(378) ABOUT THE TIME I MET ELVIS IN 1957 : WES BRYAN

The Brooding James Dean type? So the photograph says. That's me, Wes Bryan, in New York about the time I was signed to a contract with United Artists to act and also to sing about 1957. It was about the time that I met Elvis Presley while on a UA tour of the deep south, which included Memphis.

I was optimistic about life and worked hard. Traveling, meeting people, and performing around the country brought me out of my shyness and into my confidence about my abilities.

(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

(166) HISTORY MOMENT : ALAN SHEPARD TRAVELS IN SPACE

I'd been a bit embarrassed singing "Tiny Spaceman," the novelty song that was on the flip side of "Lonesome Love," put out by United Artists, even though for me this was a Gold Record. But today I realize that it is one of many songs about space travel through the years that became popular, engaging our imaginations about what was possible - human potential.

I had to practice, get my timing just right, to sing "Tiny Spaceman," as it was really a difficult song with a lot of space alien Do Wop talk in it!

"They welcomed the spaceman and gave him a gold key. He ate the key..."

Here's a YouTube video that preserves the excitement of 1961, Alan Shepard as the first American man in space for the United States. Click the title above to go right to this video.

E-BAY AUCTION ON MY RECORD "ONE SUMMER NIGHT"

Friends, as you know, I check the e-bay auctions from time to time to see what's up there being sold "Wes Bryan."

And if you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you know one of the reasons for blogging is that there is a lot of Wes Bryan "confusion" out there. Christine and I have learned that some of the search engines put me and the Christian minister who has written a book or two and has a CD out together. I'm not the Christian minister. I'm also not the DJ, the athlete, the owner of a mini mall, or any of the other Wes Bryans out there on the Internet or in the world. (It's a great name though, isn't it guys?!)

I am the Wes Bryan who came out of Murphy, North Carolina, discovered off the Akron Beacon Journal - Roto section- who enjoyed a United Artists contract, and who changed labels a couple times to Clock and Roulette before becoming a staff songwriter at American Music.

I also became a record producer and music publisher. Though my story here on this blog is circa about 1960- 1961 about now, we noticed that a record I put out on my OWN LABEL, U. S. International, was being auctioned on e-bay and this seller has a music clip... So for as long as this lasts, enjoy listening to my record "One Summer Night." (Will this posting mean more bids for that record?) After I put "One Summer Night" out on my own label, Randy Wood who had once had Dot Records, put it out on Ranwood, his new label. It sold about 300,000 records.

Oh, I took a truck out to the beach in Malibu to record those seagulls you hear in the background...