More
Livy …
https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/john-travolta-olivia-newton-john-youre-the-one-that-i-want-grease-forever-number-one-1235124831/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb
And Lamont Dozier ... from
Harvey Kubernik …
The last time I saw and spoke with Lamont Dozier
was when we were in an Encino, California Chinese restaurant called Healthy
Wok.
I complimented on his catalogue, cited his
lyrics, and his debut solo LP "Black Bach." He put his fork down,
extended his hand, knew I was a "Motown Baby," and smiled. "I'm
a part of three different stage plays around the world."
In a 1995 interview I conducted with Berry
Gordy, Jr. inside his Bel-Air mansion, we talked about the monumental
songwriting and production team of Holland, Dozier and Holland.
"H-D-H was phenomenal. They came up with
hit after hit. They started a thing. They had a lock on the Supremes and they
took them, and did stuff on Marvin, too. H-D-H was absolutely brilliant. The
three of them were different and they all complemented each other. Eddie
(Holland) did mostly vocals, Brian (Holland), I thought was the most talented,
creative person. He was my protégé for many years. I thought Lamont (Dozier)
was also a good writer, and he was good on backgrounds and this and that and so
forth. But Brian would do something like he would play and sing and create
something and all he would give ‘em was, like, “sugar pie honey bunch,” and
pass it on. So, they had their own assembly line. And they were
tremendous.”
In 2002 I interviewed Mary Wilson of the
Supremes and she touted H-D-H.
"In the middle of the sixties, 1966, and
’67 we had the number one albums "Supremes A Go Go’ and ‘Greatest Hits”
and a huge hit with “Reflections” with producers Holland-Dozier-Holland. Our
songs from 1964, ’65 and ’66 were heard in 1967. Berry Gordy and the A&R
department knew what was happening. And we didn’t have to think about that. But
we were happy for it. And as a group, it took us into areas we wanted to go.
Which is great. I’ve never ever been the kind of person that compares. I never
have. Because I’m just so fortunate to have known so many brilliant people.
However, just to talk about H-D-H was such a wonderful experience for our
growth and journey. They took us through the times that was going on in the
world. Each time they would bring us to another level. The records show this.
We did ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ and ‘You Keep Me Hanging On.’ Those were great
albums. That’s why we had wanted them in the beginning. We had to grow into
that."
The
Britney Spears / Elton John remake of “Tiny Dancer” is the real deal …
It’ll
be retitled “Hold Me Closer” … and while we haven’t heard so much as a sneak
peek yet, the buzz seems to be pretty good overall. John made the charts again this past year
with another reworking of one of his previous hits … FOUR of them actually … in
the hands of Dua Lipa. “Cold Cold Heart”
(from a line in his hit “Sacrifice”) topped the charts in Great Britain and was
a smash here in America, too … so I wouldn’t rule ANYTHING out as far as his
star-power is concerned. (kk)
Paul
Anka returns to The Arcada Theatre on October 25th with a new show …
“Greatest Hits, My Way.” (Well, I have
to admit that I would much rather see Paul Anka singing his own hits than doing
a whole show of singing Frank Sinatra’s hits!!!)
This
might actually be a good one to go to.
(We saw Anka at The Arcada several years ago and it was quite a
show. Truth be told, I have always been
a fan.) I know this was a big coup for
Ron Onesti … and he’s had him back several times since … but we’ve never been
back. THIS one sounds like it just might
be the perfect time to check him out again.
(kk)
Micky
Dolenz talks about five albums he just can’t live without …
And
some of his choices may surprise you!
It’s
all in the new issue of Spin Magazine …
And
you can view it here:
MICKY DOLENZ IN SPIN: https://www.spin.com/2022/08/5-albums-i-cant-live-without-mickey-dolenz-of-the-monkees/
MORE MICKY; MORE CBS – FYI -
The CBS Morning News profile on Micky Dolenz (with Anthony Mason) has been set
August 22nd. More time: more play with Micky and Mason (check your local
listings).
David Salidor
Kent:
Have you ever seen this?
This You Tube contributor has edited together a montage that
supposedly has every #1 Billboard song of the rock era. Talk about a
project that would take a huge amount of time, patience and research!
-Tom Cuddy
https://710wor.iheart.com/featured/mark-simone/content/2022-07-19-amazing-here-every-billboard-number-1-hit-single-ever-cut-together/
I haven’t seen this particular clip before but
I’ve seen others like it … and they typically cut in British only #1’s, too …
from the little bit that I skipped around on this one (it does run for over two
hours after all!), it seems to be the real deal … and it runs thru all of
2021. (The note at the end promises to
update it every year … so that’s pretty cool, too!)
You might have to watch it in stages to get
thru it all … but it certainly captures the history of popular music over the
past 64 years. (And so timely, too,
since The Billboard Hot 100 just celebrated its 64th anniversary on
August 4th!) kk
From the Chuck Buell Music Library!
What a Great (Old Fading Color!)
Historical “Joel Whitburn Record Research” photo you posted! (circa mid-1960s?)
I don’t know if I should feel Bad or
feel Proud seeing that picture!
Feel Bad because ~~~
I had forgotten about the very early
editions of his “books” I had in my Music Library. Seeing the one he’s
holding reminded me I have a copy of the one he's holding!
Feeling Proud because ~~~
With it, I also found a
couple of his follow-up Supplement publications, his “1970 Supplement” and his
“1971 Supplement” that I also didn’t remember I had!
Talk about “Forgotten Hits!”
So, while I don’t have every
single Edition he’s released over the years, at the moment, I do have a few
that bookend from 1969 to 2022!
And Record Research has always been
a “weighty” publication. His first, the Paperback Edition, weighs less than
an ounce!
His latest, the Hardbound, “17th
Edition,” weighs in at just under Six Pounds!
And within them all, there’s “Tons”
of invaluable ”Top Pop Singles” Information!
CB ( which stands for “Curator Boy!”
)
The vintage photo has to date from 1969 or
later as that’s when his first book came out.
(How primitive looking it is!!!
Lol) But the idea then was just
to capture the chart information … it has grown by leaps and bounds since
then!)
As for the “weight” of collection, it’s why
Joel finally had to split the Pop Singles book into two editions … it was just
too cumbersome to maneuver otherwise!
(It also makes for a logical split in the way the charts were calculated
… back in the day when after an artist recorded and released a single, a FAN of
that single had to get up and out of their house, DRIVE to the nearest local
record store and BUY that single with their hard-earned cash. During this era, the only way a song could
chart was to have been commercially released as a vinyl single (ultimately
giving way to cassette and CD singles over time)
Today, the minute an artist (like Drake)
releases a new album, EVERY song on the album is eligible for charting the
moment it is downloadable … and streaming counts the way radio airplay used to
count … so do things like YouTube views.
That’s why an artist (like Drake) can quickly assemble a chart history
of over 300 tracks in such a brief period of time.)
The last edition of Top Pop Singles PRIOR to
splitting into two volumes (the 1990 – 2022 edition will be available early
next year) came in at just over 1200 pages.
The new 1955 – 1989 edition is now 850 pages all on its own … and I’d be
willing to bet that when the new 1990 – 2022 edition does come out, it will be
well over a 1200 page count as well, giving you effectively over TWO THOUSAND
PAGES of chart information at your disposal.
(Imagine carrying THAT sucker around with you!!!)
The first edition of Joel’s book that I owned
came out a couple of years after yours … 1955 – 1972 … but it looked very
similar in size, shape and content. And
I have owned every single edition since.
A lifetime of work well spent … it’d be
impossible to ever calculate how many lives Joel’s books have touched. As I’ve said many times before, not a day has
ever passed where I didn’t refer to at least one of them … and often more.
Thank you, Joel Whitburn, for enriching our
lives. And thank you, Record Research,
for keeping the tradition going. (kk)
Kent:
Reading the FH comments on the passing on Tony “Wally” Dow, brought
to mind that history indicates that no actors have played brothers longer on TV
than “Leave It To Beaver”’s Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow.
The show has never left TV since it was filmed. It’s been in
syndication — non-stop — since 1964. The first run episodes ran from 1957 - 1963.
In my job as a NYC radio programmer, I last had a chance to work
with them promotionally in October, 2017. The duo had stopped by iHeart
Radio’s NY cluster to be interviewed on WOR and WLTW to promote a NYC autograph
show they were appearing at.
The two of them were exactly what you would hope for. They were very friendly and outgoing, plus
they treated each other like brothers, poking fun at each other one moment and
complimenting the other a minute later.
-Tom Cuddy
L-R: Jerry Mathers, Tom Cuddy and Tony Dow
The
Eagles have added six more dates to their Hotel California Tour, all lumped
together at the end of the month of November …
11/15 — St. Louis, MO
Enterprise Center
11/17 — Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
11/19 — New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
11/21 — Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena
11/23 — Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
11/25 — Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
Good
Reviews for Shelley Sweet-Tufano’s Review of The Happy Together Show the other day
…
So
how could we possibly not run another?!?!
(kk)
>>>Congratulations,
Shelley ... I think we've made you a star!!! (kk)
*TWINKLE
TWINKLE* from me Kent!
And I can
carry this one further ...
A review of
the reviews of my review ...
THANK YOU!
I'm glad you
could all come with me.
Shelley
And
now … Billy J!!!
Billy J Kramer has had more than a little
set-back during covid lock downs. We have all suffered when it comes to
theatres, musicians and performers. Add to that personal health issues and the
loss of his darling wife, Roni who, at the time, had to be the major bread
winner - coming back into the performance arena can't have been easy.
Billy gets questioned about his own health
now, and says he is very healthy ... it's just that he's always been crazy! He
has slimmed down considerably and cut his hair. OK, I liked it long, but it is
kind of a throw-back to his 60's style.
Where am I and why am I bringing all this to
the forefront?
Because Billy is appearing at DARYL'S HOUSE!
Yes, Daryl's back in business, not only with
local bands and customers, but bringing in MY favorite names.
The trip is an hour and a half for me ... a
very nice drive that only includes highway for eleven miles. I remember back to
the times when all my family travel was like this. I sit back, actually open
the windows a bit as there is a beautiful breeze coming in, and enjoy the
scenery of the trip. My friends and I can't remember the last time we (together
or separately) were at Daryl's. It doesn't seem like a long time ago, but it
must have been. A dinner and an intimate show on a Saturday night ... Dreams
are coming true again.
The band steps out onstage. Billy refers to
them throughout tonight as "his friends from NY." You've got some great friends there, Billy.
On guitar (and set list prompter) is Peter Calo. On keyboards (and visual
antics) we have Andy Burton. (Steve) Muddy Shews has been with Billy on bass
for "a long time" my friends tell me. Now wait for it: On drums he
has Liberty DeVitto. I have often seen Liberty with Ringo, but as stated
before, this is an intimate setting, and we are at a table right next to the
stage. OH, dinner just arrived. A little later than we wished. I need to
prioritize! Taking notes, listening, clapping, and finally ... take a bite.
That works. I will use this throughout the show.
Billy presented a new segment to open this
show. He calls it the "Storytellers Segment" It is not just stories.
It is not just Billy and the Band reminiscing musically. It is a combination of
Billy's Liverpool memories enhanced by the songs he listened to, his sisters
listened to, and the early ones he performed as covers.
'Let's Have a Party' opens the show because
that is the idea here; to have a party together tonight. Billy's initial
music listening leaned toward American Country and Western. Hank Williams was a
favorite and they jam a little of 'You Win Again' and 'Why Don't You Love Me.' Billy's sisters swooned and screamed for Paul
Anka. Gotta do 'Diana' then.
The first part of the show continues with
skiffle music that came from Lonnie Donegan, Michael Holliday, a merchant
seaman turned songster, and Elvis with his 'Hound Dog.' I was thrilled to hear a favorite song of
mine: 'The Story Of My Life.' I have
covers of it, but never knew that Michael Holiday made it a big hit first. So,
we were 'Shaking All Over,' 'Moving and A Grooving,' had some 'Summertime Blues,'
went 'Be Bop A Lula-ing' and ended with 'A Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On.' Yeah, the band went wild with keyboards and
drums, and I wanted a dance floor! Ooops! I forgot about eating. But I did
great on notes, listening and clapping.
Phase two is Billy at his finest, doing old
and new songs of his own writing and those of that famous duo ... gosh I keep
forgetting them. Hold on! it's on the tip of my tongue ... YES! GOT IT! Lennon
and McCartney.
I Won the Fight
Do You Want to Know a Secret
Best Part of Me is You (a dedication to Roni
Ashton)
I'll Keep You Satisfied
From a Window
I Call Your Name
Sunsets of Santa Fe
You're Right I'm Wrong
Little Children
I'm Just a Jealous Guy
Bad To Me
In the Storytellers Segment Billy was either
seated or standing playing a guitar. In part two, this is Billy with no guitar,
standing and rocking with the band. I could give you a paragraph on each song,
but you have to go to bed sometime so I will control myself.
'Sunsets of Santa Fe' was composed by Billy
while shut-in in New Mexico. Good use of time, I say. Beautiful and melodic.
His opener is 'I Won the Fight,' also written by him and chronicles his
struggles to the top and beyond. Billy's book is titled DO YOU WANT TO
KNOW A SECRET and although John Lennon never thought much of this composition,
it changed Billy's life and opened up the door for future Kramer hits of
Lennon/McCartney songs. I was on edge waiting for 'Little Children' and 'Bad to
Me.' Can it get any better?
Billy thanks us all for coming to see him and
we are all on our feet thanking him back. WAIT!! Liberty is starting a drum
riff! 'To Liverpool With Love' explodes from all sides of the stage and from
that we segue into 'Glad All Over!' We
are for sure GLAD ALL OVER!
I don't know Billy's feelings when he first
entered the stage tonight. It was a new idea of story-telling he was going to
begin with, and he seemed a bit sedate or unsure. Peter Calo coaxed him with a
few requests for stories and as the stories began to unfold, so did Billy J
Kramer. It is now afternoon of the following day, and I am still saying,
"What a wonderful night." The good news is - DARYL'S HOUSE IS OPEN
AND BILLY J KRAMER IS BACK!
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
Northeast Correspondent/ Representative (pick
one ... hahahaha)
Billy J. Kramer will be back here in Chicago this weekend,
performing as part of this year’s Beatlefest (sorry, I will never call it
anything else!!!)
The last time he was in town, we went as his guest to The
Fest For Beatles Fans (there, happy???) and it was great to visit with
him. (This was a couple of years ago
before Covid forced the cancellation of the last two Chicagoland shows.) We’ve run the picture before of me with Billy
J., Peter Asher and Jeremy Clyde, who also entertained that day.
This has been a tough couple of years for all of us … and
Billy in particular … so hopefully getting out on the road and visiting with
some old friends and an enthusiastic crowd of fans will serve as good therapy
for him. We only wish him the very best
… what a great guy!
Thanks, Shelley! (kk)
I bought his book and had him sign it at The
Fest for Beatles Fans (I just like being wordy!
) here in the Northeast, a million years ago now. (It seems
like it!) I haven't gone in a few years. The spring timing is not always good
for me, nor is covid upticks. My friends told me he would be at the Chicago
Fest. He mingled with the crowd afterward and there was more banter during the
show. His song 'You're Right I'm Wrong' brought verbal reactions from the men
in the audience. " That was my wedding song." "That was my
divorce song. I'm two and 0." Then Liberty quipped, "My wedding song
was 'It's My Party and I Can Cry if I Want to'." Billy said he was sorry
for them all.
Shelley
I spoke with Billy J. for the first time after writing the
review for his book and we just really seemed to hit it off. He has been a staunch supporter of Forgotten
Hits ever since … and who didn’t love his British Invasion hits?!?! (kk)
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2016/08/forgotten-hits-interviews-billy-j-kramer.html
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2016/08/more-with-billy-j-kramer-today-in.html
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2016/08/wrapping-things-up-with-billy-j-kramer.html
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-you-thought-of-billy-j.html
