Sunday, March 21, 2010

The Sunday Comments ( 03 - 21 - 10 )

Welcome to yet another edition of The Sunday Comments!

Have something to share with our readers?

Then just drop us a line at forgottenhits@aol.com ...
and check back often to see if YOUR comments made the web page!

Meanwhile ... on with the show ...

re: MISC. MUSIC STUFF:
Man, it would have been great to see Donovan do all his songs.
The talesfromthetavern website shows some great past and future acts performing there. I noticed Michael Smith of "Dutchman" fame coming soon ... and Cheryl Wheeler has played there recently. Not to mention the location in the Santa Ynez Valley is one of the nicest places in the USA. Thanks, Kent, for passing along these tips and tidbits.
David Lewis
Glad to do it ... I wish more of the artists out there would take advantage of our service so that their fans would always know where to find them!!! (kk)

Many of our readers have said how they would’ve loved to have been with me when I was one of the first to hear “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, “Hang On Sloopy”, and “I Will Survive”. Well, now’s your chance: http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/vote-for-alan-odays-great-new-song-workin-for-the-world/
Artie Wayne

Kent,
I loved the Unsung Heroes article. There are so many more ... Richard Berry, Jesse Belvin and Ed Townsend for instance. Terribly sad about T-Bone. He was a great guy and a great musician.
Russ Titelman

Thanks for featuring "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" the other day after the passing of Fess Parker. I've always thought "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" borrowed heavily from this song.
David

Kent,
I really enjoy your emailers - should I expect more or is it best to visit your site on a regular basis?
Some interesting Classic Guitar news: I have a close and long-time friend named Tony Marc. Tony has been in the vintage guitar business since his early teens, and currently has over 500 vintage guitars in his house(!) Last week he and I sat for hours pulling them out of their cases and playing everything from a Zally Guild, numerous Hofner violin models (basses and 6-strings!), Rickenbackers, Gretches, Epiphones, Gibsons and more (and more!)
To make a very long story short, my dear friend Vic Flick wanted to sell his Vox Hank Marvin model 12-string that he played on Peter & Gordon's "World Without Love." I arranged a meeting between Vic and Tony, and Tony is now the proud owner of this classic and important guitar.
I'm happy to help two good friends. Also happy to receive your much cool music reports.
Keep smiling (and call me next time you're in Philly!)
Best,
Dr. Robert /
(Bob Rush), The Beat Magazine
After we emailed (rather than posted) The Comments Page last weekend, we received a number of emails from our readers telling us how much they enjoyed getting Forgotten Hits delivered right to their mailboxes (like the good old days). Fact is, the list has just gotten too large to do this anymore ... as it is, we have to break it into twelve separate mailings just to send out a website posting announcement! (And AOL imposes far too many restrictions on what we can and cannot send in an email. On any given day, hotmail or yahoo or msn or whomever will determine that our emails are spam and kick ALL of them back at us from their service ... quite honestly, emailing has turned into an ENORMOUS hassle.)
My best suggestion is to simply bookmark the website and check it every day ... or at least a few times a week so that you don't fall too far behind. We're going to get to a point (and it will be sooner rather than later) where the emails stop all together.
Cool to hear about your friend's guitar passion ... I'm not sure if this is the same guy that Davie Allan emailed us about a few months back or not ... but it's really nice to know that some of these vintage guitars are being well taken care of. (I'm told that there has become a REAL market for "Vintage Guitars") Thanks, Bob! (kk)

re: LOTS OF COOL UPCOMING RELEASES ...

CHECK OUT SHINDIG ... THE BRITISH INVASION DVD BOX SET SERIES AND THE T.A.M.I. SHOW:
Kent ...
I was wondering if you and your readers remember a show called Shindig (1964 - 1966)?
I just bought all 86 episodes of this show on 30 discs. Check out this lineup.
In the house band, on the show every week - Billy Preston, Leon Russell, James Burton + Bobby Sherman, Glen Campbell, The Blossoms, The Righteous Brothers. Fast paced show with different guests on each week.
Frank B.
I most certainly DO remember "Shindig" ... what self-respecting music fan didn't watch THIS show?!?!? And "Hullabaloo", too, for that matter!!! VERY cool ... are these tapes something that is commercially available? How's the quality? And does it include The Beatles' performance from "Ready Steady Go"??? (kk)
The Beatles are on there. Not sure what you mean ... Yes it is available. I paid $245 for 86 episodes on 30 discs. You can also get 2 disc sets for $29. If you get Goldmine Magazine, there's a full page ad on page 13. It's a company from Canada - Kaleidoscope Video.
kvideo@rogers.com ask him to e-mail you a catalog. It's free. You have to pay for a written catalog. They also have Hullabaloo, Shivaree, Where The Action Is, etc. If you want to call, the Canadian Phone Number is (647) 238 - 4144. The U.S. Phone Number is (216) 769 - 7520, which is a Cleveland number. I called left my name and number. In about an hour, Michael Zimmermann called me back and I gave him my order.
Frank B.
When The Beatles appeared on "Shindig" it was BIG news that this little ABC show got them ... but, in fact, it was a film clip that had already aired on "Ready, Steady, Go" in The U.K. a short while earlier ... I have it on VHS in crystal-clear quality ... it was part of the "Ready, Steady, Go" series that Dave Clark issued some 20-25 years ago, as he owns the rights to all those shows. What makes it so unique is that it's the only time The Beatles performed "Shout", a song they never actually recorded.
Speaking of which, how is the quality of these "Shindig" shows? That's a pretty steep price! But I would LOVE to have all those old "Shindig" and "Hullabaloo" and "Shivaree" and "Where The Action Is" shows ... I have assorted clips from ALL of them in varying quality ... but all on VHS tapes. A whole series of complete "Hullabaloo" shows were available commercially there for a while ... I'm really not sure if they're out of print now or not ... but they were top notch quality from the original tapes.
The Video Beat (who've mentioned several times over the years) has a lot of this stuff available on DVD, too. We just LOVE poppin' this kind of stuff in the dvd player when we're just hangin' around or eating dinner or something ... it's like paying a visit to YouTube ... you promise yourself that you're only gonna watch "just a couple" of these and then two hours later you can't believe how much time has flown by!!! (kk)
I would say the quality is good. All black & white. The Beatles are on Disc One, Oct. 7, 1964. One of the shows has Jerry Lee Lewis and Neil Sedaka singing "Take Me Out To The Ballroom." That's an odd paring. It sounded good.
Frank B.

I am very much looking forward to the British Invasion box. Having been the rhythm guitar player in the Shindig band for the first year, I may actually appear in some of those clips.

Russ Titelman

By the way, speaking of vintage performances, the T.A.M.I. Music Show is FINALLY coming out (in a legitimate release) on DVD!!! This is a concert classic that has been circulating for years on the "bootleg" circuit ... can The T.N.T. Show be far behind??? I hope not! Pre-orders are currently being taken at both Amazon.com and Collectors' Choice Music. Check out this all-star line-up:
It's the most-requested music DVD (no contest!) in the history of Collectors' Choice Music! It's 'The T.A.M.I. Show', the groundbreaking 1964 concert film that, along with the Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', introduced the Swinging ‘60s to Middle America. By special arrangement, we are going to be shipping this long-awaited release to our customers a full two weeks before its release date so you can be the first music fans on the planet to own this DVD ('The T.A.M.I. Show' has never been on home video in any format).
(NOTE: Official street date is March 23rd ... but Collectors' Choice Music started shipping copies on March 9th ... so get your orders in early!!!) kk

Just check out the beyond-incredible line-up of stars and songs (this Collector's Edition includes all 45 performances, uncut and mastered from a new high-definition transfer): 'Around and Around; Time Is on My Side' - Rolling Stones; 'Sidewalk Surfin'' - Jan & Dean; 'Johnny B. Goode' - Chuck Berry; 'Surfin' U.S.A.; I Get Around' - Beach Boys; 'Hitch Hike' - Marvin Gaye; 'It's My Party' - Lesley Gore; 'Baby Love' - Supremes; 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying' - Gerry & the Pacemakers; 'You've Really Got a Hold on Me' - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles; 'Little Children' - Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas; 'Hey Little Bird' - Barbarians, and more. And special mention must be made of James Brown's performances of 'Out of Sight'; 'Prisoner of Love'; 'Please, Please, Please', and 'Night Train' — they are beyond legendary, perhaps the single greatest rock and roll performances ever captured on film. This special collector's edition also comes with a 20-page booklet containing liner notes and rare photos and memorabilia.
You can order YOUR copy through the Collectors' Choice Music Website:
Click here: Collectors' Choice Music

With the TAMI Show restored and released, I hope Jan & Dean begin to get credit for both their music and their showmanship / humor. (They were the Monkees before the Monkees were invented!).
Phil
PrayForSurfBlog.blogspot.com

If you saw the recent PBS broadcast of the "T.A.M.I' Show, you already know that Jan and Dean's role in rock is firmly established. With numerous Top 10's and a huge #1, "Surf City," they certainly made their mark in Rock And Roll History.
Fred Vail

Two GLOWING endorsements for Jan and Dean ... the T.A.M.I. line-up is INCREDIBLE ... DEFINITELY worth watching this again!!! (kk)

Meanwhile, the first batch of British Invasion DVDs haven't even hit the stores yet and they're already talking about follow-up releases. This could prove to be a VERY cool, on-going series for all of us who grew up loving the music of this era. For me personally, it was The British Invasion that got me hooked on Top 40 Radio ... speaking of which ...

re: OUR FAVORITE DJs:

We've said MANY times in these pages that the deejays we grew up listening to played every bit an important part in our lives as the music itself. Here are just two emails we received this past week ... totally unrelated ... totally unsolicited ... but proving again just what a HUGE impact these jocks had on our lives:

Kent ... I guess you know by now that Radio Great, Ron Lundy, died in Mississippi on 3 / 15 / 10. He was 75 years old. Don't know if your interested or not but on Sunday Night, at 11 P M - EDT, WCBS - FM will re-play the last hour of Ron's last show. It's from 1997. He retired and went home to Mississippi. You can get it on wcbsfm.com Here in New York, Ron was on WABC - AM first, than on WCBS - FM. His famous opening line was "Hello Love, I've got a song for you."
Frank B.

I was connecting thru Midway airport yesterday when I heard Gary Gears being paged several times. Seems this particular Gary Gears was about to miss his flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Since "our" Gary Gears is no longer with us, I wondered if the new Gary Gears knows anything about his namesake. I did a little checking and saw that there was indeed a Gary Gears living in the Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area. You think anyone besides me did a double take walking thru the airport hearing that name? David Lewis

re: THE PHILLY SCENE:
See pictures of Bandstand Bonnie & Bandstand Legend Carmella Astrella on the Bandstand picture page. Click the link.
Bandstand Picture Page
Listen to a rare interview Sam Lit has with Charlie O Donnel. He is the legendary announcer of American Bandstand. Charlie has also been the announcer of Wheel of Fortune for the last 35 years. Charlie shares some rare facts about American Bandstand, and landing at WFIL TV after beginning a broadcast career in Philly at the dawn of Rock n Roll. In Los Angeles he became the voice of award winning TV Game Shows.Click to listen to the 5 minute interview (Part 1).
Charlie O' Donnel Interview
-- submitted by Sam Lyt
Cool stuff, Sam! And, you can catch an interview with Sam Lyt in Rich Appel's lates Hz So Good Newsletter, too ... just drop him a line at:
rich.appel@hzsogd.com and I'm sure he'll be happy to forward you a copy! (kk)

The late, Philadelphia-born, Robert Hazard's Troubadour, may come as a surprise to those who know him as the hit songwriter of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," (which, by the way, was written in fifteen minutes, in a bathtub, on an acoustic guitar) but those who value first-rate musicianship, insightful songwriting and straight-from-the-heart singing will greet the album like an old friend.The Troubadour album features drummer Steve Holley (McCartney's Wings, Joe Cocker, Dar Williams, Elton John) and multi-instrumentalist T-Bone Wolk (Carly Simon, SNL Band, Hall & Oates). The Cajun stomp of "A Whole Lot of Water" is the tale of an island boy who moves to the big city. T-Bone Wolk contributes Celtic accordion fills giving the song an international flavor. In 2004 Hazard hooked up with T-Bone Wolk for his first singer / songwriter album, The Seventh Lake.RIP Robert Hazard & T-Bone Wolk. You can view the last interview with Robert online at Philly Pop Music, The Lost Pioneers: http://www.phillypopmusic.com
-- Submitted by George Manney



re: JOHNNY MAESTRO / THE CRESTS:
A Message from Johnny Maestro:
I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their thoughts, get well wishes and prayers while I am undergoing treatment for cancer.
I have been fortunate to be able to perform before the "best audiences", our loyal fans, for over 7 decades dating back to the late 1950's. There have been no better times for myself and the Brooklyn Bridge then when we are performing, singing the music that brings back memories of times that we all cherish and hold dear to our hearts. I am very grateful for the opportunity that has allowed me to do something that "I love" and to be able to share our music with so many people.I want everyone to know that when I read your messages, it brightens my day and gives me strength and determination to get back on stage. Your support is the best medicine.
Best Wishes ...
Johnny Maestro

The above message is on Johnny Maestro's website:
http://www.j-maestro-bklyn-bridge.com/
Lois Dixon
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/JohnnyMaestroFans

>>>So sad to hear about Johnny Maestro's illness. We were fortunate to see him perform not too long ago. The Crests were one of my favorite groups growing up. After Johnny left the Crests, whatever happened to the rest of them? Other than a year or two of trying to keep up the group, did any of the members stay in the biz? (Steve Davidson)
>>>Anybody out there know the answer to this one? Certainly Johnny's career continued to flourish ... but what about the rest of the band? (kk)
I'm sure there are many who know much more than I do, but it's my understanding that J.T. Carter kept the Crests going for at least a couple more decades.
BTW Kent, if anyone is interested in the Portraits (on Sidewalk), the garagehangover posted my article several months ago and 5 of our 1967 releases are on youtube.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem

I may be wrong but I believe that The Crests took on a new lead singer, recorded for a few more years, and actually still tour to this day as The Crests, as Johnny doesn't have the rights to that name. I think one of the original Crests was still in the current Brooklyn Bridge with him as well.
(Not the best shot, I know....but perhaps one of the last photos taken of Johnny Maestro on stage)

Tom Diehl



Someone asked about The Crests. Tommy Gough moved to Detroit and worked for General Motors. Hal Torres became a jeweler in upstate New York. J.T. Carter has remained active in the music business. Singer Mike Miller (Harmony Street) will be doing an interview with J.T. Carter on his Internet radio show on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 7:00pm. Here's a link to the radio's website: http://www.bostoninternetradio.com/ The interview should be repeated later in the week. The Crests reunited for a concert in 1987 in Peekskill, New York.

Lois Dixon

JohnnyMaestroFansonYahoo

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/JohnnyMaestroFans

By the way, I listened to the interview. J.T. Carter said that when the first PBS doo wop concert was taped in 1999, The Crests were not asked to sing on the show. All four original singers were available at that time (Patricia Van Dross had died many years earlier). Johnny Maestro, of course, appeared with The Brooklyn Bridge. It would have been great to see a reunion of The Crests. Sadly, J.T. said that only he and Johnny are left from the group now.
Lois Dixon


re: RINGO / RENE AND RENE:
Kent,
With all the ongoing interest in "Ringo," I thought you might be interested to know I had included the song a few weeks ago in one of my weekly pop-culture "list" columns I do. "Ringo" was part of my Feb. 19 "roundup" tribute to cowboy "story songs":
http://is.gd/a9DRU
You might also recognize an instrumental or two from this list: http://is.gd/9olQl
If you think your readers would be interested, please pass this information along.
Don
>>>Am I the only FH reader who has never heard this song before? And it made it to #14!! (David Lewis)
For the record, by the way, I remember both of Rene and Rene's songs, which got a lot play in the Twin Cities. Also remember a fine 1963 song by Keith Colley, "Enamorado."
Best,
Don
"Enamorado" only got to #66 on The Billboard Chart ... but was a #16 Hit here in Chicago, too. (When's the last time you heard THIS one?!?!?) kk









re: THE RUNAWAYS:

Kent ...
They say you can’t predict Earthquakes, but this Friday with the opening of the Martin Scorsese film “The Runaways:”, I guarantee there’ll be a whole lotta' shakin’ going on!
http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/i-love-rock-and-roll-joan-jett-and-the-runaways/
Artie Wayne

We've been looking forward to this film, too ... and are hoping to go see it later today! (kk)

re: THE BOX TOPS:

>>> One of my personal favorites is "I Met Her In Church" (kk)

I really did! Thirty-Six years ago. Man, talk about a life-long spiritual experience! David Lewis

re: CHUCK BERRY:

Keith Richards Guitar Lesson: I know what you're thinking by reading the subject line ... Rolling Stones lead guitarist Keith Richards has got a guitar lesson for us? No, not really. You see Keith is getting a guitar lesson first hand from the legendary Chuck Berry. That's right!
Crank up the sound, sit back and relax as Chuck instructs his pupil the correct way of playing "Oh Carol" on a guitar!
Chuck Berry, Pioneer of Rock n Roll
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0f4_1268505075
Wild Bill

Quite honestly, we expected a little bit of flack after our Chuck Berry piece ran the other day ... but nary a comment thus far. By the way, Johnny Depp has filmed a Keith Richards Documentary that is being readied for release. After admitting that he patterned his Jack Sparrow character in The Pirates of the Carribean movies after the famous (and colorful) Rolling Stones Guitarist ... and then convincing Richards to play his father in one of the sequels ... Depp brought a video camera with him everywhere he and Keith went for five days during their downtime from shooting the film. Reportedly, this footage is currently being edited into a two-hour documentary ... a day in the life of Keith Richards. (No official word yet as to whether any coconuts were harmed during this filming!) But this WOULD make an interesting film to watch! (kk)

re: HEAVEN SENT:
Can you believe we're still getting mail about the "Heaven Sent" commercial?!?!? Ahh, the power of the Internet!!!
Hello Kent
I saw your blog regarding Heaven Sent. Back in 1965 I used to hear this spot on WLS at night when they came far enough south for my car radio to receive their signal. I also enjoyed Larry Kenney when he was at WOWO in Fort Wayne. This Heaven Sent spot was well remembered and I have looked for it for as long as the Internet has been around. This version was not on your blog. I do not know who the singer is on this version but my best guess is that it's Shelley Fabares. As you recall in 1963 she had the hit Johnny Angel, so I figured the ad agency made the connection. This is all just my best guess. If the voice on this spot isn't Fabares then it's someone that certainly sounds like her. In the spring of 2009 I found a collection of air checks on CD from Boss Radio KHJ in Los Angeles from 1965 to 1972 by year. There were two spots that I really wanted. The Heaven Sent spot and the other one was the Thom McAnn Shoes GTO giveaway contest spot. On both commercials the jock talks over the front and rear. If you pay close attention the master tape had been broken before they put it onto the cart. Between the singing the agency announcer says "this for Christmas". The word "year' is missing. At the end of the spot the KHJ jock says "heaven sent heaven sent caviar certainly ... thank you ma'am". Both these spots are from November and December 1965. Please let me know if you like them and If you agree that Shelly Fabares is the singer. I don't have a clue who is doing the Thom McAnn spot. Keep up the good work!
Best regards
Mike
The "Heaven Sent" commercial caused quite a buzz here a few months back ... I just can't get over how many people this spot touched! (And how many have been frantically looking for a copy ever since!!!) While I don't think it's Shelley Fabares, it does sound a little bit like her. Check out all of our "Commercials" follow-ups on the site, too ... this became a VERY hot topic!!! (kk)



















re: JIMI HENDRIX:
While you have been writing about Tommy James new book about Mafia involvement in rock and roll, the death of Jimi Hendrix has never officially been put to bed with much speculation he was murdered. Alex Constantine, author of The Covert War Against Rock (Feral House), has posted on his website (
www.alexconstantineblacklist.com) the attached article which surmises Hendrix may have died while he was being waterboarded by the CIA.
Ken Voss
There have been rumours and speculation for years now about Jimi's final days ... but, unfortunately, virtually everybody he surrounded himself with is gone now, too. (Ahh, the company you keep!!!) To complicate matters even further, many of those who gave statements originally have since gone on to change and / or embellish their stories and memories. An interesting article and well worth reading if you've been following the Jimi Hendrix story at all. (We suggest you read OUR analysis FIRST on The Forgotten Hits Web Page and then head on over to Alex Constantine's piece for some real food for thought!!!) kk

And, of course, you can't mention Jimi Hendrix without mentioning The Monkees!!! (lol)

re: THE MONKEES:

>>> I co-wrote "Yes I Will" with Gerry Goffin and the Hollies record is just so great (Phil Collins told me it was one of his favorite records back then) "Yes I Will" was also on the first Monkees' record (as "I'll Be True To You" - kk) but it wasn't a very good version.

Russ Titelman

Without a doubt, The Hollies' version of "Yes I Will" COMPLETELY blows The Monkees' version away (but I'll bet you earned a WHOLE lot more in the way of royalties when The Pre-Fab Four cut it!!! lol) kk











re: THE IDES OF MARCH:
Thanks, Kent.
I hadn't seen this announced but will definitely check into it. We were just talking about Jim and the band yesterday since it was "their day".
David Lewis
Hope you can make it to the show ... you will NOT be disappointed. (And don't forget to write us afterwards and tell us what you thought!!!) kk

re: STEVE MILLER:
Hey, Kent ...
First time I've ever seen Steve Miller mentioned in FH. It's easy to dismiss Miller as a lightweight with all the later hits -- Abra-Ca-Dabra, etc., until you really think about just how many there were. Plus, he was a serious contender long before the pop hits started coming. If you go all the way back to Livin' in the USA, there had to be 10 or more significant positions on the charts -- I can think of 8.
If you don't have it, you should get Steve Miller Band Live from Chicago. It was shot at Ravinia, and looks great because of that. Performance, visuals, recording and editing are all great. I'm currently watching it every morning as put in my time on the exercise bike. Very diverting.
Rick Barr
New Colony Six
We tried to get tickets for that Ravinia performance (Jimy Rogers and The Mauds were the opening act that night) but the show was a complete sell-out. I heard it was a GREAT show ('tho I haven't seen the DVD ... I also heard Miller and Company were "less than gracious" when their opening act had the audience up on their feet for most of their performance, going over just a little bit better than an opening act is supposed to!!! lol)
I first discovered Steve Miller back in 1968 when he was probably still best known as more of a blues artist. Proof again that your idols will lead you to discover other music, I checked them out because Paul McCartney (still with The Beatles at the time) played on his track "My Dark Hour" and I wanted to see what that sounded like. (Honestly, it didn't do much for me ... but nearly 30 years later Miller would return the favor by contributing to three tracks on Macca's "Flaming Pie" LP!) "Living In The USA" was the first real commercial success Miller enjoyed ... that single (released first in 1968 and then re-released in 1974 after "The Joker" went to #1) has become an FM staple. Without a doubt, Miller stuck together two INCREDIBLE albums the following year ... "Fly Like An Eagle" and "Book Of Dreams" ... which won him international appeal (but cost him some of his die-hard fans who had stuck with him for years, feeling that Miller had "sold out" for the sake of hit records) ... no matter ... it worked ... quickly "Take The Money And Run", "Rock'n Me", "Fly Like An Eagle", "Jet Airliner", "Jungle Love" and "Swingtown" were ALL over the radio ... and they haven't been off since. (To the point that I, personally, have OD'd on the man ... I LOVED these albums when they came out and played them to death ... but I swear at least a couple times a week I'll stumble across two or three Steve Miller songs playing at the exact same time while button pushing trying to find something DIFFERENT to listen to on the radio dial!!!)
Will have to check out the concert DVD ... sounds interesting. Thanks, Rick! (kk)

Meanwhile, here's Steve Miller and Paul McCartney doing MY favorite track from those session, "Young Boy" ... this one absolutely would have been a hit had radio still been playing new material from EITHER of these guys back in 1997!!!






re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
Kent:
Do you know if anyone on your FH list worked for WWCA in Gary, Indiana, during the 1960s?

Thanks.
ACJ
I dunno ... let's ask 'em!!! (kk)


Question for you or others: Regarding The Drifter's hit "There Goes My Baby": A DJ on a WDRV made a claim that the 45 was initially released w/o violins (strings), but I guess the radio stations were asked to destroy or discard the initial promo 45s and they would be replaced. Have asked others and did searches, but no one recalls this. Would LOVE to find it on CD. Planning to do my own (pay) radio show and it fits well into my forte of Uncommon Top 40!

Thanks, Kent!

Best,

John

http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/

"There Goes My Baby" has long been recognized by the distinction of being the first "rock and roll" record to use strings and full orchestration ... but amongst all that hype (which, quite honestly, I've found hard to believe for years ... but have just never really researched this) I have NEVER heard that it was first commercially released WITHOUT strings. Anybody out there able to shed some light on this? Or, better yet, have a copy of this rarity to share? Let us know! (kk)

Kent ...
I have been searching for years for a particular song from the late 60's or early 70's that started out with killer motorcycle sounds. It was an instrumental on 45. I don't remember the name or artist ... that's why I'm not having much success.
I used to run a summer camp and during the last week of camp, instead of playing the bugle song to wake up the campers, we played crazy stuff. I played this motorcycle song and it sounded like the Hell's Angels were tearing through the camp! It was a riot!!
I happened upon your website and blog in my online searches this evening and thought I'd see if you have a clue as to what my long lost motorcycle instrumental might be.
Thanks for any help you could give me!
Sharon Sigmon
Newton, NC

Wow, that's not much to go on ... there could literally be DOZENS of possible candidates for this one ... there was a whole genre of "motorcycle music" going around in the late '60's ... can you pin it down to a more specific timeframe ... or tell us where you heard the song? (Was it a big radio hit?) Off the top of my head, I'm inclined to go with this one ... but only because it's one of MY favorites and was a pretty decent-sized hit back in 1967 ... (that and the fact that Davie Allan is on our FH Mailing List!!! lol) This is "Blues' Theme" from the film "The Wild Angels", circa 1967. (kk)












re: DIGGIN' FORGOTTEN HITS:
I am still amazed at all the great people and great info that you put together.
Now if you could just figure out how to make money doing it.
Hmmm! Maybe you have.
Bill

Ahh ... if only that were the case. I sure figured there'd be some return by now (this is my 11th year of doing this "labor of love" ... and short of a free CD or DVD here and there, it's all about the love of the music ... which would be fine, I guess, if "real life" didn't suck so bad!!!) kk

Hi Kent ...
Just wanted to personally thank you ... you're one of the few guys in this crazy old business that unselfishly continues to help people. I must say, it's quite refreshing to see! And thank you so much for all of your dedication, in not only preserving, but shedding new light on both the oldies songs and recording artists.
Sincerely,
Steve McCorvey
NewOldies.com
Thanks, Steve ... I hope some of our readers had the chance to check out your website ... a very interesting concept that should appeal to many of us who love the great sounds of this music! (kk)