Also, who are some of the folks to record “Ramona”?
– Ramona White, Evansville, Ind. A. Their name changed, but the Rare Breed and the Ohio Express are the same group. Their recording of “Beg, Borrow or Steal” is identical regardless of which name is credited. The first issue, by the Rare Breed, came out in early 1966 backed with “Jeri’s Theme” (Attack 1401). That release did not chart. More than a year later, this Mansfield, Ohio, band became the Ohio Express and signed with Cameo-Parkway. The re-release of “Beg, Borrow or Steal,” with a new B-side, “Maybe” (Cameo 483), reached the nation’s Top 30. The third Ohio Express hit, “Yummy Yummy Yummy” (Buddah 38) came along during the Bubble Gum music craze and gave the band their first top 5 hit. Another gum-based tune, “Chewy Chewy” (Buddah 70), also did well for the band, landing in the top 15. As for “Ramona,” many have popularized this nifty little tune. Chronologically, they are: Gene Austin, Paul Whiteman, Ruth Etting and Scrappy Lambert (all 1928); Gaylords, Louis Armstrong and Manto
