MUSICARES : A NONPROFIT FOR MUSICIANS TO TURN TO WHEN THERE'S A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY

GRAMMY ORG - MUSICARES link for information.

 

MUSICARES WAS FOUNDED IN 1989 to address the needs of musicians who need help with medical care, housing, and emergency financial help.

 

(There's an old, not very funny joke, that goes like this, "What do you call a musician without a girlfriend?'  "Homeless.")

 

For every singer, songwriter, guitar player, band, that makes a fortune there are thousands of talented people who've been in the business, who've been true to their art, but who have lost or are now in their senior hood and struggling because back in the 1950's and early 1960's they didn't the get good deals. 

So when I meet someone who once had a Gold Record, or was in a band that got ripped off by a manager or agent, and is now in need, I mention MUSICARES.

 

Now united with Grammy Org, here is their official statement:

 

"MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community."

Christine

 

 

(370) BUDDY KNOX and WES BRYAN SINGER-SONGWRITERS COMPOSE ALL BY MYSELF RECORDED ON LIBERTY RECORDS

Here are two variations of the LIBERTY RECORDS labels for the song Buddy Knox recorded with the Johnny Mann Singers as background, that he and I wrote called "All By Myself." It sold well enough to get a Gold Record and went for a second pressing. The song also appeared on an album of his. Glenda Music was Buddy's own publishing company.



This was the promo copy that went to DJ's only. It was played on radio stations.

This was the store copy.

LA TIMES BOOK FAIR : TO MY SURPRISE A FRANK SINATRA COLLECTION : NORRIS HALL

Christine here : I'm the one who goes to the LA Times Book Fair every other year, and delights in the panel discussions and evidence all around that people love books and love to read. This year, while waiting to hear a panel discussion by memoirists at Norris Hall, on the University of Southern California campus, I was surprised to see a FRANK SINATRA memorabilia collection in the entrance foyer.

On one wall 13 Platinum and 20 Gold records! Also on site, statue, movie posters, artist representations (but is the artist of all those wonderful portraits of Frank in various roles really unknown?). I saw his Gold records while on REPRISE - his own label, and one that Wes' old friend Jimmy Bowen produced music for Frank on!

Also were his many Grammy (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) awards, his Congressional God Medal from 1997, and his awards for 1956 and 1958 Favorite Male Artist (Disc Jockey Poll) and 1959 Most Played Vocalist.

So, while the early rock and rollers strove for innovation Frank was still a huge favorite. And he was the cover tune artist, the singer, who so many of those we write about were up against.

You don't have to go to a book fair, or any other special event to see this collection. Just head over to USC during school hours.

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!

(229) WAIT FOR ME BABY on UNITED ARTISTS

"Wait For Me Baby," the flip side of "Freeze" was well received by my audiences, but it was along for the ride when "Freeze" sold the record to Gold in 1958.

(The song Freeze was co-written by a woman I met in Akron, Ohio while I was living there. She gave me the lead sheets. I took them to New York and made my own demo of the song, then presented it to United Artists, suggesting I record it on their label.)

At this time I was promoting my music career while United Artists groomed me to be the actor who would play James Dean in a biopic about his life - and take over where he had left off as an actor. Those were some big shoes to fill and I don't think anyone has yet managed to.

UPDATE 2011 : A YouTuber posts WAIT FOR ME BABY

(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.

(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!

(17) My First Record Goes GOLD! FIRST COLOR RECORD SLEEVE!

While the publicity drums at United Artists beat for me, I began to tour all over, appearing on radio and television - dance party type shows - and record hops, to promote my new record. "Lonesome Love" was on one side and the novelty tune, "Tiny Spaceman," on the other. Sometimes I performed other Rock-a-Billy or Rock-n-Roll hits that other artists made as well and after appearing on Dick Clark's American Bandstand I lost my shyness.

My 45 RPM had a full color picture of me on one side, taken in New York near a tree (which has been identified erroneously as being, not me, but James Dean!) and on the other side there's a collage of black and white photos against a red background. (I see it on the e-bay auctions and at on-line record stores today.)

Not only did my first record have the VERY FIRST COLOR RECORD SLEEVE (Elvis Presley's "Don't" had the very next color sleeve!) but it WENT GOLD!

To this day I'm excited about it!

Video added January 19, 2011