Ersel Hickey, as you know, was one of my best friends in New York, one of the best friends of the guys. I invited Ersel to come out to Los Angeles, follow the guys who were moving West for their careers, and told him he could stay with me and one of my brothers who was now living with me in Hollywood. But Ersel remained a true New Yorker. I doubt he even considered it.
New York always had an element of excitement and energy to it. I always felt myself to be at the center of creative enterprise there and when I look back on my days in New York now, I feel the same way.
1961 proved to be a good year for Ersel and music. So the next couple blogs will be Ersel's music. Now these YouTube videos unfortunately do not feature his performing. I shared the stage with Ersel more than once and believe me, the girls went crazy for him and those shakin' legs of his. Maybe someday some old film of Ersel will appear.
Just so you know, Ersel passed away a couple years ago. I had an old TV guide that had an ad with him in it to give him for his own career collection and before I could, we learned he had gone to his reward of eternal life. Christine lights a candle for someone when she hears they have passed and while working on our book she lit quite a few- including for Ersel.
Wes ~
ReplyDeleteNew York is still a great city in 2008! We still visit the Brill Building on Broadway and the Iroquois, where Jimmy Dean lived. When is your next collection of songs coming out?
George, Pete, Hazel and Mickey...Your New York fans.
Thanks George, Pete, Hazel, and Mickey. I traveled back and forth to New York and also to Nashville for some time when I began to produce music on business. I remember the Brill Building with excitement in my blood. As for the haunts of James Dean, being a welcome visitor on the Dean's farm and sleeping in his bed in his room was quite the experience for me! Wes
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