Kenny Rogers and the First Edition - Your Comments

re: KENNY ROGERS AND THE FIRST EDITION:  

When you brought up 'Funny How Love Can Be', it reminded me of seeing Harper's Bizarre in college, which reminded me of seeing The First Edition in college (before they were Kenny Rogers and The First Edition). So I went youtubing (love that sport). WOW!!! I have the records, but to see the performances again, and to see how grrrrreat Kenny looked with his longish brown hair and beard (and vested, fringed outfits?) was a fun sing down Memory Lane.  
Hmmmmm. According to your info The First Edition was Kenny Rogers and The First Edition by the time they hit my college, but were not advertised as such for the concert. They WERE introduced as 'Presenting Kenny Rogers and The First Edition'. Maybe they just had old posters to use up?? hahaha

So THAT's where I saw Mickey Jones ... Home Improvement!

Kenny was not hip enough? He had to grow out the hair, the beard, pierce the ear, and tint the glasses? That is how I remember seeing him live. And what a handsome draw he turned out to be. There were just too many people in the New Christy Minstrels, coming and going, for me to pick out specific people. For me, it was a listening experience. The individuals counted less than the whole. I know when I went to youtube to watch 'Ruby' last week, my jaw dropped when I saw Kenny. Then I remembered the effect of the live concerts. The rest of the band is frozen in time for me, but since Kenny Rogers went on and morphed as needed, I had forgotten what I used to see.  
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano 

  

Hey Kent,

Just wanted to say that one of my very favorite parts of one of your stories about a particular artist is how we get a chance to see how their careers intertwined with so many other artists that went on to become so famous. Very interesting stuff.

Thanks

Stacee  

Great profile of Kenny Rogers & the First Edition ... but I caught one glaring omission. Nowhere to be found was Kenny's 1969 hit 'Ruben James'!  
Brad

Actually, we left that one out intentionally, because we had just featured it in our on-going "Today's Forgotten Hit" series a couple of weeks ago ... and figured most of you had just heard it. But I always liked that one, so let's feature it again here now as a Kenny Rogers "extra"!
 

By the way, since our series first ran in 2004, we have learned that Kenny's first solo hit, "That Crazy Feeling", released in 1958, DID, in fact, hit the national pop charts, where it climbed to #77 in Record World Magazine ... and all the way to #51 in Cash Box!  (It had failed to chart in Billboard ... and, with those kinds of numbers from the other trades, I find that a bit surprising.  At the very least, I would have figured it would have registered as a "Breakout Hit" in Houston in Joel Whitburn's new book ... but apparently it didn't ... which makes me question just how big the record really was locally.  Then again, it was evidently big enough to climb half-way up the chart in Cash Box Magazine!!!)  kk  


Kent,
While reading your FH series this week on Kenny Rogers, the group Back Porch Majority was mentioned. It reminded me of a record I haven't heard in years. Had to get it out and play it, as they say, "one more time". The record in question was SECOND-HAND MAN out of 1966 on Epic Records. In May of that year, it peaked here in OKC at #8. Obviously the group New Christy Minstrels would come up. When I think of that group, the number one song to come to my mind is the obvious one, GREEN GREEN out of 1963. I always liked their follow-up SATURDAY NIGHT. But the one record I really liked that they did was the one they came out with in 1965 ... CHIM CHIM CHEREE. Not that song but the flip, YOU GOTTA QUIT KICKIN' MY DOG AROUND.
The DJ at the time who was working 7 pm - 12 midnight would play that song instead of CHIM CHIM CHEREE. I guarantee you when I finish sending you this e-mail, I am going to go in and play it as they say, "one more time".
Larry  

Thanks for putting together the Kenny Rogers series.

Looking forward to another installment tonight.

Dann       

>>>When "Just Dropped In" was written (by country songwriter Mickey Newbury), it was first offered to Jerry Lee Lewis, who turned the song down flat!  (kk)
This will come as a surprise to Jerry Lee Lewis, as he recorded the song in 1967 and released it on his LP Soul My Way (Smash Records).
– Randy Price  
Turning something down means you don't end up recording it, right?? Jerry Lee Lewis was, in fact, the first artist to record the song, issued on his Smash LP Soul My Way.

Tom Diehl  
Wow! We've been reporting it this way for nearly a decade now! And it isn't just us ... I've seen it printed in several different liner notes ... and it's even reported that way in Kenny Rogers' brand new auto-biography. This is a VERY cool new discovery! (I even sent it along to Scott Shannon to feature on his next edition of "Rock And Roll Remakes" on The True Oldies Channel!) And, listening to it, it's really not a bad version at all ... certainly a whole lot more country (which is to be expected, having been written by Mickey Newbury) ... but it also sounds like everything else Jerry Lee was recording at that time. A different interpretation to be sure ... but not bad. Kudos to Kenny Rogers and the First Edition for their totally unique psychedelic interpretation ... the lyrics took on a whole new meaning when The First Edition cut it! (kk)  



Hey Kent,
I'm REALLY enjoying your series on Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Because of that, I have been busting my tail, trying to find all the musicians who played on the recording, "Just Dropped In", with not much luck. Ok, Glen Campbell played the guitar, and Hal Blaine probably played the drums on it. When I first heard the song on the radio, I was fascinated by the bass and vibraphone riff, played in unison, much like the signature sound of George Shearing's jazz groups. I'm going to bet it was studio mallet-man extraordinaire, Julius Wechter on vibes. He was part of the Wrecking Crew, and played on hundreds of tracks by major artists, including his own Baja Marimba Band.
I also like the song "Ruby". There are many songs written about the Vietnam war. Take a look at the list on Wikipedia. My favorite of the bunch is "Home" by Mac Davis.
- John LaPuzza  
I wrote to Denny Tedesco to see if he had any studio information on this track regarding who may have played on it.  If he gets back to me, I'll be sure to let you know.  (kk)


I found the Kenny Rogers series to be a very interesting read. Kudos on yet another job well done in Forgotten Hits -- great profile.

Rick

Sad to say, but I think you may be one of the very few, Rick ... this piece generated the fewest pieces of mail I can ever remember for a Forgotten Hits series ... and, even more incredibly, website readership was down by about 65% the entire time it ran!!! I'm not really sure why this is the case ... these are great tunes ... and even as I re-read and edited the piece I, myself, was impressed by the amount of details we uncovered back in 2004 ... but apparently it just doesn't have the "mass audience appeal" of some of our other series. Even sending out a couple of "reminders" failed to bring people over to the website to read it. As I said, I don't quite get that as, if I do say so myself, I thought it was pretty well done, too! (kk)

Rick Huxley ... and The Dave Clark Five

Because of our week-long Kenny Rogers Series, we're a full week tardy on this one ... but by now I'm sure you all know that Rick Huxley, one of the original members of The Dave Clark Five, passed away last Monday at home in England. 

The Dave Clark Five were always one of my favorite British Invasion bands ... and I have several compilation DVD's of their numerous television appearances. I also had the OUTSTANDING pleasure of seeing lead vocalist Mike Smith perform live in concert several years ago ... and I've got to say, without a doubt, this was one of the GREATEST concerts I've ever seen.  

Here are a couple of comments from our readers on Rick Huxley ... and The DC5 in general. (kk)   

Rick Huxley, bassist with the Dave Clark Five, died Monday (February 11) at his home in rural England. The Dartford native was 72. Though he had suffered from emphysema, he was described as being in good health and no cause of death was given. Formed in Tottingham in 1957, Rick joined the group (originally as a guitarist) the following year and played on 27 charted American records, including "Over And Over" (#1 -1965), "Because" (#3 - 1964), "Bits And Pieces" (#4 - 1964) and "Catch Us If You Can" (#4 - 1965). The quintet made 18 appearances on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and appeared in their own movie, "Catch Us If You Can" (AKA "Having A Wild Weekend") in 1965. Two years after their last American hit, they disbanded in 1970. Rick worked in real estate in later years. The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Said Dave, "He always made me smile and I'll miss that immensely. He was never arrogant and flashy. He was a gentleman and very low key. He was a very, very talented musician and a great friend." Rick's death leaves Dave and guitarist Lenny Davidson as the last remaining members. 
-- Ron Smith (oldiesmusic.com)   

Click here: Rick Huxley Dead: Dave Clark Five Bassist Dies at 72 - Spinner     

Kent -
Don't know if you heard, but this is from the NY Times:
LONDON (AP) — Rick Huxley, a founding member of the Dave Clark Five, one of the most successful British rock bands of the 1960s, died on Monday. He was 72. 

And here's the Reuters report, courtesy of FH Reader Bill Hengels ...   

(Reuters) - Rick Huxley, the bassist for the 1960s British Invasion pop-rock group the Dave Clark Five, has died, the band's leader said on Tuesday. He was 72.

Huxley died unexpectedly at his home in the English countryside on Monday, Dave Clark told Reuters.
The band scored No. 1 hits on both sides of the Atlantic during its decade-long run from 1960-1970.
"Glad All Over" holds the honor of knocking the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" out of the top spot on the UK chart in 1964, while "Over and Over" topped the U.S. chart in 1965.
The cause of death was not immediately known, said Clark, who added that Huxley had been "sprightly and in good shape" despite suffering from emphysema for several years.
"I spoke to him on Friday and he was in great spirits," Clark said in a telephone call. "He went through a recent doctor's check and had a good, clean bill of health. This came totally out of the blue, and I'm just devastated."
Clark remembered Huxley for his modest demeanor and humor.
"He always made me smile and I'll miss that immensely," Clark said. "He was never arrogant and flashy. He was a gentleman and very low key. He was a very, very talented musician and a great friend."
The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Huxley was born in Dartford, England, east of London, the same town that is home to the Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards.
Huxley is survived by two sons and a daughter.  

I always liked the hard-rockin' DC5 -- who, despite rivaling the Beatles in popularity from 1964-7, slipped into relative obscurity in the U.S. because of two things. One was that rock critics who lioned The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks and Dylan never really warmed to the DC5 (inexplicably) -- and tended to ignore them when reviewing the British Invasion. The other reason - which contributed to the above -- was Dave Clark himself. Unlike most artists, Dave managed to own the DC5 lock, stock and barrel -- including owning all of their masters, which were leased to Epic in the United States. Once that deal expired, no new pressings of DC5 tracks were manufactured as Clark refused to license the material to other labels for reissue. (I know -- 'cause I tried many times!) Over time, the copies of DC5 records at radio stations wore out and were not replaced -- and with the public unable to find DC5 records in stores, potential interest in the recordings was shifted elsewhere. Meanwhile, the recordings of all other British Invasion acts continued to be available, at least in various artists compilations. Dave Clark's stubborn insistance on "moving on" continued for decades -- until finally a 2 CD set of DC5 masters was released on Disney's Hollywood Records label in 1994. Still a pain in the ass to deal with, the set was not in print all that long before Clark changed his mind and refused to renew the lease deal. That's why copies of the set today sell for $80 on amazon.

A lot of folks assume it was Clark who sang lead on the group's powerhouse hits. He didn't -- preferring to stay behind his pounding drums and manage the act. Mike Smith was the real lead singer on such classics as "Glad All Over," "Bits And Pieces," "Can't You See That She's Mine," "Catch Us If You Can," "Over and Over," "I Like It Like That," "At The Scene," "You've Got What It Takes" and its excellent B side, "Doctor Rhythm." In total, the DC5 charted 27 times in the U.S. between 1964 and 1968. Interestingly, nearly every one of the DC5's hits -- except for the ballad "Because" -- was a stone hard rocker, much harder than the Beatles and practically everyone else at the time. Yet when hard rock is discussed, the DC5 are almost never mentioned as the pioneers they were.

Although the DC5 generated more than enough votes to enter the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, it's dictator, Jann Wenner, refused to let them in -- preferring his own pet acts, most of whom were typically ludicrous choices. Finally, after word leaked out of Wenner's unfair actions, the DC5 were finally inducted in 2009 -- AFTER Mike Smith had died. With the passing of Rick Huxley, only two DC5 members survive today -- Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson.

Gary Theroux

Dave Clark's infinite wisdom and business savvy only served to cheat himself and his bandmates out of untold millions of dollars over the years.  By keeping The Dave Clark Five catalog under lock and key, they all but disappeared from the airwaves ... this despite an INCREDIBLE track record of 21 Top 50 Hits between 1964 and 1968.  And, with no material available for purchase, this legacy of recorded material earned virtually no royalties for decades.

The group never really changed with the times. It was more due to the teeny-bopper magazines playing up a rivalry to The Beatles (and the fact that these guys were also both talented and cute) that drew the greatest amount of attention to the band ... the real rock critics never took them seriously ... yet they built an impressive chart legacy in a very short period of time. (And, as Gary stated above, the bulk of their catalog was out-and-out rockers!)

Simply put, Mike Smith had one of the best rock voices EVER committed to wax ... if I had to list the ten greatest concerts I've ever seen in my entire lifetime, Mike Smith's solo show at the Holiday Star Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana, would be right up near the top of that list. Here was a guy who had not publicly performed in thirty years but just sat back down at the piano and went through his entire arsenal of hits, as well as many of the early '50's rockers that inspired him to get into the rock and roll business in the first place. Sadly, it was when he returned home for this tour that he fell and became paralyzed for the rest of his life.

He and Dave Clark cowrote most of the band's hits ... so in royalties alone locking this material away cost them big time. (Clark not only cheated himself but all of his former bandmates in this regard. It was a complete disservice to the guys who made HIM an international star.)

Not to mention the licensing they could have gotten by using their material in television commercials and movies. Think of the dvd sales that could have been generated featuring all of their great television performances ... not to mention any number of "new" compilations that could have been released to cash in on the then-new cd technology. (Clark was always guarded about the material his band recorded.  Even when he bought the rights to the hit British music series "Ready, Steady, Go" ... and released a special DC5 edition ... NONE of the performance by The Dave Clark Five actually came from that program!!!) He was a COMPLETE control freak ... and the perfect example of the blind leading the blind. And clearly he STILL doesn't get it ... as this material STILL isn't "legally" commercially available.

For the most part, The Dave Clark Five were a "ballroom band" ... that's what they were used to doing, no matter how hard they rocked. (Their records were recorded SO loudly that even the very first play on your turn-table generally generated massive distortion!!!) But I loved 'em ... and I still do. Fortunately, I've got a pretty complete Dave Clark Five collection, both in terms of music and video ... it's just a shame that the world was cheated out of hearing them for so many years. One cannot help but wonder how the world would view and rank them today had we only had the chance to stay in touch with their incredible legacy of music.

Were they of Beatles caliber as recording artists? No. The Beatles' catalog continues to outsell many of the new artists of today. The Rolling Stones are still touring after 50 years. Even at their peak of popularity, The Dave Clark Five still performed second to Herman's Hermits (after The Beatles) on the charts. But they made a viable contribution to the world of British Rock ... and deserved a better end game.  (kk)  


THE DAVE CLARK FIVE HIT LIST:  
The Dave Clark Five were EXTREMELY popular on BOTH sides of the Atlantic, racking up hit after hit after hit on both the British and the US charts ... but looking at a recap of these chart performances shows a definite edge here in The States, where most of their records out-performed their UK counterparts. They did continue to chart longer in Great Britain, however, scoring Top 40 Hits through the end of 1970.   

Here's a quick comparison as to how these records stacked up on each:   

GLAD ALL OVER - US - 5; UK - 1 (and #1 here in Chicago!)  
This is the record that knocked The Beatles out of the top spot on the charts ... and got The Dave Clark Five machine rolling.

BITS AND PIECES - US - 3; UK - 2

I KNEW IT ALL THE TIME - US - 53; UK - xx

DO YOU LOVE ME - US - 8; UK - 30

CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE'S MINE - US - 4; UK - 10 (also #1 here in Chicago)

THINKING OF YOU BABY - US - xx; UK - 26

BECAUSE - US - 3; UK - xx 
Incredibly, NOT released as a single in Great Britain ... and Dave Clark had to fight with Epic Records to get them to put it out here ... the label kept telling him "But you're a ROCK band!!!" Apparently nobody ever told the powers that be at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... until they were EMBARRASSED by a public scandal into finally inducting them in 2008.

EVERYBODY KNOWS (I STILL LOVE YOU) - US - 14; UK - 37

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT - US - 9; UK - 25

COME HOME - US - 13; UK - 16

REELIN' AND ROCKIN' - US - 13; UK - 24

I'M THINKING - US - 128; UK - xx

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT - US - 5; UK - xx

CATCH US IF YOU CAN - US - 4; UK - 5

OVER AND OVER - US - 1; UK - 45 
Their only official US #1 Record (It topped all three national charts ... yet never even made The Top 40 in England!)

AT THE SCENE - US - 12; UK - xx

TRY TOO HARD - US - 9; UK - xx

PLEASE TELL ME WHY - US - 18; UK - xx

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP - US - 101; UK - 50

SATISFIED WITH YOU - US - 44; UK - xx

NINETEEN DAYS - US - 45; UK - xx

I'VE GOT TO HAVE A REASON - US - 44; UK - xx

YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES - US - 7; UK - 28

YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY - US - 35; UK - xx

A LITTLE BIT NOW - US - 52; UK - xx

RED AND BLUE - US - 69; UK - xx

EVERYBODY KNOWS - US - 41; UK - 2 
Their "comeback hit" here in The States was their version of "You Got What It Takes", certainly one of their best singles ever. But that one topped out at #28 in the UK. They wouldn't score big again in Great Britain until this beautiful ballad "Everybody Knows", which soared all the way to #2 ... and didn't feature Mike Smith on lead vocals, a real departure for the band. (For those who don't know, this record "Everybody Knows" is a completely different song than the one shown above as "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)" ... and is another one of my long-forgotten favorites by the band.)

PLEASE STAY - US - 88; UK - xx

NO ONE CAN BREAK A HEART LIKE YOU - US - xx; UK - 28

RED BALLOON - US - xx; UK - 7

LIVE IN THE SKY - US - xx; UK - 39

PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART - US - xx; UK - 31

GOOD OLD ROCK AND ROLL - US - xx; UK - 7 
Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys had the hit with this song here in The States

EVERYBODY GET TOGETHER - US - xx; UK - 8

HERE COMES SUMMER - US - xx; UK - 44    

MORE GOOD OLD ROCK AND ROLL - US - xx; UK -34 

Another oldies hits medley, much in the same style as the track listed above  

One of the greatest and most anticipated Christmas presents I ever got was The Dave Clark Five's first Greatest Hits album, Christmas, 1965. I must have picked that album up 50 times at the store, holding it in my hands and just WISHING I had the money to buy it. My Mom evidently picked up on my desires and, sure enough, there it was under the tree that year. I played it non-stop ... there was NO filler on this LP ... EVERY track had been a HUGE hit ... and I couldn't get enough of it.  

Ironically, I HATED "Glad All Over" and "Bits and Pieces" when they came out ... and I STILL consider them to be amongst the band's weakest tracks ... but when "Do You Love Me", "Can't You See That She's Mine", "Because" and "Everybody Knows" all came out in quick succession, I was hooked. (Back then it was not at all unusual for a group to release as many as four or five singles in a single year. In fact, The Dave Clark Five scored their first 13 Hits in 1964 and 1965 alone!!! 

TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HITS:

We've got THREE of them for you today ... GREAT Dave Clark Five tracks that radio no longer plays. 

First up, a bonafide Top Ten Hit ... ANY WAY YOU WANT IT ... Tell me that THIS one wouldn't sound great coming out of your radio every now and then!!!

Next, a track I like to call "Country Clark" ... in 1966, the band took a country approach with this one ... and I think they pulled it off brilliantly. America didn't agree ... it only went to #50 on the Billboard Chart ... but here in Chicago (where they did play it), it reached #27. When's the last time you heard SATISFIED WITH YOU???

And finally, since I've already sung its praises, here's the 1968 ballad "EVERYBODY KNOWS", featuring guitarist Lenny Davidson on lead vocals, a real departure for this band.

ALSO SAYING GOODBYE:
Sadly, we lost a few other music luminaries this past week, too.  Here's the scoop on a few others who have recently left us:

From The Rinso Kid:

Tony Sheridan, who has died aged 72, was the hard-driving rock and roll guitarist and singer teamed with the Beatles on their first recording session, when they backed him on the hoary old standard My Bonnie in 1961.

It was that record that first piqued Brian Epstein's interest in the band. When kids kept coming into his record store asking for a copy of the record by Liverpool's very own Beatles ... and he didn't have a copy ... or know anything at all about it ... he decided to go check out the group himself at an afternoon session at The Cavern. The rest, as they say, is history. 



He cleaned up their act (putting them in matching suits and ties, doing away with the leather jackets they were wearing at that point) and then pedaled their efforts to every record label in London, being turned down flat by all of them until Parlophone finally decided to give them a shot. Teamed up with Producer George Martin, The Beatles went on to record a catalog of material unrivaled by any other artist, much of which still outsells much of today's music over 50 years later.

Here's the complete Telegraph article:

Click here: Tony Sheridan - Telegraph
 

When released here in America in 1964, "My Bonnie" became a #26 Hit ... it was a time where ANYTHING with The Beatles' name on it was sure to sell ... so MGM Records put it out (in a plain green picture sleeve with The Beatles name in HUGE type and Tony Sheridan's in much smaller type ... not at all the way the session was booked ... HE was the recording star and they were simply brought in as his backing band) and off it went. 

At that same session, The Beatles were allowed to cut a couple of their own numbers ... one was the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" (a tribute to Cliff Richard's band, written by John Lennon and George Harrison) and the other was a GREAT, rock and roll vocal by John Lennon on the old standard "Ain't She Sweet", one of my early Beatles favorites.
 

From the New York Times ...

Shadow Morton, a songwriter and producer who for a brief, luminous period in the 1960s poured the discontents of adolescence into original hit songs, including “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand),” died on Thursday in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was 71.

-- Mike DeMartino     

Mark Kamins has died of a massive heart attack ... and I havent seen any Madonna comments yet.

But also Shadow Morton is dead.

Is there a definitive answer if Billy Joel played on Remember Walking in the Sand? Seems as though he'd have been too young?

Here's a piece from a Shadow Morton interview I found on the net.

http://www.theshangri-las.com/Shadow%20Morton%20interview.htm

I didn't know he produced Iron Butterfly or Vanilla Fudge.

Maybe I lived under a rock?

Bill

As far as I know, that whole Billy Joel / "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" was just a rumor ... unless he did the session when he was just 15 years old! (I know it's come up a few times now in FH). But if you read that Goldmine interview with Morton, who knows. (Then again he says that the piano player later turned out to be who he believes to be Billy Joel ... or so he's heard ... so it sounds like even Morton himself wasn't sure ... he was just going with the flow of what everybody else had been telling him.  I seem to remember disproving that story quite some time ago. Anybody else able to weigh-in on this with any certainty???) Meanwhile, I've got to admit that that's quite a wide range of musical talent for Shadow Morton ... from The Shangri-Las to Iron Butterfly and Vanilla Fudge?!?!? (kk)   

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shadow Morton, a 1960s pop-song writer and producer whose biggest credits include "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," has died. He was 71.

Family friend Amy Krakow confirmed with The Associated Press on Sunday that Morton, born George Francis Morton, died Thursday in Laguna Beach, California.

Shangri-Las, the girls group from Queens, N.Y., gained fame after recording both "Remember" in 1964, and then "Leader of the Pack," which Morton co-wrote with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Shangri-Las became famous starting in 1964 with Morton's hits.

Morton was born in Brooklyn and moved to Long Island as a teenager.
Krakow said he is survived by three daughters, a sister and three grandchildren.
His death was reported Friday by The New York Times.
-- Rinso Kid  

Here's the Billboard report, courtesy of FH Reader Tom Cuddy:

Click here: George 'Shadow' Morton, Shangri-Las Visionary, Dies at 72 | Billboard  

Hi Kent;
Here is some information on Tandyn Almer in case you didn't hear:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2013/02/16/76d3ebba-5f44-11e2-a389-ee565c81c565_story.html
Hope all is well with you. I read every one of your blogs.
All The Best!
John Blazier
Carmel, Indiana

FOREVER DUSTY!

We've been talking about the new Dusty Springfield tribute musical "Forever Dusty" for a couple of months now ... and, thanks  to co-writers Jon Vankin and Kirsten Holly Smith (who also just happens to play Dusty Springfield in this hot, new Off Broadway Musical), we now have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky New York Forgotten Hits Reader!  
 

The bio-musical has been playing to rave reviews at the New World Stages on West 50th St. in New York City ... and has just been extended through April dates! Noted columnist Perez Hilton says ""IF YOU LIKE JERSEY BOYS, THEN YOU WILL LOVE FOREVER DUSTY!"  

View more here: Click here: foreverdusty.com  

And check out THIS recent appearance on My Fox New York from a couple of weeks ago:  

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/20521161/forever-dusty#ixzz2IYalx6Br

 

I had the chance to talk with both Jon and Kirsten last week about the show ...

KENT KOTAL / FORGOTTEN HITS: Why Dusty?  What was it about her as a singer or a performer that drew you to her in the first place?   

KIRSTEN HOLLY SMITH: My love of Dusty Springfield began when I first listened to Dusty in Memphis and heard that voice, that sound! Where did it come from? I came to believe that I needed to get closer to Dusty, somehow, to channel her spirit by singing her songs and telling her story.

FH:  Are you first generation Dusty fans? And, if not, at one point did you become enamored with Dusty Springfield?  

JON VANKIN: If by “first generation” you mean “since 1963,” then no. I have always been a fan of ‘60s music and British Invasion music in particular, so I was always conscious of Dusty Springfield and, of course, I knew “Son of A Preacher Man” and a few of her other big songs. But when Kirsten got me involved with this project, that's when I began to explore Dusty’s career and her life in depth. And there was no looking back! Even now, after all these years, when I listen to her music or watch her on video, I sometimes just catch myself getting lost how supremely great she was – and is. Her voice on even her oldest records sounds as brilliant today as it did in 1963. 

KHS:  I was drawn to Dusty not only by her music, but by what she stood for in her life. She always insisted that she was “not political,” but she never backed down from what she believed. She traveled to apartheid-era South Africa for a series of concerts where she flatly refused to perform for segregated audiences — a direct violation of South Africa’s laws. She took many strong stands at great risk to her career and reputation. She was a powerful woman of powerful convictions whose story deserved to be told.  

JV:  We feel extremely honored that we can tell her story – because our whole purpose is to honor Dusty. She was an extraordinary woman and an extraordinary artist.   

FH: After watching the Fox News clip, Kirsten, it is quite obvious that you can really belt out these tunes ... what is your background ... and are there any other shows you may have been involved with that our readers might know or recognize? 

KHS: I have a BFA in musical theatre in musical theatre from the University of Oklahoma. I have a film, TV and theatre background. This is the first major production I’ve done in New York. Before this, I spent most of my time in LA. 

FH:  Had you written anything before? How did this idea come about? 

KHS:  In 2008, I did a one-woman version of Dusty at the Lily Tomlin - Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, which is part of the Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles. We got a great response from both the audiences and the critics, which motivated us to build the show into something bigger. New York is the final frontier for theatre in the US, so we set our sites on bringing Dusty to New York. Now, of course, FOREVER DUSTY, is a full “Book Musical” with a cast of five actors and rock and roll band onstage.

FH:  Was your goal more to pay tribute to Dusty's music ... or to tell her story?    

KHS:  I wanted to honor Dusty both as a person and an artist. That is why we’re doing this show.   

FH: Jon, how did you come to be involved? Had you worked with Kirsten before? 

JV:  Forever Dusty is the first time I’ve collaborated with Kirsten. This show is very much her vision.     

FH:  Tell us a little bit about your background.   

JV: I’m a professional writer. I’ve written several nonfiction books, a few graphic novels and comics as well as screenplays and even a little TV. 

FH: While I haven't personally seen the show, I've read that it pretty much presents a no-hold-barred, warts-and-all profile of Dusty ... why was this important for you to show? What were you hoping to convey in the way of Dusty Springfield, the person? (Having written my own mini-biography on Dusty, we, too, took a "stripped naked" approach ... there was so much more to this girl than just her magnificent voice!)  

Click here: Forgotten Hits - DUSTY SPRINGFIELD   

JV: I think I can answer that for both of us. Dusty faced many, many obstacles in her life and career, a lot of them of her own making. We believe that it's essential to give a full picture of her life because without seeing where she came from and the struggles she faced and fought, it's impossible for the audience to fully appreciate what she accomplished in her life, both as an artist and also as a human being. We could have simply zeroed in on one episode of her life, or we could have skimmed over her life entirely and made the show more of a “revue” than a musical play. Certainly, both of those approaches were suggested to us by various people along the way. But we did not want to present just a piece of her. We always wanted our audiences to come out of the show feeling that they know Dusty Springfield as a complete human being, with joys and sorrows, victories and defeats – all of her beauty and all of her flaws. Those are the things that make us all human. By the end of the story, the end of her life, we want to feel that she has really lived. That’s why we took the approach we did.

FH: What are some of your favorite Dusty tunes?   

KHS: She went through so many styles and phases, I have to break it down by time period. In the early ‘60s, “I Only Want to Be With You.” Mid ‘60s, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” Late ‘60s, “Son of a Preacher Man.” In the ’70, “Crumbs Off The Table.” In the 1980s, “What Have I Done To Deserve This?” or “Soft Core.” I also love her version of “Can I Get a Witness” and her cover of a Baby Washington song called “Doodlin’.” There are so many!   

JV: Of course I love all of the usual hits ... “Preacher Man,” “I Only Want To be With You”, and so on. But my real love is for some of her lesser known songs. For example, “Crumbs Off The Table,” which is included in the show, or her version of The Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child,” which isn’t. I love “Ever Day I Have to Cry,” “Bad Case of the Blues,” “Roll Away,” Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream.” As Kirsten said, there are way too many to list.   

FH: Kirsten, you've told us the ones you love as a listener and as a fan ... but which ones do you most enjoy performing? What are the ones that really get the crowd going? That get the biggest reaction?   

KHS: That’s easy. “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and “Son of a Preacher Man.” People know those songs and absolutely love them.   

FH: I know that you come out and visit with the fans after each performance ... what are some of the things they tell you after seeing the show? What kind of feedback are you getting that allow you and Jon to know that you have squarely hit this on the head?   

KHS: It’s all very humbling. The feedback is extremely enthusiastic. I’ve had people come to me in tears because they were so moved by Dusty’s story. I get a lot of people thanking me for bringing back great memories and telling me they’ve just relived their childhood, including people who saw her in concert years ago. I’ve had people who actually knew Dusty personally come to the show and tell me afterward that they felt like she came back to life on the stage. It’s very motivational and makes me feel that we’re doing something worthwhile. To be honest, I attribute the great reactions to Dusty more than myself. I feel I am just up there channeling her spirit and we have wonderful, extremely talented actors and musicians who make her life very vivid and powerful.   

FH: What are the future plans for the show? Do you have any kind of commitment as to how long it will be running? And how do our readers go about getting tickets?   

JV: As of right now, we have tickets on sale through April 7. Of course we would love to extend past that date, but there are no guarantees. So I would strongly recommend getting tickets asap for dates between now and then. And because we love Forgotten Hits, here’s a special deal: if your readers go to BroadwayOffers.com and enter the code FDFNF2, they can buy tickets at a big discount.  

As for future plans, we’re working on those and we have a few opportunities in the works that we can't discuss publicly right now. But we are very sure that FOREVER DUSTY will have a long life outside of New York.   

FH: Oh wow!!! We knew that we were going to be giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky Forgotten Hits reader to see the show ... but this discount offer is outstanding! Thank you so much. (And readers, if you DO get a chance to check this out, be sure to drop us a line and give us your review.) 

Let's see ... how should we do this? Do you have a trivia question that you would like to ask in order to help us find a winner? Maybe something that you learned while researching Dusty for the musical?   

JV: OK, here’s a trivia question. On her LP Dusty … Definitely, which was her final UK album before going to the US to record Dusty In Memphis, Dusty recorded this version of the Temptations hit “Ain’t No Sun Since You’ve Been Gone.” (Here's a youTube link to the video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqO6_mykf0k

Dusty’s bass player and musical arranger on this track went on to become famous with a VERY famous band of his own. In fact, Dusty helped his band get their first record deal. Can you name the bass player and the band?   

FH: OK, that's a good one ... let's see what kind of response we get.   

JV: And here’s a tie-breaker question if you need one: Dusty never won a Grammy Award and was nominated only one time, for “Son of a Preacher Man.” But in 1973 she accepted an award on behalf of someone else. Who? (Hint: The category was “best new artist.”)   

FH: That should help us nail it down. Come on readers, have at it! Don't miss your chance to win a pair of tickets to see "Forever Dusty" at the New World Stages in New York City! (Or, hop over to the website and order your tickets online ... and be sure to enter the special code and get your Forgotten Hits Readers special discount!)   

FH: Thank you both so much for taking the time to do this. I wish there was a way that we could come out and see the show ... MAJOR Dusty fans here! Good luck with an extended run. Meanwhile, what about your future plans? Do you see writing more shows together? Any ideas that you've been kicking around that you can talk about?   

KHS: Right now, we’re extremely focused on FOREVER DUSTY and figuring out how to keep telling Dusty Springfield’s amazing story to as many people as we can. But yes, we have a few other ideas. Stay tuned!


TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:
How do you do a full-blown feature on Dusty Springfield like this and then not feature one of her songs???
Here's one of my favorites ... a #22 Hit from 1969 ... and yet another one you just don't get to hear much on the radio anymore.  

It's "A Brand New Me", a GREAT tune from the "Dusty In Memphis" follow-up LP of the same name.  Enjoy!

  

TO ENTER THE FORGOTTEN HITS FREE TICKET GIVE-AWAY:  Just send in your trivia answer(s) to forgottenhits@aol.com ... sometime in the next week or two we'll pick a winner from all of the correct entries that we receive.  You must be able to attend a performance of "FOREVER DUSTY" in New York City between March 1st and April 7th and we will contact the winner with complete details as to how to get your tickets.

And remember ... ALL of our East Coast Forgotten Hits Readers can take advantage of the special discount ticket prices by going online at BroadwayOffers.com and entering the code FDFNF2.  And, if you see the show, be sure to drop us a line and let us know what you think!!!