EDDIE COCHRAN : FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (58) EDDIE COCHRAN : ROCKIN THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

POST (58) from October 26, 2007
EDDIE COCHRAN : ROCKIN THE SUMMERTIME BLUES

I met Eddie Cochran at the Sheridan Hotel in New York City, where I also met Jerry Capheart, a man who would figure big in my future one day when he signed me to be a staff songwriter at American Music in Los Angeles.

Buddy Knox called Eddie Cochran "The Blond Elvis."

In England, the Beatles had followed him and Gene Vincent around. (When it came to Rock and Roll, first the Americans invaded England, then there was a British invasion of America.) Eddie performed at an Alan Freed produced Rock and Roll show for New Years about the time I met him. It was the same show I saw Ritchie Valens perform for the first time on.

The world of early Rock and Roll was tough. Eddie carried a Derringer hand gun in his boot and I hear it came in handy more than once, like when he was threatened by the boyfriends of certain fans...

Eddie Cochran wasn't the only one who packed a gun while on tour or while walking the streets of New York but I decided I could take care of myself with my fists. I grew up rumbling with my brothers, had learned some karate and self defence while in the U.S. Army, and admired the boxers who I tried to meet when they came into the Turf restaurant for meals instead of eating across the way at Dempsey's, which was owned by the boxer Jack Dempsey. We all had security concerns that were not met by our record labels or our management. We didn't have body guards and it was up to us to protect ourselves. It was also legal to take a gun on a plane...

During my tour with Buddy Knox I performed two of Eddie Cochran's hits, "Summertime Blues," and "Come on Everybody." Here's Eddie performing those hits on television - You Tube presentations.

ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK HERE ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME EDDIE COCHRAN

History of Rock - Eddie Cochran! HISTORY OF ROCK - EDDIE COCHRAN
Eddie Cochran died at the age of 21, at the height of his fame, in 1960 while touring in England, in a tragic automobile accident on the way to the airport. Gene Vincent was left with a limp in the same accident.

 

FROM WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC ARCHIVES : (18) New York, NEW YORK, It's A Wonderful Town! & NEIL SEDAKA

FROM OUR ARCHIVES  SEPTEMBER 5th  2007 POST #

(18) New York, NEW YORK, It's A Wonderful Town! and NEIL SEDAKA

In New York the Brill Building became the epicenter of my existence. I became part of the vital music scene. I used the rehearsal studios and recording studios in the Brill and I carried tunes in my head to the Turf restaurant, which was the scene to make. I met countless stars from the world of music and the theatre there, all having coffee, talking into the wee hours.

One day when I was in the Brill, Neil Sedaka ran downstairs to bring Bobby Darin up to meet me. Bobby was recording demos for other people then. It was the beginning of my friendship with Bobby.

FROM OUR ARCHIVE POST (57) I RECORD WITH NORMAN PETTY/ Buddy Holly's Ex Musicians and Backup Singers

  (Thanks Arne!)

I RECORD WITH NORMAN PETTY/ Buddy Holly's Ex Musicians and Backup Singers from October 25th 2007

When Buddy Holly was on his last tour he went without the band that he was first famous with, the Crickets, so they were not on tour with him when that plane crashed. The individual Crickets were working as studio musicians in recording sessions over at producer Norman Petty's in Clovis, New Mexico.

NEW VIDEO MARCH 2014



Buddy Knox and I drove from New York to Winston Salem, visited with my dad, and then headed for Norman Petty. At Norman's studio there I recorded songs with Norman as producer and for my musicians I had Donny Lanier, the lead guitarist for Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids, and Jerry Allison, the drummer for Buddy Holly with the Crickets!

Donny Lanier was the lead guitarist who did the two solo breaks on Buddy Knox and the Rhythm Orchids' hit "Party Doll." (The guitar sounded like Scotty Moore so Elvis wanted to record "Party Doll himself!)

So on my songs "Baby Blue" and "I Just Want Your Love," I've got some of Buddy Holly's Crickets sound and some of Buddy Knox's Rhythm Orchids. Donny Lanier played on "Blue Baby," and "I Just Want Your Love." His instrumental intro sounded a lot like "That'll Be The Day."



ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME - THE ROSES  updated March 2014   Here's a bit of information on the vault at Norman Petty's which I believe was located after Norman died.

SCHAUER. DE : NORMAN PETTY SESSIONS VAULT  updated March 2014

Also backing me for vocals on the two songs are The Roses, David Bigham and Robert Linville, Texans who also did backup vocals for Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, and Jimmy Bowen in 1958-1959, and who toured as backup vocalists with Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

RCS DISCOGRAPHY WES BRYAN PAGE

"Blue Baby" and "I Just Want Your Love" were released in 1999 without my knowledge. My writing partner, Christine, and I found out on the Internet. RCS shows them as I knew them to be - unreleased.
 

SUPEROLDIES - NORMAN PETTY STUDIO TOUR

FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (197) WHAT'D WE DO WITHOUT THOSE BLUE SUEDE SHOES ? CARL PERKINS and ELVIS PRESLEY

Carl Perkins' Rockabilly "Blue Suede Shoes," is so associated with Elvis Presley but Carl was first with it and the song was covered again and again, a true classic in its own time.

Here's a YouTube presentation of Carl singing "Blue Suede Shoes."

And here's one of many videos featuring Elvis Presley singing probably the song most associated with him other than "Hound Dog"...


)

ONE SUMMER NIGHT ON RANWOOD; WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC ARCHIVES

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : FIRST POSTED ON DECEMBER 1 2007 (After noting the record on an e-Bay auction!)

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...

(56) BUDDY KNOX : AN INTELLECTUAL and A GENTLEMAN : FROM THE WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC ARCHIVES

POST (56) BUDDY KNOX : AN INTELLECTUAL and A GENTLEMAN from the WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC ARCHIVES

October 24, 2007  

Now friends, I've gone off on a tangent about Elvis returning to the United States, at a time when I was on the Buddy Knox tour. It was great to be there when Elvis got off the train, to be part of the party at Graceland TM, and to be considered an actual friend of Elvis' Presley and a few of his friends, people who made it happen for him.

But I want to tell you nothing made me prouder than to be associated with a Rockabilly Superstar like Buddy professionally. When Buddy said "You're coming on the road with me," he was including me in on the road to success.

 

As I said on an earlier post about the plane crash that killed the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox and I were forced to confront our own mortality because of it. We were grateful to have a tour that was the top of the line with a plush tour bus and a caravan of cars. We had bookings in fine dinner clubs and the best of venues to perform. They had been on buses that broke down and were only trying to make up travel time taking that plane. Jerry Lee Lewis' tour bus was a gray painted school bus, hardly plush at all, despite his success with "Great Balls of Fire."

We shared driving a car and hotel and motel rooms along the way, while the musicians lived out of the tour bus. It could be grueling, but Buddy and I, and the musicians we traveled with lived clean. We didn't do speed to stay awake, but relied on our youthful energy and zeal for entertaining. Despite the obvious stress he always treated the musicians in his band with kindness and courtesy.

Before it was all over we toured in 47 of the fifty states, skipping Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah - because the Mormons (now the Latter Day Saints) objected to Rock and Roll. We would tour for about two years, using New York City for our breaks, sharing hotel rooms along the way and in New York.
 

Buddy performed "Party Doll," "Hula Love," and a number of other songs that he had hits with. He liked to go on first, then sit back and enjoy the show. Between his performance and mine, the band played. We got people up and dancing and everyone had a great time of it.

 

Buddy Knox was an intellectual, a gentleman, and more than all that, a decent human being. He treated people from all walks of life the same and his generous spirit was always evident. He tended to leave big tips.

Sometimes he and I would walk into a diner and the waitresses would ask us if we were the Everly Brothers. (We didn't look like brothers, but brothers as singing duos were popular then.)

Buddy would say "Have you heard of Buddy Knox?"

The waitresses would say something like "Yea, He has Party Doll!"

Buddy would introduce himself, and then play a couple numbers for the whole diner, which thrilled everyone. He signed autographs and he still left big tips.

Rockin Country Style Discography - BUDDY KNOX
 

RCS DISCOGRAPHY - BUDDY KNOX
 

Link above to Buddy Knox's official site. (His great son Michael is behind this site.)

Rockabilly Hall of Fame on Buddy Knox

ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME - BUDDY KNOX PAGE - UPDATED

Living closely as we had to, Buddy Knox and I became close friends on tour. When he married my father and I attended. I was in his wedding party. I am so proud to have known Buddy Knox. He truly was one of the good guys in Rock and Roll!

 

When Buddy was dying in 1999, he said to his son Michael, "Don't let them forget me." Michael promised.

I promise too Buddy.

THERE'S A HOUSE PARTY TONIGHT : FROM WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC ARCHIVES

Post (70) from November 13, 2007!

The first party I attended at Elvis' after moving to LA, Johnny Rivers and I drove up to Bel Air. Elvis was making the movie "Flaming Star" at 20th Century Fox. It was his 6th movie. Johnny had been over to Elvis and he said "I know he wants to see you." So we got into Johnny's car and drove up to Bel Air.

In the movie "Flaming Star," Elvis played what we referred to then as a "half breed," someone who was half Native American. It was Marlon Brando who the writers had in mind to play the part Elvis did. It wouldn't be the first or last time that a script written with James Dean or Marlon Brando in mind ended up staring Elvis Presley.

The femme fatal of the film was actress Barbara Eden, who would become known for her signature role in the television series "I Dream of Jeannie."

At the house Elvis came through the door still covered in the body makeup the studio had him wear to appear darker. (He also wore brown contact lenses to cover his naturally blue eyes.) When you look at some of the stills of the film today, you can see how unnatural it looks.

He welcomed me with a hug and told us to make ourselves at home until he got all that makeup off. It took him near an hour.

This was the beginning of my being a regular at Elvis Presley's house parties - the time of my life! Elvis' as my second home!

FRANK SINATRA : FROM CAPITOL RECORDS TO WARNER AND HIS OWN LABLE : REPRISE :FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Post (416) FRANK SINATRA : FROM CAPITOL RECORDS TO WARNER AND HIS OWN LABLE : REPRISE

Capitol Records was probably the hottest big record label by 1965 other than RCA, Elvis' label. Capitol had the Beatles and Glen Campbell, but they lost Frank Sinatra to Warner Records where he got his own label and distributor which he called Reprise Records.

Jimmy Bowen produced the record "STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT" which was a hit for Frank, got him HIS FIRST GOLD RECORD, and is known today as "classic Frank Sinatra" though it was recorded years past his early days of performance and stardom.

We're linking to the official Frank Sinatra site so you can read about Frank his way!



Frank was on the same charts as his daughter Nancy!

THE HOLLYWOOD BUG CONTINUES TO BITE ME : FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (150)

(150) THE HOLLYWOOD BUG CONTINUES TO BITE ME

In New York acting was respected as a dramatic art and the stage was the place to be.

I studied at Actors Studio in New York with Lee Strasberg, who is now legendary.

The Studio System of Hollywood put actors on contract. The amount of money to be made was quite limited in those years compared to what successful actors demand and get today - very limited.

Even when an actor made millions for the studios on a picture, or a top agent like Henry Wilson was going to negotiate for you, the actors take was limited. Of course some stars managed to get their contracts rewritten for more money. Wealth for many didn't come outright from pay or overnight but from investing what they earned in real estate - land especially - in Southern California, which had experienced a first surge of the building boom after World War II.

So you had to love acting and love it enough to do it knowing you might never make a lot of money. You had to appreciate the many perks that came with being a famous actor, including meeting people and making connections that could do you some good, but you had to earn it all the time. You had to do things their way.

Just as James Dean had moved to Hollywood and making films, many of my peers, including of course Bobby Darin, looked forward to a movie acting career. It was one thing to make grueling promotional tours around the country, one radio or television station after another, and another to be known almost instantly around the whole country because you were seen in the movies. So long as the move from stage to screen included musicals, it made sense to the viewing public that an actor would launch into song.

MIDNIGHT EARL WILSON : HE ANNOUNCED THAT I LOOKED A LOT LIKE JAMES DEAN : FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (401)

An Evening News copy of an Earl Wilson Column that mentioned me! (We couldn't get it to enlarge so you could read it, but you can try!)

EARL WILSON was the syndicated columnist who announced that I'd been signed to United Artists and that I looked a lot like James Dean. One of the hardest working journalists that ever lived, Earl didn't just rely on contacts to give him information, he continued to interview even as the years went by. Being mentioned by Earl ever so briefly was a dream come true for the up and coming actor - singer - songwriter I was back in New York.

We learned that Earl's son, Earl Junior, gave his father's papers to Ohio State college, the school he had graduated from.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : (24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY & WINK MARTINDALE

(24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY and WINK MARTINDALE
 from September 11, 2007

United Artists had me touring around the country, playing live on television, radio, and at record hops on a promotional tour for my launch with "Lonesome Love," and "Tiny Spaceman." On my first tour of the Mid South in 1957, I went to Memphis, Tennessee to perform on a couple shows.

One of them was Wink Martindale's version of a dance party show.

At this point I was beginning to become used to the adoration of my fans. I was a teen idol. My name was mentioned in the columns and pictures of me and magazine articles about me were out there. The girls chased me around and even tried to tear my clothes off. Wink had the kids in the audience ready to give me a hearty welcome, but as I sang, I realized I had never caused so much commotion before... HA!

Elvis Presley and his early entourage had burst into the station to see me!

That's what all the commotion was about! Even Elvis wanted to see what "The Next James Dean" really looked like. I was so excited that Mr. Elvis Presley was out there in the audience. Elvis Presley had achieved stardom and had become a millionaire. I was a fan of his and he was an inspiration! But I never dreamed Elvis would be coming round to see me!

After my performance, Elvis asked me to come back to Graceland TM with him to meet his parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley. He had just purchased his own stretch limo and, after I piled in with the guys, Elvis drove us home in it himself. His family was much like mine because of our southern upbringing, and his father Vernon and especially his mother Gladys were welcoming. Gladys had the table spread with food and asked about my family. She said they had relatives in the Smokey Mountains.

That night I met Elvis's best friend from Humes High School in Memphis, George Klein, and funny-man ex-DJ, and recording artist Cliff Gleaves too.

That evening was the beginning of a friendship with Elvis Presley that lasted the 20 years until his death.

POST (186) GENE PITNEY ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART : FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Gene Pitney: this blog wouldn't be complete without including him.

On one website we noticed that someone had confused me and Gene, probably because he recorded under the name Billy Bryan prior to 1960.

Gene was a songwriter who went into performance. As you may realize from reading this blog, in the Cover Tune Era the singer-songwriter was the exception. A good number of us went from performance into songwriting but Gene did both. It's difficult to do both with success and hold onto that success. A good songwriter can last past a good performer if, for instance, his looks aren't with him. And in the case of the Big Bopper - J.P Richardson and Gene Pitney, some say sadly, that it wasn't their sound or their talent but their looks that failed them on the music scene - they just weren't the idol type. Just like today Abe Lincoln probably wouldn't have had the looks and personality to make it through a Presidential campaign and to the White House.

But Gene was so talented! He co-wrote a number of hit songs for my peers including "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson.

The web site we're linking to has a comprehensive biography of Gene and mentions a number of his songwriting successes.

And here's a BBC report of Gene's last concert before he passed into Eternal Life.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4879846.stm

Search our blog for The Crystals! Earlier we posted them singing "Little Boy" that was written by Gene!

ELVIS CARED ABOUT HIS VOICE!

FROM OUR ARCHIVES POSTED ON JUNE 2, 2008

Christine here.

I recently read a book about the Beatles, by Jonathan Gould, called "CAN'T BUY ME LOVE." I found it a fascinating read. The author attempts to put the Beatles' success into more of a socio-cultural viewpoint. It's C 2007 and put out by Harmony Books.

(We'll be talking about Elvis, the Beatles, Wes, and the singer-songwriters some time later in this blog journal.)

The other day I was talking to Wes about a comment made in this book. On page 61 the author writes that the real reason for Elvis' "decline" is that the "nature" of his "ambition" was not to be a great singer, but a great star, and thus he moved towards the movies.

As you know, Wes himself came up in that era in which the movie studios wanted into the record / music business and artists were encouraged to cross over, boosting their careers in both directions. Singing in the movies, or selling more records because you became internationally famous in the movies, movies as two hour rock videos, an acknowledgement of the power of television and movie image that went beyond live performances; all these things were considered to be cutting edge marketing of talent. It was considered AMBITIOUS to be more visible.

I ran this one by Wes and how shall I put it? Wes Bryan absolutely does not agree that Elvis did not care to be a great singer or that he ever gave up on singing or being a singer. Wes pointed out to me (and you!) that he personally witnessed through the years just how much Elvis cared about music and his singing.

Elvis was like a walking encyclopedia of music, the fan of a great many other singers. He studied their technique, knew who had problems with breathing and phrasing. He studied Mario Lanza as an example, and he loved to sing along with records as well as perform his renditions of songs he loved at his parties. Music was not something he only performed on stage, but in the privacy of his home, among friends, because he loved it. Music and singing was not just about making money for him.

He collected records and gave his favorites play in his home and in his suites in Vegas and on the road. He brought home demo records for his close musical friends to hear and give their opinions on.

He called his DJ friends when he loved another singers records and asked them to give the record a spin. He personally chose many of the songs that became hits for him.

He kept a home recording studio to record songs he was considering and jam sessions frequently erupted in his home studios, at his parties, and just hanging around the house.

He established his own music publishing entities and he paid promptly and as contracted. Artists whose work he owned a part of did not deal with fraud or long delays on their intellectual property residuals when Elvis was in charge.

He stated publicly that he would personally listen to singer-songwriter demos that were presented to him. In search of a song for one album, Wes recalls that Elvis spent weeks and went through the rock and roll archives choosing from over 250 standards.

Even though he was one of the hardest working entertainers that Las Vegas ever saw, even after two shows a night, Elvis and his friends and invited guests often retreated to his private suite where they sang gospel till dawn, just for the love of it.

And there is the evidence of a well exercised voice. Almost to the end when he was ill, and we will state that those closest to him knew he was ill and attempted to cover for him, hoping he would regain his health, Elvis' voice retained its unique vibrancy.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (306) A LITTLE REITERATION OF MY STORY JUST TO GET YOU SITUATED !

EXCERPT FROM OUR ARCHIVES
POST (306) FROM APRIL 23, 2012

A LITTLE REITERATION OF MY STORY JUST TO GET YOU SITUATED !

... But if you've been following my story, you know that I was born in Murphy, North Carolina, that I made my first recording in a kitchen in Winston-Salem, that I was discovered as THE NEXT JAMES DEAN in Akron, Ohio, in 1957, which lead to auditions in Hollywood and my living in New York City. I studied at Actors' Studio. I traveled all around the United States promoting my first couple records as the FIRST ARTIST SIGNED TO UNITED ARTISTS. Then, while on Roulette Records I toured for a couple years - in 47 states! -with rockabilly Superstar BUDDY KNOX. I became friends with Elvis Presley back in '57, one of the great friendships of my life.

I performed on Ed Sullivan, Jack Paar, Wink Martindale... so many television shows all around the country. I played live on radio stations. And then - then I moved to Southern California to work as a staff songwriter for AMERICAN MUSIC about 1960, after the KNOX tour was completed.

From the east coast to the west I moved and so did some of the people who were integral to my story. People like Elvis Presley, Johnny Rivers, and Jimmy Bowen were now also living in Hollywood for film or music...

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : POST (209) SURFARIS WIPE OUT!

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : POST (209) SURFARIS WIPE OUT! June 29 2009

Surfaris - what a great name for a group, so evocative of surfing adventure! Their surf hit "Wipe Out" - recorded in 1962 - has to be one of the most memorable of all the surf music that came out in the early 1960's and is played as an eternal classic - every summer since! "Wipe Out" is famous for that invigorating drum solo. Since the Surfaris have web sites and even a Google Blogger - yes they blog too! - we're posting links to them that probably tell their story better than we could!


UPDATED July 2012 Linking to active Surfaris official site!

KEELY SMITH : THERE'S A HOUSE PARTY TONIGHT: FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (121)

POST (121) on KEELY SMITH From March 2008

Keely Smith and Louis Prima were one of the favorite Lounge Acts acts of Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack in Vegas.

I thought Keely was terrific and had an amazing voice. Make that HAS an amazing voice that has only gotten better with time. Keely performed at J.F.K.'s inauguration and in the 2000's she's recording CD's and making appearances on television shows sans Louie who passed some time ago in 1978. So many of the songs she and Louie recorded were high energy and positive. They were good time party songs, fun in Vegas songs, and "There's A House Party Tonight," is one of my favorites! Now, we searched for a video of Keely and Louie and this song to no avail, but we didn't want to miss posting about them. House parties, be it Vegas, Palm Springs, or Los Angeles, were the rage. They were private parties. Parties of the rich. Elvis' kind of party.

Link above to a NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO site that features an interview with Keely.

From YouTube a Video of Louie and Keely in the mid to late fifties singing "When You're Smiling." Keely's stone face is in direct contrast to Louie and the band's energetic performance, and that's exactly what's so funny about it!

On March 22 2011 we substituted the historical music YouTube video below, which is not of the song "There's A House Party Tonight," but does document Keely's act with Louis! You could say she's the "straight man" to his exuberance!

JIMMY BOWEN : SINGER SONGWRITER AND FAMOUS MUSIC PRODUCER TO BE (307) FROM OUR ARCHIVES

FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST (307) JIMMY BOWEN : SINGER SONGWRITER AND FAMOUS MUSIC PRODUCER TO BE! from April 26 2010.


JIMMY BOWEN figures in my story from way back. I met Jimmy Bowen while he was passing through Akron, Ohio. He took me to a record hop there, where my first record was played. It was a record I home made in Winston-Salem without a label so it could not be played on the radio legally.

Jimmy Bowen and Buddy Knox had a group called The Rhythm Orchids. (They started out wearing light purple shirts when they played!) Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen were both Texas boys. Jimmy played a stand up bass, an instrument that featured in early rock and roll but soon disappeared from road performances.

Eventually I would perform with Jimmy on the road while on Roulette Records. I was on the Buddy Knox tour but I would occasionally meet up with Jimmy's tour.

The two of us showed up to work at American Music in Los Angeles. The two of us wrote some songs together... including "Break Down and Cry" which was recorded by Fabian and "Don't Stay Away" which was recorded by Jerry Fuller.

ERNIE FREEMAN : THE MUSIC PRODUCER : FROM OUR ARCHIVES POST 208

Post (208) ERNIE FREEMAN THE MUSIC PRODUCER from November 7 2008

I started hanging out at the Musician's Union when I didn't have anything else to do, though I was busy - so busy! - in those years. Ernie was an African-American pianist arranger who "Made The Strings Jump." (He also produced but was rarely credited for it.)

Like many other musicians who worked in the studio playing first, Ernie had a lot of studio recording experience before he started arranging.

The Musician's Union was a great place to meet accomplished musicians, singers, arrangers, producers, and songwriters and network.

Linked at the title: Here's the Rockin' Country Style discography for Ernie Freeman, who in 1962 was the arranger for the Buddy Knox album that made it Gold, with the song "All By Myself" on it that Buddy and I wrote.

Here's a link to great information on Ernie's career as an album maker that has a picture of him.

UPDATED APRIL 2012 THIS NEW GREAT VIDEO!

THE BIG BOPPER : FROM OUR ARCHIVE 2007

The Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson, is best known for his hit record "Chantilly Lace."

I never met J.P. so I have little personal to say about him. He's part of the history of rock and roll and Elvis and I did love "Chantilly Lace," that part about "a wiggle in her walk..."

The thing about people at the height of their fame who die unexpectedly is that you never know what they would have become if they had lived. The death of JP, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly had Buddy Knox and me wondering about our own mortality.

BIG BOPPER : PINK PETTICOATS