Song:Popcorn
Album:Instrumental Nuggets Vol. 1
Popcorn was a top ten hit in 1972. It's been in the news lately because the songwriter Moog synthesizer pioneer Gershon Kingsley died a few days ago. Popcorn is not technically a one hit wonder because some of their other songs charted. Not surprisingly, studio musicians were behind Hot Butter. Stan Free (born Stanley Friedland Apr. 12, 1922 in Brooklyn) led a jazz trio in New York clubs in the 50s. He also produced and arranged albums for singer Chris Connor. In the 60s he got into studio work for Arlo Guthrie and Astrud Gilberto among others. And that led to Gershon Kingsley's First Moog Quartet. Kingsley wrote and recorded Popcorn on his 1968 album Music To Moog By. Free decided to form his own Moog synthesizer band Hot Butter. They signed with Musicor Records owned by veteran A&R man Art Talmedge. Free played synthesizer. There were other members but it's unclear what instruments were played by who. But it looks like Dave Mullaney wrote most of the arrangements. As Sir Christopher Scott, Mullaney released the 1969 Moog synthesizer album Switched-On Bacharach. He probably was more experienced with the Moog synthesizer than Free. Popcorn reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequent singles didn't do as well and neither did a second album. You can get Popcorn on this various artists budget comp from Repertoire. After Hot Butter, Stan Free returned to his career as a studio musician until his 1995 death. Here's a video of Popcorn by Hot Butter.
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