INSIGHTS INTO FINAL CHAPTER:
Last week we wrapped up the final chapter in our special "Insights Into" Series, all based on the EXCELLENT book series put together by Jeff March and Marti Smiley Childs, "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone."
I, for one, hate to see it end ...as I have derived SO much enjoyment from reading their books over the years, each one spotlighting a variety of artists who provided the soundtrack to our lives in the '60's.
But it doesn't have to end for you ...
If you haven't already done so along the way, click on any of the links below and start to build your own collection of "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone" books. If you love the music of the '60's as much as we do, then you will DEFINITELY enjoy learning so much more about the artists who created it ... and all in their own words, too!
All four volumes are available through their EditPros Website …
Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March
I just wanted to take just one more minute to say another quick round of thank yous to both again for
doing these for us – it has an extra bonus treat every month when your piece
runs in FH. (If you happen to have missed any of these along the way, simply scroll back to the 15th of every month this year to read each special installment.)
I couldn't wrap things up without telling you once again how much I love and have enjoyed your books over the years ... and I would LOVE to see more coming! But I also understand if you’ve decided to wrap things up.
I was thinking that maybe as one, final wrap up piece, you might tell us who else was on your bucket list that you would have liked to talk to?
And who did you miss out on simply because they were simply gone too soon?
And finally, did anybody ever give you a flat out “Sorry, no … not interested?”
(And, with that thought in mind, who was your hardest “get”?)
kk
Hi Kent –
We hope that your readers have been enjoying these monthly segments, and we applaud you for being the keeper of the flame for these many talented musicians and their timeless recordings.
We really had only a few other people on our bucket list at the time we decided to conclude the series. We did intentionally overlook a few bands because too few members remained. Several performers turned us down for various reasons: some because they were working on or anticipating books of their own; some who were too busy to engage in a lengthy conversation (we typically chatted with performers for two to four hours, sometimes encompassing two or more conversations); a few who wanted to be paid to speak with us (which we couldn’t afford to do, and which we thought would be unfair to the performers who weren’t compensated); a few who simply declined our request to pry into their personal lives (which is understandable); some declined to speak with us because we already had spoken with other band members with whom they were feuding; and a few more who were upset that we had obtained their personal phone numbers (and we understood and respected their reticence). We don’t want to say who those folks were because it would sound like sour grapes. And while a couple of performers took weeks to deliberate before agreeing to speak with us, most of the performers about whom we wrote readily and enthusiastically agreed — largely because we offered them the opportunity to read our manuscripts drafts and correct any inadvertent errors prior to publication.
Marti and I were happy that for the four books, we spoke with 105 performers about the directions their lives had taken after their songs faded from the charts. Many remained in the music field in various capacities, but collectively, they held 160 jobs other than performing or recording music after stepping away from the spotlight. Some performers reluctantly left music seeking other kinds of work simply to earn a steady income. But others pursued different fields that they believed would be more personally rewarding or would enable them to better serve humanity. Learning where these recording artists had gone in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment was our objective in writing the "Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone?" series, and we're grateful that so many performers willingly discussed that with us.
Sincerely and with best regards,
Jeff, with regards from Marti
ADDITIONAL THANKS:
As we reach the end of another year (our 23rd!!!), we'd like to take a moment to thank some of our other 2022 "partners" who provided on-going monthly and weekly features.
Besides Jeff March and Marti Smiley-Childs, this would include people like Phil Nee, who provided us with some of the incredible interviews he’s done over the years …
These ran every Saturday this past year in Forgotten Hits … and it was a Who’s Who list of musical celebs who graced our pages.
Special thanks, too, to Gary Strobl for his Magical Monkees Memories segments, as well as the pages he has shared from Henry Diltz’s Journal …
Thanks to Chuck Buell and Harvey Kubernik and Shelley Sweet-Tufano for helping us fill some of the many slots in the schedule this past year …
And guys like Tom Cuddy and Tom Diehl and Jack Levin and Sam Talerico and Randy Price and Ron Onesti and Clark Besch and Rick O’Dell and Paul Haney and Ted Smucker and Allan Sniffen and Gary Theroux and David Salidor and Scott Shannon and Larry Neal and Mike Wolstein and Pam Pulice and Bob Merlis and Jim Peterik and Paul Evans and Geoff Dorsett and Frank Merrill and Ron Riley and Scott Paton and Ken Voss and several others who helped out behind the scenes.
People keep asking me, “So, what have you got planned for next year?” … and the plain and simple answer is “Nothing.”
That’s right …
For the first time EVER, I am entering into a new year with absolutely no prep … and that has never happened before.
But my schedule has changed so drastically in the past year that I seldom have the time to prepare in advance anymore.
What does that mean?
Less posts probably … but more timely ones because there won’t be so many “pre-scheduled commitments” blocking me from bringing you the latest in oldies news. This should also help to free me up a bit more to react to whatever may be going on at that moment in time … and leave me open to be inspired by some of YOUR conversations as they come up, providing opportunities to explore new avenues.
If I’m being totally honest, I am cautiously looking forward to it!
But after 23 years of doing this, I think
I want year #25 to be the one that everybody remembers ... so I may just "coast" a little bit next year in order to do more foundation prep for Year #25. (Of course, I've been saying I'll be doing fewer posts for the past ten years now ... and yet 2022 ended up being over 400 posts once again ... so it's anybody's guess as to what 2023 may bring!!!)
Those of you who have been with us for a while know that our focus has never changed … it has always been all about the music … and keeping the memories alive … and we will continue to do just that within these pages.
But it really only works the way it’s supposed to work when you guys get involved …
So please, keep those cards and letters comin’!!!
And we’ll all experience 2023
together! (kk)
