WES BRYAN ON YOU TUBE ANYONE ?

If anyone has any videos of Wes Bryan performing, we would love to see them. Most likely these would be television performances from 1957 to 1961.

Wes Bryan performed on The Ed Sullivan Show (New York), Dick Clark American Bandstand (Philadelphia), performing "Little Spaceman" in 1957 and about a year or so later, performing "Freeze," Wink Martindale Show (Memphis - and later Los Angeles), Dewey Phillips Dance Party (in Memphis), Milt Grant Show (Washington, DC.),Phil McClain Show (Cleveland, Ohio), co-staring Joann Campbell, Buddy Deane Show (Baltimore), Fran Rattery Show (Saint Petersburg, Florida), Jack Parr Show (New York), WCOP Wink Martindale Show (Los Angeles), Bob Roberts Show (Albany, New York WABY), and many others throughout the United States.

In the late 1950's and into 1960 Wes Bryan performed on many radio programs live, throughout the country, including his hometown of Murphy, North Carolina, as well.

Wes performed live for two years on the road with Rockabilly Star Buddy Knox's road tour, as a separate act. They played in 47 states. He also performed while on Roulette Records with Jimmy Bowen at dance party venues.

Christine Trzyna

(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!

(86) CHARLIE RICH'S LONELY WEEKENDS 1960 STYLE

I met Charlie Rich in Memphis when I was there awaiting Elvis' return from the U.S. Army. DJ Dewey Phillips, who had given Elvis his start when he broke his first record, recorded on Sun Records, "That's All Right Mama," introduced me to Charlie. He was touring locally, and sleeping in the booth of the restaurant he was playing in, so he could save on motel rooms and send money home to his family then.

Charlie recorded on Sun Records, just as Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a few other artists who had made it to greater fame did. His song "Lonely Weekends," which came out in 1960, became like a signature song for him. By 1960 Sam Phillips' label was Phillips International. Charlie sounded a bit like Elvis on this song, and Elvis loved the song. So did I. One day I would record the song myself.


Here's a little Documentary with singer-songwriter Charlie Rich speaking too about his music career and Sun.

Charlie Rich on RCS Discography : http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artist.php?key=rich1000

Charlie continued his musical career as a performer having a couple hits in the seventies and winning a Grammy. Linking to his official site above!

Here's a little Documentary with singer-songwriter Charlie Rich speaking too about his music career and Sun.



UPDATE 2011 Here is a Youtube historical music video of the song Lonely Weekends! (I also recorded this song years later!)

(60) CARL PERKINS : THE ORIGINAL BLUE SUEDE SHOES

Another inspiration for me when I was performing on the Buddy Knox tour was Rockabilly artist Carl Perkins.

I met Carl Perkins the day that I played on Wink Martindales, in Memphis, in the fall of 1957. I was supposed to be on another show with him, a show that belonged to Dewey Phillips, but when Elvis invited me to Graceland TM, I went off with him without thinking, and skipped the show. As a result Carl Perkins did four songs instead of two, to cover my absence!

Anyone who was into Rockabilly and the brand new Rock and Roll, had to know Carl Perkins, the original "Blue Suede Shoes." I covered that song as part of my show on the Buddy Knox tour. It was one of the few songs I covered that Elvis also covered but then again, so did Eddie Cochran and a whole lotta other performers.

Rockin Country Style Discography - Carl PerkinsRCS DISCOGRAPHY CARL PERKINS

Rockabilly Hall of Fame - Carl Perkins
ROCK A BILL HALL OF FAME - CARL PERKINS

Link above to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME - CARL PERKINS

(49) SCOTTY MOORE : "THE GUITAR THAT CHANGED THE WORLD"

Scotty Moore had worked as studio musician at Sun Records, owned by Sam Phillips, in Memphis, Tennessee. Scotty had a band called the Starlight Wranglers, and Bill Black was their bass player. In the summer 1954 Scotty and Bill auditioned Elvis Presley (not the other way around!) and they agreed that they would try a few recording sessions with him, to see if there would be a chemistry between them. The result was a demo called "That's All Right Mama" that become Elvis' debut record, as played by DJ Dewey Phillips, on his Red Hot and Blue show on WHBQ, Memphis.

Scotty and Bill and Elvis formed The Blue Moon Boys, added drummer D.J. Fontana, became the Hillbilly Cat and The Blue Moon Boys, and toured for a couple years with Scotty as the manager, but Colonel Parker never took them on when he took on Elvis.

Scotty is one of the most admired guitarists in the world, and he has long been called "The Guitar That Changed The World" due to his influence on early rock and roll. Among the guitar legends who credit Scotty as an inspiration is the Rolling Stone's Keith Richards.

Let's let these links tell Scotty's story.

Scotty Moore Inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame :

http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/scotty-moore

Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame :

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Scotty&DJ1.html

and alsoScotty Moore's official Web site! Link above!

(48) WAITING and WONDERING WHAT'S NEXT

So, I waited for Elvis' return.

DJ - friends George Klein and Dewey Phillips waited.

His friends in Memphis and around the world waited.

His fans waited.

What would Elvis really be like after a stint in the U.S. Army? Would he still be Elvis the Pelvis? His career remained hot, thanks to his manager Colonel Parker, but would he remain true to himself?

We were not the only ones who waited and wondered.

There were a few people left behind who needed answers.

Anita Wood, the girlfriend who had been faithful, was one of them.

The once upon a time Blue Moon Boys, Scotty Moore, "The Guitar that Changed the World," Bill Black, who played stand up base, and D.J. Fontana, his drummer, wondered too. Bill, and Scotty had been the Blue Moon Boys and toured with Elvis and originally they were called the HILLBILLY CAT and THE BLUE MOON BOYS! (Fontana had been added a bit later than 1954 and featured in television performances by 1956.)

Before Elvis left, Colonel Tom Parker had taken on Elvis - and only Elvis - as his star. Colonel was his agent, manager, his everything. He did not take on the Blue Moon Boys, and they were left wondering if they had any employment with the famous Elvis or not. Would they play with him live on tour, on television, or in the studio? Hourly wages? Salary? What about a percentage of the royalties?

Heartbreak Hotel - 1956 - Elvis Presley with the Blue Moon Boys backing him. This You-Tube video presentation has Scotty Moore stepping forward to do a bit of a solo.

VIDEO REMOVED APRIL 2012

There are a few books out including one on Scotty Moore that we've read, and a newer one about the Blue Moon Boys and Elvis that we haven't.We've decided not to give any thumbs up or thumbs down on books. We understand that there are numerous perspectives when it comes to Elvis Presley, and the people who surrounded him, and we will allow that each has the right to his own experience and the telling of it.

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The next blog will focus on one of the Blue Moon Boys, Scotty Moore.

As a music producer I, and many others like me, have told a studio guitarist

"Sound like Scotty Moore."

(46) DEWEY PHILLIPS : THE DJ WHO PLAYED BLACK AND WHITE MUSIC on RED HOT and BLUE !

So, George Klein sent me the money for the ticket and I flew to Memphis before Elvis was due to return. There I was greeted by George Klein and introduced to another person who had been very important to Elvis' early success, yet another DJ (That's 3 in Elvis' personal collection of friends at the time - Cliff Gleaves, George Klein, and Dewey Phillips.) Dewey was the first DJ to ever play an Elvis Presley record, and when I say played it, I mean over and over again without another record in between. It was a copy of the song Elvis had recorded over at Sun Records with Sam Phillips (no relation to Dewey) "That's All Right, Mama."

Dewey Phillips, like Cliff Gleaves, was one of the Personality DJ's of the era, and shortly, when radio stations stripped Dj's of much of their power to discover talent and play whatever they wanted to, Dewey would find himself trying to hold on to his style and ultimately find himself out of work. But Elvis appreciated him and he was an informal member of the group of friends Elvis surrounded himself in those early years, and into his early years in Hollywood. (Since this is going to come up sooner or later, the term "Memphis Mafia" which is now a TM, never referred to Dewey, or me, or people who were friends of Elvis' rather than employees!)

After sleeping on the sofa at George Klein's for a while, Dewey Phillips invited me to stay at his house with his wife and children. During this time before Elvis returned from the Army I went to the radio station to hear George Klein on the air and went around quite a bit with Dewey. I liked him a lot, and I felt privileged to have been accepted by so many of the "insiders," who surrounded Elvis.

I also began to realize that it wasn't just Elvis friends' idea that I be there to meet the train. Those parting words the night I met him in the fall of 1957 "See you on the coast!" really had meant something.

Here is Jim Dickenson speaking on Dewey at a terrific Internet site, the Experience Music Project... Jim says Dewey's impact on Memphis Tennessee was incredible and I have to agree. Red, Hot and Blue was a program on which both Black and White artists' music was played - an integrated program at a time when Segregation was still the law in the South. (Jim was the last artist to release a single on Sun Records, the label Elvis first recorded on, then owned by Sam Phillips - no relation to Dewey. His song was "Cadillac Man."

Be sure to hear the audio of Dewey Broadcasting at the Cruisin the 50's link here and remember, this is the personality, the voice, that launched the great Elvis Presley!

http://www.empsfm.org/programs/index.asp?articleID=895

And to get to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame presentation on Dewey Phillips click on the title above!