This is an adaptation of Grieg's A-Minor Piano Concerto in which a honky-tonk sound was simulated by using shellac on the hammers of a cheap piano. The song was banned by the BBC because it fit in the category of songs that distorted melody, harmony, or rhythm; after listening to it for a bit, I kind of agree with the BBC there.
"Asia Minor" was the brainchild of Jimmy Wisner (1931-2018). At the time, he was a jazz musician; he recorded this song under the name "Kokomo" to avoid offending his jazz fans. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #35 on the UK singles chart (despite the BBC ban).
Wisner leveraged the popularity of this song into a successful career as a producer and arranger. He worked with a diverse range of artists, including Neil Sedaka, Bobby Vinton, Judy Collins, Iggy Pop, and Barbra Streisand. In 1977, he released a synthesizer arrangement of Star Wars soundtrack music as the Electric Moog Orchestra.
Created September 3, 2026.