S.O.D. "Angel of the Morning" by Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts

6/4/2016     There were actually 22 versions recorded of this popular song, with Rush making it a hit in 1968.  Her group was the second artist to record it, the first being by Evie Sands in 1967.  Cameo-Parkway Records, the label Sands was signed to, somehow prevented her version from being released or distributed.  Some of the other musicians that recorded the tune were Nina Simone, Olivia Newton-John, Dusty Springfield, and Juice Newton who had the highest charting and most successful version.  There are also 9 versions in other languages.  

     The song has seen its share of public media including the 1999 film, "Girl, Interrupted" starring Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder.  This was Rush and the Turnabout's version, as the film is set in the late 60s. Chip Taylor, who composed the song, is Angelina Jolie's uncle.  Both Rush and Newton earned Grammy nominations in a female vocalist category.