Paul
& Paula
In
the fall of 1962, a radio station in Brownwood, Texas, announced
a special broadcast to benefit the American Cancer Society. Volunteer
performers were invited to come and donate their services in front
of the mike. At nearby Howard Payne College, two students figured
it would be fun to appear on the program. They were Ray Hildebrand
and Jill Jackson.
On the show,
the team sang an original tune written a few days earlier by Ray.
It went over so well that it was suggested that they make a professional
recording of the song. So encouraged, Ray and Jill drove to Fort
Worth in November, 1962, hoping for an audition with Major Bill
Smith, the owner of LeCam Records.
At the studio,
the two were told that Major Bill was about to record someone
else and could not see them that day. Determined to get a hearing,
they decided to hang around just in case something happened. Something
did.
Major Bill
was waiting for singer Amos Milburn Jr., who failed to show up,
and that meant he had five musicians standing around (for $5 apiece).
Finally, someone said that there were a couple of kids hanging
around the office that would like the Major to hear some of their
songs. With nothing to lose, Ray and Jill were granted an interview
right then and there.
Major Bill
said, "let's hear what ya got, son" and Ray began to
strum the guitar and sing "Hey Hey Paula". "Ok
boy, let's stop Heyin' and start recordin'", said the Major.
When the session
was over, the Major asked "What do you call yourselves"?
"Jill and Ray" came the answer, and that's what was
printed on the record lable.
Major Bill
Smith knew he had something good and began to pitch the record
to Ewart Abner, of Vee Jay Records, who turned it down in favour
of another artist's tune that Smith had with him. Not one to be
discouraged easily, Major Bill decided to release the record himself
and pressed it on Election Day, 1962. Radio station DSJZ was the
first to add it to their play list.
"Hey
Paula" sold sixteen thousand records in one day and it didn't
take long for Shelby Singleton of Mercury Records to call the
Major, wanting to buy the master tape. "One other thing",
said Singleton. "This is 'Hey Paula', by Jill and Ray...that
dosen't make any sense at all. We're gonna change it to Paul and
Paula". At first, Jill and Ray didn't like that idea, because
everyone in Texas knew them by their real names, but they got
used to it.
Mercury Records
released it on their subsiduary label, Phillips. It broke nationally
right after Christmas, 1962 and spent nearly three weeks in February
at number one. Incredibly, it also hit number one on the R&B
charts too. In all, "Hey Paula" spent fifteen weeks
on the best seller list, closing in on two million copies.
Soon after,
Jill and Ray got married...but not to each other. Jill married
the duo's manager. The pair toured the country with Dick Clark's
Caravan Of Stars, but Ray eventually grew tired of life on the
road and quit. "Paul and Paula" officially broke up
in 1965.
Ray found
work as a song writer and record producer, but eventually left
the music business. Jill continued as a solo performer in and
around Texas for many years and later married an attorney from
California.
Jill and Ray
met up with each other again in Brownwood in the early '80s and
sang together once more, at a town party.
|
