This beautiful instrumental not only was a #1 hit in 1959, but it’s been used in many films, commercials, and TV shows (e.g., La Bamba, Legend, Sleepwalkers, Twelve Monkeys, Charlie’s Angels). There have also been numerous covers, including versions by Betsy Brye, Al Kooper, The Ventures, Deftones, Leo Kottke, The Stray Cats, Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck, The Chantays, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It’s a great one for slow dancing…
Santo and Johnny were the brothers Santo Anthony Farina and John Steven Farina from Brooklyn, New York. Santo played a steel guitar and Johnny a standard electric guitar. They formed as a duo in 1959 and performed and recorded together until 1976. Their music crossed a number of genres, including rock and roll, surf rock, and instrumental rock. When “Sleep Walk” was a hit in 1959, Santo was only 22, and Johnny was 18. They had also had a Top 40 hit “Tear Drop,” which charted several months later. In 2002, Santo and Johnny were inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Santo is more or less retired now, and Johnny tours and records with his own band . He is also the President of Aniraf, Inc., an international record company.
For More Golden Oldies Music
The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop music, rock and roll hits, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.
Please click here for the Daily Doo Wop YouTube channel, to which you can subscribe. Thank you for stopping by The Daily Doo Wop. Hope you enjoyed “Sleep Walk” by Santo and Johnny.[/vc_