(261) VISITING ELVIS ON SET of KID GALAHAD

Elvis had three movies that came out in 1962. When Elvis was filming he took his roles very seriously. He could read a script through once and remember his lines but he called it a night early to get a good night sleep if he had to be up early for filming.

While Elvis was filming "Kid Galahad," I went to see him and the entourage as it existed at the time (no one used the term Memphis Mafia yet - that was coined by a reporter some time later). The guys were simply "his guys," and the role they played in Elvis' life was that every one of them had a job to do. Their jobs ranged, over time, and depending on the person's capabilities, from keeping the cars detailed to finding out about beautiful women he expressed interest in. I never worked for Elvis.

Elvis' had a little house to stay in, in Big Bear, during the filming. That's where we all relaxed with Elvis, after a day of filming.



There are a lot of Kid Galahad music videos on YouTube. We picked this one because the film makers picked up on the fact that Elvis loved to have a lot of guys around, guys with musical talent, singing with him.

We're working to make WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC and even better visual experience!

Please bear with us as we experiment with this wonderful Google Blogger and a whole lot of HTML !

(260) ELVIS REMAKES KID GALAHAD - MOVIE PROMO

Kid Galahad first came out in 1937. The Elvis Presley starring remake was, I'm told, very different. I made trailers like these to promote movies for United Artists when I was first signed to them in 1957, as a way to gain experience in front of the camera. James Dean was supposed to make a remake of this film too.

In 1962 Elvis starred in the remake.


This post wouldn't be possible without historical footage from You Tube contributors, so we want to thank them!

TODAY we installed GOOGLE TRANSLATER

Today we are happy to announce that GOOGLE TRANSLATER has been installed. We'll be fine tuning this feature as we go. We are happy to be able to share with ROCKABILLY and EARLY ROCK and ROLL FANS throughout the world in other languages. We are delighted to hit the translator button ourselves and try to read our blog in your language. Who knows. Maybe this will improve Wes' German and my French.

Please understand that as always WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC
is Copyright Wes Bryan and Christine Trzyna, with All Intellectual Property Rights Reserved, including International Rights and Internet Rights.

All sites we link to, including YouTube videos, remain the property of their owners.

If interested in communicating with Wes or me, please e-mail us at wewritethebook@yahoo.com

MUCH THANKS

Christine Trzyna

(259) SO IF I WASN'T AT THE BEACH WHERE WAS I ?

at ELVIS' ! ... our friendship started in 1957 ... and would last until the day he died...

At the time I had a great house, three levels and on stilts in a canyon in the Hollywood Hills. It was woodsy and something out of story book. A house built by craftsmen.

Above me was a flying saucer house - of all things - me the guy who sang Tiny Spaceman!

The spaceship house had elevators that went straight up into it. You could see it perched on a mountain from the freeway and I think that house is still there.

I called mine "the Sugar Shack On the Hill." I bought it with songwriting residuals.

WAIT FOR ME BABY THE ORIGINAL ACETATE

There's an e-bay auction up for a demo copy, of "Wait For Me Baby" and "Freeze," including United Artists wrapper, right now. The bid is $20. Now I recorded this at Bell Sound in New York City, one of the popular studios at the time, and the same place where my friend Frankie Avalon recorded many of his, including his hit "Venus."

I was on Dick Clark American Bandstand singing "Freeze," which began a new dance craze, which Dick introduced on that show, and I sure would love to know if a Kinescope of the show exists.

But what I want to tell collectors, is that the ORIGINAL recording of "Wait For Me Baby," is possibly still out there somewhere on the original acetate and on it, I sang the song differently. In fact I think this original might have made for a better record.

(258) WAS THE TWIST DEAD ? LET'S TWIST AGAIN CHUBBY CHECKERS

Let's twist again like we did last summer !



Chubby Checker was an original rock and roller who performed songs he had written himself. But keep this in mind. Chuck's songs were covered by a great many artists and by 1963 Chuck had made more money from residuals because of the covers other artists did of his music than he did as a performer. When it came to a good song, making money was no obstacle, Black or White.

We're linking to Chubby Checker's web site at the title above (click!)

And thanks to a YouTube video provider, here's a little documentary on American dance circa 1962

LINK TO A 1957 ARTICLE IN THE LA TIMES ABOUT THE NEXT JAMES DEAN

I have a stash of magazines and articles about me, most of which my father managed to save for me. I was too busy traveling to even think about it at the time. Recently we found an article about me circa 1957 in the LA Times archive. You can get to the article by clicking on the title above. Have fun!

ALLEN KLEIN DIED IN NEW YORK - JULY 2009

Click on the title link to a news article from the Globe, a British paper, on the death of ex Beatles and Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein.

Allen managed BUDDY KNOX first, while he, Allen, was living still in the United States. He wanted to manage me too but I told him he "and the horse he rode in on" could get lost. This article makes it sound like Allen enjoyed being a jerk... well, maybe he did!

When we were on tour Buddy saved every receipt, every bill, to turn into Allen, who was supposed to do his taxes. So I figure that BUDDY KNOX was WAITING AT THE GOLDEN GATES to have a word with ALLEN KLEIN when he got there...

BUDDY KNOX SINGING ALL BY MYSELF (Which We Co-wrote) 1962

Click on the title above to get to the sound clip via RCS Discography...

e-bay AUCTION of my album YESTERDAY, TODAY, and TOMORROW now on

Here is what the auctioneer says:

"WES BRYAN "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" on U.S International Records (CA.) 12 tracks: Twenty Acres of Land, I'll Cry My Love, Blue Bird Over the Mountain, To Be Alone, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, All for the Love of a Girl, Don't Be Cruel, I Woke Up Dreaming, Dream Lover, Pierre La Fitte, Lonely Weekends, Half as Sweet as You.'

"Liner notes on back cover talks about his songwriting and that Wes was the co-writer and writer on 4 tracks, (Pierre La Fitte, Half as Sweet, I'll Cry My Love, To Be Alone), also mentions that he is a "long time friend of Elvis" and in the Elvis documentary "That's the Way It Is" Elvis mentions Wes by name as being a great songwriter."

Friends, here's more information. I formed my own publishing company called U.S. International Records. My cousin was the designer of the label, which has an American Eagle on baby blue. My friend Ersel Hickey wrote "Blue Birds Over the Mountain." "To Be Alone" was written by me and Buddy Knox, who also recorded it. Yes, as you know if you're reading my blog, I was a long time friend of Elvis Presley's. And yes, in the documentary it's true, Elvis did say something about me being a songwriter. The DVD version has a lot cut out, including his comments about me. I cherish his opinion just the same!

W.B. YEATS Quote on Friendship

Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends." - W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)

BOBBY FULLER WEST TEXAS TO THE SURF

We thought this documentary was an exceptional contribution to YouTube and Music History...



I didn't know Bobby but I went to see him perform at PJ's, a club on Hillcrest. He reminded me of Buddy Holly in the way that he played. His performances made you want to stand up and applaud.

(257) THE ILLUSIONS, SURFERS LULLABYE

A "local" California band, the Illusions, had a great fan following, and sustained their glory for several years. If you'll click on the title link you'll go to the closest thing to an official site for the band that we found on the net.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY 2009

Hope you're celebrating this great country on this day when the founding of our nation is to be remembered! Wes

(256) CHANTAYS PIPELINE

Thank you to the YouTube contributor who posted this historical music video of the Chantays on Lawrence Welk show. Lawrence had a son who was into the music business - the rock and roll business as it existed at the time - as well. No doubt he told dad to have the Chantays on the show because surf or rock n roll was a real departure for Lawrence. This was recorded in 1962 and the show is from 1963!



Click on the link title above to get to the Chantay's own website... and yes they are also performing this summer in Southern California.