Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2011


DEAR JERRY: I came across a song in my collection that I need help identifying. It is a 45 rpm single with Dion's “Love Came to Me” on the A-side. The label on the B-side incorrectly says it's “Sandy,” also by Dion.

I have no idea what this song is, but it is obviously not “Sandy,” and probably not even Dion. I do not recognize the singer or group at all.

Based just on the lyrics, I would call it “Steady, Makin' Love.” I hope you will recognize it and will let me know the real title and artist.
—Dan Becker, Hartland, Wisc.


DEAR DAN: Congratulations, your choice of a title is exactly correct! It is “Steady, Makin' Love,” and the mystery singer is known as Jimmy Angel.

The original single of “Steady, Makin' Love” (Laurie 3654) came out in 1977, and has nothing to do with Dion's 1963 hit, “Sandy” (Laurie 3153).

In 1978, Laurie added a single of “Love Came to Me” coupled with “Sandy” to their Back-to-Back Hits catalog. However, due to a mix-up at the factory, Jimmy Angel's “Steady, Makin' Love” got stamped on the side intended for “Sandy.”

Only a few dozen were produced before the glitch was noticed and remedied.

Now, instead of a $3.00 record (copies with “Sandy”), ones playing Jimmy Angel's “Steady, Makin' Love” are worth five times as much.


DEAR JERRY: I am so happy with your depiction of my brief but special journey with the outstanding musicians who worked on my Amy recording sessions, including my producer, Paul Simon.

It is hard to believe we were all so incredibly young. It is still a magical time to me. Now, after all these years, there is finally a detailed account of the journey.

Thanks for crediting everyone involved that night in New York, in 1963, when we recorded “Play Me a Sad Song” and “I Wrote You a Letter.”

You mentioned Valerie Simpson, and her eventual marriage to Nick Ashford, and I recently read that Nick passed away from throat cancer last month (August 22).

For nearly two years now, I have been focusing on cancer, working with an oncology surgeon-musician, using music in the operating room during cancer surgeries, as well as in the chemo units. This even applies to Stage IV cases and beyond.

I loved the part about the unborn Whitney Houston, being in on the session as a special guest of sorts in the womb of Cissy Houston, one of our backup singers.

Thanks also for getting all the facts straight.
—Dorothy “Dotty Daniels” Goodman


DEAR DOROTHY: You made it all so easy, and for that I am grateful. Until now I didn't know about your work in the OR, which is both fascinating and rewarding.

We will talk again soon.


DEAR JERRY: Paul Revere and the Raiders is one of my favorite groups of the 1960s and '70s. Still, I don't recall any of their members, besides lead singer Mark Lindsay, having hits as a solo artist.

If they did, who, what, and when?
—Ann Perez, McMinnville, Ore.


DEAR ANN: Yes, Mark Lindsay did crank out eight solo hits, including the Top 10 ballad, “Arizona.”

Meanwhile, after easing away from the Raiders to focus on country music, Freddy Weller scored big with one hit after another for 12 years (1969-1980).

Less successful as solo artists than Weller and Lindsay are three other Raiders who recorded apart from the group: Jim “Harpo” Valley (“Try, Try, Try”) and Keith Allison (“Look at Me,” “Freeborn Man,” etc.), both in the 1960s; and Phil “Fang” Volk (“The Times They Are a-Changing”), issued earlier this year.

Other than these five, none of the other 23 who were Raiders at one time or another — including their namesake, Paul Revere — carved out a solo career.


IZ ZAT SO? Surprisingly, Freddy Weller's total number of post-Raiders solo hits (32) slightly exceeds the career total of Paul Revere and the Raiders (30).

Among Freddy's top hits are: “Games People Play”; “These Are Not My People”; “The Promised Land”; “Indian Lake”; and “Another Night of Love.”

Over their many years, at least 28 men have been a member of Paul Revere and the Raiders:

Ross Allemang; Keith Allison; David Bell; Michael Bradley; Charlie Coe; Joe Correro Jr.; Carlo Driggs; William Hibbard; Blair Hill; Mike "Doc" Holliday; Red Hughes; Jerry Labrum; Drake "Kid" Levin; Mark Lindsay; Andrea Loper; Omar Martinez; Dick McGarvin; Jamie Revere; Paul Revere; Mike "Smitty" Smith; Jim "Harpo" Valley; Phil "Fang" Volk; Dick Walker; Freddy Weller; Steve West; Richard White; Robert White; and Robert Wooley.


Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368 E-mail: jpo@olympus.net   Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com  

All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.

Copyright 2011 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Exclusive Permission



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