It’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means lots of leftover turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie. In that spirit, today’s classic post-Thanksgiving song of the day is “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” by Jay & the Techniques. This single was released in March of 1967 and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
“Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” was written by Maurice Irby, Jr., and originally offered to singer Bobby Hebb, who had a previous #2 hit with “Sunny.” Mr. Hebb turned it down and producer Jerry Ross then snapped it up for his group Jay & the Techniques. They recorded it in January at Bell Sound Studios in New York City and Smash records released it as a single less than three months later.
Jay & the Techniques were led by lead singer Jay Proctor. They got together in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the mid-1960s and their first single release, “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie,” was their biggest hit. They had another hit later that same year with “Keep the Ball Rollin’,” which peaked at #14 on the charts. They kept recording for another decade or so, with little success, and eventually disbanded in 1976.
Interestingly, despite the semi-bubblegum feel of “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie,” the Techniques were classified as a soul group, probably due to Mr. Proctor being an African American. (The group was decidedly mixed-race, a little unusual at the time, with all the non-singers in the group being white guys.) Also contributing, perhaps, was the band’s occasional use of soul singers Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, and Melba Moore as background vocalists. I still have trouble thinking of them—and this song, in particular—as soul or R&B; their music is definitely pop, to my ears.
In any case—enjoy those turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie!
