Daddy-o Gives You a Bonanza of Box Sets in 2009

text to follow later in December

It will be worth reading!

Trip to New York Paid For by Paul McCartney

I was one of three winners of a contest put on by Paul McCartney. Paul, as you might know, purchased the ownership of the publishing rights to most of the songs written by Buddy Holly. This was in 1976 just two years before the very successful release of the motion picture "The Buddy Holly Story" starring Gary Busey. This movie had so much to do with restoring Buddy Holly's fame, thus a constant source of income for Paul McCartney. Thus, for decades Paul would put on some kind of annual event in the United Kingdom to promote Buddy Holly, usually near Buddy's birthday in September.

In 1990, Paul decided to hold his annual Buddy Holly event in New York City to promote the Fall debut of the musical production "BUDDY: the Buddy Holly Story" starring Paul Hipp on Broadway. The event would include two nights of live music at the popular Lone Star Roadhouse, a nightclub more like what you would see in Texas than right around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theatre. The first night was an invitation-only event on September 4, 1990, the second night open to the public.

Members of the Buddy Holly Memorial Society and subscribers to Rockin' 50s magazine, both enterprises of Bill Griggs, received entry forms for a contest to win an all-expenses paid trip to New York to attend the invitation-only show at the Lone Star and guided tours of places where Buddy Holly and the Crickets performed in the 1950s. The entry form was a questionnaire enclosed in the June issue of Rockin' 50s. The questionnaire had twenty pretty tough questions about the music and life of Buddy Holly. I have all of the books about Buddy Holly and every magazine Bill Griggs has published, so I was sure I could find or confirm every answer if I just studied hard enough. There is another Buddy Holly fan here in town nicknamed Rory Borealis (you should hear his Sunday evening radio shows at roryradio.com) who was also interested in entering the contest. So the two of us spent hours on two weekends looking up the answers and calling back and forth on the phone. We finally had nineteen questions nailed down for sure including things like the name of Buddy Holly's cat and how much Buddy Holly weighed in 1953. It turns out everyone had a tough time answering #16: "Which song did the Crickets perform during their audition for the Arthur Godfrey talent show?" Not until I was actually in New York could I ask the members of the Crickets in person. The best I could come up with was a Little Richard song, but which one? The Crickets couldn't remember but they were sure it was a Little Richard tune. So we were as right as we could be. I mailed my form in with a few days to spare. Only later I learned Rory did not mail his entry. He worked hard coming up with answers, too. He indeed deserved a chance to win, also. The Crickets manager seemed to have a hard time reaching me by phone to tell me I was one of three winners, so he sent me letter by overnight FedEx.

I flew to New York and met up with winners Alvis West from California and Bruce Christiansen from Florida at the Lone Star and Bill Griggs arrived shortly thereafter. Quite a group of hardcore rockabilly fans here! Our hotel was right next door. When we returned to the club later that day, the block was closed to traffic. Barricades kept the throng of Beatle fans at a distance. The head of club security saw us and motioned for us to come in. You should have seen the looks on everyone else's faces! "Who the hell are these guys and how to they rate the red carpet treatment?" I counted twelve camera crews there in the balcony. Local TV stations, "Entertainment Tonight" and CNN. We met Maria Elena Holley: Buddy's widow, as well as performers Paul Hipp: star of "BUDDY: the Buddy Holly Story", the Crickets themselves: Gordon Payne, Joe Mauldin, J. I. Allison, Tommy Alsup: sometime guitarist with Buddy, and country singer Ricky Van Shelton. Paul and Linda McCartney took a secluded seat that immediately became to focal point of the building. I tried my best to squeeze in close enough for an autograph or a chance to thank Paul for this trip but no luck. It was time for me to go onstage with the other contest winners and receive a beautiful plaque (puctured above)presented by famed radio personality Scott Muni, who was tickled to know I am from Kansas. He told me he was from Wichita! Everyone is supposedly entitled to fifteen minutes of fame and I used up five minutes worth that night onstage! Back at our table I saw a man at the table behind us. I thought to myself "That guy looks like what Ahmet Ertegun would have looked like as a young man". I wished I had said something as we later learned that it really was Ahmet Ertegun, founder and President of Atlantic Records. What a missed opportunity! I would loved to have met him! Mayor David Dinkins issued a proclamation acknowledging Paul McCarney's presence in the city. During all this I missed out on the catered dinner, not a bite left of Linda McCartney's all-vegetarian menu.

All of these musicians mentioned performed onstage that evening along with rock singers Henry Gross (remember the Beach Boys-like "Shannon" in the 1970s?), Steve Forbert, Pat Denizio of the Smithereens, Joe Ely, and Max Weinberg. For the finale, Paul and Linda with Dave Edmunds belted out rockers with all the others returning for a jam on Buddy's "Oh Boy". We removed posters from the walls on our way out. I glimpsed Ben E. King and MTV sweetheart Martha Quinn, (from whom I would have gladly accepted any invitation but alas, none!)

Next day, Christiansen, West, Griggs, and I had a guided tour of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The cab driver pointed out the Dakota apartment building on the way, where John Lennon was killed--a chilling site. The Apollo was an amazing place. Generations of African-American entertainers have performed there. We saw the stage, the theatre, the lobby, the backstage areas, the television and editing studios there. Everywhere are these beautiful framed photographs of entertainers who have performed there with their names deliberately not displayed. Turns out our guide told us their names are displayed on the backs so we had to peek at a few we couldn't guess. These framed pictures would be worth a fortune. A talk show originated on stage at the Apollo each weekday morning and broadcast locally on cable TV. There was a small audience in attendance while we walked around on the tour. That was an incredible rare opportunity for four white guys from the hinterlands. (If I had known about it at the time, a few minutes at Bobby Robinson's record shop next door would have been nice. He was a famed record producer and a great story teller.)

We were scheduled to take a tour of the Ed Sullivan Theatre, too, but we took too much time at the Apollo, which didn't bother us. It would have been nice to see where the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and the Crickets, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Bo Diddley, and countless others (Louis Prima, Jimmy Durante, George Carlin, etc.) performed live on TV on Sunday nights for decades. The theatre was not being used at the time. It would be two years before David Letterman would move here for his new show.

We then had lunch at P. J. Clark's restaurant, where Buddy Holly reportedly proposed marriage to Maria Elena decades before. It was a nice old restaurant. Joining us was Paul McCartney's manager at the time Alan Crowder and his wife (who explained to me how British television and radio networks work, at my urging), Will Byrd, The Crickets manager, who was responsible for this entire tribute show, and the manager of the Lone Star, whom I quote here: "Look at this guy. He comes here all the way from Kansas to eat corn on the cob." Doncha just love those New Yawkers. Alan Crowder had one of the very early cell phones, almost as big as a WWII walkie-talkie. He took a call from, I am sure, Paul himself. We hinted that a chance to thank Paul in person would be nice.

The taxi rides were all death-defying but none so rough as the landing in Atlanta where we changed planes. Bruce Chistensen rode with me on this flight, a packed 747. The wings see-sawed up and down as we landed almost touching the runway. Bruce turned every color imaginable. When he could breathe again he said he has flown dozens of times on business and that this was the worst landing he ever had.

Sometime later I sent a thank you card and a picture of my wife, kids, and I to Paul McCartney at the address of his MPL Productions London office. This was a trip of a lifetime. Thank you again, Sir Paul.

See My Photographs at Flickr:

Above: Legendary Chicago Blues singer and harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold (left) and Daddy-o Dilly (right), backstage at the 2006 Ponderosa Stomp festival, Memphis, TN. See many more photographs like this at Daddy-o Dilly's Flickr Photo Albums:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daddyodilly/sets/

Favorite CDs Released in 2006

My favorite music releases for 2006 have received due consideration.

The four CDs of distinction for the year just ended are:

various artists: "Rockin' Bones" Rhino R2 73346, 4 CD set w/ book101 1950s and early '60s rockabilly classics, not so much the obvious hits but those records that have attained a new lease on life since the 1970s when a new generation of listeners discovered this weird and wonderful music. Fanzines, record shows, the odd radio show here and there, and the occasional rockabilly festivals all helped to create more interest in many of these records and the artists heard on them than when they first came out decades ago. Problem is, they've been out of print longer than some fans have been alive. I have been known to be a bit put-off by Rhino Records phrase "We collect records so you don't have to!" but in this case their intent and efforts are appreciated. Obtaining a collection of original 45s of even half the songs on this collection is beyond the price range of many.I am stunned to find a record from my hometown included, "Hot Shot". I have been further surprised to know a guy here who remembers the singer, Ronnie Pearson. Local rock 'n' roll expert Carl "Crazy Legs" Palmer recalls that Pearson was from Osage City, Kansas, and was seen promoting his disc from a convertible in a parade in downtown Topeka back at the time. The producer of this recording, Bob Bobo, ran a local record label here in the 1960s called Casino.I am disappointed that Sonny Burgess from Sun Records was not included on "Rockin' Bones", a serious omission. And I wish multiple disc sets like this housed the discs in jewel cases enclosed in a box with a lid on it, rather than this often used "book" style of packaging.

The Music Machine: "The Ultimate Turn On", Big Beat/Ace CDWIK2 271, 2 CD set w/ videos!Finally a definitive CD reissue of the Music Machine's classic "Turn On" LP. The Music Machine, along with Count Five, turned out the best mid-1960s garage band era LPs that I have ever heard, and both are now available in superlative CD compilations from the Ace label in the U. K. Both mono and stereo mixes of the LP are heard here along with the band's non-LP singles and previously unheard recordings for the Original Sound label, plus great looking TV appearances. The Music Machine's hit "Talk Talk" and the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction" were utterly terrifying records in 1966, the kind that surely inspired teen-aged angst and self loathing, resulting in detention hall assignments galore. These guys had a loooong head start on the goths! I'm sure radio station program directors scratched their heads and fretted while previewing discs like these and had to think awhile before OKing adding them to the playlists. Didn't one writer once say that Sean Bonniwell was everything Jim Morrison ever wished he could be? Did I coin this phrase? I might have.

Sonny Burgess and the Rhythm Rockers: "Tear It Up!", St. George STG7712I think this just might be the best recording Sonny Burgess has ever made. He has recorded a few new albums since the 1990s and this one is the best. It might even be better than the Sun records he made in the 1950s, the ones that made him well-known to rockabilly hounds in the first place. Pretty tall order but I think its true. "Farmers Blues" is very convincing. The frustration of crop failure as sung here sounds very authentic. I'm told these records may have been made over a year prior to release. I love it.

The Alarm Clocks: "The Time Has Come", Norton CED321This album made out in time for 2006 (time-related funnies are easy when referring to this group!) with little time to spare. These guys were skinny 13-year-olds in 1966 when they could barely give away their lone 45rpm. Last year they finally had a reunion playing only a few shows before recording this great new set of songs. They accurately retained the mid-'60s garage band sound.I saw really knockout performances by both the Alarm Clocks and Sonny Burgess at the 4th annual Ponderosa Stomp festival at the Gibson Guitar Factory's performance center in Memphis, Tennessee, in May, 2006. That trip to Memphis was the most fun I had in 2006! My opinions of their respective CD releases above are indeed influenced by the great shows they played in Memphis!!

Dewey Phillips & Gene Vincent: Matching Leg Injuries

I've just finished reading the book "Dewey and Elvis" by Louis Cantor. It's not really a book about Elvis. It's a detailed biography of Dewey Phillips, the hugely popular radio and TV disc jockey in Memphis during the 1950s and 1960s. The last three chapters are absolutely heartbreaking. The last ten years of his life were a steady downhill slope to physical and mental ruin. I did not know this, but Dewey had a horrible physical affliction just like Gene Vincent. It seems he, too, had a leg badly injured twice in car wrecks. Just like Gene, he should have had it amputated. Again, like Gene, he refused and the leg deteriorated, described in this book very much like the descriptions we've read about Gene's bad leg. And again, like Gene, Dewey sought relief from pain with alcohol and prescription medicine, too much of both. Whereas Gene was at least able to work until his death, Dewey was separated from his wife and children, lived with his Mother, but was most often seen babbling to himself in Memphis street gutters. The author of this book is a lifelong Memphian and worked at radio stations in Memphis in the 1950s. His firsthand knowledge of the city and the people involved in the local music scene there make this book one of the most authoritatively written books about rock 'n' roll in Memphis that I have read. This book was published in 2005 by the University of Illinois Press.

Documentaries Yet To Be Made

Here is my response to a discussion on the lack of a documentary on Del Shannon in the Del Shannon Yahoo Group:

What I have envisaged for some time now is an extensive series of definitive DVD documentaries on first generation rock 'n' roll musicians with as many uncut TV/film performances as possible as bonus features on a second disc. In some cases there are already really good documentaries like on Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, and Elvis Presley. But I think there are several artists who have yet to have much of anything made in the form of documentaries at all or, better yet, a really great documentary. Del Shannon is one artist who begs to have a documentary made. What a great story there is to tell here. There are plenty of interviews, especially from the 1980s in existence. Plus there are TV performances from three decades and several countries.

Bobby Fuller is another. There were stories about Bobby on "Unsolved Mysteries" and a half hour story on "The E! Mysteries and Scandals" series. Still, a definitive documentary is due.

Gene Vincent is yet another. In Gene's case, there was a remarkable "fly-on-the-wall" documentary made at the time of his 1969 tour of the UK, which could be used in part in a film on his entire life.

One documentary on Roy Orbison has lengthy interviews with Fred Foster, producer and owner of Monument Records. This was the first time I'd ever seen him interviewed, which was long overdue. I think a definitive documentary on Roy has yet to be made.

Imagine the challenge of making a documentary of Link Wray. Nerves of steel and infinite patience my be necessary here.

Bill Griggs, West Texas music researcher, has often commented that a frustrating thing about even well-made documentaries on musicians of all styles is that so often just as you are about 60-90 seconds into a memorable vintage TV performance, the narrator, or worse yet, an endorsing 1970s rock star cuts in before the clip is completed. That why I think DVD releases of music documentaries ought to have at least one bonus disc with all these famous TV performances presented uncut. Get the clearances and royalties in order and get the darn things on the market!

I think the likelihood of documentaries like this will show up in time. There many really fine documentaries on blues, jazz, and county musicians (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Louis Prima, and Hank Williams come to mind.) The DVD format with bonus features remains a massively successful home video format. Right now, an authorized documentary on Wanda Jackson is in production and promises to be good.

But, yeah, you're right, the Del Shannon story needs to be told on the tube!

Rare Live Performance of Rockabilly in Topeka

Did this really happen? On October 7, 2006, on a beautiful full-moon-lit Saturday night, 10th Street in downtown Topeka was closed-off between the State Capitol and Supreme Court buildings. A stage was erected, surrounded by customized cars. A few hundred people showed up and watched performances by Lee Rocker and his band and the Rumblejets from Kansas City. Live rockabilly music, outdoors, for free, and I didn't have to drive 75 miles to see it? Nor was it all canceled the day before due to screw-ups or moral objection? And it didn't rain. God, I must be dreaming! And they promised to do it again next year? Am I still in Topeka? And after it was all over I didn't have a 90 minute drive home. God forbid, did something CHANGE here? The point I find hard to believe is that someone actually went to the trouble to have ROCKABILLY music performed live on stage here. Not country, not metal, not rap, not even blues, but ROCKABILLY! And some people even stayed until it was all over. ROCKABILLY, I can't believe it. Here. Surely something else was planned and it didn't work out and this was their second choice.

Pardon my sarcasm but after traveling to Kansas City and Lawrence a few times a year to hear live music for the last 35 years, it is hard to believe an event like this took place where I live. My deepest thanks to El Centro, a local organization, for even thinking about having live rockabilly music on stage here. It was a big risk. I'm glad it was as nice as it was.