Other Versions
Other performers released recorded versions of Oh Happy Day following the initial success by Don Howard. The January 10, 1953 edition of Billboard cited Lawrence Welk's version (Coral) as a likely upcoming hit, and noted in its January 17, 1953 edition that the versions by Four Knights (Capitol) and Dick Todd (Decca) were also likely upcoming hits. Other versions released by January 1953 in the US were those by J. Johnson (V), Mickey Baker (Savoy) and Ken Griffin (Columbia). In the Billboard Territorial Best Sellers (Popular) charts for the 15 top markets in the US, Don Howard's version had the greatest success, a #1 ranking in Chicago, Philadelphia and New Orleans and #2 rankings in Pittsburgh and St. Louis. The Four Knights achieved a #1 ranking in Seattle and a #2 ranking in Atlanta. Lawrence Welk, in turn, achieved a #2 ranking in the Los Angeles and Denver markets. Finally, during the same time period that various versions of Oh Happy Day were on the national US hit chart, Dick Todd's version charted at #3 in New Orleans.
Oh Happy Day is the only song that charted three different versions of the song in the top ten at the same time during calendar year 1953. This unprecedented achievement was otherwise unmatched for other years as well. One million records are estimated to have been sold of Oh Happy Day by June 1953.
Read more about this topic: Oh Happy Day (1952 Song)
Famous quotes containing the word versions:
“The assumption must be that those who can see value only in tradition, or versions of it, deny man’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances.”
—Stephen Bayley (b. 1951)