Song of the Day 3/30: Shades of Blue, “Oh How Happy”

The sweet soul music of the ’60s was so intoxicating that lots of white groups tried their hands at it, giving rise to what became known as blue-eyed soul. Even those that succeeded were mostly one-hit wonders, but what great hits they were. The Shades of Blue hailed from the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Mich., where they started as the Domingos. They signed with a Detroit label, changed their name and took this tune by Edwin Starr to No. 12 on the charts in 1966.

After Shades of Blue had their hit with it, Edwin Starr recorded his own version as a duet with Sondra “Blinky” Williams. It did not become a hit.