Paul & Paula - Jill Jackson and Ray Hildebrand

 

Gee Baby

Paul & Paula

Jill Jackson and Ray Hildebrand

Philips Records PHS 600-078

1963

From the back cover: Whoever made the statement that there is no such thing as an overnight show business success should take a lesson from Paul and Paula. It's been only a few short months since they started singing together, and yet they already have a smash ingle and now an album to their credit, and a brilliant future ahead. All it takes is a lot of talent and a little luck.

The story of 20-year-old Paula (Jill Jackson) and 22-year-old Paul, (Ray Hildebrand) began one warm August evening in Brownwood, Texas, when Paul and Paula, students at the Howard Payne College, teamed up to sing for a Cancer Drive radio program on station KEAN. Their audience liked what they heard and, with a little encouragement by their classmates and instructors, the young pair decided to become a permanent singing team.

In November of 1962, these two gifted performers drove 130 miles to Fort Worth office of the noted producer and agent Major Bill Smith, in hopes that Smith would give them an audition. They were told that Major Smith was scheduled to record and artist and would not be available for the audition. They decided to wait, determined to make Smith listen to them.

As luck would have it, Smith's scheduled artist never arrived, leaving the producer in a less than pleasant frame of mind, but with a few minutes to spare. His co-producer, Marvin Montgomery, impressed by the young couple's determination, convinced him to give them a chance. As Smith himself puts it: "I wasn't in the mood to listen to anyone and I was angry about the artist who failed to show up, but I finally consented to see what the kids had. Paul and Paula began to sing, and within minutes I knew they had the spark of real talent."

Much to the young performer's amazement, Smith insisted they cut their first single on the spot. The result was the best-selling "Hey Paula." This album is a natural follow-up.

And for this recording the duo sang love songs in a refreshing style all their own, a style brimming with the pleasant sounds of youth and young love.

If Smith's performer had arrived for his recording session, Paul and Paula would still have become a hit singing dup. But it might have taken them a little more time to swing it. After listening to "Young Lovers" you'll agree it's as lucky for us as it was for them that things turned out the way they did.

Hey Paula

Hey Baby

Come Softly To Me

Two People In The World

Sweet Baby

Blue Roller Rink

Young Lovers

My Happiness

All The Love

Gee Baby

Don't Let It End

Ba-Hey-Be