(403) ONE SUMMER NIGHT : U.S. INTERNATIONAL : MY OWN LABEL

Designing a record label I would be proud of for my own business, U.S. International Records (I was thinking Big!) was a major consideration for me. Some time had passed since my songwriting contract at American Music had ended with the death of Sylvestor Cross, and I decided to do what so very many artists are doing today, go independent.

My cousin Dean, an artist, helped me by designing this, and he did the art-work the good old fashioned way - hand drawing. I still think it's a beautiful label.

As for the recording, I took a truck out to the beach in Malibu and recorded seagulls and waves and added it to the production of "One Summer Night," which got a couple great reviews and good airplay, even though there was near no money to promote it to the radio stations.

(We haven't noticed a copy on the e-bay auctions since 2007!)

After I put it out and it started to get that airplay, Randy Wood at Dot Records decided to release it on his label.

One of the people who put it on the air, on his syndicated show, and that meant the record was heard in Europe was famous DJ and funny man Gary Hollis. Gary and I are still friends to this day.

(84) BOBBY DARIN, FRED HORTON, GLEN CAMPBELL, and ME

Fred Horton and I wrote "Ashes of Time." Fred didn't work for American Music like I did, but the collaboration was OK'd by Sylvester Cross. Bobby Darin loved the song and I pitched it to him and he went around humming it a bit.

Bobby Darin bought my song "The Old Prospector" for TM Music, his publishing company. He took it to Vegas to pitch it to Keely Smith and Louie Prima. They didn't record it.

Glen Campbell is one of the artist who recorded "Ashes of Time," on his album called "Country Music Star Number One." This album came out in 1969. By then a lot of things had changed. I was no longer working for American Music at all. I had my own company called U.S. International Records. Still, Fred and I were happy that my old co-worker Glen had decided to use our songs.

Linked above: Here's a bit from Answers.com on the album, and all the songs for the album which were written by Fred Horton and me.

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...