Another Forgotten Hits “Super”
Review from Shelley J Sweet-Tufano, this time about “Superman” Paul Anka
in Concert! (Re-read her review for that reference, if necessary.)
I can only imagine Anka and
Sweet-Tufano together saving the Musical World we know so well!
I had the opportunity to meet Anka
at one of his concerts many years ago. A terrifically wonderful
individual whose Great Songs were part of the soundtrack of my very young
romantic experiences of more than one “Puppy Love!”
Shelly mentioned so many of the
songs he wrote, many that were notably performed so successfully by
others. He, as you may already know, wrote the lyric-less “Tonight Show
Theme with Johnny Carson” that Anka, when just 20 years old, “co-wrote” with
Carson in the early 1960s!
But that theme music was actually a
reworked instrumental Anka had written about four years before that
"collaboration" when still in his Late Teens and was recorded by
“Tutti Camarata and his Orchestra” called “Toot Sweet.”
Here’s how the results of that
instrumental transformed into “The Tonight Show” Theme ...
And as you, Kent, and others have
mentioned before, today we hear many Favorite Forgotten Hits used as background
music in TV Commercials every day and night. Some clever tie-ins; others not so
much. I've often wondered what songwriters and artists feel when they hear
their compositions or performances used in such a manner.
For instance, I wonder what Paul
Anka thinks when he hears “My Way,” which he also wrote, in that rather
personal and intimate Medical Home Test Kit!
Phew!
CB (which stands for “Crooning Boy!”)
Well, I figure Anka had to sign off on that
before they could use it … and I’m sure it’s earning him a few more bucks along
the way.(Actually, maybe not … I don’t
think Paul wrote the music to that one … just a brand new set of lyrics.)
All I know is (awkward and as uncomfortable a
commercial as that one may be when watching it in mixed company), I recently passed MY
"poop on a stick" test with flying colors …
And I didn’t even study!!!
I have been a Paul Anka fan for a long, long time … always
thought he was a class act and a great entertainer …a true “natural” up on stage.(And I guess at this stage of the game he’s
earned the right to “boast” a little bit!)We saw him a few years ago (has it REALLY been seven years already?!?!)
at The Arcada Theatre and absolutely LOVED his show … and it sounds like
Shelley saw a real winner, too.(Anka mixes
things up each time he comes to town … a few years ago, the bulk of his show
was a Tribute To Frank Sinatra … if you read Paul’s autobiography, you’ll see
how Sinatra took him under his wing when he was just a young kid coming up the
ranks … it’s a good book.)kk
For more about the song “My Way” that WE all know and love
(thanks to Old Blue Eyes and The King Of Rock And Roll), check out the true
origins of this tune … and see how Paul Anka came to put his own personal stamp on
it.(I was right … he didn’t write the
melody, just a new set of lyrics catered to Sinatra … I can’t even IMAGINE the
amount of royalties this thing has generated over the years … especially when you
consider the HUNDREDS of parodies written around it since!)
Cal Lynch wraps up his Top 100 Biggest Two-Sided Hits Of
All-Time Countdown tomorrow night …
(What number are we up to, Cal???)
Hi Hot Waxers -
This Saturday night I
will be airing the final 15 of the “TOP 200 BIGGEST TWO SIDED HITS OF ALL TIME.”Listen to more Two Sided Hits from Connie
Francis, The Monkees, The Beatles and, of course, Ricky and Elvis.
Once again, many
thanks to Kent Kotal and Randy Price over at Forgotten Hits for graciously
allowing me to air this knockout “Best of” list … It’s obvious a lot of
research work went into the making of this list-great job (see the full list
and the ones that didn’t make the cut at https://www.forgottenhits.com/the_top_200_two-sided_hits_of_all-time)
Following the best of
the Two Sided Hits, stick around for a selection of awesome tunes from One Hit
Artists … the only criteria used in this selection is the artist only recorded One
Top 40 tune as listed in both Billboard and Cashbox charts starting in
1955.
Listen to great
memories from Johnny & Joe, The Safaris, The Cascades, The Teddy Bears and
lots more.
These are all familiar
tunes that are sure to jog your memories and are the makings of an incredible
night of the music we grew up with … Don’t miss it!
Join Host DJ Cal this
Saturday, November 18th, 2023, at Hot Wax & Doo Wop
Memories
7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern
with special re-airs the following week as follows:
Monday 2 pm Pacific, 5
pm Eastern
Wednesday 8 am
Pacific, 11 am Eastern
Friday 9 am Pacific,
Noon Eastern
All you have to do is
set your browser to best station for oldies on the internet:
MARK BEGO'S CHURCH -- Mark Bego's launch for his Joe
Cocker: With a Lot of Help from His Friends (Yorkshire Publishing) this
weekend at The Church Studio
in Tulsa was a major success. Bego also visited the two Barnes & Noble stores
in Tulsa and an in-store signing is expected at each shortly.
Per Yorkshire's
Kent Denmark, the crowds kept coming and Bego commented that everyone had a
great Joe Cocker story to tell - be it a Woodstock
memory or a favorite Cocker song like "The Letter" or "Up Where
We Belong."
The book is out November 16.
Here's a photo from the event - L-R: Laura
and Kent Denmark,
Yorkshire Publishing; Mark Bego; Nancy Ruth and Teresa Knox from The Church.
We have THREE copies of Mark Bego’s Joe Cocker book to give
away.
For the first time EVER, we had no clear-cut winners in our
Joe Cocker Trivia Contest.
(I will admit that had I not already read Mark’s book, I
wouldn’t have guessed the last two questions correctly either!!!)
And apparently we had no online “cheaters” surfing for
answers either … which is really a good thing (and makes the whole idea of a
trivia contest a whole lot more fun!)
So, we picked THREE random winners and books will be sent to
each of them.
In the meantime, here are the correct answers to the
questions posed:
What Joe Cocker song won the Academy Award?
Virtually everybody got this one right …
“Up Where We Belong,” recorded with Jennifer Warnes, from
the 1982 film “An Officer And A Gentleman”
What Record Label launched Joe Cocker’s career
in the 1960s and 1970s?
MOST people got this one right.(A few dug much deeper and found earlier
releases … or British releases) … but the answer we were looking for was
A&M Records, where Joe enjoyed his first 14 Billboard chart hits between
1968 and 1975.(Three of these were
two-sided hits)The biggest:“You Are So Beautiful” (#5, 1974), “The
Letter” (#7, 1970) and “Cry Me A River” (#11, 1970)
What was the biggest selling album with Joe
Cocker music on it?
This is the one that threw everybody … and NOBODY got it
right.
(As I told David Salidor, the PR Guy handling Mark’s book,
and Mark Bego, I myself would have gotten this answer wrong had I not read the
book.)
The most obvious choices were the “Woodstock” soundtrack and
the “Mad Dogs And Englishmen” soundtrack … those were by far Joe Cocker’s
biggest focal points during his career.
But the RIGHT answer was the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,”
the Whitney Houston / Kevin Costner film, from 1992.
Joe has a duet on this album called “Trust In Me,” recorded
with Sass Jordan and this album sold over 45 million copies worldwide.
It was the unlikely answer … and the royalties from this
album covered Joe’s livelihood for the rest of his career.
How many Beatles-composed songs did Joe Cocker
record in his career?
Another toughie … most people got at least three of four
correct titles …
But the CORRECT answer was NINE!!!
They are (in order of release):
1 - I’ll Cry Instead (Lennon and McCartney), 1964
2 - With A Little Help From My Friends (Lennon and
McCartney), 1968
3 - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Lennon and
McCartney), 1969
4 - Something (George Harrison), 1969
5 - Let It Be (Lennon and McCartney), 1981
6 - You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Lennon and
McCartney), 1991
7 - Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul McCartney), 2005
8 - Jealous Guy (John Lennon), 2005
9 - Come Together (Lennon and McCartney), 2007
Give a listen to Joe’s early version of “I’ll Cry Instead” …
You’d never even know it was him!!!
Congratulations to our three winners:
Timmy Manocheo in California; Sam Tallerico in Florida and Colin
Donahue in Iowa. (Yeah, we’re bad, baby … and we’re nationwide!!!)
Each wins a copy of Mark Bego’s new book:“Joe Cocker:With A LOT Of Help From His Friends”
By the way, it sounds like a Joe Cocker
biopic may be in the works …
Noise 11 is reporting that Lisa Saltzman
has acquired the rights to Mark Bego’s book and is making a film of Joe’s life
and career.(The Noise 11 article gets
the name of Mark’s book wrong … so I’m not sure if “With A Little Help From My
Friends” or “With A LOT Of Help From My Friends” will be the title of the film
or is just the “working title” for now.
Ironically, Mark’s whole book project
came about because HE was asked if he would be interested in writing a
screenplay about Cocker’s life.He did …
but it really never went and further than that.When it came time to do his next book, he decided to use all that
research as a biography instead.Now he
gets to share in the joy of BOTH realities!
It sounds like plans are just getting
under way so we may not see this film for a while … (heck, we’re STILL waiting
for the Tommy James movie to come out!!!) … but it’s great to see that others
will soon be discovering and learning more about the music of these great
artists in the years to come.(kk)
>>>Still, I think it could have been SO much more
positive and informative as to how much joy this music brought people around
the world … and STILL is some sixty years later. (kk)
Oh, I agree, but I don't know this author nor
the criteria for Golden Books biographies. I would like to read the other
biographies (Bee Gees, Queen Elizabeth II, Beyonce, Dolly Parton, Julie
Andrews, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and The Pokey Little Puppy are
advertised on the back cover ... that pokey puppy is still getting into
trouble) to compare.
As far as children connecting with death and
divorce, I see it daily in my school. A child who is in a similar situation
will spring on that fact and hold it tight, knowing they are not the only ones
and that someone who was successful could relate to them. I had a fifth grader
tell me once, "John Lennon would understand." Feeling understood by
someone kept him going.
Shelley
I also ordered The Bee Gees biography, which covers more of
their career and how they built it, first as children on the radio, then their
move to Australia where they became a successful local recording act, then
their move back to England where The Bee Gees launched their worldwide
career.It covers their early hits,
their regrouping as a disco phenomenon and even the deaths of twins Maurice and
Robin … so yes, once again covering territory not usually reviewed within the
grasp of The Pokey Little Puppy.(Did
you notice he appears on one of The Beatles’ pages as well?)
Not sure about these others … or what the selection process
was as to who was worthy of Golden Book status … and I DO think it’s a HUGE
step in the right direction to update this series.(Little Golden Books date back to the 1940’s
… and I’m sure each and every one of us … and our children … and our GRAND
children have read a few of these over the years.)Injecting a more “modern” feel can only be a
good thing … and, as I’ve said here in these pages thousands of times in the
past, ANYTHING to help keep this great music alive is a good thing.(kk)
Hey, Guys, imagine living the Swinging, Romantic
Lifestyle of a Handsome Fairytale Prince!
For instance, Prince Charming was dating the
Stunning Snow White, the Beautiful Sleeping Beauty and the Totally
Disarming Cinderella at the same time.
What a Life!
Until he got caught!
Whoo-o-ops! Maybe not so much!
CB ( which stands for "Chronicler
Boy!" )
Kenny Loggins wrapped up his final “This Is It” tour with a
star-studded event in Santa Barbara, California, on November 4th.
Loggins was joined on stage by special guests
including Michael
McDonald, Richard Marx, The Blue Sky Riders, Jake Shimabukuro,
several family members, the
Adderley School choir and The Bacon Brothers. It was a truly
incredible lineup!
Jeff Lynne’s VetsAid appearance (his
first live show in four years) was, by all accounts, an event to see.
He performed a short set of hits …
Jeff
Lynne’s ELO, VetsAid, San Diego, CA, November 12, 2023, Setlist
Evil Woman
Do Ya
Rockaria!
Livin’ Thing
All Over the World
Telephone Line
Turn to Stone
Don’t Bring Me Down
Mr. Blue Sky
Roll Over Beethoven
But may be motivated to take his act back
out on the road again.(We were
fortunate enough to see him at BOTH of his last Chicago stops … one of our best
concerts EVER!)
For more on his VetsAid performance,
check this out …
A third single (“Mess It Up”) has been
released from The Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds” album.(This one’s a remix.)
Incredibly, NONE of their singles have
made the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Charts … which really surprises me …
because I think “Angry” is the best thing they’ve done in over 30 years … and
“Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” just blows you away every time you hear it.(You’d think the Lady Gaga connection might
have helped.)
But unlike The Beatles’ “Now And Then,”
it just hasn’t registered.(The Stones
and The Beatles will most certainly duke it out on the albums chart however,
just like the old days, with the “1962 – 1966” and “1967 – 1970” albums now
available.)
The Stones have also said that
they will continue to record new music “until we drop” … so we’ve got THAT to
look forward to.(If it’s anywhere near
as good as “Hackney Diamonds,” I’m all in … best Stones album in AGES!!!)kk
Meanwhile, the new
Beatles single “Now And Then” debuted in The Top Ten on Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop
Singles Chart, sparking several new milestones in the process …
Dolly says her husband (of 57 years!!!) has been begging her to do a rock album for years ... he has ALWAYS been a fan of the genre ... and the harder the rock, the better.
It seems they were out for a drive one day back in 1984 when Journey's hit "Open Arms" came on the radio ... they both loved the song immediately, and Dolly's husband Carl Dean told her, "You should record this song. In fact," he said, "You should record it with Kenny (Rogers.)"
Well, that never came to pass (although Dolly says she has performed the song in concert a few times.)
And now she gets to sing it as a duet with Steve Perry ... of Journey!!! (That's one of the tracks I'm really looking forward to hearing later today when her "Rockstar" CD comes out!)
You don't get to hear Steve Perry sing all that much anymore ... so this should be a real treat.
Her all-star line is flat out incredible ... and I guess it'll take about 2 1/2 hours to listen to the whole 2-CD set! (ROAD TRIP!!!) kk
Man,
what a show this is gonna be!!!
Chicago
and Earth, Wind and Fire are teaming up again for a major summer tour …
And
we just may have to find a way to get to this one!!!(They’re playing here in Chicago on July 12th!)
Here
are all the dates announced so far:
Wednesday, July
10th – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Friday, July 12th – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
Saturday, July 13th – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Tuesday, July 16th – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
Wednesday, July 17th – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
Friday, July 19th – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
Saturday, July 20th – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
Tuesday, July 23rd – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Wednesday, July 24th – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
Saturday, July 27th – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
Sunday, July 28th – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Tuesday, July 30th – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Wednesday, July 31st – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Friday, August 2nd – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Saturday, August 3rd – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Monday, August 12th – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut
Creek
Tuesday, August 13th – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Friday, August 16th – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 17th – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Monday, August 19th – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Tuesday, August 20th – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Friday, August 23rd – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Saturday, August 24th – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Monday, August 26th – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena
Thursday, August 29th – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Saturday, August 31st – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union
Amphitheatre
Sunday, September 1st – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Tuesday, September 3rd – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Friday, September 6th – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
Saturday, September 7th – Palm Desert, CA – Acrisure Arena
Chicago also
has additional tour dates coming up (including shows tonight and tomorrow night
in Atlantic City) in early 2024 leading into this summer tour:
November 17th
and 18th - Atlantic City, NJ - Ocean Casino Resort
2024:
February 13th - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Theater
February 14th - Midland, TX - Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
February 16th - Lubbock, TX - The Buddy Holly Hall
February 18th - Amarillo, TX - Amarillo Civic Center
February 21st, 23rd and 24th - Las Vegas, NV -
The Venetian Theatre
February 25th - Thousand Oaks, CA - Bank of America Performing Arts
Center
February 28th, March 1st, March 2nd, March 3rd,
March 6th, March 8th and March 9th – Las Vegas, NV
- The Venetian Theatre
May 15th - La Vista, NE - The Astro Amphitheater
May 17th - Park City, KS - Hartman Arena
May 18th - Waukee, IA - Vibrant Music Hall
May 20th - Springfield, MO - Juanita K. Hammons Hall
May 23rd - Owensboro, KY - Owensboro Sportscenter
May 24th - Louisville, KY - The Louisville Palace
May 25th – Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
May 28th - Davenport, IA - Adler Theatre
May 29th - Champaign, IL - State Farm Center
May 31st - Carlton, MN - Black Bear Casino Resort
June 1st - Milwaukee, WI - The Riverside Theater
June 2nd - Madison, WI - Overture Center
Yeah, we’ve
talked about vintage songs appearing in commercials …
But SOME
commercials created a great classic song of their own.
Chili’s Baby
Back Ribs are back, baby … and I want MY baby-back, baby-back, baby-back ….
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