ANY VIDEO OF ERSEL HICKEY PERFORMING? HOW ABOUT WES BRYAN ?

Here's a challenge to anyone who uses YouTube or other Internet video sharing sites! We would love to find footage of Ersel Hickey performing and post it! We would love to find footage of Wes performing as well.

And by the way, we know that there must be footage somewhere. Wes performed on Ed Sullivan, Dick Clark's American Band Stand (twice), the Jack Paar show, and many other regional shows in Baltimore, Cleveland, and throughout the south, as well as on shows in Los Angeles.  And he appeared live on the pier in Santa Monica.

Wes performed with Ersel Hickey in stage shows in the state of New York.  He also performed with Buddy Knox on his tour in the late 1950's in 48 states and some of you may have photos taken of Wes and Buddy from that tour.

Unfortunately many archival collections are organized by the show headliners, and over time what has been preserved is often the early careers of people such as Elvis Presley, people who became much more famous. I've enjoyed watching a number of Dick Clark American Bandstand videos all the way through at the Paley Center for the Media, including those commercials that seem so much more dated than the music,  but they don't have a full collection.  I contacted the Ed Sullivan collection but got no reply.

If you know of local repositories of film or related materials in your park of the United States please let us know!

Christine

DICK CLARKS 40th ANNIVERSARY NEW YEARS EVE in NEW YORK : HIGHEST RATING IN 11 YEARS

DICK CLARK ; they call him America's Oldest Teenager. I can testify that he is one of the hardest working men in the business but a couple years ago Dick had a stroke. He's been working hard at recovering from that stroke too, rebuilding his strength and his speech. Some people say they are sad to see Dick. I say let's give him a standing ovation.

You can link to our blog posts about Dick Clark and American Bandstand, a show I performed on twice, to read more about what we have to say about him and his show. Just use the Search This Blog feature!

We're linking to an article from the Hollywood Reporter that gives the amazing stats. With the help of Jenny McCarthy and Fergie, and Ryan Seacrest, Dick's show gave ABC the stats a network can only dream for. There were over 22 million viewers.

RARE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR MY SONG FREEZE

Friends, Christine just alerted me to an e-bay auction of a promo copy (for DJ's) of my second record on United Artists, called Freeze. We've been watching Youtube for this, but it turns out an auctioneer has posted most of the song on a sample. Click on the title above and you'll get to this link. We don't know how long it will stay up so seize the moment! Wes





The saxophonist was BEN ALEXANDER. Ben and I practiced the song, over and over again, at his place in Harlem, then went into the studio. I thought his playing pushed this song over the top. I played the song on Dick Clark American Bandstand (my second live appearance on the show). The song inspired a dance craze across the nation and ended up giving me my second Gold. Freeze was also THE FIRST SONG I WROTE (with writing partner and friend Don Darcel) that became a record!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2011: Here is Freeze from one of our YOUTUBER FRIENDS!

POSTING FROM PALEY CENTER FOR THE MEDIA in BEVERLY HILLS : ED SULLIVAN SHOW and BUDDY HOLLY and THE CRICKETS

Christine here: My personal celebration was to go to the Paley Center for the Media in Beverly Hills today to start watching old Ed Sullivan and Dick Clark American Bandstand shows. What a beautiful, light and airy, masterfully designed modern space! I watched an Ed Sullivan from early December 1957 that featured two performances by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, which were "That'll Be the Day," and "Peggy Sue." When Ed talked to Buddy and the boys from Lubbock, Texas, he asked them how old they were. Buddy said he was 21, and that two of the guys were 18 and one was 19.

We link to Paley Center For the Media (where the curators blog!)

PALEY CENTER for the MEDIA

Some day Wes and I are heading down to the Los Angeles based PALEY CENTER FOR THE MEDIA (there is a New York location too) to watch some old DICK CLARK AMERICAN BANDSTAND SHOWS ... maybe some JACK PAAR ... or ED SULLIVAN.

OK, the truth is, I've already scanned their on-line catalogue and I don't think we are going to find "lost footage" of Wes Bryan's appearances on American Bandstand, or Jack Paar or the Ed Sullivan Show at the Paley Center. We're aware that the films, if any exists, may no longer be usable ... but I persist, and so I contact a number of archives around the country from time to time, hoping to be surprised.

We're linking here to PALEY CENTER FOR THE MEDIA!


Christine

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY DICK CLARK!

Today is Dick Clark's 80th birthday and we want to acknowledge his contribution to the music of the 20th and 21st century and to Wes' career! (Wes appeared on his show singing "Tiny Spaceman" and a year or so later, "Freeze.") Happy Birthday, Dick!

WAIT FOR ME BABY THE ORIGINAL ACETATE

There's an e-bay auction up for a demo copy, of "Wait For Me Baby" and "Freeze," including United Artists wrapper, right now. The bid is $20. Now I recorded this at Bell Sound in New York City, one of the popular studios at the time, and the same place where my friend Frankie Avalon recorded many of his, including his hit "Venus."

I was on Dick Clark American Bandstand singing "Freeze," which began a new dance craze, which Dick introduced on that show, and I sure would love to know if a Kinescope of the show exists.

But what I want to tell collectors, is that the ORIGINAL recording of "Wait For Me Baby," is possibly still out there somewhere on the original acetate and on it, I sang the song differently. In fact I think this original might have made for a better record.

(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!

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

DICK CLARK Quote on ELVIS PRESLEY

"Elvis Presley and Coke-a-Cola are the best known brands in the world."

- Dick Clark

(227) FREEZE ON UNITED ARTISTS

"Freeze" was my second single on United Artists Records, a new label attached to the movie making company. I went up to Harlem and worked with Ben Alexander, who played the saxophone on this one. Ben had worked with Louis Armtrong and the Big Bands. He thought I was green behind the ears, an innocent in New York. He was partially right. I had never heard of Harlem. He teased me about it but when I ran into him at The Turf restaurant after "Freeze" hit, he told me how proud he was of me!

"Freeze" started a bit of a dance craze across the nation, launched by my appearance on American Bandstand. The kids "Froze" when I sang the word "Freeze!" Dick Clark did a little dance - a couple of steps to the song himself.

I was moving towards being a singer-songwriter when I co-wrote Freeze.

(226) DICK CLARK - THE WORLD'S OLDEST TEENAGER - and FREEZE

Hello everyone - we're baaack!

Every New Years Eve, when the ball drops on Times Square during the countdown to the new year in New York, I think of my time back in New York, early in my career, as the first artist signed to United Artists records.

I think of DICK CLARK, and his American Bandstand, where I first hit with "Tiny Spaceman" in 1957. Dick has been called "The World's Oldest Teenager!"

Dick has hosted New York -Times Square New Years Eve television shows for years. And a couple years ago he had a stroke. He's a workaholic and when I heard he had the stroke I thought - oh not Dick - he'll get up and work again as soon as he can. Dick has made brief appearances on television and his recent appearance on the New Years Eve show proved my point. He's gaining on improving his speech since the stroke and he needs to be where the action is.

I was on the Dick Clark American Bandstand show a second time to promote my second record on United Artists, "Freeze." The flip side is "Wait For Me Baby." Freeze was my second Gold record. Ben Alexander was the saxophonist.

DICK CLARK Quote On ELVIS PRESLEY

"It's rare when an artist's talent can touch an entire generation of people. It's even rarer when that same influence affects several generations. Elvis made an imprint on the world of pop music unequaled by any other single performer." - Dick Clark

(35) FREEZE! A DANCE CRAZE SPARKED ON AMERICAN BANDSTAND BY THIS "SINGING - ACTING SENSATION"

I played live at record hops, accompanying myself on a guitar, and when I was on television performing, I sang either live or along with a recording. I never just lip sync-ed (silently moved my lips) to a tune and as a result I kept my voice honed. Having to perform live, with no technology to cover your mistakes, meant having to be your best at all times. There was no slacking off. Touring was grueling and I often suffered from sleep deprivation, but being your best at all times also meant clean living. Though years later I would realize that some of my peers had begun to take drugs to keep going, for the most part the ones I associated with at the time kept drinking to a minimum and relied on their youthful energy to keep going!

I had lost all shyness of performing. I was better than ever! My confidence had grown as I traveled and met people all around the country and from all walks of life. I felt myself to be part of the vital New York music scene too. I had begun writing songs and presenting them to my peers. Besides my own hit songs, I performed many of the popular Rockabilly and early Rock and Roll songs of my era.

In the summer of 1958, on the United Artists record label, I put out another single. This one had "Wait for Me Baby," on one side, and a song called "Freeze," on the other.

Once again I made an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand television show, performing "Freeze." It seemed that my first appearance on Dick Clark's, singing "Tiny Spaceman," with a prop flying saucer going around my head, had been an eon ago - when it had been a bit more than a year.

Now "Freeze" was meant to be a record hop - dance party tune. When I sang the word "freeze!" the kids on the dance floor would stop for a moment wherever they were. It was like vogue-ing, late 1950's style. The song started a bit of dance craze around the nation!

(My writing partner, Christine, has a memory of learning this dance as a kid. She says a neighbor's mom owned an old copy and her friends played the record while they ran through the lawn sprinklers! Their idea was to stick someone else in the sprinkler for a moment at freeze!)

Now at this point Elvis Presley was over in Germany in the United States Army. He had the opportunity to be part of Special Services and spend his time there as an entertainer but Elvis (some say Colonel Tom Parker chose this for him) chose to be regular army. Elvis was granted the privilege of living off base and rented a house over there, and he had some of his favorite companions come over there to keep him company including Cliff Gleaves, the hep cat DJ, who clicked his fingers and joked "We have James Dean in the car with us," about me. Officially autographing was kept to an hour or so every day, when Elvis was in residence.

I, like just about everyone else, kept reading the fan magazines, to keep up on Elvis, but also to keep up on the competition. Frankie Avalon - Fabian - Pat Boone. Meanwhile Elvis kept up on us. He was very worried about Fabian as his competition. He had magazines, demo-records, the top 40, and even movies brought over so he wouldn't loose touch with what was happening in the United States.

Frankie Avalon was a friend of mine in New York. His dad came to town from Philadelphia to visit and we all went out to dinner. Despite my success with "Freeze!" Frankie was one of my singer-songwriter peers - and another fellow who was being marketed as a "Singing-Acting Sensation" - who urged me to consider changing labels. Believe it or not, I too was up for the parts he got as a beach boy! Frankie, Buddy Knox, and some others, felt that I could be doing more with my career, even as the whole Next James Dean promotion continued to propel me forwards. They felt that United Artists Records was just too new at the music business and as for my acting career - well, it had stalled out for reasons I can't reveal here - but it was stalled.

Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis's manager, had enough records to put out while Elvis was in Germany to keep the fans thinking of - and buying - Elvis. Throughout Elvis' time in Germany he and I passed hellos and good wishes through people we knew in common. I think we were all waiting to see what would happen when Elvis returned to the States.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2011

FREEZE HAS APPEARED ON YOUTUBE! THANKS FRIEND!

(15) I APPEAR ON DICK CLARK'S AMERICAN BANDSTAND

I moved to New York City officially, but United Artists put me on the road to success in the music business - a record promo tour. One of my first appearances was on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I performed a novelty song called "Tiny Spaceman." Clark's set designer had a little spaceship whirling around my head.

Futuristic notions of traveling in space were popular then and so were novelty songs. But I have to admit, I couldn't imagine James Dean singing it.

Dick Clark American Bandstand at the Museum of Broadcast Communications link above.

LINK BONUS

http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/dick-clark
Dick Clark - Inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame