re: AIRPLAY: This show is very different from any other show I have done. The subject is an incredible new documentary called "Airplay: The Rise And Fall Of Rock Radio." Two award-winning filmmakers, Carolyn Travis and her husband Charles Fox Gilson, spent ten years making this film! If you have ever enjoyed listening to rock and roll radio, be it AM, FM or satellite, I am sure that you will enjoy this interview show in which Carolyn and I talk in detail about their long-awaited project and also share many wonderful moments from it. This is a no-holds-barred true story -- covering approximately 56 years -- told by America's best-loved deejays and people close to them. Carolyn personally conducted all the interviews seen in the film and this show contains several airchecks and videos from it of our most beloved deejays over the years doing what they do best and also, in several cases, talking about their careers and the evolution of rock and roll radio. Some of the deejays appearing in the film are, alphabetically: Dick Biondi, Jerry ("The Geator") Blavat, Alan Freed, Tom Donahue, Jocko Henderson, Arnie (Woo Woo) Ginzburg, Dan Ingram, Martha Jean (the Queen), Wolfman Jack, Murray the K, Casey Kasem, Jim Ladd, (Cousin) Bruce Morrow, Scott Muni, Phlash Phelps, Rufus Thomas ... and that's just a partial list. The show includes touching comments (from the film) from Alan Freed's son Lance and Murray The K's son Peter Altschuler. Doing this interview with Carolyn brought me much happiness but also a certain amount of sadness because many of the air personalities featured in this film are no longer with us. That includes several people who are seen in interviews, including Scott Muni, B. Mitchell Reed, Martha Jean (The Queen), Rufus Thomas and Jocko Henderson. The film will soon be available for everyone to see but the details have not yet been finalized.I had so much fun doing this show with Carolyn and I know that this ten-year "labor of love" for Carolyn and Chris is destined to be a huge hit. You can visit their website to check out future developments:http://www.travisty.tv This interview and all my others ones are conducted for the Jersey Girls Sing website. The Home Page URL is http://www.jerseygirlssing.com To access this Carolyn Travis show or any of my other radio interview shows, please click on the following link below which will take you directly to my Radio Page. http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.html Ronnie Allen We've been very fortunate to have had a number of conversations with Carolyn this past year regarding this film ... and were one of the first to screen it ... (in fact, we sent copies to a number of the deejays on the list in search of THEIR opinions ... and the film has been pretty much unanimously praised.) I can't wait to see it make wide release ... this is a DVD you're going to want as part of your own collection. If you're a fan of the music we talk about here in Forgotten Hits ... and a fan of Rock And Roll Radio ... this is a "Can't Miss" film that will bring back ALL kinds of musical memories. (I wish it was six hours long!!! lol) Carolyn, PLEASE keep us posted as to when this film will be available so that we can pass this information along to our readers. And, once the Airplay Website is up and running, we'll let you know that, too ... it'll have ALL kinds of radio memorabilia available for viewing, all kinds of vintage airchecks from some of your very favorite jocks, and much, much more. Stay tuned for more details! (kk) Well, Kent, my interview is UP and posted! And she is one incredible lady. I have not spoken to her husband but I share the same respect for him. It is indeed a GREAT documentary! I told Carolyn I will do everything I can to help her spread the word about this. It deserves to be seen by everyone who has ever enjoyed rock and roll radio! Ronnie Amen. (kk)
... and, speaking of great films and music documentaries ...
re: THE WRECKING CREW: I just got an update from Denny Tedesco about the AWESOME "Wrecking Crew" documentary. It sounds like a deal is in the works to get this film into theaters "in limited release" in the not too distant future ... and they're targeting "early 2010" for DVD release. Ideally, the DVD will have ALL kinds of extras (some of which have already appeared on The Wrecking Crew Website). Although it still falls short of Denny's dream "16-Hour Mini-Series", he promises ALL kinds of surprises. And a KEY element that I've been pushing for since I first heard about this incredible project is that there WILL be a soundtrack released for the film, acknowledging for the very first time the musical contributions of the many, many "sidemen" players who first performed on these tracks. Denny's got 12 years of his blood, sweat and tears in this project and it looks like it is FINALLY going to see the light of day BEYOND the Film Festival Circuit. I can't compliment this film enough ... it TRULY is ... in EVERY sense of the word ... the soundtrack of our lives. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dance, you'll smile ... and some of you may even pee yourselves ... but no matter HOW you react, I guarantee you that you'll feel good all over ... and you'll watch it again and again. Visit The Wrecking Crew Website for more details and updates: www.wreckingcrewfilm.com ... and stay tuned to Forgotten Hits, too. This is a MUST SEE film!!! (kk)
re: GALE STORM:
Honestly, I remember her more as a TV star than as a pop singer ... but Gale Storm hit The National Top 20 six times between 1955 and 1957, doing mostly cover versions of songs made popular by other artists.
Her version of "I Hear You Knocking" peaked at #2 on both the Billboard and the Cash Box charts in late 1955. (The original, of course, was done by Smiley Lewis but Fats Domino ... and, many years later, Dave Edmunds, would ALSO have big hits with this record.) Her version of Dean Martin's chart-topper "Memories Are Made Of This" peaked at #16 in 1956. Its flip-side, "Teen Age Prayer" went to #6 in Cash Box. Gale's version of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", the Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' hit, went to #15 and her version of "Ivory Tower" went all the way to #2 in Cash Box in the Spring of 1956. Her last Top 40 Hit was the #5 Hit "Dark Moon" from 1957. (kk)
Here is a report filed by The Associated Press:
Gale Storm, perky star of 1950s TV, dies at 87 By BOB THOMAS Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES — Gale Storm, whose wholesome appearance and perky personality made her one of early television's biggest stars on "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show," has died at age 87. Storm, who had been in failing health in recent years, died Saturday at a convalescent hospital in Danville, said her son, Peter Bonnell. Before landing the starring role in "My Little Margie" in 1952, Storm starred in numerous B movies opposite such stars as Roy Rogers, Eddie Albert and Jackie Cooper. After her last TV series, "The Gale Storm Show," ended in 1960 she went on to a successful singing career while continuing to make occasional TV appearances. Storm was a Texas high schooler named Josephine Owaissa Cottle when she entered a talent contest for a radio show called "Gateway to Hollywood" in 1940. She was brought to Los Angeles for the finals, where her wholesome vivacity won over the radio audience and she was awarded a movie contract. The contest's male winner was a lanky would-be actor named Lee Bonnell, who would later become her husband. Given the quirky name Gale Storm, she went from contracts with RKO to Monogram to Universal, appearing in such low-budget films as "Where Are Your Children?" with Cooper and "Tom Brown's School Days" with Freddie Bartholomew. She was often cast in westerns as the girl the cowboy left behind, and appeared in such B-movie oaters as "The Dude Goes West" with Albert, "The Kid from Texas" with Audie Murphy and "The Texas Rangers" with George Montgomery. "I was really scared of horses," she admitted in 2000. "I only rode them because that's what you had to do." She appeared in three Republic westerns with Rogers and recalled that his horse Trigger did what he could to cause her trouble. As she would smile and ride alongside Rogers while the king of the cowboys crooned a song, Trigger (out of camera range) would lean over and bite her horse's neck. With her movie roles diminishing in the early 1950s, Storm followed the path of many fading movie stars of the day and moved on to television. "My Little Margie" debuted on CBS as a summer replacement for "I Love Lucy" in 1952. It quickly became an audience favorite and moved to its own slot on NBC that fall. The premise was standard sitcom fare: Charles Farrell was a business executive and eligible widower, Storm was his busybody daughter who protected him from predatory women. The year after "My Little Margie" ended its 126-episode run in 1955, she moved on to "The Gale Storm Show," which lasted until 1960. This time she played Susanna Pomeroy, a trouble-making social director on a luxury liner. Storm, who had taken vocal lessons, sang on her second series, and three of her records became best sellers: "I Hear You Knocking," "Teenage Prayer" and "Dark Moon." She appeared only sporadically on TV after "The Gale Storm Show," guest starring on such programs as "Burke's Law," "The Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote." She appeared in numerous musicals, however, including Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Old Maid and the Thief" at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. Other stage credits included "Unsinkable Molly Brown" (as the title character), "South Pacific" and "Finnegan's Rainbow." Although Storm had not acted in recent years, Peter Bonnell said his mother enjoyed keeping in touch with fans and had known many of them for years. Her fans were surprised to read in her 1980 autobiography, "I Ain't Down Yet," that she was an alcoholic. "I had hidden it socially, never drank before a performance," she said. After being treated in three hospitals, she found one that helped her break the habit. Born April 5, 1922, in Bloomington, Texas, Storm was only 13 months old when her father died. Her mother supported five children by taking in sewing. Storm's first husband died in 1987, and the following year she married former TV executive Paul Masterson. He died in 1996. Storm and Bonnell had three sons, Philip, Peter and Paul, and a daughter, Susanna. Storm is survived by her children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Probably the ONLY radio station you'll hear playing any Gale Storm music these days will be John Rook's new "Hit Parade Radio" station ... or perhaps a rare and occassional spin on something like Mason Ramsey's "Music For The Ages" format. Despite her six Top 20 Hits, the truth is that she's been ignored by radio for over 40 years. As I stated above, she'll always be best remembered as an actress, not a singer. And there's probably a very good reason for that ... give a listen to her version of "I Hear You Knocking", included today. Nobody is EVER going to confuse this recording as Rock And Roll ... in fact, it's about as lame as can be. But one has to remember that in 1955 MOST radio stations hadn't yet embraced the new rock music genre ... and most weren't playing records by black recording artists either. So while Gale Storm's version is about as "Your Hit Parade"-sounding as can be, this was about the ONLY way MOST radio listeners were going to be exposed to these new sounds. Yeah, it's pretty awful ... but believe it or not, it was cover recordings like this one that helped tear down the segregated radio barriers that ultimately allowed the merger of Rhythm And Blues and Rock And Roll. Today, we all want the HIT versions of these tunes ... why would anybody play the Gale Storm version of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" over the Frankie Lymon version? Her take on "Memories Are Made Of This" over the Dean Martin version? Gale's version of "I Hear You Knocking" over ANY other authentic rock-a-billy version? That's because today, we all know better and CHOOSE the original hit versions. Gale's earliest hits pre-dated Elvis by a good six months!!! Let's not forget that it was artists like this who first allowed us to DISCOVER the original versions we cherish so much today. (kk)
You guys flooded me with comments this past week ... and I LOVE it!!! Too much for just ONE Comments Page ... so please check back often this week for more postings. Meanwhile, let's get this show on the road!!!
re: MICHAEL JACKSON: The coverage has been virtually non-stop ... it's of Elvis proportions (and maybe even a little bit more so ... as one of the interviewees continues to point out, Elvis never sold 25-million copies of one of HIS albums!!!) We can't keep up with the news developments ... that's what TMZ and YAHOO and MSN.com are for ... but here are a couple of YOUR thoughts and emails on the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson: Kent ... It isn’t very often that I’m shocked at the passing of one of our musical heroes, but when I heard about Michael Jackson I was devastated. I’ve known Michael since he was 12 years old and he recorded a song I co-wrote, “Little Christmas Tree” (Clinton / Wayne). I met him and his family at the Tokyo Music Festival in 1974, and had a chance to tell him how much I liked his recording of my song. I also told him that he was one of my biggest dance influences, which made him smile considering I was three times his age. When I told Michael that I was a song-plugger and I couldn’t go out dancing late at night like I once did, he said “Artie … why don’t you build a dance floor in your office?”. As soon as I got back to Hollywood, Warner Brothers Music built me a four foot circular plywood dance floor, but a few months later when I went to run A&Ms publishing company they constructed a six foot mahogany one for me! To this day I’m proud to tell everyone that it was Michael Jackson’s idea. The last time I was in touch with him was when he was about to do the “Thriller” album. He was holding onto one of my songs for over a year, and even made a few suggestions to improve the bridge, but in the end he didn’t record it. I was still grateful for the opportunity. From now until the end of time millions of words will be written about him and his influence in music, dance, and fashion, but the most important gift he has given the world is everlasting hope and inspiration. Thank you Michael and R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY! Respectfully, Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/ They're all here, “BILLIE JEAN”, Beat It”, THRILLER”, “Black and White”, “I WANT YOU BACK”, “Man In The Mirror”, and 20 more! Rare Clips, Home Movies, rehearsals, and private videos from Michael Jackson, “The King Of Pop!” Like most of the world I was thrilled with the Jackson Five and Motown’s ““SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA” when they hit the music scene in the late ‘60s with “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, and “The Love You Save”. When Berry Gordy, Jr. brought the group to Hollywood under the supervision of Suzanne DePasse and Skip Miller I had the rare opportunity to get close to one of the biggest acts in the world, as well as one of the biggest Superstars ever to emerge, Michael Jackson!! Here are the TOP, BEST, AND GREATEST VIDEOS of MICHAEL JACKSON. http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/top-best-and-greatest-michael-jackson-videos/ Regards, Artie
I still haven't gotten over the shock ... Michael Jackson is dead. I wasn't sure how to react. I mean, I loved his music growing up ... everybody did ... and we listened to it all the time ... it always made us feel good. But I'm so much older now ... and I'm supposed to be a mature adult ... I couldn't see myself as one of those weepy fans they kept showing on tv ... but I certainly felt SOMETHING. To paraphrase Michael, perhaps it really was a "state of shock"!!! Not knowing what else to do, I put one of his albums on ... and within minutes, I felt better. His music ALWAYS made me feel good ... and now, even in this time of grief and bewilderness, it was doing it again. Soon, I found myself up, moving around the living room ... and, before I even knew what happened, I was dancing! I'm not kidding you, I was dancing around my living room to the music of Michael Jackson. It was magical!!! I danced the entire night, listening to Michael's music ... Thriller, Off The Wall, Bad ... even some of the earlier Jackson Five stuff. I'm 55 years old!!! I'm not supposed to be dancing around my living room listening to Michael Jackson ... but I was ... and I danced until 3 am, non-stop. Michael's music did what it ALWAYS did ... it made me feel good. Did I feel foolish? Yeah, a little bit ... but more than that I felt happy for all the great feelings he gave me throughout his career. Michael, we'll miss you ... and, without a doubt, there were times when we wondered what the heck you were doing ... but we'll ALWAYS have ... and LOVE ... your music. Wayne
In a way I keep waiting for the hoax to unravel, as it would not surprise me either if it was some kind of publicity stunt. However, I don't think Michael would be that dumb, because nobody would ever believe what he would say and if he had little credibility left before this, he'd have absolutely nothing if this were indeed a publicity stunt. However as we all know, death is always a great career move in entertainment. Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets) Reports in the 48 hours after Michael's death show that his record and downloading sales were up nearly 750% ... death is, in fact, big business. Sadly, he won't see any of the money ... and OTHER reports claim he was over $400 MILLION in debt!!! Add in the lost revenue from the tour that never was ... which had the potential to put Jackson back on top ... and this becomes an even sadder situation. I also don't understand the need for Lisa Marie Presley to make such a big point out of saying that Michael always believed he would die young ... just like her father. (If his philosophy was "Die Young, Leave A Beautiful Corpse", he pretty much missed the boat on that one ... after an estimated 50-60 plastic surgery procedures, Jackson's face fell pretty much into the "hideous" category at this point. And seriously ... what man is going to go through the pain and process of 50-60 plastic surgeries and NOT get the penis enlargement?!?!?) kk
re: ANOTHER PASSING: As if losing Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson this past week wasn't enough, now comes word that Seeds front man Sky Saxon has passed away ... Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon Dies in Austin Sky Saxon, lead singer and bassist of '60s garage rockers the Seeds, died Thursday in an Austin, Texas hospital. He had been in the ICU since Monday suffering from an undisclosed illness -- doctors suspected an internal organ infection -- until his wife, Sabrina, announced his passing viaFacebook. Influenced heavily by theRolling Stones, Saxon -- born Richard Marsh -- founded the Seeds in 1965 in California. The next year, the psychedelic rockers released two albums, 'The Seeds' and 'A Web of Sound,' and had hits with 'Can't Seem to Make You Mine' and 'Pushin' Too Hard,' their most successful song. In 1967, the band released two more albums: 'Future,' a psychedelic rock album, and 'A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues,' which was credited to the Sky Saxon Blues Band and featured liner notes by the legendaryMuddy Waters. After some lineup changes and a few more commercially unsuccessful albums, Saxon dissolved the band in the early '70s. He joined a California commune, the Source Family, adopted the name Sunlight and occasionally performed with their trippy house band, the Ya Ho Wa 13. In 1989, Saxon reformed the Seeds to tour with other '60s acts like Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Arthur Lee and Love. They toured again in 2003, and Saxon kept busy musically, releasing an album last year, and recording with theSmashing Pumpkins. Though he fell ill last Thursday, Saxon still managed to play a short gig on Saturday night at Austin rock club Antone's.Earlier today, Sabrina Sherry Smith Saxon wrote on her Facebook page, "Sky has passed over and YaHoWha is waiting for him at the gate. He will soon be home with his Father. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep him here with us. More later. I'm sorry." No other announcements have been made. -- submitted by Clark Besch Naturally, we heard this news from several folks on the list. The Seeds topped the chart here in Chicago with their garage band anthem "Pushin' Too Hard" ... in fact, they knocked The Monkees out of the top spot when they dislodged "I'm A Believer" from the top of the WLS Silver Dollar Survey. I had the pleasure of talking to Sky once ... I had hoped he would join our list and participate but he told me that, as interesting as it sounded, he just KNEW he wouldn't read it and keep up ... and told me not to bother adding him to the list. Sad news to see another one of our key players leave us ... but we'll feature BOTH of The Seeds' biggest hits today in Forgotten Hits as part of our tribute to this man. (kk)
(click to enlarge)
re: MIS-HEARD LYRICS: The subject of mis-heard lyrics has come up a number of times over the years in Forgotten Hits ... and have even inspired books on the subject ... (the book "'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" immediately comes to mind ... those Jimi Hendrix lyrics ... which he actually SANG from time to time, by the way, alternately pointing at his bandmates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell ... and "There's a bathroom on the right" from John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising" may be the two most oft-cited examples) ... and, of course, there are countless others ... but almost ALWAYS the lyric is being misheard by the LISTENER. (To this day I still hear "Pretty Little Love Song" every time The Marshall Tucker Band's hit "Heard It In A Love Song" come on the radio ... and Fred Winston helped sustain his late '70's radio career by singing "Bald-Headed Woman" to the Bee Gees' tune "More Than A Woman"!!!) Anyway, now comes word (from Forgotten Hits List Member Steve Sarley) that even some of the best known recording artists misheard the lyrics to some of their biggest hits from time to time!!! He cites two excellent examples below: A couple of interesting notes I found about errors in lyrics: (By the way, I wouldn't mind hearing Bonnie & Clyde) http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Currie10.html A very public example of this kind of thing occurred to Georgie Fame who was a song writer and singer (and still is) in the 1960’s. Georgie Fame and his band, The Blue Flames, were very popular and, when they released a record, it was played all the time everywhere. This song was about the bank-robbing duo, Bonnie and Clyde, and included a verse about them stuffing their loot into a canvas bag. Unfortunately, when Georgie Fame wrote the words to the song, he got a word wrong. Instead of referring to a "burlap" bag, he used the word "dewlap". (In case you don’t know, dewlap is the loose hanging bit of skin under the throat of oxen, dogs, turkeys, etc ( you know the bit I mean.) I couldn’t listen to that song without picturing the villains stuffing bank notes into a cow’s mouth and that definitely ruined the dramatic impact for me.This error did not go unnoticed by the rest of the world. Georgie Fame admitted in an interview that somebody had told him, before the song was recorded, that "dewlap" was not the right word but he brushed them off and didn’t bother to check. Once the song had been recorded and released, it was too late to do anything about it. This failure to check (even after a warning) became about as public as a mistake can be. If nothing else, it proved that people do notice these things. From Wikipedia on The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." The song has spawned a handful of cover versions. The most successful English-language cover of the song was a version by Joan Baezreleased in 1971, which reached #3 on theBillboard Hot 100chart in the US, as well as spending five weeks atop theadult contemporary chart[3]. Baez's version made some changes to the song lyric; The second line "Till Stoneman's cavalry came".. Baez sings "Till so much cavalry came". She also changed "May the tenth" to "I took the train". In addition, the line "like my father before me, I will work the land" was changed to "like my father before me, I'm a working man", changing the narrator from a farmer to a laborer. In the last verse she changed "the mud below my feet" to "the blood below my feet". Baez later toldRolling Stone's Kurt Loderthat she initially learned the song by listening to the recording on the Band's album, and had never seen the printed lyrics at the time she recorded it, and thus sang the lyrics as she'd (mis)heard them. In more recent years in her concerts, Baez has performed the song as originally written by Robertson.[4] Later Steve Sarley
I never understood why Joan Baez never changed the gender of the narrator's voice when she recorded this Band classic back in 1971. LOVED the song ... but it bothered me even then! One of Joan's best vocals, too ... funny how when it came to some of their biggest hits, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan BOTH stepped up their vocal prowess for "The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down" and "Lay Lady Lay". (kk)
I like "The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde", too ... always loved that '50's / Fats Domino-like piano intro!!! ... so I'm happy to feature that one today. (Maybe with the new Johnny Depp / John Dillinger movie coming out, this one'll find its way back to the radio again!) kk
re: CARL PERKINS: Kent, I received this from an e mail friend and thought it would be of interest to you ... this is a picture of the boyhood home near Jackson, Tennessee, of Carl Perkins ... the King of Rockabilly .. who wrote Blue Suede Shoes. John Rook
Pretty humbling, isn't it ... to see the early beginnings of guys like Carl Perkins and Elvis and Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis ... they truly did come from nothing ... how could they NOT have been affected by the overwhelming fame??? (kk)
re: DWIGHT TWILLEY: Yeah, Dwight Twilley! Was on top of him early in ’75 with “I’m On Fire”. One of my fave late 70’s Twilley classics was “Looking For The Magic” from ’77. Great piece of potent Power Pop there! If Radio was any good at all in that time, songs like that would have been big hits! Ken "I'm On Fire" is one of my favorites from the '70's, too. (And I liked Phil Seymour's solo hit "Precious To Me", too!!!) Glad to have Dwight onboard ... hopefully we'll have more of his new music to share with you soon! (kk)
re: NUDE BICYCLISTS IN SAN FRANCISCO: Kent ~ What I found amusing about the nude bike riders is ... HELMETS? That's the ONLY thing they thought to protect? LOL Red :D LOL ... yeah, that IS a little bit strange, isn't it?!?!? (kk) Check THIS out ... even Moms TO BE were out there pumpin' the pedals!!!
THOSE PICTURES FROM SAN FRAN WERE KILLER. THE CHICK WITH THE CAT EARS WAS TOO HOT!! MICHAEL G. BUSH
See, I figured if I ran nude photos on the website YOU'D be looking for the pussy!!! (Cat Ears?!?!? Aww, c'mon ... it was SORTA funny!!!) kk
re: BUBBLEGUM MUSIC: >>>What is the origin of that term? Nowadays, very few people will admit to liking that music because it was not hip. I was enough of my own person not to be influenced by lyrics. (Dwight Rounds)
I REALLY do not remember it being referred to as "Bubblegum Music" until late 68 or even early 69! Only when the charts got plastered with Buddah 45s later in 68 did the term come into use, IMO. By March 69, the great (IMO) "Bubblegum is the meaning of life" various hits LP come out. If you check radio airchecks, you will likely not hear the term until 1969! WLSClark
And I seem to remember the term being used quite a bit ... so now I'm not sure!!! (lol) I was hoping one of our 1910 Fruitgum Company guys might shed some light on this ... but I haven't heard anything back from them yet. (Speaking of The 1910 Fruitgum Company, check out the New Jersey newspaper article below!!!)
>>>Did the Ohio Express or 1910 ever perform live? I know the Archies never did. (Dwight Rounds)
>>>I believe that all of the bubblegum bands had "touring acts" that went out on the road to help drum up record sales. These weren't typically the same folks on the record (although I believe The 1910 Fruitgum Company WAS a "self-contained" unit ... in fact, Floyd Marcus recently shared some of his early concert experiences with us.) This wasn't all that uncommon back then for some of these "ghost" studio groups and artists ... it generally helped beef up record sales and most of these guys were "faceless" entities in the first place. (kk)
They did perform LIVE, whoever they were! In late 68 / early 69, my mom was putting a dance together for the fledging Dodge City, Kansas YMCA. Somehow it came to me and my brothers (aged 10 to 18) as to which group of two choices the Y was given to get for the dance. The 1910 Fruitgum Co. OR the Ohio Express. I took the challenge very seriously, weighing the success of each group to that point. We chose the Ohio Express for $1000. Because my mom booked the band, I got to go to the dance and I had to admit that they were not very bubblegummy sounding at all, so I am guessing it was an imposter group as mentioned above. WLSClark Remember when you used to be able to WIN a band's concert at your High School ... by collecting chewing gum wrappers?!?! Remember those big chains the girls used to make??? We actually had contests like that here in Chicago ... and the kids REALLY got into them, too!!! We were pretty fortunate ... over the years, my High School hosted concerts by The Association, The Turtles and (naturally) The Ides Of March ... and this was in the late '60's and early '70's when these artists were at their musical peaks! Anybody else out there got some High School Concert memories to share??? (kk)
Speaking of The 1910 Fruitgum Company (who we've given QUITE a bit of press to lately!!!), I want to thank regular FH Contributor Gary Renfield for sending me an article from his local paper, "The Home News Tribune", which (believe it or not) featured an article on the group on the FRONT PAGE of their June 22nd issue!!! In an article titled "Linden Man Back Singing Bubblegum Music", written by staff writer Rick Malwitz, he tells about an upcoming hometown appearance by the band (hey, we know ALL about our Home Town Heroes!!! lol) ... and gives a brief history of the group, too, augmented by some memories of founding member Frank Jeckell. Here it is: (Thanks again, Gary!!!)
Remember the '60s? Remember the music?
"It wasn't a time when things were so cool -- the Vietnam war, race riots. We thought we were a bright spot compared to the darker things," said Frank Jeckell, creator of the 1910 Fruitgum Company, a group that came to define "bubblegum music."
When Bob Dylan was singing about war and oppression, the 1910 Fruitgum Company was recording its signature song "Simon Says."
Sit back. Relax. Pop that bubble gum:
Simple Simon says,
Put your hands on your head,
Let your back bone stiff,
Simon says,
Put your hands on your head
Simple Simon says,
Bring them down by your side.
This was never to be confused with Barry McGuire's "Eve Of Destruction."
"People saw 'Simon Says' as fluff. It WAS fluff," said Jeckell.
It also rose to No. 2 on the hit parade and made it to the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy. It is still played in nursery schools.
The 1910 Fruitgum Company, originally five guys from Linden, will return to its roots Tuesday, with a performance at the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade on North Wood Avenue, a free event billed by the Recreation Department as a "Welcome Home Concert."
Since Jeckell reformed the band in 2000, it has performed in Las Vegas, California, Texas and elsewhere.
"We get people in all age brackets," said Mick Mansueto, who organizes the tour schedule. "From teens to people in their 70s who remember this from when they were young --- happy music, nice good music."
Often people at their concerts bring their old 45 rpm records to have them signed.
In addition to its own material, the 1910 Fruitgum Company also plays hits from their youth, songs originally recorded by groups including the Turtles, Freddie and the Dreamers, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.
Jeckell's first band was Jeckell and the Hydes. In the winter of 1966-67 Jeckell, then a 21-year-old student at Union County Technical Institute, formed a garage band with four Linden teenagers -- Mark Gutkowski, Steve Mortkowitz, Floyd Marcus and Pat Karwan.
One day, Karwan's father was at a diner on Route 1 when he struck up a conversation with the father of a record producer. The producer heard them sing and signed them to a contract.
They recorded "Simon Says" in Janaury, 1968, and by March it shot up the charts.
"It was amazing. A million people are trying to make a hit recording, and here we were," said Jeckell.
The band was flown to California to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. They were later an opening band for such groups as The Beach Boys and Sly and the Family Stone.
They enjoyed brief fame but no fortune. The record contract for "Simon Says" gave them just 3 percent of the revenue.
"We didn't read the fine print. All the costs of making the record, from A to Z, came out of our share," said Jeckell.
Bottom line: They didn't make a dime.
Then when they signed a management contract for their tour, they got 60 percent of the revenue. But again, they had to pay expenses.
Though he did not get rich off the brief fame, Jeckell said, "I wouldn't trade the experience for anything."
Not all members of the group were impressed with what they had done with "Simon Says."
"They wanted to play (Jimi) Hendrix and Cream. 'Simon Says' was beneath them. They were horrified when it became a hit," said Jeckell.
Within a year the group disbanded. Jeckell went on with his life, graduating from Newark State College (now Kean University) and working in information technology.
In 2000, Mansueto was fishing around for a group to revive. He looked up Jeckell and gave him a call. Jeckell was interested, and a new group was formed using the name 1910 Fruitgum Company.
Jeckell is the only original member. He and Mansueto have been joined by Glenn Lewis of Rahway, Bobby Brescia of Somerset, Oscar Dominguez from the Bronx and Phil Thorstenson from Hamburg.
The name was owned by their record producer who balked at giving it over to Jeckell.
"He said, 'I own the name. How dare you?'" said Jeckell, who used the name anyway. The producer backed off.
As for the name: The story Jeckell tells is that he was fishing around in his parents' attic and came across an old suit with a gum wrapper in one of the pockets.
The story's not exactly true, but it stuck. Like bubblegum.
re: CLASSIC ROCK vs. OLDIES: >>>I was disappointed that no one else commented on the difference between classic rock and oldies. (Dwight Rounds)
>>>I was a little surprised by this, too. Sad to report that I did not receive one single reply on this topic when we first mentioned it a week or two ago. I thought the list might want to weigh in on this topic and hoped that some of the jocks on the list playing and/or programming these formats would weigh in on this, too. If this changes, we'll be sure to let you know. (kk) Well I missed the first thread of this subject, but I'm assuming you wanted folks definitions? For me, when I was younger, I really didn't have any distinction. Oldies were anything not current. Now I tend to think of Oldis as anything pre Beatles and Classic Rock is the music after that. I suppose I do this because it seems to be how radio does it. Still lovin' what you do, Kent. BSpro
I had meant to respond to this question, but I got sidetracked. While Classic Rock & Oldies have a huge overlap, they are not the same. The classic rock era really begins with the rise in popularity of FM radio. I seem to recall when WCKG first introduced the genre to Chicago, they promoed it as the music that made FM radio great. In Chicago we had WLS-FM and WGLD that were playing obscure album cuts by then obscure performers. Ron Britain had the Subterranean Circus on WCFL. These were not songs that were heard on your local top 40. Perhaps you could give it a starting point of 6/1/67, the release date of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers LP, however there were other Beatles LP cuts earlier than that, along with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan & Simon & Garfunkel to name a few. Oldies music is more the songs that we heard on the local top 40 from the beginning of the rock era in 1955 to whatever the cutoff point is these days, plus later songs by artists that are perceived as oldies acts. These songs do not include LP cuts. Although Stairway To Heaven is now some 38 years old, it's not an oldies song, it's classic rock. Satisfaction is both. Most of the early Beatles tunes are oldies. It's not until you get to Rubber Soul & Revolver that you would encounter their songs that could be considered classic rock. One hit wonders are almost all oldies. Oldies also includes artists that are not rock and roll. Many of the pop crooners of the 50s did not sing rock and roll, but the songs are considered oldies anyways. That's my shortened definition of the two. I'm sure others will expand upon it. Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
I am saddened by BOTH classifications, personally. "Classic Rock" to me is when FM came into top ratings nationally, which puts it in early 70's. I consider the music to be underground or progressive or early heavy metal, but later than what I would call psychedelic music. "Classic Rock" seems to have started in the 80's and was mainly considered 70's FM tracks (usually hits and not obscurities). Today, many of these stations have made the 80's a main staple with the 70's more backup material now. "Oldies" to me, is a term that has been with us and radio for ages. AM radio had oldies weekends in the early 60's (at least!) and the end of year airplay was usually "oldies" of the previous year. "Oldies" then, was 40's, 50's. Believe me, we heard "Come On a My House" and "Buttons & Bows" (followed by "Anyway You Want it" by the DC5!!) on WLS in the 60's!! In the 60's, "oldies" was ANY song that was not new on AM. I have obscure songs like the Searchers' "Take me for What I'm Worth" being played by Ron Riley as he says "Here's one we have not played in many moons", playing it in late 66, long after it charted. In the 70's, often the oldies weekends played 60's hits, stretching a distance between current and "oldies" songs more than the 60's weekends. In the 80's, all those oldies channels ballooned and the oldies became late 50's rock n Roll through the late 60's, usually featuring Motown WAY too much. As the format grew older, a trend towards 70's additions eventually grew to no 50's songs at all and then to its' current era with little 60's and mostly 80's and 70's and some 90's. A sad fact, but "oldies" have been around "forever" and "Classic Rock" only since the late 70's or early 80's. My thoughts, anyway. WLSClark
re: RECENT AND UPCOMING SHOWS: The Dick Dale Concert in Santa Cruz, June 21, 2009: I'm glad I went, Drumsticks on the bass. Jazz trumpet. A duet on the skins with his drummer. Sang some. Cut up with the crowd ... He made that guitar sing throughout besides all those other bells and whistles ... .I don't gush much about concerts, but if his tour comes close to you, I recommend showing up for your consideration. The next concert dates are listed on his myspace page. I've also added some Dick Dale trax to my current freeform playlist that will be in heavy surf and summer mode 24/7 until September. To lose the commercials and help with artist royalties plus my expenses, the portal to subscriptions is the "support" banner on my myspace profile or VIP button on the player... Thanx! ~JBK, etc., etc ... Yes, you can turn me on! I'm on the radio! Surf City Sounds Plus:http://www.Live365.com/stations/johns805?play Here is a copy of the setlist from a recent Bachman - Cummings show:
Running Back to Saskatoon
Albert Flasher
Ain't Seen Nothin Yet
These Eyes
Clap For The Wolfman with intro
Above The Ground (title cut from recent Cummings solo release "available worldwide in 2 months")
American Woman with traditional intro and harmonica
West Is The Best (Bachman solo)
Hey You
Bus Rider
Highway
Break It To Them Gently
No Time
Encores:
Share The Land
Takin' Care of Business Dan We'll be there!!! The line-up STILL hasn't been posted on the Schaumburg Summerfest Website yet ... but I have it on pretty good authority that THIS is where they'll be appearing. (Let us know if you're coming up, Dan!!!) kk
Join Sam Lit Saturday Nights from 8 pm at the Savoy (formally the Woodbine Inn) Rt. 73 Pennsauken NJ, 2 miles past the Tacony-Palmyra bridge. Largest dance floor in the Delaware valley. The Savoy holds over 1000 people. The food is sensational. Great Food, Drink & Dance every Saturday Night with Sam Lit. Get off your heels and on to some wheels. Make it to the Savoy, this Saturday Night from 8pm. Broadcast Live overHyLitRadio.com
Hi Kent: Our North of Memphis band just got a call from JAM and we will be headlining at the Park West on Friday 8/14 ... one of our regular members is harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy, who has been touring with Steely Dan. He will be joining us. I don't know if you would be interested in hearing this since it's not an oldies thing, but there are a ton of great musicians on this band. As soon as I get more details, I will forward. Quent Lang Yes, please do ... I've heard good things about you guys and am always happy to let other music fans on the list know where they can catch you performing live! (kk)
Next Thursday, July 2, 7 - 8:30 pm, we'll be playing outside in Deerfield - Starbucks Plaza on the corner of Deerfield and Waukegan Rds. (675 Deerfield Rd.) Kick off the holiday weekend with a bang! Bring the kids to this free outdoor show. BLUE TRUTH - features Jimy Rogers on vocals, and Gary Gand on guitar, Joan Gand on keys, Graham Nelson on blues harp and vocals, Joel Treadwell on drums, Steve Nevets on bass and vocals. Because of your continued support, Blue Truth continue to have the most FUN live shows. It's a BLUE TRUTH PARTY!!!! You’re the best friends and fans a band could ask for! www.bluetruthchicago.com Full schedule, music, lots of photos, and more!
K-TEL: K-Tel Records has come up a number of times over the years here in Forgotten Hits. Sure, we all bought 'em ... but most of us were disappointed by the chopped off endings of most of the songs. Well, now comes word that a K-Tel Reissue Series is coming to CD. Collectors' Choice Music now has FOUR titles available: Music Explosion, Disco Nights, Superbad and Superbad Is Back. They advertise these as: This K-Tel comp 'is' the sound of '70s AM radio — only with much better sound quality than your radio brought you back then! (I wonder if they've solved that whole "brief versions" problem for the CD releases???) Anyway, if you're interested in reliving THIS part of your youth, you can find these CDs here: Click here: CCMusic Results for k-tel
re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
>>A friend of mine asked me if I knew where Bobby Keys was. Of course, I had no clue, but I told him I would find out, betting you or someone in your vast blog audience would know. How about some help on this? (JR) >>>I'm happy to help put the word out ... but can't promise you any results. Bobby Keys has played with just about EVERYBODY over the years ... let's see if we get any nibbles on this one. (kk)
He has a myspace that he allows people into. Perhaps you can find it there. Carrie
Don't know if that's an option you've already looked into or not, JR, but it sounds like it's worth a shot. Good Luck! (kk) re: THE DIAMONDS (and DIAMOND DAVE SOMERVILLE): I'M VERY GLAD YOU HOOKED UP WITH DIAMOND DAVE. I'VE WORKED A LOT OF SHOWS WITH HIM OVER THE YEARS & HE'S A VERY COOL, CLASSY & GRACIOUS GUY. WE'VE SHARED A FEW MEALS ON THE ROAD & HE'S ALWAYS A POSITIVE PRESENCE. ALL THE BEST ... MICHAEL G. BUSH I've had a couple of conversations with Dave now and he REALLY seems like a genuinely nice guy ... would love to catch his show one of these days if he's ever out this way. (The CD I mentioned, "On The 1957 Rock And Roll Greyhound Bus", is a REAL fun listen ... gives you the complete essence of the show. You can pick it up from Dave's website:) Click here: Diamond Dave Somerville .com He's now on our mailing list and I hope we hear from him from time to time. (The last couple emails I sent him asking him questions from some of our readers went unanswered ... hoping he'll become another one of our Fly-On-The-Wall Sources that make all these memories so interesting!!!) kk
re: LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS: I listened to the Sirius-XM Satellite Radio interview of LITTLE ANTHONY of the IMPERIALS ... great stuff ... great stories ... He had plenty to say ... (wouldn't leave in fact) ... STILL A 'FORWARD' WORKING GROUP !Later, I walk into work ... singing (badly) a few bars of ... TEARS ON MY PILLOW while I was walking around ... Next thing you know ... someone else is singing it ... then another, and another ... half the people there (older ones) joined in ... THERE ARE SONGS ... AND THEN THERE ARE SONGS !!! RENFIELD Jersey Jock Dave The Rave was recently telling me about the Little Anthony Concert he MC'd right before he was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... said you wouldn't believe his show ... does all of his own hits ... and then all kinds of CURRENT stuff, too ... VERY contemporary sounding band and a GREAT performance. Would have NEVER figured that! The Artist Spotlights on XM were always VERY well done ... one of the things I miss about not being able to listen to it anymore. (Although I have to admit that while in San Francisco I finally had to turn it off ... what on earth was EVER the appeal of Cousin Brucie?!?!? It was actually PAINFUL to listen to this guy!!! OK, THAT ought to get me some hate mail!!! lol) kk >>>VERY contemporary sounding band and a GREAT performance. Would have NEVER figured that! (kk)
YES ... that's what the hour long interview was about ... and how he got the sound for 'tears' ... gives a producer credit ... he was in summer school while the song was number 1 and the other band member with him was working in a butcher shop while they were at the top of the charts ... RENFIELD
This recent comment / review of a Fleetwood Mac Concert sparked some interesting additional dialog on the subject! (My guess it'll get YOUR wheels turning, too, as Forgotten Hits takes on another controversial topic!!!)
>>>I also found out I could make a can of Budweiser last almost two hours when they charge you 8 bucks for it. A personal best for me. T-shirts were $40.00. Floor seats went for $150.00 a pop. Off to the side seats went for $80.00 and if you wanted to sit in the nose bleed seats back in a corner behind a pole, they went for about $50.00. I think the online "convenience fee" (<~bullshit fee) was about $30.00. After that I walked out of the show, back to my $20.00 parking space<~(no kidding). What's in your wallet? (The Steelworker) Another stellar edition of "Leftovers," Kent. Hope you're doing well, ditto, Mark. I loved the piece by "The Steelworker," particularly his remark about the TicketMaster "bullshit fee." Those folks should be ashamed of themselves, just as the mega-acts and large venues should also be. They're all in bed together, playing 'good cop, bad cop' at the expense of the die-hard fans.
The technology is there for ANY major artist with a web site (and half a brain) to offer their tickets DIRECTLY to THEIR FANS -- the very folks who buy their music -- be it vinyl, CD or 'paid' download. Of course some of those fans 'steal' their music -- but that's another issue in itself:)
To pay a corrupt company a 'convenience fee,' is, in my humble opinion, criminal. We use our paper, our computer, and they have the 'audacity' to charge an additional fee above and beyond an already exorbitant service fee.
I applauded Garth Brooks for doing the right thing for his fans -- keeping ticket prices as low as he did during the height of his career ('when you comin' back, Garth?'). It was not only a stroke of marketing genius (heck, it left his fans with more money to spend on merchandise), but it also endeared him to countless hundreds of thousands -- if not millions of fans -- who attended his shows.
Major acts simply aren't worth $150 to $200 or more to see 'live.' Not in this economy, not with labels tanking and radio stations refusing to pay a fair performance royalty to the artists who supply them with free entertainment, which -- in turn -- increases the radio station's ratings, which -- in turn -- increases their advertising revenue. The NAB would like us to believe it's a 'tax,' when, in reality, it's the right thing to do.
But the purpose of this e-mail was to address the inflated price of concert tickets, which falls directly on TicketMaster, and -- in many cases -- the very acts themselves. By the time you factor in dinner, parking, a pair of decent seats, perhaps a tee-shirt or a program, you're looking at $500. That's just plain crazy.
About four years ago I wrote a piece for Allaboutcountry.com -- an online trade magazine that publishes a daily country music newsletter. At the time, Bill Hennes, the editor / publisher, had asked me to comment on the closing of Tower Records. Growing up in Sacramento, I was all too eager to respond.
My life has truly been a blessing, be it The Beach Boys, Treasure Isle Recorders (the Nashville recording studio I've owned and operated since 1980), my wife and ten year old daughter, or the personal heroes I've had the rare honor to know and work with -- Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, John Denver, Buck Owens, Brian Wilson, Ray Peterson, Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, among others.
Often, it was a bit of 'luck' and a bit of 'timing,' as was the case of my friendship with Russ Solomon and Tower Records. Russ had started out running a small record department in his parent's Tower Drug Store in downtown Sacramento. When Russ opened Tower North -- store #1 -- I lived a short fifteen minute bike ride away. It was just down El Camino Avenue at Watt Avenue, barely three minutes by car from my high school alma mater.
So, as a sixteen year old who was used to buying 45's at Walgreen's Drugs, or the record department of Brauner's Department Store or Consumer Buying Service (CBS), having a 'warehouse' full of singles and albums was like "Mecca" to us music junkies. Russ, or one of this managers, Dick or Carl, would often wait on me. Sometimes, on a Saturday afternoon or during Summer or Spring break, I'd spend several hours in the store just browsing through bin after bin of vinyl.
When I started doing my rock concerts in the spring of 1963, there was no TicketMaster or Ticketron. There was Coast Radio downtown, Southgate Records on Florin Road, and Tower Records North. I also used the Civic Theater Box Office and Jack's House of Music, a musical instrument and sheet music store near Tower Records.
For the first Beach Boys concert at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, May 24, 1963, I used several of these locations for my 'advance sale' ticket outlets. There was no fee -- not to the concert attendee -- nor a kickback or 'service charge' that would be returned to the store. The store owners were more than pleased to sell my tickets for the free advertising I would give them on our posters and in our radio spots. Needless to say, the ticket buyers meant additional traffic into their stores -- and, as good businessmen, they were thankful for the added promotion and marketing advantages.
This 'arrangement' went on for a half dozen concerts, dances and teen club shows I promoted in the Sacramento area, in addition to similar events in Reno, NV, Marysville / Yuba City, and Stockton, CA.
At some point in the late fall of '63 -- or early 1964 -- Russ approached me with this 'novel' idea: would I consider paying him a small fee or service charge for being a ticket outlet. It made perfect sense: he took a certain amount of risk for selling the tickets as he agreed to pay for any shortages.
I could only hope that he wouldn't demand a fee that would push the tickets into a higher price range, thus possibly pricing the tickets out of the reach of the average 'fan.' That was not the case. Russ politely asked me if I would consider giving him a nickel -- five cents -- as a handling fee for each ticket he sold. It would come out of my gross, we would not pass this fee on to the buyer. It was a no-brainer. I agreed to the terms.
Keep in mind the average ticket prices at the time were $1.75 to $2.50 -- most, if not all, were 'general admission.' No reserved seating. If you wanted the 'front row,' you'd show up two to three hours prior to show time! Not a bad price for a ticket to see The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, The Ventures, or a 'package' show featuring Freddy Cannon, Ray Peterson, Johnny Burnette, The Rivingtons and The Righteous Brothers. A meager five cent service fee amounting to about 2% of the face value of the ticket that was not even added to the price of the ticket ... it came out of my end!
Now, let's 'fast forward' to 2009 -- forty-six years. Would you be willing to pay 2% on top of a $50 ticket -- an amount equal to $1!! Or, how about paying a $5 fee on top of a $50 ticket purchased through the artist's fan club in exchange for a reserved seat toward the front of the main floor -- a slightly higher 10% service fee -- but still more than fair.
Right now, what can best be described as the greed of Ticketmaster (and, in some cases, the artists), the best seats are often 'held back' from the general ticket sales. Of course TicketMaster says it does not 'hold back' tickets -- it's the promoter, the record label, the artist's management or the act themselves. Regardless who is to blame, these preferred good seats are purposely held back but somehow manage to make their way into the marketplace through scalpers, or on the secondary market via eBay, through re-sellers like the Ticketmaster subsidiary TicketsNow, through Stub-Hub or through high end 'brokers.' The acts
-- and the promoters -- rarely, if ever, 'hold back' the bad seats -- only the top dollar ones.
Scalpers and high end 'ticket brokers' are an excepted way of life -- and that's a real tragedy for the die-hard fans. Fan club members should have a crack at those best seats, not see them go to the scalpers and re-sellers. Fans should not have to pay through the nose for the privilege of sitting close to their favorite star. They have earned that opportunity by a thing called 'loyalty.'
Software programs are available to the fan clubs, just as they are to the online outlets. The artists should sell their own tickets or the 'big box stores' should do for a modest 'service fee,' just as Russ Solomon did 46 years ago. They can surely use the extra traffic and business that such an arrangement would provide them with.
Fred Vail Treasure Isle Nashville, TN "Music City, USA"
Without question, it has gotten COMPLETELY out of hand ... to the point that we very rarely pay to go to concerts anymore ... as if the ticket prices aren't already high enough, there are times that you can expect to pay another 30%-50% in additional fees and charges. When "Face Value Tickets" exceed $250, how on earth do you justify paying another $25-$30 per ticket in "convenience charges" and "service charges" and "handling fees" and "building restoration" charges, etc, etc, etc. Now add in the typical $20-$25 for parking and even a so-called "reasonably priced ticket" of $75-$90 ticket ends up costing you about $130 each! (Didn't it used to be a flat-rate service charge "per order" ... of something like $3.50 - $5.00 as sort of a "processing fee"??? This additional $15.00 per ticket on top of the face value PLUS service charges, processing fees and OTHER hidden charges in downright gouging ... isn't their profit already built into the actual ticket price BEFORE all these other charges are tacked on to your order???)
Here are a couple of recent cases in point from our own first hand experiences:
Last month, 1964, one of the premier and highest regarded Beatles Tribute Bands, was coming to play here locally. We had seen the group a few years back at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and they put on a heck of a show. (That concert happened quite by accident ... we were walking around downtown Fort Worth, saw the sign, popped into the box office and bought tickets on the spot for that evening's performance ... now that's one way to AVOID all the additional bullshit charges!) Anyway, I got three or four emails touting a "Very Special Price" of only $19.64 per ticket in honor of the band's namesake ... so I thought, "Why not??? We enjoyed them before, Paige is a little bit older now and really getting into The Beatles' music ... how can you go wrong for twenty bucks a ticket?" Yeah, right! By the time they added in the $16 service fee per ticket, the $4.50 per ticket in "convenience charges" and something like $3.50 per ticket for some building fee, the price of the tickets literally better than DOUBLED!!! And, this place typically charges $25 for parking. So we skipped the show completely. The whole "come on" of $20 tickets was exactly that ... and I doubt that the artists see a penny of these tacked-on charges.
Shortly after that, my daughter wanted Sox tickets for her birthday ... there was no time to find anything decent anywhere so I went to Stub Hub. I finally found AWESOME seats ... 2nd row right behind the Sox dugout for a Saturday Night Fireworks Night Game ... but ended up paying 3 1/2 times the face value of the ticket through their service ... and, as if that wasn't painful enough, they then had the nerve to charge me an additional $21 per ticket in service charges and fees AND $35 to mail them to me!!! (What, the 350% profit wasn't enough for you?!?!? You had to weasel out another $77 from me?!?!) In that this was my first experience with Stub Hub, I cancelled out my first go 'round, refusing to pay these exorbitant charges. The next day I was besieged with emails from them, wanting to know why I hadn't completed my purchase. So I told them ... I wrote back to state that I thought it was a COMPLETE rip-off to charge these kinds of prices and then STILL hit you up for service charges and mailing fees ... you CAN'T tell me that you didn't make enough profit on my 350% bumped purchase. (Strangely enough, THAT email they didn't answer!!! lol) But as time ran out ... and her birthday got closer ... I had no choice but to cave and bought the tickets anyway, selecting an option to print them at home myself for $15 rather than pay the $35 delivery fee.
I'm sure we all remember the recent press hub-bub about no Bruce Springsteen tickets being available for his New Jersey concerts ... and then Ticketmaster referring customers to the brokerage company that they ALSO own a piece of, TicketsNow ... so that interested fans could buy seats at four to five times their original face value. I don't think that there are EVER any "premium" seats available for online purchase ... the best blocks of tickets always seem to be "committed" somewhere else. Even these early "pre-sales" that lure you in ahead of time to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public is a real scam ... you typically find that either there are only certain seats available (again, never the GOOD seats) ... or, in fact, you may find better seats when ALL the tickets are released the following day ... or you're already up in the third balcony on the pre-sale ... now how on earth could THAT many of tickets have already been sold to this show when I go on line at EXACTLY 10 am, the moment the pre-sale starts?!?!?
Clearly, the current method of securing tickets is COMPLETELY out of control ... and SOME sort of regulation is in order. I think Fred's got some good ideas here ... and I'm sure some of YOU out there will have some, too. Unfortunately, as things stand right now, Ticketmaster is pretty much the only game in town unless you just resign yourself in advance to pay three, four or five times the face value of a ticket to get a REALLY good seat to a show and deal with a ticket broker or agency. (At least in the old days we had Ticketron and Ticketmaster competing for our business ... now, quite honestly, where else are you gonna go?!?!?) Moving the control to the Fan Club Websites is an EXCELLENT idea ... yeah, there'll still be some behind the scenes bullshit going on, with some of the fan club organizers trying to make an extra buck for themselves by selling some of these tickets at a much greater profit margin to some of these agencies ... but why not reward the people who have been there to support you all these years first, BEFORE making seats available to those folks only interested in turning a quick buck???
I'm sure this topic will spark a number of opinions and revelations of your own bad experiences ... SOMEBODY needs to get involved with this at a higher level and put us all on an equal playing field. I spent many a night in my 20's camped out in line to get the very best seats possible for a show ... and, as a result of these efforts (and persistence) often scored second, third and fourth row seats to some of the biggest shows that came through town. (Of course, I've ALSO been there, fifth in line, only to find out that they're doing a lottery and my fifth place spot is now 111th in line to buy tickets ... again, not a very FAIR way of rewarding the faithful willing to do whatever it takes to get a good seat.) Even back then I considered it a pretty steep price to pay to see a show you wanted to see, having to practically sleep outside the box office the night before just to hold your spot in line. Surely SOMETHING in between can be worked out ... maybe some of the artists can negotiate clauses into their contracts limiting the amount the ticket agent can add to a ticket for helping them sell out an arena. Honestly, I don't know what the REAL solution is ... but we'd love to hear your ideas. We'll do a follow-up piece on this topic somewhere down the line. Let us know your thoughts ... and your suggestions. Who knows ... maybe we'll get somebody's attention with this whole campaign and change the way business is being conducted!!! (kk)
We didn't just lose two popular celebrities yesterday ...
We lost two absolute pop icons ... in every sense of the word.
In their individual moments in the sun, there wasn't ANYBODY on the planet more famous than Farrah Fawcett (her 1976 poster launched her career into the stratosphere) or Michael Jackson ("Thriller" remains one of the biggest selling albums of all-time ... and will sell even MORE copies now after his passing.)
Since this is, after all, a MUSIC publication, we'll direct our attention to Michael this morning ... our regularly scheduled piece will bump into tomorrow followed by The Sunday Comments.
I never personally bought into the whole self-proclaimed "King of Pop" thing ... and my first reaction to hearing the news this afternoon was that it had to be some sort of a publicity scam ... Jackson had, after all, just sold out 50 European dates in a matter of hours for his comeback tour ... a tour that would have earned him MILLIONS (if not BILLIONS) ... and, let's face it, he's been having some financial problems lately. Jackson spent the bulk of his career taking great enjoyment in shocking and amazing us ... was this just another one of his "David Copperfield Moments", trying to drum up more publicity for the tour?
Quite honestly, SO many things flew through my head in those initial numb moments ... was this whole thing just a big "put on" so that he could finally enjoy a life of anonymity (although with that scary mask of a face of his I wasn't sure where or how) ... I mean, six months from now were there going to be Michael Jackson Burger King Sightings ala Elvis, the rock icon he admired and aspired to SO much that he had to christen himself "The King Of Pop" and marry "The King Of Rock and Roll"'s daughter??? Had he done another last minute plastic surgery in prep for the tour that went completely astray ... turned him hideous ... or maybe even wiped off what was left of his face all-together? Maybe this was a last minute panic attack, realizing that he really wasn't ready to go out and do a massive tour of this proportion just yet??? Or had he worked himself SO hard in preparation of making this the greatest comeback of all time that he simply overdid it and trained himself to death? (Until the coroner's report is released, we won't know for sure ... but this last consideration just may turn out to be a real possibility.)
The really CRAZY part about all of this is that NONE of the scenarios described above were beyond the lengths that Michael would go to fuel the publicity machine. The truth is he was both his own greatest promoter ... and his own worst enemy, often feeding the tabloids outrageous stories about himself and then paying the penalty when more and more of the public became turned off by his beyond-crazy antics.
Despite ALL of this, there is no denying the impact that the phenomenon of Michael Jackson has had on the entire world of music and its fans. His fanbase literally spans the globe ... he just may have been the most recognized man on the planet ... EVERYBODY knew who Michael Jackson was and was familiar with his music, his dance moves and his generosity when it came to stepping up to the plate for a good cause.
He has given us SO much great music over the years ... from his boyhood days fronting The Jackson Five to the thriller that was "Thriller" ... the moonwalk at Motown's 25th Anniversary Show when he performed "Billie Jean" ... the pure artistry of "Off The Wall", "Bad" and "Dangerous", his back-to-back-to-back-to-back assault on the pop album charts. But my ALL-TIME favorite Michael Jackson song ISN'T one of the ones that garnered so much attention for its disco / pop / rock cross-over appeal ... or for virtually single-handily reinventing MTV with his ground-breaking videos ... it was a heartfelt ballad from the "Off The Wall" album that quietly snuck into the top ten ... and literally bared the very essence of his soul. To this day, I cannot listen to this track without feeling emotionally overcome. Yes, he made better records ... and he certainly had bigger hits ... but once Michael Jackson's voice cracks at the end of "She's Out Of My Life", I'm done for. Always have been ... always will be.
Radio will be airing his music for the next several days ... interestingly, you haven't heard a whole lot of Michael Jackson music on the radio lately since all the controversy virtually derailed his career. And there will ALWAYS be stories of Michael's indiscretions throughout his legacy ... but I believe history will choose to view him as an artist first and foremost ... and what an artist he was.
Think of the money he raised through his "We Are The World" / USA For Africa campaign ... his "Heal The World" campaign ... and what about all the other money that Jackson raised and donated,including MILLIONS and MILLIONS of his OWN money to "make this world a better place".
As a solo artist, he placed nearly 50 songs on Billboard's Pop Chart, including 38 that made Billboard's Top 40. 28 of those made The Top Ten ... and 13 times he hit #1. Add in his 30 other hits with his brothers (including four more #1's and 11 more Top 10's) and you'll find that only a handful of artists have EVER achieved these kinds of statistics.
The Michael Jackson Hit List: Here is a list of Michael Jackson's Top 20 Billboard Hits, both as a solo artist, as a member of The Jackson Five and as a duet partner: (Titles shown in red were #1 Billboard Hits) 1970 - I Want You Back / ABC / The Love You Save / I'll Be There 1971 - Mama's Pearl / Never Can Say Goodbye / Maybe Tomorrow / Got To Be There 1972 - Rockin' Robin / I Wanna Be Where You Are / Ben / Sugar Daddy / Little Bitty Pretty One / Lookin' Through The Windows / Corner Of The Sky 1974 - Dancing Machine 1975 - I Am Love 1977 - Enjoy Yourself 1979 - Shake Your Body / Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough 1980 - Rock With You / Off The Wall / She's Out Of My Life / Lovely One 1983 - The Girl Is Mine / Billie Jean / Beat It / Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' / Human Nature / P.Y.T. / Say Say Say 1984 -Thriller / State Of Shock / Torture 1987 - I Just Can't Stop Loving You / Bad 1988 - The Way You Make Me Feel / Man In The Mirror / Dirty Diana / Another Part Of Me 1989 - Smooth Criminal 1991 - Black or White 1992 - Remember The Time / In The Closet 1993 - Who Is It / Will You Be There 1995 - Scream / You Are Not Alone 2001 - You Rock My World 2002 - Butterflies
I will admit to ALWAYS being a fan of Michael Jackson's music ... I think he's one of the most creative and talented artists of this or any other generation. Yeah, the whole "Wacko Jacko" thing wore me down a bit ... but the music stands alone. (Sadly, those crazy antics cost him all kinds of credibility as an artist, and that's a real shame. In the big picture, there aren't too many people who could play in the same arena as Michael ... he was a true genious in every sense of the word ... but all the tabloid stuff greatly diminished his universal appeal and quite a few people dismissed him at this point and never came back. Honestly, this was their loss ... Jackson's music is amongst the best ever recorded.)
Many, many years ago I saw The Jacksons perform at a small "Theater In The Round" setting where they literally could not sell out one third of the venue. It was the early '70's, during their non-hit period and the show was average at best. (I took my little sister who was a BIG Michael Jackson fan at the time.) But I never got to see the glamour and the glory of something like the "Victory" tour (NOBODY would go with me to see it ... they all thought I was nuts for even CONSIDERING going!!!) I remember they were performing at Sox Park and I ended up at a family birthday party that night instead, resenting the fact all night long that I had missed what would most likely be Michael's last appearance with his brothers. Ditto a brief Simon And Garfunkel reunion a few months later ... but I digress!!! (lol)
Now is the time to remember the music ... you're going to hear a whole lot of it over the next several days ... just four hours after the news broke, ABC and NBC were already interrupting their regularly scheduled evening programs to air specials on Jackson's career ... how many times have you seen THAT done for someone other than a President or something?!?!? A fitting tribute to an artist whose worked affected so many of us. Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson ... maybe now you finally can.
