Maurice Williams, lead singer of The Zodiacs, passed away yesterday (Tuesday, August 6th) Frank B actually gave me the news early Tuesday afternoon … but I couldn’t find anything online to corroborate it … until I saw this this morning. He was 86 years old.
https://soultracks.com/story-stay-singer-maurice-williams-dies-at-86/
Williams sang their eternal #1 Hit “Stay” all the way to #1 back in 1960. Remakes by The Four Seasons and Jackson Browne also did well on the pop charts … but NOTHING could come close to the original.
It has been used in so many different movie soundtracks, television ads and TV series over the years that every generation that has grown up since is familiar with the song. (And how can you not love it?!?! Coming in at under two minutes, the recording is a timeless classic.)
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs never came close to having another hit … but this one will never be forgotten. (kk)
DIDJAKNOW?: Maurice Williams wrote the #2 Hit “Little Darlin’” by The Diamonds?
Somebody has posted the entire 2024 Happy Together Tour concert on YouTube … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R90tNPNx-U
I am still amazed by how incredibly good The Cowsills still sound after all these years … and with half the act missing! Even replaced by a sibling lead singer, the blend of their voices and the fun they appear to be having on stage is totally addictive …
I’ve seen them several times now and they never disappoint.
Not so much the case with Joey Molland … who I have ALSO seen several times now, performing as part of various compilation shows …
I LOVE the music of Badfinger … I was a HUGE fan (and still
am) of their music and was fortunate enough to see them a few times back in the
day … but simply put, Joey’s current day renditions don’t do anything to honor
the band or their legacy. He's a pretty pale replacement for Little Anthony on this year's trek.
The Vogues sound quite good for a bunch of old guys that are also missing several original members … The Association have always been hit or miss when trying to capture those harmonies live in concert … but they sound pretty good here. They are ALSO down several key members these days.
Jay and the Americans, with new Jay … jeez, how long can we refer to him as “new Jay”??? John Reinke has already been the group’s lead singer for eighteen years now! With a slightly revamped lineup, these guys are still quite entertaining.
As for headliners, The Turtles, it’s now essentially the Ron Dante Show. Howard Kaylan, their original lead singer has been absent from the road for several years now … and his partner Mark Volman’s health issues have been quite public these past couple of years … so that leaves Ron to do most of the heavy lifting these days. (At least he gets to sing his OWN #1 Hit “Sugar Sugar” as part of the festivities!!!)
Anyway, it’s a great chance to experience the show circa 2024 … so check it out when you get a chance.
I’ve been saying this for years …
Between all of these acts, you are NEVER going to get more bang for your buck than The Happy Together Tour. Between them, these artists have had over FIFTY Top 40 Hits … and helped to define the Sound of the ‘60’s. You simply can’t go wrong here! (kk)
When Micky Dolenz and band stepped onto the stage at Friday’s South Park Township show in Philadelphia, it was before a huge crowd.
Dolenz’s An Evening with Micky Dolenz - Songs and Stories continues.
(photo by John Billings)
Although nobody knew it at the time (including the band themselves), Aerosmith gave their last concert back on September 9th, 2023, in Elmont, New York.
Ultimate Classic Rock remembers what it was like that night …
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/aerosmith-final-concert/?lh_aid=1113205&lh_cid=hn1rum95cy&di=4727255a66e968c5ea67346d5951dbff
>>>60 YEARS AGO TODAY: 8/2/64 - After an intense, two-day search, the body of country music superstar Jim Reeves was found in the wreckage of his aircraft and, at 1:00 p.m. local time, radio stations across the United States formally announced his death. The single-engine Beechcraft Debonair aircraft, with Reeves at the controls, had crashed 42 hours earlier during a thunderstrom. Thousands of people traveled to pay their last respects at his funeral two days later. The coffin, draped in flowers from fans, was driven through the streets of Nashville and then to Reeves' final resting place near Carthage, Texas. (kk)
kk:
It should be noted:
Thursday July 30, 1964; Friday July 31, 1964; Saturday August 1, 1964; Sunday August 2, 1969
There was ZERO perception / NO Thunderstorms / NO isolated anything reported in the Nashville Airport area as well as the surrounding Nashville, TN, areas such as Franklin, TN or Brentwood, TN
ZERO perception
Wind was reported less than 9 mph
NO Thunderstorms in the area or even reported in the area on
Jim Reeves’ private plane "disappeared soon before coming into land at Nashville Airport Friday Night, July 31, 1964"
Not again!!!
Were we being fed erroneous information back in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s as part of a coverup for the real events of the crashes of Buddy Holly’s and Jim Reeves’ planes?
According to these reports filed by LJ Coon, maybe so! (kk)
Noise 11 just ran a vintage interview with Brian Wilson from 2002, done just prior to his first trip to Australia on tour since 1978.
You can read the whole thing here:
https://www.noise11.com/news/brian-wilson-the-noise11-interview-archive-series-2002-20240805
(I love how he says that “Smile” would never be released … and then a few years later he was out on tour performing it in its entirety … even though it was “never sequenced!” lol) kk
Kent:
Most of us will be blessed if we're stilling living in our 80s, but what about someone like the amazing Johnny Mathis who is STILL performing in his late 80s!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ttxhU_CPV3s&feature=shared
I ran across this YouTube video from a performance Johnny did last month and if you concentrate on the vocal, it sounds as solid as it did decades ago.
And remember, Johnny will be turning 89 years-old next month! Simply amazing!
One of my favorite music trivia questions of all-time, which typically stump most people, is:
WHAT WAS THE VERY FIRST GREATEST HITS ALBUM EVER???
Columbia's 1958 release of Johnny's Greatest Hits album. The LP featured eight of Johnny's charting singles, three non-charting B-sides, and an altogether new track. The album spent three weeks at #1 on Billboard's album charts.
The collection made its last appearance in Billboard over ten years later, in the July 20, 1968 issue, which marked its 490th non-consecutive week there, a record at that time!
-Tom Cuddy
New York, NY
He does sound pretty amazing here …
I have to wonder if the shrug was for the sour note or just part of the act to go along with the lyric … but to still have a voice THAT strong and that in-tune at the age of 89 is truly quite remarkable.
Between 1957 and 1978, Johnny hit The National Top 40 21 times … and who, even back then, could have ever predicted him earning a #1 Record in 1978, only the second of his long career! Pretty amazing! (kk)
1957 - #1 – “Chances Are”
1878 - #1 – “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” (with Deniece Williams)
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Johnny Mathis in a backstage visit with FH reader Tom Cuddy in the 80s.
Then again, age is just a number ...
????? Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have 'Final Tour Dates' through April of 2025. This may be called, The Longest Good-bye. (and not in book form)
Shelley
Frankie turned 90 this year and just got married …
WHY on earth does he want to spend the next nine months on the road?!?! You've already seen and done it all ... spend some time at home with the wife!!! lol (kk)
From Timmy …
Here’s something you don’t see every day …
Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones Jamming with Les Paul!
RARE Footage of Two Rock & Roll Icons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fEnGo73VMA
The other day we were talking about some of the music featured in the new Deadpool Wolverine movie …
And Tom Cuddy just sent us the soundtrack list:
“Only You
(And You Alone)” – Performed by The Platters
“Bye Bye Bye” – Performed by *NSYNC
“Angel of the Morning” – Performed by Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
"SLASH” – Performed by Stray Kids
“Glamorous” – Performed by Fergie
“Iris”–- Performed by The Goo Goo Dolls
“The Power of Love” – Performed by Huey Lewis & The News
“I'm a Ramblin' Man” – Performed by Waylon Jennings
“You Belong to Me” – Performed by Patsy Cline (Featuring - The Jordanaires)
“The Lady in Red” – Performed by Chris de Burgh
“I'm With You” – Performed by Avril Lavigne
“The Greatest Show” (From The Greatest Showman/Soundtrack Version) –
Performed by Zac Efron and Zendaya and Hugh Jackman and Keala Settle and The
Greatest Showman Ensemble
“You're the One That I Want” – Performed by Olivia Newton-John and John
Travolta
“I'll Be Seeing You” – Performed by Jimmy Durante
“Make Me Lose Control” – Performed by Eric Carmen
“You're All I Need to Get By” (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) –
Performed by Aretha Franklin
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” – Performed by Green Day
“LFG” (Theme from Deadpool & Wolverine) – Performed by Rob Simonsen
There are likely more … I haven’t seen the film … these are just the ones that made the soundtrack LP (kk)
Tying in with the Three-Day-Weekend Fest For Beatles Fans here in Chicago, Me-TV-FM is throwing a Fab Four Weekend … playing songs by The Beatles (and their solo careers) beginning this Friday at 5 pm Central Time.
As always, you can tune in to listen here: https://www.audacy.com/stations/metvmusic#
According to Billboard Magazine, The Oak Ridge Boys never made an official video for their biggest hit, "Elvira," back in 1981 when it topped their Country Singles Chart (and crossed over to hit #5 on the Pop Chart as well.)
That's because, in Billboard's words, "the song came out two years before the launch of The Nashville Network, the first country music cable television network" — and, as such, "it never had an accompanying video. Until now."
Here are the guys having fun recreating their country classic in a karaoke bar environment, surrounded by a bunch of other country music recording artists. It was the last filmed video performance of the song by Joe Bonsall, who passed away last month.
As far as creative videos go, it doesn't offer much ... except the chance to see The Oaks all together again one last time. But, you've got to stick around to the ending ... because that's where the REAL pay-off is!
That being said, enjoy! (kk)
