WES BRYAN and GLEN CAMPBELL SONGWRITERS : JOEY COOPER : I'M A FOOL

A Jimmy Bowen Production... About 1964-65 Jimmy, who I knew and worked with as far back as Akron, Ohio, got the career making break! (Producing for Frank Sinatra's lable REPRISE.) Here he produced for Joey Cooper on the Chancellor lable.

(284) FABIAN BREAK DOWN AND CRY DECEMBER 1962

My old friend from New York, Fabian (Fabian Forte), recorded a song that Jimmy Bowen and I wrote called "Break Down and Cry" and it was a hit for him! Pat Boone and Randy Wood (Dot was his label) were the producers.He recorded it as a 45 RPM single on Dot Records in 1962 (number 45-16413).



Then the song was recorded as a single on Chancellor (Number 16413).

Here's the chart for radio station KQV in Pittsburgh: http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/kqv120162.html

Link now to Fabians official web site where you can find a link to his fan club by clicking on the title above!

Like many of my peers he has continued to sing his heart out, entertaining generations of Rock n' Roll fans!

He's been inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame too. What a great contribution to music the sons and daughters of that city have made to American music!

(238) 1962 BOBBY DENTON - CHANCELLOR COUNTRY RECORDS - I GUESS I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU

Jimmy Bowen, who I first met in Akron, Ohio, and then performed with on Roulette Record promotional tours at dance hall venues, and I wrote "I Guess I'm Still In Love with You." Jimmy was one of my first advocates, taking me and the first demo I ever pressed - in a kitchen in North Carolina - to the local DJ in Akron. Jimmy became a big producer working for Frank Sinatra's Reprise label and bringing both Frank and Dean Martin hits in the early 1960's.

The song did well in the country market when it was put out by Chancellor Records, Bob Marcucci's Label in 1962.

Here's the RCS Discography for Chancellor Country Records out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadephia was so important to music at the time, bringing so many talents including Frankie Avalon and the Dick Clark American Band Stand show to America. My friends Fabian and Johnny Rivers also recorded on Chancellor.

http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/labels/c/c2818.htm

Chancellor also had a label that didn't focus on country. Here's a list of recordings and you see that Frankie Avalon and some other artists we've mentioned on this blog are listed:

http://www.globaldogproductions.info/c/chancellor.html

Check out our previous blogs on Bobby Denton, The Singing Senator, using the search feature of this blog or check out the links to the left!

(80) GLEN CAMPBELL - MUSICAL GENIUS WITH AN AUDIOGRAPHIC MEMORY

Another peer of mine at American Music was Glen Campbell. Glen used to come to the house my brother and I rented near Hollywood and hang out, when he first came to Hollywood by invitation of Jerry Capehart. Jerry Capehart discovered him playing in Albuquerque with his uncle Dick Bills' band. Jerry had been Eddie Cochran's manager and a co-writer with him on some songs.

Glen's ability to play several instruments - even the bagpipes - by ear earned him about $50 a week more than most of us made. He saved Sylvester Cross some money when he was in on sessions for demos.

Of course, as some of us soon learned, making demos for other people wasn't against our contracts. And the publishing houses were all in competition, and more than one of us recorded demos for other houses.

Glen Campbell has gone on to greater fame than perhaps anyone I worked with at American Music, when it comes to being a singer and entertainer. Glen had an incredible audiographic memory. He hears a song once and he has it.

Rockin Country Style discography on Glen Campbell link above!

Glen and I worked together a bit. We wrote a song that got recorded by more than one artist - including Glen, called "I'm A Fool." Rick Nelson also recorded the song. And it's mentioned on this Joey Cooper discography. Joey Cooper recorded the song - in my opinion perfectly - on Chancellor Records, Bob Marcucci's label.

http://www.geocities.jp/hideki_wtnb/joey-c45.html

BMI lists this song as:

I M A FOOL (Legal Title)
BMI Work #648724

Songwriters Glen Campbell and Wes Bryan

Publishing by UNICHAPPEL MUSIC

Glen was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. On stage he thanked songwriter Jimmy Reed, and Television Producer Tommy Smothers.

(51) ELVIS WORRIES ABOUT HIS COMPETITION : FABIAN

Elvis confided in me that he was worried about his career. "Music's changin' Wes," he said. He was worried about two men... Fabian Forte, called Fabian, an Italian kid from Phili, younger than Elvis, was a big worry for him.

Fabian was a friend of mine from New York. He was part of the "in crowd," an all for one and one for all guy I spent time with who had encouraged me to move ahead in my career by leaving United Artists, just as several other musical peers had. Fabian had seemingly captured a great number of Elvis Presley fans while Elvis was away in Germany, record releases or magazine and newspaper articles about Elvis or not. Fans could not wait to see their idol, Elvis, on television again, and it had been communicated to Elvis that it might be Fabian who had taken what we would call today his "market share."

Perhaps Fabian was also on Elvis' mind because he had the attention of Dean Martin, and Dean Martin was someone Elvis admired, imitated in his youth, and wanted to meet. Dean Martin did not seem to share the same enthusiasm for Elvis, but he liked Fabian! He had Fabian on his show, singing with him. Maybe Fabian was even Dean Martin's protege?

Now as you watch these You-Tube presentations, I want you to notice how Fabian is dressed in a suit, presented as a sort of young Dean Martin, a crooner. Fabian is younger than Elvis, handsome, and talented, and he fits in his tailored suit.

An early Fabian singing "Turn Me Loose" in his early, Rock and Roll personae. Cliff Richard, "The English Elvis" also covered this song, complete with Elvis-like sneers. Fabian had a hit with "Turn Me Loose," which came out as a single on Chancellor Records.

Fabian wasn't objecting to becoming a crooner. Should Elvis? Is Fabian Dean Martin's protege? Fabian singing "All of Me" seems to be part of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack" here!

UPDATED JANUARY 26, 2011 NEW LINK TO FABIAN's OFFICIAL SITE above!

And here is the History of Rock on Fabian!

http://www.history-of-rock.com/fabian.htm