RockabillyDukeBox! Wishes everyone, everywhere a
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Livin' High
Vince Everett real name Marvin Benefield for more info click here (Thanks to BlackCat Rockabilly)
LIVIN' HIGH
Marvin Benefield high school photo 1959
BABY LET'S PLAY HOUSE (1963)
LIVIN' HIGH (1963)
SUCH A NIGHT (1962)
I AIN'T GONNA BE YOUR LOW DOWN DOG NO MORE (1962)
LIVIN' HIGH (1963)
SUCH A NIGHT (1962)
I AIN'T GONNA BE YOUR LOW DOWN DOG NO MORE (1962)
Friday, 19 December 2014
A 1940's Christmas
It would not be Christmas without a bit of Bing...
SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN
with the Andrew Sisters
with the Andrew Sisters
Monday, 15 December 2014
Roastin' Rock 'n' Roll
After I posted the Three Little Bops video a few days ago, it got me thinking about Stan Freberg's classic Capitol 1950's releases that basically ripped Rock 'n' Roll to pieces. Even so I had to get my hands these platters, and they ain't that bad either! I've taken liberties and altered the Stan Ferberg Capitol 'Any Requests' extended play EAP1-486 and used it for this post.
THE ROCK ISLAND LINE
Stanley Victor Freberg (born August 7, 1926 in Los Angeles)
is a voice actor, comedian, and advertising creative.
In 1950, he scored a huge success with his first recording for Capitol Records, John and Marsha, a soap-opera parody that consisted of the title characters (both played by Freberg) repeating each other’s names. In a follow-up he used pedal steel guitarist Speedy West to parody the 1953 country hit A Dear John Letter as A Dear John and Marsha Letter.
Throughout the 1950s he made a name for himself writing and performing both original songs (Tele-vee-shun) and parodies of popular tunes (The Yellow Rose of Texas, Day-O, Heartbreak Hotel). With fellow voice actors Daws Butler and June Foray he produced a medieval parody of Dragnet called St. George and the Dragon-Net. The latter recording was a #1 hit for four weeks in late 1953.
Freberg’s brilliant, authentic-sounding musical parodies were a by-product of his collaborations with Billy May and his Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson. His brilliant 1957 spoof of TV “champagne music” master Lawrence Welk, Wun’erful, Wun’erful was a true collaboration with May, a veteran big band musician and jazz arranger (known for his work with Frank Sinatra among others) who loathed Welk’s corny style. To replicate that sound, May and some of Hollywood’s finest studio musicians and vocalists worked to virtually clone Welk’s sound. Billy Liebert, a first-rate accordionist copied Welk’s own accordion playing. The humour was lost on Welk; Freberg later recalled the bandleader denying he ever used the term “Wunnerful! Wunnerful!” (Later the title of Welk’s autobiography).
Another hit song to get the Freberg treatment was the weepy Cry, which Freberg rendered as Try (“You too can be unhappy… if you try!”) Ray was furious, until he realized the success of Freberg’s parody was helping sales and airplay of his own record; Ray and Freberg actually became close friends.
Freberg continued to skewer the advertising industry after the demise of his radio show, producing Green Christmas in 1958 (again with Butler), a scathing indictment of the over commercialization of the holiday. Freberg, the son of a church minister and very religious himself, made sure to point out on that novelty record “Whose birthday we’re celebrating.” Despite his Jewish-sounding last name, Freberg is actually a Baptist of Swedish heritage.
“Green Christmas” also foreshadowed his musical review on LP Stan Freberg Presents: The United States Of America, Volume 1: The Early Years (1961) in that both combined dialog and song in a musical-like style. Stan Freberg Presents: The United States of America, Volume 2: The Middle Years was planned for a release during America’s Bicentennial in 1976 but did not emerge until 1996.
In 1950, he scored a huge success with his first recording for Capitol Records, John and Marsha, a soap-opera parody that consisted of the title characters (both played by Freberg) repeating each other’s names. In a follow-up he used pedal steel guitarist Speedy West to parody the 1953 country hit A Dear John Letter as A Dear John and Marsha Letter.
Throughout the 1950s he made a name for himself writing and performing both original songs (Tele-vee-shun) and parodies of popular tunes (The Yellow Rose of Texas, Day-O, Heartbreak Hotel). With fellow voice actors Daws Butler and June Foray he produced a medieval parody of Dragnet called St. George and the Dragon-Net. The latter recording was a #1 hit for four weeks in late 1953.
Freberg’s brilliant, authentic-sounding musical parodies were a by-product of his collaborations with Billy May and his Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson. His brilliant 1957 spoof of TV “champagne music” master Lawrence Welk, Wun’erful, Wun’erful was a true collaboration with May, a veteran big band musician and jazz arranger (known for his work with Frank Sinatra among others) who loathed Welk’s corny style. To replicate that sound, May and some of Hollywood’s finest studio musicians and vocalists worked to virtually clone Welk’s sound. Billy Liebert, a first-rate accordionist copied Welk’s own accordion playing. The humour was lost on Welk; Freberg later recalled the bandleader denying he ever used the term “Wunnerful! Wunnerful!” (Later the title of Welk’s autobiography).
Another hit song to get the Freberg treatment was the weepy Cry, which Freberg rendered as Try (“You too can be unhappy… if you try!”) Ray was furious, until he realized the success of Freberg’s parody was helping sales and airplay of his own record; Ray and Freberg actually became close friends.
Freberg continued to skewer the advertising industry after the demise of his radio show, producing Green Christmas in 1958 (again with Butler), a scathing indictment of the over commercialization of the holiday. Freberg, the son of a church minister and very religious himself, made sure to point out on that novelty record “Whose birthday we’re celebrating.” Despite his Jewish-sounding last name, Freberg is actually a Baptist of Swedish heritage.
“Green Christmas” also foreshadowed his musical review on LP Stan Freberg Presents: The United States Of America, Volume 1: The Early Years (1961) in that both combined dialog and song in a musical-like style. Stan Freberg Presents: The United States of America, Volume 2: The Middle Years was planned for a release during America’s Bicentennial in 1976 but did not emerge until 1996.
Edited by foetusized on 30 Sep 2006, 20:15
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Freberg
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Freberg
Friday, 12 December 2014
I love Seeburg Jukeboxes...
Seeburg was one of the first manufacturers to have a
multi-select jukebox. In 1949 it developed a mechanism that could play
both sides of the record and it was so reliable that few other manufacturers
could compete. Seeburg introduced the M100B in 1950 – it was the first
jukebox that could play 45rpm records and this was followed by the V200, the
first 200-select jukebox. They continued manufacturing jukeboxes
throughout the 1970's and 1980's until they were bought by Seeburg Satellite
Broadcasting.
1958 Seeburg Wallbox
You must watch this video
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Other makes
First Paul Fuller designed Jukebox
How the Wurlitzer 1015 Jukebox Works Part 1: The Credit and Selection Process
How the 1946-47 Wurlitzer 1015 Jukebox Works, Part 2: The Record Playing Mechanism
Wednesday, 10 December 2014
Dr. X-mas
Orion (Jimmy Ellis) if it is indeed him, is sounding a lot like Les Gray of 1970'S UK glitter rock band Mud, on 'Don't Cry For Christmas'. This was released in November 1977 on the Sun label. The singer was listed as unknown (?) and again it seems it was another way of trying to fool the record buying public that it was Elvis on vocal (rubbish of course). The B side on the other hand is why I bought the the record, a nice saxophone lead instrumental. Way, way cooler than the A side.
SEASONS GREETINGS CATS & KITTENS...