American Idol Popularity Waning: Almost 20 Million Less Viewers Than in 2007

American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban are shown with host Ryan Seacrest in the center. The show is staggering into Season 12 as viewers leave the show in droves.

The first American Idol show was telecast on June 11, 2002 with 9.85 viewers watching The 2003 premiere show attracted 26.50 million viewers almost tripling the viewers from 2002. The 2007 premiere show attracted a record 37.44 million viewers, but there has been a steady decline of viewers since then, bottoming out at 17.93 viewers to start Season 12 last January. The show has lost close to 20 million viewers in the last six seasons.

Surprisingly the season finale topped out in Season 2 in 2003 at 38.06 million viewers and last year’s finale only attracted 21.49 million viewers, which is the all-time low for a finale.

With The Voice being telecast twice a year and X-Factor being shown in the fall it appears singing competition shows have reached the saturation point.  With American Idol starting about a month after the last X-Factor show has been shown, fans are not getting much of a break.

The Voice and X-Factor winners don’t get near the publicity of the American Idol winners. Quick, name all three winners of The Voice and the two winners of X-Factor. Only the most devout fans of either show could give you those names, without stopping to think it over.

Melanie Amaro who won X-Factor in December of 2011 has yet to release her debut album, which will be released next month. Meanwhile Phil Phillips the Season 11 winner of American Idol has already sold 700,000 copies of his debut album Dark Side of the Moon which has received 361 five-star reviews, while receiving only 5 one star reviews. I have to admit that I didn’t think Phil Phillips would go far as an artist, but he could be on the cusp of a great career.

Phil Phillips has been opening shows for Matchbox 20.

Season 12

American Idol went from a three judge panel of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson in Season 11 to a four person panel of Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, Randy Jackson and Mariah Carey in Season 12. The show got off on the wrong foot, before the first show aired as Nicki Minaj threatened to knock out Mariah Carey at the Charlotte auditions. They tangled more along the way to the opening show, but in recent weeks they have both calmed down and don’t talk to each other. Minaj is said to have said that if she had a gun she would shoot Carey, but later denied ever saying that.

Placing two divas on the judging panel was a recipe for disaster and that was what it turned out to be. I am sure the producers have told them to cool it, because most viewers like me don’t like a lot of attention being placed on the judges. Nicki Minaj seemed to be harsher with contestants a few weeks ago but seems to have calmed down and show more compassion for the contestants.

Keith Urban has really surprised me with his knowledge of American music and has very well thought out critiques of the singers. Randy Jackson has apparently appointed himself as the villain among the panelists, as he seems to be more critical of the singers, than the other three judges. Mariah Carey is taking over the Paula Abdul role as the judge who seldom says anything critical of most singers.

Ellen DeGeneres was by far the worst judge in the history of American Idol. She seemed to be more intent on cracking jokes, than on making meaningful critiques of the singers. It was no surprise, that she was a one season and out judge. I think even she sensed she didn’t belong on American Idol as a judge. Know that has nothing to do with Season 12, but just felt compelled to mention her judging skills or lack of.

It is too early to have a favorite or even to mention any names of the Season 12 contestants, since there are many eliminations ahead before the Final 10 is announced.

Apparently the tradition of judges going to rooms with contestants and telling which rooms are going home and which ones are advancing has been dropped, but that could change before the Final 10 is chosen. I liked that the Hollywood group week contestants were sorted into groups by American Idol executives. It ridded the show of the drama of singers begging to join a group or being dismissed by a group. I will never forget the season when the young boy from Louisiana was dumped by one group and him having to find a new group.

I don’t know if the tradition of contestants taking the long walk to talk to judges and being told their fate by the judges will be repeated this season. I am hoping by the end of this week, that we will know who the Final 10 singers are. Right now I think that the girl singers are better and should have more singers in the Top 10, but the producers may want an even number of girls and boys in the Top 10.

TV By the Numbers shows that both Big Bang Theory and Person of Interest attracted more viewers than American Idol last Thursday. The show is no longer the juggernaut it used to be, but it still is one of the most-watched shows on television.

It will be interesting to find out who the Final 10 will be composed of and we should know by the end of Thursday night’s show.

Nicki Minaj: Harshest American Idol Judge Ever?

Nicki Minaj

I thought Simon Cowell was the harshest American Idol judge, but Nicki Minaj gave him a run for his money last night. She not only criticized the singing of the singers, but their attitude and demeanor as well. She seemed to enjoy trashing the singing of Matheus Fernandes and then added insult to injury by saying he was choosing songs about his height, so he could have a pity party. She could have handled this situation better, by telling him backstage not to dwell on his height.

Matheus Fernandez

Fernandes may be remembered by some viewers, when he competed in The Glee Project on the Oxygen channel in 2011. The 4′ 9″ Fernandes was the shortest of all the American Idol contestants in the 2012 season.

Mariah Carey, who I had considered as a diva of the first magnitude showed a lot more class than Minaj during the show last night. Keith Urban and Randy Jackson didn’t seem to get as much camera time, as Minaj since she obviously enjoyed having the spotlight on herself, rather than on the contestants, who should have been in the spotlight. It is almost like Minaj enjoys stabbing the contestants with a knife and then gives it a little twist for maximum shock effect.

I think it was important that American Idol brought back Randy Jackson for Season 12, to give the show some stability. Keith Urban has shown how well he knows American music, by knowing a song that one of the singers hadn’t heard of, with Urban being from Australia.

http://t.entertainment.msn.com/nicki-minaj-most-hateable-tv-personality-ever-1?toc=ent

American Idol Officials Choose Groups

With the judges picking which contestants were in each group it eliminated some of the drama. There was no drama of someone begging to join a group, or to be kicked out of a group and finding a new group. However, there was still the drama of not all the singers liking a song choice. One group in particular had a country singer, who was trying to learn a Maroon 5 song Moves Like Jagger. The song choice sealed his fate as he couldn’t remember the words and was clearly uncomfortable singing a song out of his comfort zone.

TV Ratings Down

American Idol premiered this year on January 16 and drew only 17.93 million viewers, which was the lowest since the show debuted in 2002 with 9.8 million viewers. This was the first season since 2002, that less than 20 million viewers watched a premiere show.

A season low 13.28 million viewers watched American Idol last night and this is during the Hollywood week.

The proliferation of singing competitions has dealt American Idol a blow, that they may never recover from. To make matters worse The Voice will be returning again, about three months after ending their fall version in December. That could put a further dent into American Idol ratings. X-Factor finished their season a month before the 2013 debut of American Idol.

It would not surprise me to see a viewer backlash against Nicki Minaj, if she continues to belittle the contestants in such a cruel way. The way she is behaving tells me she won’t be back for Season 13.

Ralph Emery : 79 And Still On Television

Ralph Emery in his early years on television.

 

Ralph Emery got his start with radio station WTPR in Paris, Tennessee in 1951, while earning a salary of $39.50 a week. By 1953 Emery was working for WSIX with shows on both radio and television in Nashville.

Emery has been in radio for 62 years and in television for 60 years and will be 80 on March 10 of this year.

I bought my first AM-FM radio stereo, which was about five feet wide in 1967 from Tony’s Appliance Center and  I remember listening to Ralph Emery on WSM out of Nashville. I enjoyed the way he interviewed the country stars and played the great country songs of that era. It was like being in another world, when listening to the most famous country music disc jockey ever in Emery. He would work briefly in 1956 for WLCS in Shreveport, Louisiana, before returning to Nashville.

 

Moves to WSM Radio in 1957

When Emery was hired by WSM radio in Nashville it was a huge career advancement. He was now being heard on a 50,000 watt station, that reached many areas of the country. He worked the graveyard shift at WSM from 1957-1972.

Emery was seen on WSM-TV off and on from 1963-1991 on various country shows that he hosted. He also hosted a syndicated show named Pop Goes the Country.

He brought country music to the forefront when he hosted Nashville Now on the The Nashville Network from 1983-1993.

Ralph Emery interviewing Merle Haggard on Nashville Now.

Nashville Now did more for country music, than any other television show before or since. Country music fans could see their favorite singers sing and be interviewed by the best country music host Ralph Emery. He was the glue that held the show together for 10 wonderful years.

One thing I will always remember is Randy Travis singing as Randy Ray on one show, then he appeared as Randy Travis the next time he appeared on Nashville Now. His real name is Randy Trawick, so finally settled on Randy Travis as his name.

Fans loved that the show was on five nights a week and gave them a chance to really know the singers, when they were interviewed by Emery. This show was a first class production with regular backup singers and musicians, which complemented the singing of the stars.

 

Emery Can Be Seen on RFD-TV

Ralph Emery started a new show Ralph Emery Live which started on the RFD television cable network in 2007.

For example last week T.G. Sheppard was on the show and Emery asked Sheppard about his days with the Memphis Mafia, that stayed at Graceland. Sheppard was then Bill Browder who worked promoting RCA artists. Elvis Presley was surprised to learn that Bill Browder was recording under the name of T.G. Sheppard. Elvis asked why he didn’t tell him and was told that Browder was afraid of being fired by RCA if the secret came out in the open. Elvis then says “I am RCA” inferring that Browder didn’t have a reason to worry about losing his job. Sheppard tells how he heard about the death of Elvis. He said he got a call from J.D. Sumner, which was unusual in itself, but he had an idea that Elvis had died and told Sumner he knew why he was calling.

Sheppard is then asked questions by viewers who call in to the show, which was interesting as they asked him what songs he liked the most, of the songs that he recorded.

You could tell Sheppard was in awe of Emery and knows what he did for the careers of many country music stars. From the graveyard shift on WSM radio to the television show on RFD TV Emery has been an ambassador for country music.

Have recorded the next show when Emery interviews Lorrie Morgan. In fact Lorrie owes a lot of her success to Emery who hosted a morning show in Nashville, in which Lorrie often sang.

Life has not always been a bed of roses for Emery,  as he had a very rough childhood and entered the world of country music, to escape an unhappy situation at home. His marriage to Skeeter Davis who recorded The End of the World was a rocky one that ended in divorce. Emery has written  his autobiography and other books about country music.

Ralph Emery to me epitomizes country music and what it stands for and he may be the best interviewer ever in any entertainment spectrum.

 

It would be 56 years after his first radio job, before Emery was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Memories of a Lifetime: 1976-1980

1976 – We started the year of 1976 still working at Monroe Morning World. My wife was unhappy with her job and I found out there were two openings for my old job at Town Talk. So we moved back to Pineville, Louisiana at the Quail Creek Apartments off of Stilley Road in Pineville. It was good to be working in cold type again, after working with hot metal the previous two years in Monroe. My salary was $159 a week, when I left the Town Talk in 1974 and my salary had increased to $190 a week during the two years in Monroe. There were some negotiations with Town Talk personnel manager, who didn’t really want to pay the $190 salary, but I knew there was no way, that I would accept a cut in pay. He eventually agreed on the $190 salary, which totaled $9,880 for a year.

Can remember watching television that July 4, as the United States observed the 200th birthday since the Declaration of Independence.

1977 – We saw Elvis Presley at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in March. The seats were in the nosebleed section and we could barely even see Elvis, unlike our seats in Monroe, when we were on the floor, in about the 20th row from the stage. Elvis got sick that night and had to rest, while one of the backup singers sang a solo. We could tell that Elvis had gained a lot of weight, even sitting near the top of the coliseum, in seats that were the worst seats in the coliseum. Elvis didn’t even appear, at a scheduled Baton Rouge concert a couple of days later and was taken back to Memphis to Baptist Hospital.

We were watching the news on television in August of 1977, when we heard the news that Elvis had passed away. It came as a complete shock and it would be revealed later, that Elvis had a serious drug habit, that resulted in his death. This August marks the 36th anniversary of his death. Elvis would be 78 if still alive today.

1978 – My daughter Debbie was born on June 13 at 11:31 AM on a Tuesday at Rapides Hospital. We finally had cable television installed at the Quail Creek Apartments in 1978 and can remember being able to watch the Atlanta Braves on the WTCG Channel 17 superstation in Atlanta. We also were able to watch mostly Chicago Cubs games on WGN superstation out of Chicago.

1979 – We moved to our new home at 310 Burns Street in Pineville. I had remembered that house being built in 1958. The Louisiana College head football coach Les Patrick moved into the home. We lived across the street at 313 Burns Street, where we had lived since 1952. So it was like going home to live across the street from the house I had grown up in. So we moved into the house that had been built 21 years earlier.

1980 – Can’t remember much in the way of local news in 1980, but it was the year that John Lennon was shot outside his hotel. Other news that year included the election of President Ronald Reagan as he defeated President Jimmy Carter in the general election. Jessica Simpson was born in 1980 and will be 33, on the 10th of July.

A new Ford Pinto Pony automobile cost $3,910, while gasoline cost $1.19 a gallon.

United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics, because of Russia had invaded Afghanistan. Ironically, Russia left Afghanistan, while U.S. is presently in Afghanistan 33 years, after the Olympic boycott.

 

Memories of a Lifetime: 1971-1975

1971 – We were living on Riverfront Street in Pineville and very close to the Red River, so I walked to Town Talk each day. I passed a lady living in a tent, on the way to work each day. It was sad to know, that she couldn’t afford to live in a house, so she lived next to the river on public land. Later that year we moved to a duplex on Donahue Ferry for $50 a month, which saved us $25 a month in rent. Coincidentally, both the Riverfront and Donahue Ferry rentals burned down after we moved out of them. In addition the house behind us on Riverfront Street was a victim of the erosion of the banks of Red River, which forced the owners to leave their house, before it fell into the river.

1972 – Our first son Steve was born shortly after midnight at 1:52 AM on Thursday, February 17 at Rapides General in Alexandria, Louisiana. My wife’s mother drove down from Texarkana, Arkansas to assist my wife in taking care of Steve the first few days of his life.

This was also the year that the Alexandria Daily Town Talk converted from hot type to cold type composition. We now started using paper, instead of lead to produce the paper each day. The first day was chaos, since everyone was trying to work on all the pages at once. A system was soon put into place, designating what pages each page builder was responsible for, which made the production of the newspaper much smoother.

1973 – Steve would have a bad case of gastroenteritis, which caused his hospitalization. Former president Lyndon B. Johnson died while he was in the hospital. To compound the problems, during his hospitalization I was chosen to serve on a jury in a criminal case involving a drug store owner, who was shot in the back when he opened the store at night for the two criminals. Each suspect was found guilty and given a fifteen year sentence, so have been out of prison for at least 25 years now.

1974 – This was another eventful year, in which Elvis Presley indirectly helped me get a job at Monroe, Louisiana newspaper. We were watching the news on a Monroe television station and they mentioned that tickets were for sale to see Elvis Presley at the Monroe Civic Center. While in Monroe to see Elvis we passed the Morning World-New Star newspaper building and we decided I should apply for a job there. So when we got home I applied for a job and was granted an interview. We left the Town Talk for a $8 a week raise. It didn’t make much sense at the time, but I made so much overtime that I actually made thousands more than what the Town Talk paid.

Meanwhile….back to the Elvis Presley concert. You could feel the electricity in the air when Elvis took the stage, while singing “C.C. Rider”.  Elvis was still at the top of his game that night, since this was only a year, after his Aloha From Hawaii concert. It was sad to see the concert end, since it was such a great show. If Elvis was on drugs that night, then it wasn’t evident to me in his performance.

We moved to West Monroe, Louisiana the next day after Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run passing Babe Ruth, on the all-time home run list.

Our first apartment was the Shangri-La apartments off of Wellerman Road. I was only at my new job, for only a few days, when a lot of the workers, who were in the union went on strike. That caused me to get more overtime, than I ever wanted, since we were working so short-handed. Strike-breakers from the Shreveport Times came to work with us. I was worried that since I was new, that I might be mistaken for a strike-breaker. One of the strike-breakers was pulled over by a car, with flashing lights and then attacked by some union ruffians. Those on the picket line tried to prevent me from driving onto the parking lot, but I kept driving and they eventually moved out-of-the-way. None of the strikers ever returned to work at the Monroe newspaper plant.

I was in for a shock, since the Monroe Morning World was still using hot metal composition. So I was thrust back into the world of hot type, after having worked in cold type composition for two years. One of my jobs was to use a Ludlow stick which was used for the Page One headline.  The Morning World used three line staggered headlines, which made it even trickier to get the spacing just right. I had never been given the chance to use a Ludlow stick at Town Talk, so it was good to learn how they worked.

My main job was building pages and then after the shift was over would throw away the type, unless it was to be used in the News-Star the next day. We tossed the ads which would not run again in a bucket, and used string to tie up the ones that would run again and place them in the News-Star page. Basically what I did when arriving at work most days was tear down the News-Star pages and then set up the Morning World pages by placing the ads where they were designated to be placed in page layouts. When President Nixon looked like he was dying of phlebitis in 1974 we had several pages ready in case he died, but we eventually wound up throwing the pages in the bucket.

Another major event was the birth of our second son Kenneth on December 20 at 3:05 PM on a Friday. It turned out that week that I worked 73 hours with about 36 hours of overtime, since our normal week was 37 and a half hours. Then after getting off work on Christmas Eve we assembled a toy for my first son.

1975 – I worked so much in 1975, that I made $5,000 of overtime. I would work from 2:00 PM till 6:00 AM on most shifts. The composing room superintendent would call me each weekday and ask me if I would come into work at 2 PM, instead of the normal 4:30 PM. I once worked 49 days in a row, without one day off, because the foreman would ask me if I wanted to work both of my days off. I got sick on the 50th day, which I had off so it took a toll on me. So I was working 16 hour days on weekdays. This year consisted of working and sleeping for the most part, because when I woke up the boss would be calling me in to work early.

We moved again during 1975 to Monroe side of the Ouachita River, to the Plantation Apartments off of North 18th Street. We were much closer to work and didn’t have to cross a bridge to arrive at work. 1975 was a good year financially, but it was a tiring year, with so little time to sleep.

Memories of a Lifetime: 1961-1965

1961 – Entered the 12th grade, after spending two years in the 10th grade at Pineville High School, due to going to summer school for the third straight year.

John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president on January 20.

Remember listening to Chicago White Sox games on KSYL AM, out of Alexandria, Louisiana, with Bob Elson and Milo Hamilton as the announcers. This was the summer that Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were battling to break Babe Ruth’s season home run record of 60. Bob and Milo would give updates during the White Sox games, about what Roger and Mickey were doing in the home run race. Maris would hit his 61st home run on October 1, which broke the 34-year-old record of Ruth. Surprisingly only 21,000 fans were present to see the achievement of Maris.

The ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion ended two days later. It was a failed attempt to remove Fidel Castro from power. He had taken power in 1959 and is still in power today 54 years later.

1962 – K-Mart would open its first store in Garden City Michigan on March 1 and the company is now 51-years-old. July 2 would see the first Wal-Mart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas.

My senior class graduated in May, but it would be September before I received my diploma, because I had failed English IV.

I joined the Army Reserve in Alexandria, Louisiana and was sent to Fort Polk for basic training in October. We were kept so busy at Fort Polk during basic, that we had no clue of the magnitude of the Cuban missile crisis that October. The only clue we had been what we said when we marched:

I don’t know but I believe

I’ll be in Cuba by Christmas Eve

Little did we know we were on the brink of a nuclear disaster and we didn’t know about it till we finished basic training in December.

I won’t mention any names, but a soldier from Wardville thought it would be fun, to yell from the barracks upstairs at a sergeant saying “Hey nutbrain”. That was not a smart thing to do on his part. That sergeant did not waste any time, as he made his way up in the stairs in record time. The soldier was told in no uncertain terms, that calling his sergeant “nutbrain” was not acceptable behavior.

1963 – Was on leave when the year started, but would board a passenger train for Indianapolis, Indiana at the Missouri Pacific depot in January. That depot was later torn down, but assembled in a new location in downtown Alexandria.

I can remember seeing snow falling when we went through St. Louis, then after arriving in Indianapolis saw several inches of snow on the ground. I learned what a Indiana winter was like, while being stationed at the Adjustant General’s School at Fort Benjamin Harrison. Some soldiers called it “Uncle Ben’s Rest Home”. Attended the postal school there from January through April, before returning to Louisiana having finished my six months of active duty.

It took attending a few Army Reserve meetings, before I decided to join the Regular Army and joined in May of 1963. I requested to be sent to Germany or Hawaii and received orders for Hawaii. Was flown to San Francisco and took a helicopter to the Oakland Army Terminal.

Spent eight days at the terminal before boarding flight to Hawaii. We were on a slow MATS transport plane, so the trip took several hours. When I arrived at Schofield Barracks the home of the 25th Infantry Division I heard some of the soldiers talking about having just a few days left before being discharged. I figured out that I had only 1,095 days left and they got a big kick out of that.

Hawaii is a beautiful state and liked being stationed there. The Army Service Club conducted tours of the island of Oahu and would take us on a bus trip around the island. Wish I had taken some color photos of the scenery, but only took black and white photos.

One of my first memories was seeing the Beach Boys at Conroy Bowl, the arena where entertainers appeared. Remember seeing Johnny Cash and June Carter and Sue Thompson there. It was a highlight for me, when Sue Thompson shook hands with me, while singing one of her songs.

I loved going to the beach, since the Service Club took the soldiers on busses to the different beaches each weekend. I would listen to music on my radio, while looking across the ocean toward California. Surf music was at its height in 1963 and even today I Heart radio has a station, with only surf music being featured.

By far the biggest event of 1963 was when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22. The regular company postal clerk was on leave, so I was the temporary clerk while he was gone. I had my radio on in the post office, when I heard the announcement that JFK had been shot. I immediately informed the company commander, who had not heard about it yet.

Meanwhile the postal clerk on leave to New York was flying standby and his flight was rerouted from California to Texas, which landed in Dallas about the same time as the assassination. So he got caught in the middle of all the commotion, even though he wasn’t even thinking of having to go through Dallas.

Just missed by a few minutes of seeing Lee Harvey Oswald gunned down in the Dallas Police station on the TV, in the dayroom but not too disappointed since I didn’t really want to see it anyway.

A few days later we would march in a memorial observance of JFK’s death and it was a surreal experience, knowing that the president of the United States had been assassinated and marching on the parade grounds brought it home.

Went to a Christmas show in December, that really made me homesick, when they sang “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”.

1964 – Went on temporary duty to Molokai, the island on which Father Damien established his leper colony. The ride there on a boat was a rocky one and wound up getting very sick, even if was only a 20 something mile trip from Oahu.

Can remember it pouring down that week a lot and that I heard on the radio, that Lyndon B. Johnson had defeated Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election.

I can remember flying home to Pineville in October of 1964, my first trip home since leaving in May of 1963. I took my leave in October, so I could see the World Series while I was at home. I think it was this trip, that when flying back saw professional wrestler Sputnik Monroe aboard the plane. Coincidentally, he and his wrestling brother Rocket both lived in Alexandria and had performed at Jimmie Thompson’s Arena. That reminds me of the time when my brother, who knows sign language saw a deaf wrestler Silento Rodriguez being knocked from the ring and went over and signed to him, asking if he was OK and the wrestler signed back that he was OK.

1995 – This was the year that I was sent to the Big Island named Hilo, to work at the Camp Pohokoloa (sp) post office. I remember one payday, that we sold $28,000 worth of money orders and that I came up $107 short at the end of the day. The other postal worker working that day later was court-martialed, for stealing money from the post office, so I have always wondered if he didn’t take the missing money. Worst thing is that my wages were garnished till the $107 was paid back to the post office.

The post office was at a high altitude and I could see snow-capped mountains in the distance. It was cold there, even if it was Hawaii. Tsunamis hit Hilo in 1946 and 1960 killing 160 and 61 people respectively.

Saw a missionary from Pineville who was living in Hilo at this time. My mom had told me where to find her and I had a nice visit with her.

 

 

 

 

Murder on Music Row – George Strait, Alan Jackson

George Strait and Alan Jackson singing Murder on Music Row.

The best known version of Murder on Music Row was recorded by George Strait and Alan Jackson, but was originally recorded by Larry McCordle and Lonesome Standard Time.

The following link takes you to a website where the lyrics are shown and you can hear George and Alan singing the words and sing along with them if you want.

http://www.simplyangel.com/murderonmusicrow.htm

I had liked country music over the years, but really got interested after seeing Your Cheatin’ Heart the life story of Hank Williams Sr.  The movie told the life story of Hank Williams Sr. in a way that showed his struggles on the way to the top and how his drinking habit caused him to lose jobs and probably caused his early death at the age of 29, in the backseat of a car on the way to a concert. The part I best remember was when the audience found out Hank had died enroute to the concert and started singing ” I Saw The Light . ” which was the most poignant part of the movie.

When I saw the movie in the 60′s when stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii it jump started my collection of country music record albums.

I particularly liked Buck Owens and Buckaroos and at one time owned fifteen of their albums. I became a Ernest Tubb fan and bought his Ernest Tubb Life Story Album, which contained many of his older songs from the World War II era. Songs like Filipino Baby, Driftwood on the River, Rainbow at Midnight and others brought home what it was like for soldiers during World War II.

It was exciting to be able to buy a record album of Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn, when they appeared in concert as a duet in Alexandria, Louisiana and to top it off both of them autographed their albums. I was struck by how beautiful Loretta Lynn was in person.

Country Music Not the Same

Country music isn’t the same today. You might hear a few traditional singers like George Strait, Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Randy Travis, but for the most part traditional country music has died. Like the song says murder was committed on Music Row and is being committed with each release of this non-traditional music.

I couldn’t name one country song from 2012, since I spend my time listening to the old music on my MP3 player of George Strait, Jim Reeves, Ernest Tubb, Porter Wagoner, George Jones and others previously mentioned in this article. There are no songs that stand out like He Stopped Loving Her Today, Take This Job and Shove It, Heartaches by the Number, Hello Darlin’, Together Again, I Can’t Stop Loving You, Welcome To My World, Okie From Muskogee, Big City and the great George Strait songs from the 80’s and 90’s.

So if you want to start a collection of traditional country music at its best, then this is the time to start. I found a 99 song Ernest Tubb collection for only $11.02 used. I bought this collection two or three years ago at a good price from Amazon. I have bought many used CD’s from Amazon dealers and have never had a CD that didn’t work. It might pay to compare prices with eBay dealers.

Beach Boys On Verge of Breaking Up Again

When the Beach Boys reunited for their 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour it appeared, that the group would still be together after the end of the tour. However, lead singer Mike Love and band member Brian Johnston plan on splitting from the group, at the end of the current reunion tour.

Before the reunion the Beach Boys had split into three fractured groups, with the Love-Johnston configuration, the Al Jardine group and the Brian Wilson group. Love has announced that  Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks will not be part of the Love-Johnston group.

We are only five days away from the last performance of the 50th reunion tour, when the Beach Boys appear as a group for the last time, unless the various factions can work out their differences.

It is sad to see that apparently the egos of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are too big to share a stage with the other members of the group.

With Brian Wilson now 70, Mike Love 71, Al Jardine 70, David Marks 64 and Johnston 70, it makes me wonder how willing fans will be to pay to see the fractured groups. In a perfect world the Beach Boys could have been together, as a group for the last 50 years, but instead the band has been fractured by lawsuits of the various factions, that only made things worse as the various groups fought over the right to use the Beach Boys name.

Having being stationed in Hawaii from June 1963 – January 1966, Beach Boys music was a huge part of the music scene during those years. I was fortunate to see Beach Boys in concert at Conroy Bowl at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. I can remember going to the beach on the weekends listening to Beach Boys music, on my transistor radio.

I purchased the Beach Boys Live at Knebworth concert from England video from 1980, which would be the last time the complete group appeared in England. At the end of the video Al Jardine mentions that Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson had died in the years, since that concert. It is my favorite Beach Boys video, since it includes most of their greatest hits.

It would be nice if the members of the Beach Boys would think more about their fans, than their own financial situation, but apparently that isn’t the case. So we probably will see the group split into various factions again, instead of banding together and giving fans to hear them as the group we grew up listening to.

Regardless, I still want to thank all of the Beach Boys for providing years of music for their fans. Just wish that most of them who are mostly in their 70’s could overlook their petty differences, so we could hear them as a group, not as splintered groups from the Beach Boys we knew for the last 50 years.

 

 

The Voice Vs. X-Factor

The Voice may have made a critical mistake, by competing head-on with X-Factor from 8PM ET till 9PM ET. X-Factor went on to finish their show uncontested during the 9PM till 10 PM time slot. It will be interesting what the ratings, which should be released later today will show, which show won the time slot.

It seems to me that singing competition fans would rather see Britney Spears and Demi Lovato making their debut as judges on the X-Factor, than watching The Voice for the third time in the week.

The blind auditions on The Voice to me are the highlight of the season. The tension as the singer sings and as family members watch is sometimes unbearable, as they wait for one of the judges to turn the chair around. It is sad to see a singer complete their song with no chairs turning around. The judges have not turned their chair around 14 times during the 35 songs sang over the three nights.

Bryan Keith was the only singer on Monday to see all four judges turn their chairs around as he sang It Will Rain. Adriana Louise Figueroa impressed all four judges, enough for them to turn their chairs around on Tuesday night during her rendition of Domino.

Nicole Nelson saw four chairs turn around on Wednesday night while singing Hallelujah.

It is easy to notice that Christina Aguilera is not interested in country singers, as she has passed on them.

The highlight for me after the first week’s shows was Gracia Harrison singing I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart. The song is 78 years old, which could make it the oldest song sung this season, since it was written in 1934. Harrison’s yodeling really made the song standout. Christina Aguilera was the only judge to not turn their chair around. It was a foregone conclusion that she would choose Blake Shelton as her mentor.

For pure entertainment Casey Muesiggman owned the stage while singing Sweet Home Alabama, but I find it hard to believe he is only 22 years old, as he looks much older.

Terry McDermott from Scotland and now New Orleans was the first singer of the season, while singing Baba O’Riley and he chose Blake as his mentor. Treven Hunte who sang Listen to close out the Monday night show is a singer to watch. He is only 18, but he sings like a veteran singer.

One criticism of The Voice is that the singers we are seeing may not be seen again for several weeks during the battle rounds. I am not a battle rounds fan, since it seems like it turns out into a duel, to see who can reach the highest note.

It is possible for a singer disappear for seven or eight weeks before being seen during the battle rounds, especially since there will be 16 singers for each judge to mentor.

After the first three shows the judges have only 21 of the required pool of 64 singers, with 33 more slots to fill.

For a complete rundown of the first week of The Voice:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_(U.S._season_3)

X-FACTOR SHOWCASES BRITNEY SPEARS

The main reason Britney Spears was signed to a $15 million contract was to garner higher ratings this season. The saddest part of the show was when Jillian Jensen, a victim of being bullied during middle school and high school sang with so much emotion, that the judges could feel her pain and voted to advance her.

Spears was visibly moved when Don Phillip, who had sung with Britney Spears on her debut album in 1999 in a duet, after he failed to advance in the competition and had a meltdown, before leaving the stage. It was a classic case of a grown man losing it in front of millions of television viewers.

There was no mention of Melanie Amaro the first X-Factor winner, which makes me wonder, if they are holding out any hopes of her being a successful singer. The first season ended last December and her debut album won’t be released till this December. American Idol winners have their first album released about 6 months after the last show. I don’t know if there have even been any Melanie Amaro sightings.

The following article gives a more complete rundown of the shows, including best and worst singers and a list of zingers used by the judges:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/x-factor-recap-britney-spears-demi-lovato-369972

 

 

Phyllis Diller: Pioneer Stand-Up Comedienne Dies at 95

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phyllis Diller has died at the age of 95 in Los Angeles California. Diller died Monday, August 20 at her home.

Diller paved the way for female stand-up comediennes when she took up comedy at the age of 37.

She was born Phyllis Ava Driver in Lima, Ohio on July 17, 1917. Her mom Frances Ada Driver was born in 1881 and her father Perry Marcus Driver was born during the Civil War in 1862.

She pursued a career as a pianist attending Sherwood Music Conservatory in Chicago for three years, but eventually gave up on a career as a musician.                                              

Diller launched her career in an unlikely place, the neighborhood laundromat as she told stories of her life at home and eventually was asked to do her comedy act at PTA meetings.

When she made her comedy club debut in 1938 at the Purple Onion in San Francisco, her two-week engagement lasted a year-and-a-half.

She was seen in many television shows and movies over the years:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226887/

Phyllis Diller appearing on Ed Sullivan Show 43 years ago in 1969.

She has appeared with 100 symphony orchestras across the United States as a guest piano soloist.

Female comediennes today like Joan Rivers, Ellen Degeneres and others owe a debt of gratitude to Diller, since there were very few female stand-up comediennes when Diller hit the comedy circuit.

Plastic surgery became another source for comedy material, after she had fifteen surgical procedures done according to her 2005 autobiography.

Since Diller has been out of the spotlight for many years, we may have forgotten just how good of a comedienne that she was.

The world has lost another voice of laughter, at a time when the world could use more laughter, instead of less.

Best Doo-Wop Song Ever: Since I Don’t Have You

Skyliners released Since I Don’t Have You in December of 1958.

The Skyliners hit Since I Don’t Have You reached No.12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959. Personally, it is my favorite doo-wop song ever to be recorded.

It was amazing that they recorded their first hit, in the first year of the group. The group stayed together till 1963, then re-formed in 1974 and have been active since then. The Skyliners still have a busy schedule of performances, mainly performing at doo-wop revival concerts across the country.

This is the original group recording of Since I Don’t Have You from 1959:

I was in my second year of high school in 1959 and hearing it today brought memories of those days to mind.

This is The Skyliners singing their signature hit 46 years later in 2005. Jimmy Beaumont is still the lead singer, all these years later in this concert, at the Sands Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Janet Vogel one of the singers in the group died a tragic death, of carbon monoxide poisoning on February 21, 1980. Her story was made into a movie Since I Don’t Have You, that will be released in September of this year.  This trailer from the movie shows how tragic of a life Janet had, before her suicide and the backstage story of her life as a singer with the Skyliners.

The movie shows that there is a price to pay for success and the toll it takes on a child, who grows up in a musical environment.

Art Tatum: Jazz Pianist Extraordinaire

Art Tatum
1909-1956

 

Art Tatum was born October 13, 1909 in Toledo, Ohio. Tatum is regarded as one of the best pianists ever, despite being totally blind in one eye and limited vision in the other eye.

He learned to play by ear at the age of three. He attracted the attention of several well-known musicians in later years. Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong are among the musicians, that made a point to hear Tatum play in Toledo.

This clip from Ken Burns Jazz shows Tatum playing the piano and the clip also quotes musicians, on how much they revered the playing of Tatum:

The next clip demonstrates how fast Tatum can play the piano in the classic Tiger Rag:

Art Tatum in The Fabulous Dorseys movie (1947)

29 clips of his music can be heard at Amazon.com. If you only listen to one song, then listen to Tea For Two. I can guarantee you have never heard this song played, at lightning speed the way that Art Tatum plays it:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Capitol-Recordings-Art-Tatum/dp/B000005GVR/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1342393555&sr=1-6&keywords=art+tatum

Art Tatum fooled many jazz fans into thinking that more than one man was playing the piano, not thinking any one pianist could play that fast. It was mutually agreed by his contemporary pianists, that he was the best pianist of their era.

He died on November 5, 1956 of kidney failure in Los Angeles.

One of the best compilations of his music is Art Tatum: Piano Grand Master, which contains 99 songs at Amazon.com for $30.54 new and for as little as $10.99 used.

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Grand-Master-Art-Tatum/dp/tracks/B0000A1WPB/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1

Art Tatum may have died 56 years ago, but as his tombstone says “The Music Lingers On”.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1368

 

 

 

 

Marilyn Scott: On the Brink of Stardom For 34 Years

Marilyn Scott

Marilyn Scott is 62 and has had a few breaks, during her singing career, but never has had a hit higher than #19 on the charts, when her Last Day and Start Falling singles from her Avenues of Love album climbed to #19 and #25 on the Billboard chart respectively.

She first attracted attention in 1978 when she recorded Brian Wilson’s God Only Knows as a single release. It went to No.61 and it led to her being signed to Atco Records and her debut album of Dreams of Tomorrow. Marilyn was 30 at the time.

Allmusic.com credits Marilyn with having recorded 14 albums during her 36 year recording career. Marilyn’s Smile album includes You Don’t Know Me, sung only the way Marilyn can sing it.

Marilyn singing You Don’t Know Me in this smooth jazz sound, with her vocals laid on top of the beautiful background music.

Marilyn singing at her best on Close Enough from her Take Me With You album.

Marilyn singing Just To See You Again Live in a riveting performance.

Marilyn singing I’m Calling You from her Take Me With You album and also was in her Handpicked album.

I have the following Marilyn Scott albums in my collection:

Walking With Strangers is surprisingly available at Amazon.com, in used condition for one cent, but a new CD cost only 16 cents. I don’t recall how much I spent in 2004 for this 2001 album, but it was more than 16 cents.

An Amazon review for this album.

 Marilyn Outdoes Herself November 8, 2001

By Jeff Neben

Format:Audio CD

Walking With Strangers is a magnificent CD. Her voice is silky smooth and very powerful. The songs are probably among the best she’s ever recorded. Anyone who like’s female singers should love this CD. very powerful music and a special hidden song that has nothing but meaning in these very stressful days. Everyone should own this record.

Marilyn’s Smile album released in 2009 is worth buying if only for her rendition of You Don’t Know Me. The album also includes Smile the title track and Giving Up On Love to make it even more special. The price of the album is holding its value well at $11.99 for a new CD and $8.45 used.

Five Star Review From Amazon.com:

 Music to melt by… June 7, 2000

By david murphy

Format:Audio CD

Ms. Scott at her finest. This album is rich in feeling and emotion. Her unique style and presentation will make you melt. All her albums are 4 star or better but this one and her previous Japanese import only on SINDROME records are her two best. This is an essential to add to any good jazz collection. Her smoky, seductive voice will capture your heart and soul…not to mention, it will make you SMILE.

 

This is Marilyn’s Take It With You album although you can’t see the title on the above photo. I can honestly say each track on this album is exceptional, from the first track Let Me Be The One to the last track to my favorite Just To See You Again. Then when you consider Close Enough and I’m Calling You make it an album to add to your collection, not to mention the title track Take It With You.

Review from Amazon.com:

 Jazz Vocals With Style And Flair May 17, 2005

By C. Johnsen

Format:Audio CD

I bought the reissue of this CD in 2001 and it quickly turned into one of my favorites that I’ve gone back to again and again. I find Miss Scott’s vocals to be strong, sultry and seductive. Her songs are wonderful, especially her vocal performance on “Let Me Be The One” (the opening track which was produced by legendary George Duke). Her versions of “The Summer Knows” and “Bird of Beauty” are also outstanding. George Duke produced a second cut, “I’m Calling You”, which is another exceptional track.If you want to buy into the hype of Krall and Jones, that’s your business but Marilyn’s voice is their equal (if not superior) and her song selections, including the ones she penned herself are terrific. Jazz vocals at their finest. Another great release by Miss Scott is her latest CD, Nightcap, which I downloaded from iTunes last year. It’s a great collection of songs from the Great American Songbook and this time the whole shebang was produced by George Duke. The fact that this supremely talented musician and producer works with Marilyn should tell you alot about Marilyn’s talent as well.

 

Marilyn’s 2006 album Without Warning is being re-released by Universal Japan for $49.99, with a used CD going for $78.02

It is sad that Marilyn Scott is in her fifth decade of singing yet has not received the name recognition, that you think she would have after proving she can sing with the best, but for some reason her name is not a household word. It would probably be safe to say that 9 out of 10 music fans would not even know who she is. Only the most avid jazz fans would know of her.

Now that she is 62, time may be running out on her, but it is a major plus that she has recorded so many albums lately, showing that she is respected enough for record labels to support her singing.

Her rendition of The Look of Love on her Avenues of Love was nominated for a Grammy, with producer George Duke receiving the nomination for best arrangement for vocals.

My MP3 player is full of Marilyn Scott music. Her music is mesmerizing and unlike almost any other music out there today. The sad thing is that the fans that do hear her music like it, but there are so few that have heard it. That is why her albums are being imported, because record companies in the United States like her music, but don’t want to provide the financial backing to make her a major star. The talent is there and I am shocked that she is not known better by mainstream music fans in the United States.

All I can say is thank you Marilyn, for providing us with such great music, that stands alone because of her unique smooth jazz sound to her music.

Kenny Rogers: Legendary Singer In Music Business For Seven Decades

Kenny Rogers as he appeared when singing with First Edition.

Kenny Rogers was born August 21, 1938 in Houston, Texas. Rogers is in his sixth decade of being in the music business, starting the mid 50’s with the The Scholars, which was disbanded and Rogers struck out on his own.

Kenny singing That Crazy Feeling in 1958 on Carlton Records singing in the doo-wop style.

Only 194 people have viewed this video of Kenny Rogers at the House of Blues, which apparently was on the Disney Channel sometime in the past. He is seen early in the video singing Walkin’ My Baby Back Home a 1931 song and nothing like a song, you would expect him to sing.  He is shown playing the upright bass in another song at the 14:25 mark in the video.

When he sings When I Fall In Love, one of the girls in the audience rests her head on the shoulder of the man, that she is sitting with, which demonstrates the emotion which Rogers sings with carries over to the listeners. He sings another song from the past, in I Get Along Without You Very Well a 1939 tune, penned by Hoagy Carmichael and demonstrates the gift of Rogers to sing any genre. At 43:53 in the video Rogers sings perhaps the best rendition of I Remember You, that I have ever heard sung.

The video is interspersed with Kenny telling about the highlights of his career. Clips from the past are shown, in addition to him singing at the House of Blues, with the backing of a string orchestra. The video shows Kenny singing Sweet Home Chicago, showing Kenny can sing blues music too. He also sings some of his big hits like Lady and The Gambler. This video is worth watching, because it shows how multi-talented Kenny is and helps bring home the fact, that he may be one of the best singers, to ever walk on a stage.

This is why it is a mystery, why he has never been enshrined in the Country Music or Rock and Roll Hall of Fames. Maybe his crossover hits, prevented him from being defined into either category. One thing for sure is that he is going to sing well, regardless of what genre he is singing at any particular time.

Kenny Rogers seen while part of the Bobby Doyle Trio with Kenny on top, without his beard.

Kenny joined the New Christy Minstrels in 1966, but he left the folk group the next year to form the First Edition.  The group’s best known hits were songs like Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town and my personal favorite Reuben James.

Kenny and the First Edition singing Reuben James.

Ten years later in 1976, Kenny would begin his solo career which is still going strong 36 years later.

1977 would produce his first No.1 hit in Lucille, which would be the first of many No.1 hits. He would have seven No.1 hits when the 1980’s started. Then he recorded his first song to be No.1 in U.S. Country, U.S. and Adult Contemporary, which was Lady and maybe his most popular song recorded and was written by Lionel Richie. 1983’s Islands in the Stream recorded as a duet with Dolly Parton placed first in all three of the categories again.

It has been 26 years since Kenny recorded a non-duet No.1 with his recording of Tomb of Unknown Love in 1986.

The complete Kenny Rogers discography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Rogers_discography

Kenny recorded many duets and eight of those songs made the Billboard charts.

Kenny singing Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer with Kim Carnes.

Kenny singing Islands In The Stream with Dolly Parton at the 25th anniversary of Dollywood in 2010.

Kenny and Dolly singing the same song a few years earlier.

Kenny and Dottie West singing Everytime Two Fools Collide

Yesterday, I found a Kenny Rogers DVD of his appearance on Live By Request on the CBS television network. I had given it to my wife for her birthday several years, but she had never gotten around to watching it till yesterday and that is why I am writing this article today.

I was surprised to look in my MP3 player and there wasn’t one Kenny Rogers song in the player. I will have to rectify that situation, as soon as possible but I do have a Kenny Rogers LP, which I hope to listen to today.

Any collection of Kenny Rogers hits would need to include Lady and The Gambler.

Kenny singing Lady in the Live By Request  program on CBS television. Viewers called in any Kenny Rogers song they wanted to hear and Kenny would sing it.

Kenny singing one of his classics The Gambler.

Kenny  singing She Believes In Me.

Kenny singing Through The Years at Giants Stadium 26 years ago.

Kenny Rogers is not only a great singer, but is also a talented photographer. This short article shows some of his photography. Kenny is so well-respected in the photography field, that he has been a judge in a Digitial Camera’s Photographer of the Year competition, which is described in this undated article, but appears to have happened in 2011.

http://www.futureplc.com/2011/07/06/kenny-rogers-named-digital-camera%E2%80%99s-photographer-of-the-year-judge/

Kenny Rogers decided to have plastic surgery, when he married his wife Wanda Miller, that is 29 years younger than him. They are still married 15 years later. He has been married for 48 years combined, after five marriages. He has twin sons Justin and Jordan who will be 8 on July 6. His wife is a twin and both he and his wife have a history of twins in their families.

http://inyourface.ocregister.com/2008/10/30/kenny-rogers-regrets-plastic-surgery-but-is-hopeful/1334/

Kenny singing Love Or Something Like It at Bonaroo festival three weeks ago. Sorry for the poor sound quality, but thought readers would want to see Kenny is going strong at 73.

Kenny and Lionel Richie singing Lady after Kenny tells about the history of the song. If you only watch one video in this article this is the one to see. To see two professionals like Kenny Rogers and Lionel Richie singing one of the greatest songs ever written, makes taking the time to watch it worth every minute.

No article on Kenny Rogers would be complete without mentioning his movie career. Kenny appeared in the The Gambler TV movies five times from 1980-1994, which again proved how talented Kenny is in any endeavor that he undertakes.

Kenny as he appeared in the series of The Gambler TV movies.

Not everything Kenny touched turned to gold, even though it may have in the early days, when his Kenny Rogers Roasters expanded to 350 restaurants in 1995. Three years later, the company was bankrupt and sold for $1.25 million. Kenny must have taken a financial bath, for the company to be sold for only $1.25 million. No Kenny Rogers Roasters remain open in the United States today.

The following article gives extensive details about the life of Kenny Rogers, but it may take close to an hour to read the entire article:

http://www.billdeyoung.com/onekenny.html

Kenny sold his home in Georgia on Wednesday of this week:

http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Kenny-Rogers-home-in-Georgia-sold-for-2-25-million–auction-avoided-Photos/8719446

I knew Kenny Rogers was a successful singer, but only in the last two days have I learned, just how great he was and is still great today.  It is safe to say that Kenny Rogers has made a lasting impression on many Americans, through his music and his acting. I have developed a new appreciation for Kenny Rogers and will be looking for his LP as soon as this is posted.

In closing it amazes me that Kenny Rogers is not in the Country Music Hall of Fame, even though he has had 21 country hits. Part of the problem is that maybe the voters who elect singers to the Country Music Hall of Fame don’t consider Rogers a pure country singer, but just sang songs that found their way to the top of the country charts.

In addition, I can’t see why he isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame either, because if any singer belongs, in both Hall of Fames it would be him. Hopefully he will be inducted to one or the other or both, while he is still with us and can enjoy being inducted, like so many others have in past years.

Don Rickles: Master of Insults

Don Rickles has been insulting people for over 60 years and is still going strong at the age of 86.

We ran across people who make their mission in life to insult people, during our lifetime but Don Rickles has earned a living for insulting people for over 60 years. Good thing that Rickles doesn’t have to fill out resumes, because when he tells about his last job, he would have to say he insults people for a living.

The 86 year-old Rickles is still active, as he travels across the country putting on his act. He will be appearing at the Trump Taj Mahal on October 12, with tickets priced from $51 to $348.

Born In Queens

Rickles was born in Queens, New York on May 8, 1926. He has been married since 1965 to Barbara Sklar, for the last 47 years.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Rickles began a career as a night club comedian. When hecklers started giving him problems, his rejoinders were so funny, that they were funnier than his written material.

This episode from the Andy Griffith show brings together two of the greatest comedians in Rickles and Don Knotts as Barney Fife. Rickles is booked in the local jail, which leads to more comedic situations:

Made Television Debut in 1955

He made his television debut in Stage 7 in 1955. Three years later he was cast in his first motion picture Run Silent, Run Deep, in which he is listed fifth in the credits. The actors listed above him were Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden and Brad Dexter.  It was a major accomplishment for an actor making their movie debut to be listed so close to movie giants like Gable and Lancaster.

Rickles would next appear in the Rabbit Trap in 1959 and Rat Race in 1960. It would be four years, before he appeared in The Man With The X-Ray Eyes starring Ray Milland in 1963. He followed that up with appearances in Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach in 1964. He made a third movie in 1964, which was Pajama Party and starrred Annette Funicello. He was also seen in another beach movie in 1965, which was Muscle Beach Party.

Series television was not kind to Rickles as his first show Don Rickles Show lasted only eight episodes in 1972 and C.P.O. Sharkey would last thirty-seven episodes. His third show Daddy Dearest only lasted 13 episodes.

Don Rickles insulting those stars who had just roasted him.

Rickles appearing on the David Letterman Show in April of 2012.

The Toy Story movies featured the voice of Rickles as Mr. Potato Head in 1995. He also appeared in Toy Story 2 in 1999 and may be seen in the announced Toy Story 4, sometime in the future.

Don Rickles has shown that he can bring home a paycheck, for insulting people and is as funny as ever.

Speer Family Singing After Receiving Bad News

The Speer Family singing What A Meeting In The Air after receiving word, that their brother Brock was near death in a Nashville hospital.

The song was part of the Bill Gaither video Good News.

If there was ever a group that could turn bad news into good news, it would be the Speer Family as they celebrate the possible home going of their brother.

Brock Speer starts off Old Fashioned Meeting.

The Speer Family singing my favorite Speer Family song I Never Shall Forget The Day, in the Ryman  Auditorium in Nashville.

 

Southern Gospel Music Star Fading In Louisiana?

I can remember many years ago, when southern gospel music quartets appeared in Louisiana more often, than they do today. I can remember driving home from work at the newspaper, for my supper break and seeing the Masters Five Quartet bus in front of our church. The group featured five members consisting of Hovie Lister, Jake Hess and Rosie Rozell of the Statesmen Quartet and James Blackwood and J.D. Sumner of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet. It was sad to know I missed seeing some of the giants of southern gospel music, but have seen quite a few concerts since then.

Masters V singing the classic O What A Savior

Today we see fewer southern gospel quartets, soloists and family groups traveling to Louisiana. Many of the southern gospel ministries are centered in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, which means it is a 600 or 700 mile trip to Louisiana. It is even further to southern Louisiana and the gasoline costs to power the busses has stopped some ministries from driving that far.

It is not unusual today to see prices of $15 or more to see a soloist or group sing in concert. There are still some southern gospel artists, that will sing in concert, for only a love offering, but some demand up-front money, before even walking in the door of the concert venue.

I have heard of smaller churches asking the artists to come to their church, but nix the deals when the artists say they need thousands of dollars, before they even show up.

Pennsylvania Hotbed For Southern Gospel

Apparently the churches and other sponsors, of southern gospel music in Pennsylvania can afford the asking prices, since the Harper booking agency lists 26 concerts scheduled in Pennsylvania in the upcoming months. However, Louisiana only has two concerts scheduled, which shows that Louisiana is not attracting southern gospel artists to the state in large numbers.

The original Dove Brothers Quartet configuration of John Rulapaugh, tenor, McCray Dove, lead, Burman Porter, bass, Richard Simmons pianist and Eric Dove, baritone.

My favorite group the Dove Brothers Quartet has no concerts in Louisiana in their current schedule, which shows upcoming concerts from today till December 7 of this year.

Southern Gospel Concerts of the Past

There have been many southern gospel quartets here in the past. We have been able to see the Dove Brothers Quartet, in the Louisiana cities of Oak Grove, Monroe, Jena and Pineville, where we used to live for many years.

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet appeared in the Pineville area many times over the years and will never forget seeing and hearing the great James Blackwood. The Dixie Echoes used to sing in this area often. It was exciting to see Billy Todd singing for the Dixie Echoes, after seeing him sing on the Gospel Singing Jubilee.

A local radio station in Pineville, Louisiana used to sponsor a huge southern gospel concert every year, but that too has vanished from the scene. The Happy Goodman Family appeared there along with many other southern gospel soloists and groups.

The Kingsmen Quartet once sang in Cheneyville, Louisiana and sang in a school. The windows actually rattled during the concert when the quartet reached a crescendo during the concert.

Ann Downing a southern gospel soloist passing through this area, worked in an unplanned concert at Faith Baptist Church in Pineville and I can still remember her not being too happy, because one of the girls there that night was knitting while she sang.

Louisiana is fortunate to have singers like Mark Lanier, who used to sing with the Bibletones, Perfect Heart and Poet Voices living in Ball, Louisiana and who sings frequently in Louisiana concerts. Mark now sings as a solo artist.

Reasons For Decline 

It is sad to know that southern gospel ministries don’t travel this far south very often. There could be many reasons, why so few ministries travel through Louisiana. The gasoline prices may be a major cause of the decline. It may be that when they do make their way into Louisiana, that the attendance is not that great. Fewer people attending concerts usually is going to mean less sales of CD’s of the artists and anything else they may be selling at the concerts.

The artists are going to naturally gravitate to the venues, which produce the most sales of their products. Southern gospel music is not only a ministry, but it is a business which has to make a profit, to provide a living for the members of any group. They have house notes, utilities and other costs, like the rest of us, so they are not going to continue to appear in less profitable venues.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone that reads this article, to find out if there are valid reasons for leaving Louisiana out of the schedules for most artists.

I think the over-riding reason we don’t see southern gospel artists often in Louisiana is money. Maybe someday the fading star of southern gospel will once again shine brightly.

 

Delbert Clinton: Roadhouse Blues At Its Best

Delbert McClinton will be 72 in November.

It doesn’t seem possible that Delbert McClinton will be 72 in November, but he has been active in music business s for 40 years now, since he started in 1972.

Nobody in my opinion epitomizes road house blues better than McClinton. He sings what I call driving road house blues.

Surprisingly McClinton only has had one song that reached the Top 10 in Giving It Up For Your Love peaked at No.8 on the U.S. charts, 32 years ago when he was 40 years old in 1980.

However he has had four No.1 albums on the blues chart. McClinton won a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Contemporary Blues Album Cost of Living. He had won a Grammy in 1991, for a duet with Bonnie Raitt when they sang Good Man, Good Woman.

In addition to his vocals, McClinton plays harmonica, piano and guitar.  He wrote Two More Bottles of Wine which topped the charts at No.1 in 1978 for Emmy Lou Harris.

Delbert McClinton singing Thank You Baby in a song that rocks with the roadhouse blues sound.

McClinton singing Shaky Ground on Austin City Limits in 1989.

McClinton singing his No.8 hit Giving It Up For Your Love.

Delbert slows it down with Dreams To Remember

Bekka Bramlett joins Delbert on She’s Living It Up on Austin City Limits.

Delbert singing Squeeze Me In on a Sandy Beaches Cruise in January of 2012 at the age of 71.

Tanya Tucker and Delbert singing their No.4 duet hit Tell Me About It.

Jackie Gleason: From Pool Hustler To Smokey and the Bandit

Jackie Gleason was best known for portraying Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners but also appeared on the big screen from 1941-1986.

Jackie Gleason grew up in Brooklyn, New York and didn’t have much of a childhood, with his father abandoning the family, when Gleason was eight years old. His mother died when he was 16. His brother Clemence had died when he was three, so Jackie was an only child during most of his childhood.

Jackie Gleason as he appeared in Larceny Inc. movie in 1942 at the age of 26.

Gleason’s first foray into the movies lasted only two years, but he appeared in nine movies in those two years, including Orchestra Wives and Larceny, Inc. Then he performed in nightclubs and appeared in some Broadway plays till he received his first television starring role in Life of Riley, portraying the title character. He was not really suited well for the role and it was cancelled, but revived when William Bendix, the voice of Riley on radio became the star of the show.

Jackie Gleason Orchestra Formed

Jackie Gleason saw there was a place for romantic music and formed the Jackie Gleason Orchestra. I have read that there was never an actual traveling Jackie Gleason Orchestra but this article proves that assumption is incorrect, since this review of a performance with Gleason proves they did travel to different venues. Music showed there was a serious side to Jackie Gleason. I was surprised to read that Gleason actually was conducting the orchestra. Bobby Hackett is the one playing the trumpet solos on most, if not all of his albums.

http://www.bigbandsandbignames.com/gleason.html

Music For Lovers, the debut album for the orchestra was a tremendous hit and showed their was a market for romantic music:

Gleason’s first album, Music for Lovers Only, still holds the record for the album staying the longest in the Billboard Top Ten Charts (153 weeks), and his first ten albums all sold over one million copies.^[19]

I have his Best of Jackie Gleason and His Orchestra album and it includes these songs:

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1015597/a/Best+of+Jackie+Gleason.htm

The now defunct Dumont Television network hired Gleason as summer host of Cavalcade of Stars. He handled the hosting duties so well, that he was named permanent host. He introduced his Ralph Kramden character during the series and the sketches would evolve into The Honeymooners in 1955.

Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows in a scene from The Honeymooners television series 1955-1956.

There is no doubt that The Honeymooners television series is what made Jackie Gleason a household word. The show centered around his character Ralph Kramden and the show was clearly focused on whatever hare-brained scheme, that he was planning at the time.

The Jackie Gleason Show was telecast from 1952-1957 and then revived again to run from 1966-1970. In between he also hosted the Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine from 1962-1966.

You’re In The Picture Bombs

Jackie Gleason did have one colossal failure, when he was the host of a new game show named You’re In The Picture in 1961. This article details the failure of the show the first week and how Gleason came back the second week with a new format:

http://www.tvparty.com/picture.html

1961 would see Gleason also have one of his biggest triumphs on the big screen in The Hustler. He played Minnesota Fats the pool hustler and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor but did not win. It was an awesome achievement, considering that he hadn’t appeared in a movie, since appearing in Desert Hawk in 1950.

He is seen with Paul Newman in this pool room scene from The Hustler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TC3kqFUmqQ

The next year Gleason would return in Gigot, in which he played a mute and would be nominated for a Golden Globes Award as best actor. Gleason wrote the screenplay, starred and wrote the music for Gigot. Gleason was the only recognizable name in the entire cast of this movie.  He is seen in this clip from Gigot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la5tyq9gblk

Gleason also appeared in Requiem For A Heavyweight in 1962. He acted well in the movie, but failed to garner any nominations or awards, for his performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54kM1mY86Mc

He appeared in Papa’s Delicate Condition and Soldier in the Rain in 1963 and wouldn’t appear in another movie, till he appeared in Skidoo in 1968. It is strange that he appeared in so many successful movies, than stopped his movie career for the next five years. He could be that filming his American Scene Magazine television show and appearing in movies was too much for him.

Next he appeared in How To Commit Marriage and Don’t Drink The Water in 1969, then took an eight year hiatus from making movies till 1977.  He appeared in Mr. Billion and Smokey and the Bandit in 1977.  I was going to include some clips of Gleason portraying Sheriff Buford T. Justice, but the dialogue was filled with so much bad language, that I decided not to use it, in case some kids were to watch it. He would go on to appear in Part II and Part III of the Smokey and the Bandit movies in 1980 and 1983.

Gleason also appeared in The Toy in 1982 and The Sting II in 1983, before appearing Nothing In Common in 1986, which would be his last movie. His movie career spanned 45 years from 1941-1986.

It is ironic that Gleason only won a Tony Award in his long career for Take Me Along, while never winning a Emmy, Grammy or Academy Award.

Jackie Gleason died of cancer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 24, 1987 at the age of 71. Gleason left his mark on Broadway, in the movies, on television and music. He truly was an entertainer of the first magnitude.

His obituary from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/25/obituaries/jackie-gleason-dies-of-cancer-comedian-and-actor-was-71.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

A road sign with his famous catch phrase:

The burial place of Jackie Gleason in Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Miami, Florida.

Jackie Gleason kept his sense of humor in death with his famous catchphrase.

Josh Ledet Sounded Even Better Live (Now With Video of Concert)

Josh Ledet

It was just yesterday that I learned Josh Ledet would be appearing, in Heritage Square in Sulphur, Louisiana. We got there early about 1:20 PM, before the 2PM concert. We live only about a mile-and-a-half from Heritage Square, so it took about three minutes to arrive at the venue.

Jason Ledet, the brother of Josh was the host of the show and introduced all the acts and thanked the sponsors and workers, who did an amazing job, considering they only had two days to set up for the concert.

A lady sang Amazing Grace, then a couple of country singers sang a couple of songs each. The lady had a French sounding name so won’t attempt to guess at the spelling. She returned after the country singers sang and sang the Loretta Lynn classic You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man.

Then a fourth singer sang six songs, while playing the acoustic guitar, with none of the songs being recognizable to me and the crowd seemed to be uneasy, since most of the crowd was in the extreme heat and wanted to see Josh. Then a surprise guest Chase Slaughter of X-Factor sang a song acapella.

After all acts left the stage, it was time for Josh to make his entrance and he rewarded his fans, with his stirring rendition, of When A Man Loves A Woman. Almost everyone was on their feet, from the first note of the first song, till he left the stage. Josh called out to some family and friends, that he recognized.  He also sang It’s A Man’s World, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg and I Wish a song that really rocked the house and sounded even better than this version on American Idol.

Josh also sang Ready For Love. If you have a chance to hear Josh Ledet take it, because you will never forget the experience. He commands the stage well and has as much stage presence, as anyone since Elvis Presley. You could feel the electricity in the air when the took the stage.

This video shows Josh singing at the concert at Heritage Square in Sulphur, Louisiana. The video starts off with still photos, but it switches to video, when Josh begins to sing. Somehow this writer was captured on this video shot, since if I had known I would have absconded from the scene. I am the prematurely gray man wearing a Calvary Baptist T-shirt, not having a clue I was being filmed. The best part of the video is when Josh sings I Wish, which was a hit for Stevie Wonder. The video doesn’t come close to the sound of actually being there:

He came out early because of the extreme heat. Free bottles of water were being handed out to the fans, to keep them hydrated. My wife drank three or four bottles of water by herself and was feeling sick, when the crowd closed in to see Josh.  We were just outside the covered part of the arena, so  there was no escaping the heat, unless leaving the seat, to stand under the trees.

We left after Josh finished the first half of the show and went to his motor home behind the stage. I was badly sunburned by then, so we decided to leave before my wife got sicker or I got more sunburned, than I already was.

The main thing is that we got to see and hear Josh Ledet in person. I will be shocked if he is not a bigger star, than the American Idol Phillip Phillips or runner-up Jessica Sanchez.

Best of all, the concert, food and water were free, with McDonalds furnishing free hamburgers.

Josh Ledet will be returning to Louisiana later this summer, when the American Idol tour stops in Lafayette, Louisiana and appears at the Cajundome. The seats won’t be cheap, but if you got the money you will definitely get your money’s worth.

Best Organ Music

There have been a lot of great organists who play different genres of organ music. One of the best rock and roll organists were Booker T & the MG’s. They are shown playing their classic Green Onions.

 

I bought the LP of The Cat recorded by Jimmy Smith playing his Hammond B3 organ. The title song The Cat is a song I have never got tired of, after listening to it for 48 years.

 

Denny McLain is known for being the last major league pitcher, to win 30 games when he won 31 in 1968. He also was a proficient organist, that plays two classics, More and Laura in this audio recording:

The late Leonard George DeStoppelaire, better known as Lenny Dee plays the classic It Had To Be You.

 

The late Ken Griffin who died in 1956 plays Now Is The Hour a classic Hawaiian song.

 

An unidentified organist playing a southern gospel classic Bye and Bye When the Morning Comes.

 

Nancy Bea Hefley playing the organ at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

 

Hope these videos bring some memories of  present and  past organists, who have left an indelible impression on our lives with their music.

Captain and Tenille: Love Has Kept Them Together

Captain & Tenille both played keyboard for the Beach Boys, early in their careers and Tenille was the only Beach Girl.

It doesn’t seem possible that Toni Tenille was 72 last month and her husband Daryl Dragon will be 70 in August. Daryl was a keyboardist for the Beach Boys. Toni later would play the keyboard for the Beach Boys and was their only Beach Girl. They were married on December 11, 1975.

Their first hit single Love Will Keep Us Together went to No.1 on both the pop charts and the adult contemporary charts. The song won a Grammy for Record of the Year. It  was unusual in that it was their first single and for it to win a Grammy and go to No.1 made it their signature song.  The Way I Want To Touch You also reached No.1 in 1975.

Captain & Tenille had three singles, Shop Around, Muskrat Love and Lonely Night (Angels Face) , that went to No.1 in 1976.  It would be three years later in 1979, when they recorded their last No.1 song in Do That To Me One  More Time.

It has been 33 years now since their last No.1 hit and they haven’t even a song make the charts since 1980, when Love On A Shoestring went to No.27 on Hot 100 chart  and Happy Together peaked at No.27 on Adult Contemporary chart.

There are some performers that you instantly like and Toni Tenille and Captain Daryl Dragon were prime examples.

Toni Tenille singing Love Will Keep Us Together with Captain Daryl Dragon on the keyboard.

Toni Tenille singing Shop Around in a lower quaility video but only video found of it.

Captain and Tenille are still together after 37 years of marriage. Toni has recorded some jazz standards on albums.

There was a six year span, when they were at the height of their popularity from 1975-1980. They may not have not have had the longest career in music, but for six years it was magic when Captain and Tenille took the stage.

Captain and Tenille’s website:

http://captainandtennille.net/

Toni Tenille’s website:

http://tonitennille.net/

Will A Girl Ever Win American Idol Again?

Phillip Phillips became the fifth consecutive boy to win the title of American Idol last night in Hollywood defeating Jessica Sanchez.

It really was no surprise when Ryan Seacrest announced, that Phillip Phillips was the Season 10 American Idol. He became the fifth consecutive boy to win the coveted title. He joins David Cook, Season 7 winner, Kris Allen, Season 8 winner, Lee DeWyze, Season 9 winner and Scotty McCreery, Season 10 winner as American Idol winners, since Jordin Sparks won in Season 6.

Kelly Clarkson won Season 1, while Fantasia Barrino won Season 3, Carrie Underwood won Season 4 and Jordin Sparks was the Season 6 winner and are the only girls to win American Idol in 11 seasons.

The girls won three of the first four seasons, but the guys have won six of the last seven seasons. Jessica Sanchez was a much better singer, than Phillip Phillips, yet saw her American Idol dreams dashed last night.

American Idol needs to address the voting issue, to keep this trend of guys winning from continuing, whether they are best singer or not. The more votes cast, then the more chance of a guy winning. 

I have a feeling that the girls are voting early and often for the guys, especially when 132 million votes were cast on Wednesday night. It may be time to forget about announcing these huge vote totals and allow one vote per person. That change should give the girls a better chance of winning.

Taylor Hicks and Lee DeWyze are two guys that may have never been voted as American Idols, if the voters had been limited one vote. I know that American Idol doesn’t want the final vote for each singer released, but it would give us an idea of how the voting is slanted toward the guys.

Just my opinion but I think Josh Ledet and Jessica Sanchez should have been the two finalists last night, but Phillips voters kept Josh from having a chance to make the final two. 

Jessica was very fortunate that the judges hadn’t used their save on someone like Heejun Han, or she wouldn’t have been saved. It is difficult to believe that she received the fewest votes that week, since she was showing week after week, that she was the best female singer on the show.

American Idol lost almost six million viewers, compared to the 2011 final performances. The final performance show drew a record 31.78 million viewers in Season 5, but only 14.85 million voters tuned in on Wednesday night, a drop of almost 17 million viewers from the record.

The ratings for the finale last night have not been announced, but I look for it to be lowest total for a finale night.

The Voice and X-Factor have caused a huge dent in American Idol ratings. With The Voice and X-Factor returning in September, viewers may have tired of watching reality singing competitions even more, by the time American Idol returns next January. X-Factor is hoping to increase their ratings with the addition of Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, as judges to replace the departed Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul.

American Idol producers will be making changes to the show, hoping to slow the declining ratings. American Idol isn’t the juggernaut it once was, but it is usually near the top in the ratings.

Now American Idol has to deal with Phil Phillips having surgery very soon, since he will need four to six weeks to recover from his surgery and ma y not even be available for rehearsals for the summer tour.

1960’s: When Surfing Music Collided With Hot Rod Music

There was a time when surf music was king. The Beach Boys may not have been the first band featuring surfing music, but they are certainly the best-known from that genre. Dick Dale and the Del-Tones are generally recognized, as the first to record surf music with “Let’s Go Trippin’.

Jan and Dean were an early surfing music group who found a new way of surfing….sidewalk surfing:

Surfin’ USA was the first Top 10 hit for the Beach Boys when it went to No.3 in 1963. The Beach Boys are shown singing two of their early hits Surfin’ USA and Surfer Girl which went to No.7 a few months later.

Jan and Dean had a No.3 hit with Little Old Lady From Pasadena. Used car dealers in California would sell cars telling potential buyers, that the cars had been driven by a little old lady from Pasadena, who drove the car only on Sundays to go to church. Jan and Dean turned it all around in their song, changing the little old lady into a street car racer:

The Beach Boys also got into the hot rod music scene with Little Deuce Coupe and 409.

I Get Around went to No.1 one of only four No.1 hits by the Beach Boys:

Jan and Dean recorded Dead Man’s Curve and Google Maps shows the route taken in the song:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=sunset+%26+vine,+los+angeles,+ca&daddr=34.07918,-118.429441&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=15&mra=dme&sll=34.079216,-118.422446&sspn=0.01301,0.029182&ie=UTF8&ll=34.086644,-118.380947&spn=0.052034,0.11673&z=13&om=1

Ironically Jan Berry of Jan and Dean was in an accident not too far from Dead Man’s Curve which can also be seen on this Google Map. Those readers who know this area probably will be interested in knowing the exact locations.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=sunset+%26+vine,+los+angeles,+ca&daddr=34.07918,-118.429441&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=15&mra=dme&sll=34.079216,-118.422446&sspn=0.01301,0.029182&ie=UTF8&ll=34.086644,-118.380947&spn=0.052034,0.11673&z=13&om=1

Italy’s highway system places a whole new meaning when it comes to dead man’s curbs as their highways seem to have no shoulders to change flat tires. Instead of shoulders they have drop offs of hundreds of feet if a car veers off the road. Dead Man’s Curve being sung while showing these treacherous highways adds a new meaning to the song:

This video shows The Ventures playing Wipeout their classic instrumental:

The last video is of the Beach Boys singing Fun, Fun, Fun about a girl having fun driving the car until her daddy takes the keys away:

X-Factor Finalists: Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik

 

Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik will vie to become the first winner of X-Factor in its inaugural season. The three singers will compete this week with the winner being announced on Thursday, Dec. 22.

The best singer remaining in the running, for the coveted $5 million recording contract, in my estimation is Melanie Amaro. My personal favorite is Chris Rene, since he has overcome many obstacles, to be competing to be the winner of the X-Factor. Going from being a garbage collector with a serious drug problem, to the brink of winning a $5 million recording contract, makes me want to root for him.

However, I expect to see either Josh Krajcik or Amaro take the top prize on Thursday night, on finale night. Krajcik has a powerful voice, but his mentor Nicole Scherzinger did nothing to change his stage persona or his appearance during the season. Rene changed his look during the season, due to L.A. Reid’s advice or did it on his own. Either way I think it increased his appeal. He commands the stage and seems to be enjoying entertaining the audience. Rene is by far the best entertainer, remaining in the running to win X-Factor.

Krajcik looks as unkempt as he did during the auditions and has made no attempt to clean up his look. Who would want to buy an album of his with his look, unless he changes it this week? It is sad to see a singer with such a great voice, look like he bought his clothes at a Goodwill store, with scraggly looking hair, that looks like it hasn’t encountered a brush or comb in months. I apologize to his fans for my criticism, but am only pointing this out, to say that a singer’s appearance is crucial to their success.

I look for Steve Jones to announce Amaro, as the winner on Thursday night. I still can’t believe that Simon Cowell chose four other female singers ahead of her.

Speaking of Jones, there are rumors that he will not return for the second season. He is opposite of Ryan Seacrest who seems to run a tighter ship, without all the drama. Jones has several times asked questions to singers or judges, that were emotionally distraught and refused to talk to him.

Jones seems to be obviously reading from a cue card, during X-Factor. I can’t see X-Factor bringing him back and will find a host, who is less annoying.

Shocking Eliminations

The most shocking elimination this season was when Rachel Crow was sent home, due to Scherzinger not being able to make a choice between Marcus Canty and Crow. The judges are paid to judge and her refusal to judge, resulted in Crow going home, since it was her only chance, to remain on the show.

Drew seemed to be a lock for the final three along with Crow, but Cowell’s insistence on her singing in a chair, for an entire song resulted in her being voted off the show.

The animosity between Cowell and Reid speeded up Drew’s departure from the show.

Summary of first season as of today: My personal opinion is that X-Factor went overboard, on the big production numbers. I can’t remember this many big production numbers, on American Idol. Their focus was more on the singers and not the staging of the songs.

X-Factor did well in the ratings, but didn’t come close to approaching the ratings numbers for American Idol. I look for American Idol to continue draw more than 20 million viewers in its 2012 season. Cowell had predicted 20 million viewers for X-Factor, but was 9 to 10 million off most of the season.

Jones, the host was a major distraction during the inaugural season. Know he was being hurried by producers, but then those same producers slowed down the show, by the dead air when announcing who was staying on the show.

X-Factor did alright for a first season, but it seems like they could have come up, with a better final three, than that competing on Thursday night for the big prize.

The fighting between the mentors, took the focus off the singers and onto the judges. Cowell and Reed were particularly disrespectful to the singers, in the other mentor’s tutelage.

One of the singers will have a $5 million recording contract, after the show on Thursday night. Amaro to me, has the best chance of becoming a recording star.

X-Factor Fans Should Know Bell, Francis and Hagood Have Had Past Success

LeRoy Bell of X-Factor and Casey James who comprised Bell and James duo in the 70's.

X-Factor has given its fans the impression that 60 year old LeRoy Bell is trying for one last chance at fame. However, Bell as part of  the Bell and James singing duo had already experienced fame in a big way at the age of 28, when their hit song Livin’ It Up reached No.7 on the U.S. Blacks chart in 1979. That single sold over a million copies, which made it a platinum seller.

LeRoy Bell and Casey James of Bell and James singing their hit song Livin’ It Up.

X-Factor is taking a huge credibility hit, by not revealing that LeRoy Bell had a huge hit 32 years ago. X-Factor willingly or unwillingly has led its fans to think Bell was some down on his luck singer. Bell and James were a short-lived group who made only three albums, releasing their last album in 1981.

The worst thing is that a younger singer or group has lost their chance to be on X-Factor, because of Bell. There also have been rumors circulating that Stacy Francis has also had some success in the music business in the past.

Stacy Francis singing at a birthday party for Tom Cruise.

Dexter Hagood Wanted Off X-Factor

A third over 30’s singer Dexter Hagood asked to be taken off X-Factor, which as far as I know, was never mentioned on the show. His reason was that he only wants to sing rock. I was actually feeling sorry for him, but it turns out he sang with Xavion, the first all black group to appear on MTV. He should have known that singing competition shows, don’t allow the singers to sing only genre of music.  I can’t help but wonder if his tears were real, if he is willing to walk away from a possible $5 million recording contract because he is not getting to sing, his kind of music week after week.

There are reports the group wants him back, in the group and had lost contact with him, until they saw him on X-Factor. Unless Josh Krajcik has also had success in the past, he should be the best of the over 30’s singer by default, considering the other three contestants hid their past, or X-Factor didn’t do their homework on their backgrounds.

 

 

Stories mentioning the Hagood, Bell and Francis:

 

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/11/the-x-factors-dexter-haygood-says-he-left-voluntarily.html

http://entertainment.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980703368

 

 

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/X-Factor-Stacy-Francis-Lying-About-Her-Past-36600.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Band: Toured With Bob Dylan and Tiny Tim

Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Robbie Robertson in this 1968 photo of The Band.

The Band may be the most original name for a band ever. They were referred to as the band, so they adopted the name, while touring with the legendary Bob Dylan and the not so legendary Tiny Tim.

The photo above looks like it could have been taken in the 1800’s, since this was a very scruffy looking band. They look more like an outlaw gang, than musicians in the photo.

Joined Ronnie Hawkins And The Hawks

All the members of  The Band gradually joined Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, with the exception of Levon Helm, who already a member of the Hawks backing band.

It was in 1963, when the Hawks broke up with Ronnie Hawkins, because they were going in a different musical direction. It was odd that Ronnie Hawkins found himself out of his own group, which would be come Levon Helm and the Hawks. They also recorded under the name of the Canadian Squires during this time.

Touring With Bob Dylan

The Band began touring with Bob Dylan, first with only Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm, but then the entire band, would later join Dylan on the road.

By this time Dylan was trying to be more of a rocker, than a folk singer so The Band fit nicely into his plans to have an edgier sound. However some of the folk song purists were calling Dylan by the name of Judas, since they didn’t appreciate Dylan converting into a rock singer.

Made Woodstock Appearance

The Band made an appearance at Woodstock in 1969, but their appearance wasn’t shown in the movie Woodstock, due to legal ramifications.

Eric Clapton, George Harrison Influenced By The Band

The Band made a huge impact on other artists of that era, including Eric Clapton and George Harrison. Clapton was said to have wanted to join The Band. Clapton liked The Band’s Music From Big Pink album so much, that he said it changed his life.

Eric Clapton singing in The Last Waltz movie. Notice how The Band covers for Eric when his guitar strap becomes unattached. This is guitar playing at its best.

The Last Waltz Documentary

By 1976 Robbie Robertson, who apparently perceived himself the leader of The Band, decided he didn’t want to tour, any longer, so planned a huge retirement celebration for The Band on Thanksgiving Day of that year. Many of the biggest names in music were there and movie director Martin Scorsese filmed the concert.

Whether you like the music or not, the movie will bring memories flowing back ,of a long ago era, when hippies were still dominant in San Francisco, where the concert was filmed at the Winterland Ballroom. One musical memory from the night was the use of a tuba in the concert by the orchestra.

Levon Helm singing the Robbie Robertson composition The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, a song about the end of the Civil War.

Bob Dylan singing Baby Let Me Follow You Down in the voice we like to remember him by.

Levon Helm singing The Weight which was voted 41st best song on Rolling Stone’s list of Top 500 Songs.

My son Steve had told me about the Last Waltz movie being made about The Band. I really had paid no attention The Band and hadn’t heard of the movie.

Be forewarned that the language in this movie is not for kids, but the music is what really matters the most, plus the reminders of a different era.

The Eric Clapton video of him singing in Last Waltz, is only the beginning of the music from this movie.

This is Levon Helm singing Ophelia, my personal favorite from the movie.

Neil Young singing Helpless.

Neil Diamond singing Dry Your Eyes

Rick Danko singing It Makes No Difference

All the singers join in on I Shall Be Released

The Band would resurface in 1983, but without Robbie Robertson. Levon Helm feuded with Robertson who was credited as songwriter on most of their original songs, but Helm thought the songwriting was more of a team effort. Their feud prevented Helm from even attending, the group’s induction, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Helm also did not attend the night, The Band was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2008.

Richard Manuel 1943-1986

Tragic Death of Richard Manuel

Richard Manuel, the pianist/drummer for The Band had been a heavy drinker, earlier in his career, but later would suffer a relapse. He told fellow band member Garth Hudson thanks for 25 years of music, not long before hanging himself in a Orlando, Florida motel on March 4, 1986.  He was 42 at the time of his death.

Rick Danko Dies in 1999

The death of Rick Danko from drug related heart failure on December 10, 1999 signaled the end of The Band. Danko had been taking prescribed morphine since a 1968 car accident, which left him in great pain, but he was still able to sing and play the guitar for the next 31 years.

His death came in his sleep in Marbletown, N.Y. home, which ironically was close to Woodstock.

Surviving Members of The Band

Levon Helm is still singing and drumming today at the age of 71.

Levon Helm has not retired from the music business, but is still going strong and also has some acting credits:

Helm has also had a considerable career as an actor. He has appeared in the movies The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Shooter,Smooth Talk, The Right Stuff, The Dollmaker, Feeling Minnesota, End of the Line, In the Electric Mist, Fire Down Below, Staying Togetherand portrayed Loretta Lynn‘s father in the film Coal Miner’s Daughter opposite Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones. – from Wikipedia

Robbie Robertson is now 68.

Robertson Writing Music For Soundtracks

Robbie Robertson 68, is still active today and has done a lot of work, with movie soundtracks. He has been active in the music business for 51 years.

Garth Hudson muscial genius of The Band is 74.

Garth Hudson Still Recording Today

Garth Hudson was the resident musical genius of   The Band who played the organ, piano, saxophone, accordion and electronic keyboards. Hudson is still active at 74. He has worked with music for movie soundtracks and has recorded five albums since 2000.

Music Chart Busts

The Band’s highest ranking single on the Billboard charts was Up on Cripple Creek which topped out at #25. Even The Weight did not sell well as it ended up at #63.

Last Waltz Movie Worth Watching

Martin Scorsese’s Last Waltz is worth watching if you haven’t seen it. It is also worth watching again, if you have seen it. It takes us back to a time a lot of us would like to forget, but also back to the music back then. There are not that many chances to see and hear a tuba being played in a band.

The street scenes shown at the first of the movie, will be especially enjoyed by those in San Francisco, who have walked those streets.

Neil Diamond Enters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at 70

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Neil Diamond early in his career.

A more recent photo of Neil Diamond.

Neil Diamond was born in New York City on January 24, 1941. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011. First thought is what took them so long to induct him, behind a band named Traffic, which was inducted in 2004. Traffic may have been a great group, but I can’t recall the name of even one of their songs, or band members and wasn’t even sure what they looked like, till I saw their photo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website. There is no reason for Neil Diamond to wait 45 years to be inducted, after writing a No.1 song in I’m A Believer, which was also Popular Music Song of the Year in 1966.

Sweet Caroline perhaps his best known recording peaked at No.3 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart but went platinum. Diamond had Holly Holy in 1969, Cracklin’ Rosie and 1979’s duet You Don’t Bring Me Flowers with Barbra Streisand all reach the platinum status.

Neil Diamond singing Dry Your Eyes in The Last Waltz a 1978 movie.

Cracklin’ Rosie First No.1 Hit

Diamond achieved fame as a songwriter, before recording is first No.1 hit in 1970’s Cracklin’ Rosie, which was written and sung by Diamond. Two years later in 1972 Diamond would place Song Sung Blue, in both the U.S. and U.S. Adult Contemporary categories on the record chart.

Then Diamond continuing the trend of having a No.1 hit every two years, recorded Longwell Serenade, which was a No.1 song in U.S. Adult Contemporary in 1974.

Diamond would record ten No.1 hits during his career, with the last No. 1 being Heartlight released in 1982.

Only One No.1 Studio Album

The first studio album was released by Diamond in 1966. It would be 42 years later, in 2008 when he had Home Before Dark, a studio album place No. 1 on the record chart.

No other Neil Diamond album ever went to No.1, but six of his albums were designated as multi-platinum.

Neil Diamond singing his classic Sweet Caroline.

Third Most Popular Adult Contemporary Artist

Only Barbra Streisand and Elton John have sold more albums than Diamond among all adult contemporary artists. He is still touring at the age of 70 and drawing huge crowds.

Even at age 70, Diamond was No.1 in ticket sales according to this news from Billboard.com ahead of No.2 Jason Aldean and No.3 Dolly Parton:

Neil Diamond shines at No. 1 on the latest Hot Tours ranking with $4 million in ticket sales reported by London’s O2 Arena, the final venue on his tour outing during the spring and summer.  The veteran singer/songwriter played three shows in London on July 9, 11 and 13 with a combined attendance total of 36,000 for all three nights, capping off a slate of June/July arena performances in five markets in the U.K. and Ireland.  Diamond kicked off his 2011 tour in New Zealand at the end of February and played dates in Australia and South Africa during March and April.  The European leg began in Belgium in early June.

Dubious Claim To Fame

There is one thing that Neil Diamond would probably not want to be remembered for. His America would be used as the theme song, in the presidential campaign  of Michael Dukakis, in his futile bid for the presidency in 1988.

Katie McNeil is the fiancée of Neil Diamond who announced their engagement last month via Twitter.

Neil Diamond has had an eventful year, having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, even though some thought he was drunk when he made his acceptance speech, if it can be called a speech.

His concerts are drawing huge crowds and earning millions of dollars, but even more importantly, he has announced his engagement with his manager Katie McNeil.

Diamond has been in the music business for about 50 years, but he seems as popular as ever, since his fans are still showing up in droves in whatever venues, that he appears.

Life and Death of Hank Williams Sr.

Hank Williams Sr. 1923-1953

Hank Williams was born as Hiram King Williams on September 17, 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. He changed his name to Hank, since it sounded more like a good name, for a country music singer.

Lillie Williams, his mother would have to raise him, when his father Elonzo was sent to the VA Hospital in Pineville, Louisiana  with a brain aneurysm, where he remained for eight years.

Hank would begin playing the guitar at 8, then first appeared on radio at the age of 13. By the time he was 14 he had formed a band called the Drifting Cowboys.

Roy Acuff once told Williams the dangers of using alcohol, saying “You have a million dollar voice, but a 10 cent brain”.

Began Abusing Alcohol During World War II

World War II would find him working in a Mobile, Alabama shipyard and singing in Montgomery, Alabama. He started abusing alcohol, due to having a congenital spinal disorder, which caused extreme back pain. He would never be able to curb his drinking habit.

It was in 1943 when he met his future wife, Audrey Sheppard.

He was only 23 in 1946, when he signed a songwriting contract with the Acuff-Rose songwriting company. He first hit was Move It On Over recorded on the new MGM record label in 1947. The Grand Ole Opry, which had refused to sign him in 1946 would later sign him in 1949 and he would debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage on June 11,1949, with six encores that night.

Lovesick Blues Was Breakthrough Hit

His big break came in 1949 at the age of 26 when he recorded the 27-year-old song Lovesick Blues, after he had joined the Louisiana Hayride and later would join the Grand Ole Opry.

Williams didn’t know how to read or notate music, yet still had eleven No.1 songs, between 1948 and 1953. Tony Bennett would sing one of his songs, Cold, Cold Heart. 

He would begin recording religious songs, as Luke the Drifter, in case the songs would not be well received.

Audrey, Jett, Hank Jr., Hank Sr.

Divorces Audrey Williams

The back pain of Williams got worse, after Williams fell in a hunting accident. He was now taking morphine and drinking alcohol, because of the pain. His wife Audrey would divorce him in June of 1952, but he would marry Billie Jean Jones, only four months later in October of 1952.

Billie Jean Jones, daughter of Bossier City Police Chief. She widowed Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Horton.

Two months earlier in August of 1952, Williams was fired by the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. He was now not showing up for performances or not singing well, if he did show up.

Health Worsens

Williams was beginning to have heart problems in late 1952. He may have made a critical mistake by contacting a fake doctor who had no real credentials as a doctor as indicated by this paragraph from his Wikipedia biography:

 

He met Horace Raphol “Toby” Marshall in Oklahoma City, who claimed to be a doctor. Marshall had been previously convicted for forgery, and had been paroled and released from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1951. Among other fake titles he claimed to be a Doctor of Science. He purchased the DSC title for $35 from the Chicago School of Applied Science, in the diploma, he requested that the DSC was spelled out as “Doctor of Science and Psychology”. Under the name of Dr. C. W. Lemon he prescribed Williams with amphetamines, Seconal, chloral hydrate, and morphine.^[52] 

 

It would be interesting to know what a real doctor thought, about this cocktail mix of drugs and if these drugs could have sped up the end of his life.

Death Comes In The Morning of January 1, 1953

Hank Williams was supposed to appear in a concert at Charleston, West Virginia on Dec. 31, 1952, but because of an ice storm in Nashville, Tennessee, he was unable to make it there on time. His driver, Charles Carr called ahead to notify management of the auditorium, that they would not be able to make it to Charleston, because of the bad driving conditions.

However, Carr was instructed to drive Williams to Canton, Ohio for a concert on New Year’s Day of 1953. When they arrived in Knoxville, Carr summoned a doctor to the Andrew Johnson Hotel. The doctor injected Williams with two shots of Vitamin B-12, which included some morphine.

Carr proceeded to drive Williams to Bristol, Virginia and asked Williams if wanted something to eat.  Williams told him no, which were probably his last words. Carr then drove on to Oak Hill, West Virginia to refuel, when he realized Williams was dead and notified the local police chief.

The following paragraph describes what the doctor found during the autopsy and what occurred at the Canton, Ohio venue,when the audience was informed that Williams had died en route to Canton.

 

Dr. Ivan Malinin performed the autopsy at the Tyree Funeral House. Malinin found hemorrhages in the heart and neck and pronounced the cause of death as “insufficiency of the right ventricle of the heart.”^[59] That evening, when the announcer at Canton announced Williams’s death to the gathered crowd, they started laughing, thinking that it was just another excuse. After Hawkshaw Hawkins and other performers started singing “I Saw the Light” as a tribute to Williams, the crowd, now realizing that he was indeed dead, sang along.^[60] 

 

 

 

I will never forget the scene in the Your Cheatin’ Heart movie when the audience, was told that Hank had died, then everyone starts singing I Saw The Light. One of the most special moments in any movie ever.

 

Hank Williams died in the backseat of this 1952 Cadillac.

 

His funeral on January 4, 1953 attracted more people, than to any other funeral in the history of Alabama, up to that time. Estimates range as low as 15,000 and high as 25,000 that filed by his silver coffin.

This is a small portion of the funeral service for Hank Williams on January 4, 1952.

It was ironic that one of his best-known hits, Your Cheatin’ Heart hadn’t been released prior to his death, but it would remain No.1 on the country charts for six weeks.

This is the announcement made on WCKY radio telling of the death of Hank Williams, followed by Hank singing I Am Bound For The Promised Land.

Left Musical Legacy

Hank Williams may have only recorded music from 1947-1952, but he left a  lasting imprint among country music fans and will always be remembered by the fans who enjoyed his music in the past. His music will continue to be passed on to future generations, as even today his music is still being sung.

He recorded a lot of gospel songs, as well as country hits. These are just some of his songs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams_discography

If this song I Dreamed About Mama Last Night doesn’t touch the heart of anyone that has lost their mama, something is seriously wrong.

This song Be Careful of Stones That You Throw will make us think twice before we throw stones at others.

Hank Williams may have died 58 years ago at the age of 29. Hank would be 87 if he was still living today. He may not have lived long on this earth, but he brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people through his musical legacy.

He only lived through the terms of four American presidents in his 29 years. We know Hank Williams had his faults, like the rest of us, but as he passed on his music to future generations, we will also pass on his music to those who have never heard his music in the coming years. Thank you Hank for reminding us to see the same light, you saw when you sang I Saw The Light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X-Factor Contestants Invade Homes of Judges This Week

The remaining 32 X-Factor contestants will invade the homes of judges Simon Cowell (pictured in his home), Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid.

The remaining X-Factor contestants have now been separated into groups of eight. The groups are Boys, Girls, Groups and Over 30. When it was determined that there were only five talented groups, the X-Factor producers decided to create three more groups from deserving singers, that had been eliminated.

The Tuesday October 25 show, will reveal the  16 acts remaining for the live shows. Each of the four judges will have a celebrity to help them choose the final 16 acts.

 

Rachel Crow, 13

Rachel Crow has shown she is not intimidated by large audiences, at the auditions and at least one online articles, mentions that she could be in a television show. However, right now she is focusing on being one of the final 16 singers. She reminds me of a modern-day Shirley Temple, that has a huge likability factor in her favor.

Chris Rene, 28

I am finding myself rooting for singers like Chris Rene, who earns his living as a trash collector and has fought drug addiction. He is not only a good singer, but an entertainer who really seems to feel the songs, that he is singing. He is best at rapping, but not sure how he will do if he is required to sing a ballad.

Dexter Haygood, 49

My personal favorite is 49-year-old Dexter Haygood, who was given a second chance in his first audition, after the judges didn’t particularly like him channeling James Brown in his performance, so he sang another song and wowed the judges and has a 50 percent chance of being chosen for the live show. This is probably the end of the road for Haygood, unless he makes the final 16 acts.

Stacy Francis, 42

Stacy Francis lost her father since auditioning for X-Factor. He first audition received many words of praise, from the judges. However, in her boot camp audition, she held a note way too long. Instead of impressing the judges she received criticism, but like she said, she had very little vocal training and should be able to work with the voice coach, to iron out any problems.

LeRoy Bell, 60

LeRoy Bell is the oldest contestant still in the competition, as far as I know. He has one of better voices in the competition. It all comes down to whether the judges want a 60 year, to receive the $5 million recording contract. I have a feeling he may not even make the final 16, since he is at an age where he could suddenly have medical problems.

Simone Battle, 22

It was a huge shocker that Simone Battle was chosen as one of the final 32 acts in X-Factor. Before singing in her last boot camp performance, she was going on and on, about how she was a special entertainer and stood out. Then she hits the stage and forgets ALL the words of her song, which to my knowledge has never happened, in any singing competition ever.

Despite her horrific performance, she was chosen by the judges to continue in the competition. To me, it isn’t fair to the other competitors who remembered their words.

What happened to Simon Cowell’s admonition to contestants, when he was on American Idol, to not forget the lyrics or they were gone?

Tiah Tolliver, 20

Tiah Tolliver can thank Simon Cowell, for being one of the final 32 acts chosen during Boot Camp week. Simon sees in her something, that the other judges don’t see. I can’t recall Simon ever fighting for a contestant on American Idol, the way he has fought for Tolliver.

Tora Woloshin, 22

Tora Woloshin, has something about her, tells me she could go far this X-Factor season, but with the competition she is battling, she may not make the final 16 acts. The heavily-tattooed singer wowed the judges in her first audition.

 

Tim Cifers, 30

Tim Cifers could be the only pure country singer, to make the final 16, since his voice stands out and made an impression on the judges.

The Stereo Hogzz

It would be a complete shock if the The Stereo Hogzz don’t make the final 8 groups. I look for them to stay on the show, deep into the season, maybe even as late as December and the finals.

Those shown above are just a few of the remaining acts. It was just a sampling of the remaining acts.

Judges Called And Given Categories

A highlight of the last X-Factor show last Thursday, was when the judges received a call, telling them what categories they would judge:

Simon Cowell – Girls

L.A. Reid – Boys

Nicole Scherzinger – Over 30

Paula Abdul – Groups

Learning the Contestants

Most of us are still learning the names of the remaining contestants. This list of acts at the X-Factor website shows photos of remaining acts, plus an interview with the contestants if you click on their photo, prior to the opening of Boot Camp.

http://www.thexfactorusa.com/contestants

Complete X-Factor TV Schedule

This complete schedule should be closely watched, since there are some Tuesday shows included this season, because of the World Series being shown on Fox.

The final show will be shown on December 22, so we should know the winner of X-Factor by 10PM ET on that night.

http://xfactornetwork.com/x-factor-usa-2011-schedule-35279/

Jordin Sparks Single Sets Record Selling 4 Million Digital Copies Of Single

Jordin Sparks has sold four million copies of her "No Air" single collaboration with Chris Brown.

Jordin Sparks, who was the Season 6 American Idol winner has done what no other contestant has ever done. She sold four million digital copies of her “No Air” duet with Chris Brown, the most sold by any American Idol contestant.

Sparks won in 2006 when 36 million fans tuned in to see the finale. In comparison, only 20 million watched the finale this year.

When Sparks won in 2006 she was the youngest at 17, to ever win the coveted title of American Idol.

Forbes Magazine lists Carrie Underwood as the biggest earner among former American Idol contestants as she took in $20 million in 2010, far eclipsing the sales of Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry who earned $6 million.

Fantasia was next earning $4 million and Sparks was right behind her earning $3 million.

Scott McCreery received a check for $250,000 for winning Season 10, but Season 7 winner David Archuleta was given a check for $360,000.

However, Ryan Seacrest earned $61 million last year which is more than the Top 10 earners among American Idol contestants made combined. He earned $15 million as the host but that is only a small part of his earnings, since he is earning money, as a disc jockey, host for the E channel’s Entertainment News and is producing reality television shows.

Something is wrong when Seacrest is paid $15 million for hosting American Idol while Scotty McCreery gets a measly $250,000 check. The fans tune in to see the contestants, not Seacrest so it wouldn’t hurt Seacrest to take a pay cut, so the winner would receive a larger check.

The new X-Factor show debuting this fall on FOX, is paying their winner $5 million which is 20 times more than McCreery earned for winning American Idol. The Voice which recently concluded their first season only paid their winner $100,000, but they have a much shorter season. The X-Factor winner will receive a check 50 times the $100,000 check that The Voice winner receives.

The complete article and list of the leading earners among American Idol contestants in 2010:

http://blogs.forbes.com/zackomalleygreenburg/2011/07/21/the-top-earning-american-idols/

 

George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Daughter Georgette

George Jones singing The Grand Tour, one of the best country music songs ever written.

Norro Wilson wrote some great songs in Picture Me Without You and Most Beautiful Girl in the World, but to me his best song was The Grand Tour which was recorded by George Jones and Aaron Neville. The song was released two years before the divorce of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. However, the words to the song  fit well when they were divorced.

Anyone who has been divorced and had to leave a baby with their spouse, can’t help but be touched by this song. This is country music at its best. Divorced couples can relate to this song, since it tells of the hurt that is felt by the one that has to leave the home, they lived in for so long.

Only George Jones can sing this song the way it was meant to be sung. He sings with such emotion, that you feel like he has lived the words of this song.

George Jones and Tammy Wynette singing Golden Ring two years after their divorce.

George Jones and his daughter Georgette singing Daddy Come Home after he had divorced Tammy Wynette.

It is touching to see George and Georgette Jones singing a duet, after his divorce from Tammy Wynette with Tammy in the audience.  It has now been 36 years since the divorce. He is now married to Nancy Sepulvado, whom he married in 1983 and they are still married 28 years later. Coincidentally, 1983 was also the year he released his last No.1 hit in I Always Get Lucky With You.

American Idol Update – June 24, 2011

 

Jennifer Lopez hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to return for Season 11 of American Idol.

Jennifer Lopez is in negotiation for two film roles. It remains to be seen how she can be an American Idol judge, travel across South America to find talent for the new reality show Q’Viva (The Chosen) and star in films.

 

American Idol ties her down during the audition process in several major cities, plus once the live shows start next year, she will be keeping an extremely hectic schedule.

 

 

$12 Million Salary

 

It won’t be easy for her to walk away from $12 million salary she earns as an American Idol judge, but she could make even more from the new reality show and her recording  and film career.

 

It is just my opinion but I think she would like to return, but I look for her to decide to leave the show after considering how little time she would have with her family, since making the movies could use up months of her time.

 

I didn’t always agree with Jennifer’s comments as a judge, but respect her concise remarks, with no stammering around like we had from Ellen DeGeneres in Season 9. I could tell she truly cared about the contestants and how much it hurt her to tell Chris Medina he wouldn’t be one of the final 24.

 

 

American Idol Rejuvenated With New Judges

 

The American Idol franchise was rejuvenated with her and Steven Tyler as new judges. The main thing I liked about all three judges including original judge Randy Jackson was that they never seemed to be at a loss for words. The loss of Simon Cowell turned out to be a non-event. Ellen DeGeneres wasn’t missed but I thought Kara DioGuardi did an excellent job as a judge.

 

American Idol might have problem keeping judges, that are trying to restart their career like Jennifer Lopez.  While she has not made her decision yet on whether to continue as a judge for Season 11, I look for her to leave due to her busy schedule.

 

American Idol Notebook

Randy Jackson is pitching his own talk show to the networks. So far, there has been no official response. I can’t see a Randy Jackson talk show being successful, but with television you never know….There are rumors that Ryan Seacrest will replace Regis Philbin on Regis and Kelly, which would probably be re-named Ryan and Kelly if that actually happens. Since Seacrest has most of his work based in California, the show may have to move to California for it to work for Seacrest. With his multitude of jobs already it may be too much for him to do Ryan and Kelly, American Idol, his radio show, his E News program, his producing of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and other reality shows he produces. I can see how he could do the Ryan and Kelly show if he drops his radio show, since it would be telecast in the morning, while American Idol would be shown at night.

Pia Toscano has finally signed a record deal with Interscope. There were reports that she had signed a recording contract shortly after leaving American Idol, but those reports proved to be false. Even though she finished ninth in the voting, I look for her to be one of the most successful singers from Season 10….Auditions for Season 11 begin in St. Louis on June 28 about a month after Scotty McCreery became the American Idol for Season 10. It is unknown if the three judges will be there for the auditions but that should be known, once the auditions start.

Barry Manilow said last night on Piers Morgan Tonight that he thinks singers on shows like American Idol are making it too fast, without paying their dues, like most singers have to do….The American Idol summer tour starts in West Valley City, Utah on July 6 and ends on September 10 in Rochester, New York.

For more information on the tour:

http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/4886

 

 

 

American Idol: Another Reinhart on the Horizon: Angela Reinhart

Angela Reinhart and Haley Reinhart seen when Haley returned to Wheeling, Illinois for Haley's homecoming.

 

 

Haley Reinhart’s run at becoming the Season 10 American Idol is over, after finishing third, but her sister Angela has the talent to compete in Season 11 or Season 12 if she decides to enter the hit reality show.

Haley’s little sister was reportedly in the sophomore class at Wheeling High School in Wheeling, Illinois earlier this year, so by should be a junior this fall.

She not only sings well, but also accompanies herself on the guitar. I have never seen Haley play a musical instrument, but she doesn’t really need one with her voice, which took her to the next last week of American Idol this season.

Their father, Harry Reinhart mentions in the video with this article that Angela has been very supportive of her older sister Haley during her quest to be the American Idol.

After Angela finishes her first song, someone in the audience shouts “American Idol No.2”, so it is possible that she could follow in the footsteps of her sister.

Angela and Haley write songs together and perform with Midnight, the name of the family band with their father Harry and mother Patty.

Their parents met 30 years ago through their interest in music.

 

Angela Reinhart, sister of Haley Reinhart singing two songs with Midnight in April of 2011.

Just my opinion, but it seems like the music was overpowering Angela’s vocals. From what I could hear, she seems to be able to make a name for herself on American Idol if she wishes to pursue a musical career like her sister Haley.

One huge advantage with Haley as her sister, would be that Haley can help her know what to expect from the first audition to the last weeks of the competition for American Idol.

Angela Reinhart may not be a household name yet, but don’t be surprised if you see her on American Idol in the next year or two. To my knowledge, no sisters or brothers of a previous contestant have made it to the live shows.

Tanya Tucker: From Las Vegas At 11, To Nashville At 13

Tanya Tucker shown early in her career.

Tanya  Tucker was born on October 10, 1958 in Seminole, Texas.

13 years later she would sing Delta Dawn, but she had already been singing in Las Vegas at the age of 11.

She sent a demo tape to Billy Sherrill a producer for CBS Records and he was so impressed he signed her to a recording contract with Columbia Records.

Tucker was offered Happiest Girl in the USA, but turned it down passing it to Donna Fargo which launched Fargo’s career.

Instead she chose Delta Dawn which she had heard Bette Midler sing on the Tonight show.

The song would rise to No.6 on the country music chart, but Helen Reddy recorded it and it went to No. 1 on the pop chart.

By the age of 18 Tucker would have six No.1 hits, but it would be ten years later in 1986 before she had another No.1 hit. She recorded her last No.1 hit Strong Enough to Bend in 1988. She had nine songs which peaked at No.2 including Love Me Like You Used To.

Even though she was on top of the country music world, her personal life became unraveling as a teenager when she would sing in front of thousands, then go back to an empty hotel room as she describes it. Since she was bored and not allowed to drink in bars, she started drinking.

Tanya Tucker singing later in her career.

When she moved to Los Angeles in 1978, her world really began to unravel as she encountered the nightlife and began dating Hollywood celebrities like Don Johnson, singer Andy Gibb and country singers like the much older Merle Haggard. She is most famous for dating Glen Campbell which turned out to be a turbulent relationship, which is well documented in this People magazine article:

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20079182,00.html

She returned to Nashville in 1982, but was till drinking and using cocaine. Her family intervened and helped her get the help she needed.

Tanya Tucker singing Delta Dawn.

An older Tanya Tucker singing Delta Dawn.

Tanya Tucker video of her singing Strong Enough To Bend her last No.1 hit in 1988.

Even though Tanya Tucker has been through a lot of ups and downs since Delta Dawn made her a star, she has been a survivor and still very active in country music.

Tucker has several tour dates coming up with concerts in several U.S. cities and stops in Canada, Norway and France starting June 24 and ending September 23.

October 10 will mark her 53rd birthday which also will be the 40th anniversary of her recording Delta Dawn.

This Is Vintage Now: Album Review

David Gasten has compiled a collection of vintage music for his This Is Vintage Now album which features many genres from jump blues, to easy listening, to exotica to his own band David Gasten and the City Kids.

Any listener that likes to hear a variety of music on one album will be thrilled to listen to this album.

THIS IS VINTAGE NOW – Compiled by David Gasten

BEVERLY KENNEY – Tea For Two – The album starts off with a classic jazz vocal rendition of Beverly Kenney singing Tea for Two. This song is perfect for listening on a cold  winter night, as you listen to Beverly Kenney singing in a perfectly understated voice, that lets the listener enjoy the warmth of her voice, giving the impression she is singing to the listener. The musical accompaniment plays softly, in the background, leaving the listener to hear each word of the lyrics clearly. This track is my personal favorite on the album since I grew up in the era when this kind of music was at the zenith of its popularity.

BIG JAY MCNEELY – Get On Up And Boogie (Parts 1, 2 and 3) – The second track is the direct opposite of the first track, as Big Jay McNeely rocks out on Get On Up And Boogie, a fast tempo roadhouse style blues song, that jumps from start to finish. This is the kind of song where nobody will be slow dancing to, because it is meant to be danced to fast and furiously. Only skilled musicians can play this fast,without missing some notes, since this song’s frenetic pace leaves no margin for error, but Big Jay McNeely and his band are up to the task. You will notice some excellent horn work on this track. Don’t be surprised if after listening to this track, that you will want to play it again.

CARO EMERALD – Just One Dance – This young lady, Caro Emerald is a 30 year old Dutch singer, who sings Just One Dance on the album. Her voice is mesmerizing on this track, as this track reminds me of music from the 80’s. Caro switches from being louder in some parts to being much softer sounding in other parts. After listening to this track, you will want to search You Tube for more of her music. There is no question of if she will make it big, but when. Her current schedule shows no trips to the United States through the first week of September. Her career will really take off when she tours the United States. Remember the name Caro Emerald, because you will be hearing more of her music in the future.

ILANA CHARNELLE – Piece – Music fans who like slower music will enjoy this haunting song named Piece sung by Ilana Charnelle. The sparse background music highlights the distinct tone of Ilana’s voice. You will want to hear more of her music, after listening to this track. The well-written lyrics, mesh very well with her voice. Ilana can be found on Facebook and Twitter and she responds to the posts of others on her page, unlike some other artists who post very infrequently. The sky is the limit for Ilana, as more and more music fans find her music. We have not heard the last from Ilana Charnelle and hope the Australian vocalist will be touring in the United States sooner, rather than later.

THE PHAROHS – Tears On My Pillow – Little Anthony and the Imperials took Tears on My Pillow to No.1 in 1958 and has been covered many times. This version by the Pharohs is closer to the original than covers sung by many other artists. It also reminds me of the time when rock and roll was only four or five years old, when this song was popular. So it is good that the Pharohs have recorded this song, even though it is now 53 years old. If you want to go back in time for three minutes and some change, this song will take you back again to the 50’s.

THE WAITIKI 7 – Similau – Exotica music is one of the rarest genres of music found today, so it is exciting to know that Waitiki 7 is bringing back the music, of Martin Denny and other exotica artists recorded over forty years ago. The jungle sounds on the track bring back great memories of when we could imagine being in a faraway jungle, enjoying the sounds of birds and other sounds of the jungle. It is good to know, that The Waitiki 7 are keeping the exotica genre alive and you will enjoy hearing this exotica music as much as you enjoyed hearing Martin Denny music many years ago.

DAVID GASTEN AND THE CITY KIDS – The Deacon Don’t Like It – The voice of David Gasten is what makes this song great. He has a unique voice that doesn’t sound like any other singer today. David has a great band backing up his vocals. You will want to hear more David Gasten music after hearing The Deacon Don’t Like It. I look for David and his band to be better known, once they can get some of their music on You Tube. The background singers add a lot to the vocals by singing their parts well. David Gasten and the City Kids have a bright future. It is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, to be heard by the right people and to have some internet exposure.

CAROLE CREVELING – Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea – This may be a short track lasting barely over two minutes but Carole Creveling makes the most of the short time singing Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea as well, if not better, than other singer who has recorded it. It was first recorded by Cab Calloway in 1931 making it 80 years old this year. Carole wasn’t intimidated by the history of the song and performs it well on this track in an up tempo style.

BLAKE JONES AND THE TRIKE SHOP – If Hawthorne Were Foggy – The instrumental If Hawthorne Were Foggy is an easy listening track that features excellent orchestration. Sounds like an xylophone is being used during parts of the song, which gives the instrumental a very soft sound. The Fresno, California group is planning a return trip to England soon.

THE NECRO-TONZ – Fare Thee Well And Go To Hell – The Necro-Tonz sound is a distinct sound as Fare Thee Well And Go To Hell starts off with a 34 second musical introduction before the vocal starts. The song is about a girl who is not happy with her lover and wants him gone and minces no words in saying it in the song. The horns kick in at the last part of the song. This group is focused on bringing back jazz and cocktail music, but not in the traditional sense. Their idea of jazz and cocktail music is more along the lines of reviving the sounds of extinct bands.

The album has not been released yet but clips can be found of the songs at:

http://www.reverbnation.com/thisisvintagenow

American Idol: Scotty and Lauren Alaina Make Grand Ole Opry Debut

Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina making their Grand Ole Opry debuts on Friday, June 10, 2011 at the age of 17 and 16 in Nashville, Tennessee.

American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina made their Grand Ole Opry debuts on Friday, June 10.

Both singers seem to be destined to be country music singers.

Not many singers make their Opry debuts at such a young age with Scotty being 17 and Lauren being 16.

Apparently, the show was not filmed or was filmed for later showing so there is no video of the their singing debuts, but there is audio of their songs, which was broadcast over the WSM radio station in Nashville.

Kellie Pickler will sing on the Grand Ole Opry tonight and Crystal Bowersox will be singing on June 17.

Carrie Underwood is the only American Idol winner that has already been named a member of the Grand Ole Opry, but the way Scotty and Lauren Alaina may be members sooner than later. Kellie Pickler and Crystal Bowersox have a chance of being admitted in the future.

The following audio only videos let readers listen to Scotty and Lauren singing last night on the Grand Ole Opry stage:

Scotty McCreery singing in an audio version at the Grand Ole Opry.

American Idol runner-up singing in her Grand Ole Opry debut.

American Idol News: June 7 Edition

Lauren Alaina runner-up on American Idol Season 10.

Lauren Alaina To Start Work On Album, Appear on Grand Ole Opry

Lauren Alaina the runner-up for Season 10 of American Idol will be in Nashville this week to start work on her debut album for Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings, Interscope.

Friday will be a special day for Lauren Alaina when she will make her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Lauren Alaina because of her young age of 16 can only work a limited schedule so it may be a long time before the album is actually released.

She may be one of the most successful runner-ups ever on American Idol, but it is way too soon to know for sure since she is just getting started on her post-American Idol.

One thing for sure, Lauren Alaina may be the nicest  and most liked contestant  to ever appear on American Idol.

Paul McDonald, Nikki Reed Engaged After Two Month Courtship

Paul McDonald of American Idol fame and actress Nikki Reed have announced their engagement.

It is usually not a good thing for an American Idol contestant to finish eighth for the season, but in the case of Paul McDonald it was a blessing in disguise.

It gave him a head start on his romance with “Twilight” actress Nikki Reed and has culminated in them announcing their engagement on the 2011 MTV Movie Awards Show.

He may have entered the American Idol competition to advance his singing career, but more importantly he has met the love of his life. If not for the show Nikki Reed probably never would have met him.

McDonald was eliminated from American Idol the week after the shocking elimination of Pia Toscano.

I am sure when he tried out for American Idol he had no idea he would be engaged to an actress about a week after the show ended.

It was his goal to win American Idol, but doubt if his next goal was to find an actress who liked him enough after a whirlwind courtship to agree to marry him.

We want to wish both of them a long and happy marriage.

http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2011/06/twilights-nikki-reed-american-idols-paul-mcdonald-are-gettin-hitched/

Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina Appear on Today

The American Idol Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina recently appeared on the Today show on the NBC television network. Scotty was interviewed by Meredith Viera before singing his debut single I Love You This Big.

Scotty McCreery being interviewed and singing his debut single on Today show last week.

Lauren Alaina singing Like My Mother Does on Today show with her mother watching her sing.

Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery singing I Told You So.

Those who were lucky enough to see Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina sing in their mini-concert, outside the NBC studios in New York City not only got to hear some great singing, but also were able to see how humble both of them are.

Both of them should never be affected by their fame, because they are too down to earth to let fame and fortune change them.

They have something some of the recent American Idols don’t have. This is nothing against Lee DeWyze but he has almost been an anonymous American Idol. Few people could even tell you who won Season 9 of American Idol.

I look for Scotty and Lauren to far exceed Lee in record sales and concert receipts. Scotty’s bass voice and Lauren Alaina’s tone should be selling records for years to come. Whether they will ever approach the sales of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson remains to be seen, but right now it looks like they both have bright futures.

Paul Anka Will Celebrate 70th Birthday in July

Paul Anka shown early in his career.

Paul Anka shown in a more recent photo.

Paul Albert Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 1941. He will be 70 on his birthday which is hard to believe. It seems like only yesterday I was listening to him sing Diana, You Are My Destiny, Put Your Head on My Shoulder and Lonely Boy. Lonely Boy would be his last No.1 hit until he hit No.1 again in 1974 with You’re Having My Baby and his last No.1 in 1975 with Times of Your Life.

Paul Anka singing a medley of his hits including the title song for The Longest Day.

Paul Anka singing his classic composition My Way.

His best known song My Way a song he wrote for Frank Sinatra. He wrote English words for the song, which is one of the most sung songs today.

He was married to Anne Zogheb from 1963 to 2000 and one of his daughters from that marriage, Amanda, is married to actor Jason Bateman. He later married Swedish model Anna Yeager who thirty years younger than Anka, but the marriage only lasted from 2008 to 2010.

Johnny Ace: Singer Kills Himself Accidentally on Christmas, 1954

Johnny Ace 25, died on Christmas, 1954 when he shot himself during a break between sets in Houston, Texas.

Johnny Ace an up and coming rhythm and blues singer had it all going his way until he shot himself on Christmas of 1954. For some reason Russian roulette is identified ,as the cause of his death. However two eyewitnesses tell a different story.

Big Mama Thornton’s bass player Curtis Tillman,  who was in the room at the time said this in Wikipedia about his death:

It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette.^[4][5] Big Mama Thornton‘s bass player Curtis Tillman, however, who witnessed the event, said, “I will tell you exactly what happened! Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay! Gun’s not loaded…see?’ and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face and ‘Bang!’ – sad, sad thing. Big Mama ran outta that dressing room yelling ‘Johnny Ace just killed himself!”^[6]

However Big Mama Thornton, who also witnessed the shooting tells a slightly different story:

Thornton said in a written statement (included in the book The Late Great Johnny Ace) that Ace had been playing with the gun, but not playing Russian roulette. According to Thornton, Ace pointed the gun at his girlfriend and another woman who were sitting nearby, but did not fire. He then pointed the gun toward himself. The gun went off, shooting him in the side of the head.

There has been speculation that Ace was murdered, but after reading the two eyewitness accounts of Tillman and Thornton, that seems impossible since neither mentions anyone else having a gun.

What we do know for sure is that Johnny Ace was born June 29, 1929 in Memphis, Tennessee and that he was born John Marshall Alexander, Jr. He later changed his name to Johnny Ace and appeared to be on his way to a successful recording career, when fate intervened and ended his life before his career could take off.

Johnny Ace singing Pledging My Love which became a posthumous No.1 hit.

Ironically, his biggest hit Pledging My Love was released after his death and was at the top of the Billboard R&B charts for ten weeks beginning on February 12, 1955.

56 years later the song is still being recorded and is one of the most recognizable songs among rhythm and blues fans.

Singer David Allan Coe sang Pledging My Love in concerts relating how he heard the news of his death. Elvis Presley recorded it during his last recording session in 1976 on his Moody Blue album.

The memory of Johnny Ace will live on as Pledging My Love will continue to be sung for years to come in concerts and on albums that have yet to be released.