More great Ed Sullivan memories and milestones ... shared today in Forgotten Hits!
Kent,
One of my fond memories of the Ed Sullivan Show is from a Sunday in January 1965 ... I had been watching the show regularly for nearly a year, since the Beatles' appearances the previous February. On this night, I looked at the TV listings to see who would be on and was disappointed to see no music artists or groups listed, only "Jerry Lewis and his drummer son Gary." Assuming that meant some little kid was going to get a chance to show off his drumming skills only because he was the son of a celebrity, I wasn't planning to watch the show and was in another room (not in front of the TV) when it started. Soon, I was amazed to hear some great-sounding music coming from the TV, and I ran into the room just in time to hear "This Diamond Ring" for the first time -- and of course the song was soon in heavy rotation on the radio and became one of my favorites of that year.
-- Randy Price
Kent,
While I can't really consider myself a fan of the show, I think you ought to mention a record that featured Sullivan: "It's A Really Big Show Tonight" by the Kirby Stone Four featuring Ed Sullivan (Boy Singer) from 1958: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHXu51MzTVQ
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
kk:
You asked for it! First of all, in the summer of '69, I was going to Coast Guard Radio School (8 hours of Morse code daily) on Governor's Island in New York City and we could get off the Island on weekends only.
Well, one Saturday, I stopped in to a USO Center in downtown NYC and they said "Hey, if you'd like to go to 'the Ed Sullivan Show' let us know and we'll give you some tickets, but you MUST wear your uniform." Well, like all of us, I grew up watching Ed and jumped at the opportunity. So I was handed two tix and this was the Saturday Night before the show. Anyway, come Sunday, I'm in my uniform and went to the Ed Sullivan Theatre on Broadway (Home of David Letterman now). I had called my parents (in Denver) and told them to watch because, someway, somehow I would show up on "live" TV! To make a long story short the music guest that night was Mason Williams, doing his hit "Classical Gas" (from his Greatest HIT CD), of course.
As Ed always did, he introduced people in the audience including Sonny Liston and a number of other semi-famous people. Well, I thought when Ed said ... "And here's Sonny Liston ... stand up, Sonny", I stood up waving wildly at the crowd hoping the cameraman would be confused and put ME on national TV. I stood up every time Ed introduced anyone, but never got on TV. But what a kick in the ass being at the Ed Sullivan Show LIVE!
Wow!
Let's move forward to 1993, KWNZ in Reno Nv, I was the most listened to Morning Guy in Reno with a 27 Morning Share and one guy that listened to my insane program each morning (unbeknownst to me) was Doug Clifford (original drummer of CCR). He lived then and still to this day in Lake Tahoe. Anyway, one day Doug called the show and asked if he could come down ... I said "HELL YEAH"!
Doug was in studio the next day and related story after story about the early days of CCR, one being about their first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He said they had a dress rehearsal Sunday afternoon with a fill in for Ed, because Ed was across the street having a "few" cocktails ... (I guess he was a pretty heavy drinker). So CCR did "Proud Mary" and then Ed was going to introduce each band member and they would all individually come up and shake Ed's hand. Come to find out all went well at the rehearsal (with the stand in Ed), but during the LIVE Show, apparently Ed was still a little shit-faced and said "Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, here's the bass player of CCR, John Fogerty", and John walked up, shook Ed's hand and said he played lead, not fazed, Ed then said "and now the drummer, Stu Cook" ... Stu came up and said he played rhythm guitar ... Ed was not fazed, "and now lead singer and guitarist Doug Clifford" et al. Doug said it was hilarious, but what a thrill it was to be on the World Famous Ed Sullivan Show going out to everyone in America.
One more quick story (doesn't involve Ed though) ... Doug said it was their first time in New York (doing the Sullivan Show) and Frank Sinatra was a HUGE fan of CCR's and offered up his living quarters when he stays in NYC to CCR, it was apparently at the top floor of one of the best hotels and Frank had the entire floor. Well in these living quarters was an antique pool table that Frank absolutely loved. (More on that later)
Long story short, the Doors were in town to do some concerts and found out where CCR was staying and the "Lizard King" himself somehow got ahold of them and asked if he could visit. They had NEVER met Jim Morrison but jumped at the chance to do so. Well, the Saturday before the Ed Sullivan Show, Jim arrived at the hotel early in the afternoon with two bodyguards and they let him up to Frank's suite. Jim, as usual, had a big open bottle of Jack Daniels with him, but appeared to be okay. They all sat around and talked music a bit, (Jim heavily imbibing the Jack) and now grabbed a handful of "red pills" and swallowed them. About 20 minutes later, (Jim, totally out of control) wanted to play pool on Frank Sinatra's Antique Pool Table. They started playing and Jim takes a pool cue and rips the felt on the pool table big time. The guys from CCR were mortified ... what would Frank think??? By now Jim is slurring his words, has fallen down twice and is "out of it". Finally Jim passes out and his two bodyguards literally dragged him out. CCR never had any contact with Jim or the Doors ever again. TRUE STORY! Hence my memories of Ed and NYC!
"Wild" Bill Cody
HI KENT ...
I USED TO LIVE AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER IN NEW YORK AND AS I WAS WATCHING HIS SHOW ONE SUNDAY NIGHT, I SAW THE BEACH BOYS PERFORM. I JUMPED UP AND RAN AROUND THE CORNER AND MANAGED TO SNEAK IN BACKSTAGE.
AS SECURITY WAS ABOUT TO EJECT ME, MY PAL BRUCE JOHNSTON SAW ME AND WAVED ME IN. NOT ONLY DID I SEE THE REST OF THE SHOW, BUT HE ALSO INTRODUCED ME TO ED SULLIVAN, WHICH I'LL NEVER FORGET!
We were faithful watchers of The Ed Sullivan Show. Never missed a show! I have so many memories ... it's hard to know where to begin.
The most memorable:
** Of course, the first appearance of the Beatles on February 9, 1964, is at the top of the list. I remember thinking how clever Ed was to put them at the very end thus ensuring all the other acts on the show would be watched. I also remember how annoying all the screaming was. LOL ... and I was in all of sixth grade at the time. My husband (who was 7 years old at the time) wasn't allowed to watch Ed that night in his household, and remembers having to watch Walt Disney instead. I think he still holds a grudge against his father to this day.
** The Rolling Stones performance of "Let's Spend the Night Together" and how they had to change the words to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" for the censors.
** Herman's Hermits singing Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter and falling in love with Peter Noone on the spot
** The Mama and the Papas singing California Dreaming - I remember how shocked I was at seeing Mama Cass for the first time live and in person ... (seems so silly now)
Mostly, it was the joy of seeing our teen idols live and in person. You could always count on Ed Sullivan to have it all. He truly catered to all age groups, young and old. I loved every act on his show.
Lots of Mamas and Papas videos available, too ... they were always one of Ed's favorites! (Anybody remember the time they strung him up with love beads?!?!?) lol
A few Herman's Hermits clips, too ... and, of course, the special tribute volumes featuring EVERY appearance EVER by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones! (kk)
Here are a couple of clips from my radio show with Ed Sullivan references. This first cut is with Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
I also found a couple of British Invasion clips from my show. They are both memories of New York and the atmosphere then. The Gerry Marsden clip is from about 1994 when a British Invasion tour came through here. The Mike Smith cut is a live recording from my show that promoted his solo show in Dubuque Iowa. That may be the best show that I have ever seen. Too bad he got hurt later that year. In the cut he mentions the swarm of fans and it ends with a reference to playing on TV in front of 70 million people.
I thought you might enjoy hearing some of these as they tie in perfectly with the Salute To Ed Sullivan that you're currently running in Forgotten Hits.
Phil Nee - WRCO
Thanks so much, Phil ... it's GREAT to hear these stories!
The Fifth Dimension appeared on The Sullivan Show numerous times in the late'60's and early '70's ... and they were always a delight to see. You'll find several of their live Sullivan videos available on iTunes:
Although The Dave Clark Five appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show a dozen times, you'll be hard-pressed to find video available of any of these performances. (Most likely these are tied up by the iron-clad licensing agreements of Dave Clark who has made virtually ALL of The DC5 material unavailable for the past four decades!!!) There IS a clip on the EdSullivan.com website however ... short as it may be ... of The Dave Clark Five performing their Top Five Hit "Catch Us If You Can" ... but (for right now anyway!) that seems to be about it! (We featured this clip yesterday ... scroll back and check it out if you missed it the first time around!)
Gerry and the Pacemakers were amongst the British Invasion acts that Sullivan helped bring to America.
One more personal favorite from the British Invasion / Sullivan years ... and one of the artists we had hoped to hear from for this series ... Billy J. Kramer performing the Lennon and McCartney-penned "Bad To Me" ... live on The Ed Sullivan Show, circa 1964!
As we pointed out earlier in this series, Ed Sullivan and The British Invasion were very good for each other in the 1960's. Forgotten Hits Reader Jersey John just sent us THIS classic photo:
I guess after Ed featured British music artists on
his TV show, he felt he could stand a new
hairstyle ... LOL! Jersey John
Here are just some of the responses we've received from our readers, enjoying our very special Tribute To The Ed Sullivan Show:
>>>ol' Stoneface
brought nothing but musical mega-talent into our living rooms
(kk)
Believe me, it wasn't Ol Stoneface ... It was the brilliant talent buyer whose name escapes
me.
Al Kooper
Perhaps his son-in-law, Bob Precht??? I've heard
that he was VERY instrumental in booking the hottest talent at the time. Andrew Solt offered major kudos to Bob's contribution to
the show ... sounds like he's been kind of an "unsung hero" up to this point in
the whole scheme of things! (kk)
I am only an Oldies music fan, and just wanted
to share my Ed Sullivan Show Memories. Some of my fondest memories as a young 50's teen
are those watching Ed's Sunday night show. I bought my first Elvis album when
it came out and until that time, only got to look at him on the cover and
in magazines. One of my biggest thrills was when Elvis was a guest on the
Sullivan Show, and I got to see him on our small black and white TV. After
Elvis was on, I don't think I ever missed another show. To me Elvis was simply
bigger than life - when I saw him there, he became more of a 'real' person.
:-) . My regular Sunday evenings were to make certain
I was watching TV, if not by 6:30 p.m., at least by 6:52 - I watched Ozzie and
Harriet mainly to see Ricky; and if not the entire show, at least the last few
minutes when he sang! Loved that! My Sunday evening routine was to watch Ricky
then watch the entire hour of the Sullivan Show. It was so exciting for me
to see the young, upcoming singers and other entertainers. Ed probably had no idea in the beginning that
his hour-long Sunday evening program would be continued so many years
(1955-1971). I hope before he died that he realized the great gift he provided
us all those years. I think he should certainly be in one of the
Halls of Fame! I got the Sullivan Shows DVD Set last year as a
gift- and have enjoyed it so much. Love watching - it takes me back to those
good times. Jennie Carpenter
If I missed it I’m sorry… Anyone
have a video of the infamous “Elvis” appearance on
Sullivan?
Ken
You can buy
the ENTIRE history of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show on DVD ... EVERY appearance he ever made! (kk)
Dear Kent, I'm delighted to see that the
floodgates to the riches of the Sullivan archive seem to be opening after years
of excellent, but only occasional, scatter-shot releases. I know that
negotiating rights (publishing, royalties, et al) to release physical product
can be a nightmare, but with the Beatles and the Stones behind him, hopefully
Andrew will have an easier time mining the further riches to come. By the
way, the documentary that you referenced, "Heroes of Rock & Roll," that Solt
produced and Malcolm Leo directed in '79 should be sought out by anyone who's a
regular visitor to Forgotten Hits. It truly was the first doc of its kind to
not trivialize the idiom with inane analysis. They truly let the music within
speak for, and exalt, itself. I was fortunate to see it for the first time in a
theater at an industry screening in '79, and I remember being pinned back in my
seat by the opening chords of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic" --
the perfect opener in sentiment and sound-- and the remaining two hours were an
equal wonder. 15 years earlier, I can remember watching the Huntley-Brinkley
on a Friday night when Davis Brinkley, in that sardonic, southern drawl of his
said, "Head for the hills ... the Beatles are coming." A few seconds of footage
of teenage pandemonium followed before the classic "Goodnight, Chet,"
"Goodnight, David" sign-off closed the show, and I was hooked. As
Huntley-Brinkley were NBC, they weren't about to plug Sullivan on CBS, but I
asked my mom, "What are the Beatles?" She explained to me that they were an
English Rock & Roll band that teenagers -- especially girls -- were going crazy over.
Well, I needed to see them, too, and like almost every other kid in America, I
was seated about a foot in front of the TV screen on Sunday night. Like so
many others, that was a pivotal moment in my life that, no doubt, ultimately
pointed me toward a career in entertainment. Interestingly, a decade or so
after that first Sullivan appearance, I had moved to L.A. in search of that
initial lucky break. While walking down Sunset Boulevard one day, I picked up a
flier touting "the Hollywood School of Broadcasting," or something similarly
named. As they all but guaranteed job placement at the conclusion of the
course, I called and signed up for the free introductory seminar. I showed
up at the not-so-glamorous office the next week, and after a typical sales
pitch, they sent us attendees off to a tiny recording booth to assess "our
potential." The older gentleman who was working with me introduced himself as
Art Hannes. He looked like he'd been through the mill a bit in life, but he had
a set of pipes on him that were magnificent-- one of those classic broadcast
voices reminiscent of the great broadcaster / narrators of the '40s and '50s. I
asked him what his background was, and he told me that he was the announcer on a
lot of early TV shows, including "Ed Sullivan," from its "Toast of the Town"
days until the mid-'60s. Well, I was enthralled by this pedigree, and I
peppered Art with questions -- especially about those famous Elvis appearances
and, of course, the Beatles' debut -- until he said we had to get back to work.
He gave me some test copy, had me write some, too, and then recorded me reading
it. When I finished, he was very gracious and complimentary and, even at that
naive age, I figured he was buttering me up for a sale. The tuition was a
thousand dollars or so -- a fortune to an unemployed kid whose total nest egg
for his remaining three-month test run in L.A. was about $700. But Art said not
to worry about that and told me to come back the following week, and to tell
them at the door that he had cleared it. A week later, I was grilling Art
again about his career and the Sullivan years and even suggested that he write a
book about them. He was certain that no one would be interested, but I pointed
out that I was, and he said he'd give it some thought. Then he took me
back to the studio and had me record multiple :30 and :60 second pieces of copy,
often interjecting his seasoned advice. When I had about nine or ten of these
done to his satisfaction, he put them on a cassette and handed it to me. He
said, "You're a nice young man. You have a good voice and a way with words.
You don't need broadcasting school. In fact, no one in this business ever made
it because they went to a broadcasting school. Just use this tape when you're
looking for a job until you get some experience and can make a better one." Art
shook my hand and showed me to the door. A few months later I landed my first
professional job with Casey Kasem -- another guy with a pretty good set of
pipes. As I went to work at "American Top 40" as a writer / producer, that tape
that Art graciously helped me make wasn't key, but his kindness and
encouragement were and, obviously, I've never forgotten him. A few
years later, when I was doing some on-air work myself, I tried to find him to
thank him and show him that his belief in me was somewhat justified. But the
broadcasting school was closed and I never heard anything about Art Hannes
again. Despite the fact that we only had two brief encounters, I've always
considered him to be one of my early mentors, and one of the true gentlemen of
the business. As always, Kent, thanks for the great work and entertaining
forum. Regards, Scott Paton
And then this ... after a piece submitted by FH Reader Gary Theroux recently ran on our site ...
Kent, One of the things I've loved most about
Forgotten Hits in the year since I discovered it is the way so many individuals'
unique stories somehow dovetail to make up a more complete historical
mosaic. The best example of this yet for me, personally, just happened today.
Not 48 hours after I wrote to tell you about Art Hannes -- Ed Sullivan's
original announcer -- and the kind and helpful impact he had on my career, there
was Gary Theroux's affectionate account of the man. While saddened to learn
that he spent the last decade of his life in poor health, I was very pleased
that Gary shared a fuller bio of his many accomplishments, as well as the photo
that pictures Art just as I remember him. Thanks for providing the forum that
allows these wonderful little moments of Kismet to happen. Regards, Scott
Paton
>>>In my view, the main thing that killed the Ed Sullivan Show was prosperity. When most families could afford only one television,
the Sullivan show was something that actually brought families together ... he
very astutely included, as you say, "something for the kids" as well as
something for grandma and Mom and Pop, too. My guess is that hardly anyone
liked ALL the segments of a particular show, but there was at least something there, every week, for
someone. Then came prosperity,
which meant that the kids and the adults could watch separate televisions, and
(later) cable, which could devote an entire channel to rock music. By the
1970s, the "omnibus" aspect of the Sullivan show was outdated. I think the cultural
fracturing of America is an interesting phenomenon, abetted in part because
there eventually was no need to "all get together" to listen to a radio program
or watch a TV show. The rise of multiple-TV households (and especially the
later explosion of channels on cable) gave a boost to the individual freedom to
watch what you wanted -- but it came at the expense of a shared cultural
understanding. (Henry McNulty)
Hey Kent:
The reason Ed Sullivan got
axed in ’71 is the same reason a lot of classic shows and others got the shaft
in ’71. It’s the first year real demographics are used for television. They
started screening out many shows that were geared, or popular, with older
viewers and tried to replace them with shows that fit their demographic model.
It’s the beginning of the end for that era of TV. The first “cleansing” was in
’66 when they gave the axe to all Black and White shows. Then in ’71, when you
lose the classic comedies like “The Beverly Hillbillies” and replace them with
the new style “All In The Family”. Instead of the Dad being the lovable head of
the family, they turn the hard working (mostly) white WW2 veteran in to an
ignorant, bumbling racist oaf. You lose “Hogan’s Heroes” & get “MASH”. So
instead of making fun of Nazi’s you get them making fun of the US Army and
sympathy for the Chinese Communists. Whether it was for better or worse,
people can make that judgment. I personally feel we really lost what made TV
great in that era. It happened to Radio too, and by the early to mid 70’s, it’s
really just a shell of what it used to be. That’s what demographics and focus
groups did to that part of the culture.
Ken
Hope you're doing well, Kent. I'm really enjoying your interview with Andrew Solt. I hope he completely opens
up the vaults for the Sullivan show - and that's why I'm writing. Sullivan
featured The Remains on his show, and it was a MONSTER performance of a never
recorded song. As obscure as The Remains are, they at least opened for The
Beatles tour, and recorded for a major label. But Sullivan also featured a true
"garage band" named The Black Sheep. Nothing is known about the group so the
obvious question is: How the Hell did they land an appearance on the Ed Sullivan
Show!? They even performed a cover of 'Slow Down' so it's not as if they were
pushing an original song. Do you think you could run this by Solt to see if
he has any info on The Black Sheep, such as their home town? I know Sullivan
featured forgotten non-musical acts, but as we know it's not as if he frequently
went the Ted Mack route and touted unknown rock groups. Talk about FORGOTTEN!
Hopefully you're as curious as I am to learn more about The Black
Sheep. Best, Mike Dugo
I put your query to Andrew
and Josh Solt to see what information they could add to the puzzle. (They have
an extensive listing of EVERY act ever to appear on Ed's program.) Here's what
they told me:
The Black Sheep appeared on 8/21/66. It looks
like they were inserted into a repeat only ... and never appeared on an original show.
Their names are Dean Allison, Jack Kriendler,
John Reinus, John Swarts and Lee Goldsmith. They sang a song called “Slow
Down” by Larry Williams that The Beatles covered in 1964.
Ed introduces them as coming from NY, and said
that one of their fathers is Bob Kriendler of “21.”
Best, Josh Solt SOFA
Entertainment
Honestly, I was a little surprised by this ... since the show was aired "live", it seemed unlikely to me that much in the way of outtakes or additional archived footage would exist ... but, according to Josh, it wasn't all that uncommon for a new act to be "spliced in" during a summer rerun ... read on: Quite often they would replace certain acts when rerunning an episode in the
summer. As far as your other question, as far as I know they aired everything that they shot. Hope this helps! Josh
Wrapping up our interview with Andrew Solt, aka "Keeper of the Castle" when it comes to the ultimate Ed Sullivan video collection ... Andrew owns and manages the rights to the COMPLETE original series!
KENT KOTAL / FORGOTTEN HITS: Several artists made multiple appearances on The Sullivan Show. (The Dave Clark Five immediately come to mind ... I believe in all they made something like a dozen appearances on Ed's program.) Herman's Hermits would be another artist in that group of "repeat" performers. Maybe something like a definitive British Invasion Box Set would be in order ... there could be half a dozen disks featuring the likes of The Kinks, The Hollies, Peter and Gordon, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Petula Clark, etc, etc, etc, etc ... and then maybe a few other artist-specific disks spotlighting artists like The Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits ... similar to those currently available spotlighting The Beatles and The Stones.)
ANDREW SOLT: Actually we did a show on the British Invasion and Graham Nash and Michelle Phillips hosted it. The Ed Sullivan Show achieved some of its highest ratings during the British Invasion and Ed had everybody on those years ... from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Herman's Hermits and The Dave Clark Five ... The Animals, Petula Clark, Peter and Gordon. Unfortunately, he never had The Kinks or The Hollies on his program. Our take was the British Invasion lands and America fights back so we included The Byrds, The Supremes, James Brown, The Lovin’ Spoonful and The Mamas and The Papas.
kk: Seriously? I could have sworn I'd seen The Hollies on the show. In fact, I have a copy of that Ed Sullivan DVD that is hosted by Michelle and Graham Nash, and there's a Hollies performance clip on that DVD!
AS: We had to license that track because we wanted to show Graham performing with The Hollies. Graham and Michelle did an EXCELLENT job hosting this program ... this was another one of the CBS Specials ... and we wanted to have a Hollies song on there (as well as a Mamas and Papas song, of course) ... so I had to license that clip from another source. I first met Graham when he and David Crosby provided the music for one of my Jacques Cousteau television specials. But it’s sad to say, The Hollies never appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show ... nor did The Kinks. These were two great ones that got away! Same with The Who.
kk: Likewise, vintage 1950's footage would make for an awesome collection ... The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley and the Comets, Johnny Cash, and some of the artists who made only one or two appearances like ... this material has grown rarer and rarer over the years ... yet I believe there is a lucrative market out there for this long-unseen footage.
AS:Many of these artists do appear on our compilation videos. Bobby Darin, Sam Cooke, Lloyd Price, Jackie Wilson, James Brown ... and many other greats ... and, of course, let’s not forget the man who started it all – Elvis!
kk: Typically, we get one clip of these artists on a DVD ... but many of them made multiple appearances on Ed's program and performed two or three songs ... an early Rock And Roll compilation series would allow some of this seldom-seen footage to become available again. Elvis, of course, was the one that put the show over the top. Again, Ed had a remarkable eye for talent.
AS: We have to understand that booking Elvis Presley was in a way a ratings decision. Ed had stated earlier that he would NEVER allow Presley to appear on his program – he said that he didn't feel Elvis was right for his show. However, he then witnessed reactions and ratings from of some of Elvis' other television appearances. Before he went on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis had already been on other programs like Steve Allen, Milton Berle and The Dorsey Brothers ... so Ed was NOT the first television host to bring Elvis Presley into America’s living rooms ... yet it seems to be The Ed Sullivan Show appearances are often what people remember most. History was made on Sullivan and his audience was by far the biggest. So Ed finally gave in ... Ed knew that by booking him on his program, Elvis would deliver huge ratings ... so he agreed to pay Colonel Parker's then unheard of, outrageous fee of $50,000 for three performances. And, exactly as expected, Elvis delivered 60+ million viewers on September 9, 1956 – his first Sullivan show. I'm sure Ed and CBS considered it money well spent at the time.
The complete history of Elvis Presley's performances on The Ed Sullivan Show can be found here:
kk: Of course on The Steve Allen Show, Elvis dressed in a tux and sang "Hound Dog" ... to a hound dog!!! Ed at least treated these artists with a lot more respect.
AS: Ed genuinely liked Elvis. Even when the network censors decided that Elvis could only be filmed from the waist up on his last Sullivan appearance, Ed made it a point of coming over afterwards and thanking Elvis, telling the audience and the world that he had never had a more pleasant experience than working with this fine, fine young gentleman. He called Presley "a real decent, fine boy" and because of his credibility with the public, parents relaxed their views about Elvis and were less inclined to say he was a bad influence, kind of a juvenile delinquent leading their children down the destructive path of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
kk: Obviously there were lots of other competing programs on the air at the time where a popular recording artist could go to perform their latest hit. Do you have any idea as to how Ed Sullivan viewed his competition at the time? And how did he manage to stay ahead of the trends week after week after week? Surely he was booking acts well in advance ... yet his show ALWAYS seemed to have that "immediacy" feel to it.
AS: Ed had a great eye and ear for talent ... but you also have to give a tremendous amount of credit to Bob Precht, his son-in-law, a producer on the program who helped book some of the finest acts over the years. Bob became a tremendous asset to the whole operation and he, too, knew exactly what was hot at the time. Personally, I don't think his contribution to the program has ever been properly and fully recognized.
As for the competition, Ed was always aware of his competition, meaning the programs on against him in the same timeslot. Over the years, these included programs like The Steve Allen Show ... (Ed was determined to beat Steve in the weekly ratings, which he often did) ... Maverick ... The F.B.I. ... and his fiercest competition, The Wonderful World Of Disney. That was probably the toughest competition he ever faced ... and THAT was a reason for introducing Topo Gigio on a regular basis! Ed wanted a character developed that would appeal to the kids ... so Topo Gigio became a regular fixture on Sunday nights for the kids.
But if you mean competition from other music shows like Shindig or Hullabaloo or Shivaree or American Bandstand ... no, I think Ed paid little attention to these programs ... but he paid a TREMENDOUS amount of attention to the programs he was up against in the Sunday night at 8 pm timeslot.
Click here: Ed Sullivan Presents Topo Gigio & Friends | Ed Sullivan Show
kk: LOL ... so Ed figured he would fight Walt Disney Mouse to Mouse, eh?!?! Looking at the year-end ratings of The Rock And Roll Era, The Ed Sullivan Show placed in The Top Ten the majority of these years ... #3 in 1955, #2 in 1956 ... between 1955 and 1971 when the show went off the air, The Ed Sullivan Show finished in The Top 20 eleven times out of 17 years! The show that featured The Beatles' first appearance remains the highest rated show of the entire 23 year series!
AS: Ed usually delivered impressive and steady ratings. Even if his wasn't the top rated show, he still drew a loyal, sizable audience week after week.
kk: You mentioned the censors earlier in regards to Elvis Presley ... but Ed is known for HIS censorship with some of the rock acts, too. It's a matter of legend now that he got The Rolling Stones to change the lyrics of "Let's Spend The Night Together" to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" ... he also insisted that Jim Morrison of The Doors NOT sing the line about "getting higher", only to have Morrison confound Sullivan during the live broadcast by singing exactly that ... at which point an absolutely FURIOUS Ed Sullivan proclaimed that The Doors would never appear on his program again. (And they never did!) Ed certainly had his favorites (the often-asked-back Supremes, The Mamas and the Papas and The Dave Clark Five immediately come to mind) ... did he find it much more difficult deciding on what acts to book as rock and roll became more rebellious?
AS: Bob Dylan was scheduled to appear on Ed's program one week but walked off the stage during the rehearsal when he was told that he couldn't sing "Talkin' John Birch Society Blues" ... and he never came back. But Ed had on acts like Janis Joplin and The Jefferson Airplane ... Santana and Creedence Clearwater Revival ... The Band and Vanilla Fudge ... heavier artists that you might not normally expect to see on a variety program such as his.
One thing that a lot of people don't know is that Ed and his staff had battles occasionally with his censors, as well as Ford / Lincoln / Mercury dealers in the South about the number of African-American acts he had on his program. When Ed wouldn’t back down, several of the dealers threatened to leave the show. It almost went down but Ed stood his ground and the show went on to new heights. Ed especially loved black performers and, as such, built a wide audience by booking many of the Motown acts and artists like Sam Cooke and Sammy Davis, Jr. ... Ray Charles, James Brown and comedians like Richard Pryor ... artists like Nat King Cole, Lena Horne, Pearl Bailey and Moms Mabley ... these were performers you didn't see on a lot of other television programs at the time. If you were talented Ed didn’t care what color your skin was. Behind the scenes, Ed sometimes fought with his sponsors, who threatened to pull out because he seemed to favor some of these "race" artists. Perhaps the most controversial episode came when he had singer Harry Belafonte on his show. Harry was doing one of his calypso numbers and there were a number of girls dancing behind him as he sat on a stool performing his song. Ed received ALL kinds of angry and threatening letters ... it was UNHEARD OF to have a white woman placed behind a black man ... and several sponsors did pull out after this episode aired!
kk: As well-loved and popular an entertainer as Harry Belafonte was, he certainly seemed to cause some controversy over some of his television appearances! In the mid-'60's, there was quite a bit of flack when, during a duet, he took Petula Clark's hand ... and I remember a particular episode of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour that never even aired because of its political overtones ... Harry was singing some sort of protest song while, in the background, footage was being shown of the 1968 Democratic Convention which, of course, was COMPLETELY out of hand!!!
AS: And these were many of the same CBS censors that The Ed Sullivan Show went up against from time to time. (In fact, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour eventually followed The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights.) A lot of people also don't know that when Bill "Mr. Bojangles" Robinson died, virtually penniless, Ed paid for the funeral expenses, a major event and motorcade through Harlem, out of his own pocket, because he had such great respect for Robinson, his screen work and talent. If you were a friend of Ed’s, he was loyal for life.
kk: Amazing! Thank you again, Andrew, for taking the time to visit with us today. A very insightful and enlightening look into The Ed Sullivan Show!
AS: Thank you as well. I appreciate your thoroughness and interest in Ed Sullivan and his body of work and its rich music legacy.
kk: It's been a real pleasure!
***
And we're not done yet ... check back for some of your comments ... and some memories from some of the artists who appeared on the program ... in the days to come! It's all right here in Forgotten Hits ... where we're Keeping Yesterday Alive!
KENT KOTAL / FORGOTTEN HITS: Did you ever get to meet Ed Sullivan? (I know your bio says you purchased the rights from Sullivan's daughter Elizabeth ... but did you ever have the opportunity to meet Ed yourself?)
ANDREW SOLT: No, sadly I never had the pleasure. By the time I met his son-in-law, Bob Precht, Ed had already been gone for several years. His wife Sylvia and his daughter, Betty, were the loves of his life ... they did almost everything together and truly enjoyed each other’s company. When Sylvia passed away in 1973, Ed had very little to live for anymore. His show had already been off the air for two years ... and his constant companion was no longer there for him. He did some specials for CBS and died a short time later ... on October 13, 1974 at the age of 73.
kk: Did the family have any specific requests as to how this material should be handled? Did they have any concerns?
AS: I think Bob & Betty Precht felt I loved and respected the show and Ed’s work and they probably hoped I could keep it out there in TV and home-video land.
kk: Could you EVER have imagined ... in your wildest dreams ... that you would some day become the "keeper" of one of the most sought after video collection in the world?
AS: It really was my favorite television program growing up ... I loved The Ed Sullivan Show ... and I wanted it to be preserved and presented in such a way that other generations could discover it and enjoy it, too. This is a collection that I wanted to share, both with the folks who grew up watching it and the new generations discovering it for the first time. Sure, everyone knows about Elvis' appearance and The Beatles' appearance ... but so many other great artists appeared on Ed's program over the years ... from all walks of the entertainment field. I look at this as a way of giving some of this back to people who, like me, enjoyed it for years on end.
kk: Why has it taken so long to begin releasing this material to the public? Certainly the most receptive audience ... those of us who were THERE watching Ed's program at the time ... has started to dwindle the past several years.
AS: I don't know that it has taken that long ... you have to look over the course of the past twenty years to see that we have made a number of releases available ... probably 40 or 50 in all. Of course the first 20 or so were of the VHS variety, back in the days of video tape machines and VCR's ... but more recently we've been releasing more of this material on DVD, too. There are a number of collectors' sets available through our website, EdSullivan.com (Click here: The Ed Sullivan Show -
Official Website for DVD's, CD's & Videos) ... some fine collections. And we've done numerous television specials, too ... first on CBS, naturally, which was home to The Ed Sullivan Showfor so many years ... we did a couple of anniversary specials ... that did very well in the ratings. The first CBS Retrospective was hosted by Carol Burnett and ran in 1991 ... it was one of the top rated shows of the season ... so we did a second one that same year, hosted by Burt Reynolds. And then, after that, we launched the VH-1 Series, "Ed Sullivan’s Rock 'n' Roll Classics" and helped launch the TV Land channel with our "Best of Ed Sullivan" series. More recently, some of the programs have been running on PBS.
There has been a rather steady stream of material coming available. But you have to understand that the licensing takes SO much time ... it isn't like that in Europe or outside North America, where you just pay a flat percent usage fee for the music. Kind of like with CD’s – audio only.
Something like our "Best of Motown on Ed Sullivan" releases that just came out ... or the brand new Rolling Stones set ... took seven or eight years to actually get the product to market because of all of the negotiating and clearances. This material SHOULD have come out years ago ... and you're right, there WAS a bigger market for it then. As more time passes, there are less and less people around who enjoyed "The Ed Sullivan Show" when it originally aired ... but we also find that there is a whole new audience who want to see these vintage, landmark performances, too. So it all balances out in the end.
kk: I know the advent of YouTube has been a real thorn in the side of SOFA Entertainment ... as well it should be. Again, I can't imagine that anyone EVER envisioned a time when this long-lost media would develop such a cult following all these years later.
AS: Our company, SOFA Entertainment, has its own YouTube Channel ... and we post some of the footage that is available from our archives. We now offer some of this material through sources like iTunes, where we probably have something like 250 video clips available for $1.99 each ... it's all part of the new technology and the way that people enjoy music today. Besides the video clips, we probably have about 300 audio clips up as well ... live performances from The Ed Sullivan Show available for downloading.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Ed Sullivan Show YouTube Channel has something like 139 "teaser" clips posted on it ... many of these will also take you to the EdSullivan.com website (Click here: The Ed Sullivan Show -
Official Website for DVD's, CD's & Videos) where you can buy the DVD compilation containing these clips.
Here's a link to the Ed Sullivan You Tube Channel:
And there are over 200 additional full-length clips available for downloading on iTunes. The opportunity currently exists to build one hell of an Ed Sullivan Video Library of your very own at this time ... and more releases are expected in the years to come!
kk: There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 1100 HOURS of Sullivan television footage in your library. Have these all been cataloged to the extend that some complete listing now exists as to exactly who appeared on each and every program? Is what you have in your library a complete accounting of the entire series or have some tapes and footage been lost over the years?
AS: We are very fortunate to have 1,050 complete episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show in our library, dating all the way back to the 1948 "Toast of the Town" programs. So many television shows from the dawn of TV don't exist anymore ... or there may be only a handful of episodes available at most ... but nearly every hour ever broadcast of Ed Sullivan is still intact ... complete programs. I think in all something like 30 episodes may still be missing ... and this is a program that aired from June 20th of 1948 through March 28th of 1971. That's pretty much unheard of today. The Ed Sullivan Show was the longest running prime time variety program in the history of television!
kk: We've heard stories over the years about some GREAT programming that was lost because of improper storage procedures ... or, worse yet, networks erasing and recording over the same tapes as a cost-saving measure. Then again, television was still so new back then, I don't know that anybody really knew for sure what was going to catch on or remain valuable so many years later.
AS: A lot of shows from this era don't exist anymore ... Steve Allen ... Milton Berle ... even some of the early Johnny Carson shows are lost forever. Ed insisted that every show be preserved ... and it's thanks to his insistence ... and persistence ... that we have all these fine programs around today.
kk: I know TV.com (Click
here: The Ed Sullivan Show Season 24 Episode Guide - TV.com ) has an episode guide listing EVERY single episode of The Ed Sullivan Show ... it's nearly 200 pages long if you print it out (and I have!!!) Have you ever checked this for accuracy to see just how legitimate it really is? Certainly you must have cataloged every episode in your collection at some point in time. (And, if not, I would LOVE the opportunity to help in some fashion to do so!)
AS: Everything has been cataloged down to the finest detail. A list like what you refer to on TV.com is accurate to a point ... but a lot of these guests and appearances were based on information taken from TV Guide, not the actual broadcasts, and you have to remember that TV Guide was printed sometimes three to four weeks in advance back then. Acts cancelled all the time ... new acts were booked at the very last minute if they had a hot record out or an act suddenly became unavailable. Since this was a live show ... if a show ran long, some guest might not get the chance to perform the second song they were scheduled to perform on any given night. So yes, they're accurate as a guide ... but they are nowhere near as precise as our own records, which are literally "to the second" logs of actual shows as they were broadcast. We have built a thorough database of the Sullivan library -- details about every artist, performance, date and running time on all the shows. On the handful of shows that are missing, we only know who appeared in those episodes, but the specifics are often missing. So it is not like we haven't archived the 1,050 hours, because we have. It took a couple of years and a team of capable people dedicated to the task.
kk: It seems like there's a book in here somewhere ... imagine the COMPLETE detailed program guide ... every show ... every guest ... what they did ... still shots, accompanied by a 20 DVD Set showing some of the highlights from this era! I would think that would become a true collectors item! A pricey project, to be sure ... but something I could see fans and devotees wanting to add to their personal collections.
SOFA Entertainment has been very good about putting together television specials and tributes to The Ed Sullivan Show, keeping the name and the legacy out there for the public to enjoy and discover. Some of these things have run on VH1 (The Ed Sullivan Years being one example, which I have as a deluxe 9-DVD box set) ... some of the recent PBS Fund-Raising Television Specials ... and, of course, now a whole new line of DVDs available for purchase for fans' home libraries. Some of the most popular releases have been the compilations featuring each and every appearance by Elvis Presley and / or The Beatles. Brand new recent releases include DVD Box Sets spotlighting the entire Ed Sullivan television history of The Rolling Stones ... The Supremes ... and The Temptations ... as well as a tribute to Motown. Are more releases of this nature planned for the future? (And what can you tell us about them?)
AS: We have several new ideas in the works but I don't like to talk about them in advance because then if they don't really happen it’s wrong and some people may wonder "What did you talk about that for? It didn’t happen." I'd rather concentrate on the new releases that ARE available ... like those that you just mentioned ... all of the shows featuring The Rolling Stones or the new Motown releases. And we've got some GREAT collections available through our website, too, like "Ed Sullivan's Rock And Roll Classics", a now 12 DVD Set that I'm sure your readers would enjoy … About 18 hours of timeless rock ‘n’ roll … A great collection!
***
During our email exchanges, I asked Andrew if there was even a chance of some of what we consider to be our "Forgotten Hits" artists showing up on some of these home video compilations ... I was quite surprised to find that a collection much like the one I "dreamed" of already existed! Read on ...
kk: The DVD's currently available feature special compilations derived around a specific theme ... Comedy Legends ... The British Invasion ... Broadway ... The Arts (encompassing ballet, opera and theater) ... Rock And Roll ... but these typically spotlight the very biggest names in show business. Anything planned for some of the "one-off" appearances by very popular artists like The Doors, The Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival? And even lesser known names of acts who were more or less simply passing through at the time? (We'd love to see some attention paid to some of our favorite Forgotten Hits artists like The Buckinghams, Spanky and Our Gang, The Grass Roots, The Association, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Tommy James and the Shondells, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Steppenwolf, Dino, Desi and Billy, The Turtles, Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Cowsills, The Young Rascals, Paul Revere and the Raiders, as well as popular '60's artists like The Mamas and the Papas, The Fifth Dimension, The Beach Boys, The Dave Clark Five, The Four Seasons, Petula Clark, Dionne Warwick ... and many others who appeared on Ed's program often enough to consider The Ed Sullivan Show "home". Much like The Motown Legends box release, we'd LOVE to see more of the main-stream artist appearances ... and in unedited form. (A 9-CD release like "The Ed Sullivan Years", good as it was, tends to get redundant in that a few of the exact same appearances come up more than once spread across so many themes ... and many of these have been edited from their original length.)
I'm thinking more of a series specifically dedicated to a certain genre of music ... or, how 'bout this ... a "Best of 1964" edition, a "Best of 1965" edition, etc., etc., etc. In fact, you could launch an entire series like this by going all the way back to 1955 with Bill Haley and the Comets' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing "Rock Around The Clock!" It would trace the history of the program as well as the evolution of rock and roll music ... in fact, a series such as this could become the very DEFINITION of the evolution of rock and roll music, documented for all to enjoy in its original glory!
AS: Regarding some of the artists you mention that you would like to see available to the public, please see our website where we offer a lot of the performances you refer to in a 36 half-hour set on 12 DVDs (Ed Sullivan's Rock n Roll Classics). Here you will find a thorough listing of the song lists included in the 18 hours.
Please know that in addition to the performances on our available DVDs (on the site), we have made available about 250 videos from the Sullivan archive on iTunes so you can check that out, too. It includes numberous performances we don't have in the 200+ songs on the DVD list tied to this link. Between the two (DVDs and iTunes) probably 90% of the best performers and performances from the rock and pop in the library are available to the public. (BTW, this took years and millions of dollars to clear, prepare and make available). Also keep in mind that we can't just use what we want, when we want. Legal factors impinge sometimes on decisions so that is always the X factor. I am sure you understand. Again, thanks for your interest and your attention to The Ed Sullivan Show and its rich music legacy.
The tracking listing for The Ed Sullivan Show Rock And Roll Classics Compilation is nothing short of OUTSTANDING!!! You have GOT to check this out:
DVD 1:
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL HALL OF FAME 1. Elvis Presley – “DON’T BE CRUEL”
2. The Beatles – “ALL MY LOVING”
3. The Beach Boys – “WENDY”
4. The Doors – “LIGHT MY FIRE”
5. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “FORTUNATE SON”
6. James Brown – “IT’S A MAN’S MAN’S MAN’S WORLD”
SMASH HITS OF THE SIXTIES 1. The Beatles – “I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND”
2. The Beach Boys – “I GET AROUND”
3. The Mamas & The Papas – “CALIFORNIA DREAMING”
4. Petula Clark – “DOWNTOWN”
5. The 4 Seasons – “BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY”
6. Tommy James & The Shondells – “CRIMSON AND CLOVER”
7. The Mamas & The Papas – “MONDAY, MONDAY”
MOTOR CITY MAGIC 1. Four Tops – “BERNADETTE” (MEDLEY W/ “REACH OUT” & “SUGAR PIE”)
2. The Jackson 5 – “I WANT YOU BACK (ONE MORE CHANCE)”
3. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “I SECOND THAT EMOTION”
4. The Supremes – “IN AND OUT OF LOVE”
5. Stevie Wonder – “FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE”
6. The Temptations – “GET READY”
DVD 2:
ROCK LEGENDS – 1 1. Elvis Presley – “HOUND DOG”
2. James Brown – med: “PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG” “I FEEL GOOD”
3. Buddy Holly – “PEGGY SUE”
4. Jerry Lee Lewis – ” WHAT’D I SAY”
5. Fats Domino – “BLUEBERRY HILL”
6. Bo Diddley – “BO DIDDLEY”
7. Elvis Presley – “DON’T BE CRUEL”
MOVE TO THE MUSIC 1. The Beatles – “TWIST AND SHOUT”
2. Jerry Lee Lewis – “WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’ GOING ON”
3. Martha & the Vandellas – “DANCIN’ IN THE STREETS”
4. Jay & The Techniques – “KEEP THE BALL ROLLING”
5. Jackie Wilson – “THAT’S WHY”
6. Freddie & The Dreamers – “DO THE FREDDIE”
7. Sly & The Family Stone – “DANCE TO THE MUSIC”
R & B GREATS 1. The Ike And Tina Turner Revue – “PROUD MARY”
2. Jackie Wilson – “LONELY TEARDROPS”
3. Stevie Wonder – “Fingertips”
4. James Brown – medley: “PLEASE, PLEASE” “PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG”
5. The Temptations – “I CAN’T GET NEXT TO YOU”
DVD 3:
THE BRITISH INVASION – 1 1. The Beatles – “SHE LOVES YOU”
2. The Animals – “HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN”
3. The Rolling Stones – “HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR MOTHER…”
4. Herman’s Hermits – “MRS. BROWN, YOU’VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER”
5. The Searchers – “NEEDLES AND PINS”
6. Gerry & The Pacemakers – “DON’T LET THE SUN CATCH YOU CRYING”
7. The Animals – “WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE”
THE SAN FRANCISCO SCENE 1. Jefferson Airplane – “CROWN OF CREATION”
2. Santana – “PERSUASION”
3. Janis Joplin – “RAISE YOUR HAND”
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “DOWN ON THE CORNER”
5. Sly & The Family Stone – “EVERYDAY PEOPLE”/”DANCE TO THE MUSIC”
CLASSIC LOVE SONGS 1. The Beatles – “FROM ME TO YOU”
2. The Carpenters – “CLOSE TO YOU”
3. Little Anthony & The Imperials – “HURT SO BAD”
4. The 5th Dimension – “WEDDING BELL BLUES”
5. Smokey Robinson – “Yesterday”
6. Elvis Presley – “LOVE ME TENDER”
DVD 4:
PSYCHEDELIC SIXTIES 1. The Doors – “LIGHT MY FIRE”
2. Jefferson Airplane – “CROWN OF CREATION”
3. Steppenwolf – “BORN TO BE WILD” “MAGIC CARPET RIDE”
4. Vanilla Fudge – “KEEP ME HANGING ON”
5. The Temptations – “PSYCHEDELIC SHACK”
GROOVY SOUNDS 1. Young Rascals – “GROOVIN’”
2. The Turtles – “HAPPY TOGETHER”
3. Young Rascals – “GOOD LOVIN’”
4. Spanky & Our Gang – “SUNDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME”
5. The 5th Dimension – “STONED SOUL PICNIC”
6. Oliver - “GOOD MORNING STARSHINE”
7. The Beach Boys – “GOOD VIBRATIONS”
GREAT GROUPS 1. The Beatles – “HELP!”
2. The Bee Gees – “WORDS”
3. The Byrds – “MR. TAMBOURINE MAN”
4. Four Tops – “IT’S ALL IN THE GAME”
5. The Temptations – medley: “MY GIRL” “I KNOW I’M LOSING YOU”
6. The Rolling Stones – “(I CAN’T GET NO) SATISFACTION”
DVD 5:
TOP HITS OF 1965 1. Sonny & Cher – “I GOT YOU BABE”
2. Tom Jones – “IT’S NOT UNUSUAL”
3. Four Tops – “SAME OLD SONG” “SUGAR PIE” & “SOMETHING ABOUT YOU”
4. The 4 Seasons – “LET’S HANG ON!”
5. The Lovin’ Spoonful – “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC”
6. Herman’s Hermits – “I’M HENRY THE VIII, I AM”
TOP HITS OF 1966 1. The Rolling Stones – “PAINT IT, BLACK”
2. The Animals – “DON’T BRING ME DOWN”
3. The Association – “ALONG CAME MARY”
4. The Mamas & The Papas – “MONDAY, MONDAY”
5. Lou Rawls – “LOVE IS A HURTIN’ THING”
6. The Supremes – “MY WORLD IS EMPTY WITHOUT YOU”
TOP HITS OF 1967 1. The Rolling Stones – “RUBY TUESDAY”
2. The Association – “NEVER MY LOVE”
3. The Supremes – “THE HAPPENING”
4. Johnny Rivers – “BABY I NEED YOUR LOVIN’”
5. The Mamas & The Papas – “CREEQUE ALLEY”
DVD 6:
TOP HITS OF 1968 1. The Beach Boys – “DO IT AGAIN”
2. The Chambers Brothers – “TIME HAS COME TODAY”
3. Tom Jones – “DELILAH”
4. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – “LADY WILLPOWER”
5. Spanky & Our Gang – “LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU”
6. Tommy James & The Shondells – “MONY MONY”
TOP HITS OF 1969 1. Brooklyn Bridge – “WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN”
2. Smith – “BABY IT’S YOU”
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “PROUD MARY”
4. Oliver – “JEAN”
5. The 5th Dimension – “AQUARIUS/LET THE SUN SHINE IN”
TOP HITS OF 1970 1. The Jackson 5 – “THE LOVE YOU SAVE”
2. The Supremes – “SOMEDAY WE’LL BE TOGETHER”
3. The Carpenters – “WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN”
4. The Grass Roots – “TEMPTATION EYES”
5. B.J. Thomas – “RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD”
6. The 5th Dimension – “ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER”
7. The Jackson 5 – “I WANT YOU BACK”
DVD 7:
FIRST WOMEN OF ROCK 1. Diana Ross & The Supremes – “LOVE CHILD”
2. Janis Joplin – “RAISE YOUR HAND”
3. Dusty Springfield – “SON-OF-A PREACHER MAN”
4. Gladys Knight & The Pips – “IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN”
5. Janis Joplin – “MAYBE, MAYBE, MAYBE”
6. The Supremes – “YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE”
FOLK ROCK 1. The Band – “UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK”
2. The Byrds – “TURN, TURN, TURN”
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “DOWN ON THE CORNER”
4. The Lovin’ Spoonful – “DAYDREAM”
5. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “ABRAHAM, MARTIN & JOHN”
THE SWEET SOUND OF SOUL 1. The Supremes – “COME SEE ABOUT ME”
2. The Jackson Five – “ABC” & “I WANT YOU BACK
3. Four Tops – “Reach Out and I’ll Be There”
4. James Brown – “PRISONER OF LOVE”
5. The Righteous Bros. – “TURN ON YOUR LOVE LIGHT”
6. The Temptations – “RUN AWAY CHILD, RUNNING WILD”
DVD 8:
LENNON & McCARTNEY SONGBOOK 1. The Beatles - “TICKET TO RIDE” 2. Bobby Rydell – “WORLD WITHOUT LOVE” 3. Peter & Gordon – “I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN” 4. Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas – “BAD TO ME” 5. Petula Clark – “Fool on the Hill” 6. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “YESTERDAY”
BRITISH INVASION – 2 1. The Beatles – “I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND” 2. The Rolling Stones – “TIME IS ON MY SIDE” 3. Herman’s Hermits – “JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER” 4. The Animals – “SHAKE” 5. Gerry & The Pacemakers – “FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY” 6. Freddie & The Dreamers – “I’M TELLING YOU NOW”
ELVIS PRESLEY 1. Elvis Presley – “DON’T BE CRUEL” 2. Elvis Presley – “READY TEDDY” 3. Elvis Presley – “TOO MUCH” 4. Elvis Presley – “WHEN MY BLUE MOON TURNS TO GOLD AGAIN” 5. Elvis Presley – “HOUND DOG” 6. Elvis Presley – “PEACE IN THE VALLEY”
DVD 9:
SOUNDS OF THE CITIES 1. The Ike and Tina Turner Revue - “PROUD MARY” 2. James Brown – “IT’S A MAN’S MAN’S MAN’S WORLD” 3. Gladys Knight & The Pips – “I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE” 4. Sam & Dave – “I THANK YOU” 5. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers – “GOODY GOODY” 6. The Ike and Tina Turner Revue – “BOLD SOUL SISTER”
THE BAD BOYS OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL 1. The Rolling Stones – “(I CAN’T GET NO) SATISFACTION” 2. The Animals – “DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD” 3. James Brown – “PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG” “I FEEL GOOD” 4. Jerry Lee Lewis – “WHOLE LOT OF SHAKIN’ GOING ON” 5. Bo Diddley – “BO DIDDLEY” 6. The Animals – “BRING IT ON HOME TO ME”
THE SUPREMES 1. The Supremes – “COME SEE ABOUT ME” 2. The Supremes – “LOVE IS LIKE AN ITCHING IN MY HEART” 3. Diana Ross and The Supremes – “I’M LIVIN’ IN SHAME” 4. Diana Ross and The Supremes – “FOREVER CAME TODAY” 5. Diana Ross and The Supremes – “NO MATTER WHAT SIGN YOU ARE” 6. The Supremes (w/out Diana) – “UP THE LADDER TO THE ROOF”
DVD 10:
ROCK LEGENDS – 2 1. Elvis Presley – “TOO MUCH” 2. Buddy Holly – “THAT’LL BE THE DAY” 3. James Brown – “PRISONER OF LOVE” 4. Bo Diddley – “BO DIDDLEY” 5. Fats Domino – “LET THE FOUR WINDS BLOW” 6. Jackie Wilson – “I’M COMIN’ ON BACK TO YOU”
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL LOVE SONGS 1. The Beatles – “SHE LOVES YOU” 2. The 5th Dimension – “WEDDING BELL BLUES” 3. Lulu – “TO SIR WITH LOVE” 4. Brooklyn Bridge – “WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN” 5. Jackie Wilson – “NIGHT” 6. Little Anthony & The Imperials – “TEARS ON MY PILLOW”
THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS 1. The Mamas & The Papas – “CREEQUE ALLEY” 2. The Mamas & The Papas – “DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE” 3. The Mamas & The Papas – “TWELVE THIRTY” 4. The Mamas & The Papas – “MONDAY, MONDAY” 5. The Mamas & The Papas – “I CALL YOUR NAME” 6. The Mamas & The Papas – “CALIFORNIA DREAMING”
DVD 11:
GONE TOO SOON 1. Janis Joplin – “MAYBE” 2. Elvis Presley – “PEACE IN THE VALLEY” 3. Buddy Holly – “OH, BOY!” 4. The Mamas & The Papas – “WORDS OF LOVE” 5. Bobby Darin – “MACK THE KNIFE” 6. Carpenters – “WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN”
TEEN IDOLS 1. Elvis Presley – “READY TEDDY” 2. Bobby Rydell – “WORLD WITHOUT LOVE” 3. Dino, Desi & Billy – “NOT THE LOVIN’ KIND” 4. Tom Jones – “IT’S NOT UNUSUAL” 5. Paul Anka – “DIANA” 6. Bobby Darin – “DREAM LOVER”
WEST COAST ROCK 1. The Byrds – “TURN, TURN, TURN” 2. The Mamas & The Papas – “CALIFORNIA DREAMING” 3. The 5th Dimension – “CALIFORNIA SOUL” 4. The Turtles – “SHE’D RATHER BE WITH ME” 5. The Friends of Distinction – “GRAZING IN THE GRASS” 6. The Beach Boys – “I GET AROUND”
DVD 12:
MOTORTOWN REVIEW 1. The Supremes – “LOVE IS LIKE AN ITCHING IN MY HEART” 2. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “DOGGONE RIGHT” 3. The Jackson 5 – “WHO’S LOVIN’ YOU” 4. Stevie Wonder – “YOU MET YOUR MATCH” 5. Diana Ross & The Supremes – “LOVE CHILD” 6. The Temptations – “I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME”
LEGENDS OF SOUL 1. Stevie Wonder – “FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE” 2. Marvin Gaye – “TAKE THIS HEART OF MINE” 3. The 5th Dimension – “UP, UP AND AWAY” 4. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “I SECOND THAT EMOTION” 5. The Ike and Tina Turner Revue – “BOLD SOUL SISTER” 6. Jackie Wilson – “LONELY TEARDROPS”
THE TEMPTATIONS 1.The Temptations – “JUST MY IMAGINATION (RUNNING AWAY WITH ME)” 2. The Temptations – “DON’T LOOK BACK” 3. The Temptations – “SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN” 4. The Temptations – “YOU’VE MADE ME SO VERY HAPPY” 5. The Temptations – “RUN AWAY CHILD, RUNNING WILD” 6. The Temptations – “I CAN’T GET NEXT TO YOU”
You'll find the "order link" for this INCREDIBLE collection above ... quite honestly, you couldn't start your own personal Ed Sullivan home library at a better spot! (kk)
