>>>"El Paso" is an absolute classic ... I can't think of ANY other song that ever evoked such a vivid musical landscape of the old west ... it's no wonder at all that this one reached the top spot on both the Pop and Country Charts. (kk)
What a GREAT track -- and cool to think that this was the very first #1 record to kick off the '60's! (Mary Beth)
Released at a time when westerns dominated our television and movie viewing, Marty truly DID capture that very spirit of the old west in his four minute song. (But all this talk makes me want to hear "Ringo" by Lorne Greene now, too ... ANOTHER #1 Record from the early '60's that vividly captured this era ... this time from the guy who ALSO had the #1 Television Show, too!!!)
By the way, Diane Diekman, who provided that "Sneak Peek" Preview from her forth-coming Marty Robbins biography, ALSO publishes a Marty Robbins / Faron Young online newsletter. (She did Young's biography, too!) Here is just a short excerpt from the current edition. If you'd like to become a regular subscriber to her newsletter, simply respond to the link below (kk):
This periodic newsletter commemorates the lives of Faron Young and Marty Robbins. Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story was published in 2007 by the University of Illinois Press, and the publication goal for Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins is 2012.
"EL PASO" IS FIFTY YEARS OLD:
For the past two months I've been working on Marty Robbins chapters that talk about "El Paso" and the gunfighter ballads. Then one day I was shocked to realize this was FIFTY years go. I'm always a decade behind, and I'd thought it was forty years. Ranger Doug Green told me the Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album is "part of Cowboy 101. It's a must listen" for anyone who sings western music. My Internet searches often turn up references to this song and this album. How many others are routinely talked about fifty years after their release? 1959 closed with "El Paso" sitting in the number one spot nationwide on both pop and country charts. Three weeks before his death, Marty was asked how many times he'd sung "El Paso," and he said, "Tell me how many personal appearances I've made since 1959, and then I will know."
Here's a version from his 1969 TV show,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bwoGbpYXRw,
and this is one of his later live shows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn3JB51NH_M
Diane Diekman
Washington DC, USA
diane@dianediekman.com
Live Fast, Love Hard:The Faron Young Story
And, if any of our readers have information that might prove interesting regarding the Marty Robbins biography, please contact Diane at the above address, too! (kk)
re: ANGIE BABY:
How cool to get the inside scoop on 'Angie Baby' after all these years. Thanks to Alan O'Day for sending this into Forgotten Hits -- and thanks to Forgotten Hits for sharing it with all of your readers! This is what makes your website so awesome!
Sue
We TOTALLY agree with you, Sue!!! (lol) kk
Kent,
Very interesting insight into the writing of the song! Thanks, Alan!
"Undercover Angel" has a bit of the fantasy lyrics as well. Always liked "Started Out Dancing" as a followup, but don't know why it did not connect.
"Angie's" timing was right for the times when you think of similar tunes like "Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", "Judy Mae", "Werewolf", etc., from the same era.
About writing a song like "Lady Madonna," I always found it interesting that "Ode to Billie Joe" knocked "All You Need is Love" out of #1 in Billboard on 8/26/67 and a year later, "Hey Jude" knocked "Harper Valley PTA" out of #1 on September 28, 1968. So thinking back, had "Ballad of John & Yoko" reached #1 the week it peaked at #8, "In the Year 2525" would have been knocking it out of #1 the next week. Had the songs been bigger hits, using the country theme, it could have been "Polk Salad Annie" or "A Boy Named Sue"! Then again, a lot of odd songs were hits in that time, so it COULD have been "The Minotaur"!!!!!
WLSClark
VERY special thanks to Alan O'Day for sharing his "Angie Baby" memories with our readers ... it's a GREAT song and SO cool to get the insight BEHIND the songs from the people who wrote 'em!!! (Of course, we dissected "Undercover Angel" earlier this year, too ... and had a bit of fun with Alan ... who's a REALLY good sport, by the way ... on that one!!! lol) kk
re: MORE ON THE INSTRUMENTALS:
Kent,
Congratulations on launching your new FORGOTTEN HITS RADIO PAGE at MEVIO.COM. They are a great company (formerly PODSHOW), founded by the "podfather" of podcasting, ADAM CURRY, and have been around since the dawn of the medium about 5 years ago!
I've listened to about half of the countdown already and am really enjoying it! So many memories of so many FORGOTTEN HITS! It's just great! I always loved those instrumentals as a "young lad" and hearing them again has made me feel young AGAIN!
I am sure that everyone who goes to the new site at MEVIO and listens to the countdown will agree!
Meanwhile, as we all wait with baited breath for the rollout of THE TRIALS, TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A SURF MUSIC LEGEND, I, personally, am celebrating the 21st birthday of my own little Christmas classic CHRISTMAS IN MALIBU, which was recorded back in October of 1988 and released the following month!
My old friend, RUSS TERRANA, is pretty much in the middle of this story as well, as the holiday song was the VERY LAST RECORD to be recorded and mixed in the legendary HOLLYWOOD HITSVILLE STUDIO! It wasn't planned that way, but it just happened!
For more, check out my latest blog post here!
http://newmediacreative.com/christmas-in-malibu-comes-of-age/
Kent, once again, you're doing a GREAT JOB at keeping oldies alive! Keep up the good work and BLOG ON!
"NEW MEDIA JOE" Klein
We're hoping to start the "Surf Music Legend" Series this week ... knowing full well that we'll also be running some "follow-up" chapters at a later date. I think our readers will enjoy it ... and we certainly appreciate all of the long, hard work that you've put into this project, Joe! Meanwhile, thanks for the kind words on the new podcast ... by bed time last night I had already heard from close to two dozen readers who had already listened to the show. (kk)
We got a nice email from Danny Guilfoyle the other day, who was acting as kind of a liaison for us with Johnny Farina of Santo and Johnny. (We had hoped to have Johnny join us for the instrumental countdown ... and announce "Sleep Walk" as Your #1 Favorite ... but it just didn't work out. We DID, however, receive a nice email from Johnny AFTER the list was published ... here's a note from Danny to Johnny ... and then Johnny's response to us!!! (kk)
Johnny -
I was excited to see that "Sleep Walk" was voted the number one choice of the "Forgotten Hits" members, with over 14,000 total votes cast.
There are two links below. The second link shows the results of the recently completed survey done by Kent Kotal, with "Sleep Walk" at the top. The first link was compiled by one of the list members based on Billboard and Cash Box chart information.
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 40 Instrumentals, 1955 - 1979
Kent Kotal has been running this web site for over a decade and it is quite amazing and very interesting and I think that you will also enjoy it.
Thanks for allowing Kent to contact you and lots of luck with your publishing company and with your performing.
Danny Guilfoyle
Thanks, Danny ... we heard from Johnny himself just a few short minutes later!!!
Hi Kent,
Danny Guilfoyle called me today and informed me that Sleep Walk is #1 on "The Forgotten Hits Countdown". It's amazing because Sleep Walk has been in so many movies and commercials since 1959, lucky for me, it's one hit that was never forgotten.
Thank you for including my Sleep Walk at the top of your list.
For your fans, and my fans, they can check me out on www.santoandjohnny.com and see some live video performances.
Have a Merry Christmas and a great New Year.
Johnny Farina
Yes, sometimes the name "Forgotten Hits" is a bit of a misnomer, especially with a song as popular as "Sleep Walk" obviously still is with our readers and oldies music fans all over the country. (We ran into this with Tony Hatch recently, too, when we asked him to tell us the story behind his smash hit "Downtown" ... and who would ever go so far as to consider any of Peter Noone's music as "forgotten"!?!?!?) It's GREAT to hear that you're still recording and performing ... in fact, there are some very nice samples on the santoandjohnny.com website and I hope our readers will take some time to check it out. Sorry we hooked up too late to do the radio broadcast ... but you can catch your song at the top of the charts on the podcast now, too!!! (kk)
www.forgottenhitsontheradio.mevio.com !!!
(Maybe we couldn't get to Johnny Farina in time ... but thanks to his extensive archives, Phil Nee WAS able to get a GREAT bunch of guests to appear ... listen for Burton Cummings of the Guess Who, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, Davie Allan and many others ... including Bob Spickard of The Chantays, Jim Pash of The Surfaris, Don Wilson of The Ventures. Chuck Rio of The Champs, Mitch Schecter of The Rip Chords and Frank Mills ... to help us liven up the countdown!) kk
By the way, as of this morning we have already received about two dozen emails from FH Readers who had already listened to The Instrumental Countdown AND our appearance on The Flip Side Show!!! And this includes readers not only from all over our country ... but from as far away as Canada, The U.K. and Australia as well!!! (So I think we've helped to widen EVERYBODY's audience with this project!!!) Thanks again to everyone for all your support ... we hope to post OTHER Forgotten Hits appearances on this new site in the months to come! (kk)
I got an email here from a reader from Pittsburgh. He loved it. That is awesome!
Thank you again.
Phil Nee / WRCO
I'm telling you, Phil, they're coming in from all over ... you did a GREAT job on this and I'm happy that I can help bring it to the rest of the world!!! (kk)
I went to the site and listened to the podcast. This is very cool & it is encouraging me to pursue putting more Flip Side Radio Shows on something similar. Thanks for the plug(s), and that will be groovy to have new listeners! We changed to a new frequency in Nashville (107.1) and have a new tower, so our reach in Nashville should give us a larger audience. So things are looking up. I think I have improved my voice & technique a lot since last December, so hopefully that will be noticeable to anyone who listened to the podcast & then tunes in on Tuesday night. Mr. C
I'm hoping that a number of our readers will tune in Tuesday Night to listen to your Second Anniversary Show ... I know that I'LL be listening!!! (It's "The Flip Side Show" with Mr. C ... on Radio Free Nashville ... "Listen Live" link below: Click here: WRFN - Radio Free Nashville
I was kind of surprised to see the ranking of the various instrumental hits by FH readers. I wouldn't have thought that such MOR standards like Exodus, Theme From A Summer Place, Love Is Blue, etc., would have ranked so high. I'm sure many of us saw the list and thought, I forgot about that one! Yet I was pleased to see four that I voted for, made the top 50. Maybe my tastes aren't that far out of the mainstream. I'm going to have to try harder. Perhaps another genre that has fallen by the wayside in the few decades is the novelty song. It seemed there used to be at least one on the chart on any given week. What do FH readers say?
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
I think certain songs are just classics ... something like "Theme From 'A Summer Place'" has really been passed down from generation to generation ... it's been used in OTHER movies, too, and television ad campaigns ... it also just happens to be an incredibly beautiful melody. I figured "Exodus" would do pretty well on the chart, based on all the response we got when Arthur Ferrante passed away a few months ago) ... the fact that some of the titles that made the list are a bit "older" is also a pretty good demographic of our reading audience age group. (I figured a song like "Frankenstein" by The Edgar Winter Group ... or maybe something by Billy Preston would have ranked higher ... both got off to GREAT starts early on in the voting ... but neither artist made The Top 50 once all the votes were counted.) And you've got to give a REAL tip of the hat to Booker T. and the MG's who placed THREE songs in The Top 50 ... NO other artist can make THAT claim!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
The listing is certainly is varied, from the lush strings represented by the likes of Percy Faith & Les Baxter through to the Allman Brothers. I’m mildly surprised that none of Sandy Nelson’s singles made it and totally blown away that Dueling Banjos didn’t make the list. As a good Scotsman, I’m also embarrassed that I forgot to include The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards version of Amazing Grace in my picks, but there again it was never going to make the top 50. Have you ever done a similar poll of members favorite Novelty hits?
Keep up the good work.
Mike Ogilvie
Mississauga, ON
Part of the appeal of a countdown such as this is the cross variation of styles you get to hear side-by-side. (Phil Nee did an INCREDIBLE job with the countdown and spiced things up with a number of "extras" along the way.) In hindsight, we easily could have counted down The Top 100 and STILL left some great titles off the list! I told Phil afterwards that, had we been feeling REALLY creative, we could have programmed "The Stripper", "The Happy Organ" and "Raunchy" to play together in one segment. lol You can listen back to the entire broadcast, now available as a podcast here: forgottenhitsontheradio.mevio.com.) Sandy Nelson's votes were split between "Let There Be Drums" (74 votes) and "Teen Beat" (30 votes). I was a little surprised by "Dueling Banjos" missing the list ... "The Entertainer" by Marvin Hamlisch (from "The Sting"), too ... both were HUGE instrumental hits in the early '70's, yet only earned 48 and 61 of your votes respectively.
Regarding the "Your Favorite Novelty Hits" idea, we received that same suggestion from four other readers, too ... but it was REALLY weird to receive back-to-back emails from Jack in Illinois and Mike in Ontario, Canada!!! I dunno ... I guess nobody really likes our "Best Polkas" idea!!! (kk)
re: MORE POLKAS?!?!?:
How about the top 50 Accordion hits?
Bob Hughes
Were there 50?!?!?!? (kk)
re: OTHER IDEAS:
How about songs that ran longer on the 45 than on the LP? I'm thinking "Rock and Roll Lullaby" by B J Thomas. Yep - the 45 had a much longer intro than the LP. Do you know of another song that was trimmed for the album?
Looking beyond the dozens of songs that charted by two artists simultaneously, how about songs that charted by three (or more) artists at the same time? 1955 - "Unchained Melody" is the first to pop into my mind. That one actually had four artists charting it in the spring of that year.
David Lewis
Several hit songs in the early-to-mid '50's charted with as many as three (and even FOUR) versions ... often, they just shared the same chart position because the emphasis back then was on the SONG more than the artist. I don't think there are too many songs that were LENGTHENED for single release!!! I'm guessing that perhaps the B.J. Thomas track proved to be so strong as an album cut that the label decided to release it as a single as more of an afterthought ... and punched it up accordingly ... without question, it's a GREAT sounding record ... that STILL sounds wonderful today! (kk)
It was an honor to host it. I did get some great feedback and suggestions as to songs they thought should have made it. I have had a couple of calls wondering when they could hear it again on the podcast. It was fun putting it together. Thanks for taking my show from Southwest Wisconsin to the world! Thanks again for your help.
Phil Nee
By the way, if you have any other ideas for a countdown, I would like to be a part of it. Such as 'Should Have Been Bigger', 'Best Summer Song' , Spring, Fall, or Winter. 'Best Make Out Song' ... etc.
Phil
We've been receiving quite a few suggestions from our readers, too ... so I'm sure we've got a few of these countdowns left in us ... I really WOULD like to come up your way next summer and do either a B-Sides or Two-Sided Hits Weekend ... and, if you're looking for something sooner, there's always The Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs ... TONS of information, great tracks ... and it's already up on the website!!!
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs
It's our most-visited web page ... so this one would make for another great podcast, too!
In fact, who knows ... take a look at the web page ... perhaps we could even invite some of the winning entry writers to appear on the program and read their piece!!! Now THAT would make it a TRULY interactive show, which would make even MORE readers want to tune in to hear it! (See ... NOW you've really got the wheels turning!!! lol) And, although it's the most-read single page on ANY of the Forgotten Hits web pages, a "proper" radio countdown has never been done ... and I think your format would lend itself well to this.
The Instrumental Favorites Countdown was REAL fun to listen to ... and I hope many, many more readers across the country will check out the podcast. You did a great job on it and I'd love to work with you on some other projects in the future. (kk)
forgottenhitsontheradio.mevio.com
Hi Kent
I remember two songs that had two charted versions. But the interesting thing to me was that the 2nd version completely knocked the 1st version off the charts.
Fats Domino had "I'm Walkin" in the top 10 and along came new heart-throb Ricky Nelson and his version zoomed to the top in about 2 days and radio completely stopped playing Fats' version.
Bobby Rydell recorded " World Without Love" and got knocked out of the box by Peter and Gordon.
Back in the 50's and early 60's it seems to me that while two versions of the same song charted high, at least here in Chicago only one was played. I can remember hearing Tab Hunter's version of "Young Love" and never hearing Sonny James' version until I traveled to Florida. Likewise, I remember only hearing Johnny Dee's version of "Sittin in the Balcony" but nowadays, only Eddie Cochran's version is ever played on oldies radio. Of course, Chicago was king of payola in the 50's so I suppose the version we heard depended on who paid off who. I can't remember how many awful Nick Noble songs we were subjected to even though they never charted very high.
Steve Davidson
LOL ... Nick Noble sure WAS popular here in Chi-Town, wasn't he?!?!? (Well, for one thing, he was born here, so that probably had a little something to do with it, too ... we have ALWAYS been real big about supporting our local talent on Chicagoland Radio.) Although Noble had three songs reach Billboard's Top 40, he placed an incredible NINETEEN songs on the old WJJD Survey back in the '50's!!! As for "I'm Walkin'", the scenario you described certainly happened here in Chicago, where Rick Nelson's version went all the way to #1. (The Fat Man's stopped at #8 here in Chi-Town). But nationally, the OTHER side of Nelson's first record was the bigger hit ... "A Teenager's Romance" peaked at #2 on Billboard's Best Sellers Chart ... while "I'm Walkin'" stopped at #4. The Fats Domino' version of "I'm Walkin'" went to #5 on the same list.
As for "A World Without Love", citing the Bobby Rydell version really isn't a fair comparison ... Peter and Gordon had the inside track on this one (since Paul McCartney was dating Peter Asher's sister Jane at the time) ... and the song was written for ... and given to Peter and Gordon ... by Sir Paul himself. Rydell's version was just a "cover", trying to cash in on what was know commonly known as The British Invasion.
Just to cover ALL of the bases, the Eddie Cochran version of "Sittin' In The Balcony" was a #18 Billboard Hit ... and Johnny Dee's (who is REALLY hit songwriter John D. Loudermilk, by the way) stopped at #38 in the same publication. Here in Chicago, both versions shared the #6 spot on the WJJD Chart. And "Young Love", a #1 Record for BOTH artists mentioned (a REAL rarity!!!) SHARED the #1 spot on the Chicagoland chart as well.
We've received suggestions and examples of two, three and even FOUR artists who released the same song at the same time as an interesting feature for a future series ... unfortunately, this trend was much more prominent in the mid-'50's when rock and roll music was first getting started. (We mentioned a couple of '60's examples recently ... but this was FAR more prevalent in the early days of rock and roll.) We'll see which topic we pursue next ... but thanks to everybody for sending in their suggestions. (kk)
re: JACKIE WILSON:
Kent,
As I was sayin' awhile back, Jackie Wilson had a great voice and it's unfortunate that he is only remembered by today's programmers for his two semi-rock hits, Lonely Teardrops and Higher and Higher.
I was going through the playlist of Hit Parade Radio recently and pulled a few more of Jackie's million selling singles for you to hear.
"Night" in 1960; "Along At Last" in 1960; "My Empty Arms" in 1961; and a seasonal offering, "Silver Bells".
Jackie was one of the best entertainers of all time and should be remembered for signing more than rock.
Don't forget him.
John Rook
Thanks, John ... and you're absolutely right ... Wilson (if he's played at all anymore) seems to only get credit for "Higher and Higher" and "Lonely Teardrops" ... but "Night", "Alone At Last", "Baby Workout" and "My Empty Arms" ALSO made The Pop Top Ten in the early '60's. (I've always liked "Doggin' Around", too, a song I first discovered thanks to the 1980's remake by Klique.) Wilson FIRST hit the charts with "Reet Petite", a song that also helped to launch Berry Gordy's career. (Berry wrote the tune!) Between 1957 and 1972, he hit Billboard's Pop Chart an incredible 54 times ... and served as MAJOR inspiration for the likes of Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson ... and let's face it, superstars don't come much bigger than these guys ... but honestly a LOT of Jackie's stuff sounds terribly dated today ... almost "operatic" in stature ... it's hard to believe that some of these songs competed in The Top Ten arena against some of the pop / rock songs of this era. But the stats don't lie ... Wilson scored 24 Top 40 Pop Hits ... and 39 titles made Billboard's Top 40 R&B Chart. We'll feature "Night" here today ... a #4 Billboard Hit from 1960 ... and offer another link to Hit Parade Radio where you can hear some of these OTHER long-forgotten Jackie Wilson gems: Click here: Hit Parade Radio (kk)
(By the way, when I mentioned earlier that some of Wilson's stuff sounds damn-near operatic, I'm not that far off the mark ... "Night" was based on the Samson and Delilah aria "My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice", the melody for "Alone At Last" was based on Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto in B-Flat" and "My Empty Arms" was based on "Vesti La Giubba" from the opera "Pagliacci"!!!) kk
re: UPDATES:
Hi everybody:
I enjoy the weeks that it isn't necessary to do a tribute to an artist that has passed. Well, it looks like this week I have two.
The Pop Shoppe is on www.topshelfoldies.com every Friday night from 7 PM till 3:01 AM (Times mentioned are eastern).
This week's schedule is as follows:
7:00 / 9:00 My mixture of 50's and 60's classic oldies. Some you know, some you don't.
9:00 / 12:00 My tribute to Bob Keane. He ran Del-fi Records and was Richie Valens' manager. Some fantastic material and artists came out on his Del-fi and Donna labels.
Following the Bob Keane tribute will be a little tribute to Richard Nader.
The tributes that I have planned will really be special. At this writing, I am still working on them.
Following the above will be doo wops till midnight.
12:00 AM / 1:00 It's time for Midnight Country!!!!!
Here is where you get to hear some of country music's finest hour. The good old songs from way way back.
1:00 / 3:01 AM Back to the big pop / rock hits of the 50's and 60's with a touch of the 40's.
Looking forward to see you all Friday night.
Don't forget, you must be there because I don't want to be alone.
Best wishes always,
Stu Weiss (DJ Stu)
Posting this too late again for you to catch the show again this week, unfortunately ... but Stu is ABSOLUTELY right ... we have been losing FAR too many of our musical heroes lately ... seems like every time we turn around, another one is gone. Bob Keane participated with Forgotten Hits from time to time and was a long-time reader. Unfortunately, these last couple of years we haven't had much contact ... in fact, about two years ago I tried to order his book and it never came! (Despite repeated emails and even contacting PayPal!!!) It sounds like "Must Reading" ... my hope is now that the book will be available through other services, too, as I was REALLY looking forward to reading it! (kk)
A few months ago we told you about the "Experience Hendrix" show that was making the rounds. Dates for a Chicagoland appearance have just been announced. Here's the scoop:
Experience Hendrix
The Chicago Theatre • March 18, 7PM
Celebrate the Music and Legacy of Jimi Hendrix with the 2010 Tribute Tour featuring an all-star list of talent, including:
Billy Cox of The Jimi Hendrix Experience; Joe Satriani; Robert Randolph; Susan Tedeschi; Jonny Lang; Eric Johnson; Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Ernie Isley; David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas from Los Lobos; Brad Whitford from Aerosmith; Doyle Bramhall II; Living Colour; Hubert Sumlin; Chris Layton of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble!
Tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday, 12/5 at 10 AM!
And, thanks to FH Reader Ken Voss, here is the COMPLETE "Experience Hendrix" tour schedule:
March 05 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Ampitheater
March 06 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock - The Joint
March 07 - Mesa, AZ - Ikeda Theater
March 09 - Friant, CA - Table Mountain Casino Events Center
March 10 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield
March 12 - Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Casino
March 14 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theater
March 16 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
March 17 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater
March 18 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
March 20 - St. Louis, MO - The Fox Theatre
March 21 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
March 23 - Akron, OH - Civic Theater
March 24 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater
March 25 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theater
March 27 - Atlanta, GA - The Fox Theatre
For more information, check out the website:
http://www.experiencehendrixtour.com/
Little Richard's on the mend with a brand new hip. Here's the scoop:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34231017/ns/entertainment-music/
David Lewis
Glad to hear he's on the mend. I just read that the ORIGINAL plan for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concerts was to have Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis open the shows ... a GREAT tribute to the true roots of rock and roll. But Little Richard was undergoing his hip replacement and Berry and Domino refused to travel ... so that left "The Killer" to open BOTH performances (one night with "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and the other with "Great Balls Of Fire".) HBO has been running the concert highlight film ... and there's a cool DVD available now of the Superstar Jams that wrap up each year's induction ceremony ... some of the BIGGEST names in music history, honored for their talents. (kk)
... and, speaking of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ...
re: THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME:
Remember last year when Clive Davis, Mayor Bloomberg and Bruce Springsteen announced the move to open the Rock Hall of Fame in New York?
Well ...
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame annex in NEW YORK CITY will shut down JANUARY 3rd, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, writing "a news release issued THURSDAY by S2BN ENTERTAINMENT, a partner in the venture, gave no reason for the closing."
CEO TERRY STEWART told THE PLAIN DEALER in CLEVELAND "the decision was made by corporate partners who had backed the $10 million annex in downtown MANHATTAN."
John Rook
Hmmm ... wonder what that's all about?!?!? The only thing that anybody really wants to SEE is the Museum in Cleveland. Meanwhile, John also told us that they'll be inducting a VERY large cast of musical legends into The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame this year ... I'm happy to hear that, along with all of OUR bitching these past few years, he has embraced the idea of honoring these artists while they're still around to appreciate the recognition! The list should be coming in the next few weeks ... and you can bet on us publishing it here! (kk)
re: RON DANTE:
Kent ...
Is that the same Ron Dante who recorded "Something Happens" by Dante & Friends? If so, I would love to know the story behind who were the friends, and his career. That was a great, but unheralded doo wop song. Actually, one of my favorites from that era. Also, there was a group called Dante & the Evergreens. Same guy? Tell me more.
Bob Hughes
Sorry, but no ... in fact, I think we covered this topic once before ... Ron Dante was the voice behind The Archies, The Cuff Links and The Detergents ... he also produced Barry Manilow's biggest early hit albums and can be heard on literally hundreds of jingles. For a more in-depth look at HIS background, just check out his website here:
Click here: Ron Dante OnLine - The Official Website
(We interviewed Ron Dante for Forgotten Hits a few years ago ... maybe we can post THAT up on the website sometime soon, too!) kk
Thanks for the info. The memory must be going. Do you know who the Dante was from Dante & Friends and Dante and the Evergreens? I had once heard that it might have been Gerry Granahan recording under a different name, but I have no corroboration of that.
Bob
Dante (of Dante and the Evergreens) was a guy named Donald Drowly ... their version of the Hollywood Argyles chart-topper "Alley Oop" was their biggest hit. I'm not really familiar with Dante and Friends ... but maybe somebody else on the list can shed some light on this for us. And, since Gerry Granahan is ALSO on our Forgotten Hits mailing list, maybe he will see this and have a thing or two to say, too!!! (lol) kk
re: SHE LETS HER HAIR DOWN:
The variety of great info and music shared on today's FH was excellent, Kent. Way to go.
David Lewis
MORE on "She Lets Her Hair Down" by the Tokens ...
Even if Don Young's was the Chicago hit, I have to give it up to the Tokens. I have always loved harmonies of the Tokens, Beach Boys and all the greats, but 1970 seemed to be my fave for harmony vocals and my personal charts bore that out. Some of the obscure harmony and / or sing-a-long classics I charted high that year:
She Lets Her Hair Down - Tokens (#9, 3/70); Why Should I Cry - Gentrys (#1, 1/70); Barbara, I Love You - New Colony Six (#1, 1/70); When Julie Comes Around - Cuff Links and Ron Rante (2/70); Walkin' in the Rain - Jay & Americans (2/70); Groovin' - Newbeats (#1 2/70); High on Life - Pozo Seco (3/70); Don't Worry Baby - Tokens (#2 - held out of #1 by "Vehicle" 4/70); He Ain't Heavy - Hollies (3/70); Laura - Newbeats (#2, 4/70); The Chant - Lighthouse (5/70); The Last of the Wine - Robbs (#1 7/70); Friends - Feather (#5 7/70); Your Love - Country Store (#9 7/70); I Kept on Loving You - Carpenters (8/70); I Shall be Released - Tremeloes (#3 7/70); Save the Country - Fifth Dimension (8/70); Mississippi - John Philips (7/70); Melanie Makes Me Smile - Tony Burrows (#3 9/70); I've Got You on My Mind - White Plains (9/70); Good Time Living - 3 Dog Night (8/70); As the Years Go By - Mashmakhan (9/70); Peace by Peace - Crabby Appleton (10/70); We're All Playing in the Same Band - Bert Sommer (10/70); California Rock & Roll - Crowfoot (10/70); You Better Think Twice - Poco (#1 10/70); High on a Rainbow - Smoke Ring (#1 10/70); Summer Morning - Vanity Fare (#! 10/70); Beautiful Daughter - Move (#1 11/70);
Montego Bay - Bobby Bloom (11/70); Movin Along - Osmonds (11/70); And the Grass Won't Pay no Mind - Mark Lindsay (12/70)
So many more that WERE hits too and many more that I just skipped. A great year!
WLSClark
Wow, some pretty obscure titles on THAT list ... and yet several others that we've featured in Forgotten Hits over the years! (kk)
It's always cool when we find out that somebody new has discovered Forgotten Hits thanks to the web page ... and it is EXCEPTIONALLY cool when it's discovered by somebody that we've been writing about. Last week, Diane Diekman happened to see our piece on Marty Robbins ... well, Diane just happens to be writing Marty's biography right now!!! And she even sent us a little mini-bio piece that we ran EXCLUSIVELY in Forgotten Hits this past Friday. (For more on Diane and her upcoming work, check out the the first entry in today's posting!) You can only imagine my surprise and delight when I opened THIS email this evening ... and saw that it was from Don Young, the guy who recorded the version of "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early In The Morning)" that we all listened to here in Chicago back in 1970. (How cool is THAT?!?!?) Here's what Don had to say about not only THIS song, but some of his other musical endeavors!!! (kk)
I WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR UP SOME OF THE MYSTERY ABOUT ME AND MY RECORD.1 - THE ORIGINAL RELEASE WAS ON CALLA RECORDS IN THE SPRING OF 1969. IT STARTS WITH A CLASSICAL THEME ON FLUTE.
2 - IN THE SUMMER OF 1969, MY MANAGER, ARTHUR AARON, WAS CONTACTED BY FOOTE, CONE AND BELDING, N.Y. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SONG TO MATCH THE VIDEO THEY SHOT FEATURING LISA PALMER, THE DAUGHTER OF ARNOLD PALMER. THEY LIKED THE RECORDING AND RE-CUT THE VOCAL AT BROADWAY RECORDING . BOB NASH WAS THE PRODUCER OF THE JINGLE AND WANTED ME TO SOUND MORE M.O.R.& LESS FUNKY. IF YOU COMPARE THE ORIGINAL RECORDING TO THE COMMERCIAL, THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE.
3 - WHEN THE COMMERCIAL CAME OUT, ILEANE BURNS AT BANG RECORDS BECAME VERY INTERESTED IN THE SONG. WE RE-MIXED IT AND TOOK OUT THE CLASSICAL INTRO. THE RECORD WAS VIRTUALLY RELEASED OVERNIGHT. STAN SCHWARTZ AND ARTHUR AARON DROVE DOWN TO DISKMAKERS IN PHILLY, PA. AND GOT A FEW HUNDRED RECORDS PRESSED; THEY WAITED HOURS FOR THEM.
4 - THE ORIGINAL TITLE ON CALLA IS "SHE LETS HER HAIR DOWN" (EARLY IN THE MORNING )
5 - I NEVER PLAYED PRO BALL. AS A KID GROWING UP IN BROOKLYN, I WAS A DODGER FAN. WHEN THEY LEFT, I BECAME A YANKEE FAN.
SOME REASONS WHY PEOPLE MAY HAVE LIKED MY RECORD:
I HAD THE TOP STUDIO MUSICIANS INCLUDING BERNARD" PRETTY" PURDIE ON DRUMS, CHUCK RAINEY ON BASS, LLOYD MICHALS ON FLEUGLEHORN, LEW TABAKIN ON FLUTE, ETC. THERE IS A HELL OF A LOT OF FUNKY MUSIC BEHIND ME! THAT RECORD WAS MORE IN THE STYLE OF R&B COMPARED TO THE OTHER EXCELLENT VERSIONS.
FUN FACTS:
I WAS A FRIEND OF DANNY JORDAN, RON DANTE, TOMMY WYNN - BETTER KNOWN AS THE DETERGENTS. PAUL VANCE WAS DANNY'S UNCLE. DANNY MOVED TO L.A.
BACKGROUND:
1959 - 1961: TONY AND THE DAY DREAMS, PLANET RECORDS.
RECORDED - WHY DON'T YOU BE NICE, CHRISTMAS LULABY, I'LL NEVER TELL, OVER THE RAINBOW. FIRST TENOR & GUITAR ** THE 4 FOUNDING MEMBERS ARE TOGETHER AGAIN.
1962 - 1963: THE FIREFLIES - LEAD VOCALS, GUITAR AND SAX, REPLACING RITCHIE ADAMS. "YOU WERE MINE"
1964 - 1965: VITO AND THE SALUTATIONS - FIRST TENOR & GUITAR. THAT'S ME ON THEIR CLASSIC RECORDING "OH SO WONDERFUL"
1965 - 1967: THE DON YOUNG FOUR (NEVER RECORDED WITH MY GROUP )
1967 - 1968: THE UPPER HAND - SECOND LEAD SINGER & GUITAR, KEYBOARD AND SAX
1969 - PRESENT: STUDIO & SHOW MUSICIAN, JINGLE SINGER, LIVE PERFORMANCES. I HAVE PLAYED ON OVER 1000 RECORDS AND ALBUMS. IN 1973, I PLAYED ON THE VERY FIRST JAZZ ROCK FUSSION ALBUM "TIP OF THE ICEBERG" ON PROJECT 3 RECORDS. I RECENTLY PRODUCED BEN E. KING'S CD "I'VE BEEN AROUND". I LOVE TO PLAY OLDIES SHOWS AND HAVE RECENTLY APPEARED WITH THE DUPREES, THE FLAMINGOS AND KID KYLE.
I THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY RECORD.
P.S. NO ONE MENTIONED RICHARD CHAIMBERLAND (DR KILDARE) HE ALSO RECORDED IT.
DON YOUNG
Very Cool ... thanks, Don!!!
As mentioned in the article, this song has come up a NUMBER of times in Forgotten Hits over the past several years ... purely by coincidence, here in Chicago (where YOUR version was the big HIT version of this tune), The Chicago Cubs had an outfielder at the same time named Don Young ... nobody actually thought that HE was the Don Young on the record ... it was just a funny happenstance!
Thanks so much for writing in ... great to hear that you're still active in the music business these days ... feel free to stay in touch with us and we'll be happy to pass along your information to our readers. (kk)
re: RECORD COLLECTORS:
Hi Kent,
I was doing some searching on Ebay a few days ago and came across a listing that I thought some of the readers might find interesting. A seller had a 45 listed for sale and it was currently going for over $3,000. I had never heard of the song, singer, or label but the description called it the rarest Northern Soul label, and this was the rarest release from the label. He also had three other 45s on the same label that he had listed. I put it on my watch list to see what it would end up selling for. It sold for $10,223.00. That is an extremely high amount for a 45 to sell for on Ebay. The record was by J.D. Bryant on Shrine Records SR-108 "I Won't Be Coming Back" b/w "Walk On In." The other three Shrine Records he had listed sold for $752.00, $1,075.00, and $2,145.00 He purchased them all at an estate sale so he probably had very little invested. Christmas came a bit early for that seller this year! The auction ended on Sunday. You should still be able to access the listing for a short time for the J.D. Bryant 45 here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Rare-Northern-Soul-J-D-Bryant-Shrine-Records_W0QQitemZ290373261649QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMusic_on_Vinyl?hash=item439b985951
Les
Although I was a bit of a record collector for a while (and a mail order dealer for even longer!) I can honestly say that I never paid more than $150 for ANY record ... and I probably only did THAT once or twice ... OK, maybe THREE times ... but there are some REAL fanatics out there (including a number on THIS list) who think nothing about shelling out a fair piece of cash for that one elusive "link" that's missing from their collection. Perhaps we'll hear from some after this story runs! (kk)
(I'll betcha Dave The Rave could tell some pretty fascinating stories that'll make your heads spin!!! lol)
Speaking of completing their collection, I just heard from Jack Levin, who tells me he's now down to the final six 45s missing from his VERY special birthday gift ... here's the scoop:
The missing six singles are as follows:
I'm Yours - Sonny & Cher
With These Hands - Tom Jones
The World Thru A Tear - Neil Sedaka
Somebody New - The Rivieras
Millions Of Roses - Steve Lawrence
Blowin In The Wind - Steve Alaimo
The 45s do not have to be original label or in mint condition. Just the artist & label need to be legible. Again, it's for my wife's 45th birthday next fall, the top 45 45s from the week of 9/7/65. I'm taking a few liberties with the odd 5 singles. Someone out there must have a spare copy of at least one of these.
Thanks to all and Merry Xmas, Happy Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Festivus. I think that should cover everyone.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
C'mon, Gang ... let's help him complete his quest!!!
OK ... HERE'S a great question for our Forgotten Hits Readers ... what's the most you EVER spent for a record ... and why? And which one are you STILL trying to get your hands on? We'll compile all your answers and put them together in a special issue in a few weeks ... who knows, maybe somebody ELSE on the list has EXACTLY what you've been looking for ... or vice-versa!!! Should make for some interesting reading ... so get your stories (and want lists) in NOW!!! (kk)
re: A FOOL SUCH AS I:
It appears that I was wrong about the Ink Spots or Bill Kenny ever recording "A Fool Such As I". I could not find any reference to it in my research. I know my Dad played the record of "A Fool Such As I" a lot, but now I am wondering just whose version it was? I could find no reference to the Ink Spots ever recording this song, but Elvis did. It was on RCA 447-0625 in 1959. Also, I could not find any reference to Tommy Edwards recording this, and could not find his you tube performance of the song either. In my research, I also discovered that Bill Haley & the Comets recorded "A Fool Such As I" also in 59, on Decca 9-30873. I've never heard that version. Any chance you can provide a link to that version? I recorded it on my Oldies CD in 2002. Here is a link to that: http://www.4shared.com/file/163378152/57a2de46/A_Fool_Such_As_I.html Also, strangely enough, Bob Dylan recorded it in 73.
Keep up the great work on forgotten hits.
Bob Hughes
E-Mail: BobHughes13@mchsi.com
Web Site: www.BobHughesMusic.net
I wasn't familiar with the Bill Haley version ... but we featured Bob Dylan's version of "A Fool Such As I" eons ago ... I've always personally liked this one as it sounds SO unlike anything else that Dylan ever recorded. (It was a minor chart hit, too, peaking at #47 in Cash Box Magazine.) Hank Snow did the original version and it went to #4 on Billboard's Country Chart back in 1953. Elvis' is probably the BEST known version simply due to massive airplay. We've pretty much determined that The Ink Spots did NOT record this song ... and featured the Tommy Edwards version on the website back on November 22nd. (It's still posted there if you'd care to give it a listen ... just scroll back to that date!) And now all of you fans out there who STILL can't get enough of this great song can check out the Bob Hughes version, too, thanks to the link provided above! (kk)
re: THE MAUDS:
Jimy Rogers and The Mauds have been ALL over the Chicago music scene lately ... check out THESE stats!!!
The Mauds performed live at Bob Stroud's (WDRV) Rock n' Roll Roots CD signing / concert at Borders in Mt. Prospect on Nov. 14 with members of the Cryan Shames, the New Colony Six and the Shadows of Knight. It was a great event with a huge turnout and lots of great music.
Video of Hold On - click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dggSwqSS0sc
Videos are now up on the Mauds website from the Chicago Music Scene book-signing concert: http://www.themauds.com/videos.htm
Jimy appeared at Dick Biondi's annual Toy Drive last week and was interviewed live on WLS radio, and they played our live version of White Christmas, which will be available at our December shows on a CD "single" with Merry Christmas Baby, both recorded live last year at our Holiday show. You can hear White Christmas now on the Mauds website here: http://www.themauds.com/music.htm
The Mauds were also featured in the Chicago Tribune article about the new book, The Chicago Music Scene, by Dean Milano. Photos and the history of the scene include The Mauds and the Gand's band Graced Lightning. The book is available at Gand Music and Sound; 780 Frontage Rd.; Northfield, IL
And we've got some more shows coming up, too!!!
Join us for the opening of a new venue, Mark's House of Rock 'n' Roll, this Saturday, December 5, at 322 N. Milwaukee in Wheeling from 9:00 p.m. - Midnight
Coming up: Blue Road is back @ Blue Bayou on Saturday, December 12, 3734 N Southport Ave., Chicago, and don't miss the Blue Road Holiday Party on Saturday, December 19, at Gabe's Backstage Lounge, 214 Greenbay Rd., in Highwood.
Congratulations, guys ... great to hear that things are going so well. (kk)
... and, speaking of congratulations ...
re: CONGRATULATIONS:
A quick round of congratulations to Cheryl Carey of Fort Montgomery, New York ... winner of the brand new Davie Allan CD "Retrophonic"!!! Thanks to everybody who entered in our little give-away!!! And special thanks to Davie Allan for donating an autographed copy for one lucky Forgotten Hits Winner!!! (kk)
Be sure to join us tomorrow in Forgotten Hits ...
We've got a VERY Special "HELPING OUT OUR READERS" Segment coming up ...
And then later this week, "THE TRIALS, TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF A SURF MUSIC LEGEND", written by our bloggin' buddy JOE KLEIN.
