Music And Records: Jewel And Jewel Akens
The Family Jewels
Jewel Akens (who should not be confused with Jewel The Babe Folkie) was a 1960′s R&B singer. His early career included recording with jazz reed player Eddie Daniels (as Jewel And Eddie) as well as singing back-up for various and sundry R&B hits. His early recordings also included guitar-playing by Eddie Cochran.
To elucidate further:
In 1965, Akens recorded his only Top 40 hit, The Birds And The Bees. Though it’s credited to “Barry Stuart,” the song was actually based on a nursery rhyme created by the son of ERA Records boss, Herb Newman.
In keeping with Akens’ nursery rhyme vibe, this flip-side to The Birds and The Bees combines simple lyrics with a nice Funky Nassau groove. Though considered a one-hit wonder, Akens is still around, singing and producing. He wants Jewel’s record company to know he’s available for duets.
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