Today in honor of Marty Balin, who was born January 30th 1943, I am pleased to feature a piece of an interview from my Those Were the Days show.
Marty was my guest a few times and was a very fun interview.
Sadly we lost Marty in 2018, but the songs that he performed with Jefferson Airplane / Starship and his solo hits live on.
In January of 1972, I first heard the song White Lies, Blue Eyes by Bullet.
It jumped out of the radio.
It did not become the hit across the nation that it should have as it only topped out at #28 in Billboard. The song hit #5 on WLS in early '72.
Some sources listed the group Bullet as being London based and featuring former members of Atomic Rooster.
This was not true and I had the chance to talk with Ernie Sorrentino a few years ago to set the record straight about this New York based group that produced the song that I still love.
-- Phil Nee
Don't forget to listen to Phil Nee's Those Were The Days Program, tonight from 6 pm - Midnight, on WRCO
After
pulling some Gene Pitney material out of the FH Archives the other day to
commemorate his induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002, I was
curious as to what else we may have covered THIS WEEK in '02, EXACTLY TWENTY YEARS
AGO.
Thanks
to some nifty computer work (with very special thanks to Megan and Tom for their
assistance) we were once again able to preserve a portion of The Forgotten Hits
Archives …
So
I am able to take a look back twenty years (when FH was still just an emailed
newsletter) and share these memories with you here today!
And
guess what …
TWENTY
YEARS AGO THIS WEEK we were STILL debating what the First Rock And Roll Record
Was!!! (Boy, things sure haven’t changed
much, have they?!?!?)
All
comments shown are by the authors of this piece, Jim Dawson and Steve Propes …
But
my guess is that our old pal Ed Parker (JacoFan) probably had something to do
with sending this to us … as he has been tracing rock and roll’s roots back to
the late 1800’s!!!
In
any event, it’s published here again today for your review and enjoyment …
And
hey, what’s a good debate if you can’t keep it going for twenty-something
years?!?!?
'60's FLASHBACK:
I came across this while cleaning out some files and thought it would
be neat to share with you.
What follows is a list of 50 songs that have been identified by writers
Jim
Dawson and Steve Propes as candidates for the first rock-n-roll songs
listed in chronological order.
Naturally, me being crazy as I am, would have listed earlier
recordings. Comments are by Dawson &
Propes. Dates are recording dates.
1. BLUES PT. 2 by Jazz at the Philharmonic, 4/2/44 –
Why?First commercially released
recording featuring honking and squealing saxophones.
2. THE HONEYDRIPPER by Joe Liggins,
4/20/45 -
Why? It was the first runaway hit in the formative
R&B combo style.
3. BE-BABA-LEBA by Helen Humes / Bill
Doggett Octet, 8/45 -
Why? First example of bebop influence on R&B
4. HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS by Ella Mae
Morse / Freddie Slack, 2/12/46
Why? Both Freddie and Ella were the first two
white R&B stars and helped to establish Capitol Records.
5. THAT’S ALL RIGHT by Arthur “Big
Boy” Crudup, 9/6/46
Why? It was the first blues / R&B
single to be released on 45rpm, and was an prototype of early rockabilly.
6. OPEN THE DOOR, RICHARD by Jack
McVea, 9/46
Why? Early R&B novelty
record, first commercial record to fade out instead of end, inspired a spate of
successful covers (also done by Dusty Fletcher).
7. TOMORROW NIGHT by Lonnie
Johnson, 12/10/47
Why? It was the first country blues pop hit.
8. GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT by Wynonie
Harris, 12/28/47
Why? It started the trend of records concerned
with rockin’
9. WE’RE GONNA ROCK, WE’RE GONNA
ROLL by Wild Bill Moore 12/18/47
Why? It was the first honking hit record at # 14
on the R&B charts.
10. IT’S TOO SOON TO KNOW by the Orioles, 8/21/48
Why? It was one of the first R&B vocal group
hits, and the inspiration for countless bird-named groups that defined the
doo-wop era.
11. BOOGIE CHILLEN by John Lee Hooker, 11/48
Why? It was the first major electrified delta
blues hit, reaching # 1 on the R&B charts.
12. GUITAR BOOGIE by Arthur Smith, 1945/48
Why? It popularized boogie woogie music on the
guitar and mixed a bluesy upbeat with country boogie.
13. DRINKIN’ WINE SPO-DEE-O-DEE by Stick McGhee, 2/14/49
Why? It was one of the first party-time songs to
become a major hit, and had an easy sing along meter. (It also reached #26 on
the pop chart).
14. ROCK THE JOINT by Jimmy Preston, 5/49
Why? It was an early all-out R&B rocker, and
it led ultimately to Bill Haley switching from country to proto-rockabilly.
15. SATURDAY NIGHT FISH FRY PT 1 by Louis Jordan, 8/9/49
Why? It was one of the first unabashed,
uninhibited pop hits about black highlife.
The story was told with humor.
16. MARDI GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS by Professor Longhair, 11/49
Why? It was one of the many, and best, New Orleans
R&B recordings to fully capture the full feeling of the city’s peculiar
rhythms based on an actual event.
17. THE FAT MAN by Fats Domino 12/10/49
Why? It was his first record for Imperial Records,
and started Fats Domino on his career that found him being the biggest-selling
R&B artist of the 1950s. It also
opened the eyes of other record companies to the wealth of material to be found in New
Orleans.
18. ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’ by Muddy Waters, 3/50
Why? It was one of the earlier
modern, amplified Chicago blues records.
19. BIRMINGHAM BOUNCE by Hardrock Gunter, 3/50
Why? It
was one of the earliest white, popular records about rockin’ on the dance
floor.
20. I’M MOVIN’ ON by Hank Snow, 3/28/50
Why?
It was the first major train song to be set to a boogie rhythm.
21. TEARDROPS FROM MY EYES by Ruth Brown, 9/50
Why?
It was the initial jump hit for Atlantic’s most consistent hit-maker, and
established her as the first lady of R&B.
22. HOT ROD RACE by Arkie Shibley, late 1950
Why?
Introduced car racing into popular music and underscored the importance
of the car (hot rod) to American culture, particularly youth culture. It inspired a whole parking lot of similar
songs.
23. HOW HIGH THE MOON by Les Paul and Mary Ford, 1950
Why?
The first major hit to use overdubbing, speeded-up tapes and other
gimmicks to recording. The solo was
distinctly R&R in style, although it was not the first to reach this level.
24. ROCKET 88 by Jackie Brenston with Ike Turner, 3/5/51
Why?
It helped to establish Sun Records, introduced a distorted electric guitar
with a pounding boogie beat, and influenced countless recordings to come.
25. SIXTY MINUTE MAN by the Dominoes, 4/51
Why?
It was the first R&B hit to cross over to the pop charts, the first major
hit to use sexual double-entendre, and the first million seller by a formative
R&B vocal group.
26. CRY by Johnnie Ray, 11/16/51
Why?
It established Ray as the first teenage idol of the 1950s, and started
the crying bit for other R&B artists ... take your pick.
27. ONE MINT JULIP by the Clovers, 12/19/51
Why?
It was an early drinking, sexual, social impact hit that featured the
first vocal group record to spotlight a tenor sax solo.
28. ROCK THE JOINT by Bill Haley, 2/52
Why? It
established the formative rockabilly sound by use of the bass backbeat … and
pushed Haley into the true rock-n-roll direction.
29. HAVE MERCY BABY by the Dominoes, 1/28/52
Why?
It was the first popular R&B hit to feature a gospel influence.
30. LAWDY MISS CLAWDY by Lloyd Price, 3/13/52
Why?
It was the earliest evidence of the New Orleans sound to be an R&B hit.
31. KAW-LIGA by Hank Williams
9/23/52; released 1/30/53
Why?
It was a proto-rockabilly record that stretched the tenents of country
music. Influence on Sun Records and Carl
Perkins.
32. HOUND DOG by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, 8/13/52
Why?
One has only to listen to the song to answer that question; it is one funky
rendition. Also, it established Lieber
and Stoller as important YOUNG songwriters.
33. HONEY HUSH by Big Joe Turner, 5/12/53
Why?
It was an early linkage of KC jazz and New Orleans R&B, two key elements
for the birth of rock-n-roll.
34. MONEY HONEY by Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, 8/9/53
Why? It was the Drifters’ first hit (#1) and
continued Clyde’s use of gospel phrasing and intensity in R&B. It did not hit the pop charts.
35. GEE by the Crows, 2/10/53
Why?
It was one of the first major cross-over R&B records on an independent
label and the first ‘50s-style doo-wop record to sell a million.
36. SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL by Big Joe Turner, 2/14/54
Why? It established Big Joe as a teen favorite,
not bad for a 43-year-old who had been around since the invention of dirt. It also gave Atlantic Records a springboard
to begin influencing the shape of the rock-n-roll genre yet to pop fully out of
the primal ocean.
37. WORK WITH ME ANNIE by the Royals / Midnighters, 1/14/54
Why?
It spawned a veritable industry of hit answer records and culminated in
a number one cross-over pop hit, demonstrating R&B’s growing importance in
the music business. Dance with me Henry,
indeed!
38. SH-BOOM by the Chords, 3/15/54
Why?
It was the first doo-wop with nonsense lyrics to be a hit, and the first
independent label single to go Top 10 pop in the ‘50s. It also turned some heads in the major labels
to the growing R&B, or “race” market.
39. ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK by Bill Haley, 4/12/54
Why?
It was the first #1 pop record that could possibly be considered rock-n-roll. This didn’t happen until May, 1955, after it
was featured in the teen film, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE.
40. RIOT IN CELL BLOCK #9 by the Robins, 4/54
Why?
It established the Lieber and Stoller formula for many Coasters hits yet
to come. The lead vocal is by Richard “Cool
Louie” Berry.
41. THAT’S ALL RIGHT MAMA by Elvis,
7/19/54
Why?
It was acknowledged, by some, a rockabilly record, and the first record
by Elvis. Supposedly, this record turned
a whole generation of country pickers around.
It was copied, almost note-for-note, from the Big Boy Crudup original ...
which was #5 on this list.
42. EARTH ANGEL by the Penguins, 10/54
Why?
It was the first R&B record to herald a new era in which the music stood
alone instead of being “whitersized” on a national level. It gave rock-n-roll the push it needed to be accepted
and appreciated by both black and white teens.
43. TWEEDLEE DEE by Laverne Baker, 10/20/54
Why?
It was her first hit, and had a nice mambo feel that spawned other nonsense
lyrics such as “Sh-Boom” “Ko Ko Mo.”
44. PLEDGING MY LOVE by Johnny Ace, 1/27/54
Why?
It was one of the first R&B/pop hits to outsell the white cover versions. It was also one of the first to sell more 45
rpm copies than the fast-fading 78 rpm platter.
This signaled a major change in the record selling demographics.
45. I’VE GOT A WOMAN by Ray Charles, 11/18/54
Why?
It was a transition record between the older R&B and a move toward
the more soulful gospel sound that crystallized in the 1960s.
46. BO DIDDLEY by Bo Diddley, 3/2/55
Why?
It hung African rhythms on the rock-n-roll tree and began a tradition of
rock-n-roll using the syncopated and hambone beat.
47. MAYBELLENE by Chuck Berry, 5/21/55
Why?
It melded country boogie with good-time R&B for a unique sound that
was fresh and new ... it also MADE Chess Records.
48. TUTTI FRUTTI by Little Richard, 9/14/55
Why?
The wild man done run up and scrambled our brains.
49. BLUE SUEDE SHOES by Carl Perkins, 12/18/55
Why?
It was the first rockabilly hit ... PERIOD. It charted near the top of the R&B,
country and pop charts. It established
Sun Records as a force to be noticed by the majors. Look who came next.
50. HEARTBREAK HOTEL by Elvis, 1/10/56
Why?
It was his first hit for RCA and pulled him out of the southern country novelty
hay stack ... the rest is history.
What was the very first rock and roll record?
It just may be the greatest rhetorical music question of all time ...
Because the truth is, there simply ISN'T such a thing as "The First Rock And Roll Record."
The genre evolved over time, incorporating the best of Rhythm and Blues and Country and Western, throwing a new addictive beat behind it all ... took some blues and gospel roots, mixed in some street corner doo wop and some new southern rockabilly along with some good old fashioned New Orleans jazz, mixed it all together in a giant pot of rock and roll stew, stirred it up REAL good and, in the process, created perhaps the best example of "hybrid" imaginable ... the very definition of the term!
And the artists who really mattered just kept adding their own thing to the recipe. ... and then served it up all over the world.
Who invented Rock And Roll?
Nobody
Who enjoyed it?
Damn near Everybody ...
And so it goes.
Next week we’ll take a look back at what we were covering
during the first week of February, 2002 … twenty years ago!!!(kk)
Coming
up this weekend (January 29-30) on THE HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL with Wink
Martindale and Gary Theroux: "The Most Romantic Hits of 1968" -- 24
full-length beloved classic hits from the year plus insightful comments from
Linda Ronstadt, Mike Nesmith (of The Monkees), Hugh Geyer (of The Vogues),
Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (of The Turtles), Mama Cass Elliot, Rob Grill (of
The Grass Roots), Stevie Wonder, Spanky McFarland (of Spanky & Our Gang)
and Petula Clark. Also: a HRR Profile of The Four Tops (“Baby I Need Your
Lovin’.) Of special note for Chicagoland
music lovers: the first appearance in the series of The New Colony Six
(pictured).
BTW,
The Ventures turn up twice as two-part Spotlight Features in the
HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL series.
Gary
Theroux
I just heard that Don Wilson of The Ventures
passed away at age 88.
It was an honor to meet and interview him
years ago.
One story I wrote on Don was published in
2020 in "Ugly Things."
Before the Beatles arrived on the sales
charts, the Ventures' instrumental hit "Walk, Don't Run" and
subsequent instrumental albums sold millions and millions of copies, as well as
helping open the doors to Asia for touring acts.
Dec 17, 2020 · By Harvey
Kubernik - The first-ever full-length documentary chronicling the 60 year
career of the Ventures,
The Ventures: Stars on Guitars, debuted on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD to cable
I still need to see this documentary … been meaning to for ages
now.
So sad to hear that ALL of The Ventures are gone.Their impact on rock and roll was
enormous.(kk)
Best Classic Bands once again salutes the WLS Charts from January
of 1969 this week …
>>>Most
year-end surveys were determined by how long songs stayed on the charts -- but,
of course, this rewards slow climbers versus ones that hopped up and down the
charts quickly. Maybe year end charts should only look at the Top 20 or 40
positions in determining if a song was really popular. I know Cash Box only
used the Top 50 positions to allow songs to accumulate 'points' for their
year-end surveys. Unfortunately, songs that charted early in the year or late
were rarely given their full chart life in determining where they ranked.(Joe Cantello)
These issues
are why I consider my method among the best for determining the top hits of a
year: it uses a progressive point system (inspired by the one devised by Jim
Quirin and Barry Cohen and applied to the Billboard charts in
their "Rock 100" publications), which favors records that spend more
weeks in the upper regions of the weekly charts, as opposed to the "slow
climbers" that spend more weeks in the lower regions of the charts. And
records that straddle the end of one year and the beginning of the next are
given full credit for all points earned, and are included in the year in which
they earned the majority of their points -- so that, for example, "I'm A
Believer" is one of the biggest hits of 1967, not 1966, when it first hit
No. 1 on the chart dated in the last week of the year. Of course, no method is
perfect, especially since the original weekly charts were subject to
manipulation and therefore not perfect themselves in determining the most
popular records in a given week.What
matters most is which records have stood the test of time and are most listened
to nowadays.
– Randy Price
For the past 45 years I have wished I had the time to analyze the
performance of every record to make the charts, utilizing your method for The
Super Charts.I’m convinced it’s the
most accurate measurement possible, taking ALL of the national trades into
consideration.
But I know then I’d next want to bring things more current than
1982, in which case the Radio and Records charts would have to be incorporated.
And then I’d still want to develop my “Hit Index” factor.There just isn’t enough time in the day to do
so … so we’ll just have to quibble and argue about the results as they
currently exist … which is half the fun of analyzing the charts in the first
place!(lol)kk
Hi, Kent. I have a pretty good idea why Canadian musicians
and groups don't make it into our HOF; it just popped into my head this
evening. I remember the fracas that erupted in 1970 regarding a new
"law" that made it mandatory that Canadian radio stations' playlists
had to be made up of a certain percentage of Canadian artists before they
inserted American music into their schedules. CKLW in Detroit, which has a Canadian call-sign
rather than an American one, has its transmitter in Canada (which, apparently,
according to FCC regulations, makes it a Canadian station). Doesn't make
sense to me, though. Their signal, which emanates from a tower which is
probably within 10 miles of the US/CA border, is the same strength and covers
the same listening area as if it were in Detroit. From a writeup which I read many years ago, CKLW
was not happy about the new regulation, because in spite of there being a lot
of good music coming from Canadian artists, there was much more money-making
music from American artists, and many CKLW listeners
changed their listening habits and jumped over to stations having K and W
call-signs. I believe that CKLW's listenership dropped immensely. Maybe this caused a never-ending friction between
America and Canada, regarding pop music. Just a thought. Here's the story of the new "rules". https://www.tvo.org/article/everything-about-it-rocked-how-windsors-cklw-reckoned-with-the-brand-new-cancon-rules Mike
Kent,
First, I loved
the video at the bottom of today's FH. Don't be surprised if that little girl
later on in the future has a recording contract with some label. Loved the
expression on her dad's eyes.
Second, what a
coincidence of today's FH. I'll explain that in a second.
Brad was
correct. SAD STORY by Jack Scott did get a lot of airplay here in OKC. I did
not check to see how high it got on the weekly survey. You might say it was a
"turntable" hit here in OKC. Brad said he never found a 45 copy of
it. I'm holding the record in my hand as I email this to you.
SAD STORY was
written by Jack Scott with the flip being I CAN'T HOLD YOUR LETTERS (IN MY ARMS),
written by John D. Loudermilk. Both sides were produced by a man by the name of
Manny Kellum. I wondered if he was any relation to Murry Kellum, who had LONG
TALL TEXAN in late 1963.
Now for the
coincidence of today's FH ...
Just last
night (Monday), I listened to an aircheck of my show, THE WAX MUSEUM, which I
did on 12/7/97. During that show I played SAD STORY.
Larry Neal
Noise 11 is reporting that Motown will be releasing a Mary Wilson
Anthology on March 22nd.(Sadly, we lost
Mary a few months ago … and this will be the first release spotlighting her
work with the label.)
The 2-CD set will feature 38 songs, including Mary’s early days in
The Primettes, a number of alternate takes and live recordings by The Supremes
and some of her solo work.
>>>Robert
Feder is reporting that WLS Radio,“The Big 89” Top 40 giant, was selected this
past week for induction into The Iowa Rock Hall of Fame. (WLS was also
inducted into The Illinois Rock Hall Of Fame last year.) kk I'm not a fan of "Halls Of Fame" … but it's good when
they get it right.
Before WLS,
the source of popular music at our house was the twice-weekly Lawrence Welk
Show. In early 1961 they were plugging their new release, "Calcutta."One day, while spinning the radio dial, I
came across that song and afterwards the dj announced that it was the #1 song
on the WLS "Silver Dollar Survey."I had to find out what other songs were on that survey. The rest is
history.
Ed #1
I had seen that Vince Gill comment a couple days
earlier. While Vince was making his case, he's got the facts all wrong.
Obviously, Vince has made a lot more money in the
music biz than I ever will, unless my eBay auctions start kicking in to
overdrive, or someone decides my song catalog is worth Springsteen money. I
will respect his opinion tho. However, Vince was three years old in 1960, so I
don't think he was out buying 45's then nor did 45s didn't cost 99 cents in
1960. Probably not until the early 80's, was the price 99 cents.
Jack
Vince’s comments stuck with me for several days.The fact that for the same price as Vince’s
heartfelt blood, sweat and tears that he poured into his latest record can be
purchased for the same value as a farting app for your phone really says a lot.
And let’s face it … we were buying our 45’s at places like discount
places like Korvettes and Topps or, if necessary, Polk Brothers and Sears at
anywhere from $0.69 each to $1.29 each.Now granted, you got TWO sides to that single … but the fact that SIXTY
YEARS LATER you can still buy a track on iTunes for $0.99 - $1.29 is a pretty
amazing thing when you consider the rate of inflation everywhere else.(kk)
Hi Kent, One more great read ... but Vince Gill's factoid
really hit home ... LOL ... so spot on. Thanks for always bustin' your butt to keep us
enjoyably informed. God bless, my friend - Barry
kk …
Neil Sedaka was Cousin
Brucie’s guest on Saturday Night.
Neil and Brucie go back
to their Brooklyn days together.
At one time, they lived
in the same building.
This week, Neil goes back
to his roots.
His Mother wanted him to
pursue Classical Music.
Tonight (Tuesday,
1/25) Neil has been asked to perform Classical Music for 1 1/2 hours on
Symphony XM.
Neil chose Rock and Roll
over Classical Music –
You make a lot more money
singing the Rock and Roll songs that you wrote!
REQUEST:Add Whipped Cream to the Stylistics’ Album
Cover.
FB
Neil’s
right about that!(lol)
He
is an accomplished pianist, Juilliard trained …
But
he can also rock out with the best of them (and has created some of the most
memorable melodies in the history of rock and roll.)How is it that HE has never been considered
for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?!?!?
By
the way, this Saturday (1/29) Micky Dolenz finally makes his way to Cousin
Brucie’s show.
(And for the record, I think that Stylistics cover is fine JUST the way it is!!!Lol)kk
Speaking of Micky Dolenz, it looks like he and Felix Cavaliere are
ready to kick off their big tour together …
Here’s a brand new promo photo of the two, courtesy of dis-company …
And,
since we're talking about upcoming tours, Daryl Hall hits the road with Todd Rundgren (the
two performed together several years ago on “Daryl’s House” and must have hit
it off!)
It’s
a very short tour that kicks off here in Chicago on April 1st
(complete tour list below), which just happens to also be the release date for
the new 2-CD set, “BeforeAfter.”
It
also coincides with the release of a new solo album by Daryl that collects
material from his previous releases as well as live tracks from his “Daryl’s
House” series (including “Can We Still Be Friends” by Daryl and Todd, a video
for which is ALL over the place right now to help promote the upcoming tour!)
April 1st – The Auditorium Theatre – Chicago,
IL
April 3rd – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
April 5th – Atlanta Symphony Hall – Atlanta, GA
April 7th – MGM Northfield Park – Northfield, OH
April 9th – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia,
PA
April 11th – The Orpheum Theatre – Boston, MA
April 14th – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY
April 16th – The Theatre at MGM National Harbor
– National Harbor, MD
The Go-Go’s are ready to go-go back on the road
after their recent Covid delays.
New West Coast shows are coming March 24th at The Masonic in San Francisco, CA, March
25th at The Grand Theatre @ Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, March
27th at The Pechanga Theatre in Temecula, CA, March 28th
at The House of Blues in Anaheim and March 31st at Humphrey’s in San
Diego, CA.
They then head of to
The UK for six dates in June with Billy Idol.(kk)
Poor Elton John …
He no sooner than got back on the road after a nearly two year
delay and he has had to postpone his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour again
because now HE has tested positive for Covid-19.
John’s January 25th and 26th shows in Dallas
(originally due to take place in 2020) were immediately postponed again … no
official word yet on when he’ll resume.(His next scheduled date is January 29th in North Little
Rock, Arkansas.)Elton is said to be
experiencing minor symptoms at this point.He had only played three shows since returning to the road last week.
You
know how we talk from time to time about the way the oldies are used in
television commercials these days?
Have
you seen Campbell’s Soup’s new campaign?
So
far I’ve seen ads featuring the Rick Nelson tune “Never Be Anyone Else But You”
and Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy” … and there may be more.(Applebee’s has always been good about
recycling these tunes, too.)
They’re
not the original hit versions … but it proves again just how catchy pop music
used to be.(kk)
While you are paying your respects to Meatloaf,
don't forget Illinois' Karla DeVito …
The Karla DeVito Story
Growing up in the late ‘70s, she was paradise by the dashboard
light, a saucy maiden from Penzance, an MTV darling that even David Letterman
called “The Sweetheart of Rock &Roll.” She’s Mokena’s Karla Jayne DeVito (b:
5/29/53).
A runner-up for Homecoming Queen while attending Lincoln-Way
High School in New Lenox, DeVito already had ambitions of being an actress,
appearing in school plays. She studied at Second City and majored in theater at
Loyola University in Chicago. That led to roles in the Chicago productions of
the Broadway shows Godspell and Hair.
While that was coming to fruition, she was doing some sessions
at Chess Studios. Working with commercial jingle producers Donn and Ken
Marrier, they had a disco-flavored song that they had Karla put lead vocals on.
Initially going under the pseudonym Brenda Brenda, when they were ready to
release it, they changed the credit to Karla Jayne and the Boogie Man
Orchestra. It was released in 1975 as a 12” EP as “It’s My Party” b/w “You’re
Only Using Me” (Boogie Man BM 228).
The real breakthrough year came in 1977 when she was cast in the
role of Meat Loaf’s girlfriend in the video for his “Paradise By the Dashboard
Light” (https://youtu.be/C11MzbEcHlw.) Ironically, she
didn’t sing the song on his album, but was lip syncing Ellen Foley’s part in
the video. Meat Loaf and DeVito toured in support of his album and she became
hot property.
Her 1981 debut album, “Is
This a Cool World or What” (https://youtu.be/bAlceT1cqNk), positioned DeVito as a MTV star. Her
image was trendsetting with the sexiness of a Pat Benatar coupled with the fun
and freedom of a Cyndi Lauper, preceding both in their career successes.
While she continued with her music career, supporting Meat Loaf
songwriting partner Jim Steinman’s “Dance in My Pants” (https://youtu.be/ZHon5X0K29I), Epic, and providing background vocals for
the Sorrows and Blue Oyster Cult, it was theater that was in her veins.
She secured a role on Broadway as Linda Ronstadt’s understudy in
Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance,” eventually replacing Ronstadt
in the lead role of Mabel. A short time later, Robby Benson, an actor who had a
co-starring spot in the TV show “Happy Days” and was well-known for his roles
in teenage coming-of-age movies, was cast as Frederic, the male lead opposite
DeVito. The two fell in love, both onstage and off, the pair getting married in
1982.
Benson and DeVito collaborated on a song “We Are Not Alone” (https://youtu.be/4cP-ARAtDnE) that became a
centerpiece for the teen movie The
Breakfast Club (A&M).
DeVito had continued working on music for a second album,
tentatively titled “Incognito,” but with her theatrical commitments, a move to
Los Angeles and a label change, it was a four year hiatus for DeVito before
that sophomore release, which ended up being called “Wake ‘Em Up in Tokyo.” With the time away, the public appears to
have forgotten her, and the album failed to chart.
Commercially, her music career ended there, although she did
contribute two songs to the 1990 film Modern Love and sang the part of
Elizabeth for Graham Russell’s rock opera “The Heart of the Rose.”
DeVito next headed for the silver screen. She co-starred with
her husband in the 1990 film “Modern Love.” She’s made appearances in the 1993
film “Family Album,” 1996 film “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” 1997’s “Fired Up”
and 2015’s “Straight Outta Tompkins.” She’s also been the voice in numerous
animated films.
Moving out of the spotlight, DeVito has appeared to be
comfortable as a mother, housewife and partner.
When DeVito and Benson got married, she must have asked the
right question, “I gotta know right now will you love me forever … Will you
make me so happy for the rest of my life?” The answer was surely, “yes,” as the
two have been happily married ever since. They’re still making music together.
You can see some of their recent collaborations on DeVito’s website: www.karladevito.com, including a
reuniting with Ellen Foley (https://youtu.be/Kh9QXC5SpuQ) and on her
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KarlaDeVitoandCompany.
Is this a cool world or what?
Discography:
KARLA JAYNE AND THE BOOGIE MAN ORCHESTRA
1975It’s My Party b/w
You’re Only Using Me (Boogie Man BM 228).
KARLA DeVITO
1981Is This a Cool World
or What? (Epic 37014)
1986Wake ‘Em Up Tokyo
(A&M 65048)
Ken Voss
Also while you're paying your respects to Meatloaf, at one time when The
Boyzz were signed to Cleveland International Records, they appeared on stage
with him.
Here's a Jack Scott song from the fall of 1962
that never charted in the US.
But it got enough airplay in Oklahoma City
that I remember hearing it, and it went on my "search list" when I
started collecting records.
Never found the 45, but did get it on a CD
many years later, and it's my favorite song by Jack Scott.
See what you think of "Sad Story".
Is he worthy of the Hall of Fame?
Probably not; there are so many other more
deserving omissions that I could list.
But that's another story for another day.
Brad
The Rock And Roll Hall
Of Fame seems to have a real aversion to Canadian artists for some reason.How else do you explain The Guess Who and/or
Paul Anka not having been inducted?(Or,
as they so like to do, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman not earning multiple
inductions for their solo work and the group Bachman Turner Overdrive)I’d have to put Bryan Adams near the top of
the Deserving and Denied list, too.(Uh-oh … here he goes again!!!)
The only Canadian
Artists who have been recognized are Neil Young (twice, like I said), Joni
Mitchell and, just recently, Rush.(Some
lump The Band into this category since most of its members hailed from Canada …
but The Band formed in Woodstock, NY, many years later … and made it their home
during all their hit years.)And I guess
if you REALLY want to get technical, you’d have to include Leonard Cohen, too,
who I consider to be one of the LEAST worthy inductees of all time.(Rock And Roll?In what way?He charted for exactly one week in his entire career and that was with
his own God-awful rendition of “Hallelujah,” an otherwise FANTASTIC song when
performed by other artists … and only hit the charts when he passed away … and
even then only managed to last a week.In what way does this artist meet “the code” established by The Rock
Hall over say Gordon Lightfoot, who I don’t really consider to be a rock and
roll artist either!)
As we pointed out,
Scott had a few hits at a time when rock and roll was still fairly new and
finding its way … but I don’t see that he really did any trailblazing of his
own in this regard.)
The criteria for Rock
And Roll Hall Of Fame induction has gotten so completely off course that it has
meant very little for decades now.Sadly, we live in a world today where Just Bieber probably stands a better
change of being inducted than The Guess Who do … and that’s just a shame.(kk)
Kent,
The whole idea of year end charts should really
focus on what songs were popular during a 12-month period, showing the
diversity of music (whether pop, soul, country or whatever style of music.)While many of us seem to get hung up on
whether a certain song was a bigger 'hit' than another song while looking at
year end rankings, I'm not sure there really is an equitable way to rank songs
to determine the most popular -- do you use sales, airplay, digital sales
and/or streaming?
Most year-end surveys were determined by how
long songs stayed on charts -- but, of course, this rewards slow climbers
versus ones that hopped up and down the charts quickly. Maybe year end charts
should only look at the Top 20 or 40 positions in determining if a song was
really popular. I know Cash Box only used the Top 50 positions to allow songs
to accumulate 'points' for their year-end surveys. Unfortunately, songs that
charted early in the year or late were rarely given their full chart life in
determining where they ranked.
Perhaps one other alternative would have
programs that reviewed a year chronologically, playing the songs that came into
the Top 10 as they appeared on the charts from January - December. Of course, a
show like this may take away the fun of trying to determine which song was a
bigger hit!
Always enjoy reading your daily columns,
Joe Cantello
Roswell, Ga
I Wrote To David McGrath To Ask Him About Gene Pitney
Recording Platters Songs.
FB
Hey Frank ...
Thanks for writing.
The reason that Gene recorded The Platters album was that
Musicor bought those masters from Mercury. Art Talmadge, who was running
Musicor at the time, was a former A&R guy at Mercury and had the inside
track. Then, they were in such a rush to get the album out, that Gene said
they didn't properly erase The Platters' vocals and on some tracks!He said, “You can hear a little bit of
Sonny Turner's vocals.”(My ears
aren't that good, so I'll take his word on that!!!)
That's a great Pitney story there. This one is better.
On their very first Dick Clark tour, when they got paired up
as roommates, they got to the hotel to check in. Dick Clark reserved the
rooms for all the entertainers. What they didn't know 'til they checked in
was that they had to pay for them or go sleep on the bus!!! As the headliner,
Gene was pretty cash flush, knocking down about $1500 a week in the early
'60s. Brian Hyland was collecting $250. Gene would always pay. I spoke to
Brian Hyland for my book and he figures he still owes Gene a couple of
hundred dollars from those tours!
Thanks so-o-o much for getting the book and the nice comment
about it. It was fun to talk to all the songwriters and to get those stories
told.
Yerz ...
David McGrath
I just heard the other day that when
Tom Jones first started out he was touring as part of Dick Clark’s Caravan of
Stars and making about $1200 a week as one of the headliners.Two years later after he had really made it
on his own, he was making $50,000 a night!!!(No way he was going back on a Dick Clark Tour at this point in his
career … and sharing a bus with all those other acts!)
Still, most of our early-to-mid ‘60’s
favorites were happy to be included.If you look at that Gene Pitney Tour promo poster I ran a short while
back, you’ll see the line-up on stage included Pitney, The Buckinghams, The
Happenings, The Fifth Estate, The Easy Beats and The Music Explosion … each
would come out and do three or four of their biggest hits and then turn it
over to the next act … and better still, you got to see them all for about
four bucks at the time!!!(kk)
MORE:This particular tour took place in 1967 … here is a shot sent in
by Ken “Furvus” Evans of The Fifth Estate, high on the charts that year with “Ding
Dong, The Witch Is Dead,” of the bulk of the guys getting ready to board the
bus and head off to the next town.
We’ve heard stories about what a cut-up
and prankster Gene Pitney was on this tour.(Well, he WAS the headliner after all!!!)
Funnily enough, in 1967, he had the
FEWEST hits of these artists!
Check out our look back at The 1967 Pop
Charts for Gene Pitney, The Buckinghams, The Happenings, The Fifth Estate,
The Easy Beats and The Music Explosion …
What a line-up of acts!!!
National Top 40 Hits for these artists in 1967 …
(NOTE:Headliner Gene Pitney did not have a single Top 40 hit that year … his most
recent success on the charts was with “Backstage” from the summer of ’66 … it
peaked at #24 ... yet he was the headliner on the tour.)
# 1 - KIND OF A DRAG – The Buckinghams
(#1)
# 2 - LITTLE BIT O’ SOUL – The Music
Explosion(#1)
# 3 - I GOT RHYTHM – The Happenings
(#1)
# 4 - DON’T YOU CARE – The Buckinghams
(#5)
# 5 - MERCY MERY MERCY – The Buckinghams
(#5)
# 6 - HEY BABY, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR
SONG – The Buckinghams (#5)
# 7 - SUSAN – The Buckinghams (#6)
# 8 - DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD – The
Fifth Estate (#11)
# 9 - MY MAMMY – The Happenings (#12)
#10 - FRIDAY ON MY MIND – The Easybeats
(#16)
#11 - LAUDY MISS CLAUDY – The Buckinghams (#36)
#12 - WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE – The Happenings
(#39)
Here’s a piece we did on Gene Pitney in
2002 (OMG, that's TWENTY YEARS AGO!!!) when it was announced that he was being inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall
Of Fame …
(See … we were bitching about them even
way back then!!!)
‘60’s FLASHBACK:
There seems to be a genuine feeling amongst GENE PITNEY
fans that his induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is LONG overdue.
(He was first nominated for the Hall in 1998.) However, I can't imagine that
even the BIGGEST Gene Pitney fan has ever REALLY considered Gene's music
"rock and roll." He certainly was a voice to be contended with ... he
has a very unique, distinctive singing style ... and he also wrote a couple
of rock classics along the way. (HE'S A REBEL, RUBBER BALL and HELLO MARY LOU
to name just a few!)
Between 1961 and 1968, he placed 17 hits in the National
Top 40, including Top Ten pop classics like ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART and
IT HURTS TO BE IN LOVE. His final Top 20 Hit, SHE'S A HEARTBREAKER (#16),
peaked at #7 here in Chicago in 1968 ... and just might be the closest he
ever came to anything resembling "rock and roll" … yet I’ve heard
that among Gene Pitney “purists,” it’s one of their least favorite recordings
by him … probably because he strayed from the format that had been working so
well for him in previous years.(Personally,
I think he was just trying to stay contemporary and relevant ... and it’s one
of my personal favorites from his extensive cataog.)
From a couple of FH Readers:
I have a FIRM belief that
Pitney's inclusion is LONG OVERDUE!!!
WmBradSpa
One Third of my main three Hall
Of Fame choices was fulfilled this time around when Gene Pitney was finally
inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.Gene Pitney is well deserving of a place in the hall
Brother Sev (SN0REFEST)
Gene Pitney is often dismissed
as just another vapid early 60's teen idol: a well-groomed, non-threatening
young man who sang mushy songs written by other people. In fact, nothing
could be further from the truth.
Pitney is an international
star who has recorded in several languages. His unique voice prompted one
music journalist to dub him "Rock's Caruso."He's an accomplished songwriter and a
multi-instrumentalist. He's worked with the likes of Phil Spector and The
Rolling Stones.
By the time he graduated from
high school, Gene Pitney (b. 2/17/41 in Hartford, CT) had fronted his own
band (The Genies), mastered the piano, guitar, and drums, and was a published
songwriter. Early recordings (1959-1960) as half of Jamie and Jane (Jane was
Ginny Arnell of future "Dumb Head" fame) went nowhere, as did solo
releases under his own name and the pseudonym of Billy Bryan.
In late 1960, his demo recording
of "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" (in which Pitney played all the
instruments and sang all the vocal parts) came to the attention of music
publisher Aaron Schroeder. He was so impressed that he signed Pitney to his
newly formed Musicor label and released the song as is. Ten days after
Pitney's 20th birthday, the song peaked at #39 on Billboard's Top 100.
At the same time, Pitney was
finding success as a songwriter. "Rubber Ball" (which Pitney
co-wrote under the nom de plume "Anne Orlowski"* due to an ASCAP/BMI issue) was a Top Ten hit for Bobby
Vee in January of 1961 … and Ricky Nelson would take Pitney's "Hello
Mary Lou" to #9 in May of that year.
[* As we recently learned in David McGrath’s book, Anne
Orlowski was his mother’s maiden name – just trying to keep the money all in
the family!!! – kk]
Although Pitney's next two
singles as a performer ("Louisiana Mama" and the Phil
Spector-produced "Every Breath I Take") were not hits, major
success was just around the corner. In late 1961, Pitney was tapped to sing
the theme song for a new Kirk Douglas film. "Town Without Pity,"
the movie, would come and go quickly, but the song would peak at #13 in
January, 1962, and become an international hit. When the song was nominated
for an Academy Award, Pitney was invited to perform it on the April 9, 1962,
Oscar telecast. This would give him his biggest career exposure to date.
Pitney would go on to make the
Billboard Top 100 Pop Chart a total of 24 times between 1961 and 1970,
including 16 Top 40's and 4 Top 10's. (He also made the Country charts 5
times: 4 duets with George Jones and 1 with Melba Montgomery.)
While his chart placings
declined after 1964, he became an even bigger star in Europe, especially in
England, where he would have over 20 Top 40 hits through 1974. In 1988,
British rocker Marc Almond would recruit Pitney for a duet recording of
"Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" (a 1967 British Top 10 hit
for Pitney.)The result was a #1 hit
in England.Pitney toured Europe
extensively during the 70's and 80's, eschewing United States appearances
where he was pigeonholed as an "oldies artist."He returned to the American stage in 1993,
when he gave a sold out concert at Carnegie Hall.
Today, Pitney lives in central
Connecticut, not far from where he was raised. He tours and records
occasionally. Some Pitney factoids: His biggest American record was
"Only Love Can Break A Heart," which peaked at #2 in late 1962. The
song that kept him out of the #1 spot was The Crystals' "He's A Rebel,"
which was written by ... Gene Pitney. AMAZING!!!
While touring England in 1963,
Pitney was introduced to The Rolling Stones. He sat in on a recording session
of theirs and played piano on the song "Little By Little."Pitney's recording of "That Girl
Belongs To Yesterday" marked the first American chart appearance of a
Jagger-Richard composition.
MFPing
[Man, I miss you Ping … any chance you’re still reading
Forgotten Hits???]
Because Brenda Lee was ALSO inducted during that 2002
ceremony, I thought ia appropriate to also include this comment, which was posted
as part of the same piece that we sent out in 2002 in celebration of Gene
Pitney’s induction …
Because Brenda Lee was ALSO inducted during that 2002
ceremony, I thought ia appropriate to also include this comment, which was posted
as part of the same piece that we sent out in 2002 in celebration of Gene
Pitney’s induction …
Brenda Lee hit The National Top 40 an incredible 36 times
between 1960 and 1969 …
And Connie Francis matched her nearly hit for hit, with 44
of her own Top 40 hits during this era.
They were, unquestionably, the most dynamic duo of female
singers to ever hit the rock and roll scene … there from the beginning, right
on thru to the time that music changed DRAMATICALLY to a much heavier sound.
Brenda Lee was known as Little Miss Dynomite and had a
powerful voice that grabbed you by the throat and drew you in. Connie Francis was a bit more subdued, but
still pulled at your heartstrings in a different way.
Brenda was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in
2002 … and Connie was never even given the chance.
There was a lot of controversy at the time (and in the years
since) that CONNIE FRANCIS has NOT been elected to the Rock And Roll Hall Of
Fame … or even been nominated for that matter.
This oversight (intentional as it may be) certainly does NOT diminish
the fact that BRENDA LEE belongs there ... let's just hope that justice is eventually
served, and Connie is allowed to follow in her footsteps. (That window of opportunity just keeps
getting smaller and smaller … the nominating committee today seems far more
focused on who has made music the past 25 years than someone who peaked on the
charts nearly 50 years ago.) As has been
a HUGE point of contention for these past several decades now, the criteria for
what does and doesn't qualify an artist to be nominated is pretty vague. This
music was a HUGE part of the lives for anyone growing up in the late-'50's and
early-'60's ... and it should be recognized as such.
I have been personally told by members of The Rock And Roll
Hall Of Fame that committee members felt in hindsight that inducting Brenda Lee
was a mistake … and that even though Connie Francis pretty much matched her hit
for hit back in the ‘60’s, they weren’t about to make the same mistake
twice. In their words, since they couldn’t
UNinduct Brenda Lee, they just chose to ignore Connie Francis altogether. Shows you the mentality we’re up against when
campaigning for Deserving and Denied Artists who have been continually
overlooked. (kk)
DIDJAKNOW?: In
1964, Brenda Lee’s hit IS IT TRUE snuck into the Top 20 and peaked at #14, right
in the middle of Beatlemania. This track
features Jimmy Page.
Next time you’ve got about 20 minutes to kill, check out The Monkees on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour! (I honestly don’t remember ever seeing this before … I’m actually quite surprised by how much screen time they were given on a one hour show!) Well worth checking out if you’re a Monkees fan! (kk)
UPDATE: In all fairness, it's not that this is such a GREAT clip ... but rather that it is such a rare one. The comedy bits are about as lame as can be ... the opening segment of the three remaining Monkees singing snippets of their hits is only remotely interesting ... and the poorly lip-synched version of their latest single, "Tear Drop City" (essentially a "Last Train To Clarksville" rip-off anyway) only serves to remind you just how good Micky was at pulling this off within the context of their hit television series.
But the truth is, the TV show was long gone ... as were their hits on the radio ... as was Peter Tork for that matter. An earlier attempt at hip street-cred (by way of their film "Head") went virtually unnoticed at the time and, other than the involvement of a young Jack Nicholson, making it sort of a cult classic, this too hasn't really held up all that well over the years. (Not that it was any bargain to begin with!)
Still, seeing Micky, Davy and Mike trying to act zany and look relevant as a nice treat and surprise for 1969 ... and since Glen Campbell played guitar on any number of Monkees recording sessions, an even cooler piece to enjoy.
And this from Chuck Buell ...
Just imagine how we’ll feel IN 2060!!! (Think we’ll still be wearing masks???) kk
CLIP OF THE WEEK ...
(I dunno ... this just might be Clip of the YEAR!!!)
Frannie got this TikTok video from her sister ... and we've probably already watched it a hundred times.
The passion ... the drama ... all the facial expressions and hand gestures ...
It's absolutely to die for ...
And proof again that each new generation is discovering ... and LOVING ... this music!!!
(Honestly, this one is priceless! How many people will YOU share it with?!?!?)
