Sunday, July 20, 2008
Fay Simmons,Rebels,Jerry Lee Lewis
Updated on my Fay Simmons page is the record you see on the left. The Tuffy release appears to be her last recording, and you can see both sides of it on my page. At the moment, I am listing it as a 1964 issue, even though it does not have a date code, and the flip side is "And The Angels Sing". The record does come up for sale occasionally, but is certainly not as difficult as the Rainbow, Grand, Piney or even the Sharp discs. This one also reinforces the fact that she recorded many records in the Philadelphia area, as shown by the Tuffy address near the top of the label. The Tuffy record acquisition now leaves me four records to find for Fay Simmons. Not to mention finding some credible information on Simmons herself. The mystery continues.
I will be adding pictures of the Thunderbirds (Australia) version of Wild Weekend, to my Rebels page. I currently have the sound clip, but will be adding the photos. I also have a little text to add as well, concerning the beginnings of the whole story. I mention that the page is a living document, and it is so true. There is so much information on the groups I have associated with the Rebels, that it is just amazing. The big thing for me is NOT to add any more related artists!
So maybe I'm a little late with this next item. That comes from a guy who never sees movies in the theater because I am happy to see them when they come out on TV. And I have commercial breaks to get up and raid the refrigerator. Certainly cheaper than the 10 dollar popcorn. I digress. I just got the great Time Life/Rhino three CD box set of Jerry Lee Lewis called A Half Century Of Hits. OK, so I am two years behind, but still, It's a great collection. Night Train To Memphis is one of a few cuts I had not heard before, and that one will be on my next playlist. It was released on a LP in 1959, and is a dandy. Nice pictures are included in the booklet, and both sides of his first recording from 1952 are included on disc three.
I will be adding pictures of the Thunderbirds (Australia) version of Wild Weekend, to my Rebels page. I currently have the sound clip, but will be adding the photos. I also have a little text to add as well, concerning the beginnings of the whole story. I mention that the page is a living document, and it is so true. There is so much information on the groups I have associated with the Rebels, that it is just amazing. The big thing for me is NOT to add any more related artists!
So maybe I'm a little late with this next item. That comes from a guy who never sees movies in the theater because I am happy to see them when they come out on TV. And I have commercial breaks to get up and raid the refrigerator. Certainly cheaper than the 10 dollar popcorn. I digress. I just got the great Time Life/Rhino three CD box set of Jerry Lee Lewis called A Half Century Of Hits. OK, so I am two years behind, but still, It's a great collection. Night Train To Memphis is one of a few cuts I had not heard before, and that one will be on my next playlist. It was released on a LP in 1959, and is a dandy. Nice pictures are included in the booklet, and both sides of his first recording from 1952 are included on disc three.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Echoes, KVMR,Oscar McLollie, Hi Tones.
Out of Brooklyn, New York, The Echoes cruised onto the Billboard charts with Baby Blue in early 1961. An upbeat song, it reached number 12 on the Billboard charts, and staying on the charts for 12 weeks. It also blew into the top 10 on the R+B charts. The producer was Jack Gold, who worked with several other groups including the G Clefs. It was originally issued on the SRG label. The initials? They stand for Jack Gold's son, Stephen Richard Gold. Gold and his SRG label then leased it to Seg-way and it was a smash hit. This is another of the first and second pressings you can see on my website. They are separated into two different pages. Scroll down to the bottom for my latest updates.
Friday and Saturday we celebrated "Thirty Years In Your Ears" at KVMR-FM radio. An amazing number of musically diverse acts performed to a very enthusiastic crowd at our local Miners Foundry. I have been with the station broadcasting my radio show for 21 of the 30 years.
A couple of updates for this week include a blue modern label of Oscar McLollie, and Roll Hot Rod Roll/Convicted. OK, so those are reversed as Convicted was the hit, but that is one flip I like better than the "A" side. Also I will be adding a nicer picture of the Hi Tones on Fonsco. The current picture is one of the few records I don't actually own on my site, and I will rectify that soon. As mentioned on the page, the Fonsco label is actually a light gray.
Friday and Saturday we celebrated "Thirty Years In Your Ears" at KVMR-FM radio. An amazing number of musically diverse acts performed to a very enthusiastic crowd at our local Miners Foundry. I have been with the station broadcasting my radio show for 21 of the 30 years.
A couple of updates for this week include a blue modern label of Oscar McLollie, and Roll Hot Rod Roll/Convicted. OK, so those are reversed as Convicted was the hit, but that is one flip I like better than the "A" side. Also I will be adding a nicer picture of the Hi Tones on Fonsco. The current picture is one of the few records I don't actually own on my site, and I will rectify that soon. As mentioned on the page, the Fonsco label is actually a light gray.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Party, Sanford Clark, Rockit Radio
After a small hiatus, I'm back with more updates.
Had a chance to be in the Los Angeles area and meet some great radio and entertainment folks. Billy Vera, Dee Dee of Dick And Dee Dee, Freddy Cannon, Johnny Hayes, and Steve Propes. It had been about 24 or 25 years since I met Steve when he taught a history of rock and roll course in Long Beach. I also bought his first book in the early 1970's and it was my best reference book, and frankly the only book of it's kind. I also did some record shopping and saw some sights. It was all in the name of Rockit Radio and their 10th anniversary. A great milestone indeed.
Continuing with my first and second pressings page, I will be adding the following record you see pictured by Sanford Clark. The Fool, was a huge hit for him, and got up to number 7 in 1956, spending 21 weeks on the Billboard chart. The record started out on a small label based in Phoenix Arizona called MCI records. Once it started selling, Dot records picked it up for national distribution. It came out on the maroon label 78 and 45, then pressed on the black label. The record featured Al Casey on guitar. MCI released around 20 records through 1961, though nothing was as big as The Fool.
Speaking of Rockit Radio, I have a show currently posted on-line and though it is all pre-recorded, it is still a kick to be involved with the fine folks in Ventura, including the founder, Bennie Dingo. If I wore a hat, I would certainly tip it to him.
Had a chance to be in the Los Angeles area and meet some great radio and entertainment folks. Billy Vera, Dee Dee of Dick And Dee Dee, Freddy Cannon, Johnny Hayes, and Steve Propes. It had been about 24 or 25 years since I met Steve when he taught a history of rock and roll course in Long Beach. I also bought his first book in the early 1970's and it was my best reference book, and frankly the only book of it's kind. I also did some record shopping and saw some sights. It was all in the name of Rockit Radio and their 10th anniversary. A great milestone indeed.
Continuing with my first and second pressings page, I will be adding the following record you see pictured by Sanford Clark. The Fool, was a huge hit for him, and got up to number 7 in 1956, spending 21 weeks on the Billboard chart. The record started out on a small label based in Phoenix Arizona called MCI records. Once it started selling, Dot records picked it up for national distribution. It came out on the maroon label 78 and 45, then pressed on the black label. The record featured Al Casey on guitar. MCI released around 20 records through 1961, though nothing was as big as The Fool.
Speaking of Rockit Radio, I have a show currently posted on-line and though it is all pre-recorded, it is still a kick to be involved with the fine folks in Ventura, including the founder, Bennie Dingo. If I wore a hat, I would certainly tip it to him.
