Showing posts with label Chet Atkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chet Atkins. Show all posts

June 21, 2021

Record Producers Extraordinaire

~  

 
 
Behind every great musician/group is a Record Producer who had a vision and the expertise to make the sound of that musician or group unique.           
 
 
 
 
 
 

For punk no one topped Steve Albini. He produced the albums for his bands, Big Black, Rapeman, Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He produced albums for Nirvana, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, and former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, as well.
 
I'm not sure WHERE Brian Eno belongs! He's produced sound ranging from film soundtracks to ambient To experimental for John Cale, Jon Hassell and Laraaji, to new wave for Talking Heads, Ultravox and Devo, and everything in between.            
     
     
      
     
Viewfinder links:
      
Cannonball Adderley           
Chet Atkins       
David Axelrod        
all things Beatles       
Owen Bradley      
John Cale        
Glen Campbell      
George Clinton         
Al De Lory        
Devo        
Tom Dowd        
Duke Ellington      
Brian Eno        
Eurythmics           
Jackie Gleason          
Norman Granz      
Trevor Horn       
Quincy Jones           
Kitaro        
Kraftwerk    
Jeff Lynne       
Teo Macero          
Mantovani              
Arif Mardin      
George Martin           
Meat Loaf       
Mitch Miller         
Les Paul         
Conny Plank        
Todd Rundgren        
Klaus Schulze            
Billy Sherrill        
Stamatis Spanoudakis          
Phil Spector        
Jim Steinman        
Talking Heads          
Tangerine Dream       
The Temptations        
Bob Thiele         
Isao Tomita          
Bonnie Tyler         
Ultravox         
Vangelis        
Billy Vaughn         
Jimmy Webb         
Jerry Wexler         
Norman Whitfield      
Brian Wilson        
Otis Williams         
     
Net links:
     
     
     
Music Needs You ~ 7 Distinct Types of Record Producers     
Recording Connection ~ What Does a Music Producer Do?   
     
     
     
A tip of my hat to all of them!
     
     
     
Styrous® ~ Monday, June 21, 2021   



















January 10, 2021

45 RPMs 53: Elvis Presley ~ Heartbreak Hotel: his first big hit

 ~      
7" 45 RPM record w/sleeve
photo by Styrous®


On January 10, 1956, Elvis Presley recorded Heartbreak Hotel. This was his first recording for the RCA Records label. The song was released as a single on January 27, 1956. Presley performed the song for the first time in Swifton, Arkansas on December 9, 1955, and declared to the audience that it would be his first hit; he was right. As they say, the rest is history.        



 
A newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window inspired the lyrics of the song. It was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton, with credit being given also to Presley; Durden and Axton give differing versions of how the story originated (link below). Axton presented the song to Presley in November of 1955 at a country music convention in Nashville. Presley agreed to record it, and did so in 1956 at 1525 McGavock Street in Nashville in a session with his band, The Blue Moon Boys; the guitarist was Chet Atkins and the pianist was Floyd Cramer.       


Elvis Presley ~ Heartbreak Hotel
7" 45 RPM record label
photo by Styrous®



Well, since my baby left me
Well, I found a new place to dwell
Well, it's down at the end of Lonely Street
At Heartbreak Hotel

Where I'll be, I'll be so lonely baby
Well, I'm so lonely
I'll be so lonely, I could die

Although it's always crowded
You still can find some room
For broken-hearted lovers
To cry there in their gloom

They'll be so, they'll be so lonely baby
They get so lonely
They're so lonely, they could die

Now, the bell hop's tears keep flowin'
And the desk clerk's dressed in black
Well, they've been so long on Lonely Street
They'll never, never look back

And they get so, they get so lonely baby
Well they are so lonely
They're so lonely, they could die

Well, now, if your baby leaves you
And you got a tale to tell
Well, just take a walk down Lonely Street
To Heartbreak Hotel

Where you will be, you will be so lonely baby
Well you will be lonely
You'll be so lonely, you could die

Although it's always crowded
But you still can find some room
For broken-hearted lovers to cry there in their gloom

Where they get so, they get so lonely baby
Well they're so lonely
They'll be so lonely, they could die


Elvis Presley ~ I Was the One
7" 45 RPM record w/sleeve
photo by Styrous®


There are videos of Presley performing from 1956 to 1972 on YouTube; it is interesting to see how he changes physically over that period (links below).        



Elvis Presley ~ I Was the One
7" 45 RPM record
photo by Styrous®


The single topped the Billboard Top 100 chart for seven weeks, the Cashbox pop singles chart for six weeks, was No. 1 on the Country and Western chart for seventeen weeks and reached No. 3 on the R&B chart, becoming Presley's first million-seller, and one of the best-selling singles of 1956. Heartbreak Hotel achieved unheard feats as it reached the top 5 of Country and Western, pop, and Rhythm 'n' Blues charts simultaneously. It would eventually be certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.                 
 
In 1995 Heartbreak Hotel was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2004 Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". That year it was also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". 
 
Heartbreak Hotel has been covered by many rock and pop artists, including Willie Nelson and Leon Russell, who recorded a duet version that topped the Country charts in 1979; it's more upbeat and faster. Johnny Cash did a parody of Elvis singing the song (links below).        


Elvis Presley ~ I Was the One
7" 45 RPM record
photo by Styrous®
        
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Heartbreak Hotel, written by Presley*, Axton*, Durden* - 2:06

Side 2:

B - I Was The One, written by Schroeder*, Peppers*, DeMetris*, Blair* - 2:30

Companies, etc.

    Manufactured By – RCA Victor Company, Ltd.

Notes:

No time duration on labels.
Black label RCA w/ Dog

Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
        
    Matrix / Runout (A-Side label): G2WW-0209
    Matrix / Runout (B-Side label): G2WW-0218
    Matrix / Runout (A-Side stamped runout): G2WW-0209
    Matrix / Runout (B-Side stamped runout): G2WW-0218     
      
Label: RCA Victor ‎– 47 6420
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: Canada
Released: Jan 1956
Genre: Rock
Style: Rock & Roll      
      
       
      
       
      
Viewfinder links:       
        
Chet Atkins         
Floyd Cramer          
Willie Nelson        
Elvis Presley             
Leon Russell          
     
Net links:       
         
Background and writing        
         
        
     
YouTube links:      
         
Johnny Cash does Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel  (Live)       
Willie Nelson ~ Heartbreak Hotel        
Willie Nelson & Leon Russell ~ Heartbreak Hotel  (Live)       
Elvis Presley ~        
      Heartbreak Hotel         
      Heartbreak Hotel (Live) (1956)                
      Heartbreak Hotel (Ed Sullivan) (1957)                 
      Heartbreak Hotel (Ed Sullivan) (Stereo) (1957)                 
      Heartbreak Hotel (Live) (1968)                
      Heartbreak Hotel (Las Vegas) (1970)                
      Heartbreak Hotel (Live) (1972)               
         
         
        
        
        
I'll be so lonely, I could die!
         
        
         
        
        
Styrous® ~ Sunday, January 10, 2021     








 




March 6, 2020

Kurt Weill song lyrics

~    

Oh, show me the way to the next whiskey bar
Oh, don't ask why, oh, don't ask why!
For we must find the next whiskey bar
For if we don't find the whiskey bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you
I tell you
I tell you we must die!

Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say good-bye
We've lost our good old momma
And must have whiskey, oh you know why!

Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say good-bye
We've lost our good old momma
And must have whiskey, oh you know why!

Oh, show me the way to the next pretty boy
Oh, don't ask why, oh, don't ask why!

For we must find the next pretty boy
For if we don't find the next pretty boy
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you
I tell you
I tell you we must die!

Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say good-bye
We've lost our good old momma
And must have boys, oh you know why!

Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say good-bye
We've lost our good old momma
And must have boys, oh you know why!

Oh, show me the way to the next little dollar
Oh, don't ask why, oh, don't ask why!
For we must find the next little dollar
For if we don't find the next little dollar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you
I tell you
I tell you we must die!

Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say good-bye
We've lost our good old momma
And must have dollars, oh you know why!

Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say good-bye
We've lost our good old momma
And must have dollars, oh you know why!        
       
     



The Bilbao Song
(Kurt Weill / Bert Brecht – English Lyrics by Johnny Mercer)

Recorded by: Chet Atkins; Clusone Trio; Dave Douglas; Eastside Sinfonietta; Gil Evans; Marianne Faithfull; Jacqueline François; Greta Keller; Masabumi Kiluchi; Ute Lemper; Lottie Lenya; Frank Portolese; André Previn; Martha Schlamme; Sextet of Orch. USA; Tethered Moon; Cal Tjader; Julie Wilson, Andy Williams.   

That old Bilbao moon, I won't forget it soon
That old Bilbao moon, just like a big balloon
That old Bilbao moon would rise above the dune
While Tony's beach saloon rocked with an old-time tune
We'd sing a song the whole night long and I can still recall
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest nights of them all

No paint was on the door (no paint was on the door)
The grass grew through the floor (the grass grew through the floor)
Of Tony's two by four (of Tony's two by four)
On the Bilbao shore (on the Bilbao shore)
But there were friends galore (howdy do, howdy do)
And there was beer to pour (chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug)
And moonlight on the shore (and the moon shines above)
That old Bilbao shore (on the shore, not the rug)
We'd sing all night with all our might and I can still recall
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest nights of them all

That old Bilbao moon, I won't forget it soon
That old Bilbao moon, just like a big balloon
That old Bilbao moon would rise above the dune
While Tony's beach saloon rocked with an old-time tune
We'd sing all night with all our might and I can still recall
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest (those were the greatest)
Those were the greatest nights of them all

(Extra verse not used by Andy Williams)

Those old Bilbao Guys, they loved to harmonize
Who stopped to realize how fast the summer flies
The moon was on the rise, we'd catch the ladies' eyes
And whisper Spanish lies, They never did get wise.

We'd sing the whole night long
And I can still recall
Those were the greatest,
Those were the greatest
Those were the greatest days of them all.


     


Lost In The Stars

Before Lord God made the sea or the land
He held all the stars in the palm of his hand
And they ran through his fingers like grains of sand
And one little star fell alone

Then the Lord God hunted through the wide night air
For the little dark star on the wind down there
And he stated and promised he'd take special care
So it wouldn't get lost no more

Now, a man don't mind if the stars get dim
And the clouds blow over and darken him
So long as the Lord God's watching over them
Keeping track how it all goes on

But I've been walking through the night and the day
Till my eyes get weary and my head turns gray
And sometimes it seems maybe God's gone away
Forgetting his promise and word he'd say

And we're lost out here in the stars
Little stars, big stars, blowing through the night
And we're lost out here in the stars          

       



Surabaya Johnny

I was young, I was just sixteen then,
when you came up from Burma one day.
And you told me to pack up my suitcase,
and I did, and you took me away.
I said, "Do you work nice and steady,
or do you go sailing and roving out to sea?"
And you said, "I have a job on the railroad,
and baby, how swell it's all gonna be."
You said a lot, Johnny. It was all lies.
You sure had me fooled, right from the start.
I hate you when you laugh at me like that.
Take that pipe out of your mouth, Johnny.

Surabaya Johnny. Is it really the end?
Surabaya Johnny. Will the hurt ever mend?
Surabaya Johnny. Ooh, I burn at your touch.
You got no heart, Johnny, but oh, I love you so much.

Oh, at first you were kind and gentle,
'til I packed up and went off with you.
And it lasted two weeks until one day
you laughed at me and hit me too.
You dragged me all over the city,
up the river and down to the sea.
Now I look at myself in the mirror
and some old woman looks back at me.
You didn't want love, Johnny, you wanted money.
I gave you all I had. You wanted more.
Oh, don't look at me that way.
I'm only trying to talk to you.
Wipe that grin off your face, Johnny.

Surabaya Johnny. Is it really the end?
Surabaya Johnny. Will the pain never mend?
Surabaya Johnny. How I burn at your touch.
You got no heart, Johnny, but oh, I love you so much.

When we met I forgot to ask you
why they called you that funny name,
but in every hotel on the seacoast
I found out, and I loved you all the same.
I'm tired. I'm worn out.
The sea's pounding in my ears.
And I reach out my arms to hold you.
You're not here and who even cares?
You got no heart, Johnny. You're just no good.
You going now? Oh, tell me why.
I love you after all, Johnny, like that very first day.
Don't laugh at me no more, Johnny.

Surabaya Johnny. Is it really the end?
Surabaya Johnny. Will the hurt ever mend?
Surabaya Johnny. Oh, I burn at your touch.
You got no heart, Johnny, but oh, I love you,
I love you, I love you so much. 
     
          
         
          
Viewfinder links:        
      
Lotte Lenya              
André Previn          
Martha Schlamme ‎~ The World of Kurt Weill
       
Cal Tjader          
Kurt Weill         
            
          
         
Styrous® ~ Thursday, March 5, 2020           




~

~











Chet Atkins articles/mentions

~  
  
Chickens on Wood String Band ~ Freight Train     
Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong  
Silvana Mangano ~ Anna soundtrack    
The Platters ~ My Prayer       
  
       
       
  
  
Chet Atkins
date & photographer unknown       
  

  
  










December 22, 2019

45 RPMs 36: Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong a Honky Tonk song

~
Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong  
45 RPM
photo by Styrous®


Hawkshaw Hawkins was born on December 22, 1921. He was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 60s known for his music drawn from blues, boogie and honky tonk.




Ling Ting Tong ~ lyrics:     

I went to Chinatown
'way back in old Hong Kong
To get some Egg Foo Yung
And then I heard a gong

Ling ting tong tried to sing that song
Called Tie-ess-a mo-cum boo-die-ay
Tie-ess-a mo-cum boo
Ling ting tong, he would never be wrong
Go on and sing your song, a-ling ting tong

And I looked around
The lights were going down
And this is what I found
A back in Chinatown 


The tune is moderately fast and bouncy with some great guitar work and could be classed as "honky tonk". The song would probably not be considered PC now but it worked in the 50's.     

The first music genre to be commonly known as honky tonk was a style of piano playing related to ragtime but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or harmony; the style evolved in response to an environment in which pianos were often poorly cared for, tending to be out of tune and having some nonfunctioning keys. This honky tonk music was an important influence on the boogie-woogie piano style. Before World War II, the music industry began to refer to hillbilly music being played from Texas and Oklahoma to the West Coast as "honky tonk" music. In the 1950s, honky tonk entered its golden age, with the popularity of Webb Pierce, Hank Locklin, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Faron Young, George Jones, and Hank Williams.     
      
             
Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ko Ko Mo  
45 RPM
photo by Styrous®


By contrast the "B" side, Ko Ko Mo, is fast and jivey. It's a pretty innocuous song but then most songs back then were.             




Hawkins was 6 ft 5 inches tall and was christened "Eleven Yards of Personality". He had an imposing stage presence and his tasteful Western suits set him apart from the rhinestone gaudiness of other male country singers.


 date & photographer unknown


Hawkins died on March 5, 1963, in a plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was married to country star Jean Shepard.             


   

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A – Hawkshaw Hawkins - Ling Ting Tong, written by Mable Goodwin

Side 2:
   
B – Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Rita Robbins - Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So), written by Levy*, Forest Gene Wilson*, Porter*


Musicians:

Hawkshaw Hawkins [vcl]
Chet Atkins [ld gt]
Eddie Hill [rh gt]
Bob Foster [steel]
Bob Moore [bass]
Buddy Harman [drums]
Tommy Jackson [fiddle]
Owen Bradley [piano]

Notes:

RCA Victor Black label with Silver lettering.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (A side label): F2WW-0235
    Matrix / Runout (B side label): F2WW-0234

Hawkshaw Hawkins, Rita Robbins ‎– Ling Ting Tong / Ko Ko Mo
Label: RCA Victor ‎– 47-6022
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Vocal
        
         

Viewfinder links:      
     

Little Jimmy Dickens          
Hawkshaw Hawkins            
Webb Pierce           
Hank Williams         

         
   
Net links:      
         
Discography    
honky tonk Etymology       
honky tonk History                 
         
       
YouTube links:      

Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong    
Hawkshaw Hawkins with Jean Shepard ~ Ko Ko Mo   
        
            
         


Styrous® ~ Sunday, December 22, 2019        






January 28, 2019

Chickens on Wood String Band ~ Freight Train

~    
photo by Styrous®


Yesterday evening I caught the latest performance of the fun-to-watch 'n fun-to-listen-to group, Chickens on Wood String Band at The Local on Park Street in Alameda. It's where I had seen them before (link below).       




The place was more crowded than it was the last time. As a result we couldn't find a place to sit and had to stand. This was good for the band and The Local, bad for us.                 

Also, I had a hard time getting great shots of the group. But I could hear them just fine and after all, that is what's most important.            




Scott Peterson, the band leader, was in great form . . .        



Scott Peterson belting out a tune 
Chickens on Wood String Band
photo by Styrous®

photo by Styrous®


At one point, Alison Limoges did a terrific cover of a folk song I have always loved, Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotton. Cotton wrote the song in her early teens and it is her most famous composition.

The 1956 UK recording of the song by Chas McDevitt and Nancy Whiskey was a major hit and is credited as one of the main influences for the rise of skiffle in the UK.       


photo by Styrous®


The song has been covered by many artists - Mike Seeger, Peter Paul & Mary, an instrumental by Chet Atkins and my favorite version by Joan Baez (links below).         

photo by Styrous®


The fifties seemed to be a hyperdrive time for the song for it was rocked out by the Scottish folk singer, Nancy Whiskey and an instrumental by Duane Eddy  in 1956, then another  instrumental by Rusty Draper in 1957 (links below).       


photo by Styrous®


As I had been working all day photographing/documenting my record collection (link below), I was exhausted and could only sit through the first set which they ended with what seems to be a great crowd pleasing number, These Boots Are Made For Walkin'; it certainly was that!      



        
Chickens on Wood String Band is:       
Scott Peterson, band leader -- banjo
Brian Glueck -- mandolin, resonator guitar, cello
Brian Kilrain -- double bass
Alison Limoges -- acoustic, rhythm guitar       
 

The Local
1333 Park Street
Alameda, CA  94501
Telephone:   (510) 523-2116
       
         
          
         
Viewfinder links:     
      
Chickens on Wood String Band 
Alison Limoges    
MOOvin' 'n GROOvin' @ The Local          
20,000 Vinyl LPs         
     
Net link:         
     
Chickens on Wood String Band on Facebook       
       
YouTube links:     
        
Freight Train ~
        Chet Atkins                 
        Joan Baez               
        Elizabeth Cotton      
        Rusty Draper                    
        Duane Eddy                 
        Peter, Paul & Mary              
        Mike Seeger              
        Nancy Whiskey & Chas. McDevitt                   
      
      
       
Styrous® ~ Monday, January 28, 2019