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ROCKOLLECTIONS: BRENDA LEE PT.2 END

I will continue with Brenda Lee- and she has the bona fides, she is in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
But it took her 11 years to get in, the longest time for any artist to make it.
And further indication of the R&R Hall Of Fame’s virtually meaningless existence.
Last chapter, I forewarned men to have a recording device ready.
Right off the bat, it will be time to use it.
And all in good fun, lol!
It’s Brenda’s signature song and hit # 1.
Followed by the earliest song I could find by her, from 1956, a phone number missing a number!
I’ll flip back and forth in this episode with that rough voice of her’s and some ballads- Number one’s and Top Ten songs.
In the early 60’s over in England, her opening act was a then little-known Liverpool group, the Beatles.
They went on to considerable fame also!
For some reason, Brenda Lee was always much more popular in the UK, even having a couple of Top Ten hits there that weren’t even released as singles here in the U.S.
She could rock, sing ballads and combined sexiness with innocence.
It’s a shame Brenda Lee is not better remembered.
But you may be surprised to know she has been mentioned in SONGS, by Chuck Berry, Burton Cummings…even Golden Earring’s Radar Love!
Last week we ran late, this time we had a little bit of time left over.
Not enough for a song, but enough to hear me try to smoothly stretch it to the end, LOL!
Hope you will hold Brenda Lee in higher regard now that you’ve gotten to hear what she could do.

Mike

Tags: Beatles, Burton Cummings, Chuck Berry, Golden Earring, Liverpool, Radar Love, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

ROCKOLLECTIONS: A LOT MORE LITTLE PT.2 & ONE FOR INTERNATIONAL WHISTLERS WEEK

Little Richard actually started recording in the early 50’s, but had little success until he met producer Bumps Blackwell.

And even Blackwell at first treated him as a blues singer.

In fact, Richard was very capable singing blues- a point we will make with the first 2 songs of this chapter.

Also, because of the anti-rock & roll feelings of the period and what was called “race” music, many of Richard’s songs as well as those of Fats Domino, etc, were taken and sung by white artists.

Pat Boone being one that easily comes to mind, but you can’t really blame him. It made the songs more palatable to the radio stations and the record companies.

But Little Richard and the others would change that- and things would NEVER sound the same again!

I will play a few that you may or may not know, and a few that you have to know.

Little Richard Penniman, among his many accomplishments, took Billy Preston on a European tour, picked the Beatles for an opening act in England, and hired Jimi Hendrix for his band.

Maybe those things alone would qualify him for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame!

Closing this one out, I picked an oddball song from around the same time as Little Richard was hitting it big, to play for International Whistlers Week- which was this week.

No kidding, there is one- the last week of April!

Mike

Tags: Beatles, Billy Preston, Bumps Blackwell, Fats Domino, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Boone, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

ROCKOLLECTIONS: A TOWN WITHOUT PITNEY PT.1

Well, I think I’ll keep you guessing on this one, although there is a huge clue in the title of the episode.
This time we will feature an artist who:
Was a master of teenage romantic angst;
Along with Roy Orbison brought orchestral pop into Rock & Roll;
Was one of the era’s best songwriters, with Hello Mary Lou, He’s A Rebel, Rubber Ball, etc.;
Was an early proponent of “countrypolitan” music;
Was among the first to introduce Eastern elements into pop, well before the Beatles;
Was one of the first to record Jagger/Richards & Randy Newman compositions;
Was an early protege of Phil Spector;
Produced and played all the instruments and voices on his debut hit single;
Played the maracas on the Rolling Stones version of Not Fade Away;
Sang the title song for two classic movies;
Was the first teen idol to perform at the Oscars;
Had a song he SANG prevented from reaching # 1 on charts by a song he WROTE;
Was deservedly inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002.
Figured it out?
PLAY the answer!
Oh, and I finally confused the radio with the podcast. Listen at the break, as I say “Rockollections” instead of “Rock Lives” (hate that name!)

Mike

Tags: Beatles, He's A Rebel, Hello Mary Lou, Jagger/Richards, Not Fade Away, Phil Spector, Randy Newman, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Rubber Ball, The Oscars

ROCKOLLECTIONS: THE RONETTES PT.2 FINAL

Well, in this concluding chapter, I will give you that answer right away about who influenced Ronnie Spector the most as a singer.
That way you can apply your knowledge to the remaining songs and say “Ok yeah, I hear it…”
Ronnie married Phil Spector in 1968, and a strange marriage to say the least.
The Ronettes sued him for non-payment of royalties.
It was always suspected that as a big honcho at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, he had kept them out of it because of those legal wrangles, and also his divorce from Ronnie.
While he was out on bail for his murder charges, they got in, inducted by big fan Keith Richards.
Now I recently found out, and was very surprised, that the Ronettes had done the original version of a song that was a hit for the Beach Boys.
I’ll play both of them- and you may be as surprised as I was.
Ronnie Spector had a hit with Eddie Money, singing Take Me Home Tonight.
Well, I am going to take you about 10 years before that, for a song she did that appeared on Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes debut album, demonstrating she still had the voice!
And was written by his Jersey buddy, Bruce Springsteen- a delightful bit of vinyl.
To go out, this show was broadcast April 15, Tax Day. And I have played the Beatles Taxman for it before.
But this time, I ask you to listen closely to the instrumentation, particularly the guitar work, and about two-thirds into it, you will hear lyrics you have probably never heard before.
Told you this would be fun!

Tags: Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Phil Spector, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Ronettes, ronnie Spector, Southside Johnny & Asbury Jukes, Tax Day, Taxman