Joey Powers' lone hit was the
Jimmie Rodgers sound-alike "Midnight Mary," which inched into the Top Ten in 1963. The similarity to
Rodgers' teen idol-cum-folk-singer sound didn't end there --
Powers' album
Midnight Mary is full of light folk-pop confections that include several covers of teen idol and folk hits.
Donnie Brooks' "Mission Bell" and
Carl Dobkins Jr.'s "My Heart Is an Open Book" sit comfortably alongside
the Rooftop Singers' "Walk Right In" and
Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" on this pleasant outing that, if not for the
Dylan tune, might fool listeners into believing it's still 1957 and "Honeycomb" is the top-selling song in the land. Despite making some fine and enjoyable music,
Powers' days were numbered as teen idol pop and the commercial folk boom gave way to rock groups, soul, and protest folk.