The song "Little Bitty Pretty One" by The Jackson 5 is about a young girl who is waiting for her prince to come and sweep her off her feet. It is a classic example of the playful, innocent spirit of early rock and roll.
It also contains a catchy hook that has made it a enduring rock and roll classic. In addition to The Jackson 5, the song is covered by many other artists, including Cliff Richard and Frankie Avalon.
Originally written and recorded by Bobby Day (whose professional name was Robert James Byrd), the song was popularized by Los Angeles singer Thurston Harris and The Sharps on the Aladdin label in 1957. It went to #2 on the R&B chart and #6 on the US Pop chart.
Harris was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and began his career singing with R&B groups the Lamplighters and Tenderfoots before forming The Sharps. Their novelty hits included "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow."
The song was a million seller during the 50s, and it was the first of many songs that Harris would make famous. His other singles were "Over and Over" and "Do What You Did."
Harris hopped around to different record labels until his music career came to an end. He took a job as a bus driver and died of a heart attack at the age of 58. You might have heard it on a few films such as Christine (1983), Matilda (1996), and The Princess Diaries (2001 sung by Aaron Carter). It was also featured in a number of television commercials.
