OUR CRITEREA FOR YOUTUBE VIDEOS : HAVE A LISTEN TO OUR YOUTUBE STATION

The YouTube station we have is embedded to the left is PLAYLIST ONE. On the net you can also see the station itself along with PLAYLIST TWO. Each features a different set of music. And from time to time we check to see what videos have expired and find the best substitute possible.

We often seek videos that have historical value because we like the idea that you can get a view of the performers and the times - the sets - the fashions - the overall style of a concert or television show.

We listen and watch each video because we want to make sure that it fits into our standards for the blog. That means parents should not be concerned if their child is watching that video, though we love creativity and innovation.

We also give lots of points when a YouTuber provides some historical information as part of their post. We know opinions vary, but we appreciate the effort.

Last but not least (not at all) we care that a YouTuber is following the guidelines that we all agree to in having these wonderful accounts. That means that the particular account owner does not indulge in any abusive practices. Let's face it. It's easy for people to hide out behind an account on the Internet and post just about anything, even things they would never say to someone's face. That is not at all in the spirit of helpfulness or cooperation.

WE THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE SHARED VIDEOS and SENT US SUGGESTIONS!

Wes Bryan and Christine Trzyna

(381) RCA A GREAT BIG RECORD LABEL

Elvis Presley left the Sun record label because RCA bought his contract from Sam Phillips about a year later, in 1955. So when I met Elvis in 1957 the old hound dog was already on a great big label, RCA.

Elvis is still on RCA!

We're linking to the RCA site!

In the 1920's RCA (Radio Corporation of America), which manufactured radios - the way most Americans first heard a record, purchased Victor and the label became RCA Victor. In the early 1950's RCA Victor was one of the big five. The others were Capitol, Mercury, Columbia, and Decca. EMI, the biggest label in the United Kingdom bought Capitol in 1955.

The big labels had the money to market, and marketing was an important part of moving a record into stores quickly so that sales could move it up the chart.

The smaller labels didn't have much of a marketing budget so it was up to the entertainer to promote. Sometimes playing a song on radio or TV sent fans into the record stores where there were few to no records to buy. They bought something else, something available.

By the late 1950's, the smaller independent labels that had been pioneers in releasing Rock and Roll records began to loose sales to the great big labels.

HOUND DOG SONGWRITER JERRY LEIBER HEADS FOR THE ROCK AND ROLL MANSION IN HEAVEN

"Rock 'n' roll songwriter Jerry Leiber, who wrote lyrics for such hits as "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock," died Monday. ...With Leiber as lyricist and partner Mike Stoller as composer, the team channeled their blues and jazz backgrounds into pop songs performed by such artists as Elvis Presley, the Coasters and Ben E. King... Their breakout hit was blues great Big Mama Thornton's 1953 rendition of "Hound Dog." Presley's version hit No. 1 in 1956."

We're linking to the Daily News article, one of many, put out by Associated Press."

Christine here : If you believe what the psychic Sylvia Browne has to say about heaven, there's a rock and roll concert going on over there where all the greats get to play together, so maybe Jerry gets to work with Elvis again! (And where Elvis gets to perform at the biggest arena ever!)

UPDATE MARCH 16 2012 We're adding the official Leiber -Stoller Site to our links list.

THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC BLOG : THANKS GOOGLE!

Christine here: Wes called me the other day, the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. We reminisced. Elvis was one of the big inspirations for us to start this blog. In fact we dedicated it to him. When I first met Wes Bryan, it was in a local library where he liked to meet with some of his friends. I knew Wes and his friends liked to talk old Hollywood. One day I realized that when he said anything about Elvis there was almost a reverent hush. Wes had a lot of fun with Elvis.

Blogging was an endeavor that was new to us. We have learned so much in the process! We couldn't do it without Google Blogger, which remains at no charge to us. Google recently bought YouTube, another site with thousands of contributor posted music videos that have become a resource for music historians all over the world. When we link to a site or a video we like to think we are sending our readers to more information and experience.

One of the thrills for Wes is that this blog has attracted not only new friends like Arne in Sweden, but so many old friends have found this way to reconnect. We say hello to all of you and thank you again for your contributions to the success of Wes Bryan - My Life in Music.

(380) 1964 ELVIS' GREAT YEAR : VIVA LAS VEGAS CAME OUT

I've said that Viva Las Vegas remains one of my favorite movies. Elvis was working on it in 1963, which is when he met Ann-Margret, but it came out in 1964. (It's my favorite Elvis movie.) It was very popular, so while the Beatles were "invading" America, Elvis was having a great year too. Was he worried about the Beatles' chart toppers effecting his success? No. But he was aware.
When Elvis was in Germany he had all the top hits sent over to him. Back in the states he loaded his juke box with his favorites. It was part of the business to know who was who and what was what. At the house he often played demos for me and Johnny Rivers, wanting our opinions; which ones should he record?

(379) BILLBOARD AD FOR 5th ANNIVERSARY OF ELVIS PRESLEY'S DEATH

Friends, we're linking here to the page in BILLBOARD MAGAZINE in which a few of us ran an ad in remembrance of ELVIS PRESLEY on the 5th anniversary of his death.

The ad was in the Aug 21, 1982 edition and we continued to place these ads, gaining more contributors, for both his birthday and these remembrances.

If you go back to my earliest posts - the very beginning of this blog in 2007 - you can read a bit more about what I have to say about Elvis, who was a friend of mine from 1957 on and one of the best friends a man could have.

Use the search feature of this blog to bring up some of my memories of this great man, and a great friend.

(378) ABOUT THE TIME I MET ELVIS IN 1957 : WES BRYAN

The Brooding James Dean type? So the photograph says. That's me, Wes Bryan, in New York about the time I was signed to a contract with United Artists to act and also to sing about 1957. It was about the time that I met Elvis Presley while on a UA tour of the deep south, which included Memphis.

I was optimistic about life and worked hard. Traveling, meeting people, and performing around the country brought me out of my shyness and into my confidence about my abilities.

(377) 1964 THE BEATLES TOUR AMERICA : CAPITOL RECORDS : STILL RECORDING "OLD TIME" ROCK AND ROLL

Christine here : The Beatles had been in the United States before, in 1963, and they lead a lot of British groups in what's been called "THE BRITISH INVASION" to success in America.

The Beatles got signed to Capitol Records, which had an association with EMI. Capitol put out the"Meet The Beatles" album, the first of four for that year. The Beatles were all over and up the charts. In Great Britain they put out an album called "Beatles For Sale." It was released as "Beatles IV" in the US.

The "Beatles For Sale" album was a tribute album to the early rock and rollers that the Beatles loved. It featured songs like Carol Perkins' "Honey Don't" with Ringo Starr singing, Carl Perkin's "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby," with George Harrison singing, Buddy Holly's "Words of Love," sung by Paul McCartney and harmonies with John Lennon. While Paul and John were writing original songs and would become two of the most prolific and famous songwriters of the Twentieth century, they covered these songs that were already considered "oldies" too.

The Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 and toured the country. By August of 1964 they were featured guests at a charity event in Los Angeles arranged by Capitol records ; old Hollywood stars brought their teenagers. Back in England they went on the popular rock and roll "Ready Steady Go" television show, which was a project of Dave Clark of the group Dave Clark Five.

I had several friends over the years who were major Beatles fans and I became one too, turned on to the group listening to their records. I still love these early albums. They had such energy! There was so much excitement!

The Beatles very much part of my introduction to Rock and Roll and my lifelong love of music.

(376) FRED NEIL : STUDIO MUSICIAN : CAPITOL RECORDS ARTIST

FRED NEIL : What a voice! And a great person!
Freddy was six foot two, a freckled face, red hair. I met him in Saint Petersberg, Florida in December of 1957. He paled around with me and Ersel Hickey in New York and became a real good friend. He was a lot of fun - very comical - a prankster.

One time as I was walking across Broadway with some business people, I heard a loud voice, someone yelling for me with some profanity thrown in. I turned around and there he was, laughing at me. Freddy was turned loose in a big city.

Fred had a couple records on Capitol Records but his claim to fame was the song "Everybody's Talking," the movie Midnight Cowboy's theme song.

NICK VENET WAS THE PRODUCER ON THIS HIT.

Fred signed a contract with Southern Music. a division of Hill and Range, and became a big writer.

I wrote a song for Buddy Knox called "Bye Bye Helloa" and Freddy played all the instruments on the demo. It was recorded in a little studio in the Brill building. Freddy also worked in the studio with Bobby Darin.

(375) NICK VENET - PRODUCER AT CAPITOL HAD HIS OWN ROCKABILLY ORIGINS

CAPITOL RECORDS music producer Nick Venet had a rockabilly past of his own. This one is from 1957.
If you'll click on the title above you will go to a National Public Radio interview of Nick, who among many others, worked with Bobby Darin and Glen Campbell. This interview includes a Nick Venet produced version of Bobby Darin singing Dream Lover and is mostly about Bobby. Nick and Bobby went back to the Brill Building in New York, where Bobby was doing demos for other artists. There was a group of people who hung out in the restaurants nearby. I was one of them.

Nick Venet on Bobby Darin's career : "Being a songwriter was more realistic"