This may just be my favorite instrumental of all-time, or at least in the top 3. And it has an interesting history. Originally written by Granville Sascha Burland, according to ASCAP, a pseudonym of Lewis Bedell. Lewis founded ERA Recorda and later adore records in the 60s. The song first appeared as the music to an Alka-Seltzer commercial in 1964.

Wikipedia says this about the origin of the hit: In 1965, Dave Pell wanted to record songs based on music from recent TV commercials and release them on 45 RPM singles to see if he could get radio airplay and maybe a hit record. Previously, Liberty Records had used “The T-Bones” as a group name for instrumentals recorded by Los Angeles session musicians The Wrecking Crew, and Liberty told Pell to use it again for his project.[4]

When the record took off and reached #3 on the charts, Pell needed a group to tour to promote it so he hired Judd Hamilton, Dan Hamilton, Joe Frank Carollo, Tommy Reynolds, and Gene Pello. If three of names kinda ring a bell it’s because Dan, Joe, and Tommy would become Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds and record 8 charting records from 1971 to 1976.

And because you’ve read this far,here’s the stereo version that isn’t distorted by the hijinx on the live show, or the aging sound of the commercial.