Brian was supposed to perform here a few
months ago but the concert was ultimately cancelled …
I’m still hoping that this will be
rescheduled at a later date, as I’d love to see him.
Listen to these clips … he still sounds
great, doesn’t he?!?(kk)
Forgotten Hits Readers on the east coast
may want to plan a trip out to the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia.
They will be home to an art exhibit of
Paul McCartney’s photographs selected from his “1964: Eyes Of The Storm” photo
book, capturing photos taken by Macca during The Beatles’ first trip to The
United States during the launch of Beatlemania here.(Of course you can read all about Beatlemania
and The British Invasion in our near-daily flashbacks to 60 YEARS AGO TODAY, currently running in
Forgotten Hits as well.)
(We went to a similar exhibit of Ringo
Starr’s photographs a few years ago here in Chicago held at The Hard Rock
Café.)They were documenting their visit
to America, much the same way America was documenting their every move while
they were here!)kk
Here’s a GREAT, feel-good clip of David
Cassidy singing to Katie Couric …
He looks great, he sounds great ... and this unaired clip can't help but make you smile ...
And check this out cool piece on Jackie DeShannon, submitted by Ken Voss …
I saw your
mention of Jackie DeShannon a few days back ...
Did you know she was from Batavia, Illinois?
Jackie DeShannon – The Early Years
How many of you remember Jackie DeShannon singing the Top 10
hits “What The World Needs Now Is Love” and “Put A Little Love In Your Heart?”
Did you know she was from Batavia, Illinois?!?
Born Sharon Lee Myers (8/21/41), her family originally lived on
a farm in Kentucky. By age six, she was already singing country tunes on a
local radio station there. As her mother was originally from Aurora, the family
relocated to the western suburbs, moving to Batavia in 1953. Just in eighth
grade, Myers hosted her own Saturday morning radio show, “Breakfast Melodies,”
on WMRO in Aurora. On Saturday nights she performed as a vocalist with Don Lee
and his Fox Valley Boys square dance band. And she made numerous guest
appearances on local TV shows including Pee Wee King’s popular “Country and
Western Television Show” on Chicago’s CBS-affiliate Channel 2.
She attended Batavia High School for two years from 1955-57, but
dropped out to pursue a musical career.
As a 16-year-old, Myers’ first commercial recording was on the
Hammond, Indiana-based Mar-Vel label, where she was billed as Sherry Lee. Owned
by long-time record entrepreneur Harry Glenn, while the label served as an
outlet for Myers, it was not a label that would launch a career. Glenn had an
unorthodox method of promotion, “personally promoting his releases in a
carnival-like manner,” it was noted in bopping.com, “loading his car up with
records and traveling from town to town with his set of loudspeakers trying to
persuade all those who would listen that his recordings were a must.”
For this first single, Glenn partnered Myers with country singer
Shorty Ashford on “I’m Crazy Darling” with the B-side “Baby Honey” (Mar-Vel
903) being her first solo credited side as Sherry Lee, the label noting her as
“Miss Country Music.” Take a listen to her first record “Baby Honey” -https://youtu.be/NEiaVdjMl9U
In her early years, the small independent record labels didn’t seem to
like her real name with various releases showing her name as Sherry Lee, Jackie
Dee and Sharon Lee before finally settling on the stage name she is best known
as – Jackie DeShannon.
Her next single, “How Wrong I Was,” came out on the Gone label, this time
as Jackie Dee.
By now, there was enough interest in Jackie that Liberty Records
sent her to Nashville, where she stepped into more of a rockabilly style when
she recorded a tribute to Buddy Holly, titled simply “Buddy.” And while the
record proved she was a rocker on par with the likes of Wanda Jackson and
Brenda Lee, it was an era where female vocalists were receiving very little
airplay from radio programmers.
Yet the small independent labels were still putting out singles by Jackie,
continuing to change her name.She was next
called Sharon Lee, releasing a single “Kissing Game” b/w “No Deposit No Return”
for the Excellent label.
In 1959, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based Fraternity Records called her Jackie
Shannon. There, she was teamed with Rusty York and the Cajuns. As both Jackie
and Rusty were originally from southern Kentucky, there was a familiar vibe to
working together. The single “Just Another Lie” came out in the beginning of
1959, billed as Jackie DeShannon and the Cajuns. However, she only appeared on
the A-side, the flip being the instrumental “Cajun Blues” by The Cajuns. That
record then was licensed to the Sage label, and then to Dot, who released it in
April of that year.
York recalled that time when Jackie was touring with his group:“Man, that girl could sing,” he said in an
interview in the book We Wanna Boogie: An
Illustrated History of the American Rockabilly Movement. “We’d travel
around to these little record hops and dance programs, and she would say she
wanted to be a big-name singer,” the book noting she was “still a brunette and
decked out in fitted shiny gold slacks, the teenager proved a popular regional
attraction.”
One more single came out under the moniker Jackie Shannon with “Lies” b/w
“Trouble” on the P.J. label, a small label that only issued two singles, one by
Jackie and one by York. That single was then licensed to Dot and re-issued the
following year on the Sand label.
After a show in Chicago, Jackie met rockabilly star Eddie Cochran, who
gave her some advice that changed her life. “He was very encouraging,” she
recalled in Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music. “He said, ‘If
you really want to get somewhere, you’ve got to come to California.’” And that
she did.
The connection with Cochran also led to an introduction to his
girlfriend, songwriter Sharon Sheeley. That resulted in Jackie and Sheeley
forming a songwriting team, penning songs for the likes of Brenda Lee, Irma
Thomas and The Byrds.(She would later
go on to enjoy a brief songwriting partnership with Jimmy Page as well as
writing the hits “Come And Stay With Me” for Marianne Faithfull and the Kim
Carnes’ hit “Betty Davis Eyes,” which earned her a Grammy in 1982 for Song of
the Year.)
Connecting with the Edison International label, she finally became Jackie
DeShannon.In a 2003 interview, Jackie
recalled, “In the beginning when I was making records, radio stations were not
playing records by girls. It was suggested I choose a name that could be a boy
or a girl. So there you have it.” She became Jackie DeShannon. She recorded two
singles for this label.
And finally, Jackie signed a major label deal with Liberty/Imperial,
enjoying a long and successful relationship with the label. Her first single,
“Lonely Girl,” hit the U.S. charts. And her big breaks came in 1964, when she
opened a U.S. tour for The Beatles and co-starred in the teen movie Surf Party.
From there her releases kept climbing up the charts, her most popular
years running from 1965-69, with records in the Top 100 surveys through 1980.
Jackie DeShannon Early Years
Note: All these sides have been included on the compilation Jackie DeShannon: The Early Singles
1956-1962 (Jasmine JASCD1008)
As Sherry Lee
1957I’m Crazy Darling b/w
Baby Honey (Marvel 903)
As Jackie Dee
1957How Wrong I Was b/w I’ll Be
True (Gone 5006)
1958Buddy b/w Strolypso Dance
(Liberty F-55148)
As Jackie Shannon and the Cajuns
1959Just Another Lie b/w Cajun
Blues (Fraternity F-836)
1959Lies b/w Trouble (P.J.
Records 101)
Licensed to Dot
(45-1590) in 1959 and re-issued on Sand (330) in 1960
As Jackie DeShannon
1960 I Wanna Go Home b/w So Warm
(Edison International F-416)
1960Put My Baby Down b/w The
Foolish One (Edison International F-418)
In
1974, Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon wrote "Bette Davis Eyes."Kim Carnes’ version was a #1 hit in many
countries. DeShannon and Weiss performed the song on pianos at the 1982 Grammys.
The song won the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
What a career and life. Wrote some
really great songs for other artists, very prolific. Co-wrote with Randy Newman
and Jimmy Page (he later wrote Tangerine about her). Much, much more there,
would make a great music biopic.
Here's one of my favorites, it was
not a hit for her, but was for The Seekers and later Pam Tillis in a country
version. Paul Carrack had a great cover as well.
Clearly, Jackie DeShannon's "overnight success" took several years and a series of several record labels before the world recognized her great talent.
Prior to Jackie's recording of the classic Hal David / Burt Bacharach tune "What The Wolrd Needs Now Is Love" in 1965 ... an across the boards Top Ten Hit ... she had charted nine other times ... but only three of those records snuck into The Top 100": "Faded Love" (#97, 1963), "Needles And Pins" (#58, 1963 ... but only #84 in Billboard) and "When You Walk In The Room" (#81, 1964 ... and only #99 in Billboard)
After her Top Ten success, Jackie would run into another dry spell until "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" skyrocketed to #3 in 1969. Those would be her only Top Ten Hits ... but both are definitely signature tunes that help us define Jackie DeShannon. Her comeback as a songwriter with Kim Carnes' #1 Hit "Bette Davis Eyes" was a welcome surprise in 1981 for as many as NINE WEEKS in Billboard (and five weeks each in Record World and Cash Box.)
Ken Voss is a regular contributor to the bios of artists born in Illinois ... and you'll find his work at The Illinois Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame site. (By the way, Ken also publishes the Jimi Hendrix
fanzine Voodoo Child. If you would like to see the latest copy,
drop me a line and I will forward it along to you.) kk
Some shots by Ardas of Hot Tuna from
their performance at The Fillmore last Friday Night …
Dion has another new album coming out!
And FH Reader Bob Merlis is here to tell us all about it ...
DION SETS MARCH 8 RELEASE OF GIRL FRIENDS ALBUM
NEW TRACK “SOUL FORCE” WITH SUSAN TEDESCHI OUT NOW
The
past few years have been some of the most productive over the course of
Dion’s storied career that spans multiple eras in music, culture and
consciousness. Underscoring his renewed and ongoing creative thrust is
the release this Friday of “Soul Force.” The song is a collaboration
with Susan Tedeschi and the second advance track (following October’s
release of “An American Hero” with Carlene Carter) that is part of Girl Friends. Slated for release on March 8, it’s his third consecutive album through Keeping The Blues Alive Records, following 2020’s Blues With Friends and 2021’s Stomping Ground.
Those two albums, with liner notes by Bob Dylan and Pete Townshend,
respectively, include musical contributions from, among others, Joe
Bonamassa, Brian Setzer, the late Jeff Beck, John Hammond, Van
Morrison, Joe Louis Walker, Jimmy Vivino, Billy Gibbons, Sonny Landreth,
Paul Simon, Samantha Fish, Rory Block, Patti Scialfa, Bruce
Springsteen, Paul Simon, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton, G. E. Smith, Keb’
Mo’, Marcia Ball, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton and Rickie Lee Jones.
Now Girl Friends
finds Dion keeping musical company with a line-up of stellar female
artists who are heard on the album’s 12 original tracks, 11 of which
were composed by Dion and Mike Aquilina with one written by Dion and the
late Scott Kempner (The Dictators, The Del Lords). Joining Tedeschi and
Carter are Rory Block, Shemekia Copeland, Debbie Davis, Randi
Fishenfeld, Sue Foley, Danielle Nicole, Christine Ohlman, Maggie Rose,
Joanne Shaw Taylor and Valerie Tyson. The album was produced by Wayne
Hood and Dion, who were also producing partners on Blues With Friends and Stomping Ground. Girl Friends
includes liner notes by Darlene Love who commented, “I’ve been a huge
fan since I was a young girl. In fact, when I sang ‘He’s a Rebel’ I was
singing about outsiders like Dion. I’m a bigger fan today. I’m still
trying to emulate his unique bluesy overtones. Now I'm thrilled again
with these new collaborations — not just friends, but all girl friends —
great women vocalist and musicians. This is just what the world needs
now. These duets are riveting.”
Dion explains the album’s raison d'être in a commentary titled “The Feminine Genius” that is included with Girl Friends. “I
write about my preoccupations, and I know no better preoccupation than
the female of the species. A friend of mine is a philosopher, and he
talks often about ‘the feminine genius’ — the undeniable difference
that’s in women and the difference that they make in the world. I’m
grateful to my friend for giving it a name, because the fact has always
been plain to me, but I could never put it into words.” He goes on to
explain his mother was his family’s breadwinner, and that he had two
sisters. He’s been married for 60 years to the former Susan Butterfield,
who is name checked in the album’s “Hey Suzy,” and they are the parents
of three daughters who, in turn, produced four more girls. He writes,
“I’ve always been surrounded by the feminine genius — always living off
it. Even my music has kept a tight focus on the ladies: ‘Runaround Sue,’
‘Donna the Prima Donna,’ ‘Little Diane,’ ‘Ruby Baby.’ All those women,
real and imagined, have made all the difference in my life.” He
chronicles his female musical collaborators including those who joined
him on his previous two albums as well as Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector,
Cher and Patty Smyth.
He
observes, “I’ve noticed that men play a different tune when there are
women in the room — and it’s a different kind of jam when women are in
the mix. I don’t know why this is so, but it is. Maybe we men, at some
primitive level, are competing for their attention. As I said, I don’t
know why or how. I do know it makes better music and we’re all better
for it.” He concludes with an encapsulation of vision for Girl Friends, “I
wanted the best music possible. So, I wrote up a batch of duets for me
and my ‘girl friends,’ the women who inhabit my headphones — the women
who make me turn up the volume when they drop into my radio. I invited
them to join me, one by one, and here they are, wailing on the guitar
and into the microphone. You’ll hear the feminine genius in every groove
of this record, and you won’t forget any of it”.
There’s more from Dion on the horizon. Last year, The Wanderer,
a musical based on his life debuted at the Paper Mill Playhouse in
Millburn, NJ and is expected to arrive on Broadway next year. Directed
by Kenneth Ferrone and based on Charles Messina’s book, the initial run
was the subject of critical acclaim with Broadway World calling it“a
moving, no-holds-barred new musical about the glow of the spotlight,
the shadow of addiction, and the triumph of the human spirit against all
odds, set to the iconic sound of an incomparable era in American
music.” The New York Times review noted the show “succeeds on sheer
sonic strength,” with reviewer Juan A. Ramírez adding,“I was continuously charmed by this throwback-y musical and its angel-voiced ensemble.”
4. Do Ladies Get The Blues with Christine Ohlman and Debbie Davis
5. An American Hero with Carlene Carter
6. Don't You Want A Man Like Me with Rory Block
7. Sugar Daddy with Christine Ohlman
8. Endless Highway with Randi Fishenfeld
9. I Got Wise with Maggie Rose
10. Hey Suzy with Sue Foley
11. Mama Said with Shemekia Copeland
12. Just Like That with Joanne Shaw Taylor
All songs written by Dion Dimucci and Mike Aquilina except #10 written by Dion Dimucci and Scott Kempner
Dion’s “Girl Friends” are:
Susan Tedeschi,
the female focus of the Tedeschi-Trucks Band is a Grammy-winner,
Americana Music Award winner and six-time Blues Music Award winner. She
has released 14 albums both as a solo artist and with the
Tedeschi-Trucks Band. Dion writes, “It's amazing that someone so unassuming can play with such grit.”
Rory Block
has been recognized for her focus on the country blues idiom and is
winner of the Blues Foundation’s prestigious Koko Taylor Award for
Traditional Female Blues Artist.
Danielle Nicole
gained prominence in her native Kansas City as part of the group
Trampled Under Foot. She has gone on to pursue a solo career and is a
Grammy-nominee and winner of five Blues Music Awards, three of which are
for Best Instrumentalist/Bass. Dion calls her “one of the greatest
singers on the planet.”
Valerie Tyson has long been a fixture on the South Florida music scene recognized in her home state as its Queen of Soul. She fronts the Valerie Tyson Band and has been lauded for her “flamethrower vocals” by the Miami Herald. Dion
commented, “I call her up when I have a tune that’s 100% fun. This kind
of groove requires that kind of company and it’s why I got into this
business in the first place.”
Christine Ohlman,
nicknamed The Beehive Queen in recognition of her distinctive platinum
hairstyle, fronts NY-based Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez. She is
familiar to the national TV audience for her role as vocalist with the
Saturday Night Live band for more than 30 years. Dion sees a kindred
spirit in her, noting, “Christine
Ohlman has Bronx soul. I have it too, so I know it when I see it . . .
She's steeped in blues and American roots music, and I've always loved
her vibe.”
Debbie Davis
is widely recognized as one of the leading guitarists, irrespective of
gender, in the blues field. She has released 14 albums to date and Dion
is an unabashed admirer; he calls her the “reigning queen of Chicago blues.”
Carlene Carter
is the Nashville based singer/songwriter who is responsible for
numerous hit songs, both recorded by other artists including Emmylou
Harris, Robert Ellis Orrall, and
on her own, including the Grammy-nominated “I Fell In Love,” “Come on
Back” and “Every Little Thing.” She is a third-generation member of The
Carter Family, and daughter of June Carter Cash and County Music Hall of
Fame inductee Carl Smith. “Carlene's voice can turn your head, and it
can break your heart,” writes Dion.
Rory Block appeared with Dion on his Blues With Friends
album. She is a seven-time Blues Music Award winner and has released
albums through Stony Plain, Telarc, Chrysalis, Rounder and RCA. “She
has a style that's all her own,” writes Dion who adds, “She always
manages to surprise me,” citing her “Greenwich Village attitude.”
Randi Fishenfeld is
a classically trained violinist who performs with the Wildfire Band and
has worked with numerous name artists including Bruce Springsteen, Air
Supply, Foreigner, Journey, B.B. King and Larry Harlow. Dion
calls her a “violinist full of fire, passion, expression, and
improvisation,” and admits to being “in awe of what she can do.”
Maggie Rose
has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry more than 50 times, though she is
not wedded to the country format, exploring soul music and beyond. Dion
calls her “A grand master of country, soul, and R&B,” and admits, “I had to have her on this album.”
Sue Foley
has released 16 albums over the course of her career is a two-time
Blues Music Award winner. The Canadian-born, Austin-based
guitarist/singer appears annually at Antone’s in Austin as part of The
Jungle Show that includes Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Chris Layton
and Mike Flanigin. “It's a dream come true to work with her,” writes Dion, adding, “I felt like I was one of the Everly Brothers.”
Shemekia Copeland
is the most celebrated contemporary female blues artists, having won
eight Blues Music Awards, releasing 10 albums and being named Blues
Artist of the Year in the annual DownBeat Critics Poll. The daughter of
Texas blues legend Johnny Clyde Copeland has been nominated for five
Grammy Awards. Dion has long been smitten and notes, “One conversation
with Shemekia Copeland you fall in love with her. And this girl can
sing! Girl's got the blues in her blood.”
Joanne Shaw Taylor is
the English singer and guitarist who was “discovered” at the age of 16
by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. She is a two-time Female Vocalist of the
Year at the British Blues Awards. Two years ago, Taylor recorded The Blues Album,
produced by Joe Bonamassa for for Keeping The Blues Alive Records. Dion
calls her a “one-woman British Invasion” and wrote that he’s long been
“a crazed fan” of hers.
LOTS of positive press about Brenda Lee topping Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart with her 65 year old recording of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" ...
I am SO happy for her ... and happier still that she is still around to enjoy this incredible honor.
Incredibly, Brenda’s single is only the third holiday hit to
ever make it all the way to #1 in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart history.(Again, The Hot 100 debuted in August of 1958
… so in this case it’s an artist like Bing Crosby who is “slighted” by lack of
recognition.Incredibly, Elvis’ “Blue
Christmas” never hit the #1 spot.)
The
first ever holiday #1 came in 1958 … “The Chipmunk Song,” by The Chipmunks with
David Seville topped the chart for four weeks that year.
The
second didn’t come along until 2019, when Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for
Christmas Is You” finally hit the #1 spot (after first being released in 1994.)It has topped Billboard’s Pop Singles Chart
every year since, including this one!(Still, it’s incredible to think that two of the three #1 Christmas
songs were both recorded in 1958 … some 65 years ago!)
Her record was originally recorded and released in 1958, but
it failed to hit the charts that year.It wasn’t until Brenda had scored her first four Top Ten Hits, 1960,
that “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” finally made its first chart showing,
peaking at #14.
The tune was written by Johnny Marks, he of “Rudolph The
Red-Nosed Reindeer” fame.
Billboard Magazine is reporting that “Rockin’ Around the
Christmas Tree” becomes the 1,161st No. 1 Hit in the Hot 100’s history.
This
is Brenda Lee’s third Hot 100 #1 … and it comes 63 years after her first two.
“I’m
Sorry” topped the chart for three weeks beginning on the chart dated July 18th,
1960, and “I Want To Be Wanted” was America’s #1 Record on the chart dated October
24th, 1960.
In
all, Brenda Lee has charted 51 Hot 100 hits, starting with “Sweet Nothin’s” in
1959.That record rose to #4 in April,
1960, becoming the first of her 13 Top 10 hits.
Naturally an achievement like this sets several new records ... among them:
This
new achievement shatters the record for the longest wait from a song’s release
– 65 years – to it hitting No. 1 on the Hot 100. (Ironically, it surpasses the
25-year gap between the release of Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in
1994 and its rise to No. 1 in 2019.)
It
also breaks the record for longest climb to No. 1 on the Hot 100 from a song’s
debut on the chart.Since it first entered
the chart dated December 12th, 1960, and leads the chart dated December 9th,
2023, it comes in just three days shy of 63 years later.
Additionally, Lee has rewritten the record for the longest
span of an artist topping the Hot 100: 63 years, four months and three weeks,
from her first week at No. 1 with “I’m Sorry” (July 18, 1960) through the
latest list. Once again, she replaces Mariah Carey, whose span of #1 hits
spanned 32 years and five months, from her first week atop the chart on August
4th, 1990, with her debut single “Vision of Love” through the most recent week
on top for “All I Want for Christmas Is You” last holiday season.
Making
even more history, Lee marks the longest break between Hot 100 #1 hits: 63
years, one month and two weeks between “I Want To Be Wanted” (October 24th,
1960) and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (December 9th, 2023.)
In
this case, Cher previously held the mark … just ten days shy of 25 years
between her one week atop the Hot 100 with “Dark Lady” (March 23rd, 1974) and
the start of her four-week command with “Believe” (March 13th, 1999.)
It
seems only fitting that Brenda will celebrate her 79th birthday tomorrow
(December 11th.)This makes
her now the most-senior to ever top the chart, passing Louis Armstrong, who was
62 when “Hello, Dolly!” led in 1964. Among women, Lee once again passes Cher,
who was 52 years old when “Believe” ruled the Hot 100.
Here’s
another amazing “It Could Have Happened” chart statistic …
Brenda
Lee was only 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas
Tree”; if the song had gone to #1 when she was that age, she’d be the youngest woman to have
reached No. 1.Unfortunately, it didn’t …
so Little Peggy March remains the youngest woman to have ever led the list – she
was just 15 years old when “I Will Follow Him” hit the top spot in 1963.
We
seem to be on a wave of “Records Are Meant To Be Broken” here …
A
couple of weeks ago The Beatles broke the record for the longest span of Top 10
hits when “Now And Then” hit the Top Ten 59 years, nine months and three weeks
after “I Want To Hold Your Hand” became their first Top Ten Hit in 1964.
Other
oldies acts making their mark on this week’s Top Ten Chart include (besides
Mariah Carey at #2), Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” from 1957 sit at #4, Wham’s
1985 hit “Last Christmas” sits right behind it at #5, and one spot lower you’ll
find Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (from 1964) holds down the #6
spot.Rounding out The Top Ten, we find Andy
Williams with “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” originally released
in 1963.(Actually, this Top Ten status
gives Andy a record span of 64 years and two months from his first week in the
top 10 with “Lonely Street” in October of 1959.
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
12/10/63 – Donny Osmond makes
his first television appearance, singing with his brothers on “The Andy
Williams Show.”Donny is five years old
at the time.
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