My son is, and always has been, a huge Billy Joel fan. Bringing things around full circle, he copied Joel's cover picture of The Stranger for
one of his senior picture shots. AND the photographer who did his
Senior portfolio is Steven Cooper (Coop) who has been CT Photographer of
the Year 7 times now and is currently the Executive Director of The Milford
Performance Center. A full circle represented for my family.
I
have seen Liberty DeVitto perform with Ringo and with Billy J Kramer,
but this is the first time I have seen him perform the original Joel
songs he recorded with Joel's rhythm guitarist Russell Javors.
Saxophonist, Richie Cannata, also an original member, is fixing some
family issues but will return to The Lords this spring.
The
52nd Street Band is the name Billy Joel gave them and they now perform
as The Lords of 52nd Street, using the same key they originally recorded
in for each song. In keeping with this, you need a voice that can handle
the high octaves and bring emotion to the delivery. Dan Orlando, who
has also been referred to as "piano man," grew up mimicking The 52nd
Street Band with his brother at home, and so learned to portray, without
trying to copy Joel's vocals and piano deliveries. The other grand
musicians here are Doug Kistner on keyboards, Malcolm Gold on bass and a
new lead guitarist whose name I could not track down. Anthony? Sorry ...
and I will keep looking for you. The other three have their own websites,
where you can find out all about them. Richie, Liberty and Russell are
on The Lords website with info on booking.
This
can't be named a tribute group as half of them are on the recordings.
They are the performers who worked with Billy Joel starting in 1976
through the mid-80s. Billy knew them from his musical beginnings in NYC.
Liberty and Russell have hung around together since Russell was 15.
This is the core of those records. These are tight musicians who have
selected a run-through of Joel's albums to give us a taste of just what
they experienced working with him.
Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway
My Life
I've Loved These Days
All For Leyna
Sometimes in a Fantasy
Pressure
An
instrumental that featured Liberty, the lead guitarist and Dan Orlando
on piano. After this song, Liberty came down to the front mic to speak
to the audience starting with the words, "I can't believe you guys are
still into this s***!"
The Entertainer
The Ballad of Billy the Kid
Captain Jack
Vienna
Don't Ask Me Why
Sleeping With the Television On
The Stranger
Until the Night
Keeping the Faith
Only the Good Die Young
You May Be Right
Piano Man
Unbelievable Fun! They have played here before. They will again.
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
NE Correspondent Forgotten Hits
[photos by Kevin Mocker]
I got to meet Liberty DeVitto (and his daughter Torrey who, at the time, was in Chicago filming "Chicago Med," a series she has since left) when Liberty was here to perform with Billy J. Kramer at that year's Fest For Beatles Fans at The O'Hare Regency Hotel.
It was a fun bit of visiting as once Billy J. introduced me as "a music guy," Liberty just went right into talking about topics and terminology typically bantered about in those types of circles. (I have to admit that I was quite blown away ... and flattered!!!)
He talked a little bit about working with Billy Joel for all those years (and I know that Billy ... well, BOTH Billys for that matter ... have the utmost respect for Liberty DeVitto's drumming ... and rightfully so.) Still, it was quite a kick to meet him ... and something that I'll never forget.
I have to admit that The Billy Joel Channel is one of my favorite Sirius XM's "adds" ... and not only listen to it faithfully whenever it comes back on, but miss it incredibly every time it signs back off. (Billy is an EXCELLENT storyteller ... and has some VERY interesting stories to tell.)
And his catalog of recorded music is nothing to scoff at either.
While I didn't really first get into him until the "Stranger" album (I'm sorry but I absolutely HATED "Piano Man" ... and STILL turn it off every single time it comes on!), I was a devoted fan ever since. ("An Innocent Man" is still one of my all-time favorite albums ... and shows just how talented Billy Joel really is, capturing the complete sound and feel of the music that influenced him the most.)
I've told the story many times about how I've had tickets to see him three times over the years ... but for one reason or another, never actually made it to a show. In every instance, the tickets ended up being thrown away once the concert event had passed. (In my dreams, seeing Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden would be the ultimate concert ... and, with that residency now winding down, seeing him in his final performance at The Garden the "to die for" concert event of my life.)
And, since I didn't win the $2 Billion Powerball Lottery, I just need to resign myself to the fact that I'll likely never see him ... and that's a shame. (The first time I had to miss his show was, of all things, his "An Innocent Man" Tour. I was heartbroken ... but my band had a gig the same night and I just couldn't let them down.)
I remember announcing it on stage that night ...
"I had tickets to see Billy Joel in concert tonight but unfortunately, I'll have to miss it because of our show here tonight at Mister Ed's ...
But then again HE won't be able to see us perform tonight either ... so let's get on with the show ... at which time I sang "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me," NOT one of my favorite Billy Joel songs ... but somehow appropriate nevertheless. (kk)
Rudolph Isley, founding member of The Isley
Brothers, passed away on Wednesday, October 11th.He was 84.(Rudolph had a hand in writing some of their biggest hits, including “Shout,”
“It’s Your Thing” and “That Lady.”)
Michael Ochs
Archives/Getty Images
We recently reported (back on August 26th),
that Rudolph and his brother Ronald were involved in a dispute as to the rights
to the “brand name” The Isley Brothers.(Rudolph last performed with the group in 1989, at which time he left to
become a Christian Minister.)
‘60’s FLASHBACK:
There seems to be a little lost brotherly love between Isley
Brothers Ronald and Rudolph.
After the passing of brother O’Kelly in 1986, the two reportedly
shared the rights to the Isley Brothers name … but Rudolph has not performed as
part of The Isley Brothers since about 1990. As such, Ronald feels that
HE has been the only one keeping the family name (and family business) alive …
and, as such, should own the full rights to the “brand” name. (Rudolph,
of course, feels otherwise … which is what has landed the brothers in court
right now.)
Last week, Rudolph testified that even though he stopped
performing as part of the act, he did not technically leave the group, but
“instead took on the sort of continuing managerial role that creates a
continuing ownership right in the mark.”
Meanwhile, for the past 30+ years, it is Ronald Isley’s name
that everybody is familiar with, both as a founding member of The Isley
Brothers and also as a solo artist. (Ronald Isley scored a Top 10 Hit in
1990 when he teamed with Rod Stewart to record a new version of The Isley
Brothers’ hit “This Old Heart Of Mine,” besting The Isley’s original recording
by a couple of places on the chart.)
This one may take a while to resolve!
MORE:At
one point in time, original founding members (and brothers) Ronald, Rudolph and
O’Kelly invited their younger brothers Ernie and Marvin into the family
business. Ernie and Marvin would eventually leave to form a new group
with their brother-in-law Chris Jasper in 1984 and scored a couple of minor
chart hits.
In all, between 1962 and 2006, The Isley Brothers placed 78 hits on Billboard’s
R&B Chart. Some of their biggest cross-over hits to the Pop Chart
include “Twist And Shout” (#17, 1962), “This Old Heart Of Mine” (#12, 1966),
“It’s Your Thing” (#2, 1969), “That Lady” (#6, 1973) and “Fight The Power” (#4,
1975). As recently as 2001, The Isley Brothers hit the Pop Top 20 with
their song “Contagious,” which was released as The Isley Brothers Featuring
Ronald Isley aka Mr. Biggs! (kk)
Phyllis Coates, TV’s original Lois Lane, also passed away
last week on October 11th (at the age of 96.)
I was a major fan of “The Adventures of Superman” as a kid growing
up, when the program aired weekday afternoons just in time for getting home
from school, often airing two back-to-back episodes.It was also standard weekend fare … and over
the years, I probably saw every episode at least 40 or 50 times.(Today, I own the complete television series
on DVD … yet have never bothered to watch it as I already know each episode by
heart!)
Phyllis’ first season Lois was never my favorite … although
she probably came closer to the character described in the comics.(When a second season renewal wasn’t
forthcoming fast enough, Coates had already signed to do another series … and
she was replaced for the remainder of the series’ run by the far more familiar
and memorable Noel Neill, who herself died in 2016.(Coates was the last surviving member of the cast
… Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen, passed away in 2015.John Hamilton, who played Daily Planet Editor
Perry White, died in 1958, six months after the television series ended; Robert
Shayne, who played Inspector Henderson died in 1992, while George Reeves,
Superman himself, infamously and tragically committed suicide in 1959, proving
that even Superman could not survive a bullet to the head in real life.Reeves’ guest shot on “I Love Lucy” is also a
TV favorite amongst fans.)
The original season was a much more serious “Superman” …
while once it returned with the recast Lois, the series took on a much lighter
tone, sometimes even a bit camp.(I
still maintain that it was the success of this approach that helped ABC decide
to eight years later define “Batman” in much the same way … but it was taking
that concept completely over the top that made it the HUGE initial success it
became!)
Prior to the ABC television series, Coates appeared in the
Superman feature film “Superman and the Mole Men” in 1951.In all, she appeared in 24 episodes of the
series and then, in a clever bit of casting, played Teri Hatcher’s Lois Lane’s
mother in an episode of “Lois And Clark:The New Adventures Of Superman” in 1994, some forty years plus later.
The first season of Superman was filmed in black and white …
and while the others were filmed in color (an unheard of concept for a
syndicated children’s television program in the ‘50’s), many of these also
aired in black and white simply because most of America didn’t have color
television sets yet!They have aired in
color over the past 70+ years of syndication.“The Adventures Of Superman” has never really been off the air.A “colorized” version of “Superman And The
Mole Man” was also made available several years ago. (kk)
Some almost-useless info for ya ... but since you mentioned the
Kennedy assassination 60th anniversary the other day …
Jack Ruby and his mom are buried at Westlawn Cemetery, just west of
Harlem-Irving Plaza. I tripped over the graves by accident while searching for
a relative of mine. I also noticed that Shel Silverstein is buried 660
ft. to the west of the Rubys, and Mike Royko is at 600 feet to the southwest
. Always surprises to be had.
Mike Wolstein
Hmm … another Fort Worth / Chicago
connection!We’ll have to check this out
for ourselves!
I’ve been to Al Capone's grave many times before … in fact,
my parents are buried virtually across the street in another cemetery.
One day, when I was showing Capone’s grave to my brother (we
were probably in our 20’s at the time), we were TOTALLY freaked when, while we
were standing there, three big limos pulled up and parked at the same spot!
Needless to say, we very nonchalantly left quickly and
quietly!!!(kk)
I’ve gotta find a way to go see Queen + Adam Lambert when
they appear here in Chicago on October 30th and 31st …
This Billboard review reaffirms everything I’ve heard about
their current show … and I really don’t know how many more shows they’re going
to do once this tour wraps up.(kk)
UPDATE: Well, we bit the bullet and purchased Queen + Adam Lambert tickets for the October 31st show ... and honestly, we can't wait. Very excited to finally be able to see them ... and even MORE excited that it didn't cost $2500 to do so! (kk)
We talk often about how our Forgotten Hits keep finding a
new audience with each new generation thanks to use in television commercials and
movie and television soundtracks.
Well, this week Billboard Magazine (who actually charts such
things), tells us that HALF of this week’s Top Ten TV Tunes Chart are from OUR
era of music, thanks to recently being featured in programs like “Virgin River,”
“The Continental” and “Winning Time.”(kk)
Rank,
Song, Artist, Series (Network)
1. “September,” Earth, Wind & Fire, Virgin
River (Netflix)
2. “Baker Street,” Gerry Rafferty, The
Continental (Peacock)
3. “In the Shadows,” Amy Stroup, Virgin
River (Netflix)
4. “Gold,” Kiiara, Wilderness
(Amazon Prime Video)
5. “La Grange,” ZZ Top, The Continental
(Peacock)
6. “Let’s Groove,” Earth, Wind & Fire, Winning
Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO)
7. “Blue Monday,” New Order, The
Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC)
8. “Somewhere Only We Know,” Lily Allen, Virgin
River (Netflix)
9. “Sacrilege,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wilderness
(Amazon Prime Video)
10. “Crimson and Clover,” Tommy James and the Shondells, The Continental (Peacock)
Harvey Kubernik looks back on the 50th Anniversary
of The Rolling Stones’ album “Goats Head Soup” …
>>>He had no idea at the time his
impromptu video would become an Internet sensation with literally over a
gazillion million views and still counting and is one of the most watched
Internet videos of all time.(CB)
Chuck Counting …
I gave you credit for your research skills,
but I hope you have someone else handling your finances. You made me laugh
using literally, which is an absolute, and gazillion, which is an
unspecified amount in the same sentence. So, you meant you can absolutely not
count over this number ... and still add to it. I give you creativity and yes,
I know, I am probably the only one who broke up laughing over this statement
more than the video. Remember though that I have student music videos that can
hold up to what you see on youtube.
Keep on keeping on
Shelley
From Tom Cuddy …
Kent:
Have
you seen this?
No, I had not … but I loved it!
Which is really saying something since I never particularly cared
for this song.(The new, upbeat tempo
arrangement brings a whole new feeling to this tune.)
Over the years, I have expressed my resentment of Kenny
Loggins (who cowrote the song with Melissa Manchester) choosing to release it
as a single with Stevie Nicks instead, who was hot at the time thanks to her
Fleetwood Mac success.(In all fairness,
Loggins was on tour as Fleetwood Mac’s opening act at the time, which is how I
saw them both for the very first time at a concert at Northern Illinois University
in DeKalb, Illinois that year.)
Their duet went to #5 in 1978 … and as such, I always felt
Melissa Manchester was cheated out of a Top Five Hit on her own song.(I was also a HUGE Melissa Manchester fan at
the time and had seen her several times during this same time period, including
a show where Burton Cummings, out touring for the very first time as a solo artist,
was her opening act.)
And, speaking of Tom Cuddy …
>>>Kent: Had I known that Forgotten Hits
Royalty, East Coast Correspondent Shelley Sweet-Tufano, was going to be
attending the same concert as me in Tarrytown, NY, featuring the Association
and the Grass Roots, I would have made arrangements to say hi!As they say ... so close, but so far away.I also could have provided the attached
picture to her review of the Grass Roots current lead singer Mark Dawson.(Tom Cuddy)
Tom –
Where Were You When I Needed You
Shelley
Chuck Buell tells me that he’s come across
something he thinks is kind of Fascinating …
That I did! And for that
reason, I just wanted to share this with everyone ~~~
For those who may not be aware of
Theo Jansen, he’s a Dutch artist and inventor, who in my opinion, has taken the
“Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose” mantra to a new amazing higher level!
Using yellow plastic PVC tubing, zip
ties, rubber rings, recycled plastic bottles and other similar items, he
combines art with engineering and creates his remarkable larger-than-life
kinetic sculptures called “Strandbeests.” His creations actually move on
their own in a life-like manner using just wind power.
Since 1990, in his long line of his
Strandbeests, this is his latest for 2023. And I just thought it would be
Fun to add an appropriate Classic Forgotten Hit to this video as background music!
So, here then is a Special Video
Version of my “Chuck Buell Fascinating Minute Medley!”
CB which, using a “hard C” as
in “Cat,” stands for “Cinetic Boy!” )
Chuck also sent us this little clip … which he
refers to as “a rare "Chuck Buell Unplugged
Forgotten Hits Eye Roller!"
[PLEASE NOTE:FH is
NOT responsible for the content of this video – kk]
That’s funny -
A while back I ran a picture of a birthday candles display
at Walmart ...
Somebody had arranged them to read 8 6 7 5 3 0 9 ... wonder
how many shoppers got that!!!
And then, about a year ago I stopped for a gyro at lunch and
they gave me number 909 while I waited for my order ...
Me, being me, the VERY first thing that crossed my mind when
I saw it was, "If there had been just ONE more person ahead of me, I could
have been the One After 909."
The power of a musical mind!!!! (lol)
Yeah . . . I wonder if it was from your unsung FHs
hero in 2019 . . . me!
That number is still around here!
You can order a pizza from "Totally 80s Pizza" just
north of Denver in Fort Collins, CO, at 970 - 867-5309!
CB
True Confession:
I was SO inspired by your message that tonight, when I had to stop at
Jewel/Osco to pick up a prescription after work, I rearranged their birthday
candles to read 867 5309 while I waited for my prescription to be filled ...
and one of their floor clerks caught me ... walked up and said
"Jenny" ... and then walked away. (Too funny! I'll bet he
wasn't more than 25 years old!)kk
And here's a vintage Forgotten Hits piece from 2010 that we
just stumbled across while looking for something else …
This is it ... the very first WLS Silver Dollar Survey ... from October 14th, 1960!
Although the station had switched over to Top 40 Rock on May 2nd of that year, this was the first week where they published their own list of The Top 40 Most Popular Records in Chicagoland ...
And already they were counting them down every weekday.
The #1 Record was a bit of a surprise ...
"Shortnin' Bread" by Paul Chaplain only climbed as high as #50 on the national charts ... and stopped at #82 in Billboard ...
But WLS was already carving out its own niche when it came to the most popular records in Chicagoland. (Two weeks later, they were showing "Ruby Duby Du" by Tobin Matthews in the #1 spot ... this was another record that never broke The Top Ten nationally.)
Owned by Sears Roebuck Company (WLS stood for "World's Largest Store), the station first signed on the air in 1924 ... which makes next year its 100th Anniversary. (And yes, they are still broadcasting at 890 on the AM dial ... although it's been an all-talk format for many years now.)
Some legendary names have broadcast over these microphones over the years ... and next year when Rewound Radio celebrates their Labor Day Weekend with the Third Annual WLS / WCFL Rewound, they'll have a LOT to celebrate! (kk)
All of a sudden, The Rolling Stones are everywhere again! (Their new album, "Hackney Diamonds," their first album of all new material in eighteen years, is out next Friday, and the advance press has been exceptional ... as are the first two tracks leaked, "Angry" and "Sweet Sounds Of Heaven.")
We told you about a new book profiling the key women in The Rolling Stones' lives ("Parachute Women") ... and a new documentary, "The Stones And Brian Jones," is coming to streaming services November 17th. (Other recent documentaries profiling Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts individually have also made the rounds in the recent past.)
Now comes news of another new book release ...
The Rolling Stones: Icons
Edited by ACC
Art Books
Introduction by
Harvey Kubernik
The Rolling Stones:
Icons brings together the greatest photographs ever taken of the greatest rock
’n’ roll band of all time. The result is the most important anthology of The
Rolling Stones’ images ever compiled, featuring the iconic, the awe inspiring
and the surprising.
Photo by Terry O'Neill
Spanning six heady
decades, and countless tours and album covers, this thrilling portfolio
features imagery from some of the most eminent names in photography, alongside
the photographers’ own memories and reflections. From Terry O’Neill’s images of
the young, uncompromising new band taken in Tin Pan Alley, through Michael
Brennan’s photos of their creative peak in the ’70s, and on to the stadium
tours of the 21st-century, as shot by Greg Brennan, The Rolling Stones: Icons
captures many of the milestone moments of the band’s remarkable career.
Over 300 pages, this
massive volume also features images taken by founding member,
bassist, and photographer, Bill Wyman as well as Linda McCartney, who
working as an editorial assistant for Town & Country, was assigned to
interview and photograph the band as they chartered a yacht along the
Manhattan coastline.
●Includes iconic, rare and unseen images of The Rolling Stones
●Each photographer has selected images for their chapter and written
an introductory text about their time working with the band
●Produced to the highest
quality – this will be the photography book of 2023
About Harvey Kubernik:Harvey
Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In
Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every
Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart
of Gold: Neil Young and 2017's 1967:
A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love. Sterling/Barnes and
Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021
they wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child
for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. In 2023, Harvey and Kenneth signed a book deal
with Insight Editions and are collaborating with Iconic Images for Images That Rocked the World (The Music
Photography of Ed Caraeff). Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published
Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That
Matters.
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