HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY DICK CLARK!

Today is Dick Clark's 80th birthday and we want to acknowledge his contribution to the music of the 20th and 21st century and to Wes' career! (Wes appeared on his show singing "Tiny Spaceman" and a year or so later, "Freeze.") Happy Birthday, Dick!

(280) STATE FAIR - PAT BOONE - ANN-MARGRET - BOBBY DARIN

The movie STATE FAIR, which came out in 1962, stared my friend Bobby Darin, as well as Pat Boone. I'd begun to work with and for at Pat's production company called Cooga Mooga.

One more person who we'll be blogging a bit about in the future, someone all Elvis Presley fans know to be very important to his story, the exciting singer, dancer, and actress Ann-Margret, also stared in this film.

We're linking to the IMDB on State Fair as a link so click on the title above if you want to go there!

Here's Ann singing with Pat...

THE BLOG DOESN'T GIVE AWAY THE BOOK!

ON THIS THANKSGIVING DAY, I want to say THANK YOU to WES BRYAN, who I've had the great experience of working with, and who I've learned so much from.

Some of our readers spend seconds, others read a new blog post or two, others may turn on our YOUTUBE Station and read for an hour or so. Until recently Wes and I were not aware of our readership. The news left us both surprised and happy because we started this blog in August of 2007 taking it one blog day at a time...and this really is a labor of love so we're loving it.

A lot of people are asking WHAT ABOUT YOUR BOOK?

Does the blog give away the book?

The answer is no! We feel that the blog is like bringing the INDEX of our book, which is his memoir, alive. We understand that our readership includes fans of ELVIS PRESLEY, BUDDY KNOX, ERSEL HICKEY, JOHNNY RIVERS.... and so many other early rock and rollers. We're their music fans too.

We know our book will appeal to music historians, but the book, which we have a wonderful secret title for, (Wes has spoken to the press about it only slightly, calling it "THE LONELY IDOL") is coming from the heart ... and whose heart is not for capture?  

 

Robert Frost said that if the writer sheds no tears writing, the reader won't either. We shed tears.

THANKS to our READERS, past, present, and future.

Here we come Electronic Media and Good Ol Books !

(OK, I'm still trying on taking a Kindle to bed with me!)

Christine Trzyna

DION Quote AT THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

"The younger generation went to the school of "The Wanderer" and "Runaround Sue." - Dion

Quoted in the November 26, 2009 Rolling Stone Magazine - out early!

THE MYSTERY OF PETER JAMES - NO HE IS NOT P.J. PROBY

"Peter James is a real person. He is not P.J. Proby or someone else, recording under a fake name. I met him working with Jerry Capeheart at American Music. I saw him record at United Western. He did demos but he was also a producer. He was a white fellow, about 6 feet tall, thin, dark hair, and he wore an eye-patch!"

That's what Wes Bryan had to say when I asked him to help solve the Peter James Mystery that has been the talk of rockabilly and early rock and roll fans on YouTube recently.

I also contacted P.J. Proby and he says he never recorded under the name Peter James.

My own internet research brought up no evidence that Peter James continued to work after this period. But there is something new on the net everyday.

So if Peter James is out there, please contact us!

Christine Trzyna

ROBERT PLANT on ELVIS PRESLEY from Rolling Stone Magazine

From the November 27, 2009 Rolling Stone Magazine, Led Zeppelin's old singer Robert Plant wrote why Elvis Presley is his choice for one of the 100 Greatest Singers of all time. Elvis rated #3 by the way.

"I know he wanted to express more. But what he did was he made it possible for me, as a singer, to become otherworldly."

-Robert Plant

Link to ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE here!

VETERANS DAY !

HELLO TO RED WEST and CONGRADULATIONS !

We're linking to IMDb movie database for the career of Red West, who was one of Elvis Presley's friends - and body guards - for many years. Red and I wrote a few songs together when I was up at the house. I consider him a friend to this day.

Red had bit parts in Elvis' movies and then committed to an acting career. As you can see from looking at the database he has managed to get a role a year for some time and he's no quitter. RIGHT NOW "Father of Invention," is in post production and he's working on TBK" The Toolbox Murders."

ELVIS WOULD BE PROUD OF RED !

Here's Red's MySpace. Click! Doesn't look like he has much time to update it but...

http://www.myspace.com/red1936

Were Reading GQ MAGAZINE November 2009 on JERRY LEE LEWIS

JERRY LEE LEWIS WILL NOT GO TO HELL by Chris Health is the writer and we can't link to the article so run out and buy the magazine won't you?

"Such myths seemed to envelop Jerry Lee Lewis long ago. He was the crazy one who had burned both ends of every candle he could find; the rock n roll pioneer who did plenty that no one had done before and more than a little than no one would ever see the need to do again; who had enjoyed grand triumphs and a series of unimaginable tragedies; who would find himself adrift, surrounded by darkness he had sought out for himself and a whole load of darkness that had been thrown upon him; who was riven by the pulls of what he believed to be right and what simply felt right at the time; who was swamped by legend and history and rumor."

(279) BOBBY PICKETT MONSTER MASH 1962

Monster Mash was a hit and became a Halloween Classic, and while you can make a great living as a successful songwriter, and the residuals can come in for years on a "one hit wonder," Bobby's novelty song has kept ringing the cash registers for the last 47 years.

I remember how happy we all were for Bobby when this song hit!
Wes Bryan

I'm over here doing the "Transylvania Twist" since I'm related to Vlad the Impaler!

Christine Trzyna

Video replaced October 2012

CELINE DION and a SPLIT SCREEN ELVIS PRESLEY (TRICK OR TREAT!)

Wes and I watched this one together and not too far into watching it, he broke down and cried. "It just hit me," he said.

Actually he ran out of the room and I followed.

"What was it about that video?" I asked.

Wes said, "I once heard Elvis singing that song live. And then I saw Celine look at Elvis like he was there - a girl who wasn't born yet."

CICERO Quote On Friendship and Adversity

"Friendship makes prosperity more brilliant, and lightens adversity by dividing and sharing it."

- Cicero (44 B.C.)

(277) DORSEY BURNETTE and Elvis and Me THE DYING EMBER

Johnny's brother Dorsey Burnett recorded a song called "The Dying Ember" that I wrote along with a songwriter named Fred Horton. The song had been pitched to Elvis, who loved it. He began experimenting with it in his home studio at Graceland TM...

Dorsey Burnette was a prolific Memphis born songwriter in his own right, whose songs were recorded by Glen Campbell and Rick Nelson, among others.

"The Dying Ember" came out in 1962 on Dot Records as a single.

The song came out again in 1963 in stereo and on his 1992 album called "Great Shakin Fever."

YOUTUBE VIDEO REMOVED OCT 28, 2010

RINGO RECORDED JOHNNY BURNETT's HIT YOU'RE SIXTEEN

Johnny Burnett had a hit with You're Sixteen about 1961 and it went to about #3 when the song was at its height. It became a classic.



Ringo Starr made the song famous all over again...

(276) LIBERTY RECORDS - NEW HOME TO BUDDY KNOX, JOHNNY BURNETT, and THE CRICKETS

Johnny Burnette, Buddy Knox, and The Crickets were recording for LIBERTY RECORDS by '62. We're linking to Dave Edwards and Mike Callahan here, as they have made a great effort to present the history of record labels and this link links to a whole discography. (Click on the title above.)

Now as a songwriter at American Music, I had some intellectual properties that I had signed over the rights to the company for - temporarily. Those properties have been returning to me over the last several years. And one of the songs I was so proud of and originially wrote with Elvis in mind got recorded instead by Johnny's brother Dorsey Burnette...

MOVIE MIRROR YEARBOOK 1961

BUDDY KNOX and WES BRYAN - posed together - were included in the Sound Sations pages of this magazine. Articles were published on Elvis, Rick Nelson, Tab Hunter in the same.

I moved to Los Angeles and signed on as a staff song writer at American Music where my life would continue to include the famous or near famous - people I first met in Akron, Ohio, New York City, or touring through the Southern States, or while recording on United Artists, Clock, or Roulette Records...

Hello to MY COUSIN DEAN !

My cousin Dean is the member of the family who keeps tabs on my career and what's up on the Internet about me. His was the first call I got alerting me to the fact that a song of mine was up on YouTube.

Dean is respected in our family for both his artistic achievements and because he is a Vietnam War Hero.

I'm sending my love to one of my favorite cousins today. Have a great one Dean!

WES BRYAN MELODIE D'AMOUR on YOUTUBE

I want to thank Arne of Sweden and Bernard of Britain for both posting my first song on YouTube, called "Melodie D'Amour" which came out about 1960. I promoted this song on television shows and public performances in Los Angeles, and it was a song that Elvis loved.



Now we sent an e-mail to Arne and Arne wrote back:

"Hello Wes.

I'm very flattered that I get a mail from such a great artist. I (and all my music friends) have always loved Melodie D'Amour, it's a very special version of the old song, by far the best in my opinion. I haven't heard about you for a long time, I hope everything is okay? Your music will live forever, so don't ever think otherwise. I could see why both Ersel and Elvis loved your awesome version, it's very special. I'm so glad for this mail, you have not only made my day, I could live for this a long long time.

Thanks so much and take care of yourself.

Best wishes, Arne."

ARNE YOU MADE OURS ! (And we hope to install a Swedish Translator soon!)

Wes Bryan and Family

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MUSIC HISTORY STAR ?

We've been blogging about so many people who I met, was friends with, worked with, heard in performance, or was influenced by in my life in music. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE STAR IN MUSIC HISTORY? Maybe someone we seem to have forgotten about ?

Use the comments to let us know!
Thanks!

Wes

JAMES DEAN SCREEN TEST MARLON BRANDO

Don't know the date on this but the rumors are true, Marlon screen tested for the role Jimmy got. We'll never know what would have become of James Dean and his career if he had lived...

NEW CODE FOR VIDEO NEEDED

GRAMMY MUSEUM FIELD TRIP

Recently 24 Los Angeles County Museums staged a free day over a weekend and I took full advantage, heading for the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.



I called Wes from the museum to tell him that I just got chills when I saw the simple red jacket that Ritchie Valens had worn for his first publicity photo. Also on display was Elvis Presley's family bible circa 1936 and letters from Elvis to a fan on Blue Moon Boys era pink stationary. Can you help but compare your own handwriting to that of the famous artist? How about a letter from Buddy Holly to his mother?

The museum boasts cutting edge techological achievement. There are NEARLY 200 MUSICAL GENRES to explore and you can watch performances, listen to famous songwriters talk about collaboration (I listened to Hal David and Carole King) or play at recording in booths with famous producers coaching you from small video screens.

Now listen. We know Grammys TM and Academy Awards TM are amazing. But we also know that the vast majority of musicians, songwriters, entertainers, actors - ARTISTS - never get near such recognition but are still deserving of praise, if for no other reason than it's damn difficult to be true to yourself as an artist and make a living.

So be inspired by the Grammy Museum and then keep on doing what you do, prizes or not!

Christine Trzyna

JAMES BYRON DEAN BLOG

Here's a myspace blog by a devoted JAMES DEAN Fan which also mentions me...

JAMES DEAN WEB SITE LINK

Keeping James Dean alive forever! This is a dynamic web site!

His aunt and uncle told me, when I spent some time on their farm, researching Jimmy, that I moved like him. I was also taller and Southern but from a rural family. I still don't think I look like Jimmy feature by feature.

ELVIS PRESLEY Quote About JAMES DEAN

"I knew by heart all the dialogue of James Dean's films; I could watch "Rebel Without a Cause" a hundred times over."

- Elvis Presley

(And when Elvis loved a song or a movie,that's exactly what he did do! Listen to it or watch it over and over! Wes)