Friday, September 27, 2013

The Angel Baby Song - 1960 Hit by Rosie & The Originals


It is my sincere wish that long time readers of the CVR blog will appreciate this story, it is not my writing but that of a friend in music and vinyl records. Danny Sandrik owns and operates All-About-VinylRecords.com, a site dedicated to vinyl records, the music he loves and the players who play it. Now, Danny is not a 'professional' writer, and he may have a dangling participle here or there (though, honestly, i wouldn't know it if he did), but his words are from the pure passion of enjoying the music and living in the time when it was popular. From time to time, Danny's articles will be featured here on the CVR blog and i hope that you enjoy Danny's words - as much as enjoyed writing them. Please, feel free to comment on the stories and please stop by his site All-About-VinylRecords.com, where you can discover the best fifties, sixties and seventies vinyl record album information, plus cool videos and artist biographies.

A sincere thank you do Danny for allowing me to reprint his words, enjoy!



The Angel Baby Song - 1960 Hit by Rosie & The Originals

written by Danny Sandrik  

This Angel Baby song was written by 14 year old Rosie Hamlin and became a Top Five Doo-Wop hit back in 1960 after the song was originally played in a local Dept Store.

Rosie had scribbled the Angel Baby Song on the back of her notebook as a sophomore at Mission Bay High School in San Diego.

It started out as a poem for the very first boyfriend she ever had and was written right before she joined the Originals.

Rosie's mother bought her a piano and her Aunt began teaching her some chords. As she continued to learn on the piano and sing a family friend would bring over local musicians for jam sessions.

Rosie had already written Angel Baby when she was fourteen and after many sessions together the group decided to record the song when Rosie was just fifteen. 
 

The Recording Studio Surprise Rosie didn't expect!

It was a hot summer day when the group got into a car and headed out to San Marcos, California, to a rented recording studio described as somewhere in the middle of no-where.

The original group consisted of David Ponci and Noah Tafolla on Guitar and Tony Gomez on Bass. Carl Von Goodat later joined on Drums and Alfred Barrett on Sax.

When they arrived what appeared to be an old barn was actually an abandoned airplane hangar owned by a retired airplane mechanic.

The recording studio was a corner of the hangar surrounded by airplane parts, but it did have a set of drums and a piano in that corner.

To make matters worse the sax player, Alfred Barrett, said he would join them later but failed to show because he had to mow the lawn.

Remember, they were just teens at the time, so some had chores to do before going anywhere. They were in trouble without a sax player but Noah had an idea.

He had played a little Sax and decided to teach Tony Gomez the Sax part so the Bass player is actually playing the Sax on the original recording. Now back to the Recording Studio.


The Surprise Flip-side Recording.

The recording equipment consisted of an old two-track machine. The group recorded the Angle Baby song over and over, a reported thirty times or more before they got the take they wanted and thought they were done.

The "Airplane Hangar Recording engineer" then asks "What do you want on the other side?" As they were new in the business they completely forgot about the flip side of the record, but luck was with them.

Their old friend Blueford Wade, a vocalist that sat in on gigs with Rosie when he wasn't with his own band, was along for the ride. Noah again had a suggestion. He asked Blueford to just ad-lib something and that's how "Give Me Love" made it on the B-side of that 45rpm record.


The Angel Baby Song is a Department Store Hit!

When the record was finished the group ran into trouble landing a record deal and couldn't get an appointment with any of the recording labels, but they didn't give up.

They took their master recording to Kresge's Department Store in San Diego and asked the Manager to play the song in one of the listening booths of the music department. They wanted it piped into the store so the teens shopping for records could hear it also.

They suggested to the Manager that if the teens liked the song maybe they could sell it in the store. The Manager agreed and allowed them to play the song throughout the store.

The kids loved the song and wanted to know where to buy the record. There was a distributor for Highland Records in the store that day and he came over to see what all the commotion was about.

He offered the group a recording contract on the spot, but only under the condition that the company take possession of the master recording. He also said that David Ponci had to be named as the author of the song as he was the eldest of the group.

The group was young and eager for success so they gave them their master with no contract signed.


Good times turn bad for Rosie & the Originals.

It was about three weeks later the Angel Baby song was played on the radio by DJ Allen Freed before the group had received their contract.

He made mention that the song was by a young girl named Rosie and told everyone listening that this was going to be a hit song.

He continued playing the song six to ten times a day before Rosie finally contacted someone at Highland to meet them with a contract.

She had to take her mother to sign because Rosie was a minor. Hamlin later discovered she was ineligible to collect record royalties from the song because she was not listed as the song writer.

This eventually led to the group's break-up. Hamlin finally secured the copyright to her music in 1961 but battles over royalities lasted for decades.

They were musicians not business people. They got burned like so many others in those days as there was no one available immediately to help many young artists with legal advice.

I have read articles indicating that immediately after writing the song, Rosie certified-mailed herself a copy so that it would be legally dated.

If this really happened it was a wise move in view of the legal mess later created by Highland Records, costing Rosie many years in lost royalties.

Remember the Darling Lorraine song I wrote about. Same thing happened to the writer of that song. You can read that story here.


Rosie & the Originals - In Good Company.

After her days with Highland Records, Jackie Wilson asked Rosie to come to New York, along with guitarist Noah Tafolla, where they recorded "Lonely Blue Nights" for the Brunswick label.

Soon after they began opening for Jackie Wilson at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater for six shows daily. The show included Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Marcells, Benny King, The Isley Brothers, Del Shannon, Bobby Vee and Bobby Rydel among others.

Rosie has worked with other great entertainers including Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. She opened for the "Rolling Stones" when they first came to the US.

John Lennon recorded the Angel Baby Song and made mention that little Rosie was one of his favorite American Artists.

This Angel Baby song made it to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1960. It remained on the charts for twelve weeks.

For someone that had just a single hit song "Angel Baby", Rosie Hamlin has proved that she should be remembered for more than that one hit single.

Her cover versions of "A Thousand Stars", The One That Really Loves You and Your No Good are superb covers, and her original 'Lonely Blue Nights' deserved to be a hit song.

Hamlin and Tafolla married and had two children together.

In 2002, Hamlin performed this "Angel Baby" video on a PBS-TV program, Red White & Rock.

Please note that here she is performing this classic with a full orchestra of professional musicians. In 1960 she recorded this in a converted airplane hanger with her teenage friends.

Forty two years later, no flat notes, perfect pitch all the way through the song. A tribute to her lasting talent.



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Reprinted By Exclusive Permission.


Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


from our friends at MusicRecordShop

Bruce Springsteen - Live At The Main Point 1975 4-LP Import 2012 (Clear Vinyl)

FANTASTIC 140 GRAM CLEAR QUADROUPLE VINYL REISSUE OF THIS LEGENDARY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LIVE PERFORMANCE AVAILABLE IN A DELUXE HARDBACK SLIPCASE

The words 'legendary', 'seminal' and 'classic' are very often over-used in the heated hyperbole that surround rock concerts in general and Bruce Springsteen gigs in particular. They lead to overblown phrases such as "essential for every fan" and one of his greatest ever shows. This recording of a concert Bruce and the E-Street Band played in Philadelphia in February 1975 really is that of a legendary Springsteen show, a seminal moment in his career, a classic performance and an essential part of any fan's library of The Boss work. This is one of his greatest ever performances. 

1000 ONLY LIMITED EDITION

Label: Let Them Eat Vinyl
140 Gram Audiophile Virgin Vinyl LP Box Set - 4 LPs Sealed
Colored Vinyl - Clear


LP1
1. Intro
2. Incident On 57th Street
3. Mountain Of Love
4. Born To Run
5. The E Street Shuffle
6. Wings For Wheels (Thunder Road)
7. I Want You


LP2
8. Spirit In The Night
9. Shes The One
10. Growin Up
11. Its Hard To Be A Saint In The City
12. Jungleland
13. Kittys Back


LP3
14. New York City Serenade
15. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
16. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)


LP4
17. A Love So Fine / Shout
18. For You
19. Back In The USA
20. Thunder Road*
21. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out*
22. Pretty Flamingo*
23. Backstreets*


* Live at The Roxy, Hollywood, CA. (10/17/1975)

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new releases from our friends at MusicOnVinyl

Blind Boys Of Alabama - I'll Find A Way

I'll Find a Way represents a strong new chapter for the Blind Boys of Alabama, whose career stretches back more than seventy years. Formed in the late 1930s at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, the group has harmonized throughout the turbulent twentieth century and well into the twenty-first. They have enjoyed some of their biggest successes in the last ten years, during which they've won five Grammys, four Gospel Music Awards and multiple invitations to sing at the White House.

Produced by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, Kathleen Edwards), I'll Find A Way is a unique collaboration between one of popular music's longest-running acts and one of its fastest-rising stars. Known primarily for his work in the indie and folk realms, the Bon Iver frontman proved a perfect fit to work with the Blind Boys, exhibiting a deep knowledge and appreciation of gospel music.

I'll Find a Way features some of the Blind Boys' most fervent vocals as well as contributions by a new generation of Blind Boys fans - Sam Amidon, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, Casey Dienel of White Hinterland, Patty Griffin, and Justin Vernon himself. The result is a rousing collection of gospel songs, new and old, that address life's most desperate hours but also savor the triumphs and reassurances of faith.
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Bryan Ferry Orchestra - Great Gatsby

THE GREAT GATSBY - JAZZ RECORDINGS "A SELECTION OF YELLOW COCKTAIL MUSIC"

This release features Jazz recordings of the 2013 film soundtrack The Great Gatsby. In addition to 11 tracks from The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, this soundtrack also features music from Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and Irving Aaronson & His Commanders - and features inspired takes on "Empire State Of Mind", "100$Bill", "Back To Black", "Love Is The Drug" and more.

A 20-page booklet expands on the superb tracklisting with small stories and quintessential Roaring Twenties memorabilia. The first pressing comes in a limited hand numbered coloured vinyl issue!
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Earth, Wind & Fire - Now, Then & Forever

We're proud to announce the release of the new album Now, Then & Forever by the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire. This marks the group's first new studio album in eight years.

'Now, Then & Forever is really about the legacy of Earth, Wind & Fire', said co-founder Philip Bailey.  'The spirit of the band has always been about uplifting the consciousness of humanity.  There's a hope that this Earth, Wind & Fire music will go on forever.' 'Without the support of the fans around the world, the Earth, Wind & Fire journey would not have been possible' says co-founder Verdine White.
  • 180 gram audiophile vinyl
  • Printed innersleeve
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Los Lobos - How Will The Wolf Survive

Produced by T-Bone Burnett, the major breakthrough of Los Lobos' How Will The Wolf Survive? was a launching pad for the tried & true sound of these Latin American musical heroes.

Honing their craft in '70s L.A. by doing loads of weddings and dance gigs, they incorporated Rock into their Mexican sound which resulted in a Pop staple of legendary proportions. The band switch easily between Rockers like "Don't Worry Baby" and "A Matter Of Time" and modern Mexican evergreens "Corrida #1" and "Serenata NorteƱa."
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from our friends at StormingtheBase

Marsheaux - Inhale (Limited) 2LP (Translucent Blue)

Artoffact Records re-issues Inhale on double-vinyl with all-new cover art and three previously unreleased bonus tracks. The vinyl comes in two editions, audiophile black and a limited (100 copies worldwide) translucent blue for collectors.

"I do have a soft spot for Marsheaux," Andy McCluskey of OMD has been quoted as saying, and no doubt the Greek synthpop duo have garnered many accolades in their 10 year career. Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou have indeed taken Europe's synthpop scene by storm over four albums and high-profile remixes. The Human League played their track "What a Lovely Surprise" in the pre-show music for the Steel City tour; the duo were commissioned to do an official remix for OMD; and Tom Robinson and Stuart Maconie (BBC Radio 6 hosts) have praised their work.

2013 saw the release of Inhale, Marsheaux's most accomplished and successful record to date, and the duo's fourth full-length. With top marks from the likes of Vancouver's V-Rag Magazine and Collapse Board's Everett True, Inhale is a glorious synthpop record, one of 2013's best.

We expect this product in stock on December 3rd.

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cool story:

Toad Hall marks 40 years of vinyl, books and comics in Rockford

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are you old enough to remember this show (i am and it was a thrill to stay up late to watch it!)

40 Years Ago: ‘Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert’ Debuts