"It's a Cry'n Shame" is a song written by Seab Meador and Mike Kelley and was recorded in 1966 by the Gentlemen, an American garage rock band from Dallas, Texas who were active between 1964 and 1968.
'"It's a Cry'n Shame" was recorded in 1966 by the Gentlemen a garage rock band from Oak Cliff, a section of Dallas, Texas, who were active from 1964 to 1968.
[1][3] The songs' lyrics deal with sadness and heartbreak and are sung with an impassioned vocal by Kelly backed by a frantic and intense performance from the band highlighted by Meador's guitar leads.
[3] Towards the end of the year fellow Oak Cliff musician Jimmie Vaughan, later of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, did a several month stint with the group.
[3] In early 1966, the roster that most consider the definitive lineup of the group and that recorded the officially released version of "It's a Cry'n Shame," included Seab Meador on lead guitar and vocals, Mike Kelley on guitar and vocals, Tim Justice on drums, as well as new members Bruce Bland on bass and Tommy Turner on keyboards.
[1][3] Tom Brown, president of Vandan Records heard the Gentlemen play at LouAnn’s Club in Dallas, and wondered if the band could do some writing with him and Gene Garretson, his arranger.
[1] A few weeks later Brown showed the band members a copy of the January 1967 edition of Record World Magazine, which included the B-side song "It's a Cry'n Shame" alongside "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane, in its Four-Star Rating column of hits to watch.
[1][3] The song received airplay on KLIF and KNOK radio stations in Dallas, upping the band's local profile considerably.
The song has been featured on Little Steven’s Underground Garage and on Sirius Satellite Radio and on Bill Kelly’s Black Hole of Rock and Roll on New York’s WFMU.