| The 'In' Crowd | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Dobie Gray |
| Album: | Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go" |
| B-Side: | Be a Man |
| Released: | November 1964[1] |
| Recorded: | October 1964 |
| Studio: | Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA |
| Genre: | Rhythm and blues |
| Label: | Charger |
| Producer: | Fred Darian |
| Prev Title: | Look at Me |
| Prev Year: | 1963 |
| Next Title: | See You at the Go-Go |
| Next Year: | 1965 |
| The 'In' Crowd | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Ramsey Lewis Trio |
| Album: | The In Crowd |
| Released: | June 1965 |
| Recorded: | May 1965 |
| Venue: | Bohemian Caverns, Washington, D.C. |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Length: | (single version) (album version) |
| Label: | Argo |
| Producer: | Esmond Edwards |
"The 'In' Crowd" is a 1964[2] song written by Billy Page[2] and arranged by his brother Gene and originally performed by Dobie Gray on his album Dobie Gray Sings for "In" Crowders That Go "Go-Go". It appeared on an episode of Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember, featuring in the last week of November 1964, the month Gray's rendition was released.
In the US, Gray's powerful Motown-like version, complete with brass section, reached number 11 on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart[3] and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 20 February 1965.[4] Outside the US, "The 'In' Crowd" went to number 25 on the UK Singles Chart[5] and number 8 in Canada.[6] Gray's Shindig! performance of the song aired on 10 March 1965.[7]
The Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded an instrumental cover of the tune in May 1965. Performed live at Bohemian Caverns nightclub in Washington, D.C., their jazzy take was released in June[8] and reached number 5 on the Hot 100 on 9 October 1965,[9] as well as peaking at number 2 for three weeks on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart.[10] In Canada, the record reached number 6 in the RPM charts.[11] A longer edit of the song provides the title track for the Trio's successful live album.[12]
Writing in 2015, jazz critic Kevin Whitehead said: "As Lewis has told a couple of interviewers, the trio met at a nearby eatery to discuss repertoire. Their kibitzing waitress Nettie Gray suggested a current pop hit, "The 'In' Crowd" by Dobie Gray. Ramsey Lewis didn't know that tongue-in-cheek ode to hipster self-congratulation, so they dropped a coin in the jukebox. ... I hope they left Nettie Gray a very good tip. Ramsey Lewis liked "The 'In' Crowd" enough to work up an arrangement in the unjazzy key of D major so bassist Eldee Young could work his open strings. And the trio really amped up the groove. Opening night, the audience instantly locked in with drummer Redd Holt."[13]
The Lewis Trio Argo single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.[14]