TO ALL YOU SPOOKS OUT THERE!

MITCH RYDER AND THE DETROIT WHEELS "DEVIL WITH A BLUE DRESS ON and GOLLY MISS MOLLY"

How many dress colors does the Devil wear?  There's the Devil with the Red Dress and then the Devil with the Blue... Does it have anything to do with being a Devil from Detroit, the Motor City?  Christine

Does Mitch Ryder have an official site?  You bet!  MITCH RYDER NET

FRANK SINATRA Quote on Friendship

"A friend is never an imposition." - Frank Sinatra

FRANK SINATRA : FROM CAPITOL RECORDS TO WARNER AND HIS OWN LABLE : REPRISE :FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Post (416) FRANK SINATRA : FROM CAPITOL RECORDS TO WARNER AND HIS OWN LABLE : REPRISE

Capitol Records was probably the hottest big record label by 1965 other than RCA, Elvis' label. Capitol had the Beatles and Glen Campbell, but they lost Frank Sinatra to Warner Records where he got his own label and distributor which he called Reprise Records.

Jimmy Bowen produced the record "STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT" which was a hit for Frank, got him HIS FIRST GOLD RECORD, and is known today as "classic Frank Sinatra" though it was recorded years past his early days of performance and stardom.

We're linking to the official Frank Sinatra site so you can read about Frank his way!



Frank was on the same charts as his daughter Nancy!

(481) NANCY SINATRA'S BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN'

A while back we posted on Nancy Sinatra when she was one of the guests on the TV program that featured Elvis Presley and her father, Frank Sinatra, The Welcome Back Special. Elvis had just returned to the United States from Germany and the United States Army.

  

"Are you ready boots?  Start Walkin!"  These words are so associated with Nancy, who chose to record songs on Frank's Reprise label (where my friend Jimmy Bowen became a producer) that portrayed her as a take-charge, in control, and liberated woman.  The song was written for her by Lee Hazelwood and it became a number one hit in the United States and the United Kingdom, making Nancy one more American who Invaded Britain.

No doubt initially aided by her loving dad, Nancy, who appeared on the Welcome Back Special in what was a prim prom-gown kind of dress, had moved with the times, the early 1960's and the dancing Go Go Girls.

Now Nancy has her own site, but we found it down, and we think it may be bombarded because of the news recently that a son of Mia Farrow's may be Franks.  We proceeded to the Sinatra Family site and same thing. 

So we're going to post the links for you here and hopefully when you try them, they'll be up!

NANCY SINATRA OFFICAL link

SINATRA FAMILY OFFICIAL link

Lee Hazelwood passed away in 2007.  Here's a link to some good career information for the man who was known to be a rugged individualist!

CBENJAMIN WORDPRESS ON LEE HAZELWOOD link

Church Benjamin is a Blogger on Word Press!  His theme is SONGS YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD, and he's a good writer.

BOB DYLAN and NEIL YOUNG ? AN ALBUM COVER and RECORD LABEL PRINTER

Christine here!  Taking my dog for a long walk one very early morning, we found the doors of a business wide open.  Inside were machines.  Strange looking machines.   Couldn't figure them out, unless maybe Dr. Suess had done some manufacturing here!

There were some people around and so my friendly dog went in nose first and I followed.  We spoke to a man named Bruce.  He explained that Impressions LA Printing Services and Dorado Music Publishing over at Burbank Boulevard in NoHo were in the business of printing album covers, the innards of the covers, and the center labels.  We're talking for VINYL records here.

Those machines - one from the late 1950's, another from the mid 1970's - others a history of album cover and record label printing! I felt like a secret shopper when Bruce told me that they'd received recent orders from Bob Dylan and Neil Young.  See people are buying Dylan and Young record albums in vinyl even when the same music is available in CD.  (As you may know from Neil's memoir which I covered here a while back, Neil is involved in getting better quality sound recording onto those CD.s)  The records that were recorded originally and pressed on vinyl are being ordered in and for that, an artist needs more album covers printed too.  Bruce said Neil reminded them that he wanted his covers to look as old as the originals do today.  A small run is about 1000.

I'm posting this because they were friendly people and because they give TOURS TO THE SCHOOL CHILDREN.  So while we don't do advertising on this Google Blogger, we thought you might want to give them a call about the little tour.  When I was there those strange machines weren't running.  I hope to go back someday when they are!

Their number is 818-761-9295

A FRIEND IS SOMEONE...

Who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.  - anonymous

JOHN FOGERTY WROTE A SONG FOR EVERYONE AT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM and OFFICIAL SITE LINK - AN EXCELLENT SITE!

JOHN FOGERTY OFFICIAL SITE  - It's excellent!

John explains he was drafted for Viet Nam in 1965 but went into the Reserves. His site explains the Viet Nam War and the Protests that began about 1967 and  the upset he felt about politician's sons being able to avoid the draft.  That's what's behind his song "Fortunate Son."  He wrote the song in 20 minutes, but after a lot of thought about these issues.

Here's a version with Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters.



Christine here!  At the Grammy Museum exhibit, I learned that Creedence Clearwater Revival was considered a  FOLK REVIVAL MOVEMENT, a revival of AMERICANA, with a kind of anti-hippie movement with roots in the American South.  The influence of Pete Seeger and Duane Eddy on John Fogerty is explored. 

Here's the link to the exhibit! GRAMMY MUSEUM : JOHN FOGERTY WROTE A SONG FOR EVERYONE

We first mentioned John Fogerty on this blog in 2008, due to his pre-Creedence work with the Blue Velvets.

HELLO TO AUSTRALIA, ISRAEL, VIET NAM, and HUNGARY

Welcoming Early Rock and Roll Fans from all over the world! Thanks for reading WES BRYAN- MY LIFE IN MUSIC. Friends, check out that long long list of links! There is so much energy and talent in the sites that we link to and this blog wouldn't be what it is without them!

GRAMMY MUSEUM - THE RINGO PEACE AND LOVE SHOW

Christine here!

Recently went to the GRAMMY MUSEUM, lured by the Ringo show.  The Museum has had shows focusing on John Lennon and George Harrison in the past, which I missed.  This video shows some of the exhibits that include clothing and costumes worn my Ringo, a replica of the Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band drum, various drum kits Ringo played, and lots of memorabilia, including a wall of Ringo Albums and a wall of Beatles Albums (I think I have them all!)

There is an old early 1960's television console playing black and white Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show with a early 1960's sofa in front of it. I lingered in the area and I have to say, all around the exhibit people were smiling.  There was a happiness in the air.  I was reminded that the Beatles and maybe especially Ringo had a great sense of humor in their day, and I kept thinking "Ringo is the one who kept a friendship going with all of them, even when the others were not getting along."

At the same time the Museum has a JOHN FOGERTY and CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL SHOW.  Wes is a John Fogerty fan!  The emphasis here was on roots music, and the American South.

GRAMMY MUSEUM ORG SITE link here.

The museum was crowded.  It was full of people from all races  various ethnicities, young and old.  It's very hands-on and very much about SOUND as well as the visuals.

This visit, I spent time in the ARCHIVE.  That's where there are videos to watch of special Interviews and Performances that were featured at the Grammy Museum.  I watched some of Gordon Lightfoot (one of my favorites) and some of Michelle Phillips.

The Grammy Museum is a great place to visit and as things are in Los Angeles, with music appreciation classes and classes in the arts in public schools unfunded, field trips to this museum may be it for the school children!