Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Weekend listening!
Give a couple rounds to this CD put out in 1996 which features Edwin Bruce, Barbara Pittman, Roy Orbison, Gene Simmons, Kenny Parchman, Dick Penner, Dickey Lee and the Collegiates, Tracy Pendarvis, Jimmy Williams, Ernie Barton, Glen Honeycutt, Harold Jenkins (Conway Twitty), Jerry Lee Lewis, Alton and Jimmy, and Carl Perkins! It's music history and a lot of fun.
Weekend reading?
We've got the latest memoir by Johnny Ramone (of the Ramones) and is he an Elvis fan!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
(428) GENE PITNEY : SINGER-SONGWRITER, RECORDING ARTIST, PERFORMER
Gene had an album out in 1965, was still performing, still writing songs, still covering tunes recorded by other artists. He performed on Shindig, the hot rock and roll television show broadcasting from Los Angeles that featured the Americans who invaded Britain and the British who were invading the United States!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
POST (186) GENE PITNEY ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART : FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Gene Pitney: this blog wouldn't be complete without including him.
On one website we noticed that someone had confused me and Gene, probably because he recorded under the name Billy Bryan prior to 1960.
Gene was a songwriter who went into performance. As you may realize from reading this blog, in the Cover Tune Era the singer-songwriter was the exception. A good number of us went from performance into songwriting but Gene did both. It's difficult to do both with success and hold onto that success. A good songwriter can last past a good performer if, for instance, his looks aren't with him. And in the case of the Big Bopper - J.P Richardson and Gene Pitney, some say sadly, that it wasn't their sound or their talent but their looks that failed them on the music scene - they just weren't the idol type. Just like today Abe Lincoln probably wouldn't have had the looks and personality to make it through a Presidential campaign and to the White House.
But Gene was so talented! He co-wrote a number of hit songs for my peers including "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson.
The web site we're linking to has a comprehensive biography of Gene and mentions a number of his songwriting successes.
And here's a BBC report of Gene's last concert before he passed into Eternal Life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4879846.stm
Search our blog for The Crystals! Earlier we posted them singing "Little Boy" that was written by Gene!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
HELLO to ARUBA, ITALY, SWEDEN, UNITED KINGDOM, and NETHERLANDS
Aruba?! Wonder who among our fans is VACATIONING in Aruba!?
Sunday, August 19, 2012
(427) BILLY LEE RILEY : SUN RECORDS PROTEGEE
Wes' cousin Dean reminded us that BILLY LEE RILEY passed away in August of 2009. We went through our archives to see what we'd posted on Billy before, and saw that the links needed to be updated.
See post (183)!
Like Elvis, Billy Lee Riley started out on that local label that became one of the most famous small labels in Rock-A-Billy and Early Rock and Roll : SUN. But here's a song Billy recorded in 1965. If you go right to the YouTube site you can read what the video poster wrote about Billy - all good.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
TO ELVIS FROM WES
"Elvis, they say a man can have no better epitaph that the one that's inscribed in the hearts of his friends." Wes
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ON ELVIS
"It was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear, and somehow we all dreamed it." - Bruce Springsteen
Sunday, August 12, 2012
ELVIS CARED ABOUT HIS VOICE!
FROM OUR ARCHIVES POSTED ON JUNE 2, 2008
Christine here.
I recently read a book about the Beatles, by Jonathan Gould, called "CAN'T BUY ME LOVE." I found it a fascinating read. The author attempts to put the Beatles' success into more of a socio-cultural viewpoint. It's C 2007 and put out by Harmony Books.
(We'll be talking about Elvis, the Beatles, Wes, and the singer-songwriters some time later in this blog journal.)
The other day I was talking to Wes about a comment made in this book. On page 61 the author writes that the real reason for Elvis' "decline" is that the "nature" of his "ambition" was not to be a great singer, but a great star, and thus he moved towards the movies.
As you know, Wes himself came up in that era in which the movie studios wanted into the record / music business and artists were encouraged to cross over, boosting their careers in both directions. Singing in the movies, or selling more records because you became internationally famous in the movies, movies as two hour rock videos, an acknowledgement of the power of television and movie image that went beyond live performances; all these things were considered to be cutting edge marketing of talent. It was considered AMBITIOUS to be more visible.
I ran this one by Wes and how shall I put it? Wes Bryan absolutely does not agree that Elvis did not care to be a great singer or that he ever gave up on singing or being a singer. Wes pointed out to me (and you!) that he personally witnessed through the years just how much Elvis cared about music and his singing.
Elvis was like a walking encyclopedia of music, the fan of a great many other singers. He studied their technique, knew who had problems with breathing and phrasing. He studied Mario Lanza as an example, and he loved to sing along with records as well as perform his renditions of songs he loved at his parties. Music was not something he only performed on stage, but in the privacy of his home, among friends, because he loved it. Music and singing was not just about making money for him.
He collected records and gave his favorites play in his home and in his suites in Vegas and on the road. He brought home demo records for his close musical friends to hear and give their opinions on.
He called his DJ friends when he loved another singers records and asked them to give the record a spin. He personally chose many of the songs that became hits for him.
He kept a home recording studio to record songs he was considering and jam sessions frequently erupted in his home studios, at his parties, and just hanging around the house.
He established his own music publishing entities and he paid promptly and as contracted. Artists whose work he owned a part of did not deal with fraud or long delays on their intellectual property residuals when Elvis was in charge.
He stated publicly that he would personally listen to singer-songwriter demos that were presented to him. In search of a song for one album, Wes recalls that Elvis spent weeks and went through the rock and roll archives choosing from over 250 standards.
Even though he was one of the hardest working entertainers that Las Vegas ever saw, even after two shows a night, Elvis and his friends and invited guests often retreated to his private suite where they sang gospel till dawn, just for the love of it.
And there is the evidence of a well exercised voice. Almost to the end when he was ill, and we will state that those closest to him knew he was ill and attempted to cover for him, hoping he would regain his health, Elvis' voice retained its unique vibrancy.
Christine here.
I recently read a book about the Beatles, by Jonathan Gould, called "CAN'T BUY ME LOVE." I found it a fascinating read. The author attempts to put the Beatles' success into more of a socio-cultural viewpoint. It's C 2007 and put out by Harmony Books.
(We'll be talking about Elvis, the Beatles, Wes, and the singer-songwriters some time later in this blog journal.)
The other day I was talking to Wes about a comment made in this book. On page 61 the author writes that the real reason for Elvis' "decline" is that the "nature" of his "ambition" was not to be a great singer, but a great star, and thus he moved towards the movies.
As you know, Wes himself came up in that era in which the movie studios wanted into the record / music business and artists were encouraged to cross over, boosting their careers in both directions. Singing in the movies, or selling more records because you became internationally famous in the movies, movies as two hour rock videos, an acknowledgement of the power of television and movie image that went beyond live performances; all these things were considered to be cutting edge marketing of talent. It was considered AMBITIOUS to be more visible.
I ran this one by Wes and how shall I put it? Wes Bryan absolutely does not agree that Elvis did not care to be a great singer or that he ever gave up on singing or being a singer. Wes pointed out to me (and you!) that he personally witnessed through the years just how much Elvis cared about music and his singing.
Elvis was like a walking encyclopedia of music, the fan of a great many other singers. He studied their technique, knew who had problems with breathing and phrasing. He studied Mario Lanza as an example, and he loved to sing along with records as well as perform his renditions of songs he loved at his parties. Music was not something he only performed on stage, but in the privacy of his home, among friends, because he loved it. Music and singing was not just about making money for him.
He collected records and gave his favorites play in his home and in his suites in Vegas and on the road. He brought home demo records for his close musical friends to hear and give their opinions on.
He called his DJ friends when he loved another singers records and asked them to give the record a spin. He personally chose many of the songs that became hits for him.
He kept a home recording studio to record songs he was considering and jam sessions frequently erupted in his home studios, at his parties, and just hanging around the house.
He established his own music publishing entities and he paid promptly and as contracted. Artists whose work he owned a part of did not deal with fraud or long delays on their intellectual property residuals when Elvis was in charge.
He stated publicly that he would personally listen to singer-songwriter demos that were presented to him. In search of a song for one album, Wes recalls that Elvis spent weeks and went through the rock and roll archives choosing from over 250 standards.
Even though he was one of the hardest working entertainers that Las Vegas ever saw, even after two shows a night, Elvis and his friends and invited guests often retreated to his private suite where they sang gospel till dawn, just for the love of it.
And there is the evidence of a well exercised voice. Almost to the end when he was ill, and we will state that those closest to him knew he was ill and attempted to cover for him, hoping he would regain his health, Elvis' voice retained its unique vibrancy.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
(426) ELVIS MET THE BEATLES : 1965 :
Christine here!
It's through Wes Bryan that I got to "know" * Elvis, and got to appreciate him as a human being and started listening to his music and watching some of his films.
I knew a couple of the 70's Elvis hits, but not much else. I was a little kid Beatle's fan because of the teenagers in my life back then who were Beatles fans and had the 45's and the albums and so did some of my friend's parents! Now I know that even some of the Beatle's tunes I liked so much were actually covers of earlier rock and rollers!
We've been following 1965 here at WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC, and 1965 is the year that the Beatles met Elvis and Elvis met the Beatles. In various books and other media this meeting is generally said to be of disappointment on both sides. As I understand it, the Beatle's manager Brian Epstein, and Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, arranged the meeting and maybe the Beatles were in a bit of shock, or maybe it's just that they had little in common but musical fame. Elvis is said to have jammed a bit with some of them, or perhaps it was a few of Elvis' guys who did the jamming?
I listened to some Youtube videos of the Beatles, years after the fact, telling about their historic meeting with Elvis and some of what they had to say is sad. They encountered Elvis playing the electric guitar while watching TV, they didn't understand at that point why he wasn't performing because they felt they would miss the connection with the audience. (One of the reasons the Beatles stopped touring is that they understood that their screaming fans were not really listening!)
The Beatles say they didn't understand why Elvis was making movies. Elvis' music was more and more about making movie soundtrack albums at this point. (In 3 years he'd stage a "come back" as a live performer.)
As you probably know in August each year to remember Elvis there's an Elvis Week at Graceland TM. We're celebrating Elvis too!
* (A note here: I didn't mean to imply that I got to know Elvis in person like Wes did!)
It's through Wes Bryan that I got to "know" * Elvis, and got to appreciate him as a human being and started listening to his music and watching some of his films.
I knew a couple of the 70's Elvis hits, but not much else. I was a little kid Beatle's fan because of the teenagers in my life back then who were Beatles fans and had the 45's and the albums and so did some of my friend's parents! Now I know that even some of the Beatle's tunes I liked so much were actually covers of earlier rock and rollers!
We've been following 1965 here at WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC, and 1965 is the year that the Beatles met Elvis and Elvis met the Beatles. In various books and other media this meeting is generally said to be of disappointment on both sides. As I understand it, the Beatle's manager Brian Epstein, and Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, arranged the meeting and maybe the Beatles were in a bit of shock, or maybe it's just that they had little in common but musical fame. Elvis is said to have jammed a bit with some of them, or perhaps it was a few of Elvis' guys who did the jamming?
I listened to some Youtube videos of the Beatles, years after the fact, telling about their historic meeting with Elvis and some of what they had to say is sad. They encountered Elvis playing the electric guitar while watching TV, they didn't understand at that point why he wasn't performing because they felt they would miss the connection with the audience. (One of the reasons the Beatles stopped touring is that they understood that their screaming fans were not really listening!)
The Beatles say they didn't understand why Elvis was making movies. Elvis' music was more and more about making movie soundtrack albums at this point. (In 3 years he'd stage a "come back" as a live performer.)
As you probably know in August each year to remember Elvis there's an Elvis Week at Graceland TM. We're celebrating Elvis too!
* (A note here: I didn't mean to imply that I got to know Elvis in person like Wes did!)
Monday, August 6, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (306) A LITTLE REITERATION OF MY STORY JUST TO GET YOU SITUATED !
EXCERPT FROM OUR ARCHIVES
POST (306) FROM APRIL 23, 2012
A LITTLE REITERATION OF MY STORY JUST TO GET YOU SITUATED !
... But if you've been following my story, you know that I was born in Murphy, North Carolina, that I made my first recording in a kitchen in Winston-Salem, that I was discovered as THE NEXT JAMES DEAN in Akron, Ohio, in 1957, which lead to auditions in Hollywood and my living in New York City. I studied at Actors' Studio. I traveled all around the United States promoting my first couple records as the FIRST ARTIST SIGNED TO UNITED ARTISTS. Then, while on Roulette Records I toured for a couple years - in 47 states! -with rockabilly Superstar BUDDY KNOX. I became friends with Elvis Presley back in '57, one of the great friendships of my life.
I performed on Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Wink Martindale... so many television shows all around the country. I played live on radio stations. And then - then I moved to Southern California to work as a staff songwriter for AMERICAN MUSIC about 1960, after the KNOX tour was completed.
From the east coast to the west I moved and so did some of the people who were integral to my story. People like Elvis Presley, Johnny Rivers, and Jimmy Bowen were now also living in Hollywood for film or music...
POST (306) FROM APRIL 23, 2012
A LITTLE REITERATION OF MY STORY JUST TO GET YOU SITUATED !
... But if you've been following my story, you know that I was born in Murphy, North Carolina, that I made my first recording in a kitchen in Winston-Salem, that I was discovered as THE NEXT JAMES DEAN in Akron, Ohio, in 1957, which lead to auditions in Hollywood and my living in New York City. I studied at Actors' Studio. I traveled all around the United States promoting my first couple records as the FIRST ARTIST SIGNED TO UNITED ARTISTS. Then, while on Roulette Records I toured for a couple years - in 47 states! -with rockabilly Superstar BUDDY KNOX. I became friends with Elvis Presley back in '57, one of the great friendships of my life.
I performed on Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Wink Martindale... so many television shows all around the country. I played live on radio stations. And then - then I moved to Southern California to work as a staff songwriter for AMERICAN MUSIC about 1960, after the KNOX tour was completed.
From the east coast to the west I moved and so did some of the people who were integral to my story. People like Elvis Presley, Johnny Rivers, and Jimmy Bowen were now also living in Hollywood for film or music...
