Let’s bring Don’t Get Around Much Anymore into the 1960s with a quartet of takes from the first couple of years of the decade — four artists, four angles, all proving how elastic this Ellington/Russell classic really was.
š️ Bobby Slows It Down (1960, Atco)
Bobby Darin and arranger Bobby Scott take the tune in an unexpected direction — a slow, wistful ballad that reminds you the lyrics are actually pretty sad when you sit with them.
This track stayed in the vault until 1963, when Atco issued It’s You or No One after Bobby had already jumped to Capitol. Like a lot of those “new” Atco albums, it was stitched together from unreleased material — but this cut is a gem.
š¤ Sam Makes It His Own (1961, RCA Victor)
I absolutely love this one. Sam sings it straight the first time through, then loosens the seams on the second pass — never losing the melody, just bending it into Sam‑Cooke‑land. It’s warm, confident, and effortlessly musical. A tremendous talent at full glow!
Great backing from Sammy Lowe as well.
š¹ Nero on the Hi‑Fi (1962, RCA Victor)
Corny album title aside (For the Nero‑Minded), Peter Nero’s piano paired with Marty Gold’s arrangements must have sounded fantastic on a 1962 living‑room hi‑fi. It’s clean, bright, and very much in that early‑60s “modern pop instrumental” lane.
šµ The Belmonts Go Full 60s (1961, Sabrina)
Now for the most 60s-ish of all. The Belmonts kick things off with a wink: “Missed the Saturday hop…”
Carlo Mastrangelo leads, with Fred Milano and Angelo D’Aleo backing — the trio that kept rolling after Dion DiMucci left for solo stardom. It’s a blast of doo‑wop energy applied to a standard you wouldn’t expect in that setting, and it works.
š¼ A Tune Built for Reinvention
This is just a tiny sample of 1960s recordings of Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, but they show how adaptable the song was — ballad, bluesy pop, instrumental showcase, doo‑wop twist.
But one thing’s for sure:
These guys are still not gettin’ around!
