The 1950s saw the birth of rock and roll, but these original songs might have been overshadowed by their covers.

One good thing about growing up Black in Miami during the 1950s was that everybody knew everybody. I thought about that when I learned of the death of Sam Moore. Friends called; they wanted to know if ...

but Nina Simone’s version featuring her sultry voice made it a 1950s hit. The jazz song also had a resurgence in 1987 due to a Chanel No. 5 commercial. Sung by the Pop/R&B group The Drifters ...