Forty Shades of Green (1961)

Written by Johnny Cash  

O: Johnny Cash on Columbia

 From Wikipedia

"Forty Shades of Green" is a well known song about Ireland. It was written by Johnny Cash in 1959 while on a trip to Ireland.[1] Contrary to popular belief, Cash did not invent the term 'forty shades of green', it had been used in Ireland many years before he wrote the song.

He released it as a B-side of The Rebel-Johnny Yuma released in 1961. It is also featured on two albums: 1. Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1963 and 2. Johnny Cash: The Great Lost Performance - Live at the Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, New Jersey recorded live in 1990 and released in 2007.

It has also been recorded by Daniel O'Donnell, Foster and Allen, Ruby Murray and many others. 

The song of Johnny Cash became an Irish Drinking song :-)

Here are some recordings i found:

1961 - Johnny Cash - Forty Shades of Green

1963 - Hank Locklin - Forty Shades of Green

1963 - Slim Whitman - Forty Shades of Green

1965 - The Browns - Forty Shades of Green

1968 - Frankie Mcbride - Forty Shades of Green

1997 - Foster & Allen - Forty Shades of Green

1998 - Rosanne Cash - Forty Shades of Green

1999 - Sean O'neill Band - Isle of Innisfree - Forty Shades of Green (Medley)

2001 - The Irish Tenors - Forty Shades of Green

2002 - Ceili Rain - Forty Shades of Green

2008 - Daniel O'donnell - Forty Shades of Green

2008 - John Hogan - Forty Shades of Green

2011 - Dingle Folk - Forty Shades of Green

2013 - Brian Letton - Forty Shades of Green

Here you can listen: 

Shades of Gray (1966)

Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

O: The Will-O-Bees

Long before the book.
From Wikipedia:

"Shades of Gray" was written in 1965 by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and was recorded by The Monkees for their 1967 album Headquarters, the first in which the group played all its own instruments (except a French horn and cello, both of which were featured in this song). Lead vocals were shared by Davy Jones and Peter Tork.[1]

Sons of Champlin recorded the song at about the same time, but the Headquarters version was released first. The album Fat City,[2] released in 1999 by Big Beat UK, finally featured the Sons of Champlin version of the song, named "Shades of Grey" (whereas the original Monkees release was titled "Shades of Gray").

The Will-O-Bees (Janet Blossom, Steven Porter, Robert Merchanthouse), recorded a mid-tempo, slightly heavier and more focused version, in 1966, on Date 1543.

Another version was recorded in 1970 by P.K. Limited (Screen Gems/Columbia Music songwriters Dan Peyton and Marty Kaniger); it was featured in the film Getting Straight".

In the 1986 film Soul Man, C. Thomas Howell's character Mark attempts to impress a girl, so he says, "Today there is no black or white, only shades of gray," a direct quote from the song.

Here some recordings

Will-O-Bees - 1966 - Shades of Gray

The Sons of Champlin - 1967 - Shades of Grey

The Monkees - 1967 - Shades of Gray

Sandy Posey - 1968 - Shades of Gray

P. K. Limited - 1970 - Shades of Gray

Mind Veneration - 2000 - Shades of Gray

Listen here: 

And here a remarkable recording by John Coltrane (1976)





And here the Monkees