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

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're linking to his New York Times obit above which sings his praises.

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

(397) MEDIA IN THE LATE 1950'S and EARLY 1960'S : SYNDICATED COLUMNISTS

Christine and I watch the e-Bay auctions to see if anything is for sale under the Wes Bryan category that I don't own or haven't seen in years or don't know about and once in a while I'm surprised. Once in a while a magazine comes up for sale that I know there was an article - or a mention - in.

In the 1950's and early 1960's there were a few important and powerful writers - columnists - who were syndicated, which means that whatever they wrote was printed in small newspapers that couldn't afford their own music critic, all about the same time. These articles went over the wire to reach news rooms where local journalists worked, and typesetters made the article fit.

Some of these writers did mention me and my colleagues in their columns, and recently some of these columns have started appearing on databases that make it easier to research than cranking the old microfilm.

We're going to blog about a few of them.

(338) CASHBOX MAGAZINE 2010 : 58 YEARS OLD

CASHBOX, Billboard's big competitor, has been around 58 years now and it's been charting music in the United States all that time.


The methods for charting music are controversial especially as the way music is selected to be played on the radio has changed over the years from the days when the Personality DJ's personally selected records and played the ones they loved over and over again. (Dewey Philips was the personality DJ who broke Elvis Presley's first recording!)

Personality DJ's were responsible for making or breaking artists for some time and then radio went to a top 40 format based on charting sales.

Today, by my way of thinking, it might be more difficult than ever to gauge popularity based on sales because there are so many ways to listen to music without buying it (or concert tickets).


In 2006 Cashbox became an INTERNET-ONLY magazine so we are linking to this site which has lots of links and a jukebox. Like other music sites there is a contributory aspect to the on-line magazine.

(337) AROUND THE BUSINESS : MAGAZINES - COLUMNISTS - THE MAKERS and BREAKERS of the STARS

Friends, Christine and I were talking the other day about publicity - advertising -marketing. Then and now.

Today we have People, Vanity Fair, the National Enquirer, and so many other magazines and newsprint that feature coverage of celebrities - not to mention the many sites on the Internet about the rich and famous. For the film business Daily Variety is still around after many years. In the music business we still have Billboard and Cashbox which have been around since before I had my experience with fame.

When I was up and coming in New York and then Los Angeles there were FAMOUS STAR MAKERS and BREAKERS, columnists, who I think welded more power than most columnists do today; they were all nice to me.

I've been thinking about how different Hollywood was in the early 1960's than it is today. Los Angeles was not as congested and crowded as it is today and the business was friendlier. Someone couldn't hire you, they still might send you over to see someone else they knew.

It was easier to get around town because the freeways actually moved. Having a car - a great car - was the thing - and I sure did have some nice cars!

Celebrities went out on the town and they were not hiding away. I can't tell you how many people I met just dining out or driving down the road.

Celebrities were very conscious about making an appearance and being seen around town. They were practically looking for the photographers! Not ducking them!

Today people are taking responsibility for their own fame when they post performances on Youtube, or do as some of my friends have, by having a presence on other social network sites up to promote themselves, their performances, or their products. We blog here on Google and have a Youtube station.