Turntable Talk #47 – Baby Come Back!

This piece was originally published on the A Sound Day website as a part of the feature: Turntable Talk.

My thanks to Dave from A Sound Day for inviting me to take part in his monthly feature, Turntable Talk. This is the 47th round of the feature and once again he has given us a great topic. This time around he is calling it “Baby Come Back!”

Dave’s instructions this month: “I’d just like you to pick an artist you enjoy that had a great comeback; whether it’s one you have come across historically or one that you loved in real time, thought had disappeared but happily – boing! – they were back and great again.”

When Dave reached out to us, I had just written about the passing of Neil Sedaka. He certainly falls into this category. I didn’t want to feel repetitive, so I opted not to write about him again. Instead, I chose someone who I have written about a few times and definitely saw his career take off – stall – and then have a resurgence. Today, I shift the spotlight to “The Big O,” Roy Orbison.

Roy Orbison is a rock and roll legend. I refuse to debate this. It is a fact. The Beatles and Elvis Presley (both legends in their own right) have stated on record that Roy was a major influence on their music. Roy’s music was different – it had its own style and a certain darkness to it. My first exposure to Roy Orbison was when I was about 4 or 5 years old.

I distinctively remember my dad having an album of Roy’s Greatest Hits. My favorite song as a kid was Dream Baby. I didn’t know that was the name of it at the time. I do know, however, that when I asked him to play it, I would ask for it by singing the opening bass line: “Daddy, play ‘boom boom boom, bum bum boom.’” I remember the first song on the album was Candy Man, which started with a harmonica. Coincidentally, that is the instrument Roy asked his parents for as a kid.

When asked he wanted for his sixth birthday, Roy told his parents he wanted a harmonica. Luckily for the music industry, his father bought him a guitar instead. While some stories differ, most biographies claim that Roy learned how to play from his father Orbie Lee Orbison. Some sources say that he learned from his Uncle Charlie, Orbie’s brother. Either way, he was taught how to play by family.

After graduating from high school in 1954, Roy enrolled at North Texas State College. His original plan was to study geology so he could secure work in the oil fields if music didn’t pan out. In his first year, he became bored with the course and switched to history and English.

While in college, Roy played music with fellow students Billy Pat Ellis, Dick Penner, and Wade Moore. They called themselves the Wink Westerners. Penner and Moore had written a simple, catchy rockabilly song, called “Ooby Dooby.” The song impressed Orbison, and he started looking into how he could make a recording of it. He heard that his schoolmate Pat Boon had been signed to a record deal, and it further strengthened his resolve to become a professional musician.

While playing a New Year’s Eve dance in 1954, Roy and the Wink Westerners had mostly played country and western swing music throughout the night. A decision was made to end the night by playing Bill Haley & The Comets’ song, “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” This would be the thing that caused the band to switch to rock and roll music.

The band began playing “Ooby Dooby” in their shows and because of their success, they got their own radio show on station KMID. In 1955, the band got their own TV show and artists came to play and sing on it. Among them, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.

Roy pulled Johnny aside and asked for advice. He wanted to know how to get a record released on the radio. Johnny suggested that he call Sam Phillips over at Sun Records in Memphis. Johnny gave Roy the number and sure enough Roy called. I am sure he was not expecting what happened. Sam Phillips answered the phone and after a brief conversation, Sam hung up on him, but not before telling Roy, “Johnny Cash doesn’t run my record company!”

In an ironic twist of fate, Roy eventually found a place to record and recorded “Ooby Dooby” with his band, now called the Teen Kings. The song was released in 1956 and Roy took it to a well known record dealer named Cecil “Poppa” Hollifield. He heard the song and immediately called a “connection” he had in Memphis and played him the record over the phone. His connection asked for a copy of the record, and three days later he called Poppa up to tell him he wanted the Teen Kings in Memphis in three days to record in his studio. That connection was none other than Sam Phillips of Sun Records!

His record deal put him out on tour with the likes of Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Horton among others. In 1958, Roy was asked to tour with the Everly Brothers. During the tour, the Everly Brothers told Roy they needed a new single and asked if he had any songs. He picked up his guitar and sang the song Claudette. They liked it, and asked him to write down the words and chords. The song was the B-side of All I Have To Do Is Dream. Roy had some of his other songs recorded by artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and even Ricky Nelson.

In 1959, Roy was signed to an independent label called Monument. It was on this label that so many of Roy’s big hits were released, starting with Uptown. That was followed by Only The Lonely (which reached #2), Blue Angel, and I’m Hurtin’. What followed was Roy’s first #1 song, Running Scared.

Roy had hoped to change up the “pop” sound and try something different. They recorded the song twice and he was disappointed with the two takes, so they cut it again. Instead of using a falsetto voice, Roy sang the high natural A and nailed it. The accompanying musicians were awestruck and had never heard anything like it. Producer Fred Foster said “Nobody had ever hear anything like it before!”

What followed was four solid years of top 40 hits. Those hits included Crying, Candy Man, Dream Baby, Working for the Man, In Dreams, Pretty Paper, Leah, Blue Bayou, Mean Woman Blues, and Its Over. His success got him a spot opening up for some concerts in England. He was the opening act for a few guys who were known as The Beatles (they had yet to become a big thing in the US). The tour sold out in minutes, and on the first night of the show, they say that Roy played 14 encores before the Beatles ever got on stage!

In 1964, Roy recorded what is probably his biggest hit, Oh Pretty Woman. It would be his last big hit while at Monument records. How it came about is a story in itself. Touring hurt his personal life, and his wife Claudette began having an affair. One day while writing with songwriter Bill Dees, Claudette entered the room and said that she was going to Nashville. Roy asked her if she had any money, and Dee’s replied, “A pretty woman never needs any money.” With that phrase, and about 40 minutes, they wrote Oh, Pretty Woman, which went to number 1 in almost every country in the world.

The success of Oh, Pretty Woman was followed by a string of tragedies. In 1966, Claudette was killed when a pickup truck pulled out in front of her and she hit the door. She died instantly. Two years later, Roy was on a tour in England and he received a call that his home had burned down. As if that wasn’t enough bad news, he was also told that his two oldest sons were killed in the fire. He tried to cope by keeping himself busy with work. He starred in the film The Fastest Guitar Alive, which ended up being his only lead role. After that, Roy seemed to slip away from the spotlight.

Despite all that was going on in his life, Roy continued to make music in the 1970’s. It was during this time that his career really slowed. It was around this time that he started to wear his hair straight, instead of combing it back. He would wear it like this for the rest of his life. He did see some success when his single “Penny Arcade” was number one in Australia for many weeks and “Too Soon to Know” reached number three in England.

He continued to tour, but played to mostly empty auditoriums. This was the case with the concert at Cincinnati Gardens that he played on his 40th birthday in April 1976. This was a new low for Roy. In his book, Roy Orbison: Invention Of An Alternative Rock Masculinity, Peter Lehman stated that Orbison’s absence was a part of the mystery of his persona: “Since it was never clear where he had come from, no one seemed to pay much mind to where he had gone; he was just gone.”

In 1977, Roy was not feeling well, so he decided to spend the winter in Hawaii. Once there, he checked in to a hospital where testing discovered that he had severely obstructed coronary arteries and was lucky to be still alive. He underwent open-heart surgery on January 18, 1978. His medical history stated that he had suffered from duodenal ulcers since 1960 and had been a heavy smoker since he was young. The surgery was a success and Roy said that he felt great. His weight would continue to fluctuate, however, for the rest of his life. He also continued to smoke cigarettes, despite the advice of his doctor.

A decade later, in 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bruce Springsteen was there to do the induction honors. Bruce concluded his speech with a reference to his own album Born to Run: “I wanted a record with words like Bob Dylan that sounded like Phil Spector—but, most of all, I wanted to sing like Roy Orbison. Now, everyone knows that no one sings like Roy Orbison.” Roy was so touched by the speech, he asked Springsteen for a copy of it. He would go on to say of his induction that he felt “validated” by the honor. After the awards, Orbison signed with Virgin Records and began preparing to record an album of new songs.

Following his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Roy recorded a concert that would go air on television as a special. He had always wanted to do one and this special included some powerful special guests: Elvis Costello, k.d.Lang, Tom Waits, Bonny Raitt, Jennifer Warrens, Jackson Brown, and, of course, Bruce Springsteen. The special was called Roy Orbison and Friends – A Black and White Night Live. It was aired on cable and released on video and became one of Roy’s greatest concerts.

Roy had begun working with Jeff Lynne of ELO, who would produce his next album. Lynne had just completed production work on George Harrison’s Cloud Nine album. The three of them ate lunch together one day when Orbison accepted an invitation to sing on Harrison’s new single. They subsequently contacted Bob Dylan, who, in turn, allowed them to use a recording studio in his home. Along the way, Harrison made a quick visit to Tom Petty’s House to get his guitar; Petty and his band had backed Dylan on his last tour. By that evening, the group had written “Handle With Care.” The song and all that went into it led to the idea of recording an entire album together. They called themselves the Traveling Wilburys.

When Jeff Lynne described the recording sessions, he said, “Everybody just sat there going, ‘Wow, it’s Roy Orbison!’ … Even though he’s become your pal and you’re hanging out and having a laugh and going to dinner, as soon as he gets behind that [mic] and he’s doing his business, suddenly it’s shudder time.”

For the Wilburys album, Roy was given a solo track. The song was “Not Alone Anymore.” In reviews of the album, Roy’s contributions were highly praised by critics and fans alike. Because of this, he decided to pursue his second chance at stardom. He expressed amazement at his success: “It’s very nice to be wanted again, but I still can’t quite believe it.” He lost some weight to fit his new image and the constant demand of touring, as well as the newer demands of making videos.

In November of 1988, Roy put the finishing touches on the Mystery Girl album. It was co-produced by Jeff Lynne. It was set for release in 1989. This would be the “Return of Orbison!” There was to be a world tour to support the project. No one could have known that Roy would not be around to enjoy his comeback.

On December 6, 1988, Roy went to his mother’s house and chatted with his son Wesley. He went to the bathroom but did not return for 30 minutes. He was found collapsed on the bathroom floor and rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Roy never regained consciousness and passed away at age 52 of a heart attack.

I was still a senior in high school and I was going to WKSG to rip news and type up stories for the news director. I would stay till 6am and then head to school. I remember going to the Associated Press wire and seeing the “URGENT” breaking news that Roy had died. We were an oldies station and this was big news. I can still remember when we broke the news. It is one of those moments I will never forget.

You Got It (from the Mystery Girl album) was released after Roy’s death and reached the top 10. One of the coolest tributes to Roy was when the Traveling Wilburys released the song End of the Line. In the video, the group is on a train singing. When Roy’s vocal comes on, the camera is on a rocking chair in which Roy’s guitar is sitting. Next to it, is a framed photo of Roy. That scene will always give me chills.

One can only wonder what might have happened if Roy hadn’t passed away. Would the world tour have led to further chart success? Numerous new albums and singles? Perhaps another #1 record? The world will never know. However, Roy never really was forgotten.

On April 8, 1989, Orbison became the first deceased musician since Elvis Presley to have two albums in the US top five at the same time, with Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 at number four and his own Mystery Girl at number five.
In the early 1990s, Rodney Crowell and Roy’s friend and occasional songwriting partner Will Jennings wrote the lyrics to a recording of a melody that Orbison had made before his death. They titled the resulting song, which was recorded by Crowell and released in 1992, “What Kind of Love.”
In 2014, a demo recording of Orbison’s “The Way Is Love” was released as part of the 25th-anniversary deluxe edition of Mystery Girl. The song was originally recorded on a stereo cassette player around 1986. Roy’s sons contributed instrumentation on the track along with Orbison’s vocals.
On December 4, 2015, the studio album One of the Lonely Ones, recorded by Orbison in 1969, was posthumously released. The album, which Orbison recorded surreptitiously in the aftermath of his first wife Claudette’s death in a motorcycle accident and the death of their two sons in a house fire 2 years later, was long believed lost.

One of my favorite posthumous Orbison recording were released in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, the album A Love So Beautiful was released. It features archival vocal recordings of Orbison accompanied by new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I believe that these “new” recordings only add to the beauty of these hit songs. The addition of strings to In Dreams, Crying, It’s Over, Running Scared and Love Hurts only deepens the meaning and emotions of the songs. The addition of a horn section to Dream Baby and Mean Woman Blues only makes them sound more vibrant and full. A second album, Unchained Melodies, with the Royal Philharmonic was released in 2018.

To me, Roy Orbison will always be a legend. His music was one of a kind. Colin Escott wrote an introduction to Orbison’s biography published in a CD box set: “Orbison was the master of compression. Working the singles era, he could relate a short story, or establish a mood in under three minutes. If you think that’s easy—try it. His greatest recordings were quite simply perfect; not a word or note surplus to intention.” His style was like no one else. In the 60’s he said, “I’m not a super personality—on stage or off....People come to hear my music, my songs. That’s what I have to give them.” His vocals were indescribably beautiful, haunting, and amazing. Elvis Presley stated Orbison’s voice was the “greatest and most distinctive he had ever heard.” I would have to agree.

Thanks again to Dave for hosting another great round of Turntable Talk. I cannot wait to hear what we’re writing about next month. Thanks for reading!

Tune Tuesday

It was on this day in 1958 that Elvis Presley joined the US Army.

Elvis had been in the RCA recording studio in Nashville on February 1, 1958. It was on that day that he would record Wear My Ring Around Your Neck. This would be the final recording session before he entered the service.

The song was written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody. What is unique about the song is that it was particularly notable for breaking a string of ten consecutive number 1 hits that Elvis achieved in just two years. Although it was Presley’s sixth number-one hit in the American R&B charts, it only peaked at number 2 on the American pop charts.

In June of 1958, while on his first army leave (furlough), Elvis recorded five songs: “I Need Your Love Tonight,” “A Big Hunk O’ Love,” “Ain’t That Loving You Baby,” “(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I,” and “I Got Stung”. This was his final session until March 1960, when he was discharged.

While in the army, RCA continued to release songs that Elvis has already recorded.

A Finger Pickin’ Good Birthday

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Jerry Reed. Without a doubt, he was one of the best guitar pickers in Nashville!

Jerry Reed Hubbard was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20, 1937. By the time he was in high school he was writing songs and singing them. At 18 years old, he was signed to a record deal at Capitol Records by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery. He was being promoted as a “teen sensation” after recording some rockabilly songs in 1956. His label mate, Gene Vincent helped him get some notoriety as a song writer when he recorded Jerry’s song “Crazy Legs” in 1958.

I had the chance to interview him when I worked in country radio. If I had to rank all the interviews I’ve ever done, his would be in the top three. He was a joy to talk to and he had so many fantastic stories. One of those stories was about recording with Elvis.

In 1967, Jerry’s version of Guitar Man landed on the country chart and it caught the ear of Elvis. Elvis wanted to record the song. The story was recounted in the Tennessean when he passed away:

Reed recalled how he was tracked down to play on the Presley session: “I was out on the Cumberland River fishing, and I got a call from Felton Jarvis (then Presley’s producer at RCA Victor). He said, ‘Elvis is down here. We’ve been trying to cut “Guitar Man” all day long. He wants it to sound like it sounded on your album.’ I finally told him, ‘Well, if you want it to sound like that, you’re going have to get me in there to play guitar, because these guys [you’re using in the studio] are straight pickers. I pick with my fingers and tune that guitar up all weird kind of ways.'”

Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session. “I hit that intro, and [Elvis’s] face lit up and here we went. Then after he got through that, he cut [my] “U.S. Male” at the same session. I was toppin’ cotton, son.” Reed also played the guitar for Elvis Presley’s “Big Boss Man” (1967), recorded in the same session.

You can hear the distinct “Reed” sound that Elvis was looking for in the intro:

It is said that Jerry’s syncopated guitar playing style was influenced by Merle Travis and Earl Scruggs. This style was nicknamed the “claw”, due to the appearance of Reed’s hand as he played. The Claw also happens to be one of the coolest instrumentals that Jerry Recorded. You can hear that same sound heard in Guitar Man in The Claw.

Jerry was great friends with Chet Atkins and they played the song as a duet more than once. They did an album together which featured the song (and a funny video to accompany it):

…and they performed it live on TV quite a few times as well:

Jerry was an amazing talent. Thankfully, he left us plenty of music to enjoy. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Son!

Turntable Talk #46 – Love Is In The Air

Here we go with another month and another Turntable Talk topic from Dave at A Sound Day. For the 46th round, Dave has picked quite a broad topic – love. Dave has called this “Love is in the Air”. He asks, “Has there been any topic that inspired more songs than “love”? I doubt it. So this time out, I just hope you can pick your favorite song with “love” in the title and write a bit about it. It can be romantic, sexy, or of course the opposite.”

When I worked in radio, we’d get requests for songs that led to interesting phone calls. “Can you please play that song by that one singer? You know, the one about love?”

I asked Google a single question, which led to some interesting facts. I asked “approximately how many songs have the word ‘love’ in the title?” The response:

While an exact total for every song ever recorded is impossible to track, it has been estimated that over 100 million “love” songs have been recorded throughout history. The word “love” and its variations appear in more No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits than any other, with 117 such songs reaching the top spot between the 1960s and 2022.

Did you know that Elvis Presley had 66 songs with “love” in the title? Did you know that the Beatles used the word “love 613 times across their catalogue, with 76 instances in “All You Need Is Love” alone? Google also states that studies indicate that 57% to 67% of songs generally contain themes of love. So how in the world do you pick just one with so many great ones to chose from?

I mean, with Elvis “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is a good one. If I choose the Beatles, perhaps “Can’t Buy Me Love.” I then thought about my Rat Pack standards like “Everybody Loves Somebody” from Dean Martin and “What Is This Thing Called Love?” from Frank Sinatra. How about “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” from Queen or “Baby Love” by the Supremes? There are countless possibilities to choose from!

I decided to pop in a flash drive with music on my way to work in hopes that one would stand out. I was barely out of my driveway when the drive finished indexing and the first song played. It is a song that we played often when I worked at Honey Radio and it is one that may be new to you. I’ll triple Dave’s instructions and play a song with “love” in the title three times – Love, Love, Love from the Clovers.

The Clovers were formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington DC. Originally a trio, the group would add members to broaden their sound. The group recorded one song in 1950 for Rainbow Records in New York. They caught the ear of Atlantic Records and were signed to that label in 1951.

Their biggest hit would be Love Potion # 9 in 1959, but it took a few years to get there. In 1952 they had hits on the R&B charts with One Mint Julep and Ting A Ling. 1954 brought Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash and Lovey Dovey. In 1956, they started to break out with Devil Or Angel (covered in 1960 by Bobby Vee) and Love, Love Love.

Love, Love Love was recorded in March of 1956 and was a top ten R&B hit by June. The song, however, would not crack the Top 40 chart, bubbling under it in August of that year.

The song always tested well with our oldies audience and I always loved hearing it. It has a fun bouncy sound to it with the vocals mixing with piano and baritone saxophone. It’s hard not to feel good when you hear it. The Beatles said “All You Need is Love,” and the lyrics of the song tell just how love can change the way you feel.

There ain’t nothin’ in this world for a boy and a girl but love, love, love
Love, love, love: love. love, love
There ain’t nothin’ in this world for a boy and a girl but love, love, love
And that’s the only thing I’m thinkin’ of

Love can make you happy when you’re feelin’ blue
If the one you love is in love with you

Love can pick you up (love can pick you up)
When you feel low-down (when you feel low- down)
Love can make you smile when you’re wearin’ a frown

I want it, I need it, fill my cup with lo-ove, lo-ove, lo-ove
Lo-ove, lo-ove, lo-ove: lo-ove, lo-ove, lo-ove
Let me drink till my head goes ’round and ’round with lo-ove, lo-ove, lo-ove
So come and be my, be my turtle dove

And because you know since my favorite singer cut the song on his 1965 Houston album, I have to include Dean Martin’s version. He sounds like he is having a blast singing it.

There are so many songs about love that I think I may feature a love song every week on my blog, who knows. Thanks to Dave for the invitation to participate again in this feature. It is a perfect topic for Valentine’s month. I’m sure that like past topics, there will be a nice variety of love songs from the other writers.

AJ McLean said: “Music is love, love is music, music is life, and I love my life.” I like that. As we listen to words of love set to music this month, I suggest we take it one step further. I encourage you to share the love with those you come in contact with this month – and every day.

Movie Music Monday – Mermaids

Today we wish Shelley Fabares a Happy 82nd birthday. Shelley is primarily known for her many TV roles. She played Mary on The Donna Reed Show and Christine Armstrong Fox on Coach. She also popped up on The Twilight Zone, The Love Boat, Newhart, Fantasy Island, The Rockford Files, Ironside and many more.

I almost chose an Elvis movie to celebrate.

She and Elvis did three movies together: Girl Happy, Spinout and Clambake. However, playing an Elvis song instead of one of her own songs didn’t seem right.

Shelley had a #1 song in 1962 with Johnny Angel…

According to songfacts.com: Fabares did not consider herself a singer and thought that the voices of her backup vocalists were so “beautiful” that it frightened her to try to be a recording artist herself… but she managed it. Although she did have another Top 40 hit, it was obvious that her acting career would always be stronger. Her singing career ended in 1966.

On an episode of The Donna Reed Show, her character Mary Stone abandons her plans to attend college to pursue a singing career. She sings this song on the show.

Tying it in with Movie Music Monday, the song was featured in the 1990 movie Mermaids starring Cher.

The song can be heard in the film when Charlotte (played by Winona Ryder) sees Joey (played by Michael Schoeffling) for the first time.

Happy Birthday, Shelley Fabares!!

Movie Music Monday – Honeymoon in Vegas

Last Thursday would have been Elvis Presley’s 91st birthday. Believe it or not, that’s not why I picked today’s movie – Honeymoon in Vegas. I actually chose it because the soundtrack is loaded with some great Elvis cover songs.

Take a look at the talented folks who contributed to the album! Offering up their versions of Elvis tunes are Billy Joel, Amy Grant, Bono, Travis Tritt, John Mellencamp and today’s birthday boy Ricky Van Shelton.

I first heard Ricky when I worked at my first country station. He had plenty of hits, but many of them were cover songs. He covered Statue of a Fool, From a Jack To a King, and He’s Got You. For the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack, he covers “Wear My Ring Around Your Neck.”

The song was written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody. It was recorded and released by Elvis in 1958 and only made it to #2 on the pop chart. Prior to this song, Elvis had a string of 10 consecutive #1 songs. Wear My Ring broke the streak.

Ricky’s version of the song was the first single release from the soundtrack. It didn’t do as well as Elvis’, but it did reach #26 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

In May 2006, he announced that he would be retiring from touring to spend more time with his family. Since then, Shelton has been sort of a recluse. He has almost disappeared from public life. He does keep busy, however, focusing on painting and writing children’s books.

I hope he is enjoying his retirement and that he has a very Happy 74th Birthday!

I Wondered When This Would Happen

The above photo is one of many AI photos created to show “what Elvis would look like if he were still alive.” While it is interesting to see what AI comes up with, things are beginning to get out of control.

Scroll Instagram or Tik Tok today and you will eventually find videos that feature AI renditions of celebrities that have passed away. The ones that have come up the most feature familiar faces and the voices are very close to their real voice.

A forgetful Ronald Reagan lost in the halls of the White House
Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream that the ice cream machine would be working (among other things)
JFK riding in the Dallas motorcade saying, “This is so boring. Just shoot me.”
Rod Serling talking about the time traveling DeLorean
Elvis as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, Indiana Jones, and Han Solo in Star Wars
Mr. Rogers in a movie trailer that has him physically fighting painter Bob Ross
George Carlin standing in his grave doing jokes about the state of the country

One more that seems to be everywhere is Robin Williams. I’ve seen him hosting a podcast in heaven where he interviews Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, and John Lennon; I’ve seen him walking a dog out on the streets of New York joking around with people; and seen him ordering a coffee at Starbucks while tossing out puns about coffee. The voice on these is so good, you’d think it really was him.

These AI creations are something that has caused Robin’s daughter to speak out. Zelda Williams posted on her Instagram page this week asking people to “just stop sending me AI videos of Dad.” She went on to say, “Stop believing I wanna see it or that I’ll understand, I don’t and I won’t,” she wrote. “If you’re just trying to troll me, I’ve seen way worse, I’ll restrict and move on. But please, if you’ve got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It’s dumb, it’s a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it’s NOT what he’d want.”

She finally said, “To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to ‘this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough’, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening. You’re not making art, you’re making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross.”

I think Zelda is right. Many of the celebrities have been gone for some time like Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein. There are still living relatives of many of the famous people in these videos. I wondered how they might feel about them. Zelda Williams cannot be the only one who feels this way about their deceased loved ones.

I admit, the first one I saw was an Elvis video. It was done to be humorous in that he says in one, “I can’t wait for AI to come along so I can stop acting in these dumb movies.” He says this while in a scene from his movie Spinout. I chuckled a bit when I saw it, because I had read somewhere that Elvis didn’t necessarily enjoy making all of his movies.

The more I thought about this, the more I wondered about the future. If these videos are close today, imagine how good they might be as the technology advances. We would be left questioning everything. How would we know that what we are watching is real? We can’t trust what we see on TV now, let alone if/when AI stuff starts being broadcast. This just scares me.

Remember that line from the X-Files? “The truth is out there.” The problem is going to be trying to figure out what is true and what isn’t!

Turntable Talk #39 – Bands? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Bands!

Dave at A Sound Day just wrapped up his monthly feature Turntable Talk. It was an interesting topic this time around and there were a lot of surprises as to who everyone chose to write about. This was my entry to the feature, which originally posted on Dave’s site on Monday:

It is time once again for Dave’s feature Turntable Talk. Dave features this every month on his site A Sound Day. This is the 39th edition, and he continues to come up with fantastic topics. This month is a fun one: Bands? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Bands! Dave’s instructions were simple: This time around, we’re looking for artists who left popular bands to go solo and did well (either commercially or else in your own critical assessment.)

I am sure that I did exactly what the other participants did when the topic was presented – I Googled. I was actually surprised at just how many artists moved from a group to become a solo artist. Off the top of my head I can list Diana Ross, Sting, Lionel Richie, Eric Clapton, Gwen Stefani, Ricky Martin, Peter Gabriel, Rob Thomas, Steve Perry, Lou Gramm, and Justin Timberlake. There are SO many.

In all honesty, I had my choice almost immediately. However, as I began to write about him, there was another artist connected with him that became more interesting to me. It was an artist who had solo success for a short time, and then a sad ending.

If I mention The Drifters I am sure you can name a few of their big hits. Under The Boardwalk, This Magic Moment, and Up On The Roof are just some of them. The Drifters were formed by my choice artist in 1953. His name was Clyde McPhatter. Let’s go back a couple years to see how it all came together.

Like many artists, Clyde McPhatter began singing in the church choir at his father’s church. In 1950, he was working at a grocery store. He entered the Amateur Night contest at Harlem’s Apollo Theater – and won! Afterward, he went back to working in the store.

One Sunday, Billy Ward of Billy Ward and the Dominoes heard Clyde singing in the choir of Holiness Baptist Church of New York City. He was immediately recruited to join the group. Clyde was there for the recording of their hit “Sixty Minute Man,” which was a number one song on the R&B chart for 14 weeks in 1951.

My original pick for this round was Jackie Wilson. Jackie was hired by Billy Ward in 1953 to join The Dominoes. That same year, Clyde left the group. He coached Wilson while they were out touring together. Wilson would leave in 1957. Apparently, Ward was not pleasant to work with. Wilson said, “Billy Ward was not an easy man to work for. He played piano and organ, could arrange, and he was a fine director and coach. He knew what he wanted, and you had to give it to him. And he was a strict disciplinarian. You better believe it! You paid a fine if you stepped out of line.”

Atlantic Records saw a Dominoes show and noticed that Clyde was not with the group, so they searched for him, found him and wanted to sign him to a record deal. Clyde agreed to sign on one condition – they allow him to form his own group. That group was the Drifters. While known as Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, they released songs like Money Honey.

Elvis Presley covered Money Honey in 1956. In researching for this piece I was surprised to find that McPhatter and the Drifters did the original of another Elvis hit – Such a Night.

In late 1954, McPhatter was inducted into the U.S. Army. He assigned to Special Services in the continental United States. This allowed him to continue recording. After his tour of duty, he left the Drifters and launched a solo career. The Drifters continued as a successful group, but with many changes in personnel, and the group assembled by McPhatter was long gone by the time their greatest successes were released after he left the group.

It would take two years, but Clyde would finally get his first solo #1 R&B hit when he released “Treasure of Love” in 1956. It would top out at #16 on the US Pop Chart. I love his vocal on this one.

His biggest solo hit would come in 1958 when he recorded and released a song written by Brook Benton. A Lover’s Question would reach #6 on the Pop Chart. If I had to pick my favorite Clyde song, it would be this one. There is so much to love about this song. That acapella bass line being sung throughout the song is very catchy.

McPhatter would leave Atlantic Records and bounce from label to label recording many songs, but not having much success. His last top ten record would come in 1962 with a song written by Billy Swan. Lover Please was first recorded by the Rhythm Steppers in 1960. It was the title track from Clyde’s 1962 album of the same name. It would reach #7 on the Pop Chart.

Clyde did manage to have a top 30 hit in 1964 with “Crying Won’t Help You Now,” but when it fell of the chart, he turned to alcohol for comfort. He would record every so often, but nothing ever really did well on the charts. He always had a decent following in the UK, so in 1968 he moved to England.

He wouldn’t return to the US until 1970. Outside of performing on a few Rock and Roll Revival shows, he lived a very private and reclusive life. In 1972, Decca Records signed him and they were planning a a big comeback. That never materialized as Clyde passed away on June 13, 1972 of complications from liver, heart and kidney disease. This was brought on by his alcohol abuse years earlier. He was only 39 years old.

His legacy consists of over 22 years of recording history. Clyde was the first artist to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first as a solo artist and later as a member of the Drifters.

In 1993, Clyde was honored with his own stamp by the US Postal Service.

His career had ups and downs, and his hit songs were an important part of Rock and Roll history. Vocalists like Marv Johnson, Smokey Robinson and Ben E. King are all said to have patterned their vocal styles on Clyde’s. Others have cited him as a major influence as well. In the book “The Drifters” by Bill Millar, he says:

“McPhatter took hold of the Ink Spots’ simple major chord harmonies, drenched them in call-and-response patterns, and sang as if he were back in church. In doing so, he created a revolutionary musical style from which—thankfully—popular music will never recover.”

Thanks again to Dave for hosting another great round of Turntable Talk. I cannot wait to see who the other writers have picked and look forward to Round #40 next month.

Thanks for reading and thanks for listening!

Tune Tuesday

Homer “Boots” Randolph was born on this day in 1927. Boots Randolph was a Nashville sax player who performed solos on Roy Orbison’s “Mean Woman Blues” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” He also played on many of Elvis Presley’s songs. He was often called Mr. Sax.

As a solo recording artist he placed four singles in the Top-100 between 1963 and 1967. The most successful of these was “Yakety Sax”, which reached #35 in 1963 and stayed on the charts for nine weeks.

The song had some influence by the Coaster’s hit, Yakety Yak, however, it will forever be connected to a British comedian. The song was popularized on The Benny Hill Show, where it played when Hill was being chased around by policemen and angry women. Because of its use on the show, it has appeared in many comedic skits on other shows over the years.

Happy Birthday, Boots!

The Music of My Life – Decade Extras – The 1980’s Part 2

This is sort of a continuation of the Music of My Life feature. It focused on music from 1970-2025. It featured tunes that have special meaning to me, brought back a certain memory or a tune that I just really like. I found that with the first three decades, there were songs that I didn’t feature. So I sat down with my original lists and selected some songs that “bubbled under,” so to speak.

I figured a good way to present them was to focus on a decade. 10 years = 1 song per year = 10 songs. Last week I featured the 80’s. This week 10 more 80’s tunes before we move on to the 90’s. So, let’s check out a few “Decade Extras.”

1980

While I was never a truck driver, we certainly listened to Eddie Rabbitt’s Drivin’ My Life Away a lot while driving my my folks. I’m sure it was one of the songs my dad had recorded on 8-track to listen to on our drives up north.

This song was the first song that really made Eddie a crossover artist. The song went to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. I Love A Rainy Night followed and hit #1 on the Hot 100, Country and Adult Contemporary Charts. Step By Step and You and I followed in 1981 and 1982 as crossover hits.

It is one of many Eddie Rabbitt songs I love.

Driving My Life Away

1981

Originally done by Tommy James and the Shondells, Mony Mony was covered by Billy Idol. Billy first released his version as a single in 1981, his first as a solo artist after leaving the band Generation X. His live version of the song went to #1 in 1987.

It was a big song at weddings and schools dances. However, it quickly made many school’s “Do Not Play” list. Why? It became popular for kids to shout “hey, hey, what, get laid, get f–ked” during the instrumental break in the chorus. I found this out the hard way at a school prom. I had a lot of requests for the song and when I played it the kids went crazy. When they shouted out the vulgar chant, it only took seconds for a teacher to come up and tell me to turn it off. Apparently, the chant is still shouted at Billy’s concerts.

Weird Al Yankovic did a parody of Billy’s version called “Alimony” on his Even Worse album in 1988.

Mony Mony

1982

It took two releases for the next song to get noticed. I can still remember going to the record store and buying Built For Speed by the Stray Cats. Rock This Town was such a cool thing to hear on the radio for me. My dad played a lot of Rockabilly stuff for me growing up, so I had to go get this album.

When Stray Cat Strut was first released in August of 1982, it didn’t even crack the Hot 100. I think it stopped at #109. Then Rock This Town was released and the band got noticed. The record company decided to re-release Stray Cat Strut and this time it debuted at #43 and went all the way to #3.

Michigan Trivia: Detroiters may remember that WRIF’s (101 FM) JJ and the Morning Crew a parody of this called “Fat Cat Strut.”

Stray Cat Strut

1983

The Eurythmics are Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart who actually dated for a while. Lennox said in an interview that they wrote this song after the two had a huge fight. Dave came up with a beat, Annie improvised the synthesizer riff, and suddenly they realized they had a potential hit.

In an interview with songfacts.com, Stewart said “We thought we’d made something really special but we had no idea, really, the impact it would have. Neither did the record label, which didn’t even think it was a single.”

Three other songs from the album were released as singles in the UK before their label, RCA, finally issued “Sweet Dreams.” When they did, it took off, climbing to #2.

Songfacts says about the video:

The video presented Lennox with close-cropped orange hair and a tailored black suit, making it the first popular video presenting an androgynous female. The cow in the video was Dave Stewart’s idea – he was a big fan of surreal artists Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel. Said Stewart: “A few people were saying, ‘Dave, why the cow? Annie is so good looking.’ Those people should go buy a copy of Purple Cow by Seth Dogin, about how to make your business remarkable. It was written 20 years after I had the purple cow in our video – which certainly did the trick and made my whole life remarkable.”

The cow, while very eye-catching, posed a logistical problem because most studios can’t accommodate them. Eurythmics found a basement studio in London with an elevator big enough to transport the animal. Lennox recalls the shoot with the bovine walking around as being one of the more surreal experiences of her life.

This song used to drive my former sister-in-law crazy. I’m not sure why, but whenever I DJ’s a family party or an event that she was at, I always played this song.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

1984

The next song got it’s title from a 1979 movie. Time After Time is the name of a 1979 science fiction movie starring Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells, whose time machine is stolen by Jack The Ripper, who uses it to travel from 1893 to 1979. Wells follows him into the future and goes on a quest to stop him from killing.

Cyndi Lauper wrote the song with Rob Hyman of The Hooters. Hyman told Songfacts: “When she saw Time After Time, something clicked. She said, ‘I think I have a title.'”

Once the title was in place, they set about writing the song. Hyman explained: “I was sitting at the piano and just started banging out what would eventually be the chorus, hook, and the way we sing it. It almost had like a reggae feel, it was a little bouncier and a little more upbeat. We started getting off on that chorus, then the verse melodies started to appear.

It’s a deceptively simple song. The verses are just a little repeating three-note motif – almost like a nursery rhyme, a very simple song. Then we started to realize we were on to something. The mood of the lyrics came from both of us. I think Cyndi came in and really started the lyric flow, then all of the sudden we realized it wasn’t such a bouncy song, but it was a little more bittersweet and a little deeper in its feeling and a little more poignant, so the music started to change. We wrote a little bridge section and I think the last thing we really wrote was the chorus. We had ‘Time After Time,’ we just had to get the words that would surround it.”

This song surprised me. Compared to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and She Bop, this song was kind of deep. This one and True Colors really made me appreciate her talent.

Time After Time

1985

My Detroit Tigers are doing very well so far this season. I hope they keep it up! From 1985, here is a song that I have written about in the past Centerfield.

Centerfield

1986

My dad always played me classics from Elvis, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Little Richard. I remember my dad coming home and saying, “Keith, you gotta hear this Little Richard song.” It was a song that was featured in the movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills with Richard Dreyfus.

Honestly, it sounded like something he could have done in the 50’s. Great Gosh A’Mighty must have been the cleaned up version for the film, because Little Richard also recorded a Great God Almighty version, too.

The song is always one I play on repeat on the iPod.

Great Gosh A’Mighty

1987

Randy Travis was one of the coolest country stars I’ve had the chance to meet. He was so down to earth and friendly. We talked about music, family and faith. It was like talking to an old friend.

I feel Forever and Ever, Amen is right up in the Top 10 best country songs of all time. It was written by two of the best songwriters in Nashville – Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. The two had already wrote Randy’s hit “On the Other Hand,” and I love the story of how this one came to be.

Overstreet told Songfacts:

“I had played about 36 holes of golf that day, and Don says, ‘I’ve got this idea we have to write.’ His new fiancée’s little boy was learning the Lord’s Prayer, and he was going around saying ‘forever and ever amen’ after everything. He would say, ‘Mommy, I love you. Forever and ever, amen.’ So Don said, ‘We’ve got to write this.’ I said, ‘How about tomorrow?’ He says, ‘No, now.'”

They got together on Overstreet’s front porch that night and composed the song by candlelight. Confident it was a hit, they recorded a demo the next day and sent it to Travis, who made it the lead single to his second album, Always & Forever. It was indeed a hit, spending three weeks at the top of the Country chart, longer than any other song in 1987.

Forever and Ever, Amen

1988

Another cover song on the list – this time, a cover of Elvis Presley. I remember hearing Cheap Trick’s version of Don’t Be Cruel and loving it! I remember really digging the spots in the song where that running bass line can be heard. The key change was something that stood out for me.

I hate to diss on the King, but I almost love the Cheap Trick version a bit more. There is so much going on that really takes the song to another level – that drum beat, the fake cold ending, the guitar solo and so much more. I played the heck out of this 45

Don’t Be Cruel

1989

The final pick comes from the movie UHF from Weird Al Yankovic. In a recent Turntable Talk feature, I talked about the David Lee Roth video for Just a Gigolo. At the end of it, I wondered if Dave borrowed from the music video for UHF’s title song.

While the video for the song is hilarious and brilliant, the song itself is one of my favorites from Al. It is not a parody, rather an original. It is a song that sounds like something you would hear on the radio in ’89. It has an alternative rock feel to it.

It’s an underrated and often forgotten Al song

UHF

What a way to wrap up the 80’s! I hope you heard some tunes you liked, too. Next week we’ll move on to the 1990’s and see what songs bubbled under my original list. See you then!

Thanks for listening and for reading.