Artist:Carl Dobkins Jr.
Song:My Heart Is An Open Book
Album:Teenage Crush
My Heart Is An Open Book reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. It was the only big hit for Carl Dobkins Jr. but some of his other songs charted so he's not a one hit wonder. I think most fans have heard this song on oldies radio but know nothing about Dobkins. He was born Jan. 13, 1941 in Cincinnati. His parents were amateur musicians from the Appalachians who moved to the big city for a better life. Dobkins learned to play ukulele and then guitar. He started to write songs as a teen and led a band called The Seniors. Dobkins cut a demo and local DJ Gil Sheppard offered to manage Dobkins. After false starts with Fraternity and King, Sheppard sold the masters to Decca. After If You Don't Want My Lovin' was a regional hit, Decca sent Dobkins to Nashville to work with Patsy Cline's producer Owen Bradley. My Heart Is An Open Book was the first single and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was written by Hal David and Lee Pockriss. David would go on to great success writing with Burt Bacharach. Pockriss wrote the Perry Como hit Catch a Falling Star. Though a few of Dobkins' singles charted, he was never able to repeat the success of My Heart Is An Open Book. Though Jasmine released a Carl Dobkins Jr. comp last year, you can get My Heart Is An Open Book on this Ace Records various artists budget comp. Dobkins also recorded for Atco and Colpix and he toured the oldies circuit until his death on Apr. 8, 2020 at age 79. Here's a video for My Heart Is An Open Book by Carl Dobkins Jr.
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