Eddie Murray had a dance school for kids in New York since at least the thirties, at 116 W. 65th. and moving later upstairs from the Ed Sullivan Theatre.
Hy Weiss's building, 1697 Broadway, on the corner of 53rd Street and 7th Avenue, is the sleaze-class of the three main music business buildings. (1619, 1650 & 1697 Broadway).In addition to dance teaching, Eddie Murray was a singer recording his self-penned songs which were issued on his own E-M imprint. Eddie also had his own radio show on WHBI, a Newark station. For a few hundred dollars, just about anyone could buy their way on the air at WHBI. Thanks to one station's listener, we have one of his show preserved on cassette. See the whole story here
The tenants of 1697 are mostly cheap booking agents, cheap publishers, overnight record labels, and Hy Weiss' Old Town Records. The building also house the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Ed Sulliwan Show comes from, and from where the latter-day David Letterman Show is broadcast.
The building entry is next to the theater entrance on Broadway through a small corridor of filthy orange-marble walls. Press 11 in the self-service elevator and the doors reopen two minutes later.
Step out onto a dimly lit hallway where faded checkered linoleum floor tiles come loose with every step. Pass a dance studio with "Dancing-Kids" hand-painted on the frosted-glass door where from inside one hears little star-struck feet tapping their way to fame.
Pass a booking agent's open doorway and see bright-eyed young, hopeful singers, comedians and dancers, sitting on metal folding chairs, waiting for weekend work.
It was 3am and I was driving home to Brooklyn from Manhattan when I stumbled onto WHBI. I would often stop by there in the late hours because there were several leased access specialty shows that I found interesting. There was a Doo Wop radio show hosted by a concert promoter and a great reggae show (that was actually sampled on the Clash’s “Sandinista” album). The first thing I heard when I settled on the station was some weird kind of old style country music with an older sounding announcer speaking in an accent that sounded like it was from another planet. I was immediately intrigued and for the next half hour was completely transfixed by this radio show which was hosted by someone by the name of Don Val. He was playing (and constantly talking over) the music of someone by the name of Eddie Murray. The odd thing is that it was pretty obvious that Don and Eddie were one in the same. I’m thinking, this guy is a genius! He’s playing his own music but he’s pretending he’s a DJ playing all of these great songs. The fact that the music was some of the absolute worst music I have ever heard only made the show even more fascinating.
That's not quite the end of the "Rock 'n Roll Baby" story, as Eddie Murray managed to convince Joey Castle to record "Rock 'n Roll Baby" which was issued on E-M 100. Joey Castle, a rockabilly singer, had singles on RCA, Headline & Thanks! between 1958 and 1963 before moving to the Catskills region entertaining the crowds in the night clubs circuit, doing impressions of Boris Karloff, Humphrey Bogart and Johnny Cash among others.
Discography
4063 Tonight The Stars Are Out / You Made Me Feel This Way
4058 Montreal, Canada Blues / Stepping High Dance
539 Rock 'n Roll Baby / When You Don't Care A Thing About Me
1222x Baby Blues / For Love Is The Thing
1223 The Christmas Tree / To Be Loved Is Beautiful
3090 Can't Buy My Heart / My New York
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