re: The Cornerstones Of Rock:
The much-talked-about (especially in THESE pages!) WTTW television special that was filmed at the Channel 11 Studios a couple of weeks ago, spotlighting most of our '60's Musical Local Heroes, now has an official air date ... The program will premier TWICE on Tuesday, December 8th, with back-to-back showings at 7:30 and 9:30 pm ... and then will be rebroadcast on Saturday, December 12th, at 9:00 pm as well. LOTS of hoopla surrounding this one ... and we can't WAIT to see it! Out-of-towners should check your local listings to see when it may be playing in your area. (kk)
re: Cory Wells:
Hey Kent,
I came across this interview with Cory Wells a couple of years ago. There's an assortment of interviews with him on YouTube, but in my opinion, this one is the most insightful of them all: https://youtu.be/NBOBgjahuL0
FYI: I sent this link to our mutual friend Joe Klein after he wrote about Corey's passing on his blog. He gave it pretty high marks too. It's an interview that really helps put this guy's talent in perspective and is great way to grasp his legacy.
Bill Fortune
It is a great clip. I tried to link to Joe's article about Cory Wells but couldn't find it ... please send me a link when you get a chance so that our other readers can enjoy it as well.
By the way, the video Cory's talking about in this interview is an EXCELLENT concert filmed, I believe, with The Tennessee Symphony Orchestra in 2002. Check it out if you get a chance. Thanks, Bill! (kk)
Word came out this week that Cory Wells was battling cancer when he died suddenly last week. Here is a report filed by FH Reader Tom Cuddy ... but we've seen similar reports on other websites as well ...
Three Dog Night rocker Cory Wells was fighting cancer when he apparently died from an infection earlier this week, his family told The Buffalo News.
The Buffalo native was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in late September and was undergoing treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, according to Dawn Cussins, one of the singer’s two daughters.
Close family members of the 74-year-old singer knew about the cancer diagnosis, but he was a “very private man” and did not want his friends or fans to know about it, Cussins said.
Wells died Tuesday night in Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk, where he had recently been staying in a cottage on Lake Erie that he and his wife owned, Cussins said. According to Cussins, doctors at Brooks Memorial told the family that Wells died of septic shock caused by an infection.
“We don’t know what caused the infection. We have no idea,” Cussins said. “He became very ill on Monday, and I called 911 to have an ambulance take him to the hospital … He died Tuesday night.”
No information about Wells’ illness or the cause of his death had been made public before Cussins and one of Wells’ grandchildren spoke to The News on Friday. A Chautauqua County coroner had said he could not comment, saying the decision on whether to discuss the cause of death was up to the family.
The music world knew Wells as a charismatic singer whose soulful voice powered one of the most successful rock bands in American history. But his family and friends knew him as the former Emil Lewandowski, a loving father and grandfather who was married to the same woman for 51 years, and who would much rather spend a quiet day fishing on Lake Erie than singing before thousands of people.
His daughter said Wells became very ill on Monday in the Dunkirk cottage that he and his wife bought in the 1990s. “He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in late September, and was receiving treatment at Roswell (Park Cancer Institute),” Cussins said on Friday. “His immediate family knew, but he didn’t want many people to know, because he was a very private person.”
Wells found out he had multiple myeloma after seeking treatment for severe back pain, Cussins said. Doctors told the family the cancer was “manageable and treatable,” Cussins said, and her father had received several radiation treatments at Roswell Park. He was scheduled to receive several more radiation treatments and, after that, chemotherapy. She said no autopsy was conducted. Although Wells was one of the leaders of a hugely successful rock band that performed all over the world, had many top 10 hits and sold millions of records, he preferred fishing or spending quiet time with his family, according to his daughter and one of his five grandchildren, Jake Lyon.
“He loved his music, and was proud of his music, but what he really enjoyed was spending time with his family,” Cussins said. “If there was a blueprint for a great father and a great grandfather, he was it.”
Wells loved Western New York, and that is why he and his wife, Mary, bought the Dunkirk cottage after their home in Malibu, Calif., was destroyed in a wildfire in November 1993, his daughter said.
Cussins said her father was proud of maintaining a solid family life even during the early 1970s, when Three Dog Night was touring almost non-stop.
“My father never, ever took drugs, and he hated alcohol,” Cussins said. “He was totally against any of his songs being used in beer advertisements because he never wanted to encourage kids to drink.”
Formed in the late 1960s, Three Dog Night was one of the most popular bands in the country in the 1970s. The band has continued to be a popular touring attraction over the decades. Several recent concerts were canceled because of Wells’ medical problems, although the band had made no mention of cancer.
“In the years 1969 through 1974, no other group achieved more top 10 hits, moved more records or sold more concert tickets than Three Dog Night,” according to the band’s official website.
The band’s biggest hits – including “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” “Joy to the World,” “Black and White,” “Shambala” and “One” – not only sold millions of records, but were often featured in major films and television series.
Wells shared the lead vocals with two other singers, Danny Hutton and Chuck Negron. Negron left the band in the 1980s, but Hutton and Wells continued to tour together.
“It is with deep sadness and disbelief that I must report the passing of Cory Wells, my beloved band mate for over 45 years,” Hutton said in a statement on the website earlier this week. “Cory was an incredible singer – a great performer, he could sing anything.”
The band’s website lists 12 concerts planned between Nov. 4 and the end of this year. So far, the band has not announced whether it will continue touring.
In an interview with The News in 2012, Wells spoke about growing up on the East Side of Buffalo, where he was born as Emil Lewandowski. He was raised by a single mother who struggled financially, Wells said.
He recalled being a “poor kid” who worked at the old Sattler’s department store, loved gospel music and formed a “doo-wop group” with some African-American friends as a teenager.
After graduating from Burgard High School and spending time in the Air Force, Wells said he moved out to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. It was there that he met Hutton and Negron and formed the band that would become Three Dog Night.
While he enjoyed making records and performing before audiences, Wells’ real enjoyment came from spending time with family and fishing.
“There’s a lot of time on the road,” Wells told the Chicago Tribune in a 1986 interview. “I was actually fishing while I was out there on the road. While everybody else was partying, I was getting up at 4 in the morning and going fishing when we toured through places like Florida, the South, back East, up in Canada.”
Wells loved participating in fishing tournaments in Western New York, and also wrote articles on fishing for several magazines. “He wrote fishing articles under his own name for Outdoor Life, Field & Stream and American Sportsman,” Cussins said.
In addition to his wife, Wells is survived by his other daughter, Corrie LeFrenaye, and five grandchildren, Cussins said.
She said many family members rushed to Dunkirk to visit Wells after he was taken to the hospital on Monday.
“We spent a lot of time with him on Monday and Tuesday,” Cussins said. “He was pretty zoned out, but he could squeeze my hand. We left him Tuesday night and he died at around 9:30 that night … He was a humble, private man. Knowing my father, he just wanted to slip away quietly.” Cussins said the family has been touched by the outpouring of good wishes from Three Dog Night fans, but at this point, has no plans for any kind of public memorial service.
-- The Buffalo News / By Dan Herbeck / News Staff Reporter / Google
re: Happy Halloween:
I guess you've just GOT to include Elvira in your Halloween plans this year!
This probably would have been a WHOLE lot more effective 25 years ago! (kk)
Mike Baker And The Forgotten 45s presents Haunted Hits from the Golden Age of Top 40 -
Airing on Sunday, November 1, 2015, from 12:00 - 1:20 pm on WLTL-FM 88.1
We will feature the Mercury Theatre On The Air broadcast “The War Of The Worlds” followed by Mike Baker And The Forgotten 45s with the Haunted Hits from the Golden Age of Top 40. The Halloween themed favorites include:
from the 50s: “Dinner With Drac” John Zacherle and more
from the 60s: ”Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead” Fifth Estate and more
from the 70s: “Werewolves Of London” Warren Zevon and more
WLTL broadcasts over the air on 88.1 FM, streaming at wltl.net and the free WLTL app for your smartphone.
Thanks,
Mike Baker And The Forgotten 45s
And, for your last minute Halloween needs, be sure to download the Ian Lloyd track here ...
Hurry! There's still time to add these two great Halloween songs by John Ford of the Strawbs & Ian Lloyd (Stories / "Brother Louie") and Space Drama's dance mix version to your spooky playlists and wake up all the Ghouls stumbling around the backyard!
Download Halloween 320kbps MP3s here:
http://machinedreamrecords.com/mdr_Music/Halloween_FORD-LLOYD_and_ClubMix_SpaceDrama_320mp3.zip
ROCK LIVES!
Ian Lloyd
machinedreamrecords.com
re: This And That:
LOTS of anticipation for the brand new re-release bonus edition of The Beatles' "1", now accompanied by full-length videos of many of their biggest hits, including several outtakes.
The so-called "never-before-seen" video for "Revolution" made the rounds last week ... but I'm not sure where that status came from. We've had this clip for YEARS and I clearly remember watching it when it first aired on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour back in 1968.
Still, it's great to see it again, especially in such high definition ... and I can't wait to experience the whole gamut of crystal clear video releases.
(Additional videos have been given the "sneak peek" treatment this past week, including the awesome clip that accompanies "Hello, Goodbye" ... and a 'specially put together clip for The Beatles classic "A Day In The Life" Pre-orders are thru the roof ... for the past couple of weeks it has been the #2 best-seller on Amazon.com ... and you can't even BUY it yet!!!
But you will soon ... orders start shipping on November 6th. If you haven't already ordered your copy, may we suggest doing so through The Fest For Beatles Fans website? You'll find all sorts of OTHER cool stuff here as well ... like those AWESOME lava lamps we showed you a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.thefest.com/store/index.php?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Fest%20Newsletters&utm_content=20151022
Speaking of great videos, here's another link to the brand new Billy J. Gibbons remake of the old Roy Head classic "Treat Her Right" (I mean who doesn't love THIS song?!?!?) ... along with more tour news ... and an upcoming appearance on Conan!
BILLY F GIBBONS SETS CONAN PERFORMANCE FOR 11/3, PERFECTAMUNDO TOUR LAUNCHES 11/27
Billy Gibbons and The BFG’s roadshow of his Perfectamundo solo album is now scheduled to hit theaters across the USA starting November 27th in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Performance dates originally slated for earlier in November will now commence early in the new year. The band will first be seen on the upcoming broadcast with Conan O'Brien on November 3rd, 2015.
The creation of Perfectamundo, the first ever solo effort by the ZZ Top frontman, was catalyzed by the invitation to appear at the annual gathering of the Havana Jazz Festival. Gibbons and Co. set about creating an appropriate Afro-Cuban influenced recording resulting in Perfectamundo for the Concord Records label. The new release is slated to hit the streets on November 6.
Watch the “Treat Her Right” video:
Billy Gibbons And The BFG’s Perfectamundo tour dates:
Nov. 27 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Parker Playhouse
Nov. 28 - Fort Pierce, FL - Sunrise Theatre
Nov. 29 - Saint Petersburg, FL - Mahaffey Theater
Dec. 1 - New Orleans, LA - Orpheum Theatre
Dec. 3 - Houston, TX - Cullen Performance Hall
Dec. 4 - Austin, TX - The Moody Theater
Dec. 5 - Lubbock, TX - City Bank Auditorium
Dec. 7 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
Dec. 8 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
Dec. 9 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
Dec. 11 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
Dec. 12 - Aberdeen, WA - D&R Theatre
Dec. 13 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
Dec. 17 - Havana, CU - Havana Jazz Festival
Dec. 18 - Havana, CU - Havana Jazz Festival
Dec. 20 - Havana, CU - Havana Jazz Festival
Our FH Buddy Big Jay Sorensen is doing one heck of a job reminding listeners of all the big musical events that happened "this week in history". It's become "MUST READING" for oldies fans. Jay typically spotlights three artists per segment and lets you know what was happening on the music scene for this week in the 1960's, the 1970's and the 1980's. Some REALLY good stuff to be found here.
I suggest you bookmark this page ... as once our 50 Year Flashback wraps up at the end of the year, we're stepping out of the "music history" box and moving on to other things. So be sure to check it out here!
http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/tag/this-week-in-history/
Hi Kent,
Wonderful stories in Forgotten Hits - First 45s. Thanks.
I bought my 1st record, the 45 RPM version of "Blue Monday" by Fats Domino, in January, 1957, in Minnesota of all places at the list price of 59 cents ... but I cannot remember the list prices after that except that the prices kept climbing. I think I remember list prices jumping to 69 cents later in 1957. I think I remember 89 cents in the 1960's for records in 1968 like a re-release of "Rock Around the Clock" that year. Apparently the list prices held at 99 cents until 1974, if I correctly understand an on-line NY Times article titled '45' SINGLE RECORD: A DISK IN DECLINE, By JON PARELES, Published: October 30, 1986. The article says the list price in October, 1986, for 45's was $1.99. The last new release 45 RPM record I bought was "She Bangs" by Ricky Martin in 2000, which incredibly Tower Records carried, at a reasonable but forgotten price.
Bert
From Robin Leach, Las Vegas Sun:
Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers has continued performing and touring since singing partner Bobby Hatfield’s death in 2003, often with his daughter McKenna. Now the singer, 75, is returning to the Strip as an all-new duo, in a sense bringing The Righteous Brothers back to life.
Bill has discovered a singer who he believes best represents the talent and appeal of Bobby. We know that he found the artist in Branson, Mo., where Bill has performed often with The Texas Tenors and John Hagen.
I’m reliably told the new Righteous Brothers show has landed a residency at Improv in Harrah’s with a pre-Christmas start.
One of my coworkers, Rich Silverman, had the opportunity to watch Peter Frampton Come Alive last week at North Central College ... and raved on and on about what a good show it was. Frampton did plenty of story-telling between songs and talked about how he ended up with the guitar "Peggy Sue", made my Buddy Holly's widow, when Paul McCartney failed to reply to a phone message. He also talked about working with George Harrison while his lavish mansion was under construction, leaving just two rooms habitable ... once of which was "the guitar room", where Harrison had literally HUNDREDS of guitars from his collection on display. (Peter felt as though he had come up a bit short in that department, having brought along only one!)
Sounds like the man can still play the hell out of his guitars (he made sure to bring PLENTY to the stage that night) and, along with his son, put on a very entertaining an insightful show.
I sent Rich this concert review from a show Frampton did this past week in Boston ... and this is what he said ...
http://www.examiner.com/review/peter-frampton-and-son-came-alive-at-bergen-pac?CID=PROD-topic-email-articles
Kent-
This review pretty much hits the North Central College show on the head. The play list was very close and for me, when Frampton and George Kennedy played together – especially on “Change the World” - it was magic.
It is also interesting that both Julian and Peter both covered Beatle tunes. In our show, Peter covered “Norwegian Wood”.
Peter Frampton may have made his reputation playing Electric Guitar, but [to me] guitar playing talent is displayed when playing Acoustic and his was on full display. I also have to give props to George Kennedy because that dude can flat out play!
I know you have seen him before, but if the opportunity to see the acoustic set appears, buy the tickets!
Rich
Kent,
In perusing today's survey, song #36 by Little Jimmy Dickens, MAY THE BIRD OF PARADISE (FLY UP YOUR NOSE) I always did like. In fact, it's the only record by him I have here at my home in my library. I believe it's the only record he made that crossed over from the country charts to the pop charts. #16 by Jonathan King was one of those I haven't heard on the radio in years. In fact,
on this day according to your survey, this turned out to be A GOOD NEWS WEEK for Jonathan King.
Larry
Only a few 1965 surveys left before the end of the year. Be sure to check the website every Monday Morning for our 50 Year Flashback! (kk)
Kent -
Where was WIRL located? I do not remember that station. Love the radio station surveys!
Clay
Looks like Peoria, IL, to me. They first signed on the air back in 1948 ... and switched to a Top 40 format in 1960, which they maintained until 1984. (Wow - sounds like a very similar lifespan to our own WLS ... but with about 10% of the wattage!) kk
To my Oldies friends and fans,
This is one for the music history books.
My co-writer Al Byron ("Roses Are Red (My Love)" and I took "After the Hurricane" to Freddy Bienstock at Hill and Range. He said that he wanted to show it for Elvis. So we ran back to my manager and our publisher (his name shall remain unspoken) and he said no, he wouldn't release the publishing, and he wanted to have this demo released as a Paul Evans single.
Let's see. Paul Evans single vs. possible Elvis single.
Oh well. Perhaps it shoulda been a hit for me. But it wasn't.
AFTER THE HURRICANE (CARLTON RECORDS #543, 1961)
After The Hurricane / Not Me
ENJOY,
Paul
PS The crash at the end is a real Jawbone of an ass. There was no computer, and therefore no computer equivalent sound. (Recorded at Associated Studios)
ROY ORBISON’S HISTORIC MGM CATALOG CHRONICLED IN DECEMBER 4 RELEASE OF THE MGM YEARS BOX SET + ONE OF THE LONELY ONES, HIS “LOST” ALBUM FROM 1969, COMMEMORATING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF GROUNDBREAKING MGM SIGNING
2015 marks a historic 50-year milestone for music legend Roy Orbison.
On July 1, 1965, “The Big O” left Monument Records and signed with MGM Records, going on to release 11 studio albums, a film soundtrack and 27 singles over the course of the following eight years, and at the same time scoring another 11 worldwide Top 40 hits. In recognition of this golden anniversary of Orbison’s signing of one of the most lucrative and groundbreaking record deals of the era, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) has teamed up with Roy’s Boys, LLC, the Nashville-based company founded by the late icon’s sons to administer their father’s catalog and safeguard his legacy. Together, they are releasing two landmark Roy Orbison packages globally on December 4, each available in CD, 180-gram vinyl and digital form:
· One of the Lonely Ones – Recorded in 1969, this is a completely unreleased new studio album. It’s a 12-track lost Roy Orbison album never-before-heard by the public that was recently discovered by Roy’s sons. This rediscovered treasure will be released on CD, digitally and on sumptuous 180-gram vinyl.
· The MGM Years – Recorded from 1965 through 1973, the box set contains all of Roy’s 11 MGM studio albums, the soundtrack to The Fastest Guitar Alive (written by Roy and Bill Dees for the film starring Roy Orbison) and an album of B-sides and singles from that era. The box set is available as a 13 CD box, a digital box, or as a special 14 disc 180-gram vinyl release. All this material has been out of print for decades - 152 tracks in total!
The first 500 physical The MGM Years box sets (either CD or LP) pre-ordered through The Official Roy Orbison Store (http://store.royorbison.com/) will be bundled with a copy of the unreleased One of the Lonely Ones album in the same format and for the same price as the box set alone on release. All those who take advantage of this limited time offer will also be promptly emailed a download code to instantly download the One of the Lonely Ones title track.
Both the unreleased One of the Lonely Ones album and The MGM Years box set are also available for pre-order globally at all major physical and digital stores including, of course, Amazon and iTunes.
On July 1, 1965, Roy Orbison found himself at a career pinnacle, at the top of the music world. The previous year, his single “Oh, Pretty Woman” had been a global smash, going to Number One in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia. On the business side, Orbison had to choose between staying with his friend and producer Fred Foster at Monument Records or moving to MGM for a deal that Foster could not match. Foster didn’t have a film company and of course MGM had a full motion picture arm and promised Roy a starring film role. In the end that proved to be the deciding factor and Roy chose MGM and its so-called “Million Dollar Deal” - an astounding amount for the time.
At the time, Roy was one of the only American artists to displace “British Invasion” bands including The Beatles at the top of the charts. Fresh MGM deal in hand, Roy went into the studio in July, 1965, without missing a beat. “Ride Away” was the first single for his new label MGM, which promptly went Number One in Canada. His first MGM album, There is Only One Roy Orbison, which included the single “Ride Away,” went Top 10 in the UK and charted strongly worldwide.
This was just the beginning. Roy would record and release an additional ten studio albums at MGM plus a soundtrack album for the only film in which Roy starred. This was Roy at the height of his career, yet the Roy that most fans know the least.
The MGM Years box set finally puts all of these fabulous records in one place. These include the 11 original studio albums, the much sought after soundtrack to The Fastest Guitar Alive and a newly created compilation album called MGM B-Sides & Singles that contains all 12 MGM era singles and B-sides that otherwise weren’t included in any album; in all, 152 glorious Roy Orbison tracks. Each song was additionally re-EQ’d and balanced by Roy’s son Alex and GRAMMY®-winning engineer Chuck Turner to bring the masters back to their original warm vinyl sound. All this amazing material has been generally out of circulation for decades! Each original album comes with fully restored artwork and each album has been fastidiously remastered by GRAMMY®-winning engineer Richard Dodd.