Meanwhile, WDGY was starting to play covers.  In with Perry Como and Doris Day, scripts saved all these years by DJ John Evans include:

• “Sincerely” by the McGuire Sisters (noted as No. 2 in the Twin Cities) in 1955.  Out on the East Coast, of course, they were playing the original version by the Moonglows.  The Sisters’ version sold six times better.
• One rather funny cover was “Tweedle Dee,” not by Lavern Baker or even Georgia Gibbs, but by someone named Vicky Young.
• The Fontane Sisters, who sang on the Perry Como Show, got hip with the song “Rock Love,” which did not hit the radar when done the year before  by Lula Reed.
• June of ’55 brought the “Popcorn Song,” which is pretty good by Cliffie Stone (“Too Pooped to Pop”).
• But what’s this:  the ultimate abomination:  “Bo Diddley” by the (are you ready?) the Harmonicats!  Oy.
• Les Paul did “Sleep,” perhaps the one by Little Willie John, but he’s Les Paul so that’s okay.
• The Four Knights are doing “Glory of Love,” which was best done by the Five Keys in 1951, but the song was written in 1936 so who’s to gripe.
• In July the McGuire Sisters were back with a song just called “Rhythm and Blues.”  Somehow the word got out.
• Ray Anthony had one called “Juke Box Special.”
• Even Perry Como rocked with an actually great tune called “Tina Marie.”
• A Sammy Cahn song called “Day by Day” by the Four Freshmen is not exactly even a cover, but a wonderful song and Brian Wilson’s inspiration for the Beach Boys’ harmony.
• Oh, here’s another one:  “Drinking Wine Spoli Oli” by the Five Strings.  Presumably this is Sid King and the Five Strings, a rockabilly band.  Kind of a mild cover of  “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee” by Stick McGhee and his Buddies.
• The year closes out with the Fontane Sisters back with “Seventeen,” a pretty good song if done by Boyd Bennett and His Rockets, a rockabilly band.