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Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Thurl Ravenscroft is a name that doesn't conjure up images of a star, but his voice became an indelible sound in the ears of children for over 50 years....
Thurl spent much of his time as a singer, with The Sportsmen, then after World War II, The Mellomen. That group in particular were very successful singing backup vocals with a host of stars from pop in the early to mid-1950's, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra and Elvis as well as a large number of ads for radio and television.
His deep base voice attracted attention all on it's own, and in 1952 he became the voice of Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes, a job he held up to his death in 2005.
Another voice that he provided (although uncredited at the time) was in the television rendition of, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". It was accidentally left off the credits, but that bass voice has entertained millions with, "Your a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in 1966.
He attempted a solo career during the mid/late 50's with a series of singles which covered varied styles. "Pay as I Go" was the B side of "Dr. Geek" (Of Tanganuika). He did quite of bit of work with Disney over the years, and it has some of that feel to it here.
For many, doo-wop was a form of music which was mainly linked to the areas around New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. One of it's early and important hubs however was in Los Angeles. Most of those groups never had the exposure of their east coast counterparts, but nevertheless was important in the development of the genre.
Thurston Harris, who was born in Indianapolis, started out like most R&B singers in gospel, but the lure of the secular stylings took him to LA where he helped form what would become The Lamplighters in 1953. He would record with them for three more years with some great records, but nothing which would reach the charts. The Lamplighters would morph into The Tenderfoots, The Sharps, and finally The Rivingtons who would finally score with 1962's, "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow".
In the meantime, Harris would sign with Aladdin in 1957 and have the only hit in his career. "Little Bitty Pretty One" was written by Bobby Day that same year. Just a few days after recording it for himself, Aladdin owner chose Harris to record it for his label. Day's version never reached the top 40, but Thurston's made it to number 6 on the pop charts and number 2 on the R&B charts.
Harris never had another hit, and after recording his last side for Aladdin in 1961 drifted from one label to another until the mid-60's when his hot temper, partying ways, and eventually drug addiction put him in an almost 20 year exile from music while he was essentially homeless, living from one friends house to another. In the early 80's he cleaned up from the drugs (but not the alcohol which would eventually lead to his death in 1990) and became a blues singer.
Don Gibson was born in Shelby, North Carolina in a poor family, and had dropped out of school by the second grade. He began playing the guitar as a young teenager and progressed to the point that with a few other local musicians formed the group, Sons of the Soil who recorded a side or two in 1948, but broke up the next year. In 1950 he formed a new group called, King Cotton Kinfolk who spent the early 50's signed to RCA then Columbia developing his sound and his songwriting abilities.
In 1955, he had written a song called, "Sweet Dreams" which caught the attention of a friend who worked for Acuff-Rose Publishing. He was offered a contract, but Gibson only signed with the provision that he would be given a chance to record. The song was recorded by Faron Young who took it to number 3 on the country charts, and several years later would become a signature song for Patsy Cline.
This hit opened up the chance again to record with RCA. His recording was another self penned song, "Oh Lonesome Me" which not only became a number one hit on the country charts, but reached number seven on the top 100 as well. This began a long career for Gibson which duel country/pop hits into the early 60's and a force on the country charts through the late 70s. Besides the two hits mentioned he also wrote, "I Can't Stop Loving You" which became a massive hit for Ray Charles in the early 60s. He passed away in 2003 of natural causes.
With rock music approaching 60 years and going through several generations, it's always a joy to not only discover new music, but to find songs that I thought had been original to an artist, just to find out it wasn't at all....
Back in the early 90's, I went through a renaissance of sorts with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. There had always been an appreciation for the hits, (I still think 'Don't Worry Baby' was one of the greatest pop songs of the rock era) but knew little else. Immersing myself in the beautiful harmonies and pop genius of Brian, the pure clear tenor of Carl, and the underrated gifts of Dennis, "Do You Want To Dance" became one of my favorites of their early period. It was the highest charting song which Dennis was the lead singer, and it led me back to the original
Bobby Freeman had been a professional since the age of fourteen in 1955 with a group called The Romancers. Just three years later he wrote and recorded this song, which climbed to #5 on the pop charts and #2 on the R&B. For the next six years he has varying success until the top ten hit, "Do the Swim" which was written and produced by a young (20) Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone. It was his last major recording although he continued to write and record well into the 1970's. He still resides in his native San Francisco.
Connie Francis looked down at the letter in her hand. It was an acceptance letter from New York University offering her a four year scholarship. She was ready to turn her back on what was thought at one time to have been a promising singing career to pursue something a bit more stable. Her contract with MGM was almost up...8 solo singles, and one duet with Marvin Rainwater which had just scraped into the top 100 at #93. It seemed that at the age of 19 her entertainment career was ending before it even really began.
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero had been performing since the age of four, playing the accordion and singing. She had even had a reoccurring part on the NBC children's show, "Startime Kids" from 1953 to 1955. During this time she made an appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. It was here that Godfrey suggested she change her name to Connie Francis, and also to ditch the accordion. She did both with no hesitation.
She signed a recording contract with MGM records for 10 records. The first 8 were flops, and then there was the duet with Rainwater which did better, but not enough for the company to choose to renew their contract with her.
So she had pretty much decided to move on. She had graduated from Belleville (N.J.) High School in 1955 as a salutatorian and NYU was ready to offer her a free ride. To add to her disappointment, her dad kept pestering her about recording a song that he remembered called, "Who's Sorry Now". Francis hated the song, thinking it was too old for teens her age. Her dad on the other hand, remembered that it had been a hit with his generation, and in a contemporary setting, he thought teens could dance to it as well.
This disagreement went well into the recording session on October 2, 1957. Connie had been set up to record several songs with one being chosen for release. The first three were recorded and even while the tape was running, the daughter and father were arguing about the song. With almost no time left, she put down the master of the song. When released, it did what the previous 9 songs had done. What could not have been predicted however was on Jan. 1, 1958, Dick Clark played the song on American Bandstand. By the summer the song had sold over a million copies and Connie Francis was a star, with the song finally peaking at #4 on the charts.
It was the beginning of a very successful stretch for the singer having a total of 26 songs in the top 40 from 1958-1964 including two number 1's: "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" (1962) and "My Heart Has a Mind Of It's Own" (1960).
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I guess it was a carry-over from my parents who were a bit older than my peers' (Dad was 43, Mom 39 when I was born), but the music that floated around my house was more the music of the late40's, early/middle 50's than rock and roll. Because of that, I've always have had an affinity for that kind of music as well. One of the song's that has never left my memory was one by the Four Preps.
Like many groups of that era, they met in High School. Hollywood High School in this case. Bruce Belland, Ed Cobb, Marv Ingram, and Glen Lawson were signed to a record deal in 1956 after a talent scout heard them at a school talent show. They had a minor hit that year with a song called, "Dreamy Eyes" early in 1957, but the rest of that year consisted of them finding the right material as the next six singles stiffed.
1958 opened strong for them however as "26 Miles" was released and became their biggest hit, reaching #2 on the charts. The song began as lead singer Belland broke his ankle, and while recovering began to fool around a bit with a ukulele. He began playing four chords which eventually became the opening and basis for the song. Bruce and Glen Lawson wrote the lyrics.
It's follow up, "Big Man" almost did as well that same year, reaching number 3. They continued to chart, although not with the same success up until 1964. The group continues to tour today with Bruce Belland continuing to sing lead and can be found here: http://thefourpreps.com/
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On hearing the song, "Graduation Day" by the Four Freshman, it's hard to distinguish them from many of the other male quartets during their day. However, their sound overall was more complex, and the group much more of an entertainment act than just the combination of their voices. For us here at the bus, they are remembered as an example of musicians who prove that you never know who you might be influencing along the way. It was those voices, and harmonies that would be heard for decades afterward because of one man: Brian Wilson .
Just like any teenager of his day, Wilson was enthused and excited over the sounds coming out of the radio, especially Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. However, the Four Freshman utterly fascinated him. Not just the combination of voices, but how they could be so tightly packed between them, but still with the freedom born of jazz musicians to take those harmonies and meander about with them.
The group itself began in the late 40's and that era of music continued to inform their music throughout the 50's. Pop laced with jazz overtones was complimented with a series of singers (22 combinations in their history) who were also all multi-instrumentalists which allowed for a myriad of different combinations. They had a polished stage act which was also an influence on 60's groups like, Spanky and Our Gang, and later in the 70's with Manhattan Transfer.
Because they were as much an entertainment package as they were straight up pop singers their influence went much farther than most of their peers.
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As you remember from the post a couple of days ago, I mentioned that Philadelphia was a hotbed for pop all through the 50's. One place that has a rich heritage of music in the same state was Pittsburgh. As early as 1952, cousins George Mantalis, Jim Gregorakis, and George Mahramas were singing harmonies behind singer and friend Bobby Vinton on gigs with the "Band of Tomorrow" Orchestra. The boys added George's brother Michael, and went on their own singing harmonies in clubs around the area as The Four Keys. They signed with a local record company and recorded a few sides, but things began to change when they secured an audition with agent Danny Kessler (who was managing Johnny Ray at the time). Kessler came on as a manager, and soon got them a record deal with Epic in 1954.
Having changed their names to The Four Coins, the group released, "We'll Be Married" in August of 1954 and began a string of hits that lasted until the late 50's. Shangri-la reached #11 in 1957 and was the groups biggest hit. In 1959 Michael went to pursue and acting career with another brother, Jack, replacing him. This formation of the group were together until 1965. The three Mahramas toured from the mid-60's until 1970 as, "The Original Three Coins" and then later "Brothers James".
The group reformed in 2003 and continue to tour today.
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Before Dick Clark and American Bandstand brought Italian-American male singers to the forefront, the city of brotherly love was already a hub of pop music in the early 50's. One of the most popular of these groups was The Four Aces.
Founded by Navy shipmates, Al Alberts and Dave Mahoney, they brought in Lou Silvesrtri and Sol Vaccaro to round out the group. They could not find a distributor for their first single, "It's A Sin", so Alberts made his own Victoria record label. It became a hit and a million seller. By the end of the year Decca signed them and they were truly on their way.
The song itself came from a 1955 movie starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones. Written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster, the song won one of the three Oscars that went to the film. It was recorded by many that year, (which was a normal practice) by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Jerry Vale, but it was this recording which went to #2 and is considered the definitive version.
With the advent of rock and roll, the groups fortunes began to wain, and by 1959 the hits stopped coming, however the group with Alberts at the helm, continue to tour across the country.
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Annette Funicello passed away yesterday at the age of 70. She had been battling Multiple Sclerosis since 1992. and her cheerful yet steely determination in the face of the disease had made her a hero to the many millions and their families who deal with it. For many baby boomers it just reminded them why they had fallen in love with her in the first place.
She was born Utica, NY in 1942 and after World War II, they moved to Southern California. Her parents put her in dance and music lessons, as much to overcome shyness than anything else. It was there that, during a performance of "Swan Lake" that Walt Disney was looking for young talent for his upcoming children's program, "The Mickey Mouse Club" discovered her. She was not only the last one chosen, but one of the few personally picked by Disney himself. He was very protective of her and her image, this manifested himself later in her singing career and in the Beach movies with Frankie Avalon.
Her perky innocence and beauty caught the eye of a whole generation of teenaged boys as American got to watch her grow up on their screens. This even extended to other artists as well. For a short time a young Paul Anka dated, but between Disney's protective care and just the amount of work she was doing, it never got off the ground. It did however, give a heartbroken Anka the inspiration to write one his biggest hits, "Puppy Love".
The "Club" also gave her a start in the music business. She was never excited about this part of her career as she never saw herself as a singer, but because of her popularity on the TV screen, and the talents of producer Tutti Camarata (double tracking vocals can be a beautiful thing) gave her several top 40 hits. She left Disney to do a series of "Beach Party" movies with Frankie Avalon from 1963-65. Those children who watched her grow up on the club, were now enthusiastic fans of the grown up Annette, but even then she (thanks to some advice from Disney) showed taste in how she was seen in onscreen romances, and in her swimwear.
As time went on, she settled in as a wife, mother, and occasional pitchwoman (I grew up watching her in Skippy peanut butter ads), but in doing a comeback movie, a spoof of 60's beach movies again co-starring with Avalon called, "Back to the Beach" she began having problems with her equilibrium. In seeing a doctor, she was diagnosed with MS. Those problems with walking began rumors that she was having problems with alcohol, so rather than withdraw, she came out nationally with her illness, and soon became a spokesperson for the fight against the disease.
Unless you grew up in the late 50/early 60's, it's hard to imagine her impact. Her influence was as much about who she was than what she did, but in an age where parents still felt very threatened (real or imagined) about rock and roll and negative Hollywood images. She was a willing role model for a generation of boys who wanted to date someone like her (only for a Coke or maybe to a dance however), or girls who wanted to be her. Below you can find clips from her career and a special interview with her and Avalon.
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Ernest Ford was born in Bristol Tennessee in 1919 and grew up blessed with a rich baritone voice that was good enough for him to be accepted to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1939. World War II interrupted that education and on the end of the war found that his deep resonant voice was sought after by radio stations. He worked at a couple of stations on the west coast, and it was there he developed a hillbilly persona called, "Tennessee Ernie".
He also would tour as a singer/personality with regional country artists of the day as far east as Texas. It was one of these tours that a talent scout from Capitol records signed him to a contract in 1949. That year he also became host of a syndicated radio show called, "Hometown Jamboree" which eventually was heard over all of Southern California.
Over the course of the late 40's/early 50's, he had seventeen top 20 hits on the country charts with eight making it to the pop charts as well. It was a song made popular by Merle Travis that would propel him to superstardom.
"Sixteen Tons" has been claimed to have been written by George S. Davis, a folk singer/songwriter and coal miner from Kentucky in the late 30's as, "nine-to-ten tons". It has generally been attributed however to Merle Travis (who's grew up in a coal mining family as well) who recorded it in 1946 as, "Sixteen Tons". It told the travails of a poor family who was caught in a system where the coal mining companies would literally own a town, so because of low wages, families would have to buy on credit to stores which were owned by the companies. This created a situation which amounted to indentured servitude where the men of the family would literally be trapped into finding a better job or better situation for them and their families.
Ford's musical director, Jack Fascinato came up with a unique musical arraignment which was lead by a solo clarinet. That, with Ford's baritone, and finger snaps lent a somber feel in a musical world which at that time was full of upbeat, fluff tunes. It soared to number one on both the country and pop charts. It was his last country #1 and he never really had a big hit again. Some could point to the advent of rock and roll for this, but the real reason I believe was that his focus changed from selling records to television.
He was host of his own television show from 1956 to 1961, and then with a local San Francisco show from 62-65. He remained a guest host on shows throughout the 60's and 70's was well as a spokesman for different companies (most notably the Pontiac Furniture Company). His ability to sing however was compromised many years by his increasing alcoholism and passed in 1991 of liver failure.
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