steel guitar, one with three necks, each with eight strings. This allowed him to experiment even further, and he tried different tunings until he found ones that appealed to him.
When Johnny reached the age of twelve, he began to play accompaniment to Santo on a standard electric guitar. The brothers soon formed a duo and became rather popular in school, eventually performing at events in the New York boroughs. They recorded a demo which they circulated to local New York record companies.
The brothers eventually came to the attention of a music publishing company and signed a song writer's contract and eventually a contract with Canadian-American Records. Their first release, "Sleep Walk", was composed by the two brothers. (The original single credits three Farinas, including an "A. Farina" for the composition. It's sometimes reported that their mother or sister helped, but this is apparently false.[3])
It was recorded at at Trinity Music in Manhattan. "Sleep Walk" entered Billboard's 'Top 40' on August 17th, 1959. It rose to the No. 1 position for two weeks in September (the 21st and the 28th)[4]
and remained in the 'Top 40' list until November 9th. It was the last instrumental to hit #1 in the 1950's and earned Santo & Johnny a gold record. The follow-up song "Tear Drop" was also a hit, though their LP ''Santo & Johnny'' was less successful in the United States.
After touring Europe, Mexico, and Australia, Santo & Johnny signed to an Italian record label and had several hits in Europe that included "Sleep Walk", "Love Story", "Maria Elena", "Ebb Tide", "Love is Blue", "Enchanted Sea", and others. In 1965 they released an album of Beatles covers; "And I Love Her" hit #1 in Mexico and held the spot for 21 weeks. In 1973 Santo & Johnny recorded the theme to the movie "The Godfather", which went to #1 in Italy and stayed at that spot for 21 weeks. They received a gold record in Italy and were inducted into the Italian music hall of fame.
They continued recording and releasing albums until 1976, after which Santo began a solo career.
"Sleep Walk" continues to be popular due to consistent radio airplay as well as its usage in commercials, television shows, and movies. One of the first covers was by Betsy Brye[5]
(stage name of Bette Anne Steele) in 1959. While Santo & Johnny wrote lyrics for "Sleepwalk", they never recorded a lyrical version, but Betsy Brye's version included these lyrics. It has been also covered by The Shadows, The Ventures, Jake Shimabukuro,
Larry Carlton[6],
Deftones,
Chet Atkins[7],
Danny Gatton, and
Joe Satriani[8].
Indie group Modest Mouse also covered the song utilizing the Betsy Brye lyrics and entitling the song "Sleepwalking". A version of the song by Brian Setzer received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1998.[9]
The song was sampled in 2006 by Blankito for Xzit's song "PGC & Fee Wee".
Santo & Johnny were induced into The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2002.[10]
★ ''Santo & Johnny'' (1959)
★ ''Encore'' (1960)
★ ''Hawaii'' (1961)
★ ''Come On In'' (1962)
★ ''Around the World... with Santo & Johnny'' (1962)
★ ''Offshore'' (1963)
★ ''In the Still of the Night'' (1964)
★ ''Santo & Johnny Wish You Love'' (1964)
★ ''The Beatles Greatest Hits Played by Santo & Johnny'' (1964)
★ ''Mucho'' (1965)
★ ''The Brilliant Guitar Sounds of Santo & Johnny''
★ ''Golden Guitars''
★ ''On the Road Again''
★ ''The Best That Could Happen''
★ ''The Original Recordings''
1. ''Santo & Johnny'' at The History of Rock
2. ''Santo and Johnny'' at The Space Age Pop Music Page
3. ''All Songs Considered'' Episode 13
4. ''Billboard #1 Pop Hits — 1950 - 1959''
5. ''Bette Anne Steele Bio''
6. ''Larry Carlton - Sleepwalk - GRP Records''
7. ''Teensville'' (1960) at Chet Atkins: Mister Guitar - Discography
8. ''Interview with Joe Satriani''
9. Grammy Award winners (Brian Setzer)
10. The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame (list of inductees)
For Discography:
:
★ David Edwards and Mike Callahan, Canadian-American Album Discography. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
:
★ ''Santo and Johnny'' at The Space Age Pop Music Page. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
'Santo & Johnny' were an American rock and roll duo from Brooklyn comprised of brothers Santo Farina and Johnny Farina. They are best known for their instrumental "Sleep Walk" which became a regional hit and eventually reached #1 on the pop charts when it was released nationally.
| Contents |
| Early life |
| Career |
| Legacy |
| Discography |
| Canadian-American Records Ltd |
| Imperial |
| Black Tulip |
| References |
Early life
Santo and Johnny Farina were born in Brooklyn, New York; Santo on October 24, 1937 and Johnny on April 30, 1941.[1][2]
Their father was drafted into the Army while they were children and was stationed for some time in Oklahoma. After hearing a steel guitar on the radio, he wrote to his wife, "I'd like the boys to learn to play this instrument". ''Santo & Johnny Bio''
Upon returning from World War II, the boys' father found a music teacher who gave the boys steel guitar lessons. When Santo was a teenager, he was able to get a local music store to modify an acoustic guitar, allowing him to play it like a steel guitar.
Within two years, Santo was performing amateur shows on a new Gibson six-string steel guitar and had started receiving lessons from a steel guitar teacher who had studied in Hawaii. By the age of fourteen, Santo was composing songs, and formed an instrumental trio with a guitarist and drummer. This trio appeared at local dances and parties, performing both original compositions and some Hawaiian standards. With money Santo made from these performances, he bought another steel guitar, one with three necks, each with eight strings. This allowed him to experiment even further, and he tried different tunings until he found ones that appealed to him.
When Johnny reached the age of twelve, he began to play accompaniment to Santo on a standard electric guitar. The brothers soon formed a duo and became rather popular in school, eventually performing at events in the New York boroughs. They recorded a demo which they circulated to local New York record companies.
Career
The brothers eventually came to the attention of a music publishing company and signed a song writer's contract and eventually a contract with Canadian-American Records. Their first release, "Sleep Walk", was composed by the two brothers. (The original single credits three Farinas, including an "A. Farina" for the composition. It's sometimes reported that their mother or sister helped, but this is apparently false.[3])
It was recorded at at Trinity Music in Manhattan. "Sleep Walk" entered Billboard's 'Top 40' on August 17th, 1959. It rose to the No. 1 position for two weeks in September (the 21st and the 28th)[4]
and remained in the 'Top 40' list until November 9th. It was the last instrumental to hit #1 in the 1950's and earned Santo & Johnny a gold record. The follow-up song "Tear Drop" was also a hit, though their LP ''Santo & Johnny'' was less successful in the United States.
After touring Europe, Mexico, and Australia, Santo & Johnny signed to an Italian record label and had several hits in Europe that included "Sleep Walk", "Love Story", "Maria Elena", "Ebb Tide", "Love is Blue", "Enchanted Sea", and others. In 1965 they released an album of Beatles covers; "And I Love Her" hit #1 in Mexico and held the spot for 21 weeks. In 1973 Santo & Johnny recorded the theme to the movie "The Godfather", which went to #1 in Italy and stayed at that spot for 21 weeks. They received a gold record in Italy and were inducted into the Italian music hall of fame.
They continued recording and releasing albums until 1976, after which Santo began a solo career.
Legacy
"Sleep Walk" continues to be popular due to consistent radio airplay as well as its usage in commercials, television shows, and movies. One of the first covers was by Betsy Brye[5]
(stage name of Bette Anne Steele) in 1959. While Santo & Johnny wrote lyrics for "Sleepwalk", they never recorded a lyrical version, but Betsy Brye's version included these lyrics. It has been also covered by The Shadows, The Ventures, Jake Shimabukuro,
Larry Carlton[6],
Deftones,
Chet Atkins[7],
Danny Gatton, and
Joe Satriani[8].
Indie group Modest Mouse also covered the song utilizing the Betsy Brye lyrics and entitling the song "Sleepwalking". A version of the song by Brian Setzer received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1998.[9]
The song was sampled in 2006 by Blankito for Xzit's song "PGC & Fee Wee".
Santo & Johnny were induced into The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2002.[10]
Discography
Canadian-American Records Ltd
★ ''Santo & Johnny'' (1959)
★ ''Encore'' (1960)
★ ''Hawaii'' (1961)
★ ''Come On In'' (1962)
★ ''Around the World... with Santo & Johnny'' (1962)
★ ''Offshore'' (1963)
★ ''In the Still of the Night'' (1964)
★ ''Santo & Johnny Wish You Love'' (1964)
★ ''The Beatles Greatest Hits Played by Santo & Johnny'' (1964)
★ ''Mucho'' (1965)
Imperial
★ ''The Brilliant Guitar Sounds of Santo & Johnny''
★ ''Golden Guitars''
★ ''On the Road Again''
★ ''The Best That Could Happen''
Black Tulip
★ ''The Original Recordings''
References
1. ''Santo & Johnny'' at The History of Rock
2. ''Santo and Johnny'' at The Space Age Pop Music Page
3. ''All Songs Considered'' Episode 13
4. ''Billboard #1 Pop Hits — 1950 - 1959''
5. ''Bette Anne Steele Bio''
6. ''Larry Carlton - Sleepwalk - GRP Records''
7. ''Teensville'' (1960) at Chet Atkins: Mister Guitar - Discography
8. ''Interview with Joe Satriani''
9. Grammy Award winners (Brian Setzer)
10. The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame (list of inductees)
For Discography:
:
★ David Edwards and Mike Callahan, Canadian-American Album Discography. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
:
★ ''Santo and Johnny'' at The Space Age Pop Music Page. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
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