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DEAR JERRY:I stumbled across an online video of Sammy Davis Jr. performing a live version of “Mr. Bojangles, and I assumed it must have been written for him. That's how good it is.
Is that really the case? Is he the original artist for “Mr. Bojangles”?
Other than “The Candy Man,” I cannot name even one of his hit records, which strikes me as odd since he was regarded as an all-around great entertainer with a long career. How unusual is that? —Yvonne Furman, Sheboygan, Wisc.
DEAR YVONNE: Your observation is a valid one, though Davis is not the only major concert attraction whose fan base did not hinge on whether or not they made hit records.
Being a consummate showman — singer, dancer, impressionist, comedian — was enough to keep the crowds coming.
Then again, it's not as if he had only the one memorable hit song.
Sammy's first appearance on the singles sales charts came in 1954 with “Hey There,” his being just one of many recordings of the well-known number, originally performed on Broadway by John Raitt in “The Pajama Game.”
His “Hey There” made the Top 20, as did seven other singles during his seven-decade career:
1955: “Something's Gotta Give”/“Love Me Or Leave Me” (Both sides)
1955: “That Old Black Magic”
1962: “What Kind of Fool Am I”
1963 “The Shelter of Your Arms”
1967: “Don't Blame the Children”
1968: “I've Gotta Be Me”
1972 “The Candy Man”
Strangely, the significant momentum Davis gained with “The Candy Man,” his only No. 1 hit, dissipated as that record's popularity faded. At least his days of hit songs ended on the highest possible note.
Two other superstar attractions that come to mind, whose in-person draw far outstripped their record sales, are Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli — who just happen to be mother and daughter.
Mostly in connection with her work in films, Judy had some hit singles between 1939 and '54, but no more, and Liza has never been on the best-selling singles charts.
Reviewing album sales, the story is about the same. Sammy, Judy, and Liza each had very few biggies.
The only LP by any of the three to reach No. 1 is “Judy at Carnegie Hall” (1961), for which Judy received a Gold Record, and a couple of Grammys.
Minnelli's “Liza with a Z” (1972) also earned Gold Record status.
The “Mr. Bojangles” saga begins in 1965, seven years before Sammy Davis released it on his “Sammy Davis Jr. Live” album.
The lyrics are based entirely on the real-life experiences of singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, and a cell mate calling himself Bojangles. The two met while both were incarcerated in New Orleans.
Walker put his composition to music, and his original version came out in the summer of 1968 (Atco 6594).
The tune became a regional hit for Jerry, but two years later, when recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Liberty 56197), “Mr. Bojangles” landed in the nation's Top 10. It is their biggest hit ever.
Since then, no less than 50 different artists have recorded Walker's masterpiece.
IZ ZAT SO? Regarding “Mr. Bojangles,” Sammy Davis Jr. explained it this way to his audiences:
“I cannot do a show without including “Mr. Bojangles.” In fact, I would not do a show without including it. It's very special to me, and hits close to home. I almost feel like it was written for me, but it was not. Nor was it written about Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, as some people say. I did it the first time live with Tom Jones, in 1970 on his TV show. In that skit, Tom sang the song by himself, while I silently played the part of Mr. Bojangles, dancing and doing routines in sync with the lyrics.”
A mime no more, Sammy's own song-and-dance interpretation quickly became a signature segment of his own shows.
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
Sales of vinyl albums in the UK rose by 40 per cent in 2011, despite a fall in CD sales and an overall decline in the music market, official figures have shown. The BPI, a body that represents the British music industry, said that 337,000 vinyl LPs were sold in the UK last year, the highest figure since 2005.
Industry insiders put the rise down to the superior sound quality of vinyl albums and the growing popularity of Record Store Day, an annual event which last year saw artists such as Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon put out vinyl-only releases.
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Iron Butterfly Guitarist and Captain Beyond Founder Larry Reinhardt Dies
Larry ‘Rhino’ Reinhardt, a man considered by those who knew him best to be amongst the top southern rock guitarists of all time, died on Monday. The one-time Iron Butterfly guitarist and co-founder of ’70s rock group Captain Beyond died of sclerosis of the liver, his longtime significant other Tracey Hooper told the Bradenton Herald. Reinardt was 63-years-old.
The guitarist had been battling health problems in recent years. In January 2010 he wrote on his Facebook page that his time could be short.
DIO - Holy Diver To Be Issued As 24 Karat Gold Limited Edition CD
Audio Fidelity is reissuing DIO’s classic debut album Holy Diver as a 24 karat gold limited edition CD. The CD contains a two-page spread copy of the photo-montage LP liner with images from both RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH days that was included in the original vinyl release.
A press release states, “Holy Diver is one of the most respected albums in rock and metal and Ronnie James Dio was one of the most talented and respected artists in the world. Leaving Black Sabbath to create a new group built around his formidable singing and unquestionably stellar songwriting, Holy Diver's stunning quality and consistency owed much to Dio's carefully chosen bandmates, including powerhouse drummer (and fellow Black Sabbath survivor) Vinny Appice, veteran bassist Jimmy Bain, and a phenomenal find in young Irish guitarist Vivian Campbell, whose tastefully pyrotechnic leads helped make this the definitive Dio lineup. The group entered the studio to record their debut album in early 1983. Produced by Ronnie James Dio, Holy Diver consists of nine original cuts penned by the singer and various band members. Included are such distinctive Dio cuts as ‘Stand Up And Shout’, ‘Straight Through The Heart’, the title track and the concert favorite ‘Rainbow In The Dark’."
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interesting article out of the uk:
Vinyl destination
Can the record fair survive in the age of downloads? A new generation of buyers and sellers is dealing in ultra-rare collectables
Nick Duerden
It is a Saturday afternoon in west London, and five pounds has purchased entry into the Olympia record fair. The untrained eye sees perhaps as many as 200 stalls, each groaning under the weight of an awful lot of old vinyl and CDs, and in front of which gather men (and they are mostly men) in winter coats on the prowl for a stone-cold, ultra-rare collectable. When they fail in locating one – and they mostly do, stone-cold, ultra-rare collectables being hard to come by – they invariably settle for an obscure bargain in the hope that one day it too shall attain collectable status.
The atmosphere here is palpably different to the kind you'd find in HMV. Where HMV's vacuumed aisles thrum with relaxed browsers, this dusty hall is alive with antennas twitching, a blokey community, certainly, but a competitive one, too, each hoping to outfox the other, with every stallholder not just grateful, but desperate, for the custom.
Their touching patronage aside, the record fair is nevertheless a shadow of its former self this far into the 21st century.
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales - Week Ending 12/31/2011
The private press funk treasure from John Heartsman gets the top spot on this lackluster week. The week after Christmas can be low-key, but watch for the weeks from early January through Valentine's day to test the economic resilience of vinyl in 2012. As filmmaker Jeanie Finlay points out in her acclaimed documentary "Sound It Out", record collecting is primarily a men's pre-occupation.
And I declare that as men most of us never get what we want for Christmas - socks, ties, hand-made chotchkies from our kids. We must sneak in our true material desires in the zone between New Years and Valentine's Day.
1. LP - John Heartsman And Circles "Music Of My Heart" Private - $3,250.00
2. LP - Hank Mobley "self-titled" Blue Note 1560 Original Pressing - $2,480.00
On March 6th, hardcore/metal band Every Time I Die are scheduled to release 'Ex Lives,' their first new album since 2009. Released on Epitaph Records, the new album will feature eleven new tracks (or fourteen, if you order the Deluxe edition).
Pre-orders are currently available and some packages come with t-shirts featuring artwork designed by guitarist Jordan Buckley. There is a limited-edition CD as well as a super limited-edition clear vinyl LP (limited to the first 500 copies) Pre-Order Here
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The All-American Rejects Gearing Up to Release New Music in 2012
MULTI-PLATINUM ROCK BAND, FRONTED BY TYSON RITTER, WILL RELEASE BRAND-NEW SINGLE "BEEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER"
TRACK IS LEAD-OFF SINGLE FOR REJECTS' UPCOMING FOURTH ALBUM KIDS IN THE STREET
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- DGC/Interscope recording artists THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS will kick off 2012 with the release of "Beekeeper's Daughter" — the multi-platinum rock band's first single since "Gives You Hell" became the No. 1 most-played song of 2009 at Top 40 radio. Written by Rejects' lead singer, lyricist, and bassist Tyson Ritter and guitarist Nick Wheeler, the potent pop-rock "Beekeeper's Daughter," available digitally on January 24th, captures a tumultuous time while Ritter was living in Los Angeles after wrapping two years of touring behind the band's 2008 album When The World Comes Down.
"'Beekeeper's Daughter' is a story about a guy who thinks he can get away with anything and always have a girl there waiting for him," Ritter says. "He never backs down from that opinion. At the end of it, he's even stronger and more snide and thinks he's invincible no matter what. He's an asshole, but at that point in my life, I was kind of an asshole. As we were making Kids In The Street, I went from that to being a completely humbled guy who's looking at his reflection saying, 'Wow, what have I done?' It may make me not seem very likeable, but it was important that I be truthful and really open up on this album about what I've been through."
"Beekeeper's Daughter," along with the rest of the tracks on Kids In The Street, was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Greg Wells, who is known for his work with Adele, Katy Perry, and OneRepublic, among many others. "Greg was the first producer we've worked with who really spoke my language, which translated into the sound of the album," Ritter says. "If you really want to know what Kids In The Street sounds like, it sounds like The All-American Rejects finally got their shit together and wrote a record that was going to keep them around."
Since forming in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999, The All-American Rejects have released three studio albums: their platinum self-titled debut, featuring the breakthrough hit "Swing Swing," followed by 2005's double-platinum Move Along, which spawned the Top 10 hits "It Ends Tonight," "Dirty Little Secret," and "Move Along," as well as the gold-certified When The World Comes Down, featuring the 4-million seller "Gives You Hell," which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Top 40 charts, and more than 13 weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The All-American Rejects, which also includes rhythm guitarist Mike Kennerty and drummer Chris Gaylor, have sold more than 4 million albums and 16 million singles worldwide. More information about Kids In The Street will be announced in the coming months. Until then, stay tuned to www.allamericanrejects.com.
SOURCE Interscope Records
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The Best-Selling Vinyl titles of 2011 at Grimey's:
1. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
2. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
4. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
5. The Black Keys - El Camino
6. Wilco - The Whole Love
7. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
8. The Black Keys - Brothers
9. Mumford & Sons w/ Laura Marling - Dharohar Project 10"
10. Jeff The Brotherhood - We Are The Champions
11. Radiohead - King Of Limbs
12. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
13. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
14. Adele - 21
15. The Beach Boys - The SMiLE Sessions
16. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
17. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
18. Natural Child - 1971
19. The Civil Wars - Tracks In The Snow 10"
20. Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose
21. She & Him - A Very She & Him Christmas
22. The Beatles - Abbey Road
23. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
24. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
25. The Strokes - Angles
26. St Vincent - Strange Mercy
27. Panda Bear - Tomboy
28. Wilco - Speak Into The Rose 10"
29. My Morning Jacket - Friends Again 7"
30. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
31. Feist - Metals
32. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
33. Radiohead - In Rainbows
34. Kings Of Leon - Holy Roller Novocaine 10"
35. PUJOL - Bonedaddy 7"
36. The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
37. Wilco - I Might 7"
38. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
39. Beirut - The Rip Tide
40. Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours
41. The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
42. Foster The People - Torches
43. TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
44. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
45. Tristen - Charlatans At The Golden Gate
46. Bright Eyes - The People's Key
47. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
48. The White Stripes - Lafayette Blues 7"
49. Brendan Benson - Upstairs At United 12"
50. Jeff The Brotherhood - Heavy Days
Here are the Top 10 Albums sold at Shop Radio Cast for the week of December 27, 2011 – January 2, 2012:
1. Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon LP 2. Bayside – The Walking Wounded LP 3. Hit The Lights – Invicta LP 4. Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes LP 5. Bane – Give Blood LP 6. None More Black – Loud About Loathing EP LP 7. This Time Next Year – Drop Out Of Life LP 8. Cheap Girls – Giant Orange LP 9. No Trigger – Tycoon LP 10.The Lucky Ones – Heartbreak, Hangovers & Punk Rock LP
2011 Vinyl Release Spotlight: Adeline Records
2011 brought many releases for Adeline Records which included new signings and a new full length from Green Day! Here is the list of what came out on wax from Adeline Records in 2011 in no particular order:
KISS' New Album Is 'About Two Days' Away From Being Completed
KISS members Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Tommy Thayer (guitar), along with producer Greg Collins, have released a one-minute video message from Collins' studio, The Nook, where they are putting the finishing touches on the band's new CD, "Monster".
"[KISS is] about two days from [being] finished with this album," says Stanley. "It's almost done and it's awesome. It is by far the best thing we've done in I don't know how long. Have I ever said that before? Yeah. Was I right? Yeah. I'm right this time again. . . Truly, the album kicks major ass and we're very, very proud of it." Thayer adds, "You're gonna as as excited as we are, 'cause we're really excited. And we're not just saying that. This is great stuff. It's amazing."
A TREASURE trove of tapes stashed away by Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott will be released as a boxed set later this year. Twenty six years after the Dublin rocker's death at the age of 36, more of his lost music will be heard by the public for the first time in June.
Shortly before he passed away in 1986, Mr Lynott gave 150 tapes to a third party for safekeeping. The cache of up to 700 songs has finally been released to record company Universal Music.
"This is an absolutely stunning find," Steve Hammonds, project manager behind the new Thin Lizzy box set, told the Irish Independent. "In every group there's a member who lovingly collects their recordings and in Thin Lizzy that was Phil Lynott, because Lizzy was his baby and his band."
It will be the second boxed set in recent times to feature archive work by the band, following last year's 'Live At The BBC' release.
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Peter Frampton’s 1954 Les Paul Found in the Caribbean – After 32 Years!
Andrew Vaughan
A 1954 Gibson Les Paul that Peter Frampton played during his Humble Pie and solo days has been found after investigation by two Frampton fans. The guitar had been presumed lost in a 1980 cargo plane crash.
The Curaçao Tourist Board acquired the guitar and experts from Gibson Guitar confirmed it was, indeed, the missing guitar, long missing from Frampton’s collection.
In 1936, the first pop music chart based on national sales was published by "Billboard" magazine.
In 1950, RCA Victor announced that it would manufacture long-playing (LP) records.
In 1953, over 20,000 people jam the streets of Montgomery, Alabama, as Hank Williams' funeral is held at the City Auditorium.
In 1954, four days before his 20th birthday, a young truck driver named Elvis Presley paid $4 to record a ten-inch acetate demo at the Memphis Recording Service, an open-to-the-public business run by Sam Phillips. The two songs Presley recorded, "Casual Love Affair" and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way", impressed Phillips enough that he had Elvis record his first professional sides for Sun Records the following August.
In 1961, after leaping from #100 to #50 last week, Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel" enters the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop chart. The teenage tragedy song will reach the top less than five weeks later.
In 1962, the British music magazine Mersey Beat publishes a group popularity poll which shows The Beatles at the top, well ahead of Gerry and The Pacemakers, The Remo Four, Rory Storm and The Hurricanes and Johnny Sandon And The Searchers. A rare copy of this edition recently sold for $2,500.
In 1964, Bobby Vinton's "There! I've Said It Again" becomes the last US number one record before the so called British Invasion. Between Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" in July, 1955 and Vinton's hit, only five non-American artists could manage a US chart topper. All that was about to change.
In 1965, the Fender Guitar company, maker of the Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars, was purchased by CBS for $13 million.
On this date in 1967, the Doors released their self-titled debut album. In the years following its initial issue, the stereo release was discovered to be about 3.5% slower than the video and audio live performances of the material by the band, and sheet music showed the song to be in a key almost a half step higher. Released five years ago, "The 40th Anniversary Mix" of the album presents a stereo version in speed-corrected form for the first time and contains three bonus tracks. The original mono 45 RPM single of "Light My Fire" and the mono album were produced at the correct speed.
The Doors credit the success of their first album to being able to work the songs out night after night at the Whisky a Go Go and the London Fog. The album was ranked number 42 on Rolling Stone's list the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Side one 1. "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" – 2:29 2. "Soul Kitchen" – 3:35 3. "The Crystal Ship" – 2:34 4. "Twentieth Century Fox" – 2:33 5. "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 3:20 6. "Light My Fire" – 7:06
Side two 1. "Back Door Man" (Willie Dixon) – 3:34 2. "I Looked at You" – 2:22 3. "End of the Night" – 2:52 4. "Take It as It Comes" – 2:23 5. "The End" – 11:41
In 1968, in Los Angeles, the University of California announced that students studying for music degrees would be required to examine the music of the Rolling Stones, saying it was because the group had made such an important contribution to modern music
In 1970, tragedy struck The Who when a gang of teens attacked Keith Moon's Bentley limo. His chauffeur, Neil Boland got out to try to protect the car, but left it in gear, and it started moving. Moon, who had no driver's license, jumped behind the wheel. Unfortunately, the chauffeur, who was being beaten, had fallen under the car and as Keith gunned the engine, Neil was run over and killed. Though the inquest absolved Moon of blame, Neil's family didn't and neither did Moon himself, as he was been haunted by the incident for the rest of his life.
In 1970, at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles (minus John Lennon) re-recorded vocals and a new guitar solo for the Paul McCartney composition "Let It Be."
In 1972, Yes released the single "Roundabout."
In 1975, Elton John's remake of The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" becomes his tenth US Top Ten hit and his third number one. The recording included John Lennon on guitar.
In 1976, Mal Evans was shot to death by police at his Los Angeles apartment. Evans alledgedly pointed a loaded rifle at officers causing them to fire upon him. Evans was a former roadie and bodyguard of the Beatles.
In 1986, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy died at the age of 36. A pathologist's report later indicated that he had developed multiple internal abscesses and blood poisoning, as a result of which he had suffered kidney, liver and heart failure. His last single, "Nineteen", had been released just a few weeks earlier.
In 2001, bandleader Les Brown died of lung cancer at the age of 88.
In 2002, Bill "Little Bo" Savich, drummer for the instrumental group Johnny And The Hurricanes, died at the age of 62. The band placed four songs on the Billboard Top 40, including the #5 hit, "Red River Rock" in 1959.
In 2010, Nielsen SoundScan reported that album sales in the United States fell 12.8% to 326.2 million units from 373.9 million units in the prior year. Sales of CDs fell by nearly 20% for the fourth year in a row, while digital album downloads posted gains of 13%, selling 86.3 million, up from the 76.4 million during 2009, accounting for nearly 26.5% of all US album sales last year.
Also in 2010, Gerry Rafferty, the lead singer of Stealers Wheel on their 1973 hit "Stuck In The Middle With You" died after a long illness at the age of 63. After the band split up, he went on to a successful solo career which included five more Billboard Top 30 hits, including "Baker Street" and "Right Down The Line".
birthdays today include (among others); Till Lindemann (Rammstein) (49), Cait O'Riordan (Pogues) (47), Nels Cline (Wilco) (56), Mark Hollis (Talk Talk) (57), Patty Loveless (55) and Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) (52)
DEAR YVONNE: Your observation is a valid one, though Davis is not the only major concert attraction whose fan base did not hinge on whether or not they made hit records.
