Sometime (Gene Thomas song)
"Sometime" is a song written by Gene Thomas, originally released by Venus Records in 1961. After it enjoyed regional success, it was reissued on the United Artists label. The song became a top 100 hit on the national chart. The song was later covered by Doug Sahm and by the Flamin' Groovies.
| "Sometime" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Gene Thomas | ||||
| B-side | "Everynight" | |||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 1961 at Goldstar Studios | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:15 | |||
| Label | Venus Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Gene Thomas | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill Quinn | |||
| Gene Thomas singles chronology | ||||
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Recording and release
"Sometime" was recorded during Gene Thomas' first session at Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas, produced by Bill Quinn.[1] Thomas wrote the lyrics,[2] while his performance was influenced by the contemporary success of Joe Barry and Rod Bernard.[3]
The song was credited to "Thomasson" (the real surname of Thomas) and published by Grand Prize Music. The flipside featured another Thomas original, "Everynight".[4] It was released on United Artists Records' subsidiary Venus Records in April 1961 (VR 1439), and soon became a local hit throughout Texas.[1] In late July, the Baytown Sun noted it in its rank as the most played in Baytown, Texas and described it as "simple and slightly draggy".[5]
Critical reception
Following its regional success, it was reissued on the United Artists label (UA 338). The reissue entered the market in October 1961 and peaked at number fifty-three on the Billboard.[1] The song peaked at number sixty-two on the Cashbox pop singles chart.[6] Gene Summers recorded a 45rpm single of the song in 1971 on Maridene Records. Doug Sahm covered the song in his 1976 album Texas Rock For Country Rollers in a medley that included the Thomas song "Cryin' Inside". A review in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times described both songs as "two obscure Texas hits".[7]
The song became the first of two Thomas songs that would turn into national chart hits featuring him as a solo act, before forming with Debbe Neville the duo Gene & Debbe.[8]
Footnotes
- Bradley, Andy; Wood, Roger 2010, p. 92.
- Jancik, Wayne 1998, p. 233.
- Cotten, Lee 2002, p. 308.
- Venus Records staff 1961.
- Baytown Sun staff 1961.
- Downey, Paul; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank 1994, p. 348.
- Marsh, Dave 1976.
- Larkin, Colin 1998, p. 164.
References
- Baytown Sun staff (1961). "Platter Chatter". The Baytown sun. Vol. 42, no. 291. Morris Communications. Retrieved January 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Bradley, Andy; Wood, Roger (2010). House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78324-9.
- Cotten, Lee (2002). Twist and Shout: The Golden Age of Rock 'N Roll 1960-1963. Pierian Press. ISBN 978-0-964-65884-4.
- Downey, Paul; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 978-1-563-08316-7.
- Jancik, Wayne (1998). The Billboard Book of One-hit Wonders. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-823-07622-2.
- Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Country Music. Virgin. ISBN 978-0-753-50236-5.
- Marsh, Dave (1976). "Duo As Strong As Ever". Rolling Stone. Vol. 68, no. 30. Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. 7C. Retrieved January 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Venus Records staff (1961). Sometime (7" single). Gene Thomas. Venus Recors. VR 1439.