JOE VALINO - DECLARATION OF LOVE

WES BRYAN and JOE VALINO were the first two artists signed to UNITED ARTISTS RECORDS.

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE - WES BRYAN - DECEMBER 9, 1957

GOOGLE BOOKS WES BRYAN - BILLBOARD MAGAZINE PROMO PHOTO AND RECORD DISTRIBUTOR INFO  showing Wes Bryan and Joe Valino...

Goes right to the UNITED ARTISTS PROMO of HOLLYWOOD'S LATEST DISCOVERY!

WES BRYAN - OLD NEWS CLIPPING - THE NEXT JAMES DEAN

This image of me was in the Salt Lake Tribune Review in 1957. When Buddy Knox and I went on tour, we hit every state but Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah!

It captures me in my "Next James Dean" phase when I was signed to United Artists. The full article explains that I have been signed at United Artist with two contracts; one for their new music label and the other as an actor.

Although I threw myself into my music career wholeheartedly, I hadn't completely given up on acting when I moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960's.

WATCHING THE E-BAY AUCTIONS FOR WES BRYAN "MEMORABILIA"

We watch the e-Bay auctions from time to time to see what's for sale up there under the "Wes Bryan" heading.  When we first started to blog, there were just a few Wes Bryans with web presence.  There was the DJ, the Christian Minister, and a Real Estate developer.

Now there are several more, with Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts, and on e-Bay, under the Wes Bryan, search comes some items related to the football player, Wes Bryan. 

So we're glad we titled this blog WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC, to separate all those Wes Bryans out a bit! 

In the last weeks, to our surprise there has been a lot of e-Bay action on Wes Bryan records and pictures from the beginning of my United Artist singing - acting sensation days, including a Hep Cat magazine, pictures of me in Central Park and sculpting (these were taken by my then manager and used as part of the United Artists promotions), as well as pressings of my songs that I recorded at Roulette in New York City, some of which made it to be re-pressed in England for London American Recordings, demos and the final products sold in stores.  The bidding action was heavy on these with sales at over $35.00 per item.  Interesting!

THE NEXT JAMES DEAN FAN PHOTO - THAT'S ME!

I was based in New York in the late 1950's though I spent more time on the road when my career went from acting to performing music. I took private acting lessons at Actor's Studio and made the rounds. This was a fan photo used by United Artists, where I was signed, to show my James Dean-like appearance. My looks were not identical to Jimmy's but even his family thought I could play him in a bio-pic about his life.

WES BRYAN : I GUESS I'LL NEVER KNOW

"Freeze" was the first song I wrote and recorded while on United Artists. When I was on Clock I wrote and recorded "So Blue Over You." This was the first song I wrote and recorded while on Roulette, my second record label where I was signed by Morris Levy. I'm pleased to find this one on YouTube!

(399) STRICTLY OFF THE RECORD : SALT LAKE TRIBUNE REVIEW :

Some newspapers used pictures of me supplied by United Artists and other's went without. Here's one that the Salt Lake City Tribune Review published with one of my publicity photos. Christine and me found this one in a newspaper database. My father was the person on the family who kept scrapbooks of my career when I was too busy on the road to keep track.

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!

(323) SOUNDS OF AN ELVIS PRESLEY HOUSE PARTY : WES BRYAN

When I was playing the performer at Elvis Presley's house parties, I usually did a couple of my songs like "Melodie D' Amour" and "The Dying Ember." I had played these songs, and so many more on my promotional tours for United Artists as well as on the Buddy Knox tour.

I also remember singing a song that Elvis harmonized with me on, "Because of You," a cover of a song by Tony Bennett.


Update with new video? Searching...

RARE LONESOME LOVE SHEET MUSIC UP FOR E-BAY AUCTION NOW

Looks like someone in the UK is auctioning off the Lonesome Love sheet music over the next couple days! WOW! I didn't know this existed! Wes

(Link to the auction here!)


PS. It sold for about $150 U.S.

LONESOME LOVE ON LONDON

To provide my record for distribution in England, a master was taken to England where it was pressed on LONDON label as a 45 RPM... That's George Stravo Orchestra and Chorus behind me. On radio and television programs I played the guitar and sang, unplugged as they would say now.

LONESOME LOVE - THE SONG I WAS SINGING WHEN I MET ELVIS PRESLEY !

Lonesome Love became my first Gold Record. I was singing it on the Wink Martindale show in Memphis when Elvis and some of his friends - some of whom became mine too - came bursting into the station. Elvis insisted that I come back to the house - Graceland TM with them that very night. It was the start of a friendship that lasted the 20 years till his death. When I think of Elvis as I met him, I think of a man vibrant, fun, full of life, with not a worry in the world.

WES BRYAN PROMOS in JAPAN

This collage of images from my early career is from Japan. I induged myself in sculpture as a creative outlet when I was in New York. That's me looking like James Dean in a hard hat. The beautiful starlet (we'll write more about her later) that they had posing with me is Natalie Trundy. Oh what United Artists could do for one of their own!

Today Japan is still one of the great buyers of Rock-A-Billy music and memorabilia and well, that's why we have the translator in Japanese installed!

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.

(248) FRANKIE AVALON GEARS UP FOR THE BEACH MOVIES!

My Friend from New York, Frankie Avalon, was also headed for a movie career. (He would eventually make eight beach movies in about three years for Warner Brothers.) Frankie, from Philadelphia, and an Italian family, was teamed up with Annette Funicello, who became the Italian-American princess of films. He would make "Back to the Beach," "Beach Blanket Bingo," "Beach Party," "Muscle Beach Party,"...



Surf music was the craze and taking the teen idol romance movie to the beach made a lot of sense. I knew Frankie Avalon in New York and at one point while with United Artists I'd been considered to star in beach movies myself. But the farm country aspect of me, that aspect that I had in common with James Dean, was too strong.

(235) "YOU'RE DRIVING ME OUT OF YOUR MIND!" PETE TAMBUMGA

"You're driving me out of your mind," was just one TAMBUNGAISM invented by my good friend Pete Tambunga. He was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Hollywood in the early 1960's. Pete worked for Decca Records in their plant in Santa Monica - the shipping department. But this was the start of a great career in the music business for Pete as a record promoter. He'd eventually work for the record company that signed me as their first act, United Artists!

Pete's sense of humor was based in "Reverse Psychology." Today I miss him greatly and continue to use his jokes, just as the great radio DJ Gary Owens did on the air.

Some months ago we put the call out for Pete Tambunga. If Pete or anyone else knows Pete's whereabouts, please e-mail us at:

wewritethebook@yahoo.com!

Wes

(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.

LISTEN TO "FREEZE" on this current E-BAY AUCTION

Listen to those saxophones... and me singing...

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2011... The ebay auction link expired but a copy of Freeze has appeared on YOUTUBE...

WES BRYAN - A 10" COLLECTORS RECORD

Photobucket Album

My United Artists recording came out in a 10" record as well as the smaller 7".