Today’s classic song of the day comes to us from a group called the Essex. The song is “Easier Said Than Done” and, when it was released in May of 1963, it went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard’s R&B chart.
“Easier Said Than Done” was written by William Linton and Larry Huff. Linton was a member of the Marine Corps at the time, as were all the members of the Essex. Here’s what Linton remembered about the song:
“I was working in the communication department [at Camp Lejeune]. We had a bunch of teletype machines, and when they were all running together, they had a beat. The sound of the teletype machines inspired the beat of ‘Easier Said Than Done.'”
The group intended “Easier Said Than Done” to be the B side of a single with “Are You Going My” way as the lead track. Disc jockeys thought differently, however, and flipped the 45 over to make “Easier Said Than Done” a huge hit on both the mainstream and R&B charts.
The Essex were originally Walter Vickers, Rodney Taylor, Rudolph Johnson, and Willie “Billy” Hill, all Marines. When Johnson left the group, he was replaced by Anita Humes, another member of the Corps. They had one more hit, “A Walkin’ Miracle,” later in 1963. The band found it difficult to remain a group while serving in the Marines, and they broke up a year or so later.
