(258) WAS THE TWIST DEAD ? LET'S TWIST AGAIN CHUBBY CHECKERS

Let's twist again like we did last summer !



Chubby Checker was an original rock and roller who performed songs he had written himself. But keep this in mind. Chuck's songs were covered by a great many artists and by 1963 Chuck had made more money from residuals because of the covers other artists did of his music than he did as a performer. When it came to a good song, making money was no obstacle, Black or White.

We're linking to Chubby Checker's web site at the title above (click!)

And thanks to a YouTube video provider, here's a little documentary on American dance circa 1962

LINK TO A 1957 ARTICLE IN THE LA TIMES ABOUT THE NEXT JAMES DEAN

I have a stash of magazines and articles about me, most of which my father managed to save for me. I was too busy traveling to even think about it at the time. Recently we found an article about me circa 1957 in the LA Times archive. You can get to the article by clicking on the title above. Have fun!

ALLEN KLEIN DIED IN NEW YORK - JULY 2009

Click on the title link to a news article from the Globe, a British paper, on the death of ex Beatles and Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein.

Allen managed BUDDY KNOX first, while he, Allen, was living still in the United States. He wanted to manage me too but I told him he "and the horse he rode in on" could get lost. This article makes it sound like Allen enjoyed being a jerk... well, maybe he did!

When we were on tour Buddy saved every receipt, every bill, to turn into Allen, who was supposed to do his taxes. So I figure that BUDDY KNOX was WAITING AT THE GOLDEN GATES to have a word with ALLEN KLEIN when he got there...

BUDDY KNOX SINGING ALL BY MYSELF (Which We Co-wrote) 1962

Click on the title above to get to the sound clip via RCS Discography...

e-bay AUCTION of my album YESTERDAY, TODAY, and TOMORROW now on

Here is what the auctioneer says:

"WES BRYAN "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" on U.S International Records (CA.) 12 tracks: Twenty Acres of Land, I'll Cry My Love, Blue Bird Over the Mountain, To Be Alone, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, All for the Love of a Girl, Don't Be Cruel, I Woke Up Dreaming, Dream Lover, Pierre La Fitte, Lonely Weekends, Half as Sweet as You.'

"Liner notes on back cover talks about his songwriting and that Wes was the co-writer and writer on 4 tracks, (Pierre La Fitte, Half as Sweet, I'll Cry My Love, To Be Alone), also mentions that he is a "long time friend of Elvis" and in the Elvis documentary "That's the Way It Is" Elvis mentions Wes by name as being a great songwriter."

Friends, here's more information. I formed my own publishing company called U.S. International Records. My cousin was the designer of the label, which has an American Eagle on baby blue. My friend Ersel Hickey wrote "Blue Birds Over the Mountain." "To Be Alone" was written by me and Buddy Knox, who also recorded it. Yes, as you know if you're reading my blog, I was a long time friend of Elvis Presley's. And yes, in the documentary it's true, Elvis did say something about me being a songwriter. The DVD version has a lot cut out, including his comments about me. I cherish his opinion just the same!

W.B. YEATS Quote on Friendship

Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends." - W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)

BOBBY FULLER WEST TEXAS TO THE SURF

We thought this documentary was an exceptional contribution to YouTube and Music History...



I didn't know Bobby but I went to see him perform at PJ's, a club on Hillcrest. He reminded me of Buddy Holly in the way that he played. His performances made you want to stand up and applaud.

(257) THE ILLUSIONS, SURFERS LULLABYE

A "local" California band, the Illusions, had a great fan following, and sustained their glory for several years. If you'll click on the title link you'll go to the closest thing to an official site for the band that we found on the net.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY 2009

Hope you're celebrating this great country on this day when the founding of our nation is to be remembered! Wes

(256) CHANTAYS PIPELINE

Thank you to the YouTube contributor who posted this historical music video of the Chantays on Lawrence Welk show. Lawrence had a son who was into the music business - the rock and roll business as it existed at the time - as well. No doubt he told dad to have the Chantays on the show because surf or rock n roll was a real departure for Lawrence. This was recorded in 1962 and the show is from 1963!



Click on the link title above to get to the Chantay's own website... and yes they are also performing this summer in Southern California.

(255) SURFARIS WIPE OUT !

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!

(254) SURFIN' SAFARI RELEASED SUMMER 1962 on CAPITOL

The Beach Boy's Surfin Safari album, released in the summer of '62 by Capitol Records, was probably one of the biggest album's besides Dick Dale's. It introduced the Beach Boys and their marketing concept - that they were surfers (when one of them had actually surfed and Brian Wilson was a "in my room" person - to the world.)

Christine here : The Beach Boy's also, I believe, marketed the concept of a new kind of woman to the nation "The California Girl." She was/is fresh faced, long haired, blond, thin, athletic, casual, friendly.

RCS DISCOGRAPHY WES BRYAN LINK

RCS - ROCKIN COUNTRY STYLE - DISCOGRAPHY is one of our favorite sites...

Check this out (and hear me sing a few!)

CLIFF GLEAVES - THE LONG BLACK HEARSE

BLOGARAMA RATES WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC

Hello Blogarama! We're happy with our three stars in the BEST ROCK BLOGS IN THE UNITED STATES - for now! Christine and Wes

(Readers - click on the link above and vote for us!

LEO BUSCAGLIA Quote on Friendship

"A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world." - Leo Buscaglia

(253) DICK DALE and the DEL-TONES SURF BEAT

The saxaphone, so present in the late 1950's rock and roll continues to wail in early 1960's surfing music! This was one of my favorites. Dick was probably the most popular performer of this genre. Click on the title above to get to a link for Dick Dale's official site. Dick has been treating for cancer but is alive and kicking!

The line up on this front photo on this video actually has my friend John Ashley in it. It goes from left to right Dick Dale, John Ashley, Frankie Avalon, and Annette.. Wes

TERESA PULLIUM of THE CHEROKEE SCOUT WRITES ONE ON US!

TERESA PULLIUM of the Cherokee Scout got a phone visit from Mayor Billy Hughes?

“Brian was playing the part of the Indian, and we cowboys had him cornered in an upstairs room of an old house. All he had for a weapon was an umbrella. Mintz said we’d never take him alive and he opened the umbrella, jumped out the second-story window and somehow managed to land in one piece,” Hughes said.

"During the time he and Hughes were students at Murphy High School, Mintz and his family moved to Oregon. He moved around the country a lot, trying to establish a career as an actor and managing a few bit parts in off-off-Broadway plays. He followed his true love and got into rock and roll music during the mid-1950s, a move that would change his life forever.

(click click on the title link above!)) Thanks Teresa

(252) JERRY COLE - AN INTERVIEW WITH WES BRYAN

This is from an interview I did with Wes recently during one of our meetings. Christine Trzyna

Wes Bryan:

"Jerry Cole always drove a big Lincoln Town Car. It was a massive car for a guy who was barely five feet tall. But Jerry was BIG is so many ways..."

"He had the biggest Fender amps at the time. And Jerry had a low resonance in his voice (Tequila!) that made him SOUND like he was six foot four - bigger than the sky."

"When I started producing records, I called Jerry into the studio to play every chance I got. He was a natural arranger. And he became a regular on the Shindig television show... Jerry's gift was that he could play just about any instrument he got his hands on, so when we recorded we would "stack" various instruments. He helped me more than anyone. Always a smile on his face. A one man band."

"I ran into Andy Williams at the Farmers Market on Fairfax, in Los Angeles. He said this of Jerry: He's one of the best musicians that every existed." At the time Jerry had lead Andy's band and produced a record called "Tell Mary," a hit on Capitol.

Jerry's passed away - a great loss to me. I think of him on so many different occasions. He's on so much of the music that I produced.

CHEROKEE SCOUT NEWSPAPER - MURPHY NORTH CAROLINA MENTIONS THIS BLOG

"We’re not the only business or resident who has come up with informative and interesting ways to spread whatever word they want online. One such site is by Murphy native Wes Bryan at www.wesbryan.blogspot.com, where he shares plenty of stories about his life in music.

David Brown Editor

YES, I also use the Internet from time to time to see what's going on back home by going to the Cherokee Scout website! Wes

Click on the title above to get to the Newspaper !

We get mail... JIMMIE VESTAL

Wes recently received this (edited) message and we wanted to post it.

"I met you in Winston-Salem , NC. It was at the time when your vinyl record, Melodie D'Amour, just come out. You gave me a copy and I played it on my 45 RPM record player. I was just becoming interested in music and wanted to learn how to play the guitar.

You stayed at The Colonial Hotel. My grandparents owned that hotel.
I never forgot you all these years. You made a big impression on me.

Today I'm still interested in music and I have written about 180 or more originals."

Jimmie Vestal
Pinellas Park, Florida

Wes wants to express that he's thrilled that he could inspire someone else to write songs as he toured his home state of North Carolina, and to wish you continuing success as a songwriter!

JERRY COLE INTERVIEW on ART FEIN's POKER PARTY

(251) JERRY COLE and HIS SPACEMAN SURF MUSIC

My friend Jerry Cole not only did Spaceman music, he did surf music. Here is one of his best, and what a guitarist he was! (Use the search feature of this blog to read what else we have to say about Jerry, who recently passed away!)

JERRY COLE Quote on the Musician Lifestyle

"Where there's a will for us musicians there will always be a way for us to make a living from our music." - Jerry Cole