Donnie Brooks RIP

Donnie Brooks, who has died aged 71, was little known in the UK but had a string of US pop hits in the early 60s, four of which made it into my personal top ten. He had a number of stage names in his early career and as Johnny Faire he had a US top 100 hit with Bertha Lou. Apparently encouraged by his friends Dorsey and Johnny Burnette he changed his name and had a fair sized hit with Mission Bell in 1960, which made number three in my top ten. Three follow ups also made an impact on my chart - Doll house, That's why and Oh you beautiful doll - before he slid into obscurity. His LP The Happiest, recorded for Era and issued on the London label in the UK, featured the first three of the above.