Saturday, February 28, 2015

Apache


Jerry Miller
(Lordan-Flamingo, ASCAP)

BCR Records 100

Recorded at Saint Studios, West Band, Wisconsin

There were records on Sara and Cuca by Jerry Miller, but It's not known if he's the same artist.

  

That was Jorgen Ingmann, and not The Shadows, who had the first American hit with "Apache".   Jorgen Ingmann was a Danish guitarist who would later win the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest along with his wife, Grethe, with a song called “Dansevise (I Loved You).”

It is not known who had the idea to add lyrics to this originally instrumental record written by Londoner Jerry Lordan, but a vocal version by country star Sonny James, with lyrics by Houston singer-songwriter Johnny Flamingo, appeared on RCA Victor at about the time Jorgen's version was peaking in 1961.



Jerry Lordan was not an American Indian. He was a Londoner who had served in the Royal Air Force, dabbled in stand-up comedy, and worked in advertising before he began writing song hits for Mike Preston, Anthony Newley, John Barry, and especially the the Shadows, the backing band of Cliff Richard, Britain’s premier rock and roll teen idol until the Beatles came along, who would go on to become the Pat Boone of England.

In 1959, Lordan saw a Burt Lancaster movie called Apache, which had come out in 1954. In much the way Charlton Heston played a Mexican in Touch of Evil, Lancaster was Massai, the last Apache left after Geronimo’s surrender to the U.S. Cavalry in New Mexico, and a man out for vengeance. The story was based on fact—the real-life Massai did in fact escape the prison train after Geronimo’s tribe was captured—but the movie was primarily a frame for nonstop action. This gave Lordan an idea for a song, also titled “Apache,” and Lordan sold it to Bert Weeden, then the top-selling solo guitar instrumentalist in England.

34 years after Weedon cut the song, Lordan was still complaining: “He hasn’t even played the music that I wrote,” the songwriter told an interviewer in 1993, two years before he died. “I wanted something noble and dramatic, reflecting the courage and savagery of the Indian.” Soon after, Lordan, who also cut some minor hits as a vocalist, went on the road with Cliff Richard and The Shadows. He introduced the song to them (stories vary how), and after the band returned to London, they recorded “Apache” in less than 45 minutes, expecting it to be a B-side. Instead, it became a hit.

Read more ........

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Running Loose Twist


The Twilights
Running Loose Twist
(Bob Lesko, Page Music BMI)
 
Page 504
Johnstown, Pa.
1962


Predates their REF recording issued later that year  ("The Bug, part 1 and 2"). 
 
Owner of label was Alphonse "Al" Page (born Alfonso Pagliaricci in 1911).  He was also a local promoter, publisher and record shop owner.  He died in 1986.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Jan Doss


Jan Doss

Don't Say This Goodbye Is Forever
From The Best Of Big D Rock, Volume 2 (Collectables)

From The Bop That Never Stopped, Vol. 59 (Buffalo Bop, 1990)

According to Phil York {1}, Jan Doss was a tall, lanky guy with thick, black-rimmed glasses an inch thick.  He sang and performed well, but got carried away with trying to get unique effects, such as the weird lead guitar sound on these 1960 cuts.  His guitar amp was cranked up very loud, as was the tremolo knob.  

These tracks were recorded at the Lew Williams {2}, ' studios in Dallas.  It is not known if these two tracks, certainly from the Phil York archives, were ever released.

The only mention of Jan Doss I've found is in the Bryan Adams High School - El Conquistador Yearbook (Dallas)  - Class of 1960 (probably the caption of a photography included in the yearbook)
Members of the NDCC and their dates enjoy dancing to music by Jan Doss and the Sonics. 1960 Military Queen Miss Betty Sharver Officers and their dates lead the grand march.


{1} Phil York, was a sound engineer.   He wrote the liner notes of the Collectables CD From The Best Of Big D Rock, Volume 2    He died in 2012.  See bio and obituary here

{2} Lew Williams, rockabilly recording artist (Imperial Records, 1956-1957) retired from performing in January 1959 and a few months later opened Le-Drene Productions, a recording studio and talent agency he operated with partner Adrene Bailey.


Friday, February 13, 2015

Phil V and the Viscounts


Phil V and the Viscounts


Romy RO-101

Romy Record Productions 2810 N. Main, San Antonio


Written, produced and directed by Pat Schneider,  This one-off record is only listed in Journey to Tyme: A Discography and Interpretive Guide to Texas 1960s Punk/Psychedelia by David Shutt, a booklet published in the late seventies. 

A look at the address (perhaps the home of Pat Schneider ?) in Google Maps shows a nice residential neighborhood.


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Angels Cried

 
 
Tony Landi
(Saxe Kielson, Reno Music BMI) 

Angels Cried 
(Petrillo-Canton-Kosloff, Monument Music BMI)

Music by T. Wiltshire
 
Safari 1001
(Safari Record Co. 701 Seventh Ave. New York, NY)

1957

"Angels Cried" was recorded the same year by The Isley Brothers (their first record, Teenage #1004)
 
Safari Records was probably owned by Andy Leonetti.   Alan Lorber produced and arranged several records for Safari.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Crying In The Chapel




Hit Parader HP-35
Unknown artist
1965


In 1923, a 24-year-old John Santangelo left Italy to immigrate to the United States.  Initially, he made his living as a bricklayer and masonry contractor. Then, in 1934, he came up with the idea of printing and selling the lyrics to the popular songs of the day. Soon he was making hundreds of dollars of supplemental income.  According to the official history of the Charlton company, Santangelo was blissfully unaware that he was breaking copyright laws until his activities came to the attention of American Society of Composers, Authors and Producers [ASCAP]. He was convicted of copyright infringement and sentenced to a year in the New Haven County jail. In jail he met white-collar criminal and former attorney Edward Levy.   Levy recognized a good idea, and they formed a partnership to legally publish song lyric magazines.  And because they both had infant sons named Charles, they christened their new venture Charlton Publishing. Their first publication was Hit Parader magazine in 1935, and it was published continuously until Charlton Publishing closed shop in 1991.

The company jumped into the field of cover records in 1959. 
 
Two labels were launched : Hit Parader and Song Hits.  They released six 45s every year (3 of each label) until 1966. The two labels shared numbering systems. Hit Parader were all ODD numbered and Song Hits were all EVEN numbered.  Song Hits and Hit Parader records, were distributed by Capital Distributing Co. of Derby CT,

Sources :

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Honey Bee


Gloria Wood
with Ivan Scott and the Four Jewels

(Lawson, Blue River Music BMI)
A Pete Lofthouse arrangement
Diamond 3001
1956



THE KANSAS CITY STAR. SUNDAY. MAY 25. 1958. 
Gloria’s Voice(s) All Over TV, but She’s Never Seen By Hal Humphrey. 
HOLLYWOOD.—“! want to be seen on TV. Everywhere I go I have to be explained, and it makes me very unhappy.” This complaint comes from a 5-foot-2 bouncy blonde by the name of Gloria Wood who possesses more voices than the late Lon Chaney had disguises. On the “Disneyland” show Gloria Wood.  She is “Tinker Bell” in the peanut butter commercial. It’s Gloria’s high-pitched voice which emanates from the smoking penguin.  In the course of one day’s work her 4-octave range voice will be dubbed for Julie London’s on a radio cigarette commercial, the little cartoon characters in a TV beer commercial and i train whistle for a railroad plug. A few weeks ago Gloria stood in the wings of an N.B.C. studio here and sang the high notes for Betty Hutton who was doing a blues number. On a “live” show this made for some tricky timing on both Gloria and Betty’s parts. Years ago when Bing Crosby recorded “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” he had Gloria play the piping voice of Rudolph. She was on his radio show eight years. When Gloria opens up her mailbox in the mornings it is overflowing with what are called residual checks. Each time any of the nearly 2000 TV-radio commercials she has made is played again, she gets paid for the repeat performance. This lush monetary balm only partly soothes Gloria’s wounded ego. She would be willing to share a hefty chunk of it with anyone who would hire the whole Wood body, instead of just the voice. All Too Frustrating. “It’s all too frustrating.” says Gloria. “What good does it do to be Minnie Mouse’s voice—which I was—if ] body knows it’s mine?” There was a time when Gloria was hired “in person. After graduation from high school in Arlington, Mass., she got a job singing at a Boston radio station. In 1941 she became the vocalist for the Clyde Lucas band, then playing at Roseland in New York. After another stint with Horace Heidt, Gloria joined Kay Kyser’s band and did the vocalizing for such Kyser recording hits as the “Woody Woodpecker Song.” It was her vocal gymnastics on this novelty number which brought her to the attention of the genuises who turn out singing and cartoon commercials for radio and TV. Gloria thought it was fun at first. Suddenly her voice was in such great demand that she couldn’t find time for anything else. Advertising agencies both here and in New York would rearraange their schedeules and wait patiently for “that Wood girl.” On one occasion the producer of a wax commercial needed voices for a little girl, her brother and a mother. Hej^ had Gloria for the little girl,: but didn’t like those he had auditioned for the boy and mother. Gloria wound up do ing the boy’s voice, but the! producer was afraid that if he let her be the mother he would be lynched by the other performers auditioning. Made a Recording. In 1956 Gloria found time to make a record of her own. It was jazz song called “Hey, Bellboy!” and with the sexy overtones Gloria gave the lyrics, it was well on its way to hitdom. “Then the roof caved in,” Gloria says. “The networks banned it. There was really nothing wrong with the song, just a few dirty minds reading something into it that wasn’t there.” She has a new album (“Wood by the Fire”) coming out soon, and hopes it will get her launched as a personality. Meanwhile, Gloria will go on bearing her cross—making commercials, dubbing voices for big stars and shoveling the checks out of the mailbox


Gloria Wood
A partial discography

1941 Elite ? 
Clyde Lucas Band
no details

194? — Mastertone GW-2/3
Gloria Wood with The Bachelors :  
Rhumba at the Matzo Ball
In Brazil It's The Nuts  

1946 — 4 Star 1059
Tommy Todd And The 4-Star Orch, vocal Gloria Wood
Queen For A Day
Out Of A Dream

1946 — 4 Star 1076
Ted Fio Rito And His Orchestra (Vocal by Gloria Wood)
East Of The Sun Side 
other side vocal by Adriana (Snow Whote) Caselotti and Pinto Colvig

1946 — 4 Star 1077
Ted Fio Rito And His Orchestra (Vocal by Gloria Wood) : 
Now That's You're Gone
 other side vocal by Bob Scott
1947 — Columbia 37214  
Kay Kyser and his orchestra
vocal chorus by The Campus Kids  featuring Gloria Wood : 
Managua, Nicaragua
reverse :  vocal chorus by Michael Douglas and the Campus Kids
1948 — Columbia 37956
Kay Kyser and his orchestra /
vocal chorus by The Campus Kids  featuring Gloria Wood
Pass That Peace Pipe
reverse : Vocal chorus by Harry Babitt and The Campus Kids.

1948 —  Columbia 38067  
Kay Kyser and his orchestra
Vocal by Harry Babbitt and Gloria Wood
Teresa
 reverse vocal by The Campus Kids
1948 —  Columbia 38197 
Kay Kyser and his orchestra / Vocal chorus by Gloria Wood : 
Woody Wood-Pecker
Kay Kyser's Campus Cowboys, vocal chorus by Gloria Wood :
When Veronica Plays the Harmonica
1953 —  Capitol 2436 
Buddy Cole And Gloria Wood
Red Canary
Hello Sunshine
 1953 —  Capitol 2471
Anybody Hurt?
Hey, Bellboy!
1953 —  Capitol 2625 : 
Oh, Honey
By The Waters Of Minnetonka
1955 —  Coral 61396
Lover-Lover (Why Must We Part?)
Teen-Time  
1953 -  Capitol EAP 1-538
Anybody Hurt? 
Oh, Honey
Hey, Bellboy!
By The Waters Of Minnetonka

1955 —  Coral 61457 
Hey Mister! (Where Is My Baby Tonight?)
I Keep Telling Myself
1955 —  Decca 29756 
Jimmy Wakely with Gloria Wood
Are You Satisfied?
Mississippi Dreamboat
1956 —  Diamond 3001 : 
Gloria Wood,  Ivan Scott and his orchestra with the Four Jewels: 
The Rock And Roll
Honey Bee 
1956 —  Diamond 3005
Gloria Wood,  Ivan Scott and his orchestra with the Four Jewels:
Close The Door Gently
Wear a Smile
1957 —  Verve 10070
Ricky Nelson 
You're My One and Only Love (Gloria Wood, girl voice uncredited)
1957 — Zephyr 70-009   
Sabourin
Scoundrel Blues
 1957 —  Zephyr 70-010 
Lullaby in Blue
Someday Soon (from film "Bundle of Joy")
1958 —  Columbia 41070 
Mr. Sorrow
Back Door
1958 —  Columbia 41156 
I Won't Be A Fool Agai
 Heartless Kisses
1959 Columbia CL1286 LP Wood By The Fire 
Painting The Town With The Blues
It's Monday Every Day
A Stranger in Town
It's The Talk of The Town
But Not For Me
In a Sentimental Mood
Penny Dream Blues
Mean To Me
I Got It Bad
I Don't Want To Cry Anymore
The Wrong Blues
Goodbye
1960 —  Vista 361 :
Gloria Wood and the Afterbeats
Ching Ching / 
Doo Dee Doo Doop
1962 —  Warner 1371  (LP)
Pete Rugolo And His Orchestra* ‎– Behind Brigitte Bardot - Cool Sounds From Her Hot Scenes
Paris B.B. (Vocals Gloria Wood)
the only title sung by her on this LP


Friday, February 6, 2015

Pretty Little Brown Eyes

Alice Grant
Orch Chic Morrison

 Pretty Little Brown Eyes
 (George Appleyard,  Cunha Music Publishing Company)
Arranged By Ralph Jones  
A George Appleyard Production

Blue Star 503

Hackensack, New Jersey or N.Y.C.?
1965?

The only recognizable name here is Chic Morrison. the orchestra leader.  Veteran musician Chic (Chick) Morrison played drums with Cab Calloway and other big-time entertainers, such as Louis Armstrong and Benny Carter.

Alice Grant previously recorded with Geo. Appleyard (also probably owner of the label) on Blue Star 501. which according to one comment  at 45cat.com, "is very much like something Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood would do"


Sunday, February 1, 2015

Rhythm Un-Huh


Maurice White

Rhythm Un-Huh

Mila Pride, Cedarwood BMI
Pride 1003
1908 Lebanon Road, Pho. AL-6-0019 Nashville, Tenn.

1960


Mila (Shoemaker) Pride was born circa 1903 in Nashville, Tennessee and was an operator-clerk for the service of the Railway Company, Tennessee.  She also wrote songs in her spare time.  And she managed to recruit singer Maurice White for her vanity Gold and Pride labels.  "Rhythm Un-Huh" was previously issued on Gold in 1958.

Maurice White sounds here more like a Globe Studios song poem artist.  He also recorded, as Marty Wyte, a more energetic "Queen of The Mardi Gras" (issued three times, on Shammy, Revue and Brosh Records).  

A Maurice White/Marty Wyte discography can be found here (Rockin' Country Style)