>>>I had the rare opportunity to visit with Kim Bloxdorf, Paul
Haney and Brent Olynick of Record Research this past week … which included a
tour of the amazing Joel Whitburn vault built under his residence in Menomonee
Falls, Wisconsin. (And what an
incredible experience it was … to see the results of all that work and research
assembling a collection of EVERY charted item to ever make Billboard’s charts!) kk
What a great Experience for you! You’re very fortunate to now have had that unique time. I look forward to seeing photos!
Chuck
It was a dream come true. (I've had a standing invitation for at least the past fifteen years but could never seem to make it up there to tour the vault ... just feel bad that it had to happen after Joel's passing ... but his books and his passion for this music have helped to sustain me for as far back as I can remember ... so it truly was a privilege and an honor to see it all up close, first hand.) kk
One of the most distinctive voices of our time ... no, of ALL time ... was silenced when actor James Earl Jones died yesterday. (9/9)
And I don't just mean the voice of Darth Vader, CNN, Mufasa and the Uncola Guy! The minute you heard that booming voice come from your television set or movie theater speakers, you KNEW who it was. And by all accounts, he was the consummate actor ... classically trained and just as comfortable doing Shakespeare as he was guest-starring on "Will And Grace."
Other than those infamous 7-UP commercials, I first encountered James Earl Jones on the big screen in the movie "The Great White Hope." Believe it or not, we went to see it on a high school field trip. (This was back in the day where all the big, new motion pictures opened downtown ... we had seen "Romeo and Juliet" the year before ... and the theatrical revival of "Ben Hur" the year after.)
Jones played boxing legend Jack Johnson in a role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. (Johnson was one bad-ass boxer ... unbeatable they said ... but came under fire by the press for dating white women. Coincidently ... or not ... James Earl Jones was married twice, both times to white women.)
His role in "Field Of Dreams" was also outstanding. He even got to drive Ms. Daisy in the filmed remake of the stage play in 2014, opposite Angela Lansbury.
But the kids will most remember him for his voice-over work as Darth Vader in the Star Wars series and as the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King.
I can't believe he was 93 ... that just blows me away. I had no idea he was that old ... yet never lost the magic that made him stand head and shoulders above so many of his contemporaries. We will miss you ... but your work will live on forever. (kk)
[My Grandson, ironically named Luke, is a Darth Vader fanatic ... in fact, you can see him in his Halloween costume for this year below! My daughter was concerned as to how to tell him that "the voice of Darth Vader had died." I told her that she needed say anything ... at six years old, he wouldn't really understand it anyway. And besides, the voice of Darth Vader will live on forever. Luke's grandchildrens' grandchildren will know who Darth Vader is ... and that's the absolute truth.] - kk
You quite possibly have already heard that James Earl Jones, known for his unmistakable baritone voice, made his transition today at the age of 93.
Rest in peace, Jimmy. You gave us great music.
Clark Besch
Larry
More sad news ...
Songwriters Hall Of Fame songwriter Will Jennings has died. (9/6) He was 80 years old.
As a lyricist, Jennings had a hand in writing several hit songs that make up the soundtrack of our lives: "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, "Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton, "Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston, "Looks Like We Made It" for Barry Manilow and "While You See A Chance," "Valerie," "Higher Love," "The Finer Things, "Back In The High Life Again, "Roll With It" and "Don't You Know What The Night Can Do" by Steve Winwood.
He won Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for both "My Heart Will Go On" and "Up Where We Belong" ... as well as three Grammy Awards (for "My Heart Will Go On," "Tears In Heaven" and "I'll Never Love This Way Again," a hit for Dionne Warwick. "Higher Love" was also nominated for a Grammy.) kk
The tour dates for Heart's rescheduled Royal Flush tour have been announced ...
The group will pick things up again (after Ann Wilson's surgery) on the 28th of February next year ...
February 28 – Las Vegas, NV – Fontainebleau Las Vegas
March 3 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
March 4 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
March 6 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
March 8 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center
March 9 – Boise, ID – ExtraMile Arena
March 11 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
March 13 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
March 14 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
March 20 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
March 21 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
March 24 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
March 26 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
March 28 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
March 29 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Civic Center Coliseum
March 31 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
April 2 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
April 4 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
April 5 – Québec, QC – Videotron Centre
Meanwhile, Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band is back on the road again ...
Things kicked off this past weekend with a show Saturday Night in San Diego.
Then on Sunday, Ringo's brother-in-law ... a guy named Joe Walsh ... came out and joined the band for the "With A Little Help From My Friends" finale at The Greek Theater.
Other dates this month include:
Sept 10 Grand Junction, CO – Ampitheater at Las Colonias Park
Sept 12 Omaha, NE – The Astro Amphitheater
Sept 14 New Lenox, IL – Performing Arts Pavilion @ The Commons
Sept 15 Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion
Sept 17 Washington DC – The Anthem
Sept 18 Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre
Sept 20 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Sept 22 Niagara Falls, ON – Fallsview Casino Resort
Sept 24 Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann
Sept 25 New York City, NY – Radio City Music Hall
The line-up (minus Edgar Winter) is the same that we saw late last year. (kk)
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-sunday-comments-10-08-23.html
>>>Usage of a song for sporting events and political campaigns: Is it fair?
(Clark Besch)
Clark raised the question … and then provided some possible answers …
My friend Ed Heine gave me some answers, although I am still pretty confused.
It seems like artists have SOME royalties and SOME rights to usage, but it still seems a hodgepodge. Ed was a teen dance band player in Nebraska who became a Warner Brothers GM of Publishing in Germany in the 70s and 80s. He's a long-time friend and very astute on publishing.
He writes:
Hi Clark –
I attach two links below for you with regard to US copyright law. I think they answer your question better than I could.
In Europe, it’s different because of the longstanding personal rights laws which the creator of a work enjoys. I remember a case here where a Dutch company manufactured Beatles compilation records and exported them to Germany. At the time, the Dutch copyright on recordings was only 25 years and EU regulations called for the free exchange of goods within the EU so it appeared as if there was nothing the record company could do. We represented John Lennon's writer’s share so EMI Records, Paul McCartney’s publisher and we sued based on the personal rights of the writers. We said that Lennon and McCartney never intended that recordings of their songs be packaged in this way because the manner in which their singles were released and albums were put together was the result of their artistic prerogative. The court ruled in our favor.
Here — and throughout Europe — the performance rights to a song are freely available through the local equivalents to ASCAP or BMI. However, if the writer of a song objects to the usage because, for example, he does not wish to be associated with a political figure, his personal rights as the creator of a song allow him to prohibit such use and potentially collect damages. Incidentally, the writer can transfer his rights to a song (or a book) to a publisher, but personal rights cannot be transferred and remain with the creator, even for quite a while after his death.
https://www.lfarberlaw.com/post/can-artists-prevent-politicians-from-using-their-music
https://www.ascap.com/~/media/files/pdf/advocacy-legislation/political_campaign.pdf
From Billboard 1979:
From Tom Cuddy ...
Documentary: Killing Me Softly With His Songs (Charles Fox, writer of tv themes and hit records for Barry Manilow, Roberta Flack and Jim Croce)
There has been some discussion back and forth about Tommy James and the Shondells being included in the bubblegum countdown. (Remember … ALL of the nominees came from votes by our readers … we laid down NO ground rules … if YOU guys think it qualifies as bubblegum, it’s on the list.)
With over 200 titles nominated (and only 40 making the countdown), it’s pretty obvious that a good number of these won’t make the cut. In fact, if the poll ended today, a record would need at LEAST 50 votes to even make the countdown … and about 125 of those 200+ tunes have earned less than ten votes each …
So the list literally built itself.
As for Tommy James, he currently has FOUR songs nominated … and two of those (“I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Hanky Panky” have enough votes to contend for a Top 40 spot. (“Mirage” … which I would agree has more of a bubblegum sound to it … has about a dozen votes … while “Mony, Mony” … which I don’t feel belongs on this list at all … has six.)
As for “I Think We’re Alone Now,” I don’t think this was EVER intended to be considered a bubblegum song when it was first written …
But in his book “Me, The Mob and the Music,” Tommy says that he inadvertently INVENTED Bubblegum Music when he revamped “I Think We’re Alone Now” for single release in 1967.
The song was written by Ritchie Cordell and Bo Gentry, formerly staff writers for Artie Ripp at Kama Sutra Records. They were not very accomplished as musicians … but Tommy knew a hit song when he heard it.
Tommy says:
“No matter how badly Bo played the piano, no matter how off-key Ritchie sang, this was a smash. They played it again and again, and I liked it more every time.
“Bo sat down at a beautiful Baldwin grand piano that was miked in stereo. Ritchie sat behind the drums in a semi-enclosed, acoustic drum bay with each drum and cymbal separately miked and perfectly tuned. Next to the drum bay was a row of guitar and bass amplifiers with acoustic baffling between each. I picked my old favorite, an Ampeg Gemini II, and plugged it in my Fender Jazzmaster guitar. We put on matching stereo headphones with separate volume controls and we were ready. I was not sure if the three of us together could play more than a dozen chords, but we sure looked cool.
“First we raised the key from G to A … and then started toying with the arrangement. Ritchie and Bo originally wrote the song as a mid-tempo ballad. I said ‘No way’ and started speeding it up. I began playing the staccato eighth notes on the bass strings just like Larry Coverdale and I did in the old days. Bo began pounding out quarter notes on the piano. Ritchie grabbed some drumsticks and did the best he could. I then put on a nasally, almost juvenile-sounding lead vocal and, without realizing it, we invented bubblegum music!”
(It sounds like Tommy may be recreating this discussion as part of his Sirius / XM "Gettin' Together" radio program, tying into our current poll of bubblegum favorites!)
After the final mix was done, Tommy put on the reel-to-reel tape to listen to at home and, much like John Lennon did with his song “Rain,” wound it incorrectly, which resulted in the tape playing backwards.
In the case of The Beatles’ tune, John loved the sound so much, he wanted to record the whole song backwards!
Tommy, however, loved how good the chords sounded together, whether played forward or backward … so he took those re-inverted chords and put lyrics to them …
Which became “Mirage,” their next hit single! (kk)
Kent ~
Your allusion to popular songs about Native Americans / Indians a couple of weeks ago caught my eye and my interest.
About 20 years ago, I set out to create a collection of such songs, but it kept snowballing into this chasm of different genres and then, of course, included songs BY American Native Indian Indigenous Peoples and Tribes. I mean it got way too heavy, so I set it down. There were hundreds of songs.
Robbie Robertson of The Band performed and produced an entire album of such works.
Never forget Buffy St. Marie.
Redbone is a hugely underrated band.
Link Wray, guitarist & songwriter.
The tragic Jesse Ed Davis.
The Seeds guitarist, Jan Savage.
Also, there are dozens, maybe hundreds of bands of musical Native Americans from practically every tribe throughout the continent. Kiowa, Apache, Navajo, and on and on ...
Some titles that come to mind are:
Paul Revere and the Raiders: "Indian Reservation"
Rex Allen: "Don't Go Near The Indians"
Johnny Cash: "The Ballad Of Ira Hayes"
Larry Verne: "Please, Mr. Custer"
Neil Young: " Pocahontas"
This is but a tip of the compilation iceberg, but at least it is food for thought.
This topic is a compelling thought, however.
My mother was part Native American, of some tribe in the Pacific Northwest, possibly Chinook.
Timmy
Frannie has Pawnee blood in her heritage as well … and my venture down this road (done primarily tongue in cheek … I just wanted to have a little bit of fun with the topic and its possibilities) didn’t set too well with her. As a child, she attended many tribal ceremonies … and her kids (and grand kids) have also partaken over the years since. It was all part of their natural upbringing.
In our series, we traced the history of the #1 Paul Revere and the Raiders hit back to its roots. (The song was first recorded by Marvin Rainwater, a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, as “Pale-Faced Indian” in 1959.)
You may find our piece of Redbone illuminating …
Not only were they not Native Americans … but the group was led by two Puerto Rican Brothers, who were also part of the Shindig! house band! (By the way, Mark Lindsay, who first recorded “Indian Reservation” as a solo single before Paul Revere persuaded him to put the whole band’s name on it instead) is also 1/16th Cherokee Indian.)
You’ll find a couple of short excerpts below … ‘60’s FLASHBACK style!
REDBONE are described in JOEL WHITBURN's TOP
POP SINGLES Book as an "American Indian Swamp-Rock Group," formed
in Los Angeles in 1968. They are considered unique in the music world as
being the first (and only) authentic American Indian Rock And Roll Band.
They performed on stage dressed in what can best be described as
ultra-stereotypical Indian fashion: buckskins, moccasins and full Indian
headdress ... yet only ONE member of the band was truly born a Native American
Indian. (Here we go again ... another thirty-year old myth is about to be
debunked today in FORGOTTEN HITS.)
Brothers PAT and LOLLY VEGAS
were the backbone of REDBONE, but their musical roots date back even
further. PAT and LOLLY first hit the rock and roll scene
back in the early '60's when they were backing up pop star JIMMY CLANTON.
In truth, they were Mexican-Americans, born with the last name of VASQUEZ.
When they decided to split off from CLANTON to concentrate on studio
sessions and club work, they were taken under the wing of famed musical manager
BUMPS BLACKWELL (SAM COOKE and LITTLE RICHARD), who
suggested that they change their last name to the more
"politically-correct" / "user-friendly" VEGAS.
Soon, as PAT AND LOLLY VEGAS, they were recording as a duo with PAT
on bass and LOLLY on guitar, trading off lead vocals. They landed
a gig on the popular teenage music television series SHINDIG!, performing
as both up-and-coming recording artists as well as part of the "house
band," backing other artists who were appearing on the program. They
continued to do a fair amount of studio session work (in fact, that's their
fretwork you hear on the hits LET'S GO by THE ROUTERS and OUT
OF LIMITS by THE MARKETTS! They also sat in on recording
sessions with the likes of studio session whiz kids GLEN CAMPBELL, JOHNNY
RIVERS and LEON RUSSELL in the mid-'60's before each of THESE
artists went on to have significant solo recording careers.) Along the
way, they even took a crack at songwriting, placing material with artists like BOBBIE
GENTRY, TOM JONES and ARETHA FRANKLIN. Their biggest
pop hit was recorded by P.J. PROBY ... the previously featured FORGOTTEN
HIT, NIKI HOEKY.
In the late '60's, they formed a new band
called THE CRAZY CAJUN BAND and, after a series of other players who
came and went, spinning through the proverbial musical revolving door, added ANTHONY
BELLAMY on guitar and PETER DE POE on drums. TONY BELLAMY
was ALSO a Mexican-American (real name TONY AVILA) but had an Uncle who
was a Navajo Chief. PETER DE POE was the ONLY native born American
Indian in the band. Given the Indian name "LAST WALKING BEAR,"
DE POE (from the Cheyenne tribe), was the ceremonial drummer on the
reservation where he was born prior to discovering rock and roll and joining REDBONE.
With a slight change in musical direction (along with a quick name change ... REDBONE
was a "wink-wink," tongue-in-cheek selection ... it is reportedly
Cajun and Indian slang for HALF-BREED), LOLLY and PAT VEGAS
now claimed they were descendants of the Yaqui Indians (who were,
coincidentally, based out of Sonora, Mexico). Soon the gimmick (and the
legend of REDBONE) was in place. (Ironically, after reaching chart
success, it was Native American Indian PETER DE POE who became the first
member to leave the band, being replaced by new drummer BUTCH RILERA,
another Mexican-American ... however, HE claimed to have had a
great-grandmother who was an Iroquois / Seneca Indian princess! RILERA
had previously played for THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS.)
Quite honestly, their musical inspirations
were as varied as their own backgrounds ... Cajun, Mexican-American, Indian and
Latin influences can be heard throughout their recordings. But it nearly
didn't happen ...
Their first two chart singles bombed when
they were released the first time around ... in 1970, MAGGIE hit #80 and
THE WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS never charted at all. Remarkably, a
year later MAGGIE was revived by the record label and this time it just
missed The Top 40, peaking at #45 in early 1971. When THE WITCH QUEEN
OF NEW ORLEANS (with what was now their trademark Native American backing
rhythms and chants) became an International Smash, (Top Ten in Holland,
Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Great Britain and Singapore!), it was quickly
re-released here in the States, too, and this time it went to #19 in Cash Box
Magazine (and was a #3 smash here in Chicago.) Their next release became
their biggest hit ... COME AND GET YOUR LOVE soared to #5 on both of the
national charts and went all the way to #1 here in Chi-Town ... and then,
mysteriously, at the top of their game, it was all over. (No official
report as to whether or not they later sold or donated their stage costumes to
that guy from THE VILLAGE PEOPLE.)
The hits may have stopped coming, but
today REDBONE is highly regarded as the premier, authentic American
Indian band, staying true to their musical roots while bridging the gap to rock
and roll ... even if that's not quite EXACTLY the truth!!! (LOL)
DIDJAKNOW?: What's in a name??? The word REDBONE has been referred to as both Cajun and Native American Indian slang for HALF-BREED ... which just HAPPENS to be tomorrow's FORGOTTEN HITS/ HONEST INJUN featured tune! (At which time we featured Cher’s #1 Hit, of course!)
And this, too, from Timmy ...
I love it!
All I want is a 1 inch square piece …
