It Keeps Right On A-hurtin'

Johnny Tillotson is somewhat unique among teen idols of the 1950s and 60s in so much as he wrote a considerable number of his hits, an ability that was beyond many of his contemporaries. His talent arose almost out of necessity; in an attempt to get his recording career off the ground his label had him record old R&B, country and pop songs, irrespective of whether they fitted his vocal style. 'Poetry in Motion' was the song that finally enabled him to break through, a song that was written especially for him and which became an international hit. Johnny himself composed his next major hit, 'It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin', a song inspired by his father's terminal illness. Although not conceived as a country song, the actual recording session certainly had a distinct country flavor, enabling the single to peak at #4 on the country listings as well as #3 pop. By the time the single was hitting it's peak, Johnny was doing his bit in the Army, although he was given weekends off in order to complete the recording sessions for the album IT KEEPS RIGHT ON A-HURTIN. Featuring an assortment of country standards, the album found instant favor, hitting the Top 10 on the US chart, whilst the extracted 'Send Me the Pillow You Dream On' and 'I Can't Help It' also made the charts.