The Friday Flash

Kent, 
I didn't know about Bowie's pot bust until I saw his mug shot on your site. 
Goddamn if the guy could EVER take a bad pic - even his mug shot is cool!  How many arrested celebs can say that?  Would love to frame it. 
Ed Pond

Thanks for the mention of my book "Eight Days A Week:  Births, Deaths And Events Each Day In Oldies History.  I appreciate it.  However, even I will admit that it's better to buy the newly-updated Kindle and Nook versions (including the death of Natalie Cole) as opposed to the 4 1/2 year-old printed book.
-- Ron Smith
Happy to pass THIS along, too!  I have referenced your book more times than I can count ... and since it's typically always a look back, the updated version hasn't really become a necessity for me yet ... but I would like to eventually get as current as I can.  (Since I do most of my reading in the bathroom, I'm not sure the Kindle version is an option for me.)  I will say, however, that your book has become an invaluable reference for a new project I'm knee-deep into right now ... the fruits of which will hopefully come to light next year by way of a brand new, exhaustive series!!!  Thanks, Ron!  (kk)
http://www.amazon.com/Eight-Days-Week-Births-History-ebook/dp/B005FNGHQI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453080388&sr=1-1&keywords=ron+smith+eight+days+a+week
 
I love stuff like the Sweet 16 Rolling Stones countdown, the salute to the musical events of January 15th and the great videos posted on Sunday.  
That was fun. I am in awe of the voices that Jay Black and Dean Ford still have. I have never been able to sing but I used to think that people that could were really lucky. But I also thought that if you could sing, you would always be able to sing. It hadn't occurred to me that just like anything else, age takes a toll. But these two guys contradict that. Thank you, Kent, I really enjoyed all of those videos.

Stacee

Not everybody is blessed with retaining their unique singing voice in older age ... we've seen it both ways.  (In fact, scroll back to Wednesday's edition of Forgotten Hits when we address that very issue with our tribute to Allan Clarke, Graham Nash and The Hollies!  And see Charlie's and Sandy's emails below.  When a 70+ year old Jay Black can still belt out a tune like this ... or Dean Ford can come back out of nowhere and sing a letter-perfect rendition of "Reflections Of My Life", it REALLY makes you appreciate those who have taken care of their voices ... their "instruments" ... over the years.  Again, check out Burton Cummings in concert to see EXACTLY what I mean.)  kk    

Hola Kent, 

Does this ring a bell? I referenced Jay Black's amazing rendition of his hit "Cara Mia" on PBS last April and now you insert a clip into your blog!!!   

I have that same clip on my iPhone, along with the Pulp Fiction dance scene to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell", the dance scene from Lone Star featuring the Spanish rendition of "Since I Met You Baby' and several other memorable musical moments form movies and concerts and TV specials. 

I know I've mentioned this before, but we are so very fortunate to be able to have today's technology to capture and keep and carry around with us many  precious memories from our lives. 

Perhaps Forgotten Hits is a misnomer! it should be, with apologies to Nat King Cole, Unforgettable Hits. 

Cheers, 

CharlieOFD  

We've run that Jay Black clip numerous times before in Forgotten Hits ... it sure is a powerful moment of a much older Jay Black proving that he can still belt out those notes with complete authority all these years later ... certainly one of my favorites from all the PBS specials.  (Another more recent clip is The Vogues singing "Turn Around, Look At Me" in PERFECT harmony from a few years ago.)  It's amazing how some of these artists can retain every nuance of what they had way back when and still pull it out of a hat today.  Again, this is just another reason why a Burton Cummings concert is such a thrill to attend.  Kudos to all that can.  (kk)   

Thanks, Kent.  I really liked the "Reflections of My Life" video.  I remember the original from way back when. It brought back some fond memories and how meaningful to see it today. Enjoyed it!
Sandy
I have ALWAYS loved this song ... but this new, stripped down version is just so incredibly powerful ... another case where left is more.  A VERY moving performance.  (kk)

Another guy who can do that is Lou Christie ... 
Here's some Lou Christie news ...

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/01/lou_christie_lightnin_strikes_1.html 

Kent ...

If you read this article, you won't have to do a "Bobby Rydell Series."
http://vintagebandstand.blogspot.com/2016/01/interview-with-singer-bobby-rydell-i.html?m=1Frank B.

Everything I've EVER heard paints Bobby Rydell out to be one of the nicest and most appreciative guys in show business ... he got lumped into that whole "pretty boy / teen idol" craze while Elvis was away in the army ... but the guy really could sing ... and racked up 19 Top 40 Hits during a five year period.  The biggest?  "Wild One" (#2, 1960); "We Got Love" (#2, 1959); "Volare" (#4, 1960); "Forget Him" (#4, 1964) and "Swingin' School" (#5, 1960).  My personal favorite?  I just LOVE the way he does "Sway", a #12 hit in 1960.  (kk)
 

Hey Kent,
I found this video of David Gates on Glen Campbell's TV show. It's great to hear the two of them harmonize the hits of Bread and David's solo albums. I never saw it when it was broadcast back then, but glad it's here on Youtube. Enjoy!
- John LaPuzza
Nope, I don't remember this one either ... but it IS kinda cool to see these two guys running thru their Bread hits-medley!  (kk)



And Glen saluting his short-lived gig with The Beach Boys, too!  (kk)

FH Reader Tom Cuddy tells us about a Rock and Roll Hall of Famers tour coming up this summer ... and yes, Chicago IS one of the stops ... more details below ...     

NEW YORK (AP) — Three Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are joining forces for an all-star tour this summer. 
Live Nation announced Thursday that Heart, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick are part of the "Three For All Tour." It kicks off July 14 in Clarkston, Michigan. 
Tickets for the general public go on sale Jan. 22. 
The tour includes 30-plus shows and will visit Los Angeles; San Francisco; Chicago; Dallas; and Nashville. The tour wraps up Sept. 23 in West Palm Beach, Florida. 
Heart and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts made it into the Rock Hall in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Cheap Trick will be inducted at this year's ceremony on April 8 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Other 2016 inductees include N.W.A., Chicago, Deep Purple and Steve Miller.

Joel Whitburn has updated his Top Ten Pop Hits books to now include every Billboard Top Ten Chart from 1940 through 2015!  That's 70+ years of America's Biggest Hits.  More information below ...

See portions from reduced pages below.        Actual page size is 8.5" x 11".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complete ordering information can be found on The Record Research Website now ... including a special discount offer.  (And stay tuned ... we just may have a copy to give away to a lucky Forgotten Hits Reader!)  kk

https://www.recordresearch.com/billboard_chart_collections/americas_greatest_hits_top_10_charts_1940-2015.php

 

Kent ...

You might want to add this to Ron Smith's Jerry Dwyer death notice.  I figure, if you can't beat em, join em.
Frank B.

 

Ron Smith's Jerry Dwyer death notice:  

 

Jerry Dwyer, owner of the plane in which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper perished in 1959, has died. He passed away at a Mason City, Iowa, hospice center at the age of 85. Jerry owned the Dwyer Flying Service that was chartered to fly the three musicians from Mason City to Fargo, North Dakota, on February 3 of that year after a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The Beechcraft Bonanza crashed a short time after takeoff.

 

Frank B's article referenced above:  

 

CLEAR LAKE - The author of a new book about Buddy Holly has challenged the owners of the plane in which Holly died to produce the wreckage. 

Gary W. Moore, author of the book, "Hey Buddy," said Jerry and Barb Dwyer of Clear Lake should allow experts to look at the wreckage of the Beech Bonanza in order to finally quell rumors about how the crash happened. 

The accident killed Holly, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens, on Feb. 3, 1959, following their appearance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Pilot Roger Peterson also died in the crash. 

Moore writes that Barb Dwyer told him that the real truth about the crash will be revealed in a book Jerry Dwyer is writing about the crash. 

When contacted, Barb Dwyer declined to discuss Moore's book or his recounting of their conversation, other than to say that Moore is just one of scores of authors who contact the Dwyers when writing books. 

She confirmed that Jerry Dwyer was writing a book to clarify events related to that now-infamous night. 

Moore will be on hand for book signings this weekend, during the annual Winter Dance Party event at Clear Lake. 

During his own investigation, Moore - a pilot and former charter service owner - said he worked with a friend, a retired National Transportation Safety Board expert, to evaluate the crash. 

"But if Jerry knows something else ... if there is proof in the wreckage (of another cause), that's important" for Peterson's family to know, said Moore.  

The final determination by the Civil Aeronautics Board in 1959 said the crash was caused by pilot error. 

Moore challenges other long-held beliefs about Holly. For instance, he does not believe that Holly telephoned his wife, Maria Elena, before he left the Surf that night. A telephone booth at the Surf stands in memorial to that last conversation. 

"I can't find anything that says that really happened," he said.   

Both he and his friend came to the same conclusion: An inexperienced pilot, a high-performance aircraft and bad weather combined to cause the crash, Moore said.

Moore's book is not a biography of Holly, but rather about his own journey to know Holly and his music. 

Moore never knew much about the Texas rock ‘n roller until recent years, when he first saw Holly impersonator John Mueller perform. The book outlines his quest, his research and the relationships established with people who knew Holly's music, or had met Holly.   

Of interest to some might be Moore's interview with musician Don McLean, whose mega-hit, "American Pie" introduced the phrase, "the day the music died" and its reference to Holly's death. McLean performed in 1994 at the Surf.   

McLean claims, according to Moore, that Buddy Holly's fame faded quickly following his death, but that McLean's song brought Holly back into the public's consciousness. 

"Because of 'American Pie,' Buddy is back where he should be," McLean was said to have told Moore.  

As Forgotten Hits Readers already know, L.J. Coon has been petitioning the NTSB to reopen the investigation into the circumstances of the crash for over a year now.  We recently ran his open letter of appeal to all of the presidential candidates to do the same.  The plane still exists and with today's technology, perhaps more insight could be gained by doing a new, thorough investigation using the resources available to us now.  Although our story lit the fuse for both national and international coverage, the NTSB decided that there was still not enough sufficient evidence to warrant reopening the case and declared it resolved "as is".  (Maybe what Coon needs to do is film a ten hour documentary in the style of "Making A Murderer" to get the real attention he needs to move forward with a new investigation!)  kk

And, speaking of great clips ...

HELPING OUT OUR READERS:

We've run this request before but apparently to no response ... so we're giving it another shot today ...

Hi, Kent and the FH gang -  

My friend Darrell, who doesn't have online access, is very interested in possibly obtaining ANY TV appearances, record promos, or recorded concerts with The Drifters, from their formation in 1953 to early 1964 (when they lost Rudy Lewis).  I know I asked about this last year, my apologies, but  I thought I would put it out there one last time in case someone missed it!  I also know that if any of this exists,  it's pretty rare, but any info - or leads - is greatly appreciated.  

Please E-mail information to Bob Rashkow at puffwaldo.tardo@gmail.com if you know anything about this.  And thanks again!  

Bob