Better pour yourself an extra large cup of coffee for this morning's edition!!!
Frankie Valli is hanging up his falsetto and heading out on his “last ever” tour to say goodbye to the fans. (He hits Chicago on October 12th, 2024 ... and they're already selling tickets for it now!!!)
Valli recently remarried at the age of 89 (!) and is apparently finally ready to settle down. Meanwhile, his music will live on eternally through radio and performances of “Jersey Boys,” which has already been seen by an estimated 30 million people on Broadway, not to mention the various touring versions (and the film made by Clint Eastwood.)
Fri 10/13/2023 Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
Sat 10/14/2023 Wilkes-Barre, PA F.M. Kirby Center for Performing Arts
Sun 10/15/2023 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center
Thurs 10/26/2023 and Fri 10/27/2023 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas Resort
& Casino
Sat 10/28/2023 Thousand Oaks, CA Fred Kavli Theatre – Bank of America
Performing Arts Center
Fri 11/10/2023 Tempe, AZ ASU Gammage Auditorium
Sat 11/11/2023 Rancho Mirage, CA Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
Sun 11/12/2023 San Jose, CA San Jose Civic
Thurs 11/16/2023 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
Fri 11/17/2023 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Sat 11/18/2023 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Wed 11/29/2023 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Center
Thurs 11/30/2023 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre at Westbury
Fri 12/1/2023 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Fri 1/12/2024, Sat 1/13/224, Sun 1/14/2024 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas
Resort & Casino
Fri 1/26/2024 Thackerville, OK Winstar Casino
Sat 1/27/2024 North Little Rock, AR The Theater at Simmons Bank Arena
Sun 1/28/2024 Nashville, TN Grand Ole Opry House
Thu 2/8/2024 Tampa, FL Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – Tampa Event Center
Fri 2/9/2024 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino Hollywood
Sat 2/10/2024 Orlando, FL Walt Disney Theater
Fri 3/22/2024 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
Sat 3/23/2024 Boston, MA Boch Center Wang Theatre
Sun 3/24/2024 Baltimore, MD The Lyric
Thu 4/4/2024, Fri 4/5/2024, Sat 4/6/2024 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas
Resort & Casino
Sat 6/22/2024 Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock Cafe Hotel
Wed 7/3/2024, Fri 7/5/2024, Sat 7/6/2024 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas
Resort & Casino
Sat 10/12/2024 Rosemont, IL Rosemont Theatre
Thu 10/24/2024 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Fri 10/25/2024 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Sat 10/26/2024 Las Vegas, NV Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
THE FOUR SEASONS / FRANKIE VALLI HIT LIST
1962 – Sherry (#1)
1962 – Big Girls Don’t Cry (#1)
1962 – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (#12)
1963 – Walk Like A Man (#1)
1963 – Ain’t That A Shame (#20)
1963 – Candy Girl (#3)
1963 – Marlena (#35)
1963 – New Mexican Rose (#30)
1964 – Dawn (#3)
1964 – Stay (#15)
1964 – Ronnie (#6)
1964 – Alone (#24)
1964 – Rag Doll (#1)
1964 – Save It For Me (#8)
1964 – Big Man In Town (#14)
1965 – Bye Bye Baby (#6)
1965 – Girl Come Running (#23)
1965 – Let’s Hang On (#1)
1965 – Don’t Think Twice (#9) as THE WONDER WHO
1966 – You’re Gonna Hurt Yourself (#38) by FRANKIE VALLI
1966 – Working My Way Back To You (#9)
1966 – Opus 17 (#9)
1966 – I’ve Got You Under My Skin (#6)
1967 – Tell It To The Rain (#10)
1967 – Beggin’ (#12)
1967 – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (#1)
1967 – C’mon Marianne (#9)
1967 – I Make A Fool Of Myself (#18) by FRANKIE VALLI
1967 – Watch The Flowers Grow (#14)
1968 – To Give (#17) by FRANKIE VALLI
1968 – Will You Love Me Tomorrow (#13)
1969 – Electric Stories (#38)
1969 – The Girl I’ll Never Know (#23) by FRANKIE VALLI
1969 – And That Reminds Me (#27)
1974 – My Eyes Adored You (#1) by FRANKIE VALLI
1975 – Swearin’ To God (#6) by FRANKIE VALLI
1975 – Who Loves You (#3)
1975 – Our Day Will Come (#11)
1976 – December, 1963 (#1)
1976 – Fallen Angel (#36) by FRANKIE VALLI
1976 – Silver Star (#38)
1978 – Grease (#1) by FRANKIE VALL
1994 – December, 1963 (#14)
The Eagles have added two more dates to their Long Goodbye Tour …
They’ll be appearing at the LA Forum on January 5th and 6th with Steely Dan.
MANY more dates to follow. (kk)
And the Queen + Adam Lambert North American Tour is off and running …
Here’s a report from opening night in Baltimore on October 4th …
Man, they're playing everything you could possibly wanna hear (except, as Frannie pointed out, “You’re My Best Friend,” a Top Ten Hit back in 1976.) kk
We went to our first concert in a long time this past Thursday Night when we saw Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band at the beautiful Chicago Theater.
This year’s All Starrs include Edgar Winter, Hamish Stuart of The Average White Band, Steve Lukather of Toto and Colin Hay of Men At Work. Adding support are long-time drummer Gregg Bissonette and all-around utility fill-in player Warren Ham, who played everything from percussion and sax to filling in the background vocals, especially on the high end.
At the start of the show Ringo promised us: “I guarantee that you’ll know at least two songs tonight” ... and the band proceeded to rip thru a catalog of hits representing the collected works of all of the artists on stage.
Of course, Ringo was the main featured performer … and he did not disappoint, singing old Beatles favorites like “Matchbox,” “What Goes On,” “Yellow Submarine” (with full audience participation, not only singing along with the chorus but also filling in all of the background sound effects from the hit single), “Act Naturally,” “Boys,” (which Ringo prefaced by saying “I’ve been singing this song for a very long time … actually, I’ve been singing ALL of these songs for a very long time”), “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “Octopus’ Garden” and the expected show-closer “With A Little Help From My Friends” … as well as many of his solo hits (“It Don’t Come Easy,” “Back Off Boogaloo,” “I’m The Greatest” and “Photograph.”)
Edgar Winter performed his band’s two biggest hits, “Free Ride” (the highlight of the evening for me … especially impressive since Edgar didn’t sing on the hit single!), their #1 Hit “Frankenstein” and, as a tribute to his later brother Johnny, “Johnny B. Goode.”
Steve Lukather represented Toto by performing their hits “Rosanna,” “Africa” (third best song of the night) and “Hold The Line” while Hamish Stuart of The Average White Band performed their hits “Pick Up The Pieces,” “Cut The Cake” and “Work To Do.” Colin Hay ran thru “Down Under,” “Overkill” (the second best song of the night!) and “Who Can It Be Now” … all in all, a VERY satisfying show. (And the sold-out crowd LOVED it … they were on their feet the entire two hours that the band played.)
There are only a few dates left before this year’s tour is over … so catch if you can!
https://www.ringostarr.com/tour/#/
Ringo’s new EP will be released next week …
And you can pick up a copy of that here:
(kk)
I had hoped to somehow connect with Ringo while he was in
town, thinking that even just a two minute clip of him acknowledging his thanks
to Dick Biondi for being the first Disc Jockey in America to play a Beatles
record would make an INCREDIBLY AWESOME addition to Pam Pulice’s documentary …
but despite going through all of the proper channels, we still couldn’t make it
happen. Too bad, as I can’t think of any
reason why Ringo wouldn’t have been willing to do so … there are just so many
protective layers around him that you have to wonder if he was ever even made
aware of the request. (kk)
And, speaking of the Pam Pulice Dick Biondi Documentary, here is a bit of news from Pam! ...
Hi Kent,
There have been some exciting developments regarding the Biondi Film …
A special float, sponsored by
the JCCIA to honor Dick Biondi, will be featured in this year's Columbus Day
Parade on October 9th. We've been invited to ride on the Dick Biondi float
alongside members of the Ides of March, an opportunity we're truly delighted
about.
A recent event at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, featuring Jimbo and the Cryan’
Shames, was a fantastic success. Under the leadership of Mayor Basta and
Deputy Mayor Mike Lawler, the Village of Bolingbrook has increased
their support for the Dick Biondi Film project, adding to former Mayor Roger C.
Claar’s ongoing support. This generous contribution of over $5,000 will
specifically go towards the copyright licensing phase, bringing us one step
closer to the film's completion.
As a special announcement, I'm
excited to invite you and readers to join us at a screening on October 19 at
7:00 pm in Crest Hill. This event, sponsored by the American Italian Cultural
Society, promises to be a memorable evening celebrating Dick Biondi's legacy. I
hope to see you there.
I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone involved in this labor of love.
Your support has been instrumental in making the Dick Biondi documentary a
reality. If all goes according to plan, we anticipate a release in the coming
months.
Thank you for your continued support, and I hope to see you at the screening.
Warm regards,
Pamela Enzweiler-Pulice
Producer/Director
™️THE VOICE THAT ROCKED AMERICA: THE DICK BIONDI STORY
Speaking of All Starrs, an All-Star Benefit Concert has been organized to help raise funds for Denny Laine’s mounting medical bills.
We told you a short while back about a Go Fund Me page started by Denny’s wife but apparently it is falling well short of the $100,000 it was hoping to raise. (As I type this, they have raised just over $40,000.) In addition to an assortment of other health challenges, Laine has been battling lung issues following a bout with Covid-19.
The concert will take place on Monday, November 27th, at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood. Already committing to taking part are former Wings members Denny Seiwell and Laurence Juber, as well as Paul Shaffer, Micky Dolenz, Peter Asher and Jeremy Clyde, Joey Molland, Susanna Hoffs, Albert Lee and others. Chris Carter of Sirius XM’s Breakfast With The Beatles will host the event and Denny’s bandmates, Alex Jules, Erik Paparozzi and Brian Pothier, will act as the house band.
Tickets are going on sale this morning (Sunday, October 8th) at 10 a.m. Pacific Time here: https://wl.seetickets.us/event/denny-laine/571923?afflky=TheTroubadour (kk)
Hi Kent –
Both of the songs featured in your recent Good Old-Fashioned Forgotten Hits posts definitely did pretty well on Baltimore's Top 40 stations back then. I never forgot them.
Love the "adult" vibe of the Jackson 5 tune ... maybe they were listening to those Isaac Hayes records. Great fuzz guitar!
The Dickie Goodman involvement with the Glass Bottle is a fun bit of trivia. I remember finding this clip of the "band" years ago. A perfect little :30 second spot that ran on TV back in the day!
https://archive.org/details/dmbb01623
Cheers!
Mike Lane
Minneapolis
There are some other great, classic “glass bottle” commercial clips on that link as well … boy, I don’t remember them pushing quite so hard on this … but they were definitely overrun by plastic bottles and aluminum cans … both of which were ALSO recyclable, which seems to be the root of their campaign. (kk)
>>>A far inferior version of "I Ain't Got Time Anymore," recorded by British Pop Star Cliff Richard was released the year before and went to #21 in the UK. It sounds damn-near depressing in comparison. (kk)
Even using the F5 Key, I can't get the FH Page to refresh so I can hear today's audio.
Has that ever come up before with any of your other readers ... ?
CB
I think it’s the 35 songs I posted on October 1st that’s
messing it up. I had to hit the F5 key myself this morning in order to get it
to play - but it came up on the second try. (kk)
Still couldn't get it to refresh so I just went to YouTube and found it there.
Chuck
Meanwhile, I had a thought -
(I’m curious to see if this will work … so it's well worth the experiment if you’re willing to try it)
Click on today’s blue headline and it should open it up in a brand new window as a stand-alone page … which means it should load and play just fine - and quickly.
Do you mind trying and letting me know?
If I’m right, that’s another future option!
Well, that worked like a charm!
CB
Good news for FH Readers …
If you ever run into that problem where the page or the music isn’t loading properly, first try hitting your F5 Key and it should refresh the page and then play for you …
But, if that STILL doesn’t work (like in this instance where too much music from a previous page was bogging things down), just click on the blue headline of that day’s posting and it will take you to that posting as a “stand alone” page – which means it’ll be free of anything else on the site … and should open and play for you immediately ... making this whole investigative experience an experiment well worth running! (kk)
Also from Chuck, after he ventured over to YouTube to listen to the Glass Bottle hit "I Ain't Got Time Anymore" ...
Reading some of the comments on YouTube …
I did not know that "with his wife gone, his savings gambled away, and the bill collectors pounding on his door, Richard Dorian Goodman died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1989 ..."
CB
Yes, sadly it was a tragic end for Dickie … too bad for such a talented and creative guy.
I STILL maintain (and have long campaigned for) Dickie Goodman’s inclusion in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, even if it’s only as an “Early Influence” artist.
Although nobody knew it at the time (or for the next 50-60 years for that matter), Dickie and his partner Bill Buchanan literally invented “sampling” … or the use of other artists’ work within their own creation.
Buchanan and Goodman famously went to trial on copyright infringement charges in 1956-1957 for the use of other recorded material on their first “Flying Saucer” record, a #3 Hit in 1956.
The judge ruled that in so doing, they actually created a NEW piece of “art” that now had its OWN copyright.
Decades later, this issue came up again when rap and hip-hop artists were using snippets of other artists’ songs as a backdrop for their own new creations …
So at the very least, Goodman should be acknowledged for that …
Not to mention the original creative concept of the break-in record itself, something he was able to earn 21 chart hits with over the next three decades, including SIX Top 40 Hits, one of which (“Mr. Jaws” in 1975) went all the way to #1.
And to show just how bold and brash these guys really were, in 1956 they released a break-in record entitled “Buchanan And Goodman On Trial,” which became a #42 Cash Box Hit! (kk)
As for another one of our "Good Old-Fashioned Forgotten Hits from last week, here’s a very cool, vintage shot of The Jackson Five (plus one … and Janet, too!) from The Cher Show …
Jennifer Vanderslice tells us about the 10 Year Anniversary of a Beatles book that examines their initial impact on the United States …
On the 10 year anniversary of the release of Al Sussman’s book, ‘Changin’ Times: 101 Days That Shaped A Generation', the world is still intrigued with the Kennedy assassination and the birth of the British invasion.
Beatles expert and author Al Sussman is pleased to announce the 10 year
anniversary of his book, Changin’ Times: 101 Days That Shaped A Generation (Parading
Press ISBN: 978-0-9892555-1-6).
Changin' Times takes a look back 60 years ago
at the 101 days from November 22, 1963 through March 1, 1964 to explore the
after-effects of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy , the
start of the 1964 political year, the instability in South Vietnam that would lead
to the expansion of the war, the very early indications of the domestic turmoil
that would come to define the '60s, the technology of the times, and the pop
culture British Invasion that preceded the musical one.
You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Changin-Times-Al-Sussman-ebook/dp/B00KDHP0IW?crid=JTAXQ2FS0NR7&keywords=al+sussman&qid=1696419554&sprefix=al+suss,aps,74&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=ib0e-20&linkId=cf5d3a1e2b84952a06e51c1100348d86&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
And, speaking of The Beatles, Harvey Kubernik sent us this piece that he did on Beatles Engineer Allan Rouse, some of which appeared in Harvey’s book "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: THE BEATLES Invade America and Hollywood." (It comes from an interview that Harvey did with Rouse back in 2015)
I was listening to some recording sessions of the Beatles BBC and Anthology on compact discs recently and I remembered my 2015 interview with Abbey Road-based engineer, archivist and modern-day librarian for the Beatles, Allan Rouse, who passed away in 2016.
Giles Martin remembered Rouse as the "gatekeeper" for the Beatles at Abbey Road. "He looked after and cherished everything that was recorded by the band and my father all those years ago," the younger Martin said.
"Only Allan knew where everything was and only Allan was trusted with preserving the tapes and the legacy of the most successful band in the history of recorded music."
Allan Rouse was the Project Coordinator of this monumental The Beatles in Mono undertaking.
Rouse joined EMI straight from school in 1971 at their Manchester Square head office, working as an assistant engineer in the demo studio. During this time, he frequently worked with legendary engineer/producer Norman (Hurricane) Smith.
In 1991, Rouse had his first involvement with The Beatles, copying all of their master tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital tape as a safety backup.
That job was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary The Making of Sgt. Pepper's and the CDs Live at the BBC and The Anthology.
Further projects followed, including The Beatles Anthology, The First U.S. Visit and the Help! DVD … as well as the albums Let It Be…Naked and LOVE, along with George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh DVD and album.
For a number of years now, Allan has worked exclusively on Beatles and related projects.
I interviewed Allan Rouse from the UK at Abbey Road.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about Norman (Hurricane) Smith and his contributions as an engineer on the initial Beatles' sessions and your own EMI world with him starting in 1971? He engineered every Beatles’ recording thru Rubber Soul. I’ve always felt his talents have been really over-looked by the media.
A: Norman was a musician’s engineer, and had formed his own band in the 1940s. So, for the Beatles’ early sessions, he understood that they had hardly any experience in a recording studio but a great deal in performing live and that is the feel he wanted to capture. I believe the approach Norman took in recording them this way helped them settle into studio life and allowed them to perform in a way that made them feel the most relaxed and I think it shows in their performances.
I started at EMI’s Head Office in 1971, where they had a small studio. Within a few days I was working as a tape op on Norman’s follow-up single to ‘Don’t Let It Die.’ I have to confess that I didn’t know who he was, even though he’d had a hit record, and I certainly wasn’t aware of his past. This only transpired later after we had been chatting during one session and discovered that we lived a couple of miles from each other. After this he would call me in the control room at 5:30 when he was about to leave and ask if I wanted a lift. With an hour’s journey, we did a lot of talking and it was then that I learned about his work with the Beatles and Pink Floyd.
On a few occasions, I was lucky to record demos of his new songs, and with hindsight, I now realize how lucky I was to be recording Norman on the very same equipment (Abbey Road-provided Manchester Square with a four-track mixing desk and four track tape machine) that he had used during the Sixties. This situation could have been intimidating but Norman made me feel totally at ease, despite the fact that I hardly had a clue what I was doing, but he never let on.
Norman and I became good friends and I was very happy when I was asked to interview him for an archive project only a few years ago. We spent two hours in Studio Two and finally finished the interview off at his home talking about his life as a musician, engineer, producer, artist and the ‘good old days.’ We also probably said a few times, ‘It’s not like it was in our day.’
Q: Do you remember in 1991 copying all the master Beatles tapes to digital and what have been some of your feelings working on the new products?
A: By the time I started copying the Beatles’ tapes, Abbey Road was already able to sync two 24 track analogue machines together and also had 24 and 32 track digital machines. When I started copying their four and eight track tapes and was able to isolate the different tracks, I was astonished at what they had been able to achieve, particularly when they started bouncing down (mixing) four tracks to another four track tape to allow them to do overdubs.
In particular I think it illustrates the skills of the engineers and George Martin. The other thing that I remember vividly was isolating the vocal tracks; it was remarkable to listen to their unaccompanied voices, be it solo or as a group.
Having listened to the multi-tracks in detail, I had been made aware of the astonishing quality of the recordings. But one of the problems that was eventually encountered during the Sixties was too few tracks to record a song. So, the engineer would mix the first four tracks of the recording to a new four track tape, but only using one or two tracks, leaving two or three for further overdubbing.
We eventually devised a way of syncing these two four track tapes together, allowing us to then use the initial four track tape rather than the later mix down with the overdub tape. This often gave us as many as seven instead of four tracks and it is this practice that allowed us to re-mix in new stereo and surround sound for the film Yellow Submarine and subsequently the Anthology and Help! DVDs. Hearing the Beatles in surround is a unique experience and, because of the greater separation of tracks, permits you to hear the arrangements in a totally different way.
Q: Can you discuss working with Sir George Martin as his assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary The Making of Sgt. Pepper and Live at the BBC.? After being involved in the new Beatles' digitally remastered releases, is there even one more thing you learned or respected even more about what Sir George Martin contributed and brought into the sound of the Beatles' recordings?
A: Having managed to get a job at Abbey Road Studios and working on many sessions as a tape-op, then eventually engineer, I thought that the closest I was ever going to get to a Beatles experience was being able to work in Studio Two. However, to sit in my room many years later with George Martin researching the Beatles’ four track tapes for Sgt. Pepper’s was as good as it gets. At the end of that job, I had no idea that I was going to work with George again and with the Live at the BBC, I ended up spending many more months with him.
I think everybody learned a lot from each other during the sessions. It was a perfect combination of group, producer and engineers, but George’s previous musical experiences brought something different to The Beatles’ arrangements and productions that made them unique from other groups at the time.
Q: What do you notice about the digital world format you have overseen from the transfer of analog world and how it enhances the Beatles' catalogue in 2009 products?
A: Since the Beatles first appeared on CD in 1987, digital technology has improved a great deal, and the recent transfers now sound much closer to the master tapes. In addition, computer technology has allowed us to do things today that were previously hard or impossible to achieve, such as remove or improve technical issues such as tape drop-outs, bad edits, electrical clicks, vocal sibilance and microphone pops. I believe that the combination of the improved transfers and the removal of technical problems have allowed us to issue the catalogue in the best possible way since the albums’ initial release.
I have had the good fortune of working on a number of projects in recent years that have involved re-mixing to stereo and 5.1 surround with remarkable results by engineers Peter Cobbin, Paul Hicks and Guy Massey. But, I still have the utmost admiration for the sound that the Beatles, Sir George Martin, engineers Norman Smith, Geoff Emerick, Ken Scott, Phil McDonald and Glyn Johns managed to achieve in the sixties with recording technology in its infancy.
Q: What did you enjoy the most about the Beatles' Anthology sets?
A: Going through all the multi-track tapes for a second time with the added bonus of listening to them with the Beatles’ producer, whilst Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick mixed the selected songs in another studio. However, one particular occasion will remain with me forever -- when George Martin was joined by Paul, George and Ringo in Studio Two to listen back to some of the alternative takes that had been selected.
A few years later, we embarked on re-doing the soundtrack to the video Anthology for DVD. This project to provide the whole soundtrack in surround sound and new stereo was done by a team of seven people and was spread over two years. At one point, both Studio Two and Three were working simultaneously for nearly three months; it was almost like the Beatles were back in the studios again and it is rated as a career highlight by us all.
Harvey also reminds us …
The Band’s The Last Waltz Returning to Theaters for 45th Anniversary
One of the best concert films of all time, The Band’s The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese, is returning to theaters in celebration of its 45th anniversary. It will be back on the big screen for one day only on November 5th.
The theatrical return will feature a never-before-seen introduction from the late Robbie Robertson “providing a quick look into the genesis and impact” of the film chronicling The Band’s farewell concert. Showtimes for its return are 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time. Purchase your tickets via Fathom Events.
A Chicago sports icon is gone …
Legendary Chicago Bears Linebacker Dick Butkus passed away on Thursday (10/5) at the age of 80.
He played for The Bears from 1965 to 1973 and became an NFL hero to millions.
What I had forgotten about was his post-football acting career!
Butkus starred in the television series “My Two Dads” and “Hang Time” … as well as the films (appropriately) “Brian’s Song,” “The Longest Yard” and “Any Given Sunday.”
When it comes to the small screen, he may best be remembered for his series of Miller Lite commercials made with Bubba Smith. (He also made guest appearances on television shows like “The Rockford Files,” “Wonder Woman,” “Taxi,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Love Boat,” “Matlock,” “MacGyver” and “Coach.”) His final TV role was playing himself on a 2014 episode of the Disney Channel’s “I Didn’t Do It.”
But it was on the football field that Butkus excelled and will be remembered for.
He was inducted into the NFL Hall Of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1979, just six short years after hanging up his spikes for good.
He started all 119 games he played for The Bears, who retired his #51 jersey in 1994. Throughout his very brief career (he only played professional football for nine seasons), he accumulated 1,020 tackles, 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries. He earned two Defensive Player of the Year Awards and was selected for eight consecutive Pro Bowls. He was named to the league’s All-Decade Teams in both the 1960’s and 1970’s … as well as the 75th and 100th Anniversary teams. (kk)
Does this mean one can no longer say, "You don't know Butkus!!"
Dah Buell!
You’re just jealous because Butkus was drafted by both the Bears and the Denver Broncos in 1965 and he chose his hometown team as the place he wanted to build a career … and boy, what a career it was!!! (By the way, do you know who The Bears’ Draft Pick was AFTER they selected Dick Butkus??? Some guy you may have heard about by the name of Gale Sayers!) kk
The rock group Chicago has already released three Christmas albums ...
And, beginning on November 3rd, you'll be able to purchase a collectors' set of all three ...
Or a brand new Chicago's Greatest Christmas Hits CD, featuring 13 tracks culled from these three previous holiday releases.
More information here:
Kent,
Most anything and everything that happens a lot of times reminds me of a record from years ago. For example, Harvey's book, Parachute Women, reminded me of Hank Locklin's crossover record from 1960, PLEASE HELP ME I'M FALLING. Loved the info on the "LOUIE LOUIE" marathon.
Larry
Chuck Buell responds to his responses …
>>>Congrats to CB for his excerpts on IT'S ALL IN THE GAME (Larry Neal)
Thanx a lot, Larry! I appreciate that! One of my all-time favorite songs! It was a challenging Medley Edit because in spite of the similarities with the lyrics and such, their styles and presentations were pretty varied! (CB)
>>>Chuck is outdoing himself with his research! He must have been a teacher's dream. (Shelley Sweet-Tufano)
HA! When I was in elementary school, we were actually also graded on our take home report cards "A thru F" on "Deportment," or "How a Student Behaves Overall!"
I did OK without even studying for that.
CB ( which stands for "C-in-Deportment Boy!" )
The Church Studio announces exclusive pre-launch book signing, “Joe Cocker: With a Lot of Help from His Friends” by Mark Bego
With great pleasure, The Church Studio announces a pre-launch book signing and exhibit on November 11th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mark Bego, a best-selling author of more than 68 books (i.e.: biographies on Elton John, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, The Supremes, George Strait, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, and more), will be present to autograph copies of his new biography, Joe Cocker: With a Lot of Help from His Friends (Yorkshire Publishing) which is scheduled for release the following week. It is the first published biography to tell the complete story of Cocker’s roller-coaster life since the singer’s death in 2014.
Tickets for the November 11th event are available at www.TheChurchStudio.com and include meeting author Mark Bego, a copy of the book, and the opportunity to have it personally autographed. The first-floor gallery and archives of The Church Studio are also open to ticket holders. Joe Cocker: With a Lot of Help from His Friends will be released in stores on November 16th.
According to Bego, “The idea of writing this book about Joe Cocker first came about over a year ago when I was approached by a movie producer to write a screenplay about the life and music of this legendary singer. I became so engrossed with him as a subject that I was inspired to take it a step further and write an entire book about Joe’s often self-destructive life. In many ways, Cocker was like the Vincent Van Gogh of rock & roll…a genius, but self-destructive.”
The event at The Church Studio co-stars Woodstock legend, Melanie, who — alongside Cocker — became a singing star at that music festival, and she penned the introduction to Bego’s book. According to Melanie, “Joe was a ‘true artist,’ and it was the music that was most important to him…Throughout his life, Joe was truly ‘who he was.’ There was no pretense to him. To me, he felt very authentic and real in everything that he did.”
There were few late 1960s rock stars who had a bigger debut than Joe Cocker, when "With A Little Help from My Friends" suddenly hit Number One in England in 1968. Between that huge chart hit and his amazing 1969 performance at the Woodstock music festival, Cocker rocketed to overnight stardom on both sides of the Atlantic. Teaming with Tulsa’s own Leon Russell, and producer Danny Cordell, Cocker went into the studio to produce his second album, Joe Cocker, which produced the hits “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” and “Delta Lady.” Suddenly Joe was one of the most sought-after rockers in the business.
In early 1970, Cocker's management team arranged a 48-city American tour to begin within days, but Cocker found himself in Los Angeles without a band. Leon Russell was contacted by Cocker and Denny Cordell, for assistance in establishing a traveling band for the tour. Using his Tulsa Sound and Wrecking Crew connections, Leon quickly recruited a band of 20 musicians, including three drummers, a supporting chorus, and himself as lead guitarist, piano, and musical director. Leon asked for a film team for the tour, which resulted in the Mad Dogs and Englishmen documentary, which captured the essence of rock & and roll at the time. In the lineup for that tour were Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, Ann Bell, Don Preston, Chris Stainton, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Chuck Blackwell, Nickey Barclay, and Jim Horn.
“Mark Bego's book reminds us just how little we know of this legendary voice. Meticulously researched, it gets us inside the soul of the man who we thrilled to at Woodstock and on one of the greatest tours in rock history, ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen.’ When I met Cocker, I remember gushing like a schoolboy and he was kind, funny, engaging, and truly seemed to be appreciative of all the attention.” --Mike Greenblatt/The Jersey Sound
Cocker won a Grammy Award, the Brit Award for Best British Male, and among other awards, in 2007 the Order of the British Empire. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers list. He left behind a wealth of unforgettable music, including 22 studio albums, nine live albums, 14 compilation albums, and 68 singles.
Joe Cocker: With a Lot of Help from His Friends is released via Yorkshire Publishing, www.yorkshirepublishing.com
AUTHOR BIO: Mark Bego is the author of 68 books on rock and roll and show business, including two “New York Times” Best-Sellers, a “Los Angeles Times” Best-Seller, and a “Chicago Tribune” Best-Seller, a Nashville “Tennessean” Best-Seller, three multi-million-sellers, and two half-million selling titles. With over 13 million books in print, he is acknowledged as the best-selling biographer in the rock and pop music field. His biographies have included the life stories of some of the biggest stars of ROCK (Elton John, Billy Joel, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night), SOUL (Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston), POP (Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, Sade, Barry Manilow), and COUNTRY (Glen Campbell, George Strait, Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill). He has also written about film and television stars as well (Rock Hudson, Julia Roberts, Linda Gray, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Matt Damon, The Marx Brothers).
I had the honor of reading a pre-release copy of Mark Bego's new book, one I looked forward to with great anticipation ... so it's difficult to admit that I found Cocker's tale quite disturbing and disappointing. You've got to read all the way through to about the last 35-40 pages before you find anything redeeming about his character ... and that's a real shame ... to think that such a talented artist threw away the bulk of his career consumed to excess by alcohol and drugs ... and by excess I mean to the absolute limit of consumption ... and then over the top by another 50%!
Up until he cleaned up his act (by which time it was really too late), Cocker just wasted every opportunity to make his career the legend it deserved to be ... resulting in missed opportunity after missed opportunity. (Incredible to think that fans used to go to his concerts just to see how many times he would throw up on stage ... or that the significance of his performance could be measured by how many buckets of vomit they hauled off the stage by the time he was finished with his set. A particularly triumphant night would have him literally passing out on stage in front of the audience who had paid to come and see him.) This is so sad in so many ways.
(Normally when you choose to read a biography of an artist it is because you either have great respect for their work or want to learn more about them. I don't think I've EVER read a bio on somebody where I ended thinking LESS of them than before I started reading!)
Still, the real story is the real story ... and Joe Cocker DID, in fact, make his mark on rock and roll history. When one considers his appearance at Woodstock (the first time most of us ever saw or heard him), his Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour (which, reportedly for Joe, netted him about $860!) and his various comebacks, with Grammy and Academy Award wins for his recordings of "You Are So Beautiful" and "Up Where We Belong" ... to starting (with the help of his wife Pam, the woman who literally SAVED him ... from himself) The Cocker Kids Foundation in Colorado as a way of giving back to the community to help others, to being decorated by his Queen ... you WILL get the full story of Joe Cocker's life in Bego's latest book ... it just isn't a very pretty picture ... and, quite honestly, it makes it hard to read. (I found myself cringing at the start of each new chapter, wondering if I really wanted to learn any more horrific details as to the way he chose to live his life.)
I saw Joe Cocker live in concert twice and both time he knocked it out of the park ... but this was in the early 2000's, by which time he had taken the steps to clean up his act. I'm glad I got to see him when I did ... and have THOSE personal memories to remember him by. (kk)
THE JOE COCKER HIT LIST:
1968 - With A Little Help From My Friends (US - 49 / UK - #1)
1969 - Feeling Alright (US - 69 / UK - xx)
1969 - Delta Lady (US - 69 / UK - 10)
1970 - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (US - 30 / UK - xx)
1970 - The Letter (US - 5 / UK - 39)
1970 - Cry Me A River (US - 7 / UK - xx)
1971 - High Time We Went (US - 19 / UK - xx)
1972 - Feeling Alright (US - 28 / UK - xx)
1972 - Midnight Rider (US - 26 / UK - xx)
1973 - Woman To Woman (US - 52 / UK - xx)
1973 - Pardon Me Sir (US - 48 / UK - xx)
1974 - Put Out The Light (US - 38 / UK - xx)
1975 - You Are So Beautiful (US - 4 / UK - xx)
1978 - Fun Time (US - 38 / UK - xx)
1982 - Up Where We Belong (with Jennifer Warnes) (US - #1 / UK -7)
1987 - Unchain My Heart (US - xx / UK - 17)
1990 - When The Night Comes (US - 11 / UK - 61)
1994 - The Simple Things (US - xx / UK - 17)
1994 - Take Me Home (US - xx / UK - 41)
1995 - Let The Healing Begin (US - xx / UK - 32)
HONORABLE MENTION: You Can Leave Your Hat On
From Ardas Khalsa, who hosts the Grateful Grooves Radio Show on 99.9 KTYD
(and also sent us those very cool Neil Young pix from The Roxy’s 50th Anniversary Show a week or two ago) …
These pics are of Jackson Browne, aka: "Brownshit from the Jackshit show," performing last Saturday night at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, CA.
The angle's a little weird, but when you’re in the front show
at McCabes, your eyes are right about their ankles.
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We’re all music people, right?
So I’m guessing that everybody out there ought to be able to NAME THAT TUNE in about half a second …
Thanks to Mike Wolstein for sending this in! (kk)
