Today at 8:58 AM
July 6, 2015
Claude’s Commentary No. 72
By Claude Hall
Gary Allyn: “Hello again my good friend Claudius ... I read with great pleasure Woody Robert’s account of his early meeting Lee Baby Simms. Shortly thereafter, I, too, had my first encounter with the redoubtable Lee Baby. It was the early Fall of 1966. I was rehired by KONO’s owner Jack Roth to become Program Director. Shortly after arriving back in the Alamo City from San Diego, Jack called me into his office to say he wanted to rehire Lee. So, we embarked on a teaser campaign on both KONO and KONO-TV to say: (Baby crying SFX) ‘The Baby returns ... soon’. Then it came: ‘The Baby returns to KONO on (date)’. As Woody said about Lee, he seemed really full of confidence … almost arrogant. He went on the air saying they wanted to bring ‘The old gunslinger back to shoot down the competition (KTSA)’. But, it was gonna cost ‘em this time, he (Lee) was gonna get big time money this time ... etc, etc. Lee was phenomenal on the air, in fact, I don’t think over the 3-4 times he worked for me, that he ever sounded better than he did at KONO.
Everything was going fine until one night after leaving his air shift, Lee and afternoon DJ Nick St. John went driving in Nick’s Corvette, and both had some intoxicant in them, and while driving through an upscale area of San Antonio (I believe Olmos Park) the Corvette left the winding road and through a fence onto the lawn of a large estate. It was after 3:00 a.m., and the owner of the estate came charging out of his house with a gun (or so I
was told) and held the two (Lee and Nick) until the police arrived. Jack Roth was notified by the police, and I was called at home by Jack to tell me to have both me and Lee in his office at 9:00 a.m. that morning. Jack Roth was one of the few who Lee was a little intimidated by. Lee always called him ‘King Jack’. Lee walked in to Jack's office. He had dark sunglasses on. Jack asked Lee if he could see without the sunglasses on as he wanted Lee to look at him when he talked to him about the driving incident earlier. As it turned out, the estate Lee and Nick drove into was that of the CEO of Pearl Brewery. Pearl Beer spent many thousands of dollars in advertising on KONO annually, and the sales contract was in jeopardy of being cancelled! Jack, of course, said he wanted Lee and Nick to pay for the damage they caused, and that the CEO of Pearl would not press charges if nothing more was said about it. And that was about it until Lee went on the air that evening. Lee, as was his habit, always talked to his ‘fans’ about what happened in his life each day, and this incident was discussed in great detail on the air. The kids and listeners loved it, they regarded Lee as one of them. A rebel of sorts against authority. Jack Roth, as you might imagine, was not happy at all. I feared this was the end of Lee's employment at KONO. After all, between Lee and KTSA, the two stations had 100% of the teen audience at night, and I didn't want Lee's majority ratings -- or him -- to leave! Jack had to prove that insubordination would not be tolerated ... suspension was handed down. As Woody said, Lee was young, in his early 20s. Lee saw nothing wrong in what he said. He was being honest with his listeners. A few years hence, Lee's ‘honesty’ got him trouble at KCBQ while I was the P.D. After playing a finance commercial on the air, Lee said that all loan companies were crooks, charging way too much interest, hounding people for payment etc. He told of his borrowing money from a loan company while working in Cleveland, and they were ‘bandits’ of the worst kind. Unfortunately, a manager of one of the finance companies whose commercial had just played on the air was driving around. He heard Lee's diatribe against his company. Irate, he called to cancel the account with the ‘Q’ sales manager. The Sales Manager called Dick Casper, the KCBQ GM. Casper was in New York on a buying trip. It seemed only seconds after Lee's air attack, I got a call from New York and Dick Casper who was screaming: ‘Get that sonofabitch off the air now! Immediately! You go in that control room and get him out and you finish the show. I want him GONE! Call me back after he is out of the building!’ Casper hung up in my ear. Once again, Lee's ‘honesty’ got him fired. He was truly ‘The Peck's Bad Boy’ of radio, but the listeners loved it. All these years later, these Lee Simms episodes bring a smile to my face. We all knew we were witness to original and brilliant talent. I always felt that you had to give this kind of talent more leeway. It would be like giving Picasso a paint-by-the-numbers kit, then tell him to paint something brilliant and original. I never had much trouble with Lee following the basic parts of the hourly format. He did the PSA's, the news, etc., on time. But I had to give him the freedom for Lee to be Lee. More than ‘Coke’, Lee was The Real Thing. A real storyteller. And Lee could ‘sell the music better that anyone. He made the listener feel like he loved the songs he played better than they did, while the opposite was true for most DJs. I once had a jock meeting to remind them that they were ignoring the playing of songs that they diidn't like -- usually bubblegum songs. I told them to play all the hits the way they came up in rotation. Lee said: ‘They're all like nails to me ... I just grab one and pound it in … one after another’. I loved Lee Simms. The Disc Jockey and the person. I think it was his ‘Honesty’.
Someone out there is going to mention that I’m featuring too much about Lee Baby Simms. My response right now is: Nope. Just FYI, Lee’s daughter Kim is on my mailing list.
Doc Wendell: “Here is my second installment of my record recommendations or ‘Doc's Prescriptions’. It's on a cooking Jimmy Heath album from 1960.”
https://irom.wordpress.com/2015/06/28/docs-prescription-for-big-band-jazz-jimmy-heaths-really-big-riverside/
Also: “This album by Gene "Jug" Ammons makes life better.”
https://irom.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/doc-wendells-prescription-for-hard-bop-gene-ammons-all-stars-happy-blues-prestige/
I hate to see Don Barrett closing up shop. The man is a giant and has done giant things. Los Angeles and the surrounding media terrain will miss his labors – and heart -- terribly. Just FYI, Don Barrett was a damned good radio man himself back in the day and for years now edited an outstanding media blog. May the good Lord bless you, Don, with four aces (three hidden and one on the river). I consider it an honor to know you and Cherie.
Joe Nick Patoski about me mentioning his movie kickstart: “It’s never too late or too soon. Thanks for the mention. This isn’t the first time anyone’s pushed for Doug Sahm’s induction. But this film is the best tool to carry the message, and it includes the saga of the Sir Douglas Quintet -- how Huey P. Meaux (aided by good people like Chuck Dunaway) sold a band of Texans and Mexicans to the world as British, only to be outed on television’s ‘Hullabaloo’ by host Trini Lopez. If that isn’t rock and roll, I don’t know what is. Here’s a snippet about that from the film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjUyFKMXquY
which is playing in Missoula as part of the Big Sky Film Fest summer series July 19 and at Cinefamily in LA July 30 -- Santa Fe Independent Film Festival and In-Edit Music Documentary Film Festival in October, with more to come.”
Andy Hall, my poet son who teaches at UNLV, is on a poetry team that just won a slam competition in Salt Lake City this past week. He asked me to publish this and, why not? “If you would forward this to friends and family, I'd sure appreciate it. We are trying to raise enough money to pay for expenses and transportation to this conference and tournament known as National Poetry Slam. Poetry slam combines art and entertainment in a fun and moving way. Think of it as poetry meets professional wrestling meets bowling meets ‘The Gong Show’.”
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-the-2015-battleborn-slam-team-get-to-oakland#/story
Sounds as if it’s something for which Joey Reynolds would be a perfect emcee.
Roger Carroll: “Everyone loves Joey Reynolds except me.”
Now, now, Roger. Play nice.
Tom Russell: “Thanks, Claude … don't know if I sent you this promo film we did for the new record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zLha1neU8k
Really enjoy the blog. TR in Vancouver.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zLha1neU8k
www.tomrussell.com
www.facebook.com/russelltom
Man, Tom … you do get around!
Chuck Dunaway: “Hope I’ve told you already, but in case I haven’t ... please keep sending your informative emails ... it is hard for some of us to keep in touch with a business we loved and your emails bring us back into the fold ... if for only a short time. Thanks, Claude.”
For the “new radio format” projected by Ken Dowe, now a Tom Russell fan, the “fountainhead” for the format, I emailed him a fairly recent tune by Ian Tysonl (Russell and Tyson are buddies). The song was about the American horse, “La Primera.” I guess. And, no, it’ll never be a Top 40 hit. But it’s a good and quite interesting tune. One that someone interested in music ought to hear at least once. And I’m glad to see that Ian Tyson is still around.
Ken Dowe: “Love is Strange.” Mickey and Sylvia. I remember well. I’ll jump in the car tomorrow morning and blue-tooth Ian Tyson through some fine automobile speakers. Sorry you’ve not been well. Speaking of, I haven’t seen Chuck in quite awhile and usually hear from him if he’s not doing well. Hope all’s well. You know Chuck brought me to Dallas from San Diego when I was 20 years old. To KBOX. Remember? A really fine station in 1961. Chuck was the PD. Later, he and I worked together at KLIF. Been great friends for about 55 years. LONG time! We arrived in Santa Fe a couple days ago. Tom, as you told me, is appearing here on the 14th. I am going to call the box office in the morning and see if I can grab some good seats. Have a couple friends I might take along with Dottie and our 18 year old. (Grandson, but Dottie and I reared him as a son.) He’s a Tom Russell fan now. I drove this trip, switching the radio from my audio-books … to Tom Russell. Made it a really entertaining ride!”
Joey Reynolds: “Check out this video on uTube: Thank you. Claude, for the votes of confidence all during the dark days, it makes a guy feel good to be in fellowship with you. ‘More will be revealed’… Big Book, Bill Wilson. John Antoon is in hospital in Kennedy, CA, after a stroke, I have been trying to reach him. John and Gary Bailey were also fellow travelers who provided a map for the road less traveled. How are you, besides busy looking for the perfect chili recipe and wondering about Lebron James, was his mom dyslectic? Why Cleveland? I am ready to move to Athens cause it is the cradle of democracy, everybody in Greece is a philosopher and it is paradise for talkers; at the Acropolis everybody speaks freely, but no one pays attention, It's like AM Radio.”
http://youtu.be/uAO3t4AIc50
Mel Phillips: “Afternoon Claude, I love to run into old (experienced?) Radio friends when least expecting to as I did the other day on 3rd Avenue (Manhattan). Jim Kerr and I go way back and Jim is always a pleasant surprise to see. Jim always provides an interesting conversation. He mentioned how reading my new book (blatant promotion for 'From the Mailroom to the Majors') made him reminisce about similar radio experiences and he brought up the name of Sebastian Stone, my late friend and program director of WOR-FM in the late 60s. Sebastian had a big box of airchecks in his office of all the airchecks he received. He had a system of grading each tape with an alphabet letter. When the sender of each aircheck would follow up with a call, the conversation would go something like this: 'Hey man I really liked your aircheck but I gave it a 'B'. Sorry man but you'll have to bring it up to an 'A' for me to consider you. Keep working on it and submit another one in about 6 months.' I don't know if they believed that or not but I thought it was an interesting way to recognize the person who took the time to send an aircheck....”
And then there was the general manager who asked for airchecks regarding a disc jockey opening … and then used the tapes for commercials. Just FYI, Sebastian Stone (I can’t recall his real name at the moment) was a close friend to Sam Hale. Sam has been under the weather. Spending so much time in the hospital of late his mailbox is jammed. I sincerely miss Sam. Anyone who knows him personally, please say hi from me.
Spider Harrison sent me a note that one of the great legends in radio, Chicago’s Lucky Cordell, and his daughter are in intensive care after a Sunday fire in his southside home, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. Firemen rescued Lucky and his daughter through a hole in the roof. Cordell, 86, and daughter Pat, 60, are being treated at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Moses Linberg Cordell Jr. began in 1952 on WGES. He also had a long run at WGRY in Gary, IN. In 1963, he became one of the initial Good Guys at the launch of WVON. In addition to being a DJ on the air, Cordell moved up the ranks at the station off the air, becoming music director, program director, assistant general manager, and by 1970, general manager. Under his leadership, WVON became one of the biggest radio stations in Chicago and one of the most influential R&B stations in the country. He exited full-time radio in the early 1980s to do some work with Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's office, Operation PUSH, and the Chicago Urban League (which he joined in the 1960s).
Dave Laird, Smithville, TN: “I'd love to receive your commentaries. I was emailing with my old boss and friend Art Wander, and he suggested that I request to be added to your list. I worked with Art in Syracuse, Memphis, and Boston. A great experience as I grew in the business. I retired after nearly 45 years back in 2008, and, frankly, don't miss the business the way it is today. Thanks for considering my request for your emails, and I hope you have an enjoyable 4th of July weekend.”
Thank you, Art, and welcome aboard, Dave!
GEORGE MATTERS
I’m writing a “novel” about George Wilson, a man who as program director programmed more No. 1 radio stations than anyone in the world … but I guess the title of the book will end up “George and Me.” Anyway, I may never finish it. Like “I Love Radio” and “Radio Wars,” both eBooks available from Amazon.com/Kindle Book, it will mention a lot of people in both radio and music … and feature even a few comments … as did “I Love Radio.” The reason I may never finish this book is because he lived a big life and it’s one hell of a job to get all of that into just a book … and, yes, I even wrote his “official” bio a few years ago so I know quite a bit about him. He was one of my closest friends, especially the last few years of his life. Rob and Terry, the son of L. David Moorhead and one of George’s daughters, held the wedding reception of Jackie and George Wilson here at the Hall House. They catered in food from Sister’s in Los Angeles. As I write this, I’m looking at a photo I took at Chapel of the Bells when he and Jackie were married. Whups, here comes a photo of Lee Baby Simms during his KCBQ, San Diego days.
“George and Me,” actually a quasi mystery, had lain fallow for perhaps a month. I went back to work on it right after Don Barrett and Cherie visited. Thanks Don. Thanks Cherie. And I worked on it some today. It revolves around the murder of Nate McCalla, a man I only met once in the mid-60s. And, naturally, I’ve made a heap of suppositions.
Anyway, I have about 12,000 words written thus far on “George and Me.” If anyone would like to read it, I’m willing to send it to you in a pdf version for computer. Free. Just to the first dozen who respond. You can comment or not, tell me something about George or not. I feel the urge to send it out just in case I tire and never finish it. So you will know that, at least I tried to write about him. George, if any of us, certainly deserved a book. Just FYI, I’m still working on the book. And I do hope/plan to finish it one day.
OTHER MATTERS
I sent Woody Roberts an early version: “I learned quite a bit about early Top 40 by reading this piece. It reads like a memoir rather than one of your stories and will be an important addition to 20th century radio history. I hope you will eventually send it to your list and too Kindle it for a free download. It needs to go on a website somewhere so it will show up on Google searches, I hope some radio people will post it to their blogs. A keeper for posterity. George is an enigma with me, I got my first radio job in Galveston K-ILE '59 and basically was never intrigued by the programmers in the north. None of their stations interested me. Being a lad in Texas I was a McLendon student and aware of Chuck's honing of that format in LA. Which reminds me that Don Keys is a name often left out of radio history, he followed Bill's tenure with Gordon as Grahame had with Todd. The first time I became aware of George's name was in '65 as one of the references listed by Lee Simms. When I called, I think he was PDing in Baltimore. Lee spoke of him but I never heard anything from others about his stations and never heard an aircheck of one. I did spot his name in the Gavin Report. Wish I had known George. To me Billboard was a general department store and The Gavin Report was an exclusive boutique. The other publications and tipsheets were also-rans. Never considered one in competition with the other. I saw Billboard as butting heads with Cash Box and the more important of the two. Billboard did sales, Gavin depended a lot on ears and it wasn't just his exclusive cadre of reporters (anyone could subscribe, but I didn't know any DJs that bothered, only PDs and music directors), but it should be noted that Bill Gavin had the really BIG ears and the man could hear those hits before many of us, he told me his pop music strength was catchy melodies and harmonies. I really could not have won in Hartford without Gavin and Lee Baby. I could not believe it the first time I was nominated for GM of the year at the Gavin programming conference and then again, and then in 1971 I won! I was the guy who suggested and contacted Buckminster Fuller for keynoting the Gavin Programming Conference in San Francisco. I thought Bill's show was for Lucky Lager Beer not Lucky Strike cigarettes. It was while programming the music for Lucky Lager Dance Time that Bill decided to use his research methods to pick hits for Top 40 style music stations around the country. May not be exact but like the famous Storz coffee shop/bar lore that's the gist of it.”
Don Sundeen: “Hi, Claude, I recently came into contact with Bobby Poe Jr. and told him I was a great fan of his dad. I asked him to write something about The PoeK for
my blog, and sent me this page with a thumbnail of an incredible life. I wonder if you could print the URL so that others who fondly remember Bobby Poe can read words from the man who published the Pop Music Survey, and had legendary ’Seminars’ for radio and record folks for 30 years. It’s full of familiar names from back in the day like: Shelby Singleton, Lelan Rogers, Harv Moore and many others. It also turns out that Bobby Poe was a Direct Descendent of William the Conqueror … which explains a lot.
< http://www.poekat.blogspot.com >
Showing posts with label Doug Sahm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doug Sahm. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Claude's Commentary No. 70r2
Today at 8:28 AM
June 29, 2015
Claude’s Commentary No. 70
By Claude Hall
info@voxjox.org
I still love music. The last verse of “The Prisoner’s Song” is engrained in my soul. And, like most of you, when I find a great song I’ve got the urge to make sure someone else listens to it. I heard the first time Elvis Presley was on the air – “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on the Louisiana Hayride over KWKH, Shreveport -- and had to hear it again. Same with Johnny Cash (“Hey, Porter” and “Cry, Cry, Cry”). I wore out the 45 rpm single of “Folsom Prison Blues” without ever taking it off the little RCA plug-in turntable.
I shall always love the music of Linda Ronstadt and Emmyou Harris. The past couple of years, the music of the Mavericks has impressed me immensely. Raul Malo is something else. Yes, Los Lobos, too. And who doesn’t enjoy Willie Nelson? I picked his first RCA LP and the second and, of course, the LP that made him and Waylon Jennings famous. For Billboard.
I sent Ken Dowe and Chuck Dunaway a copy of Tom Russell singing “All the Fine Young Ladies.” I’d been in the study most of the morning listening mostly to Tom Russell. It was Ernie Hopseker who introduced me to Tom’s music and the late George Wilson dug up this song in an Albuquerque music store for me and put it on the air on his then worldwide Internet program … then emailed me this particular tune. Tom Russell grows on you. In a few minutes, I’ve got to go hear his song “Nina Simone” from the CD “Aztec Jazz.” The tune – I guess 90 percent of his songs – is/are on this MacBook Pro.
Ken Dowe: “Thank you, Claude! If we were not so old, I would buy us an Austin station where we would create a COWBOY POETRY & AND SONGS format. You'd choose the music and I'd find the ranch hands to sit around the fire playing western tunes ... and telling of the storied past of dusty cattle drives, Indian wars, whiskey, wild mustangs ... and wilder women. Y'all leave your guns at the door. Grab hold of a shot of Tequila, set a spell ... and listen to Tom Russell tell the story GALLO DEL CIELO, the rooster from heaven ... and the most hellacious cock fight ever in the West! We could go out guns a blazin'!”
Woody Roberts to Bob Weisbuch: Dr. Bob, old flashback. I've told you about the 1976 NYE ride to Cleveland and staying in Lee Baby's hotel suit when I got a call from a man, Bill Seale, from Corpus who had met me backstage at a Jerry Garcia concert. He wanted me to come show him and a station owner how to run a successful facility ... but it had to be a unique progressive. They had a class C at 101.3 FM to play with. I didn't want to do radio but Lee pushed me into it ... he knew I had financial problems after my Armadillo media projects failed. ‘Woody, get your ass down there and help those guys’. Turned out to be a highlight among memories and the guys were Grateful Dead backstage family and friends with the San Francisco/Richmond chapters of the Hell's Angels. The station owner was forced to leave his loose life in SF and return to his hometown to handle the affairs of his oil properties. He wanted to be able to hear the Dead and others that were not played on the Corpus Top 40 outlets. So he bought a radio station. Neither guy had been in radio and Bill was made GM so my consultancy was managerial as well as programming. I lived in SA and commuted to Corpus where they gave me a car, apartment, and a pretty girl to help keep it tidy. What good times. Within a year we ruled men 18-38 and women 18-24. I never kept any photos, articles, posters or other past memory jogs but many times wished I had a photo of Bill and Bruce. Yesterday the fellow who back then did 9-noon at C-101 sent me photos he took of the three of us in December, 1977. A year after Lee had pushed me their way. The photo: Bill Seale, grey hair, became GM; owner Bruce B. Baxter III, beard; Woody glasses. PS -- No one anywhere knew I was in Cleveland and in that hotel and under Lee's name -- for years I tried to get Bill to reveal how he located me. He would just laugh and took the secret to his grave.”
Joel O’Brien: “I just by error sent you your blog. I was meaning to send it to another friend. Please don't think I was returning it to you. Cheers!”
Good on you, Joel. The more readers, the merrier!
Doc Wendell: “Here is my first installment of my record recommendations segment. I picked an obscure one for my fellow jazz geeks.”
https://irom.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/docs-prescription-for-bop-sonny-stittbudpowellj-j-johnson-prestige/
From Morris Diamond to Joey Reynolds: “Good morning, Joey -- I just spent the morning scanning Claude Hall's weekly letter and was pleased to read your 3-4 page contribution. I knew you were smart and clever – but now I have to add the word 'brilliant' to my personal evaluation of Joey Reynolds. I'm so happy to have the memories of our visit a couple of years ago when plugging my book in New York City and we gathered at Joe Franklin's office, had lunch and then you drove Alice and I to our dock where our cruise ship was docked ready for an Atlantic crossing to France. Great memories of that along with many other meetings … such as when we were both asked to speak at Morton Downey, Jr's funeral. Your take-off of Radio and TV and the personalities of the past in your wonderful dissertation should be an education unto itself to almost everyone else that spends their Monday mornings deeply involved in Claude's very informative Newsletter that we read and learn more and more from each and every week. Thanks for the memories.”
Hey, Joey! Professor Andy Hall, also gave your diatribe of a week ago a thumb’s up.
Don Goldberg: “Joey Reynolds was my radio hero. Through the static on KB listening so far away when 50KW blasted from Buffalo to my clock radio in Philly. When college friend Al Resnick was his board op at WXYZ in Detroit I hitch-hiked out there to see Al and got introduced. Joey worked hard and played harder. After a trip to the Roostertail we got back to town in his signature gold '65 Mustang and in a hotel room, Joey have me my first joint. These are things you remember. I visited him in Hartford later. He inspired me to break radio traditions and play with all there was in a creative medium. A few years later I was the first production director at WMMR under Jerry Stevens. When Joey moved to Philly we reconnected. He was living the high life. I introduced him to Ron Cutler (then Diamond doing oldies on WIFI). More creative radio. I've moved around the country surfing the airwaves from market to market doing creative production with some great FM Rockers in the majors, then creating pilots for national syndication with Ron in LA for Dees, Cousin Brucie, Dick Summer, Joyner and doing a reboot of Drake's ‘History of Rock and Roll’ for Jim Kefford in the 80s. All the inspiration for breaking bounds comes from knowing that it's OK to be creative and fail every thrice in awhile. Thanks for the inspiration, Joey. And ... the joint. Whatever it takes.”
Thanks for the note, Don. I was sincerely pleased to hear from you.
Joey Reynolds does his “Wrap” from an Internet publication called Citywatch.
http://www.citywatchla.com/
Paul Cassidy: “John DiScuillo is the best promotion director, I ever worked with. John led WKBW-TV 7 to the top 5 of all ABC affiliates in the mid-90s. A killer idea person!! Reverend Don Moomaw was an All-American football player at UCLA. Hopalong.”
I’ve been in the church that Joey mentioned and where Don Moomaw preached. A beautiful church that overlooked both San Monica as well as the San Fernando Valley. It was a nice place to pray.
Rich Robbin: “The ‘bluebird’ thing is just another way of saying ‘may all be well with you’ ... thanks again for your
great weekly email.”
I was just kidding, Richbro. Or trying to. I’m glad to have you dropping by. You and Timmy Manocheo, the second biggest Deadhead after my son John A. Hall, Esq. I’d mentioned the heat here at present, running around 110 degrees or a dab more.
Timmy Manocheo: “10-4, Claudius. Cool it down with watermelon, ice & fans. OR, consider moving out here to Ventura. I'll drive the moving truck.”
Wish I could, Timmy. That area from Ventura to Monterey Bay is absolutely one of the most beautiful in the world. Barbara and I used to hop into the little MG, top down, that I owned and breeze up to Pismo for clam chowder. Best in the world at the Splash. Guarantee you! We’d park and wade in the Pacific lapwaters. You sup on Pismo’s chowder and wade in the Pacific somewhere near and it’ll knock 10 or 12 years off your noggin. Guarantee that, too! Of course, there was a thermal pool down below Palm Springs that I always thought had a curative effect.
Don Elliot: “You might remember this on KIIS FM when I was program director: Open the PDF and scroll to the bottom of page 15 to play the two different links to my original of years ago and then the new version -- (it's in this month's radio in production magazine).”
Don referred to a “duet” – really great -- he produced back when and to a copy of Radio and Production edited by Jerry Vigil in Irvine, TX. You might reach Jerry at jv@rapmag.com. And maybe reach the magazine at
www.facebook.com/radioprod
www.twitter.com/radioprod
Rick Frio sent an email alerting me to the Glen Campbell show on CNN this Sunday. Heartwarming! Scott Brochetta was one of the commenters … Mike’s son. My mother died from Alzheimer’s. Horrible stuff. The last time I saw her – in a Houston care center – I bawled like a baby.
Bob Sherwood: “So … Kindly Ol’ Uncle Claudius, in reviewing this week’s Commentary you opened with the always interesting Woody Roberts giving us more on the ‘you can never get too much’ on the late, lamented and enormously talented Lee “Baby” Simms. You then segue-wayed to the eloquent Ken Dowe who stopped us from whateverinhell we were doing and brought us pause and then Meditations of Marcus Aurelius! I don’t recall ever seeing that in the Kal Rudman Report. Then the occasionally prickly Ron Jacobs does a wonderfully informative and touching tribute to -- with all due respect to Rosalie Trombley, Dave Sholin and Elma Greer -- Betty Brenneman, one of the All-time Great Music Directors who was certainly one of the cornerstones of the fabulous Drake and RKO stations in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Finally, a very personal and touching autobiographical essay by Joey Reynolds … who puts paid to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s assertion that there are ‘no second acts in America’. I think I speak for a number of people who were always impressed by the brilliant and creative on-air work of Joey and are even more impressed by what he’s done with the second half of his life. God Bless, Joey. And finally, his State of the Industry piece was more thoughtful, cogent, precise and focused than all of the last 50 speeches delivered at the NAB. It should be required reading for management of all radio chains and stations. Though, sadly, most wouldn’t understand it. For those still in broadcasting and those of us who aren’t but still love it … Go, Joey! So … that’s a somewhat unbiased observers review of this week’s Commentary. It only contained far more than has been written in the last 20 years of Billboard! ... 30 years?”
Great on you, Bob!
Joe Nick Patoski: “As you might have heard, we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign on Tuesday, June 30, for my documentary fin, ‘Sir Doug & The Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove’, to pay for music rights so we can complete the film and get it out into the world. The bigger goal is to get Doug Sahm into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we believe through this Kickstarter, its a goal we can reach. This is where we need your help and support. We need to hit the ground running, so we're privately launching the Kickstarter on Monday and we'd love to have backers already locked in before we publicly launch Tuesday. Stats show that this sort of psychology really works for big campaigns like this. If you are planning to contribute, I ask that you back the project on Monday, so you can help roll out this campaign with a bang. Shhh. Silencio, por favor. Please keep this under the radar until we actually launch on Tuesday. The page isn't live yet. I'll send out another email on Monday with further instructions and a link to the live Kickstarter page. If this is inconvenient timing for you, I completely understand and appreciate any help you can lend in spreading the word once we publicly launch.”
I apologize, Joe Nick, if I fouled you up. But on a weekly schedule like this, it’s sort of now or never. A week from now is sometimes forever.
June 29, 2015
Claude’s Commentary No. 70
By Claude Hall
info@voxjox.org
I still love music. The last verse of “The Prisoner’s Song” is engrained in my soul. And, like most of you, when I find a great song I’ve got the urge to make sure someone else listens to it. I heard the first time Elvis Presley was on the air – “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on the Louisiana Hayride over KWKH, Shreveport -- and had to hear it again. Same with Johnny Cash (“Hey, Porter” and “Cry, Cry, Cry”). I wore out the 45 rpm single of “Folsom Prison Blues” without ever taking it off the little RCA plug-in turntable.
I shall always love the music of Linda Ronstadt and Emmyou Harris. The past couple of years, the music of the Mavericks has impressed me immensely. Raul Malo is something else. Yes, Los Lobos, too. And who doesn’t enjoy Willie Nelson? I picked his first RCA LP and the second and, of course, the LP that made him and Waylon Jennings famous. For Billboard.
I sent Ken Dowe and Chuck Dunaway a copy of Tom Russell singing “All the Fine Young Ladies.” I’d been in the study most of the morning listening mostly to Tom Russell. It was Ernie Hopseker who introduced me to Tom’s music and the late George Wilson dug up this song in an Albuquerque music store for me and put it on the air on his then worldwide Internet program … then emailed me this particular tune. Tom Russell grows on you. In a few minutes, I’ve got to go hear his song “Nina Simone” from the CD “Aztec Jazz.” The tune – I guess 90 percent of his songs – is/are on this MacBook Pro.
Ken Dowe: “Thank you, Claude! If we were not so old, I would buy us an Austin station where we would create a COWBOY POETRY & AND SONGS format. You'd choose the music and I'd find the ranch hands to sit around the fire playing western tunes ... and telling of the storied past of dusty cattle drives, Indian wars, whiskey, wild mustangs ... and wilder women. Y'all leave your guns at the door. Grab hold of a shot of Tequila, set a spell ... and listen to Tom Russell tell the story GALLO DEL CIELO, the rooster from heaven ... and the most hellacious cock fight ever in the West! We could go out guns a blazin'!”
Woody Roberts to Bob Weisbuch: Dr. Bob, old flashback. I've told you about the 1976 NYE ride to Cleveland and staying in Lee Baby's hotel suit when I got a call from a man, Bill Seale, from Corpus who had met me backstage at a Jerry Garcia concert. He wanted me to come show him and a station owner how to run a successful facility ... but it had to be a unique progressive. They had a class C at 101.3 FM to play with. I didn't want to do radio but Lee pushed me into it ... he knew I had financial problems after my Armadillo media projects failed. ‘Woody, get your ass down there and help those guys’. Turned out to be a highlight among memories and the guys were Grateful Dead backstage family and friends with the San Francisco/Richmond chapters of the Hell's Angels. The station owner was forced to leave his loose life in SF and return to his hometown to handle the affairs of his oil properties. He wanted to be able to hear the Dead and others that were not played on the Corpus Top 40 outlets. So he bought a radio station. Neither guy had been in radio and Bill was made GM so my consultancy was managerial as well as programming. I lived in SA and commuted to Corpus where they gave me a car, apartment, and a pretty girl to help keep it tidy. What good times. Within a year we ruled men 18-38 and women 18-24. I never kept any photos, articles, posters or other past memory jogs but many times wished I had a photo of Bill and Bruce. Yesterday the fellow who back then did 9-noon at C-101 sent me photos he took of the three of us in December, 1977. A year after Lee had pushed me their way. The photo: Bill Seale, grey hair, became GM; owner Bruce B. Baxter III, beard; Woody glasses. PS -- No one anywhere knew I was in Cleveland and in that hotel and under Lee's name -- for years I tried to get Bill to reveal how he located me. He would just laugh and took the secret to his grave.”
Joel O’Brien: “I just by error sent you your blog. I was meaning to send it to another friend. Please don't think I was returning it to you. Cheers!”
Good on you, Joel. The more readers, the merrier!
Doc Wendell: “Here is my first installment of my record recommendations segment. I picked an obscure one for my fellow jazz geeks.”
https://irom.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/docs-prescription-for-bop-sonny-stittbudpowellj-j-johnson-prestige/
From Morris Diamond to Joey Reynolds: “Good morning, Joey -- I just spent the morning scanning Claude Hall's weekly letter and was pleased to read your 3-4 page contribution. I knew you were smart and clever – but now I have to add the word 'brilliant' to my personal evaluation of Joey Reynolds. I'm so happy to have the memories of our visit a couple of years ago when plugging my book in New York City and we gathered at Joe Franklin's office, had lunch and then you drove Alice and I to our dock where our cruise ship was docked ready for an Atlantic crossing to France. Great memories of that along with many other meetings … such as when we were both asked to speak at Morton Downey, Jr's funeral. Your take-off of Radio and TV and the personalities of the past in your wonderful dissertation should be an education unto itself to almost everyone else that spends their Monday mornings deeply involved in Claude's very informative Newsletter that we read and learn more and more from each and every week. Thanks for the memories.”
Hey, Joey! Professor Andy Hall, also gave your diatribe of a week ago a thumb’s up.
Don Goldberg: “Joey Reynolds was my radio hero. Through the static on KB listening so far away when 50KW blasted from Buffalo to my clock radio in Philly. When college friend Al Resnick was his board op at WXYZ in Detroit I hitch-hiked out there to see Al and got introduced. Joey worked hard and played harder. After a trip to the Roostertail we got back to town in his signature gold '65 Mustang and in a hotel room, Joey have me my first joint. These are things you remember. I visited him in Hartford later. He inspired me to break radio traditions and play with all there was in a creative medium. A few years later I was the first production director at WMMR under Jerry Stevens. When Joey moved to Philly we reconnected. He was living the high life. I introduced him to Ron Cutler (then Diamond doing oldies on WIFI). More creative radio. I've moved around the country surfing the airwaves from market to market doing creative production with some great FM Rockers in the majors, then creating pilots for national syndication with Ron in LA for Dees, Cousin Brucie, Dick Summer, Joyner and doing a reboot of Drake's ‘History of Rock and Roll’ for Jim Kefford in the 80s. All the inspiration for breaking bounds comes from knowing that it's OK to be creative and fail every thrice in awhile. Thanks for the inspiration, Joey. And ... the joint. Whatever it takes.”
Thanks for the note, Don. I was sincerely pleased to hear from you.
Joey Reynolds does his “Wrap” from an Internet publication called Citywatch.
http://www.citywatchla.com/
Paul Cassidy: “John DiScuillo is the best promotion director, I ever worked with. John led WKBW-TV 7 to the top 5 of all ABC affiliates in the mid-90s. A killer idea person!! Reverend Don Moomaw was an All-American football player at UCLA. Hopalong.”
I’ve been in the church that Joey mentioned and where Don Moomaw preached. A beautiful church that overlooked both San Monica as well as the San Fernando Valley. It was a nice place to pray.
Rich Robbin: “The ‘bluebird’ thing is just another way of saying ‘may all be well with you’ ... thanks again for your
great weekly email.”
I was just kidding, Richbro. Or trying to. I’m glad to have you dropping by. You and Timmy Manocheo, the second biggest Deadhead after my son John A. Hall, Esq. I’d mentioned the heat here at present, running around 110 degrees or a dab more.
Timmy Manocheo: “10-4, Claudius. Cool it down with watermelon, ice & fans. OR, consider moving out here to Ventura. I'll drive the moving truck.”
Wish I could, Timmy. That area from Ventura to Monterey Bay is absolutely one of the most beautiful in the world. Barbara and I used to hop into the little MG, top down, that I owned and breeze up to Pismo for clam chowder. Best in the world at the Splash. Guarantee you! We’d park and wade in the Pacific lapwaters. You sup on Pismo’s chowder and wade in the Pacific somewhere near and it’ll knock 10 or 12 years off your noggin. Guarantee that, too! Of course, there was a thermal pool down below Palm Springs that I always thought had a curative effect.
Don Elliot: “You might remember this on KIIS FM when I was program director: Open the PDF and scroll to the bottom of page 15 to play the two different links to my original of years ago and then the new version -- (it's in this month's radio in production magazine).”
Don referred to a “duet” – really great -- he produced back when and to a copy of Radio and Production edited by Jerry Vigil in Irvine, TX. You might reach Jerry at jv@rapmag.com. And maybe reach the magazine at
www.facebook.com/radioprod
www.twitter.com/radioprod
Rick Frio sent an email alerting me to the Glen Campbell show on CNN this Sunday. Heartwarming! Scott Brochetta was one of the commenters … Mike’s son. My mother died from Alzheimer’s. Horrible stuff. The last time I saw her – in a Houston care center – I bawled like a baby.
Bob Sherwood: “So … Kindly Ol’ Uncle Claudius, in reviewing this week’s Commentary you opened with the always interesting Woody Roberts giving us more on the ‘you can never get too much’ on the late, lamented and enormously talented Lee “Baby” Simms. You then segue-wayed to the eloquent Ken Dowe who stopped us from whateverinhell we were doing and brought us pause and then Meditations of Marcus Aurelius! I don’t recall ever seeing that in the Kal Rudman Report. Then the occasionally prickly Ron Jacobs does a wonderfully informative and touching tribute to -- with all due respect to Rosalie Trombley, Dave Sholin and Elma Greer -- Betty Brenneman, one of the All-time Great Music Directors who was certainly one of the cornerstones of the fabulous Drake and RKO stations in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Finally, a very personal and touching autobiographical essay by Joey Reynolds … who puts paid to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s assertion that there are ‘no second acts in America’. I think I speak for a number of people who were always impressed by the brilliant and creative on-air work of Joey and are even more impressed by what he’s done with the second half of his life. God Bless, Joey. And finally, his State of the Industry piece was more thoughtful, cogent, precise and focused than all of the last 50 speeches delivered at the NAB. It should be required reading for management of all radio chains and stations. Though, sadly, most wouldn’t understand it. For those still in broadcasting and those of us who aren’t but still love it … Go, Joey! So … that’s a somewhat unbiased observers review of this week’s Commentary. It only contained far more than has been written in the last 20 years of Billboard! ... 30 years?”
Great on you, Bob!
Joe Nick Patoski: “As you might have heard, we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign on Tuesday, June 30, for my documentary fin, ‘Sir Doug & The Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove’, to pay for music rights so we can complete the film and get it out into the world. The bigger goal is to get Doug Sahm into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we believe through this Kickstarter, its a goal we can reach. This is where we need your help and support. We need to hit the ground running, so we're privately launching the Kickstarter on Monday and we'd love to have backers already locked in before we publicly launch Tuesday. Stats show that this sort of psychology really works for big campaigns like this. If you are planning to contribute, I ask that you back the project on Monday, so you can help roll out this campaign with a bang. Shhh. Silencio, por favor. Please keep this under the radar until we actually launch on Tuesday. The page isn't live yet. I'll send out another email on Monday with further instructions and a link to the live Kickstarter page. If this is inconvenient timing for you, I completely understand and appreciate any help you can lend in spreading the word once we publicly launch.”
I apologize, Joe Nick, if I fouled you up. But on a weekly schedule like this, it’s sort of now or never. A week from now is sometimes forever.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Claude's Commentary No. 56r2
Today at 6:46 AM
March 23, 2015
Claude’s Commentary No. 56
By Claude Hall
You will be pleased to learn that some of your favorite acts are still around and still sassy in Las Vegas. The Temptations will be at the Orleans March 21-22 and followed by the Osmonds April 10-12. And BJ Thomas will perform March 28-29 at the Suncoast. Now this one, I don’t believe: The Four Freshmen will be at the Suncoast April 4-5. These aren’t the only acts in town, of course. You can even catch the CSNSongs, a group “celebrating” Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The town, of course, is full of entertainment, new and unknown (at least to me), slightly known and the really famous. There is no way you could catch all of the shows. Even if you wanted to and had the tickets. I don’t know if Las Vegas is still the Entertainment Capitol of the World, but would surmise this is so.
Two of my sons know music much better these days – yonder and when and now – than I do … my youngest son Andy, a poet and college professor, and John Alexander Hall, a lawyer in Los Angeles. But I’ve caught live music in shacks on stilts outside of Corpus Christi, old jazz, including Sweet Emma the Bell Girl, and new jazz in New Orleans and New York City at the old Jazz Gallery and been on stage with Willie Nelson in Nashville (he didn’t know I was there) and Mountain (who did). And I’ve gone backstage and received an autographed program by Segovia (a few times). And been backstage with Linda Ronstadt and told her I’d been a fan since “Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water” and she said, “Bless you, child.” Had a rather pleasant and engrossing music life. As, I suspect, most of us all have enjoyed.
I especially enjoy Tom Russell. For me, he’s the best thing going in music today. He will knock you off your feet and bring the tears. Make your heart pound and your head think. I’m sitting here bawling as I listen to “Hair Trigger Heart.” I have to hear the song again. Surely, it’s not that great. But it is. I can not stop crying. “Pistol-packing mama lay that pistol down … I’m still around … Lord, I’ve got one more round … and I shall hit the mark.” God, how those simple lyrics hit you when Tom Russell sings them and he’s a better writer than a singer. The music and the lyrics get you in the heart. Guarantee it!
Tom Russell, I believe implicitly, fancies himself a cowboy poet. He has been at those distant meetings around the campfires of the Real West. However, he appears to have more guts than most singers and songwriters and producers. He steps aside to sing “Jesus Met the Woman at the Well” with Eliza Gilkyson, currently one of my favorite women singers. And Maura O’Connell sings “I Talk to God” without his help. Gospel on a pop CD? Gretchen Peters is here, too, on “When the Wolves No Longer Sing.”
But Tom Russell is there and hard with “Doin’ Hard Time in Texas” and “He Wasn’t a Bad Kid, When He Was Sober,” a honky tonk tune. Love the piano! Real barroom. “Midnight Wine” is fascinating. Ah, Tom … God bless you for keeping this old buzzard alive, meaning me, with music to enjoy life by!
One of my favorites on this promotional CD is “Tularosa” … Mexican-flavored. A line: “The long way around must be the shortest way home.”
Promotional CD? Yes. Because Tom Russell has recorded a western opera. Produced by Tom and Barry Walsh. My compliments, gentlemen.
The body of work of Tom Russell is phenomenal. I consider such songs as “Touch of Evil,” “When Sinatra Played Juarez,” “A Little Wind (Could Blow Me Away),” “The Eyes of Roberto Duran,” “Jai Alai” with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, “Muhammad Ali,” “Haley’s Comet,” “The Pugilist at 59,” and several others that he has written as cultural masterpieces. Entertaining, yes. Pithy. Memorable. Listen to “The Blue Men” and you’ll feel uncomfortable and squirm in your chair. Several of his songs are like that. On the other hand, “All the Fine Young Ladies” brings a bit of warmth to the old heart.
So, it’s no surprise to me that Tom Russell comes forth with a western opera “The Rose of Roscrae.” It’s not western, per se, but it is historic without question and definitely in the folk realm. And, yes, the “Hair Trigger Heart” is here as well as the other tunes in the promotional CD.
The full package includes two CDs and a book “Program Guide With Libretto.” It’s an amazing project. Fifty-one songs, some with friends such as Joe Ely, Augie Meyers, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and others. Fascinating, entertaining, history of the west. For example, Tom narrates to music about Charlie Goodnight, a rancher of the days of the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail, and the Comanches who wanted one more buffalo. (The first real story that I wrote for the El Paso Herald-Post after I became a reporter was about the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail.) The voice of Walt Whitman is also captured on this CD. In context. I got a laugh out of the bit of Tex Ritter’s “Blood on the Saddle.” I probably still have a copy of the real thing somewhere around this house. I loved Tex Ritter. Had coffee with him one afternoon the Palisades Amusement Park. And I recall a night when he spun some old tales to me and some radio men in the old Andrew Jackson in Nashville.
A classic collection of life as it used to be … a collector’s item. A treasure to have on your shelf. A treasure to listen to on a long, lonely evening.
My compliments Tom Russell.
A cutie: Tom emailed and asked for my permission to send the same package to Don Imus. I explained to him that he didn’t need my permission. Tom had previously wanted to send some of his CDs to Imus and Imus was kind enough to say yes and give Tom his home address. Don’s son is a rodeo performer and Tom thought he might enjoy some of his western tunes.
As some of you may know, of my three sons, both John and Andy, the baby, grew up around music in Los Angeles. I used to have a print of Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” on my wall. It’s a tremendous guide/inspiration when you’re writing. When he could barely stand up, Andy scrawled “94.7” on the bottom. I had an 8-track in the MGB. Andy loved “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies. I think we wore that tape out! I had records around. The quad system was always going in the house … even over the swimming pool out back. And Bobby Vee and his sons, also musically inclined and now all professionals, lived just up the street. Then, there were the live performances and the concerts. Today, Andy even has an underground hit in Las Vegas. “Sea of Vomit.” And, yes, Barbara and I attended a concert in Summerlin and, voila, the entire audience sang along. He has been written about in the Los Angeles Times. Andy, a poet, is now teaching English at UNLV. So, I persuaded him to write the review of Sandy Bainum’s CD.
BAINUM REVEIW
Sandy Bainum shows she has the stuff Broadway is made of in her latest collection, “Simply.” Working with Producer Bruce Kimmel and Arranger, Orchestrator, and Musical Director Lanny Meyers, her voice soars through the uptempo cabaret tunes, and softly yet strongly delivers the ballads such as on "Goodnight, My Someone" from “The Music Man” which crests at the end as she vibrates through the high registers showing her vocal prowess. Yet, she never indulges in her voice, but uses it for the delivery of the song ... as an actress, she serves the art of the songs and tells the stories. On the title track, composed by Kimmel, Sandy beckons listeners to let love be enough. "Bluesette," among others, features Sandy's jazzy bravado as she bounces in between low and high notes. If anything, she gives us beauty and joy, but behind the simplicity, she and the band are doing a lot of fine hard work. Also to be applauded are the song selections which survey Broadway classics, but digs up more obscure material not often recorded by chanteuses. "A Cockeyed Optimist" from “South Pacific,” "Pure Imagination" from “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Sandy Bainum shows she has the vocal chops as well as the acting chops to light up the stage for years to come.
Thank you, Andy, and my very best to you, Sandy. I understand from the promotional guru Don Graham that you’re already receiving some excellent airplay. Good on you!
SAHM MATTERS
Woody Roberts: “Claude, I’m sending this from my backup account and found several never seen issues of the Commentaries that I will now enjoy. The film portion of South by Southwest 2015 had three musician bio documentaries that will interest many of your readers. Joe Nick Patoski previewed his ‘Sir Doug & the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove’.
It was the local favorite, but in a city where there is a Doug Sahm Hill could be a bias. I met Doug at 2 a.m. in December of 1960 when he rapped on my control room window. I had just arrived from a PD job in Fort Lauderdale, the station's national PD was Jim Ramsberg. I wanted to learn the McLendon Top 40 format first hand so was willing to move cross country, take a pay cut and work all night to absorb it. Doug Sahm had brought me his newest 45 and invited me to see his band at the Purple Onion cellar club. It was a blues band complete with horns and when I walked in they were playing ‘Stormy Monday’. It was the start of a 40-year friendship. ‘Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck’ is definitely a film to watch for; it's an eight-year labor of love with highly innovative editing and was directed by Brett Morgen. Plus -- be on the lookout for a great
documentary by the critically applauded late filmmaker Les Blank spotlighting Leon Russell. It is called ‘A Poem Is a Naked Person’. This was filmed in the early 1970s when Leon had Shelter Records with studio in Tulsa but was in Austin to record Freddie King live at Armadillo World Headquarters and discover Willis Alan Ramsey who composed ‘Muskrat Love’. Yes, Leon was here before Willie Nelson.”
OTHER MATTERS
Don Graham: “At Johnny Holliday’s request, we forward to you the following sad news that Sal Licata passed away Thursday, 3/19, in Florida. We know that many of your Commentary readers, in our business, have known and respected Sal through the years … regretfully.”
Johnny Holliday had written: “Sal passed away peacefully yesterday at 2 p.m. at Good Samarian Hospital in Palm Beach, FL. He had suffered a fall a few days after Christmas and was never able to recover. His wife Carol Lee's address is 25 Grand Palm Way, Palm Beach, Gardens, FL 33418. There may be plans for a memorial service at a later date and I will keep you informed. If you could let his many friends in the business know, I know the family would really appreciate it. We went all the way back to 7th grade together. I will miss Sal terribly.”
A followup from Jerry Sharell: “Just heard about the death of Sal Licata and sat down and cried. Sal and I were promo guys ‘on the streets’ of Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown and vicinity in the mid-60s and I had a huge respect for him for being such a ‘good guy’, a talented professional and a solid friend. Like a lot of us of that era, Sal proved to be a promoter who believed in the music and the artists he represented … and he helped break a lotta records! He will be missed … BIG-TIME. I hope he will save me a good seat up there and say ‘HI’ to Frank, Dean, Sammy and Elvis!”
Bob Fead: “Special man … friendship always came first! I shall miss his friendship.”
Carol Lee, our best to you. We come, we do, we go.
Frank ‘O Boyle: “Happy St Paddy's Day! Quick seque from Robert Richer's and Marlin Taylor’s equally great recap of classic story about WNCN - WRFM and the Quad experiment. But who can forget that the National TV and NYC Radio Voice of GAF was Henry Fonda? Who called it the ‘Chee -- Aye -- EF Corporation. No PD taught Mr. Fonda how to pronounce the G properly. Marlin and Robert never got the rich credit they deserved for successfully smashing rating records with ‘The Good Music’ tsunami. Remember how many call letters got changed to fit in ‘EZ’ ... sorta the second coming of the phonic McLendon call letters. Speaking of call letter changes -- I come from Detroit Radio originally. Nobody did the change with more guts and within a Top Ten Market than John Richer did with the old WJBK. Which went thru new owners and formats like crazy in a 10-year period. Then John got there -- changed the calls to WDEE -- which he cunningly said stood for ‘We've Done Everything Else’ and went Country. Do you recall how long Ron Ruth and WOR-FM calls lasted? For small mkts I give the Oscar to Ed Perry, Marshfield, Mass (The Irish Riviera) south of Boston for his WNTD – ‘We're Near The Dump’. OK, it's St. Pat's day and that's what green beer will do to you. Hope your foot gets better.”
Jack Gale: “Hey, Claude … I was thinking the other day. What do old disk jockeys do when they reach 90 years old? Rather than just fade away … they go back into radio. So I did. I gathered up a collection of crazy skits and bits that I did years ago in Boston, Cleveland, Baltimore, Charleston and Charlotte, and started a show on the internet. I do one show a week for an hour, it runs 24/7, and then the following week another show appears. It's radio as we knew it. So far two stations have picked it up and are running it with more coming on board. The website is JACKGALERADIO.COM. Click on the site, and everything is there. Thought you might enjoy the memories.”
Proud of you, Jack!
Scott Paton: “Please let Danny Davis know how much I anticipate his promised book on Phil Spector. Despite the several bios that have preceded it, Danny's ‘in the cockpit’ perspective will be fascinating. I can still recall the epiphany I had 40-some years ago that Danny was not the Chet Atkins cohort of the eponymous Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass. Record promotion and trumpet playing definitely seemed like an odd dual career. I'm guessing that ‘titled back side to a tune...’ Danny referenced in last week's column was perhaps the Rolling Stones' ‘The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man’, the flip to ‘Satisfaction?’ It kind of pokes fun at the business, but I'd heard that it was inspired, in part, by Danny. And just as Philles Records got its name as an amalgam of Spector and the great Lester Sill's first names, Phil's other label -- Phi-Dan -- of course, was Phil and Danny. Danny, if you need a co-writer.... And, Claude, since there's been no mention of it for a couple of weeks, I trust that you've abandoned that silly notion of ‘retirement’ from this column!”
Ken Dowe sends a message that has been circulating. “Jack Woods, 80, passed away last night in San Diego. He had been recovering from a stroke several weeks ago and died in the hospital Wednesday at 8p, according to his son in a conversation with me this morning. Jack was Charlie Brown of the famed Charlie & Harrigan Top 40 radio duo, originally at KLIF, Dallas teamed with Ron Chapman, later with Paul Menard for years in San Diego at KCBQ, KFMB and other stations.”
Don Sundeen: “Hi, Claude, my new blog/site, TheDonRocks, is up and open for browsing Monday, March 23rd. Appreciate if you’d share this with your Commentary readers: Now available, the Premier issue of TheDonRocks, the new History of Rock and Roll blog, with memories of Rock Radio, Hit Records and the Artists themselves. Don Sundeen talks about Elvis Presley's influence on his life and the rise of Rock and Roll music in general. Captain Vinyl spotlights Little Richard and the white singer who got rich covering him, Pat Boone. Bob Shannon asks 20 Questions of the legendary radio deejay and programmer John Sebastian with insightful answers. John Hale remembers The Big Bopper, and Jacqui Kramer’s Rock and Roll Heaven kicks off with the late Janis Joplin’s crazy life and death.”
Just go to: http://www.thedonrocks.com/
Larry Irons, Number One Songs: “Was there no Commentary sent out today? I didn’t get it today. I’ve become addicted to reading them!”
My apology to everyone. I get hungup in this “spam nonsense” now and then. I’m trying to do this thing as cheap as possible. You priced eggs benedict lately? I cannot imagine what it’s like to have breakfast in the Polo Lounge anymore. Oh, well. I’m doing the best I can, eggs benedict or not … even at the Silver Sevens in Las Vegas. Thus, if you don’t receive Commentary on a Monday, usually early in the day, please let me know.
Ron Brandon: “Hi, Claude ... enjoy your weekly ramblings ... don't know if you might have seen the pic (attachment) from one of our old collections. There may be one or two more on my FB timeline … over 1,000 pics there, mostly of those good old days.”
Just FYI, “Claude’s associate” is Sandy Donner, who worked for Howard Hughes for many years, and, after he retired, became an actor. We hungout for a while. Barbara is still good friends with his widow, Verla.
March 23, 2015
Claude’s Commentary No. 56
By Claude Hall
You will be pleased to learn that some of your favorite acts are still around and still sassy in Las Vegas. The Temptations will be at the Orleans March 21-22 and followed by the Osmonds April 10-12. And BJ Thomas will perform March 28-29 at the Suncoast. Now this one, I don’t believe: The Four Freshmen will be at the Suncoast April 4-5. These aren’t the only acts in town, of course. You can even catch the CSNSongs, a group “celebrating” Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The town, of course, is full of entertainment, new and unknown (at least to me), slightly known and the really famous. There is no way you could catch all of the shows. Even if you wanted to and had the tickets. I don’t know if Las Vegas is still the Entertainment Capitol of the World, but would surmise this is so.
Two of my sons know music much better these days – yonder and when and now – than I do … my youngest son Andy, a poet and college professor, and John Alexander Hall, a lawyer in Los Angeles. But I’ve caught live music in shacks on stilts outside of Corpus Christi, old jazz, including Sweet Emma the Bell Girl, and new jazz in New Orleans and New York City at the old Jazz Gallery and been on stage with Willie Nelson in Nashville (he didn’t know I was there) and Mountain (who did). And I’ve gone backstage and received an autographed program by Segovia (a few times). And been backstage with Linda Ronstadt and told her I’d been a fan since “Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water” and she said, “Bless you, child.” Had a rather pleasant and engrossing music life. As, I suspect, most of us all have enjoyed.
I especially enjoy Tom Russell. For me, he’s the best thing going in music today. He will knock you off your feet and bring the tears. Make your heart pound and your head think. I’m sitting here bawling as I listen to “Hair Trigger Heart.” I have to hear the song again. Surely, it’s not that great. But it is. I can not stop crying. “Pistol-packing mama lay that pistol down … I’m still around … Lord, I’ve got one more round … and I shall hit the mark.” God, how those simple lyrics hit you when Tom Russell sings them and he’s a better writer than a singer. The music and the lyrics get you in the heart. Guarantee it!
Tom Russell, I believe implicitly, fancies himself a cowboy poet. He has been at those distant meetings around the campfires of the Real West. However, he appears to have more guts than most singers and songwriters and producers. He steps aside to sing “Jesus Met the Woman at the Well” with Eliza Gilkyson, currently one of my favorite women singers. And Maura O’Connell sings “I Talk to God” without his help. Gospel on a pop CD? Gretchen Peters is here, too, on “When the Wolves No Longer Sing.”
But Tom Russell is there and hard with “Doin’ Hard Time in Texas” and “He Wasn’t a Bad Kid, When He Was Sober,” a honky tonk tune. Love the piano! Real barroom. “Midnight Wine” is fascinating. Ah, Tom … God bless you for keeping this old buzzard alive, meaning me, with music to enjoy life by!
One of my favorites on this promotional CD is “Tularosa” … Mexican-flavored. A line: “The long way around must be the shortest way home.”
Promotional CD? Yes. Because Tom Russell has recorded a western opera. Produced by Tom and Barry Walsh. My compliments, gentlemen.
The body of work of Tom Russell is phenomenal. I consider such songs as “Touch of Evil,” “When Sinatra Played Juarez,” “A Little Wind (Could Blow Me Away),” “The Eyes of Roberto Duran,” “Jai Alai” with the Norwegian Wind Ensemble, “Muhammad Ali,” “Haley’s Comet,” “The Pugilist at 59,” and several others that he has written as cultural masterpieces. Entertaining, yes. Pithy. Memorable. Listen to “The Blue Men” and you’ll feel uncomfortable and squirm in your chair. Several of his songs are like that. On the other hand, “All the Fine Young Ladies” brings a bit of warmth to the old heart.
So, it’s no surprise to me that Tom Russell comes forth with a western opera “The Rose of Roscrae.” It’s not western, per se, but it is historic without question and definitely in the folk realm. And, yes, the “Hair Trigger Heart” is here as well as the other tunes in the promotional CD.
The full package includes two CDs and a book “Program Guide With Libretto.” It’s an amazing project. Fifty-one songs, some with friends such as Joe Ely, Augie Meyers, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and others. Fascinating, entertaining, history of the west. For example, Tom narrates to music about Charlie Goodnight, a rancher of the days of the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail, and the Comanches who wanted one more buffalo. (The first real story that I wrote for the El Paso Herald-Post after I became a reporter was about the Goodnight-Loving Cattle Trail.) The voice of Walt Whitman is also captured on this CD. In context. I got a laugh out of the bit of Tex Ritter’s “Blood on the Saddle.” I probably still have a copy of the real thing somewhere around this house. I loved Tex Ritter. Had coffee with him one afternoon the Palisades Amusement Park. And I recall a night when he spun some old tales to me and some radio men in the old Andrew Jackson in Nashville.
A classic collection of life as it used to be … a collector’s item. A treasure to have on your shelf. A treasure to listen to on a long, lonely evening.
My compliments Tom Russell.
A cutie: Tom emailed and asked for my permission to send the same package to Don Imus. I explained to him that he didn’t need my permission. Tom had previously wanted to send some of his CDs to Imus and Imus was kind enough to say yes and give Tom his home address. Don’s son is a rodeo performer and Tom thought he might enjoy some of his western tunes.
As some of you may know, of my three sons, both John and Andy, the baby, grew up around music in Los Angeles. I used to have a print of Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” on my wall. It’s a tremendous guide/inspiration when you’re writing. When he could barely stand up, Andy scrawled “94.7” on the bottom. I had an 8-track in the MGB. Andy loved “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies. I think we wore that tape out! I had records around. The quad system was always going in the house … even over the swimming pool out back. And Bobby Vee and his sons, also musically inclined and now all professionals, lived just up the street. Then, there were the live performances and the concerts. Today, Andy even has an underground hit in Las Vegas. “Sea of Vomit.” And, yes, Barbara and I attended a concert in Summerlin and, voila, the entire audience sang along. He has been written about in the Los Angeles Times. Andy, a poet, is now teaching English at UNLV. So, I persuaded him to write the review of Sandy Bainum’s CD.
BAINUM REVEIW
Sandy Bainum shows she has the stuff Broadway is made of in her latest collection, “Simply.” Working with Producer Bruce Kimmel and Arranger, Orchestrator, and Musical Director Lanny Meyers, her voice soars through the uptempo cabaret tunes, and softly yet strongly delivers the ballads such as on "Goodnight, My Someone" from “The Music Man” which crests at the end as she vibrates through the high registers showing her vocal prowess. Yet, she never indulges in her voice, but uses it for the delivery of the song ... as an actress, she serves the art of the songs and tells the stories. On the title track, composed by Kimmel, Sandy beckons listeners to let love be enough. "Bluesette," among others, features Sandy's jazzy bravado as she bounces in between low and high notes. If anything, she gives us beauty and joy, but behind the simplicity, she and the band are doing a lot of fine hard work. Also to be applauded are the song selections which survey Broadway classics, but digs up more obscure material not often recorded by chanteuses. "A Cockeyed Optimist" from “South Pacific,” "Pure Imagination" from “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Sandy Bainum shows she has the vocal chops as well as the acting chops to light up the stage for years to come.
Thank you, Andy, and my very best to you, Sandy. I understand from the promotional guru Don Graham that you’re already receiving some excellent airplay. Good on you!
SAHM MATTERS
Woody Roberts: “Claude, I’m sending this from my backup account and found several never seen issues of the Commentaries that I will now enjoy. The film portion of South by Southwest 2015 had three musician bio documentaries that will interest many of your readers. Joe Nick Patoski previewed his ‘Sir Doug & the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove’.
It was the local favorite, but in a city where there is a Doug Sahm Hill could be a bias. I met Doug at 2 a.m. in December of 1960 when he rapped on my control room window. I had just arrived from a PD job in Fort Lauderdale, the station's national PD was Jim Ramsberg. I wanted to learn the McLendon Top 40 format first hand so was willing to move cross country, take a pay cut and work all night to absorb it. Doug Sahm had brought me his newest 45 and invited me to see his band at the Purple Onion cellar club. It was a blues band complete with horns and when I walked in they were playing ‘Stormy Monday’. It was the start of a 40-year friendship. ‘Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck’ is definitely a film to watch for; it's an eight-year labor of love with highly innovative editing and was directed by Brett Morgen. Plus -- be on the lookout for a great
documentary by the critically applauded late filmmaker Les Blank spotlighting Leon Russell. It is called ‘A Poem Is a Naked Person’. This was filmed in the early 1970s when Leon had Shelter Records with studio in Tulsa but was in Austin to record Freddie King live at Armadillo World Headquarters and discover Willis Alan Ramsey who composed ‘Muskrat Love’. Yes, Leon was here before Willie Nelson.”
OTHER MATTERS
Don Graham: “At Johnny Holliday’s request, we forward to you the following sad news that Sal Licata passed away Thursday, 3/19, in Florida. We know that many of your Commentary readers, in our business, have known and respected Sal through the years … regretfully.”
Johnny Holliday had written: “Sal passed away peacefully yesterday at 2 p.m. at Good Samarian Hospital in Palm Beach, FL. He had suffered a fall a few days after Christmas and was never able to recover. His wife Carol Lee's address is 25 Grand Palm Way, Palm Beach, Gardens, FL 33418. There may be plans for a memorial service at a later date and I will keep you informed. If you could let his many friends in the business know, I know the family would really appreciate it. We went all the way back to 7th grade together. I will miss Sal terribly.”
A followup from Jerry Sharell: “Just heard about the death of Sal Licata and sat down and cried. Sal and I were promo guys ‘on the streets’ of Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown and vicinity in the mid-60s and I had a huge respect for him for being such a ‘good guy’, a talented professional and a solid friend. Like a lot of us of that era, Sal proved to be a promoter who believed in the music and the artists he represented … and he helped break a lotta records! He will be missed … BIG-TIME. I hope he will save me a good seat up there and say ‘HI’ to Frank, Dean, Sammy and Elvis!”
Bob Fead: “Special man … friendship always came first! I shall miss his friendship.”
Carol Lee, our best to you. We come, we do, we go.
Frank ‘O Boyle: “Happy St Paddy's Day! Quick seque from Robert Richer's and Marlin Taylor’s equally great recap of classic story about WNCN - WRFM and the Quad experiment. But who can forget that the National TV and NYC Radio Voice of GAF was Henry Fonda? Who called it the ‘Chee -- Aye -- EF Corporation. No PD taught Mr. Fonda how to pronounce the G properly. Marlin and Robert never got the rich credit they deserved for successfully smashing rating records with ‘The Good Music’ tsunami. Remember how many call letters got changed to fit in ‘EZ’ ... sorta the second coming of the phonic McLendon call letters. Speaking of call letter changes -- I come from Detroit Radio originally. Nobody did the change with more guts and within a Top Ten Market than John Richer did with the old WJBK. Which went thru new owners and formats like crazy in a 10-year period. Then John got there -- changed the calls to WDEE -- which he cunningly said stood for ‘We've Done Everything Else’ and went Country. Do you recall how long Ron Ruth and WOR-FM calls lasted? For small mkts I give the Oscar to Ed Perry, Marshfield, Mass (The Irish Riviera) south of Boston for his WNTD – ‘We're Near The Dump’. OK, it's St. Pat's day and that's what green beer will do to you. Hope your foot gets better.”
Jack Gale: “Hey, Claude … I was thinking the other day. What do old disk jockeys do when they reach 90 years old? Rather than just fade away … they go back into radio. So I did. I gathered up a collection of crazy skits and bits that I did years ago in Boston, Cleveland, Baltimore, Charleston and Charlotte, and started a show on the internet. I do one show a week for an hour, it runs 24/7, and then the following week another show appears. It's radio as we knew it. So far two stations have picked it up and are running it with more coming on board. The website is JACKGALERADIO.COM. Click on the site, and everything is there. Thought you might enjoy the memories.”
Proud of you, Jack!
Scott Paton: “Please let Danny Davis know how much I anticipate his promised book on Phil Spector. Despite the several bios that have preceded it, Danny's ‘in the cockpit’ perspective will be fascinating. I can still recall the epiphany I had 40-some years ago that Danny was not the Chet Atkins cohort of the eponymous Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass. Record promotion and trumpet playing definitely seemed like an odd dual career. I'm guessing that ‘titled back side to a tune...’ Danny referenced in last week's column was perhaps the Rolling Stones' ‘The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man’, the flip to ‘Satisfaction?’ It kind of pokes fun at the business, but I'd heard that it was inspired, in part, by Danny. And just as Philles Records got its name as an amalgam of Spector and the great Lester Sill's first names, Phil's other label -- Phi-Dan -- of course, was Phil and Danny. Danny, if you need a co-writer.... And, Claude, since there's been no mention of it for a couple of weeks, I trust that you've abandoned that silly notion of ‘retirement’ from this column!”
Ken Dowe sends a message that has been circulating. “Jack Woods, 80, passed away last night in San Diego. He had been recovering from a stroke several weeks ago and died in the hospital Wednesday at 8p, according to his son in a conversation with me this morning. Jack was Charlie Brown of the famed Charlie & Harrigan Top 40 radio duo, originally at KLIF, Dallas teamed with Ron Chapman, later with Paul Menard for years in San Diego at KCBQ, KFMB and other stations.”
Don Sundeen: “Hi, Claude, my new blog/site, TheDonRocks, is up and open for browsing Monday, March 23rd. Appreciate if you’d share this with your Commentary readers: Now available, the Premier issue of TheDonRocks, the new History of Rock and Roll blog, with memories of Rock Radio, Hit Records and the Artists themselves. Don Sundeen talks about Elvis Presley's influence on his life and the rise of Rock and Roll music in general. Captain Vinyl spotlights Little Richard and the white singer who got rich covering him, Pat Boone. Bob Shannon asks 20 Questions of the legendary radio deejay and programmer John Sebastian with insightful answers. John Hale remembers The Big Bopper, and Jacqui Kramer’s Rock and Roll Heaven kicks off with the late Janis Joplin’s crazy life and death.”
Just go to: http://www.thedonrocks.com/
Larry Irons, Number One Songs: “Was there no Commentary sent out today? I didn’t get it today. I’ve become addicted to reading them!”
My apology to everyone. I get hungup in this “spam nonsense” now and then. I’m trying to do this thing as cheap as possible. You priced eggs benedict lately? I cannot imagine what it’s like to have breakfast in the Polo Lounge anymore. Oh, well. I’m doing the best I can, eggs benedict or not … even at the Silver Sevens in Las Vegas. Thus, if you don’t receive Commentary on a Monday, usually early in the day, please let me know.
Ron Brandon: “Hi, Claude ... enjoy your weekly ramblings ... don't know if you might have seen the pic (attachment) from one of our old collections. There may be one or two more on my FB timeline … over 1,000 pics there, mostly of those good old days.”
Just FYI, “Claude’s associate” is Sandy Donner, who worked for Howard Hughes for many years, and, after he retired, became an actor. We hungout for a while. Barbara is still good friends with his widow, Verla.
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