P LINKS UPDATED AND P.J. PROBY (HE'S 75 and STILL TOURING!)

New Link for drummer EARL PALMER - ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME... DITTO LES PAUL ... lots of updates in the blog for CARL PERKINS...

To Celebrate!  PJ PROBY

PJ PROBY 2014 TOUR DATES

OK ON THIS VIDEO, I, Christine, could not resist posting the video below because I've been reading some newish rock and roll books including one on Jimmy Page, who is one of my favorites guitarist, and well, here is PJ with Jimmy Page, who I've learned first made it onto British TV at 15 and was a session guitarist before Led Zeppelin...

(482) PLACES TO GO THINGS TO DO : BEN FRANKS DINER

CHARLES PHOENIX ON BEN FRANKS DINER link

IN OUR PLACES TO GO THINGS TO DO posts, we wrote about the Palamino for  mostly Country Music (post 335 on Marty Robins and Jerry Lee Lewis), the Red Velvet - one of the few clubs Elvis used to go to and where P.J. Proby performed (post 334), and the dinner club, Ciro's, known for the Rat Pack, but also Johnny Rivers before The Whisky.  Post 333 was about Trino Lopez.  Post 336 Ciros.  We've recently updated the videos and links for these posts from 2010.

All of these  clubs were performance spaces.

One of my hangouts for just having coffee, talking, hanging out, was Ben Franks Diner.  It was a good place to meet with friends, co-workers, and people I wanted to do business with, on the Sunset Strip, which has been active with entertainment for more than half a century.

Here's a link with a good picture. 

EXCERPT: "Today, forty five years later the classic coffee shop structure still stands. But about decade or so ago Ben became Mel when Ben Frank’s quietly closed and morphed into a trendy retro diner called Mel’s Diner. I wonder if they have Liver and Onions on the menu."

(421) P.J. PROBY 1965 : RECORDING LENNON-MC CARTNEY SONGS WITH GEORGE MARTIN AS PRODUCER

As some of you know, P.J. Proby was up for some serious charges in Great Britain, but in March 2012 he walked free, acquitted of benefit fraud - all 9 counts. So on this post, because we've linked to his official sites in the past and they're always on our sidebar for you to link to, we're going to link to a news article about this legal issue. Friends of P.J.'s here in the United States were concerned but never lost faith that he would walk free and are hoping to hear from him soon.

On this YouTube video, of the song "That Means A Lot," we see a label that has many names familiar to this blog. P.J. was certainly a big part of the American Invasion of Britain. In fact, he loved the British as much as they loved him, which is why he went to live there and the whole legal issue was so upsetting.

"That Means a Lot," is written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, The Beatles, who were almost everyone's biggest chart competition in '65. The Producer is George Martin, the Beatle's producer, and this is on Liberty Records, the small record label that we've blogged about a lot.

To quote the article we've linked to: "In a statement read by his solicitor, Chris Hilton, PJ Proby said: "For the last four years I have lived in fear of becoming homeless - because my housing benefit was cut off - and of being wrongly sent to prison for a crime I never committed."

(392) PJ PROBY ON SHINDIG AND AROUND THE BEATLES

Texan PJ Proby was on Shindig a few times, 1964 and 1965. Here's one of the Youtube videos of PJ's performance in 1964, which I believe was taped in England, his adopted country. (P.J. is still in England, still performing, and we've posted a lot about him so search!)



We're grateful to the YouTuber who posted this video of PJ. being presented by the Beatles on a 1964 TV show called "Around the Beatles". (The Beatle's first performance on Shindig was also taped in England.) UPDATE: We'll replace this video as soon as possible.Technical difficulties.

P.J. PROBY PROMOTIONAL VIDEO CIRCA 2011 !

Friends, we felt real lucky to have received this P.J. PROBY Promotional Video in our very own e-mail from P.J.'s manager Manja, who is in Holland. P.J. has just finished with the Elvis themed show and other venues are calling. There aren't many left of our generation who are as active in entertainment.



We're so Excited for P.J.!  This video shows his range - which has always been incredible - his talent and energy. Hey P.J. I want a silver suit too!

(364) DONNIE BROOKS RECORDED UNDER SEVERAL NAMES BEFORE HE HIT IT BIG

I first met DONNIE BROOKS in the late 1950's - early 1960's in New York City. Then, since he also moved out to LA, I saw him on this coast.

He became a very good friend of mine, as well as Dorsey Burnett's and P.J. Probys.

We're linking to the DONNIE BROOKS ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK ABOVE!

Donnie, like many others who moved between studio work - making demos - and entertainment, recorded under different names and on different record labels before he settled on Donnie Brooks and had that hit. In 1964 he moved on to Frank Sinatra's label, Reprise (where Jimmy Bowen had become a producer), and eventually Gene Autry's Challenge, continuing his career into the 1970's.



And sadly, an article from the United Kingdown, Independent newspaper, his obit...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/donnie-brooks-439032.html

THOUSANDS OF FANS OF P.J. PROBY WANT HIM TO KNOW HE IS NOT WALKING ALONE

We recently posted a comment on an Youtube video or two that featured older P.J. Proby performances. We said that P.J. Proby was going to sing his heart out in the show he's featured in and was still going strong.

We took a little criticism for saying so, because we posted on these older videos, which we enjoyed listening to!

Today we found this 2011 video of P.J., apparently recorded in conjunction with his tour, which proves our point. If ELVIS PRESLEY were alive today, would be a little bit older than P.J. and we would hope also be in such good voice. But we will never know because Elvis died too young, and for a time, though this is not well understood today, it was almost as if he had never been.

And if Elvis were alive today, believe me when I say that he would feel honored to be covered by P.J. who once did demo records for Elvis, and he would reach out to P.J., who as the world knows, has been going through a difficult time financially in his senior-citizenhood. P.J. has loved singing - has loved entertaining - since forever. Like Elvis he knows his voice is a gift from God.

It's a gift he loves to use.

He's earned a lot of money over many years time and he's stimulated the economy of Great Britain and the United States over the years with his spending. Though we can't calculate it (one magazine attempted to monetize Britany Spears recently) anyone with a successful performance career keeps other people working - from the ushers in the stadium, to the truckers delivering records to clerks in the stores, hundreds of people. P.J., who is also a songwriter, seems to have spent more career time in Great Britain, a country he has embraced wholeheartedly.

In this world wide Depression, we are reminded of how money flows. No one with talent or energy likes to retire or give up their hope of earning or contributing. Like thousands of P.J. Proby fans worldwide our thoughts are on P.J.

P.J. PROBY SINGS ELVIS and LAMENTS THE PASSING OF LAMAR FIKE

Our friend P.J. PROBY sent us an e-mail recently as he started out on his 2011 tour in Manchester, England. We're linking to the site about that tour which will feature ELVIS PRESLEY songs! P.J. is going to sing his damn best you can bet on that!

P.J. said he felt sad at learning that LAMAR FIKE, who worked with Elvis as a member of his Entourage for very many years - maybe more years than anyone else - has passed away, on January 21, 2011 in Texas. Lamar figured large in Elvis' life for many years and had a book in him too. He and Elvis fought like brothers at times but he was also part of the fun.

As you get older you loose more friends to the inevitable and it's hard sometimes to have so many memories of people from days gone by. Still, one of the great things about blogging is that it's allowed me to reconnect to several long lost friends and I've learned that, even in later life, we are always making new friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY P.J. PROBY!

We're posting this great fan video of PJ...

I think P.J. is about seventy two years young now, but who knows... he might be even younger!

(334) PLACES TO GO THINGS TO DO : P.J. PROBY at the RED VELVET

P.J. PROBY is one of my oldest friends from back in the day, and one of those who is still going strong!

His then agent NAN MORRIS (we're all still friends) went with The Entourage to the RED VELVET club with Elvis Presley to hear P.J. sing. Nan was one of the guys.

P.J. sang a song from the Broadway musical about gang life in New York in the 1950's WEST SIDE STORY, a song called "Somewhere
HE STOPPED THE SHOW!
When all the applause was over, Elvis stood up and Elvis requested "P.J. sing that again!" P.J. did! It was Elvis' way of bestowing honor on someone he respected a great deal!
 


VIDEO REPLACED NOV 2013.
CURRENT OFFICIAL SITE LINK PJ PROBY NET  - music samples 2013

P.J. PROBY : LINKS TO NEW NEW NEW OFFICIAL SITES

We just picked this e-mail up and that's funny because we're posting on P.J. in one hour!

Dear Wes, Thank you for mentioning P.J. so often on your blog.
However, there's one thing we would like to ask.
I've just discovered that your link to PJ's official website doesn't direct you to his official website. The website you've got is a commercial site, which has nothing to do with Proby himself.

The Official Proby website is http://www.pjproby.com/ or http://www.pjproby.net/ PJs second website is http://www.houseofproby.co.uk/
PJ would be very happy if you could link to those sites.
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.
Kind regards,
Manja
(Christine here: You have to click on these links to see the TO DIE FOR pictures of P.J. How did that man ever sit in traffic in his car without being swamped by the ladies? Woo!)


(Wes here: P.J. is an indy artist now. He has his own label called Select Records.)

(330) ELVIS PRESLEY FUN IN ACAPULCO

I went on the set when Elvis was making FUN IN ACAPULCO in 1963!

First the camera crew had entourage member, musician, and songwriter Red West (who now has a great acting career of his own going!) sit and ride on a bike. They had some huge cameras - from the floor up - and a background of Acapulco that had already been filmed and then synchronized it with Elvis riding. In the movie it looks like he's riding in that Mexican city, but he never left the soundstage.

That was the state of movie magic at the time!

The movie also starred actress Ursula Andress, who had once briefly dated James Dean, and who went on to marry Producer John Derek.

The movie title song was first demo'ed by P.J. Proby. When a songwriter wrote a song with a singer in mind and in this case a song for an Elvis Movie so Elvis, the demo was made to sound as much as possible as that singer.

P.J. who has a strong voice and could sound much like Elvis, was chosen. Here is a Youtube video that features both! I think they both sound great.



This Youtube video has more than one song on it. Elvis looks terrific and towards the end there you can see the blonde beauty, who is Ursula.


Christine here: I'm catching up slowly on Elvis movies. This year I saw Jail House Rock, Double Trouble, and - just the other day - Fun in Alcapulco.

My old friends P.J. PROBY and JAMES BURTON talk about RICK NELSON

"Hello Mary Lou" is maybe the song most associated with Ricky Nelson... It was written by Gene Pitney

See that songwriters name SHARON SHEELEY on POOR LITTLE FOOL?

We'll be blogging about Sharon in the next several weeks. She and P.J. Proby were real close, and she was one of the people I rung in the new year -1960 - with back in New York City!

(290) HOW DID ELVIS FEEL WHILE HE WAS ALIVE ABOUT IMITATORS ?

The truth is Elvis was very aware of competition. He had to be.

Elvis educated himself about the music business. He sent one of the entourage out to buy all the Top 40 records for his juke box at the house. He watched movies and television performances. He had his preferences of course, and he had a recording contract to fulfill, so of course he wanted his songs to be the best selling and shortly he would, like most musical artists of our generation, have more competition than ever.

But 1963 would prove to be a very good year for Elvis Presley...

Often, as had happened to me, a regional market artist would quickly record a version of the song, and the result was split sales and no one having a hit that could pull in the big money.

Because Elvis thought of his closest friends as brothers, he expected none of us to directly compete with him when it came to recording the SAME SONG. At the same time he seemed complimented when someone tried to sound like him.

Hello to MY GREAT FRIEND NAN MORRIS !

Nan Morris has been a friend of mine for years.

She's retired now but was one of Hollywood's dynamic agents in her time.

She was P.J. Proby's manager for a while and behind P.J. when he started cutting demos for Elvis Presley.

She was one of the few women who was always welcome up at Elvis'.

You could say she was "one of the guys."

It's always great to have a catch up phone call with Nan!

(282) PJ PROBY LIVED IN A CASTLE and DROVE A ROLLS - MAKING DEMOS IS HONORABLE WORK

Like Bobby Darin and several other other music stars and singer-songwriters, P.J. Proby recorded demos for other artists.

If you can get this work today, do it! It can be a very smart move. First of all it gives you experience recording in a studio, all the equipment and possibilities open to you working in there. Other artists are recording in the same or adjacent studios. You meet singers, musicians, and producers. You get to test and train your voice. It's an in.

PJ recorded demo records for Elvis Presley, though you can hear the difference in his and Elvis' voices. This is how it worked in the songwriting business. The demo singer tried to emulate the style or sound of the singer so that he or she could really try it on. Sometimes the end result was a record that was very different from the demo anyway and sometimes the song was picked up by another artist. This kind of pitch honored the artist that may have had the song written with him or her in mind.

P.J. got his own career going and he still does! P.J. lived in a castle and drove a Rolls when he got his going. He's a hardworking and talented man and I'm happy to call him a friend!



And yes, David Gates, Leon Russel, and Glen Campbell, who were session musicians on this song, all went on to have great individual careers!

THE MYSTERY OF PETER JAMES - NO HE IS NOT P.J. PROBY

"Peter James is a real person. He is not P.J. Proby or someone else, recording under a fake name. I met him working with Jerry Capeheart at American Music. I saw him record at United Western. He did demos but he was also a producer. He was a white fellow, about 6 feet tall, thin, dark hair, and he wore an eye-patch!"

That's what Wes Bryan had to say when I asked him to help solve the Peter James Mystery that has been the talk of rockabilly and early rock and roll fans on YouTube recently.

I also contacted P.J. Proby and he says he never recorded under the name Peter James.

My own internet research brought up no evidence that Peter James continued to work after this period. But there is something new on the net everyday.

So if Peter James is out there, please contact us!

Christine Trzyna

(109) PJ PROBY - PARTY HOUND

Texan P.J. Proby was one of our music business friends who came through Elvis' when he was in town and attended parties. He's famous for his hit "Hold Me." P.J. could sound a lot like Elvis.

Now Elvis knew a lot of people wanted to sound like him, naturally or through practice. He usually took it as a compliment. Here is P.J. sounding very "Elvis."

P.J. wore a pony tail before anyone - before Tom Jones- and he was so successful that he bought himself a castle in his adopted England. Like many of my friends from the early days of my career, P.J. has continued to play music and tour. P.J. and I had a little communique recently and it was in the code language of our party days. I really miss the guy.