HELLO TO ROMANIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, PORTUGAL, TURKEY, IRELAND, ITALY, and SOUTH KOREA!

We are happy to know that our blog interests people who love music, the great unifier, all around the world! 

MAMAS and the PAPAS : MONDAY MONDAY

video replaced Feb 23 2013

RITCHIE VALENS : SMITHSONIAN HONORED HIM WITH AN EXHIBIT : NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE HONORED

RITCHIE VALENS OFFICIAL SITE link here!  (The family is involved in this site and has an interesting news portion!)

Smithsonian Exhibit for Ritchie Valens


"The National Museum of The American Indian presented "Up Where We Belong" an Exhibit of Native Americans who have contributed to American Music, This exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian in New York City, presented a wonderful tribute. Congratulations to all the inductees. Connie and Irma Ritchie's sisters attended along with Irma's husband Randy.

On loan to the Museum are Ritchie's Gold Records, Donna and La Bamba, there is also a nice poster on dispaly with Ritchie's photo and information on his achievements. The Museum also opened an inter-active video area where visitors can view footage on all the indectees. For Ritchie there is short documentary with Ritchie's siblings speaking about Ritchie's music and archival photos..

Ritchie's mother would have been proud that her Indian Heritage has been honored through her son and his music."

RITCHIE VALENS IN CONCERT AT PACOIMA JR. HIGH : SLEEPWALK

BUDDY HOLLY and THE CRICKETS : CRICKETS WERE INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME IN 2012

  The Crickets who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 were Jerry Allison, Joe B. - Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, and Sonny Curtis.  The picture is of Jerry and Sonny with Buddy.

Here's an updated link! ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME PAGE - THE CRICKETS

Buddy left Sonny and Joe B behind when he went on the tour where the plane crashed and killed him, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, so they survived and went on.  They played surf inspired music in the early 1960's.

THE ROSES : BUDDY HOLLY and the CRICKETS BACK UP SINGERS : ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK!

Back on May 10, 2010, post (308) we posted a link to the Roses ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME page.  Here it is again : THE ROSES : ROCKABILLY HALL   Robert Linville, tenor; Ray Rush, baritone; and David Bigham, bass.

To quote the page, "In March of 1957, "The Roses" traveled with Roy Orbison to Clovis, New Mexico to record at the Norm Petty Recording Studio. At this time, they met Buddy Holly and the Crickets. "The Roses" got an opportunity to work with Buddy and the band when another group didn't show for the session. Norman Petty liked their work and asked "The Roses" to move to Clovis to be available as a staff vocal group. During 1957, "The Roses" did vocal back-up for numerous artists."

These included, Buddy Knox: "Somebody Touched Me," "To Be with You," "I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself"

Well, friends, I was there when Buddy recorded those songs with the Roses backing him, and I recorded with them backing me too!

Thanks to our friend Arne who posted this YouTube video you can hear The 1957 era Roses (and me!)

BUDDY HOLLY HAS INSPIRED GENERATIONS

OFFICIAL BUDDY HOLLY SITE  link here!

“Buddy did everything he could to make sure that talented young
musicians and songwriters got a real chance,” says Maria Elena Holly.

“He even started his own label – he called it ‘Prism’ – to make this
possible. He would be especially thrilled, as I am, that so many
outstanding artists are part of this effort to honor his personal

commitment to recognize and help great young musical talent.”

What's "new" about Buddy.  In May of 2012 there was a special celebration and tribute album.  It was Buddy's 75th birthday...

Here's the sound sampler...

WEEZERS TRIBUTE TO BUDDY HOLLY

"Buddy Holly" came out in 2004 on Weezer's Blue Album (Geffen Records) and was produced by Ric Ocasek.  The band, which formed in Kinosha, Wisconsin has been touring in New Zealand and Australiasia.

Curious?  Here's a link to their official site! WEEZERS 2013 TOUR

BUDDY KNOX INTRODUCED ME TO BUDDY HOLLY

I met Buddy Holly in New York City in the late 1950's.  Buddy Knox, who I went on tour with for a couple years,  introduced us first. 

You can pull up older posts on this blog by using the Google Search feature.  Try the words BUDDY HOLLY or BUDDY KNOX!

GRAHAM NASH PLAYS ON BUDDY HOLLY'S OLD GUITAR

Graham NASH mentions the guitar cover inspired by Elvis's guitar cover. Buddy hand tooled the leather cover himself!  See our post about Rick Nelson's guitar cover... use the Google search feature... and AL SHELTON or RICK NELSON to bring up that older post!

WATCHING THE E-BAY AUCTIONS FOR WES BRYAN "MEMORABILIA"

We watch the e-Bay auctions from time to time to see what's for sale up there under the "Wes Bryan" heading.  When we first started to blog, there were just a few Wes Bryans with web presence.  There was the DJ, the Christian Minister, and a Real Estate developer.

Now there are several more, with Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts, and on e-Bay, under the Wes Bryan, search comes some items related to the football player, Wes Bryan. 

So we're glad we titled this blog WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC, to separate all those Wes Bryans out a bit! 

In the last weeks, to our surprise there has been a lot of e-Bay action on Wes Bryan records and pictures from the beginning of my United Artist singing - acting sensation days, including a Hep Cat magazine, pictures of me in Central Park and sculpting (these were taken by my then manager and used as part of the United Artists promotions), as well as pressings of my songs that I recorded at Roulette in New York City, some of which made it to be re-pressed in England for London American Recordings, demos and the final products sold in stores.  The bidding action was heavy on these with sales at over $35.00 per item.  Interesting!

(451) THE BRITISH INVASION OF AMERICA and THE AMERICAN INVASION OF BRITAIN CONTINUE

So now that we've said what we've said about hits and charts, we looked at a number of charts for the year 1966 saw discrepancies about what number a song or three achieved. We were reminded of personal favorites and looked for songs we remember hearing that we expected to see.  Could be some of the songs we remember were on albums. 

For American songwriters, the mid 1960's were competitive and anxious times because of the success of bands like the Beatles of Great Britain and the Beach Boys of the United States were writing and performing their own songs and didn't need us.  There was an emphasis with the record companies that bands should have their own songs and with fewer hit makers looking to us to write songs for them, and a feel of change in the air, a lot of people in the business began to change their careers.

Even Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound that had put so many songs on the charts was loosing.  (Sonny Bono talks about that in his memoir, having to break the news to Phil, who he worked for prior to Sonny and Cher making it, that the Sound was beginning to be dated.)

What we see overall is evidence that the British Invasion of America is ongoing.  It's not all about the Beatles.  It's also about British hit makers Petula Clark, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, and Peter and Gordon, on the same American charts as The Mamas and the Papas, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Supremes,  Nancy Sinatra, Johnny Rivers, and the made for television competition for the Beatles, The Monkees.

(450) HIT RECORDS : THE MYSTERY OF WHAT MAKES A HIT?

It's a bit of a mystery really, what makes a song, a recording of a song, a particular version  or cover tune of a song, a hit, a chart topper. 

So many factors to consider.  The song itself - the lyrics, the melody, the music production - which can reimagine a song, the singer - their popularity or break through, also the promotion - very important.   Some great songs you never heard of died before they were launched because there was little to no money for promo.

Sometimes everything comes together in a magical moment in time and somehow out of thousands of songs recorded at that time, one recording appeals to so many people that they go out and buy it, request it be played on a radio station, and go see the singer or band in concert. 

But for every example of how one song became a hit, there is some other song that became a hit a whole other way.  Musical stars get tired of concerts and retreat to a studio.   Very rarely someone breaks out using YouTube.

Today with so much independent music making, we have stars shining that relied on television talent contests, social networking on smart cell phones and computers, or making the rounds of local clubs performing live with CDs made in local studios in hand. 

It may be even more difficult to explain the mystery than it always was now, but you could say that a songwriter, a singer, someone has to BELIEVE IN THE SONG.

One of the ways a hit record is considered a hit is that it made it onto a chart.

Let's put it this way.  There are songs that didn't make the TOP 100 / 1000 that were still very successful for the songwriters because they were used for a movie or television series, or a number of artists recorded the song or performed it live.  Still, it's a temptation to look at charts.

Consider this.  Charts vary.  There are hit charts that proclaim the greatest hits of All Time (often opinion), Charts by record sales, charts by requests of radio play and actual radio play (which may have been dictated by a station manager or a DJ), charts that count by CITY, BY REGION, BY COUNTRY!  There are charts by category, by genre - easy listening, rockabilly, classical. 


Charts look back but don't predict the future!

RICHARD BACH Quotation on Friendship

"Your friends will know you better in the first minute you met than your acquaintences will know you in a thousand years." - Richard Bach

ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC CELEBRATES BUDDY HOLLY!

Buddy Holly A LEGEND REMEMBERED : ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC  check this out!

JIMMY O'NEILL : SHINDIG HOST : GONE TO MEET ELVIS

We've written about Shindig, the music television show that was so popular, and Jimmy O'Neill was the host.  Yesterday word reached us that he had passed in West Hollywood, where he had been living in retirement.  The City News Service article made its way around the net.  Here's a link to the West Hollywood Patch: JIMMY O'NEILL : OBIT

A little excerpt: In 1959, O'Neill made radio history as the first voice heard on KRLA-AM (1110) when it dropped its country-western format for rock music, the Times reported. It quickly became a powerhouse in rock radio and launched O'Neill into television in 1964 as the winsome emcee of Shindig!

You can use the Search feature on this Google Blogger to read more about Shindig, the influence of DJ's on popular music, and Jimmy!  If you scan down a bit to our YouTube video selections, you'll see Jimmy hosting this popular music television show!

WES BRYAN OCTOBER 1959 HEP CAT MAGAZINE

 "ROMANTIC TEEN SINGING - ACTING SENSATION"

PHIL SPECTOR QUOTE ON ELVIS

"You have no idea how great he is, really you don't. You have no comprehension - it's absolutely impossible. I can't tell you why he's so great, but he is. He's sensational." - Phil Spector

(449) SELF REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP - LAKE SHRINE

ELVIS PRESLEY 2013 BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

SELF REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP : LAKE SHRINE TEMPLE Link here!

Jesus Christ was the most important guru Elvis ever had and though Elvis became a spiritual explorer through reading when he moved back to Graceland TM from Los Angeles, my memories of Elvis reading the Bible to me just the two of us hanging out - and even at parties - and taking on his preacher aspect, will always be with me.  Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible were the basis for his life.

During his years living in Los Angeles, which were his movie making years, the Self Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine became an important oasis of peace, a place to get away from movie and music stardom for Elvis.

(448) COMMANDO : THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHNNY RAMONE (A MAJOR ELVIS PRESLEY FAN!) BOOK REVIEW and EXCERPTS!

COMMANDO : THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHNNY RAMONE
C 2012 Johnny Ramone LLC
Edited by John Cafiero with Steve Miller and Henry Rollins
Abrams is the publisher

What makes an autobiography rather than a memoir?
I think this book is more a music memoir because it focuses on the development  of The Ramones, a punk band that performed some original material and some cover tunes. As a matter of fact they covered some of the tunes that Johnny Rivers also covered, so I would've loved to ask Johnny Ramone about that!

As it goes with the Ramones, not one member was ever born with the surname Ramone and not one member was an actual brother or relative. The Ramones are therefore a construct, but when it comes to the music business there were a number of "brother" duos and groups, such as the Righteous Brothers before them who were also not really brothers.   - Christine


When I was on tour with Buddy Knox people used to ask us if we were brothers!  - Wes

CHAPTER ONE,  pages 15 and 16

"It was the nameless guy who changed the jukebox records at my parent's bar who really turned me on to rock and roll when I was seven years old. Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Fats Domino. He gave me the singles he was talking out as he put in the newest hits. I loved it; I had a great collection of 45's. I still love that era of music. The songs sound so clear and exciting, like Little Richard's "Keep a Knocking."

page 17

"Soon after the jukebox guy started giving me those singles, I saw Elvis Presley on the black and-white television in our Westbury living room, on The Ed Sullivan Show. The first time was September 9, 1956, in a broadcast from Hollywood, then seven weeks later from thirty miles away in New York City, at the CBS studio at Broadway and Fifty-third street. Today that's the Ed Sullivan Theater where David Letterman does his show.

I just knew I would be a big Elvis fan from that moment on. It was the wildness, and it really upset my parents, who thought he was a dope fiend. I didn't know what that was, but I figured it must be a good thing, because if it upset the grownups, it had to be good. I just followed him from them on and became a rock and roll fan forever, and by the next year I was listening to Ricky Nelson, the Everly Brothers, and it was a big Jerry Lee lewis fan. And Little Richard, I mean, he was gay and black, and that made everybody crazy."
- Johnny Ramone


In the back of the book Johnny Ramone lists Elvis Presley as his favorite singer, followed by Bing Crosby, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, The Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson, Dean Martin, Frankie Laine, Dion, and Jim Morrison.  Johnny would have loved this blog! - Christine

ELVIS PRESLEY : GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME

  I think the song reminded Elvis of going home to Graceland TM. 

(446) TOM JONES : GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME : ONE OF ELVIS PRESLEY'S FAVORITE SONGS 1966

  Tom got Knighted by the Queen of England over there in Britain, like a few other musical greats such as Paul McCartney and Elton John, but his name isn't Sir Tom Jones, it's SIR THOMAS WOODWARD!

Here's the link to his official site!
TOM JONES OFFICIAL!

Elvis loved this song!  He played it over and over and over again! I remember having a conversation with him about proper breathing for singing.  He talked to me about Tom's voice and his breathing.

BILL MEDLEY (OF THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS) TRIBUTE TO ELVIS