The film hits theaters and video on-demand services on November 19th. (By the way, that new song you hear playing in the background is something called "Right Where I Belong," a song composed by Brian Wilson and Jim James of My Morning Jacket.)
You'll find more from Rolling Stone here:
Brian Wilson Ventures to Beach Boys Landmarks in New Doc Trailer - Rolling Stone
Here's another “smiler” I got from Chuck Buell yesterday …
Yep! It's Another Monday!
And it sure can seem like this sometimes!
Actually, I'm just wishing that you have a
Spectacular Week!
Chuck!
Ain’t it the truth! May we ALL have a better week! (kk)
More from Tommy Roe …
I think what happened is that
after the Sullivan show, the agents in New York could see an opportunity to get
close to the next super stars and brought their acts in to be a part of the
excitement, and maybe get on the show. Murray the K was there asking me if I
could get him into their suite for an interview. It was chaos.
None of us realized the logistics would be so
difficult because of the weather. Also, I think Brian Epstein and The Beatles
were surprised at the huge reception they received from the American fans. They
were not prepared for what was about to happen to them. They didn’t know it at
the time, but they didn’t need opening acts, it was just how things were done
back then. After that show, there were never any opening acts.
In my book, From Cabbagetown to Tinseltown, I go into a lot
of what happened with my conversations with Brian Epstein when I did the
British tour in 1963 with The Beatles. He had a plan and it worked.
Tommy
Actually, for all of
their American shows, The Beatles always had opening acts … not big names,
necessarily, but during this era, their entire performance only lasted 30-35
minutes … not like the full-blown concerts of today. They were pretty much on and off stage in a
flash, performing their set with very little variation or kibitzing between
songs.
Over the years, The Ronettes,
Cannibal and the Headhunters, Bobby Hebb, Bill Black’s Combo, The Cyrkle, The
Exciters … to lesser-known acts at the time like Brenda Holloway, King Curtis,
The Remains to Sounds, Incorporated (who did the majority of The Beatles’ shows
here in The States.)
From a report covering
The Beatles’ First US Show …
Although the existing
historical record is unclear about which groups actually performed that night
as opening and/or intermission acts, Tommy Roe reports that he was there, and
performed three songs – “Sheila,” “Everybody,” and “Carol.” Also reportedly
appearing that night were Jay & The Americans, The Righteous Brothers, and
The Caravelles. The opening acts were quite good, according to some in
attendance that evening.
With no documentation,
photographs or video content, I think we just have to go with “majority rules”
on this one.
Ironically, The Beatles’
performance was filmed by CBS and then released in theaters as a Closed
Circuit, Pay-Per-View showing … but for theater, they were paired with concerts
by The Beach Boys and Lesley Gore, both of whom had absolutely NOTHING to do
with the Washington, DC show! (kk)
Meanwhile, here's a fun Q&A luncheon with Jay Black from that same B103 interview, just before his 70th birthday … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTFP_BfG6pg
With all the shows I’ve seen
over the course of a lifetime, Jay Black is one that I regret never having seen
live … watching some live clips this weekend, it looks like I missed a VERY
entertaining night of music and laughter.
Again, even well into his 70’s, Jay never failed to entertain those who
came to see him. He LOVED to
perform. (kk)
Here’s Jay performing with his
son in 2011 … Jay black with his son -
YouTube
And how about this ...
FH Reader Tom Cuddy and Jay Black, circa 1985 ...
What’s wrong with people?
What would possess somebody to
deliberately go out and deface the Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock, TX? But that’s exactly what somebody did …
Iconic
Buddy Holly Statue vandalized - YouTube
As to the new song by ABBA, I’m just not a big fan anymore.
This sounds like Waterloo
backing (slowed down) and Andrews Sisters-type delivery vocally. Just my
take on it.
Clark
I like it. New ABBA sounds just like OLD ABBA because
this track is, essentially, old ABBA!
I’m curious to hear the rest of the album … but I like what I’ve heard
so far. (kk)
Meanwhile, The Dave Clark Five’s US
debut album, “Glad All Over,” is being reissued on white vinyl in a remastered
version that was overseen by Dave Clark himself.
Three of the songs from this LP
ended up making The National Pop Charts here in 1964 … “Glad All Over” (#5),
“Bits And Pieces” (#3) and “Do You Love Me” (#8). November 26th has been set as the
release date. (kk)
From brand new FH Reader Nick Frankart …
Please
send me your "fascinating newsletter" as referenced on Dwight Rounds'
website AnimalstoZombies.com.
Thank you, Kent!
I
look forward to becoming a regular reader, and at least an occasional
contributor.
I
currently live in Long Beach, CA, although I grew up in the Steel City -
Pittsburgh, PA, just a stone’s throw up the hill (there are hills everywhere in
the Pittsburgh area) from the home of the Vogues, who hailed from the small
town/suburb of Turtle Creek (great name, huh?), PA.
Speaking
of stones, I just saw The Rolling Stones in concert for the very first time
ever - in LA last week. They were sensational, and still bring it!
More
later.
Best
regards, and glad to make your acquaintance!
Nick
Welcome aboard, Nick …
you’ve got a WHOLE lotta catching up to do!
(lol)
And, if you’d like to
prepare a complete Rolling Stones concert review, I’d be happy to run it! (kk)
Frank B sent us this
Facebook Post from Mark Lindsay, correcting the misinformation circulating
about next year’s Happy Together Tour …
A big head’s up, kids - I suppose it’s to be expected after Covid caused Happy Together shows to be re-scheduled, re-re-scheduled, and even re-re-re-scheduled, but we’ve just become aware of several venues advertising a lineup for 2022 including ME. That is INCORRECT info and I’ll be sending off an email to my agent shortly so that it’s fixed. I have no idea who’ll be on the 2022 tour, but it definitely will NOT be me.
ML
Lindsay announced last year that he was foregoing touring for
the near future, trying to get his mind and body into a healthier state. (Mark had heart issues a couple of years ago
as well.)
I’m not sure why any theater would be posting erroneous
information when the CORRECT information exists … but we’re passing the info
along as a Buyer Beware service. Mark
Lindsay will NOT be part of the 2022 Happy Together Tour. (kk)
Chuck Buell waxes on about his dislike of The Fifth Dimension’s
#1 Hit “Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In” from 1969 …
>>>To me, "Aquarius" is just
too much of a saccharin overdose of cosmic hippieness!
CB (which stands for
"Curmudgeon Boy!")
>>>Well, on this one, I think you’ll
find that you’re probably in the minority. Not only did it top the
charts for five weeks back in 1969, but it’s still very popular with oldies
radio and oldies fans in general.
(kk)
HA! Yep!
So, I did a little guesstimation on how many times
(minimum) I must have played that song on the “CB Radio Shows” from its initial
status as a “Pick Hit of the Week,” its Rise UP the Chart, Domination of its
Five Weeks of Number One Position, and its Descend Back down. I calculated roughly
somewhere around 115-120+ times in a short, concentrated 11 to 12 week period
alone!
We all have songs that are not our favorites and
when one has to play a lesser-liked one multiple times a day,
for weeks on end, for on-going months, it can become like “too much ice
cream!” Brain Freeze!!
(I didn’t include the gazillions of times I must
have played it afterwards over the years as it solidified its rightful place in
Contemporary Music History as a “Recurrent,” “Golden Oldie,” “Memory Maker” or
became Enshrined Forever as a Major Hit in the “Forgotten Hits Archives!”)
~CB~
I’ve often wondered
about how torturous it must have been having to play “the hits” a couple of
times in a four hour shift when you didn’t especially LIKE one of those
hits. (I guess I just figured that these
instances became much-anticipated bathroom breaks!)
And, of course, some of
these songs became instant button-pushers for us out driving around listening
to our favorite Top 40 Hits stations. Making me think, “Yeah, these songs may
have been earning points for airplay … but how many people out there were
actually LISTENING to them?!?!?” (kk)
A brand new 13-CD box set
commemorating the Music of The Viet Nam War is in the works … it features 17
hours of music and time-sensitive news reports … you can check out the track
list here …
File this under “Totally Unnecessary Remakes” …
It’s Ringo Starr’s new version of “Rock Around The
Clock,” sent in by FH Reader Frank B.
Meanwhile, congratulate The Beatles on another hit
album …
The “Let It Be” reissue box placed at #5 on Billboard’s
brand new Top 200 Albums Chart … and actually was the top selling album of the
week. (Roughly translated, between
sales, streams and downloads, the combined variations of the reissue set sold
about 55,000 copies … 48,000 of which were physical, actual CDs … ‘cause that’s
the way we old timers roll, ya dig???)
I made it thru the complete box over the weekend and
have to report that overall, I am somewhat disappointed by the content. There was just SO much more out there
available that has never been commercially released that would have been FAR more
interesting to hear. (Do we really need four
or five versions of “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Get Back,” “Let It Be,” “Two Of Us”
and “I’ve Got A Feeling”??? Heck even
the throw-away track “Maggie May” makes three appearances on the box set!) This is especially disheartening when one
considers that the original FAST version of “Two Of Us” isn’t even included at
all. (I especially like the bit in the
original “Let It Be” film when Paul goes into his Elvis impersonation during
the run-through of this song … but you won’t find it here!)
Nor will you find any of the lengthy jams the group
did to warm up for each session, revisiting songs from their earlier
incarnation playing the Hamburg clubs … LOTS of ‘50’s and early ‘60’s tunes
that they would use to loosen up for a session.
For years, The Beatles insisted that what was in the
vault would STAY in the vault. From what
I’ve seen thus far (meaning everything released AFTER the well-picked gems from
the “Anthology” series) probably should have stayed there. I see nothing new and exciting here … and
even less so since the “Let It Be Naked” album release has already shown us the
stripped-down, original intent of the band.
(kk)
Frank B also sent us this one …
This was found online by Scotty's nephew Lee. It’s likely a recent addition to the registry of landmarks. Photo credit unknown.
An interesting Billy Joel concert review from the show he did in Austin, Texas, this past weekend …
Billy
Joel Plays Human Jukebox During Lively Austin Show: Review
(ultimateclassicrock.com)
And another Chuck Buell Production …
We interrupt today’s regularly scheduled Forgotten Hits Post to
bring you this FHTV International Special from Forgotten Hits Television
Network President and General Manager of Programming, Chuck Buell.
(In the interest of full disclosure, he produced only the overall Program Presentation Concept … meaning just its Intro and Close. kk)
Such sad news about Jay Black … he had been in failing health for some time now. His whole life was tied to his voice and (much like some of the conversations we’ve had here recently) when he came to the conclusion that he could no longer hit those notes, he called it a career. Sadly for him, that moment of realization came while he was onstage performing. Still, to be able to maintain the breathing techniques and vocal power well into his 70’s is no small feat … nor is being able to hit and hold those incredible notes. He will be missed. (kk)
Jay Black has died at age 82 … fabulous voice and a very funny man.
I was at his last show four years ago at Mohegan Sun … it was
a Bowzer show.
Jay should never have done it. He hadn’t performed in a year and his failing
health impacted his voice for the first time.
He apologized to the crowd for not being able to hit some of the high
notes.
Tom Cuddy
Certainly NOT the way he would have
liked to have gone out, which lead me back to my point over the past few weeks
as to what kind of lasting memory do you want to leave your fans with. Show Business is and has always been a fickle
business … you’re only as good as your last hit … and in Jay’s case, that was a
long, long time ago. (I still have to
laugh every time I think about Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams announcing on
stage, “We’d like to do our most recent Top 20 Hit” … and then performing
“Susan” from 1968!!! Lol)
Jay Black has every right to be
proud of his performance legacy. His personal
life have have been a train wreck (and it sounds like it was, based on many of
the things I’ve heard and read over the years), but man, the guy could sing …
like nobody else. (kk)
Some more info on Jay Black …
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jay-black-singer-jay-americans-235611578.html
I'm quite sure that some of this is flat out
wrong -
Jay and the Americans didn't form in the 1950's
with Jay Black ...
Jay Black replaced Jay Traynor AFTER the group
had their first hit in 1962 with "She Cried" ...
And I have absolutely NO knowledge of Jay and
the Americans ever opening for The Beatles ...
And certainly not at their first concert in
America ...
That distinction belongs to The Caravelles and
Tommy Roe.
I’m not so sure I'd trust running the link to
this one. (kk)
I agree with you. You would think Spin Magazine would be a
more credible source.
TC
And then …
Here’s the
Hollywood Reporter ...
It appears
his family put out a release, including the Beatles mention
Rolling
Stone also states that Jay opened for the Beatles in DC.
I guess I’ve been wrong for all these years! (At least The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling
Stone got the part right about Jay Traynor!!!)
lol
Kent: This story says Jay and the Americans were with Tommy Roe as opening
acts.
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1964/02/11/live-washington-coliseum/
I probably trust The Beatles Bible more than any
other source … especially since they had this information documented BEFORE Jay
Black passed away. (Ironically, THIS
account doesn’t mention The Caravelles as being part of the show … but I’ve
read interviews with these girls before talking about the show. They were hot at the time with “You Don’t
Have To Be A Baby To Cry.”) kk
And then, of course, there’s this 2008
interview with Jay Black sent in by FH Reader Frank B … talking about his
upcoming show on November 1st in Westbury, where he’d be performing
on what would be his then 70th birthday …
kk …
Jay jokes about death ... and even Jay has a
Beatles story to tell.
FB
Lots of talk about Jay
and the Americans opening for The Beatles at their first US show in Washington,
DC back in February of 1964 … something I wasn’t aware of. (I only knew of The Caravelles and Tommy Roe
opening for The Beatles. For some
reason, I recall that either The Crystals or The Chiffons were supposed to be there, too … but they
had to cancel for some reason … a snow storm perhaps (???)
But even in Jay’s interview, he talks about being there opening for The Beatles, along with The Righteous Brothers (who I also wasn’t aware of being there!) I have had a video tape of this concert for decades now and don’t recall EVER hearing anything about anyone other than Tommy Roe and The Caravelles being there that day. (The Beatles, of course, were on the Tommy Roe / Chris Montez show in England the year before … so I also heard that they hand-picked Tommy to open for their first show here in the US.) Tommy has told us the story about how he wrote his big hit “Everybody” on John Lennon’s guitar when he hung out behind in the truck while the others ran in to get something to eat.
I asked him about the
bill that incredible night of February 11, 1964 …
And was quite surprised to see that, due to the circumstances surrounding this event, even a guy who was THERE that night isn't exactly sure as to what transpired ...
Hi Kent ...
First, I send my condolences to the family and friends of Jay Black. Big voice, very talented. RIP.
Be sure to check out our interview with Tommy Roe from a few years ago ...
Forgotten Hits - Forgotten Hits Interviews Tommy Roe
Jay and the Americans
posted this notice on their website regarding Jay Black’s passing …
“Today, we mourn the passing of David
Blatt a/k/a Jay Black, and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him
both as a partner and as a lead singer. We shared both wonderful and very
contentious times and, much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful
children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”
COUSIN BRUCIE x 2:
kk …
Kenny Vance Talked To Cousin Brucie About Jay
Black.
Kenny Said That Jay Heard David Whitfield Sing
"CARA MIA" On The Ed Sullivan Show. Right Away Jay Said That He
Wanted To Record It. Everybody Thought He Was Crazy. Early On, They Were
Produced By Lieber & Stoller. They
Dropped The Group, Thinking There Was Nothing There.
Of Course, Today Kenny Vance And The
Planotones Are Very Popular.
Kenny Was An original Member Of The Harbor
Lights -- Who Became Jay And The Americans.
The Group Recorded "ONLY IN AMERICA” When
The Drifters Passed On It.
Cousin Brucie Also Talked To Robert Jaramillo,
Original Member Of Cannibal And The Headhunters.
In 1964, They Toured With The Beatles. Robert
Said That Everybody Forgets They Also Opened For The Rolling Stones On May 7,
1965.
Kent - You Should Ask Me, “Frank, What
About That Name?”
Okay , I'll Tell You.
Their Lead Singer, The Late Frankie Garcia,
Got In A Fight When He was 15 Years Old And Bit The Other Guy’s Ear Off … Thus,
Cannibal And The Headhunters.
Their Big Hit Was The Chris Kenner Song "LAND
OF 1000 DANCES." Robert Told Us That Originally They Sang It Without The
"NA NA NA NA." One Night While Singing The Song, The Mic Broke.
Next Night They Were Getting Requests For That "NA NA NA NA” Song. They Didn't Know What The Audience Was
Talking About.
Pretty Interesting For A One Hit Wonder Group
... And They're Still Around, Recently Doing Shows At The Greek Theatre On The
West Coast And An Upstate New York Casino On The East Coast. They're Currently Booking Shows For Next
Year.
Frank B.
Looking For An Echo - Kenny Vance – YouTube …
kk …
What Every Street Corner Group Was Looking
For
FB
Cannibal & The Headhunters - Land Of 1000 Dances – YouTube
kk:
I Haven't Thought About This Song In A Long
Time.
I Think They Were On The Lost Murray The K
Special.
FB
Cannibal and the Headhunters bested Chris Kenner’s version of “Land of 1000 Dances,” taking it to #30 compared to Chris’ #77 showing.
However, the REAL hit
version of this song belonged to Wilson Pickett, whose hit record went all the
way to #6. Thee Midniters, Electric
Indian and The J. Geils Band also scored Hot 100 Hits with this tune ... not
bad for a “Na Na” song that predated both “Hey Jude” and Steam’s “Na Na, Hey
Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye.” (Amazing what
you can do with a nonsense lyric!
Songwriters often fill in their missing lyrics with “na-na’s” as space
holders until they can come up with the proper words to fit the tune. In these cases, the “na-na’s” became an
integral part of the song!) kk
Here’s another
interesting clip on Cannibal and the Headhunters’ career …
Jay Black, what a great voice, and the reason I am currently in a band.
When he left Jay & The Americans, his place was taken by John
Reincke, who at that time was "Johnny Starr" in Johnny Starr and the
Meteors. I saw John's last show with the Meteors. I told him he
sounded very much like Jay (Black) and he responded, "I am Jay!".
When he sang "She Cried" he introduced it as his first #1 song, even
though he was eight years old when that happened.
The Meteors approached a singer I had worked for in the 80's, Harry
Stevens, to replace John. Instead, Harry decided the time was right for
"putting the band back together" and recruited me as a drummer.
Starting a 60's band in the 2000's is an uphill battle, but it's been fun.
The Meteors seem to be working steadily. I've seen them a
couple of times. They put on a good show.
Anyway, that's my four degrees of separation from Jay Black.
Ed #1
Johnny Starr and the
Meteors were a top oldies attraction here for years and years. John Reincke has an incredible voice and
vocal range and also paid tribute to other popular singers as part of his act,
including Roy Orbison and Neil Diamond.
(Turns out, Jay Black ALSO was a huge fan of The Big O, and would start
their shows with either “Oh, Pretty Woman” or “Crying,” a song that Jay and the
Americans also went on to record.
I’ve seen the group
with Jay #3 a number of times now and they absolutely DO honor the legacy of
the original band (just like the judge ordered them to! Lol)
kk
Sadly, Jay's death wasn't the only one we need to report from last week ...
We also lost these movers and shakers who affected our lives in one way or another ...
Robin McNamara ... who had himself a huge hit in 1970 with "Lay a Little Lovin' On Me" ... passed away yesterday (Thursday), at the age of 74.
In 1963, while in tenth grade, McNamara formed a rock
and roll group with a few school friends; they christened their band Robin and
the Hoods, performing locally in the New England area with McNamara as the lead
vocalist.
In the late 1960s, McNamara relocated to New York City,
where he became a cast member of the Broadway musical Hair, playing the lead
role of Claude from 1969-71. In 1969, he was introduced to composer/record
producer Jeff Barry, who signed him to his Steed record label.
Together with McNamara’s then songwriting
partner Jim Cretecos, they wrote a song called “Lay a Little Lovin’ on Me,” which
McNamara took to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of
1970. A lack of further chart success resulted in McNamara being dubbed a
one-hit wonder.
Ken Voss
Sad to lose actor Peter Scolari on Friday … I always enjoyed his work on both “Bosom Buddies” and “Newhart.” He was one of those actors that you wouldn’t see for awhile and then all of a sudden, he’d just show up on something … even just a small part … to remind you of how well thought of he was. He will be missed. (kk)
Songwriter LESLIE BRICUSSE has died at the age of 90.
He wrote many musicals … and co-wrote two James
Bond Themes … "GOLDFINGER (My Favorite) and "YOU ONLY LIVE
TWICE."
Frank B.
I like both of those as well.
In fact, the other night when there
was nothing on, I ran a YouTube mix of EVERY James Bond opening sequence and
movie theme. (Trust me, this’ll take a
while to watch!!!)
Having probably only seen four or
five Bond films in my whole life (I’ve just never really been a big fan), it
was interesting to discover the cool themes recorded by Gladys Knight (“License
To Kill”) and Sheryl Crow (“Tomorrow Never Dies.”)
If I had to rank my Top 007 James
Bond Themes, I think I’d have to go with:
#7 – Tomorrow Never Dies – Sheryl
Crow
#6 – License To Kill – Gladys Knight
#5 – Nobody Does It Better – Carly
Simon
#4 – Skyfall - Adele
#3 – The James Bond Theme – The John
Barry Orchestra
#2 – Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey
#1 – Live And Let Die – Paul
McCartney and Wings
Bricusse also had a hand in writing “The Candy Man,” “Feeling Good,” and had a hand in writing the soundtracks for “Hook,” “Dr. Doolittle,” “Superman” and “Scrooge.”