I got this announcement JUST in time to include in today's posting!
For all our readers in the Wildwood, New Jersey area ... and there seem to be quite a few of you out there ... you won't want to miss the big '60's Weekend kicking off tomorrow.
Here's the latest word from our Cool Scoops Buddy, Paul Russo:
Hey Kent,
Just a cool reminder.
This weekend is our 60's Weekend down here in Wildwood NJ.
Gary Puckett, The Grass Roots and Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Gary will be here with us at Cool Scoops on Saturday (see poster)
to receive the Wildwoods Music Award.Thanks to our friends at Rewind Radio, Jimmy Jay and crew.
Pictures of the event to follow next week.
Paul / Cool Scoops
And, of course, Cool Scoops is the PERFECT place to stop before or after the concert ... ALWAYS a fun time (and a tasty treat!!!) Thanks, Paul! (kk)
re: COMING UP:
Well, you can't say that we didn't give you enough notice about THIS one!!! (lol) We go from a "Deadline Dash" to tell you about this weekend's Wildwood '60's Weekend to an announcement we received yesterday about a show coming up NEXT JANUARY!!!
Mark your calendars for this one, folks ... sounds like a goodie!
BACK TO THE 60'S
Type: Music/Arts - Concert
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Time: 7:30pm - 10:30pm
Location: B.B. KING BLUES CLUB 237 West 42nd Street NYC
Description: The original lead singers of The Outsiders, The Buckinghams, Climax, The Cuff Links and The Archies: RON DANTE, DENNIS TUFANO, SONNY GERACI and BO DONALDSON + THE HEYWOODS
re: THE RONNIE ALLEN MUSIC THEATER:
We've been stock-piling these for a while now ... but the GOOD news is that ALL of Ronnie's shows are archived on his website ... which means that you can listen to all kinds of great musical memories, interviews and artist profiles anytime you like. Here are just some of the more recent artists he's had on his program ... LOTS of great shows to choose from ... and they're all available on his JerseyGirlsSing website, which is accessible here: www.jerseygirlssing.com ... check back often to hear ALL of the great interviews that Ronnie has done over the years. Meanwhile, here's the scoop on some of the latest:
Hi Kent!
It was such a joy doing this show with Broadway and recording star Robin McNamara, a man who is a kid at heart and describes himself as "Ol' Hippie"!
You might say that in Robin's case art imitated life. Because he appropriately landed a major starring role on Broadway as one of the two male leads in the smash ground-breaking Broadway music "Hair." He played Claude Hooper Bukowski. And, forty years later, he amazingly can still sing one of the most popular tunes from the show, "Manchester, England," fantastically as he proves in his a capella performance here!If you're wondering if Robin participated in the famous nude scene from that show, I will tell you that "Claude" did NOT participate in that but I will also tell you that what I just said is NOT necessarily a "NO"! Robin gives the complete lowdown on what he either did not do or did!
Broadway success was only one of his accomplishments. Shortly before performing in "Hair," he had landed a recording deal with Jeff Barry and Steed Records. And, while he was starring on Broadway, that came to fruition as Robin climbed the chart with a big hit that he co-wrote with Jeff called "Lay A Little Lovin' On Me."
Robin is an immensely versatile singer and songwriter and we feature several of his other recordings during this show.
And, among other interesting tidbits, Robin tells an amazing story about a cross-country trip that he made with his wife and Jeff Barry and the late Bobby Bloom. I would describe that as a "hair-raising" experience with pun surely intended.
Recently Robin recorded a remake of "Lay A Little Lovin' On Me" which was produced by Ron ("Archies and Cuff Links") Dante; I've included it as a bonus track. Robin also recently did several recordings in Florida, one of which (about two rock and roll legends) closes the show.
Suffice to say that the "Ol' Hippie" is not at all ready to retire!
Following is a list of the tracks in sequence, including the two bonus tracks. All are by Robin McNamara except as noted otherwise.
1 Lay A Little Lovin' On Me (the beginning loops underneath my introduction)
2 Be-Bop-A-Lula (excerpt) -- Gene Vincent
3 I Can Love You
4 Lila (excerpt)
5 Lay A Little Lovin' On Me
6 Got To Believe In Love
7 Lost In Boston
8 Mary, Janey and Me
9 Chapel Of Love (excerpt) -- Robin & Jo
10 The Prophet & The King (edit)
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BT Lay A Little Lovin' On Me (remake)
BT Stuck In The 60s
This Robin McNamara radio interview show was recorded exclusively for the "Jersey Girls Sing" website. The Home Page of that website is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com
The following link will get you directly to my Radio Page, which is a part of the website and which contains this latest show and all of my previous ones.
http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html
Ronnie Allen
Hi Kent,
I am so pleased to announce my latest show with a man who is a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. This show was a joy for me on so many levels. I grew up listening to and loving the music of the Platters and followed their career with anticipation and awe. Their legendary hits have more than merely stood the test of time: they are classics."Only You" and "The Great Pretender" and "The Magic Touch" and "Twilight Time" and "My Prayer" and so much more.
The original five Platters who sang all those hits were lead singer Tony Williams, tenor David Lynch, baritone Paul Robi, contralto Zola Taylor and bass singer Herb Reed.The recent passing of Zola left Herb as the only surviving member of the original hitmaking group. It was an honor and a thrill to do this super-sized show with Herb, the man who founded the group, came up with the name "Platters," and sang on every single one of the group's 45 charted hits including all those in the late 60s with new lead singer Sonny Turner. And he's STILL a Platter, touring with a group called "Herb Reed and the Platters."
And on at least one very notable occasion, during the glorious 50s, Herb was the lead singer. His deep bass voice opened and closed their hit "You'll Never Never Know." But he also was the lead singer from beginning to end on the Platters version of the Tennessee Ernie hit "Sixteen Tons." Yes, of course, that's included in the show. I don't want to give too much away. There are many surprises during this show and I want all of you to be surprised as I was! But I'll throw a few teasers your way:
(1) What was the connection between "Only You" and Zsa Zsa Gabor?
(2) What hit recording session did their producer / songwriter / manager Buck Ram storm out of because he was not happy with what the group were doing?
(3) What is the ONLY song that Tony Williams felt that he could REALLY sing? Hint: it was NOT one of their big hits.
(4) How does Herb feel about the bogus "Platters" groups that have been a thorn in his side for years?
(5) Will you be able to figure out what I felt it necessary to bleep out toward the end of the show?
I am most grateful to Herb Reed for his generosity, warmth, sense of humor and total honesty during this show.I enjoyed spending the time with him so very much.Following is a list of the tracks in sequence. Because the show is "super-sized" (75 minutes) there are no bonus tracks.
1 Opening: The Magic Touch: live performance by the Platters at an Alan Freed show (edit)
2 I'll Be Home For Christmas (excerpt) -- Bing Crosby
3 Only You (Federal records version) (excerpt) -- The Platters
4 Only You (Mercury records hit version) -- The Platters
5 The Great Pretender -- The Platters
6 The Magic Touch -- The Platters
7 My Prayer -- The Platters
8 You'll Never Never Know -- The Platters
9 Sixteen Tons -- The Platters (Herb Reed on lead!)
10 Twilight Time (excerpt) -- The Three Suns
11 Twilight Time -- The Platters
12 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes -- The Platters
13 Enchanted -- The Platters
14 ????? mystery song ????? -- The Platters
15 I Love You 1000 Times -- The Platters
16 With This Ring -- The Platters
17 Remember When -- The Platters
Note: #14 (the mystery song) is the answer to teaser #3 above: it's the only song that Tony Williams felt he could REALLY sing! (He confided this to Herb).
This Herb Reed radio interview show was recorded exclusively for the "Jersey Girls Sing" website. The Home Page of that website is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com The following link will get you directly to my Radio Page, which is a part of the website and which contains this latest show and all of my previous ones.
http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html
Ronnie Allen
Hi Kent!
I'm delighted to tell you and all of your readers about my latest radio interview show. It's with international singing star Trini Lopez.
Trini's story is truly a rags to riches saga. And he admits during this interview show that, were it not for a well-deserved spanking that he received from his father, his career might not have ever happened!
From his offical website (www.trinilopez.com): "Trini was a poor boy from the barrio of Dallas, Texas. He remembers barely enough food for the family, the amount always determined by his parents' ability to get whatever work they could. 'They worked and struggled together just to survive,' he recalls. 'They plowed fields together. My mother washed clothes in the neighborhood for extra income. You cannot imagine how hard it was.' Trini has made 'lemonade' from a life that began with nothing but lemons!"
After Buddy Holly died, Trini was offered the chance to become the lead singer of the Crickets! But, as he told me, he had no choice but to walk away from that opportunity.
It didn't really happen overnight but he became an "overnight sensation" and catapulted to international fame after being discovered by Don Costa, signing a long-term deal with Frank Sinatra's company Reprise Records and recording a live album at a nightclub where he had been working for many months. That album was "Trini Lopez At PJ's." His single "If I Had A Hammer," his live remake of the Peter, Paul and Mary Hit, reached #3 on the American chart and #1 in 36 countries. It was the start of a very successful career in which he had many more hits, both in America and overseas, and recorded an almost unbelievable total of 85 albums! He also appeared in several motion pictures, including being "the dirtiest of 'The Dirty Dozen'"! He also has hosted several TV shows and won many awards.He is one of the most exciting musical performers on the horizon and also one of the nicest guys in show business.
Following is a list of the tracks in sequence. Because the show is "super-sized" (70 minutes) there are no bonus tracks. All tracks with the exception of #2 are by Trini Lopez.
1 America
2 If I Had A Hammer (excerpt) -- Peter, Paul and Mary
3 If I Had A Hammer
4 Kansas City
5 What Have I Got Of My Own
6 Michael
7 Lemon Tree
8 I'm Comin' Home, Cindy
9 La Bamba - Part I
10 Sinner Man
11 Guantanamera
12 Sugar Sugar (en Espanol)
This Trini Lopez radio interview show was recorded exclusively for the "Jersey Girls Sing" website. The Home Page of that website is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com
The following link will get you directly to my Radio Page, which is a part of the website and which contains this latest show and all of my previous ones.
http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html
Ronnie Allen
Hi Kent,
I have loved the Four Lads close to 60 years and I am delighted to let you and everyone else know that I have posted my interview show with Frank Busseri, one of the four founding members of the that classic group.
For years I have wondered: who are the two uncredited girls on the Four Lads' biggest hit "Moments To Remember"? I'm talking about the one who opens the record with "January to December, we'll have moments to remember" and the one who, midway through, utters the words "the drive-in movie where we'd go and somehow never watched the show." I need wonder no more. I got the answer from Frank, one of the four founding members of the group who, like the other three, sang on all of their 27 charted hits. Of course that answer is revealed during the show.
The members of this group, who in 2009 were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall Of Fame, grew up together in Toronto, Canada. They were Jimmy Arnold, Connie Codarini, Bernie Toorish and Frank Busseri.Believe it or not, they originally called themselves The Otnorots! That sounds pretty strange until I tell you that "Otnorot" is "Toronto" backwards. Okay, it STILL sounds pretty strange! They started their incredibly-successful recording career in 1951 when Mitch Miller recurited them to do backup for a then-unknown singer named Johnnie Ray on two sides of a single. "Cry" (#1) and "The Little White Cloud That Cried" (#2) sold over two million records and opened the door for the Four Lads to became major stars on their own.
Three of their big hits in the pre-rock were in the novelty vein and you'll hear them on this show: "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer ..." and "Skokiaan." But in the rock era they changed their musical direction and became more successful than ever.
In 1955 they recorded their classic "Moments To Remember." Subsequently they had hits with other ballads including "No, Not Much!", "Who Needs You" and "Enchanted Island." Showing amazing versatility, they had also had big hits with uptempo songs such as "Standing On The Corner" (that's Frank Busseri singing lead), "There's Only One Of You" and several others.
There's much more to their story and I'll save it for the listening. Their fantastic recordings are timeless and Frank is the epitome of the word "classy"!Following is a list of the tracks in sequence. Because the show is "super-sized" (70 minutes) there are no bonus tracks. All tracks, except as noted, are by the Four Lads.
1 Gilly, Gilly, Ossenfeffer, Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea (excerpt)
2 Cry (ending) -- Johnnie Ray with the Four Lads
3 The Little White Cloud That Cried (ending) -- Johnnie Ray with the Four Lads
4 Turn Back (excerpt)
5 Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
6 Gilly, Gilly, Ossenfeffer, Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea
7 Skokiaan
8 Moments To Remember
9 No, Not Much!
10 Standing On The Corner
11 My Little Angel
12 The Bus Stop Song (A Paper Of Pins)
13 Who Needs You
14 I Just Don't Know
15 There's Only One Of You
16 Enchanted Island
17 The Mocking Bird (1952 version) (excerpt)
18 The Mocking Bird (1956 version)
19 Put A Light In The Window
This Four Lads (Frank Busseri) radio interview show was recorded exclusively for the "Jersey Girls Sing" website. The home page of that website is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com and clicking on the picture of the Four Lads will get you directly to my Radio Page, which is a part of the website and which contains this latest show and all of my previous ones.Or you can get there directly by clicking the following link:
http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html
Ronnie Allen
Hi Kent!
I just posted a fun radio interview show that I recorded a couple of weeks ago with Dodie Stevens, the "Pink Shoe Laces" girl.
There are several artists, as you know, who have one or a few hits and then simply disappear. Dodie is not one of them!
Dodie, born Geraldine Anne Pasquale, was a singing prodigy at the age of four and she is still singing today. In 1954, at the age of eight, she recorded her first song, "Merry-Go Merry-Go Round" and then performed it on Art Linkletter's "House Party." She wasn't "Dodie Stevens" then. She was using the name "Geri Pace."It was a local TV show that she performed on a couple of years later which led to the record that made her an overnight star. "Pink Shoe Laces" was, of course, a silly novelty song but it became a huge hit and, 51 years after peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, it remains one of the most memorable novelty hits of the rock era. (Interestingly Joel Whitburn does NOT consider it a novelty.)
With its success at the age of 13, Dodie became the youngest female vocalist to have a million-selling record and she still has that distinction today.In addition to that record, we play her four other chart records on this show. One of them was the title song of a major motion picture starring the great comedian Danny Kaye in the role of a legendary band leader.
In addition to having hits, Dodie appeared in three movies, did commercials, recorded three albums as part of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '77 and for several years worked as a singer-dancer for Mac Davis. She also recorded two albums with her daughter Stephanie. We play tracks from each of those and you will truly be amazed at Dodie's versatility. None of those tracks sound at all like "Pink Shoe Laces"! The two still are performing together.
Dodie is much more than simply the record she is best-known for and she was a total delight to interview. Following is a list of the tracks in sequence including the two bonus tracks. Except as specified otherwise, the billing is "Dodie Stevens."
Notes:"AKA Stevens" is a band fronted by Dodie and her daughter Stephanie. Tracks #8 and #9 are from their CD entitled "Outlaw Of The Heart. "Track 10 is a medley of three songs from Dodie and Stephanie's CD "Life Is A Song Sing-Along." "Geraldine Stevens" is Dodie recording using her original first name.
1 Pink Shoe Laces (excerpt) [opening of show]
2 Pink Shoe Laces
3 Yes - Sir - ee
4 The Five Pennies
5 No
6 Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight
7 Trade Winds
8 Magdalena -- AKA Stevens
9 Stonewall's Hymn -- AKA Stevens
10 Medley: I Am Happy / Life Is Good (Theresa's Song) / Time To Go To Bed -- Dodie and Stephanie Stevens
11 Mairzy Doats
-----------------------------------------------
BT Miss Lonely Hearts
BT Billy, I've Got To Go To Town -- Geraldine Stevens
This Dodie Stevens radio interview show was recorded exclusively for the "Jersey Girls Sing" website. The home page of that website is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com and clicking on the picture of Dodie will get you directly to my Radio Page, which is a part of the website and which contains this latest show and all of my previous ones. Or you can get there directly by clicking the following link: http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html
Ronnie Allen
Hi Kent!
I'm really excited to announce my latest radio interview show that I did for the Jersey Girls Sing website. It's with two members of the Fireballs, founder George Tomsco and lead singer Jimmy Gilmer. They are one of few acts in the rock era to achieved multiple hits with instrumentals and with vocals.
This group took their name from a monster Jerry Lee Lewis hit. You can probably figure out which one! Originally hailing from Raton, New Mexico in the late 50's, the Fireballs were New Mexico's first rock and roll recording band to become internationally known. They got their big break in 1958 when they auditioned for Norman Petty. The legendary producer was overwhelmed by their style, simplicity and the musical feel in which the group performed original guitar instrumentals and vocals written by group founder / guitarist George Tomsco and lead singer Chuck Tharp. Norman signed them and in January of 1959 they released their first record on Kapp records, titled (appropriately enough) "Fireball." That record achieved regional success and set the stage for several instrumentals which hit the national top 40, namely "Torquay," "Bulldog" and "Quite A Party." That in turn set the stage for their blockbuster hit, "Sugar Shack," which was #1 for five straight weeks in 1963 and was the biggest record of the entire year.
They had acquired a new lead singer and their billing on that hit featured his name: "Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs." There's more to the story (including another huge top ten hit) but I'll leave it to George and Jimmy to fill you and othe in on all the details. And there are many amazing ones.These guys enjoy what they do immensely and have deservedly achieved international success and have been popular for over 50 years. They are truly a class act in every way!
Oh, one more thing before I list the lineup of records played during the show. "Sugar Shack" was an incredible smash. So why did George and Jimmy think that producer Norman Petty had ruined it?
Following is a list of the tracks in sequence including the two bonus tracks. Except as specified otherwise, the billing is "the Fireballs."
1 Fireball (excerpt looped under my introduction!)
2 Fireball (complete)
3 Cry Baby [note: Chuck Tharp sings lead]
4 Torquay
5 Bulldog
6 Quite A Party
7 Sugar Shack -- Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
8 Daisy Petal Pickin' -- Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
9 Ain't Gonna Tell Anybody -- Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
10 Bottle Of Wine
11 Come On, React!
12 Everybody Should Have Lived In The 50s
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BT Long, Long Ponytail [note: Chuck Tharp sings lead]
BT Red Cadillac And A Pink Mustache -- Jimmy Gimer and the Fireballs
This Fireballs radio interview show was recorded exclusively for the "Jersey Girls Sing" website. The home page of that website is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com and clicking on the picture of the Fireballs will get you directly to my Radio Page, which is a part of the website and which contains this latest show and all of my previous ones.Or you can get there directly by clicking the following link:
http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html
Ronnie Allen
Whew!!! (Welcome to Ronnie Allen Day here in Forgotten Hits!!! Lol) Hey, some GREAT stuff up there on the site ... and our oldies fans / readers will just LOVE checking some of this out ... so enjoy!!!
Have a Great Weekend, Everybody!!!
