Mungo Jerry

When 10-year-old Ray Dorset inserted his coin into a fortune-telling machine on Hayling Island, he probably had no idea what was about to happen. But then the machine spit out a piece of paper that read: "The happiest part of your life will have to do with music. You will write songs!" A year later, the skiffle boom broke out in England and Dorsey formed his first band. A few years later, the man with the giant sideburns cobbled together a song in just ten minutes, with the title "In The Summertime." It was a simple ode to the simple pleasures of life, with classic blues changes and a skiffle/jug band-like instrumentation. Under the band name Mungo Jerry, the single was a worldwide hit in the charts and was THE summer hit of 1970. In total, the song sold 30 million copies. When asked what he attributed the popularity of the piece to, Ray Dorset said, "It brings people together. It celebrates life. It should now be as well-known as Happy Birthday."