Thursday, May 8, 2014

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY VISIT GRACELAND HOME OF THE REAL KING

THE MIRROR: PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY VISIT THE REAL KING

They went to a wedding in Memphis and couldn't resist a private tour of Graceland TM!  Take a look at the article.  There's a good picture of them dressed in rhinestone suits and big belts!

Saturday, May 3, 2014

OUR PHOTOBUCKET SLIDE SHOW - IS IT R.I.P? WHAT HAPPENED TO MEEZ AVATAR?

We haven't run a slideshow since March 2013.  We had a Photobucket account which allowed us to design the slideshows we used and use; the blocks you still see running are from Photobucket (but you can't make one like it.)  Then, I went to take down the seasonal Valentines I'd put up on it and discovered that removing them had broken the code forever!  Photobucket had also discontinued slide shows, a huge mistake in my humble free-bee-snatching opinion.  Watching that slideshow used to be one of Wes' favorite things to do when we got together to talk blog.  I think we need one.

At that point I went in search of new slideshow opportunities.  I actually have a KIZOA account and uploaded a lot of pictures, but so far, no go because their slideshow templates do not fit the design/ template of the blog. 

The Meez Avatar you may've seen from time to time on WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC, Wes' second favorite thing to view because he says it actually looks like him, is still available but we're having glitches.  A librarian friend of mine has explained that hackers have used Meez Avatars and JAVA as a new way of screwing things up for other people and so security is really tight on that.   I've looked at other Avatars but still think that Meez is the finest.  Let me explain just how bad the glitch is...  Sometimes the animated Avatar appears without a head!

Christine



Friday, May 2, 2014

Thursday, May 1, 2014

WESBRYANHEPCATMAGCOVERportion

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Saturday, April 26, 2014

EDDIE COCHRAN : FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (58) EDDIE COCHRAN : ROCKIN THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

POST (58) from October 26, 2007
EDDIE COCHRAN : ROCKIN THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

I met Eddie Cochran at the Sheridan Hotel in New York City, where I also met Jerry Capheart, a man who would figure big in my future one day when he signed me to be a staff songwriter at American Music in Los Angeles.

Buddy Knox called Eddie Cochran "The Blond Elvis."


In England, the Beatles had followed him and Gene Vincent around. (When it came to Rock and Roll, first the Americans invaded England, then there was a British invasion of America.) Eddie performed at an Alan Freed produced Rock and Roll show for New Years about the time I met him. It was the same show I saw Ritchie Valens perform for the first time on.

The world of early Rock and Roll was tough. Eddie carried a Derringer hand gun in his boot and I hear it came in handy more than once, like when he was threatened by the boyfriends of certain fans...


Eddie Cochran wasn't the only one who packed a gun while on tour or while walking the streets of New York but I decided I could take care of myself with my fists. I grew up rumbling with my brothers, had learned some karate and self defence while in the U.S. Army, and admired the boxers who I tried to meet when they came into the Turf restaurant for meals instead of eating across the way at Dempsey's, which was owned by the boxer Jack Dempsey. We all had security concerns that were not met by our record labels or our management. We didn't have body guards and it was up to us to protect ourselves. It was also legal to take a gun on a plane...

During my tour with Buddy Knox I performed two of Eddie Cochran's hits, "Summertime Blues," and "Come on Everybody." Here's Eddie performing those hits on television - You Tube presentations.


ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK HERE ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME EDDIE COCHRAN


History of Rock - Eddie Cochran! HISTORY OF ROCK - EDDIE COCHRAN
Eddie Cochran died at the age of 21, at the height of his fame, in 1960 while touring in England, in a tragic automobile accident on the way to the airport. Gene Vincent was left with a limp in the same accident.

 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

C's CHECKED and EDDIE COCHRAN on the TOWN HALL SHOW

We know! It looked like we were at the end of the alphabet. Well, when we started updating the A-B-C list, we ran into all sorts of glitches, so we're back there. 

In the C's we found that the Perry Como listings needed an update. Enjoy this Historical Music Video, thanks to a YouTuber!


Sunday, April 20, 2014

EASTER GREETINGS!

 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

THOMAS JEFFERSON Quotation of PEACE and FRIENDSHIP

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it."  Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, April 13, 2014

FROM WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC ARCHIVES : (18) New York, NEW YORK, It's A Wonderful Town! & NEIL SEDAKA

FROM OUR ARCHIVES  SEPTEMBER 5th  2007 POST #

(18) New York, NEW YORK, It's A Wonderful Town! and NEIL SEDAKA

In New York the Brill Building became the epicenter of my existence. I became part of the vital music scene. I used the rehearsal studios and recording studios in the Brill and I carried tunes in my head to the Turf restaurant, which was the scene to make. I met countless stars from the world of music and the theatre there, all having coffee, talking into the wee hours.

One day when I was in the Brill, Neil Sedaka ran downstairs to bring Bobby Darin up to meet me. Bobby was recording demos for other people then. It was the beginning of my friendship with Bobby.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

S LINKS UPDATED and NEIL SEDAKA - SONGWRITER!

We checked around and we believe something close to a KEELY SMITH - the SINGER - official web site is in the works! 

NEIL SEDAKA - One of the singer-songwriters I met in the Brill Building when I first went to New York City about the same time I met Bobby Darin who was recording demos there. 

 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

ROUTE 66 : COVER TUNE CLASSIC : WHICH DO YOU PREFER?

PLANNING ON A ROAD TRIP VACATION? 
WHY NOT GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66?  CHICAGO TO LA...

OH WE KNOW THE GAS PRICES ARE SO HIGH YOU MIGHT END UP STAYING IN TOWN WITH ONLY YOUR FANTACIES OF ESCAPE! 

BUT HOW ABOUT JUST A SMALL PORTION OF THIS 2000 + MILE HIGHWAY?

HISTORIC ROUTE 66 - THE OLDEST ROUTE 66 WEBSITE! " The Historic Route 66 web site is dedicated to provide free information for those who want to learn more about Route 66. It features a turn-by-turn road description, guiding the visitor from Chicago to Los Angeles. The forum is available for discussions regarding old 66 by the visitors of this site."

BOBBY TROUP ... who wrote the song as "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66", in 1946.  


CHUCK BERRY ...
THE MANHATTEN TRANSFER ...

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

WES BRYAN MY LIFE IN MUSIC - TECHNOLOGY UPDATE - STATS and CTNWB OUR YOUTUBE STATION!

It's April 2014 and we're slowly updating this Google Blog, which has been written since  August 2007 and in that time has gotten a number of expired links, YouTube videos, and so on.  Eventually we will replace all expired videos with new ones that have no commercials, as possible and rethink our CTNWB station.  (Someone else has a YouTube station called WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC which has no relationship with us.)

We take pride in this project, know that some of you use it for research, and want it to stand as a useful, informative, and beautiful Blog! 

In summer 2009 Google installed a simple stat's function on all Bloggers, and since then we give it a look once in a while.  As of April 8 2014 Google is reporting that we've enjoyed 63,703 hits. 

One of the things that's come up is that from time to time some other stats company shows up or sneaks up and broadcasts its take on our stats as well its take on the selling price of the blog - which isn't for sale! These are commercial enterprises that we have no relationship with.

And we would never agree that the total value of a blog is all about hits anyway!  How can you put a price on a teenager reading about Eddie Cochran for the first time or evaluate the treasure of a free paper doll of Elvis Presley from Dover Publications or the connection an old friend has made?

Never once since it's happened that a strange stats company has reported stats to the world have they been equal to the stats Google Blogger reports, which is always many more hits to the blog.  Of course, we never did write just to get stats.  But we trust Google over these other stat companies.

We've stayed to our subject pretty much with is EARLY ROCK AND ROLL, ROCKABILLY, THE COVER TUNE ERA, THE SINGER SONGWRITER SCENE, THE BRITISH INVASION of AMERICA and the AMERICAN INVASION OF BRITAIN.  We've never intended to cover the entire history of Rock and Roll!  Just like the title says this is WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC!

We notice hits from a variety of countries and on which posts seem to be the most interesting to our readers and it is fascinating to know that someone on a computer from some lesser known location of the world reads us - thus the THANK YOU to our READERSHIP posts.  We never post a country that Google hasn't shown us to be reading.  So even as we do this update, we've got about 1500 hits a month... on older posts and newer.

AND WE THANK YOU for READING WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC!

******

Here is a partial list of countries from which readers make it to our site!

First the top 10 as of today...

United States
Russia
Germany
United Kingdom
Canada
France
Netherlands
Ukraine
Spain
Australia

WE NOTE THAT THE READERSHIP FROM SPAIN IS MUCH MORE RECENT!

We are also enjoying hits from:
China
Brazil
India
Sweden
Italy
Malaysia
Finland
Portugal
Algeria
Malta
United Arab Emerits
South Korea
New Zealand
Argentina
Bulgaria
Poland...

and many other countries!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

R LINKS UPDATED and MARTY ROBBINS

OK - so we pick a video, and then it gets taken down over at YouTube... So we're replacing the one we posted a month ago with this one!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

WANNA GO SEE ELVIS' GOLD SUIT? SAN FERNANDO VALLEY MUSEUM SPOTLIGHTS

DAILY NEWS ; MUSEUM SPOTLIGHTS OLD SAN FERNANDO VALLEY - NUDIE'S SUITS
By Gregory J. Wilcox, Los Angeles Daily News on 3/27/2014

Tommy Gelinas, a voracious Valley memorabilia collector and owner of the Print Lab in North Hollywood, founded the museum last year, largely so he could show off his finds. It now houses two “Nudie mobiles,” old Pontiac Bonnevilles customized by Nudie Cohen, the late Studio City-based western-clothing designer. Cohen was responsible for the “Rhinestone Cowboy” craze, and the museum proudly displays a gold lamé suit he designed for Elvis Presley.

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE VALLEY RELICS MUSEUM http://www.valleyrelics.org/

Valley Relics Museum
21630 Marilla St.
Chatsworth CA 91311

818-678-4934
Hour of Operation
Every Saturday from 10:00am - 3:00pm

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

WESBRYANHEPCATMAGCOVERportion

Sunday, March 30, 2014

HELLO TO SPAIN, PORTUGAL, ALGERIA

Malta and United Arab Emirates!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

NASCAR TEAM OWNER DALE EARNHARDT JR. UNVEILS ELVIS CAR! STUTZ BEARCAT III

YAHOO AUTOS - ELVIS PRESLEY'S LAST RIDE  full article link  DALE EARNHARDT JUNIOR UNVEILS  by Justin Hyde at Yahoo Autos.

So of course it was Elvis Presley's favorite — and today, the Stutz which Elvis drove hours before his death was given a reintroduction at the hands of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Unveiled at the Charlotte Motor Speedway by Earnhardt, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick and Ray Evernham — all in Elvis shades — the black 1973 Stutz Bearcat III was Elvis' third Stutz; he had bought a white copy and the second prototype the company built by hand. In that era, the Stutz could sell for the equivalent of more than $100,000 and the company often billed itself as selling the world's most expensive car. Finished in red leather, the car was essentially Presley's daily driver at the time of his death in August 1977.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

FROM OUR ARCHIVE POST (57) I RECORD WITH NORMAN PETTY/ Buddy Holly's Ex Musicians and Backup Singers

  (Thanks Arne!)

I RECORD WITH NORMAN PETTY/ Buddy Holly's Ex Musicians and Backup Singers from October 25th 2007

When Buddy Holly was on his last tour he went without the band that he was first famous with, the Crickets, so they were not on tour with him when that plane crashed. The individual Crickets were working as studio musicians in recording sessions over at producer Norman Petty's in Clovis, New Mexico.

NEW VIDEO MARCH 2014



Buddy Knox and I drove from New York to Winston Salem, visited with my dad, and then headed for Norman Petty. At Norman's studio there I recorded songs with Norman as producer and for my musicians I had Donny Lanier, the lead guitarist for Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids, and Jerry Allison, the drummer for Buddy Holly with the Crickets!

Donny Lanier was the lead guitarist who did the two solo breaks on Buddy Knox and the Rhythm Orchids' hit "Party Doll." (The guitar sounded like Scotty Moore so Elvis wanted to record "Party Doll himself!)

So on my songs "Baby Blue" and "I Just Want Your Love," I've got some of Buddy Holly's Crickets sound and some of Buddy Knox's Rhythm Orchids.
Donny Lanier played on "Blue Baby," and "I Just Want Your Love." His instrumental intro sounded a lot like "That'll Be The Day."



ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME - THE ROSES  updated March 2014   Here's a bit of information on the vault at Norman Petty's which I believe was located after Norman died.

SCHAUER. DE : NORMAN PETTY SESSIONS VAULT  updated March 2014

Also backing me for vocals on the two songs are The Roses, David Bigham and Robert Linville, Texans who also did backup vocals for Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, and Jimmy Bowen in 1958-1959, and who toured as backup vocalists with Buddy Holly and the Crickets.


RCS DISCOGRAPHY WES BRYAN PAGE

"Blue Baby" and "I Just Want Your Love" were released in 1999 without my knowledge. My writing partner, Christine, and I found out on the Internet. RCS shows them as I knew them to be - unreleased.
 
SUPEROLDIES - NORMAN PETTY STUDIO TOUR

Sunday, March 23, 2014

P LINKS UPDATED AND P.J. PROBY (HE'S 75 and STILL TOURING!)

New Link for drummer EARL PALMER - ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME... DITTO LES PAUL ... lots of updates in the blog for CARL PERKINS...

To Celebrate!  PJ PROBY

PJ PROBY 2014 TOUR DATES

OK ON THIS VIDEO, I, Christine, could not resist posting the video below because I've been reading some newish rock and roll books including one on Jimmy Page, who is one of my favorites guitarist, and well, here is PJ with Jimmy Page, who I've learned first made it onto British TV at 15 and was a session guitarist before Led Zeppelin...


Thursday, March 20, 2014

YOUTUBE VIDEOS and OUR STATION CTNWB and WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC

When we first started including YouTube Videos on our blog WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC we did so tentatively.  We waited a while, not sure of what the Intellectual Properties situation was and then, reading around the subject, we began to include videos.

Today we can't image our blog without these videos, which are presented by others on YouTube.

It takes a lot of work to make a collection of videos on YouTube and to have a station and WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT WORK! 

Of hundreds of videos we have embedded in our blog we have only experienced maybe once or twice where someone objected.  Although we don't often comment on YouTube, we often feel as if YouTube video stations are our partners in this effort, especially the ones that post historical music videos of the early days of Rock and Roll.

However, since then Google has purchased YouTube and the emphasis seems to be on ads...  very annoying interruptive ads. 

How much can anyone take?

As we update this blog, sometimes we click on a dozen or more videos looking for that hold out who refuses to put advertising on his or her videos!


Because this blog is not commercial, we will do everything we can to use only those videos that HAVE NO COMMERCIALS!  That means that as we update both our blog and our channel, old videos may not always have the perfect match to the original post. 


THANKS FOR LISTENING!