The "Big Wheel Keeps On Turning, Proud Mary Keeps On Burning" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  It was mid-May, 50 years ago, school was out and I was listening to the radio in my car on the way home from a hard day of teaching school at good old Manheim Township High School where I had gone to school as a student and also taught Graphic Arts and Photography.  Oh. how the memories seem to flood my mind...and disappear as fast as they entered.  I was listening to my car radio as I headed in the Lititz Pike to my home in the Grandview Heights Section of the township.  Naturally had the radio tuned in to the local radio station who was playing my favorite songs as they always did in the afternoon.  How many of you remember listening to the radio and catching the songs of 1971 such as: "Proud Mary", "It's too late" and "Ain't no sunshine"?  I look back to the years when Rock 'n Roll was the genre of the times.  As you can see by now...my story today is geared to my friends who were born in the mid 1950s to the 1970s and who had a love of Rock 'n Roll in their blood.  The year was 1971 and love, sex and rock 'n roll were the stories behind the memory-making music we listened to 50 years ago.  The greatest songs of 1971 started the new decade with fresh attitudes that made you just have to memorize the lyrics and sing along no matter if you had a good voice or not.  Hey, for me...I was in the car by myself and no one could stop me from singing along no matter if I remembered all the words or not and if I sang bass to a song that was by Tina Turner.  Come on...you heard of Tina Turner didn't you?  It was she and Ike that sang "Proud Mary" on the radio that day in May as I headed home.  But, did you know that it was Creedence Clearwater Revival that had made the song a hit two years earlier.  Then along came Ike who didn't like their version and changed the arrangement starting it "nice and easy" before making it "nice and rough," as Tina would later note.  Tina used the song for years, keeping it in her final tour in 2009.  Perhaps my favorite song of the year was "Take Me Home, Country Roads." sung by John Denver.  My wife Carol and I had the chance to see John in concert at the Hershey Ice Rink in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1971 when he sang all our favorites.  Seems that a married couple, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, performed the song which was first about Maryland.  They opened a concert one time for John and sang the song.  After the show, John added his own rendition to the tune, and the result made him a star with the song going to No. 2 and West Virginia making it their state song.  Being that my wife was a fan of The Beatles, we both enjoyed John Lennon's song "Imagine" which was probably his bestselling and most beloved song from 1971 that he had written.  The song came from poems that his wife Yoko Ono had written for her 1964 book "Grapefruit."  The song has been sung by more than 200 artists since that time.  Another of our favorites was "Brown Sugar" which was by The Rolling Stones.  The song was part of their 11th American LP titled Sticky Fingers.  Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics in 45 minutes.  Another hit from 1971 was Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft."  The hard driving beat was hard to ignore and it gave him a #1 single that year.  He also took the Oscar for Best Original Song, making him the first Black artist to win that prize.  That guy was one, cool dude!  One more of my favorites was a song by The Doors titled "Riders On The Storm" which was recorded with singer Jim Morrison.  The song had its roots in the old cowboy song "Ghost Riders in the Sky" but was modernized by centering on a hitch-hiking killer who murdered six people in the 1950s while traveling between Missouri and California.  The single came out about a month before Morrison died of heart failure, likely due to drugs.  So, you see that the year 1971 had some good songs that will always be remembered...at least by my generation.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "So Who Are These Five Guys?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  I was showing my wife a photograph I had just found of her favorite musical group of all time, The Beatles.  The photograph featured five musicians instead of four, but also happened to be missing Ringo Starr.  So, who were these musicians pictured in the photograph I had found.  

The colorized photo I had found.  Read on to see whom the musicians may be. 

Her love affair with The Beatles began when she saw them appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.  It was on February 7, 1964 that the Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow landed at New York's Kennedy Airport and instantly "Beatlemania" had arrived.  The British rock-and-roll quartet had just had their first No. 1 hit in The USA with "I Want to Hold Your Hand."  The "Fab Four," as they were called, were dressed in mod suits and sporting their trademark bowl haircuts.  More than 3,000 screaming fans greeted them as they departed from the plane onto American soil.  Then, two days later they made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  If I remember it correctly, it was really hard to hear what they were singing due to the constant screaming of the teenage girls who were in attendance at the television studio where the show was broadcast from that day.  Ed Sullivan was so impressed the he quickly booked them for two more appearances that month.  The "Fab Four" made their first public concert appearance on February 11 at the Coliseum in Washington, D.C. with another group of 20,000 screaming fans.  The following day they gave two performances at New York's Carnegie Hall.  

The Beatles when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

The surrounding streets had to be closed due to the large amount of people who surrounded the Hall.  On February 22 the Beatles returned to England.  So, now for the photograph I was showing my wife.  It featured five instead of four musicians and one of those musicians wasn't Ringo Starr.  So...what gives?  Well, the colorized photograph looks really creepy.  Almost like a photograph taken at Madame Tussaud Wax Museum.  The photograph has what many called the "fifth Beatle."  Two of those in the photo were Pete Best on drums and Stu Sutcliffe on guitar.  Eventually Ringo Starr replaced Pete and Stu left the group to pursue a career in art.  He died shortly after leaving the group of a brain hemorrhage.  Actually, Stu's girlfriend was responsible for giving The Beatles their iconic mop top haircuts.  For those of you who are fans of the Beatles, the photograph was taken in Hamburg, Germany in 1960.  The musicians in the photo are from left-right: John Lennon, George Harrison, Pete Best, Paul McCartney and Stuart Sutcliffe.  I wonder what Pete and Stuart must have thought a year after this photo was taken.  They missed out on being perhaps the best quartet in Rock & Roll that ever was.  Eventually the Beatles returned to the United States in 1964 for a second tour and at one point that year they had the top five best-selling singles in the U.S..  And, if you are wondering when the Beatles disbanded, it was 1970.  They left a legacy of 18 albums and 30 Top 10 U.S. singles.  Quite a hard act to follow.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Sleeping With The Strings To His Heart" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in the "Arts" section of the local newspaper about a young man who lived in Dallas, Texas.  If you remember, Texas recently suffered through one of the coldest weeks in history.  Was below freezing for quite a few days and many people found their heating systems couldn't keep them warm during the cold spell.  One such person was Southern Methodist University music professor Aaron Boyd.  Aaron was a fabulous musician who played the violin.  During one cold spell he decided to take his favorite violin, a 1690 Matteo Goffriller Venician violin that was made in Venice.  Mr. Goffriller built the violin during the golden age for luthiers in Italy.  The French word "luthier" means an artisan who builds and repairs stringed instruments.  During the 16th and 17th centuries, the northern Italian cities of Brescia and Ceoa were hubs for the craft.  Dremona was home to Antonio Stradivari, whose instruments are coveted by musicians and collectors alike for their supposedly superior sound and resonance.  Mr. Boyd remembers seeing the instrument for the first time.  "It was love at first sight," he said.  He bought the violin at a violin shop in New York about 10 years ago.  The sales person took the violin from the safe and showed it to Mr. Boyd.  

Aaron Boyd with his violin.  Photo by Smiley Pool
(Don't you just love that name!)

After viewing the price tag, he realized it would take him at least six months to save for the violin.  His love affair with the violin finally came to fruition.  During the cold spells in Texas during mid-February, Mr. Boyd's home dropped into the 40s when they lost power for a few days.  He became alarmed since it is said that if violins are exposed to the cold, the wood can split, ruining the instruments.   He wasn't sure if it was cold enough or if the instrument would actually split, but he didn't want to take the chance.  So, he and his son slept with the instrument which was nestled in it's case under many blankets, next to them.  Goffriller is more famous for his cellos than his violins, but Mr. Boyd says his violins are just as good as his cellos.  Mr. Goffriller would have been Venice's foremost luthier when composer Antonio Vivaldi lived and worked in the city so Boyd wonders if his violin might have been involved in one of the premieres of Vivaldi's music, even the Four Seasons.  When Mr. Boyd needs his instrument cleaned or needs maintenance, he usually brings it to New York city due to the many excellent technicians in New York.  But, now all he is doing is trying to keep it warm and keeping its temperature and humidity at stable levels.  His final comment was..."That's how I ended up with the violin in bed."  Those who own instruments made by famous artists have a certain respect for those instruments and will do just about anything to protect its integrity.  And...Mr Boyd appreciates his fine instrument and realizes both its integrity and sentimental value.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "The Three Octave Phenom: Roy Orbison" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Working at the gallery where I help a former high school student of mine do matting and framing of just about anything that comes in the door at Greginger Gallery.  And...I have been known to work much better when I am listening to music.  Today, the songs on the old portable CD player that was my mom's at one time, are some of my favorites from a guy known as Roy Orbison.  

Roy Orbison

Roy died over 30 years ago, but his voice and song lyrics still have meaning and inspiration for me as I work.  Songs such as "Only the Lonely" from 1960, "Running Scared" from 1961, "Crying" from 1961, "In Dreams" from 1963 and "Oh, Pretty Woman" from 1964 are some of my all-time favorites.  Not just from Roy, but from any artist living or deceased.  Roy was eight years my senior, but I just loved his singing style, song structures and dark, emotional Ballards.  He and his music has been described as operatic and gaining the nickname of "the Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O".  He didn't dance around the stage, wear flashy clothes and shout instead of sing; he performed standing still, wearing black clothes and dyed hair as well as dark sunglasses.  I often tried to sing along with him, knowing the lyrics to just about every song he ever performed, but just when I was at the top of my vocal range, Roy would top me with a note I could never hope to hit.  

Roy when he sang for Sun Records.

He began singing in a rockabilly and country-and-western band in high school, and was given a record contract with Sun Records in 1956.  A few years later he was signed by Monument Records where he enjoyed much of his success.  From 1960 to 1966 he had 22 singles reach the Billboard Top 40; most of those having been written or co-written by Roy himself.  Many of his records reflected on his personal life.  His distinctive three-octave voice and unorthodox songwriting technique was his unglamorous style which has been called "geek chic."  

Roy begins to wear his distinctive dark glasses.

As a child he had poor eyesight which was why he wore those thick corrective eyewear.  In 1963, while touring with the Beatles, he left his glasses on the plane which forced him to wear his unsightly prescription sunglasses for that night's show.  It later became his trademark.  From the mid-1960s he suffered a number of personal tragedies and his career faltered.  His wife was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1966 and two years later his two oldest sons died in a house fire. Roy entered a dark period in both his personal and musical life.  

Roy in 1965

In the 1980s he experienced a resurgence in popularity following the success of several cover versions of his songs.  It was in 1988 that he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys, a rock group that featured George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.  What a group it was, but Roy only got to sing with the superstars for a few months before he died of a heart attack on December 6th of that year at the age of 52.  A month later his song, "You Got It" was released as a solo single and became his first hit to reach the U.S. Top 10 in nearly 25 years.  Roy is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1987), The Songwriters Hall of Fame (1989) and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (2014).  Rolling Stone placed him at number 37 on their list of the "Greatest Artist of All Time" and number 13 on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."  In 2002, Billboard Magazine listed him at number 74 in the Top 600 recording artists.  Pretty impressive credentials!  But, what has impressed me the most about Roy is his falsetto voice which seems to come from within him.  He told Rolling Stone Magazine that he likes the sound of his voice, I like making it sing, making the voice ring, and I just keep doing it.  It was said that when Elvis Presley heard "Only the Lonely" for the first time, he bought a box of copies to pass along to his friends.  

Roy in 1987, a year before he died.

One of my all-time favorites of Roy Orbison is "Running Scared" when he hits the final high note.  Just gives me the chills.  The song was about an emotionally vulnerable man facing loss or grief, with a crescendo culminating in a surprise climax that employed Orbison's dynamic voice.  I have also read that what separates Orbison from so many other multi-octave-spanning power singers is the he can hit the biggest notes imaginable and still sound unspeakably sad at the same time.  All his vocal gymnastics were just a means to a powerful end, not a mission unto themselves.  Roy Orbison didn't just sing beautifully...he sang brokenheartedly.  Roy's voice will live on forever.  It was once said that, "When you were trying to make a girl fall in love with you, it took roses, the Ferris wheel and Roy Orbison. Amen!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.




  

The "One Of The World's Musical Superstars Turns 250 Years Old" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Was leafing through the latest "Signals" catalog when I saw an advertise- ment for a Solar Beethoven.  Said you should put the statue where the sun shines or beneath a lighted lamp and he'll wave his baton!  Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 which makes 2020 his 250th birthday year.  This past March, performers with the Berlin State Opera took to their balconies to sing excerpts from his heroic Ninth Symphony.  

Advertisement in "Signals."

Then in May, despite lockdowns and a pandemic, officials reopened the Beethoven-Haus, his childhood home in the center of Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.   Much has been written about van Beethoven, but one interesting story I found reported that in 1825, while recuperating from a near-death experience, Beethoven composed one of the most profound pieces of music in Western History.  His musical piece is known as The Holy Song of Thanksgiving which suggests a quiet conversation between God and a man making  his peace with his Creator despite the deafness with which he has been cursed.  Music lovers around the world know the music composition as "the Heiliger Dankesang."  Beethoven's full description of the original score is: "Heiliger Dankgesang vines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in Der lydischen Tonart" which translates to "Holy Song of Thanksgiving by a Convalescent to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode."

Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven wrote the movement to offer thanks for being alive, despite having gone completely deaf, the worst possible fate for a composer and musician.  Parts of the piece he labeled "Feeling new strength," since he had recently survived a near-fatal illness.  Beethoven would pass away two years later after completing the last of his string quartets, which many believe form the summit of Western music.  I read many stories about his last great composition and writers said, "Start listening to the Heiliger Dankgesang and reality seems to hold its breath and wait."  My favorite composition written by Ludwig van Beethoven is his Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 which was written between 1804 and 1808.  It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music, and one of the most frequently played symphonies.  What I probably enjoy the most is the opening four notes.  As soon as you hear those notes you know you are in for one of the biggest musical treats in your life.  The composition premiered in Vienna, but didn't go over well.  Seems that by the time the fifth started, the audience was too tired and cold from the icy winter outside to listen properly.  They didn't see just how great it was.  Over time it became one of his most listened to pieces.  I only wish I could have watched him perform during his lifetime.  During 2020 there have been many celebrations of his life and the only thing that prevented a truly amazing classical music year is the worldwide pandemic that came with lockdowns around the world.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Homemade Musician Of Rohrerstowm" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in front of the TV watching "Press Your Luck" and "Match Game."  What else is there to do except watch TV and read the newspaper or a book.  I already read quite a few books on my Kindle so TV watching was filling my time.  When the newspaper came I decided it was time to see what was going on in good ole' Lancaster County, PA.  There on the first page of the "Living Lancaster" section was a big photo of a guy by the name of Michael Luckenbill who was playing homemade bagpipes.  

Al Reist playing as he passed by me.

I can still remember close to ten years ago when our friends Jere and Sue visited Alexandria, Virginia with us for the early December "Scottish Walk" Parade which wound its way through the town and waterfront.  One of the bands in the parade was a group of bagpipers.  Boy did they sound great.   The melodic sound of the variety of pipes projects an eeriely resonating sound at times, but also a soothing sound.  Then as they slowly passed I yelled to Jere to look at one of the guys playing the bagpipes.  We both had him as a student in high school.  Guy by the name of Al Reist.  He had a twin and when I yelled "Art" we got no response so I yelled "Al" and he got a smile on his face, while still playing his bagpipe.  Found out a year or so after that he lived about a block from me and plays his bagpipes outside from time to time.  Wondered why I never heard him.  Well, it seems like Michael Luckenbill begins playing his bagpipes at 6:00 PM every evening to entertain the neighborhood.  

Mike Luckenbill on the bagpipes.

The former music teacher is trying to give his neighbors something other than TV and reading as enter- tainment during the COVID-19 pandemic.  And, it's all free!  And, he has been doing it already for over 100 evenings!!  The only thing on his porch is himself, his bagpipes and  an iPad on a stand with a list of songs and musical notes.  He doesn't overdo it with only 15 to 20 minute concerts every evening.  No one has asked him to do it and no one has complained.  He's just a bagpipe musician with a nack to entertain his neighbors and anyone else who may be wandering along at 6:00 PM.  The story in the newspaper said that Mike only began to play the bagpipes about 20 years ago after listening to another bagpiper play "Amazing Grace" at a bar.  At the time, Mike's Rock N' Roll Band had just played at a wake at the bar and was paid about $25.  Then the bagpiper played "Amazing Grace."  The guy had played about two minutes of the song and made $300 for his efforts.  Mike now pairs his bagpipe with a small guitar app that adds droning notes, creating a sometimes eerie sound.  He can play about 50 songs on his bagpipe from Irish classics to movie themes.  During his past few months of 6:00 concerts, a neighbor stopped one evening and told him a neighbor was having a birthday that day.  

A photo on Mike's website.

So...Mike added his rendition of "Happy Birthday" to his concert.  Mike has a website that you can visit and see how accomplished a musician he really is.  Check out: mdlmusic.webs.com and see his array of music genres that he has listed.  This guy is phenomenal.  He can wear a gorilla suit at one concert and play the harp at another concert.  What a teacher this guy must have been!  I'm going to have to hop in the car soon and take in his 6:00 PM concert some evening.  It was another extraordinary day in the life fo an ordinary guy.

The "Background Music At The Cicada Festival" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking the website: The Original Mt. Gretna "Cicada Festival Concerts" to see if the concert series, scheduled for August 3-11, may have been canceled due to COVID-19.    We have been going to their concerts for close to ten years which are held at the open-air, outdoor Gretna Theatre at the Mt. Gretna Playhouse.  

The advertisement for the Cicada Festival at Mt. Gretna

The site is set in the woods at Mt. Gretna, Pennsyl- vania and the open-air theatre is the perfect location to listen to good old Rock & Roll.  But, if the concert is still scheduled to go on...it may be a bit more noisy than in the past, since this is the year that the cicadas are due to emerge for their once-in-17 year mating season.  As many as 1.5 million cicadas could emerge per acre and they will add some noisy background music for the bands performing this year.  Not necessarily a disruptive noice, but a distinct chirping!  Carol and I have never been to a concert when the cicadas have been active, but I was hoping to have a chance to see what type of background they would add to the bands.  A Virginia Tech professor said that, "Hopefully, any annoyance at the disturbance is tempered by just how infrequent...and amazing...the event is."  There are two types of of cicadas, periodical and annual, with the periodical cicadas emerging every 13 to 17 years, depending upon the species.  

The Periodical Cicada

Brood IX, as this group is dubbed, last emerged in 2003.  Parts of the region that's expected to see this brood also saw some of brood II, which crawled out from the ground back in 2013 across parts of Eastern U.S.  But brood IX won't likely affect as many states.  Why does the periodical cicada appear only every 13-17 years?  It is reported that it may be to avoid predators who treat the cicada as an easy meal.  They may be trying to avoid matching cycles and appear without notice to their predators.  The insects spend the majority of their lives underground, in an immature "nymph" state with soil temperatures and year synchronizing their transition to a mature cicada, ready to emerge, breed and lay eggs.  Climate change is what can change their emerging between 13 to 17 years.  

Another view of the cicada

Once they have emerged and bred, they die within a few weeks.  It is during those few weeks that they add the background rhythm to the songs circulating in our head.  At times it can be overwhelming and annoying.  Just how do they appear all of a sudden?  They break through like the undead emerging from their graves.   They travel in huge packs in the same direction through the woods, scurrying up trees, covering all their branches.  At this point they break through their exoskeletons, at first sickly white and soft before they take on their red-eyed, coal-black adult form and then fly off by the billions.  They're big and noisy...perfect for a rock & roll band.  The periodical cicadas' life span is among the longest of any insect, spending years and years underground eating tree roots, before breaking through the ground and seeing the light of day for just a few short days.  

Breaking through the exoskeleton

There are 15 regions in the United States where the cicadas' will emerge.  They have already started to call out to females in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina.  As far as the area where I live, since the weather has been rather cool this spring, they may not appear until mid-summer.  Might they appear just in time for the concert?  If you happen to see them, do not fret.  They are not poisonous and don't bite or sting.  And, once the eggs hatch, the nymphs fall to the ground where they will nestle into the earth for the next 17 years.  What a life!  So enjoy them if you happen to see or hear them, for it will be another 13-17 years before they will return once again to add harmony to the many other noises you may hear in the woods...or on the stage at the Cicada Festival.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

PS - A few days ago my check that I sent for payment of four tickets to the concert was returned to me.  It wasn't due to the cicadas, but Covid-19.  The close quarters in the outdoor auditorium could spread the virus among the over 50 crowd and create a real problem.  Perhaps by next summer the virus will have been conquered and I will once again be able to hear some of my favorite music at the festival.

The "Memories Of Being A Rock'n'Roll Musician!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Singing along to some of my favorite Ricky Nelson songs as I put frames together and stuff them in boxes for shipping at the gallery where I work part-time.  I have listened to the same songs over and over again,  since someone bought me "Ricky's Favorite Hits" as a Christmas gift years ago.  I know which one follows which one and have everyone of the songs' lyrics memorized.  "I'm a Travelin' Man, made a lot of stops, all over the World....", then a five second pause and...."I went to a Garden Party, to reminisce with my old friends..."  There are twelve songs on the CD and when it reaches the last song, I hit the play button one more time and..."I'm a Travelin' Man...all over again.  Boy, I should have been a musician I keep telling myself.  A Rock'n'Roll musician.  That's what I wanted to be when I was in high school.  But, doesn't everyone want that?  I even bought a 6 string guitar and taught myself how to play a few chords.  One of my favorite guitarists was Duane Eddy.  Boy could he play that guitar.  Still can hear "Rebel Rouser" in my head.  Even painted across the body of my guitar..."Little Twanger".  Made a few people laugh, nah...make that a lotto people laugh...but I was on my way to becoming a rock star.  As you may know, I never made I as a Rock'n'Roll star.  Probably wouldn't be sitting here typing about it if I had.  But, that's OK, since I do enjoy sharing my stories with you.  My first brush with music fame came when I was the back-up for the lead in "Amahl and the Night Visitors" which was the retelling of the story of the Magi from the point fo view of a young disabled boy named Amahl, who lives in poverty with his widowed mother near Bethlehem.  My friend was the lead and both of us sang in St. James Church boy's choir at the time.  He never became ill or lost his voice during the Christmas season, so I had no chance to get onstage.  Shortly after that I decided I wanted to play the accordion.  My dad had a good friend by the name of Mickey Sinopoli who gave lessons on the accordion.  Started with a 12-bass accordion which was perfect for a young boy.  In about a year I graduated to the 120 base accordion which I could barely lift.  I did OK, but eventually realized I was never going to be a Rock'n'Roll musician playing and singing with an accordion.  So, after my final accordion concert with all the other students, where I performed "Lady of Spain, I adore you," I packed up the accordion.  I guess I never did like the thing since there was no place to paint anything on it!  And, that's when I bought the "Little Twanger" guitar.  Well, I still have hopes of becoming a Rock'n'Roll musician and always sing along when Carol and I go to outdoor concerts in the summer to hear traveling groups who play all the oldies.  Oh, yeah...and I still sing along with Ricky every day I work, "all over the World."  And, it is all summed up in my final sentence!  It was another extraordinary day in life of an ordinary guy.

PS - And, now...after reading my latest issue of "Saturday Evening Post", I have come to the conclusion that I should become a ukulele musician just like Arthur Godfrey.  He could really play his ukulele, but couldn't sing that well.  He became a star, so being that I can sing better than him, I still could be a ukulele star!  Just thinking...so I am!

The "A Song For All Time!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of my favorite duos of all time, Simon and Garfunkel.  It has been 50 years since the duo last recorded any songs.  They, along with The Everly Brothers, The Smother Brothers, Jan and Dean and The Righteous Brothers were perhaps my favorite recording musical duos of all time.  But, the unique harmonic sound of Simon and Garfunkel brought a special brand of folk-rock to the world 50 years ago that has never been heard since then.  And, their signature song of all time has to be "Bridge over Troubled Water."  

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon as "Tom & Jerry"

The history of the duo goes way back to elementary school where they became best friends in 1953 as sixth graders.  They sang in a doo-wop group as well as performing as a duo at school events.  At the age of 15 they traveled to a Manhattan studio where they recorded a song that got them their first recording contract.  That song, "Hey Schoolgirl", made it to #49 on the charts and got them a trip to Philadelphia to play on American Bandstand in 1957.  At the time they called their duo Tom and Jerry.  After graduating from High school the following year, they headed to 
different colleges in New York City.  

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" album cover.

It wasn't until they were no longer in college that they began to perform together in 1963.  It was at that point that their genre changed from doo-wop to folk and they changed their name to Kane and Garr.  While playing at a location in Greenwich Village, Tom Wilson, a music producer, heard them and helped them get a contract with Columbia Records.  But, shortly after, Garfunkel decided to return to college and Simon headed to England to sing as well as returning to school in the States.  While in England he recorded his first solo album.  

Garfunkel (left) and Simon.

But, the duo got back together once again and when "The Sound of Silence" hit the airways it landed in the Hot 100.  By 1966 it was the #1 song on the charts.  Their success grew when they contributed to the soundtrack of the movie "The Graduate."  But, eventually they parted due to Simon's desire to do solo work as well as Garfunkel's dream of appearing in film.  It was in 1969 that they recorded their final studio album, "Bridge over Troubled Water."  It was released in 1970 and won the Grammy for Album of the Year as well as being the best single-selling album of 1970, '71 and '72.  It was 50 years ago that it became #1 title track on the charts.  "Bridge over Troubled Waters" was one of the most-covered songs of the 20th century.  But after the success, they both went their separate ways.  

They did reunite from time to time for special concerts and short tours as well as an appearance on Saturday Night Live.  In 1981 they played a show in front of a sell-out crowd of 500,000 in New York's Central Park which was recorded live.  That album sold two million copies.  They haven't sang together since, but is it their hope?  Probably not.  My wife and I saw the Everly Brothers sing together in 2013 at Lancaster's American Music Theatre even though they came in separate vans and didn't seem to talk much on stage.  A few months later Phil Everly died.  So sad that music didn't draw these groups together instead of tearing them apart.  But, fame and fortune tends to breed greed instead of friendship.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Lyrics to "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

Simon & Garfunkel

When you're weary, feeling small

When tears are in your eyes

I will dry them all

I'm on your side

Oh when times get rough

And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

When you're down and out

When you're on the street

When evening falls so hard

I will comfort you

I'll take your part

Oh when darkness comes

And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Sail on, silver girl

Sail on by

Your time has come to shine

All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine

Oh if you need a friend

I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will ease your mind

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will ease your mind

The "Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Music From The Past: Part II - The Marimba Queens!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching YouTube for a copy of "A Study in Brown" which was a marimba-based musical group from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s.  Now...I realize that many of you probably have no idea what a marimba might be, or might not even have been alive during the dates I just listed, so, I need to give you some background information.  

Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens. 

The marimba is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars that are struck with yarn or rubber mallets to produce musical tones.  Resonators or pipes suspended underneath each bar amplifies their sound.  The bars are arranged much like the keys of a piano.  This instrument is a type of idiophone, or vibrating instrument, but with a more resonant and lower-pitched sound than a xylophone.  A person who plays a marimba is known as a marimbas or a marimba player.  A group in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, known as Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens, was a marimba-based musical group that played from about 1938 to 1955.  "A Study in Brown" was a two-minute black and white film made in the early 1940s that was shown in movie houses as a bonus before the main feature.  Reg and his Queens toured the country by starting and ending their tour with an appearance at Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Their tour included making the rounds of the major dance halls as they traveled by bus.  The main attraction was a "hep-cat" bass player, Frank DiNunzio, from Hershey who played his stand-up slap bass almost until his death in February of 2005.  

In the video that follows you can see the other musicians in the group who were: marimba player Fern Marie, Reg's wife;   next to the her was the maraca player, Grace Bailey; on the back marimba is Joyce Shaw; on the upper octave, Ruth Hauser; on the middle octave was Janet Yonde;  Madee Greer is on the upper and Polly Weiser on the lower.  "A Study in Brown" is known as a "Soundie" and when making Sounds, the artist, or in this case artists, first record an acceptable copy of the audio, then various camera takes are made using different camera angles and closeups as the performers lip-synched the lyrics and acted as though playing the instruments.  The results were edited to create the appearance of several cameras doing the filming, when in most cases one camera was used.  "A Study in Brown" was showed at many Army Camps.  Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens played their last engagement at the Bedford Springs Hotel in Bedford, Pennsylvania in 1962.  I hope you enjoy the video, or at least understand what a marimba may be.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The 'Tranells' From Lancaster, Pennsylvania" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching online to find yet another rock and roll band that had its roots in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  A few days ago I wrote about the rock and roll band known as "The Crystalaires" who lost the majority of their members to a horrible automobile accident, but rebuilt the band and had a few memorable recordings to their credit.  Well, a few days ago I came across another top-notch rock and roll band that made a few recordings and also gained a few weeks of fame on the national market.  The band was known as "The Tranells" and recorded on the Chelton label in 1964.  The Tranells' members hailed mostly from Lancaster City's J.P. McCaskey High School.  They practiced in a house on Christian Street that was owned by "Uncle Herbie" Lynch.  The year was 1962.  The house where I lived for most of youth was on North Queen Street in Lancaster.  The street behind our house was Christian Street.  Could it be that I may have heard the music coming from a nearby garage and didn't recognize the sound of The Tranells?  The founder of the band was Chet Stewart who at one time played in The Crystalaires.  

The Tranells from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Other members of The Tranells were vocalists Joanie who was Chet's sister, Jimmy Jackson and Howard Washing- ton.  Musicians were Ernie Jamison and Harold Sheetz on lead guitar, Clyde Lucas and David McPhail on keyboards, Harry Wilkerson on bass, Al Gates on sax and Buddy Gantz on drums.  The band was originally called the Phoenicians, but was changed to The Tranells since it had a nice sound.  A posting says: The group was Central Pennsylvania's version of a Motown act, with a spit-and-polish, clean-cut image; well-dressed, no smoking or drinking, always polite and never late.  They were an interracial band strong in doo wop. In 1963 they recorded at the Sound Plus Studios in Philadelphia.  They recorded their hit on the Chelton label in 1964.  Those record collectors that have copies of their work have records which are today considered very rare.  Their biggest hit was on the Chelton label and titled "Come On And Tell Me" with the "B" side sound called "The Music Swayed."  The local radio station, WLAN, published their weekly "Swingin '60 Survey" and in the week of May 23, 1964, the #17 song on the list was "Come On And Tell Me."  The top 4 songs that week were "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers, "She Loves You" by the Beatles, "I Get Around" buy the Beach Boys and "Baby Love" by The Supremes.  Some top-notch groups to compete against in the city of Lancaster.  I searched for a time when they may have disbanded, but found nothing.  Guess I should be happy that I had a chance to hear one of the best "Oldies" bands in the area.  It was another extraoridnary day in the life of an oridnary guy.

The "A Sad Day For Music In The City Of Lancaster" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened the Facebook page titled "Remember When In Lancaster" and began reading the entries for the past few days.  One entry which I came upon was a photograph that read..."Anyone remember the Crystalaires from Lancaster?"  A black and white photograph accompanied the sentence.  The Crystalaries were a group from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and were the hottest act in town back in 1959.

Then on May 25 of that year, while coming home from a gig in nearby Reading, PA, they were involved in a horrendous automobile accident.  The headline in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal the following morning told the story; "7 In Rock & Roll Combo Catapulted From Car By Crash."  An explosive crash on the Oregon Pike in Manheim Township shortly after midnight killed three members of a teenage rock-and-roll band when they were catapulted from one of the cars.  Four other members of the band were seriously hurt.  The dead were identified as: Kenneth Gray, about 15; Louis Wilson, 19; and Lawrence Speller, 17.  All three suffered fractured skulls and died instantly.  Those injured were Harold Keys, 17; Lewis Burross, 16; Robert Ray; and Ralph Speller, 19.  The driver of the other vehicle, Logan Carpenter 49, had serious lacerations to the head and face.  The boys were driving south on Oregon Road to Lancaster when it went off the side of the road and while the driver was trying to gain control of the car, it went across the road and hit an oncoming car.  Speed was to blame in the accident.  The car exploded and burst into flames.  The promising career of these seven musicians ended in a ball of flames.  The Crystalaires were members of the local Crispus Attucks Recreation Center.  A short time before the accident they had taken first place in the Hempfield Sertoma Club amateur contest.  The manager of the combo was William Zimmerman of 414 N. Queen St.  The evening before the crash they had held a rehearsal at the rear of his home.  They were planning on a benefit dance the following month at the Stahr Armory with the proceeds going to the Lancaster County Society for Crippled Children and Adults.  Kenneth Gray, the youngest member of the band, had recently joined as a vocalist.  19 year old Lewis Wilson was married with three children ages 24 months, 11 months and one week.  Lewis was also a member of the Hamboners which made four appearances on the national amateur television show, The Ted Mack Amateur Hour, in 1953 and 1954.  Ralph Speller would have been eighteen the next month.  On May 29th another headline read "Driver Is 4th To Succumb in Rt. 222 Crash". Harold Keys, 17, died at 5:30 pm.  The fourth death made the accident the worst traffic accident in the past four years in Lancaster County.  Harold was not a member of the Crystalaires, but had volunteered to drive the band to Reading for an audition and to arrange for future bookings.  Harold was a sophomore at Lancaster McCaskey High School and worked part-time at a shoe-shine parlor and sang in the Bethel AME Church choir.  

The Crystalaires

This tragic accident took the lives of a group of talented young musicians.  Earlier in the evening the group had been informed by their manager that King Records, from Cincinnati, Ohio had offered them a record deal and wanted them to come to Chicago to re-cut "Nobody Nowhere" for national release.  In July of 1960, Stan Selfon of Stan's Record Bar in downtown Lancaster released the 2nd version of the tune on Sound Souvenir No. 1.  

Stan's Record Bar in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The money raised would go to the families of those killed in the accident.  It is not known how many of those recordings may still survive and record collectors drool at the site of one of these rare gems.  The photo that accompanies the released record ( as seen above)  is not the original group which lost most of its members, but the reformed Crystalaires. Only 2 of the latest group were members of the original group.  The two survivors were Robert Ray and Eddie Speller.  The same Eddie Speller who was a member of St. James Episcopal Church and was one of the Three Kings of Orient in the Christmas Pageant every here.  He, along with Dr. James Martin and my dad Paul marched down the aisle singing their respective verses.  And, boy could Eddie sing!  Who knew what might have been, had all of the original members weren't killed that tragic night.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "So Where Is Kokomo?" Story

Names are under the photo.  Click to enlarge.

It was an ordinary day.  Listening to one of my wife CDs that features songs of the Beach Boys.  Songs such as Wouldn't It Be Nice, Don't Worry Baby, Barbara Ann, God Only Knows, California Girls, Surfin' U.S.A., 409, Help Me Rhonda, In My Room, and one of my favorites...Kokomo.  Over the years the Beach Boys recorded and performed 214 songs and I think I heard every one of them.  Naturally, just like other artists, I enjoy certain songs better than others, but that's why they make so many in hopes of selling more hit songs.  Most had a reason for being written, but Kokomo makes mention of many tropical locations in the song, but the title doesn't tell of any one location in particular.  Aruba, Jamaica, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Key Largo, Montego, Martinique and Montserrat are all mentioned, many times over, but not one time does the song tell you where Kokomo might be.  

One of the covers that carried the record.

There is a Kokomo in the state of Indiana and one in the state of Mississippi, but who wants to spend a day at the beach in one of those cities.  There actually used to be a Kokomo Island in the Caribbean, but it was named that by the Sandals/Royal Caribbean Resort/Cruise line company.  And...they actually named it after the song!  That island now goes by the name of "Sandals Cay."  As I read more I found that the band's inspiration for the song was a pool-side bar at a hotel in Islamorada, one of the little island towns in the Florida Keys. The song was written by Terry Melcher with the help of John Phillips, who was a former member of The Mamas And The Papas, along with Beach Boy Mike Love and Scott McKenzie, who had a hit in 1967 with "San Francisco."  John Phillips daughter Chynna was in the group Wilson Phillips with Brian Wilson's daughters, Carnie and Wendy.  Mike Love came up with the chorus part: "Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I want to take you to Bermuda, Bahama, come on, pretty mama.  Key Largo, Montego....."  John Phillips wrote the verse while Terry Melcher wrote the bridge, where it goes, "Ooo, I want to take you down to Kokomo, we'll get there fast and we can take it slow..."  When you hear many of the songs from the 60s and 70s from a variety of singers or groups, you don't realize just how much goes in to the producing of the song before it is sung.  As I did some research on some of the Beach Boys songs I came across so many names that I will never remember, yet they may have won an award for what they did with a particular song.  The Kokomo single was first released in July of 1988 and peaked at the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 1988 and was the first #1 hit by the Beach Boys since 1966 when Good Vibrations made it to #1.  That marked the longest time span between two number-one hits in America for any band in 22 years.  It was also their only #1 hit not written by or produced by Brian Wilson.  And, with all this research I still have no idea where to find Kokomo.  I did put together ten photos which I have taken over the years that could have been taken in Kokomo, had there been a place such as that.  Check out the photos and see if any look like Kokomo to you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

My wife's favorite photograph that reminds her of
a place in the Caribbean that could be called Kokomo.
It was taken at Carlisle Bay, Barbados

Her second choice was this photo taken at Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

And...her third place photo which was also taken at Grace Bay Beach.

Crane Beach on Barbados.

Bottom Bay Beach in Barbados.  This is perhaps my favorite Caribbean beach site.

Long Bay Beach in Tortola.

Shoal Bay East Beach on Anguilla.

This was also taken on Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos.

Pinel Island off the coast of St. Martin's Orient Bay Beach.

And, one more photograph from Grace Bay Beach.