Of all the many people that L.A. writer Mark Evanier hangs with, I wasn’t expecting Ian Whitcomb. Click here to see. Stan Freberg? That’s a given, but Ian Whitcomb?
Whitcomb is an interesting gent. Originally from Ireland, Ian is known first and best in the U.S. for this hit 1965 song.
This record is notorious for having been played endlessly in dance clubs and bars that cater to an all-male clientele. Here’s a YouTube video of Whitcomb performing “You Turn Me On!” on the American TV show Shindig!
Whitcomb is actually a serious music expert and performer of old Ragtime and Tin Pan Alley songs, although my recollection is that at the outset of his career his primary interest was in Blues, as it was for so many UK youth of that era. Lots more about Whitcomb can be seen here.