Monday, February 5, 2018

The Pirate Parrot


Ray Heatherton, with Richard the Milton O. Ford's parrot
Cadence Records 1296 (1956)





DISK ARTIST DEBS STRICTLY FOR THE BIRDS

   NEW YORK — What RCA Victor did for the canine family
with its Singing Dogs, Cadence Records hopes to do for 
the birds with its new recording artist, Richard, 54-year old 
parrot.   Richard, booked by GAC and owned by deejay
Milton Q. Ford (WMAL, Washington),  will make his wax
debut this month on "The Pirate Parrot," with Ray "Merry
Mailman" Heatherton joining him on the vocal and backing 
by Archie Bleyer's orchestra.  The tune, a hit in Italy as 
"Curri, Curri, Sciccareddu!" ("Hurry, Hurry, Little Donkey")
is published here by Veronique Music, with English lyric by 
Al Stillman.

   Cadence prexy Bleyer put in six and half hours on tape 
sessions with Richard and a least 60 hours more on the
editing job, the parrot seemingly to talk his way continuously
thru the disk, a la Singing Dogs.  However, Richard has an
advantage over the European pooches, in that he can make
radio and TV appearances, and plug the record.

   His first network video show will be on Julius La Rosa's 
summer sub for Perry Como, CBS-TV show July 21, following 
which he will meet the dealers at the National Association of 
Music Merchants' convention here.  Then Ford is scheduled 
to take him on a deejay tour to plug the platter in other cities.

   The flip side of the disk ("Alfred, the Air Sick Eagle") is also 
a bird-entry, featuring Heatherton, a kid chorus, and authentic
eagle-crys recorded by the Bronx Zoo.

Billboard July 21, 1956

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