THREE STARS sung by TOMMY DEE : THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED : A TRIBUTE VIDEO PUT UP ON THE NET BY A RITCHIE VALENS FAN!

Tribute to Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and J.P Richardson (the Big Bopper) and Roger Peterson (The Plane's Pilot!) includes radio broadcast announcing the tragic crash. Featuring Tommy Dee performing the song "3 Stars."

We're linking to the video posting website on Myspace called GOTTALOVERITCHIE! This fan site is approved by Ritchie's brother in Pacoima, California, up the road from us. I met Ritchie in New York back stage of a big Alan Freed Rock n Roll show!

RITCHIE VALENS LIVE SINGING DONNA

I met Ritchie in New York backstage of one of Alan Freed's Rock and Roll concerts.



Christine here: Check out my blog about the Grammy Museum and Ritchie!

LINK ABOVE to the official RITCHIE VALENS SITE!

ROULETTE - RADIO STATION COPY OF MELODIE D' AMOUR - WES BRYAN

My tour for Roulette to promote Melodie D'Amour took me through many cities including my new home town of Los Angeles in 1961. I performed on the Wink Martindale Show on KCOP and on Alan Freed's Radio Show, as well as the amusement park in Pacific Palisades with the Pacific Ocean view.

Meanwhile I was a staff song writer at American Music, the publishing house owned by Sylvester Cross.

Here's a "Radio Station Copy" of the record that Elvis said was one of his favorites. He put it in his juke box at the house and carried a copy with him to Vegas.

(115) 1961 ALAN FREED, MR. ROCK AND ROLL, on KDAY RADIO LOS ANGELES

ALAN FREED was another Personality DJ, one who moved into concert promotion.

In 1961 I also performed on the radio on Alan Freed's show on KDAY Radio in Los Angeles, playing Melodie D'Amour live.

This was Alan's last show, his last station, and I think he knew it. He had once been Mr. Rock and Roll. Some people even said that Alan had invented the term based on some African American slang. Alan, who was at least part African American, had produced some great rock and roll shows in New York City. I drove Eddy Cochran to perform on one of these shows and had later met Ritchie Valens backstage.

Alan Freed was unfortunately convicted in a radio "play for payola" scandals and never recovered his status after that. Some people said Alan Freed took the fall for a number of other DJ's and Promoters who were also involved in radio play for payola.



I only know that Alan was decent to me, and there was never a hint from him or those around him that I pay for radio play in any way. And I felt bad for him, especially that he might have been the guy who took the fall for several others. But I don't know the details of what went on.

Melodie D'Amour turned out to be one of Elvis Presley's favorites. Members of the entourage told me he took the record to Vegas and played it 23 days and nights straight before offering it to the home juke box in Los Angeles. That's what Elvis did when he loved a song. He played it over and over again, just as Dewey Phillips had played "That's All Right Mama," over and over again on his Red Hot and Blue show in Memphis, which started a career for Elvis.

Alan was the FIRST PERSON ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and may be the first actual Rock and Roll concert producer/promoter. Go to his site and follow the links to other sites that Alan Freed is mentioned on. Be sure to listen to the audio clips to hear Alan broadcasting.

OFFICIAL ALAN FREED WEB SITE link above!

(58) EDDIE COCHRAN : ROCKIN THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

I met Eddie Cochran at the Sheridan Hotel in New York City, where I also met Jerry Capheart, a man who would figure big in my future one day when he signed me to be a staff songwriter at American Music in Los Angeles.

Buddy Knox called Eddie Cochran "The Blond Elvis."

In England, the Beatles had followed him and Gene Vincent around. (When it came to Rock and Roll, first the Americans invaded England, then there was a British invasion of America.) Eddie performed at an Alan Freed produced Rock and Roll show for New Years about the time I met him. It was the same show I saw Ritchie Valens perform for the first time on.The world of early Rock and Roll was tough. Eddie carried a Derringer hand gun in his boot and I hear it came in handy more than once, like when he was threatened by the boyfriends of certain fans...


Eddie Cochran wasn't the only one who packed a gun while on tour or while walking the streets of New York but I decided I could take care of myself with my fists. I grew up rumbling with my brothers, had learned some karate and self defence while in the U.S. Army, and admired the boxers who I tried to meet when they came into the Turf restaurant for meals instead of eating across the way at Dempsey's, which was owned by the boxer Jack Dempsey. We all had security concerns that were not met by our record labels or our management. We didn't have body guards and it was up to us to protect ourselves. It was also legal to take a gun on a plane...

During my tour with Buddy Knox I performed two of Eddie Cochran's hits, "Summertime Blues," and "Come on Everybody." Here's Eddie performing those hits on television - You Tube presentations.


ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK HERE ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME EDDIE COCHRAN

History of Rock - Eddie Cochran! HISTORY OF ROCK - EDDIE COCHRAN
Eddie Cochran died at the age of 21, at the height of his fame, in 1960 while touring in England, in a tragic automobile accident on the way to the airport. Gene Vincent was left with a limp in the same accident.

UPDATED APRIL 2014