Here's a topic about which I know very little and I'm hoping someone who reads this can fill me in. For many years, the leading producer of records for children was a company called Golden Records that put out musical fairy tales, preachy little tunes about eating all your vegetables, and songs about almost every cartoon character of the day. Most of these records featured a singing chorus called The Sandpipers, sometimes known as The Golden Sandpipers. This raises a number of questions for me…
- Was there really a group called The Sandpipers? I mean, was it always the same guys recording under that name? And was this the same group called The Sandpipers that recorded dozens of records (including the hit, "Guantanamera") for the older audience? They even did a song on the soundtrack of the movie, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
- A number of the Golden Records credit Mitchell Miller as orchestra leader and someone named Mike Stewart for unspecified performance. I assume this is not the same Mike Stewart who wrote the book for Hello, Dolly…but was that the Mitch Miller who was a biggie with Columbia Records and later starred in Sing Along With Mitch?
- Lastly: One of the most famous Little Golden Records was the Sandpipers' rendition of the Mighty Mouse theme. Andy Kaufman used the record when he first appeared on Saturday Night Live and that scene was re-created in the movie about Kaufman, Man on the Moon. I just listened to the soundtrack CD for that film and though the Sandpipers are listed as the performers, it sure doesn't sound to me like their original record. I don't remember what it sounded like in the movie but the CD sounds like that song was re-recorded by some singers trying to sound like the Sandpipers. Or maybe they got the old group together and redid it. So what's the deal here?
Okay, so these aren't earth-rending mysteries. But I'll bet someone who reads this website can fill me in.