Great Moments in Boxing

Great Moments?

It depends on who you ask

It's Time To Leave You

Merle Lee And The Eye Shadows

 It's Time To Leave You 

(Jules Benner-Lee Sages)

Debbie Anne Music Inc, ASCAP

Debbie 1271

 Foster-Gates Productions

Recorded At A.M.S

1963

 

It's Time To Leave You

Arranger and composer Walter "Gates" Grigaitis (d. 1977) worked for Swan Records.  His arrangements were used by Chubby Checker, The Supremes, Freddie Cannon and others.  He also operated his own record production firm in Philadelphia with singer Debbie Foster.   

Little is known about Debbie Foster who is probably the fashion model coached by Artie Singer for a band canarying spot with Art Wendall at the Palladium in Philadelphia in 1953

Nothing is known about Merle Lee and The Eye Shadows

The Chicken Mash

Dennis Weaver

 

The Chicken Mash / The Apes

 Hal Moffett-Bob Summers
Exbrook Music, BMI
Produced by Hal Moffett
Eva 103
1963
Box 2921, Hollywood 28, Calif. 

Dennis Weaver, of part-American Indian background, served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy during World War II.  He was a struggling actor in Hollywood in 1955, earning $60 a week delivering flowers when he was offered $300 a week for a role in a new CBS television series, Gunsmoke (1955). After nine years as Chester, who he played with a stiff-legged gait, he was earning $9,000 a week.

Mainly known as actor, Dennis Weaver was also a musician.  In 1958, he formed a singing trio with Milburn Stone and Amanda Blake. In 1960, the trio broke the house record for the Albuquerque Arena during the New Mexico State Fair.   Dennis Weaver recorded three albums of country music in the seventies.

Dennis Weaver discography

45s

1959 — Cascade 5906 : Girls (Wuz Made To Be Loved) / Michael Finniga
1963 — Eva 103  : The Apes  Chicken Mash
1963 — Warner Bros 5352 The Sinking Of The Reuben James/ Genesis Through Exodus
1969 — Century City  : Days Like These / Cobwebs Of Your Mind
1973 —  Im'press 716  : 20th Century Man / No Name
1975 —  Ovation 1056 : Hubbardville Store / Prairie Dog Blues

Albums

1972 —  Im'press 1614  Dennis Weaver
1974  — ABC 847 : People Songs
1975  — Ovation 1440 One More Road

Dennis Weaver official website

Carmen Taylor and Elena Madera

 Elena Madera
 *

Willie B.

Carman Taylor

Big "Tootin'" Buddy Lucas Band

El Toro 501

 

The tiny El Toro label was launched in 1963 by music store owner Buddy Dunk who was once the manager of The Limelighters, a black vocal group who recorded for a lot of budget labels under a great variety of names. (For details, see the Marv Goldberg article HERE

"Willie B", recently re-issued, is the most obscure record ever recorded by Carmen Taylor, a New York cabaret artist, songwriter and session singer who recorded for a number of East Coast labels in the 1950s.  The labels she recorded for, besides Guyden, were Atlantic, Mercury, Apollo, King and Kama Sutra.

So many records and so many songs penned (most with Willis H. Carroll) and yet, I've been unable to find much info or even a picture of Carmen Taylor who was with Lavern Baker and Ruth Brown on Atlantic Records at the same time and was not less successfull.

Exit Carmen Taylor, enter Elena Madera.

Born in Havana, Cuba of a Cuban-born mother who was a professional dancer, and a father, born in the USA, who was a bandleader in the Philadelphia area.  Elena came to the United States of America at age two, began singing at age three,  For a little more details about Elena Madera, see Alex who is just as curious about the fact  that there isn't much info about Elena Madera on the web.

After extensive research, there is no much doubt in my mind today that Carmen Taylor, Carmen Taylor and Elena Madera are one and only one person !

Carmen Taylor  : My Son (Kama Sutra)


Elena Madera : Pepito

Elena Madera : El Chipi-Chipi

Rock-A Bayou Baby