"Let There Be Drums"
Single by Sandy Nelson
from the album Let There Be Drums
B-side"Quite a Beat"
ReleasedSeptember 1961 [U.S.]
GenreInstrumental rock[1]
Length2:14
LabelImperial X5775
Songwriter(s)Sandy Nelson, Richard Podolor

"Let There Be Drums" is a 1961 instrumental composed by American drummer Sandy Nelson and guitarist Richard Podolor, who later became a renowned record producer.

Background

The piece is a guitar and drums duet and is an early example of surf music.

Chart performance

It was released as a Sandy Nelson single on Imperial Records X5775 and was a charted hit, reaching No.7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] and No.9 on the U.S. Cash Box charts (weeks of 24 December and 16 December 1961),[3] and No. 8 in Canada (weeks of 4 December and 11 December 1961).[4] Nelson's "Let There Be Drums" was an Australian No.1 single for a week (week of 20 January 1962)[5] and peaked at No.3 on the U.K. singles chart during the weeks of 4–10 January and 18–24 January 1962,[6] becoming the 50th best-selling single in the U.K. during the calendar year 1962.[7]

Cover versions

The Incredible Bongo Band's rendition of this instrumental was the theme music for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling telecasts on the former ATV in Maritime Canada between the 1970s and the 1980s. The song had reached #66 in the Canadian RPM charts.[8] It was also featured in "The Tenth Inning" of Ken Burns' Baseball.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Adinolfi, Francesco (April 25, 2008). "Destination: Space Age Pop". In Pinkus, Karen (ed.). Mondo Exotica - Sounds, Visions, Obsessions of the Cocktail Generation. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 135.
  2. ↑ "Sandy Nelson: Billboard Singles". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  3. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles: Week ending DECEMBER 16, 1961". Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  4. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - December 4, 1961".
  5. ↑ "Australia No.1 Hits [of the] 1960s". World Charts. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Official [U.K.] Singles Chart Top 50: 04 January-10 January 1962". The Official U.K. Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "The 100 Best-Selling Singles of 1962 [in the U.K.]". www.sixtiescity.net. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 22, 1973" (PDF).
  9. ↑ Feeney, Mark. "Burns takes to the diamond again," The Boston Globe, Tuesday, September 28, 2010. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
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