Verdelle Smith (singer)

Verdelle Smith is a female pop singer from America who was a one-hit wonder with the song "Tar and Cement" in 1966. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. [http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/01/25/2146838.htm]

Tar and Cement

In 1966 Italian pop singer Adriano Celentano had a hit with his own composition, the ecologically-themed "Il ragazzo della via Gluck" (translates as "The Boy from Gluck Street"). In January 1966 he entered it into the Sanremo Music Festival. It has subsequently been translated into eighteen languages, including Françoise Hardy's 1966 French version "La Maison où j'ai Grandi" (translates as "The house Where I Grew Up"). The English version "Tar and Cement" has lyrics by Americans Lee Pockriss and Paul Vance.

"Tar and Cement" made it to #1 in Australia and #38 in the U.S. It was also #6 on "Keener 13", the legendary Detroit radio station WKNR for the week ending Monday June 27, 1966.

"Tar and Cement" was reproduced on a 2004 CD, "Girls Go Zonk: US Dream Babes". In October 2005 the song came 30th in a list of the top 150 songs from central Queensland, Australia [http://www.abc.net.au/centralqld/stories/s1475125.htm] ."Tar and Cement" was also a huge hit in Ireland for Joe Dolan.

Other records

Pockriss and Vance also wrote other material for Smith:
*"(Alone) In My Room" was originally a Spanish song written by Joaquin Pieto, and was later recorded by The Walker Brothers on their second LP, "Portrait" (1966).
*"I Don't Need Anything", which was later a minor UK hit in 1966-67 for Sandie Shaw.

elective discography

ingles

Issued on Capitol Records in the U.S. Some also on Capitol in Canada and Australia; EMI in the UK; Peak Records in New Zealand.

*"In My Room"/"Walk Tall", Jan 1966, #62 US Hot 100
*"Oh How Much I Love You"
*"Tar and Cement"/"A Piece of the Sky", 1966, #38 US Hot 100
*"I Don't Need Anything"
*"If You Can't Say Anything Nice About Me"
*"Baby, Baby"/"There's So Much Love All Around Me"
*"Life Goes On"/"Juanito"
*"Carnaby's Gone Away"/"Sittin' and Waitin'"

Album

*"(Alone) In My Room", Capitol Records, 1966. Produced by Marvin Holtzman, Arranged by Lee Pockriss.