Cactus

Legendary Stardust Cowboy

While a student at Lubbock’s Monterey High School in the mid-sixties, Norman Carl Odam, the only son of Utahonna Beauchamp, a clerk at J. C. Penney’s, and Carl Bunyan Odam, an auto mechanic, would stand on the school steps and bang on an old guitar (using only the G7 chord, according to Ely). Often, suited up in his Ledge outfit, he’d tool into fast-food drive-ins in a light blue Chevy Biscayne with “NASA presents the Stardust Cowboy” spray-painted on the side, hop on top of the car, and start his show. The kids would rearrange their cars to face him. Some would cheer him on, others would pelt him with Sweetarts or clumps of dirt, then invariably—before he could demonstrate his skills on the bugle and the washboard—fights would start and he’d have to peel out.  (from Texas Monthly, June 2000)

Cactus

Five Years

Tony Dodge



Five Years

Marvin Silverman-Hardy Salwitz
Michele Music ASCAP
   Arranged and conducted by Hardy Salwitz

Square Records 45-S101
1960

Tony Dodge, real name Alan Mark David, born in 1928 in New York City. David’s father worked for the New York Press.  Well, not exactly.  Essentially, he was a presser in New York’s Garment Center.  But, when asked what his father did for a living, he always said he was with the New York Press.  Of course, his mother was a housewife, no self-respecting woman worked outside of the home in those days.  The family moved to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in 1935.

A Korean War Veteran, Alan David was with the United Service Organization and an entertainer in New York, City & Suburban Night Clubs.  Joined the Dr. Scholl Company in 1954.

Owner of Square Records was Marvin Silverman.

Artists on the Square label (1960-1962) : Joanne Carter, Bobby Reno, Bobby Lance, Dave Zaval, Johnny Crear, Alfred Rage, Renee Matthews, The Axcents, Matt Cord and Lee Randy

I Wanna Hold Your Hair

The Bagels



I Wanna Hold Your Hair

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)

Warner Bros. 5420   
March 1964

☆

Larry Orenstein, probably the man behind The Bagels (did he also sing?) wrote both songs, which were published by Leeway Music (ASCAP) owned by his old friend Hal Levy.

Larry Orenstein [1918-2006]

A jazz trumpeter and singer, played trumpet for the Paul Whiteman and Orchestra (as "Larry Neill"), then performing solely as a vocalist with the orchestra of bandleader Shep Fields. In addition to his work with other bands, such as that of Ray Noble, he kept busy as a sideman for radio variety shows.

In 1955 he was hired on to The Donald O'Connor Show (1954) as a songwriter, and later wrote songs for (and had a small part in) an episode of I Love Lucy (1951) called "Lucy Goes to Scotland". In 1956 he was hired by Sidney Miller, with whom he had worked on "The Donald O'Connor Show", to write songs for The Mickey Mouse Club (1955), for which Miller was a director. In addition to writing music, Orenstein also came up with storylines for several episodes. He left the show at the end of the season. He freelanced as a songwriter for television (he wrote the theme song for Bachelor Father (1957) and stage. In the 1970s he started his own advertising agency, and among his clients were among others Sony, Pioneer and McDonalds.

He died of pneumonia on February 22, 2006, in Sherman Oaks, California.

Blow Top Blues

Donna Drake



Blow Top Blues

From the album "Donna Sings Dinah" featuring the Wynton Kelly Trio (Alma Records, 1968), Redd Foxx introduces Miss Donna Drake.

Info from the LP's back cover:

Since the Queen's passing, Redd Foxx has seen and heard dozens of new voices and faces in the many clubs he works, but none that compared to the great Dinah Washington, that is, until he heard Donna Drake.  Since that first listen, Redd has been determined to let the World hear her too.  That determination led to the making of [the] album

Donna Drake was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and come to Detroit at age 3.  The oldest child of four children, she attended Detroit's Northern High chool where she first sang with the school choir and participated in variety show with such school chums as Paul Chambers, Donald Byrd and Barry Harris. After winning a Windsor, Ontario, talent contest, she received a contract for a television show. (...) She worked for a while with the late great Charlie Parker till the time of his death.  After that, a tour of the East and Midwest and parts of Canada, and then a supporting singer for such stars as Gloria Lynn, Betty Carter, Brook Benton and Joe Williams.  Donna's meeting with Redd Foxx took place while he was appearing at Detroit's Charade Club.  Backing Donna is the Wynton Kelly Trio, the same group who for so many years backed Dinah Washington.

Mama, Forgive Your Truckin' Man

Mama, Forgive Your Truckin' Man

From Manchester, Pennsylvania, here is Edna Mae Henning (born in 1941) on her own Henning Surprise label. According to waxidermy, she wrote over 10,000 songs. 

Discography (all on Henning Surprise, late 70s and 80s)

VMRFP-1164   (1978)
Mama, Forgive Your Truckin' Man    
Humming A Country Song    
Tune In Your C.B.
If You See My Baby

HSR 345
He Left Me
Give Me Time To Cry

HSR 001
I Can't Get Over You    
You're The Reason

NRF-45-289 (PS)   1980
It's Love, Love, Love    
Walking And Talking Over You

NRF-388
Please Mr. Dee-Jay
Getting The Blues Over You

SR-72188
Someday Darling    
Your Baby Wait's At Home

NRF-45-101 (PS)
Doggone It You Slipped And Gone    
Me And My Piano    
I'm Gonna Play This Ole Piano (No. 2)    
Come Back And Try Me One More Time