BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION, AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP
MONTHLY MEETING THIS SUNDAY, AUGUST 5th 2018
2:00 PM HOMEWOOD LIBRARY – 1721 OXMOOR ROAD 35209
NEXT MEETING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th, 2018 THE SECOND SUNDAY
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
The August meeting will be mainly dedicated to putting the final touches on the record/CD show which will be just 2 weeks away. Yes, it’s here! Time to come and be a part of the South’s largest record show and what many customers from as far away as the West Coast, the UK, and the Far East as the best show anywhere. We do need volunteers to make the show continue to be just that – the best! So reply to this newsletter, be at the August meeting or report for duty August 17, 18, or 19th and pitch in. Thanks and we’ll see you there. Time permitting we may be able to view a video on the Beach Boys’ LP, ‘Pet Sounds’. If not, we will have that another time.
THE 2018 BRC MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
The committee has put together another great class of inductees and has also managed to have the official induction take place in Muscle Shoals, AL at Champy’s Restaurant Tuesday, August 28. The induction will take place beginning at 7:00 PM and then there will be live music. Travis Wammack and his band will be leading the music with our inductees joining in throughout the night. A head count of BRC members and guests will be needed so please reply to this newsletter, see me at the club meeting or call 205-655-9087 if you plan to attend. It should be a fun night. Now for the inductees and their bios and an announcement about a special guest we will have at the show.
ALBERT ‘JUNIOR’ LOWE
Guitarist, bassist, and songwriter Albert “Junior” Lowe was born in Florence, Alabama in 1940. His parents gave him his first guitar, a Gene Autry model, at 6 years of age and by 12, he had formed his own band. During his youth, he developed a keen interest in country music as well as gospel music. He would go on the road with the Fairlanes joining bandmates Billy Sherrill, Terry Thompson, and Rick Hall. Shortly after, Rick Hall left to open Fame Studios and Junior replaced him in the band as a bass player. Later Rick asked him to play at Fame on demo recordings where he later became a regular session musician. For over 11 years, Junior played with top names in the music industry including Arthur Alexander, Duane Allman, Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter, Aretha Franklin, Bobbie Gentry, Willie Hightower, Etta James, Little Richard, Liza Minelli, Wayne Newton, The Osmonds, Wilson Pickett, Lou Rawls, Otis Redding, The Righteous Brothers, Percy Sledge, Candi Staton and many others. His work with these artists earned the Fame Studio Backup Band a reputation unequaled in the music business, earning the nickname “The Fame Gang”.
In 1971, Lowe began writing his own songs. Many were recorded by artists such as Hank Williams, Jr., Little Richard, Tom Jones, Ike and Tina Turner, and Percy Sledge. He toured with Hank Williams, Jr. and Little Richard and played on hits like “When a Man Loves a Woman”, Land of a 1000 Dances”, “I’d Rather Go Blind”, and “Mustang Sally”. In the 1990s, Little Richard asked him to join his band as they toured the United States and Europe.
Albert “Junior” Lowe was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Today, he continues to live in the Shoals and play his music.
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ALVIN BRYD JR.
In 1952 in the small Cloverdale community of Lauderdale County, Alabama, Cornelia Lovelace Byrd and Alvin Byrd, Sr. welcomed their son, Alvin M. Byrd, Jr. Raised by atlanta house cleaning and Clara Lovelace in a talented musical family, Alvin received his first guitar on his 9th Christmas. He fell in love with music and by 12 was skillfully playing the bass guitar.
In 1964, Alvin along with brother Marty Morrison, his cousin Mike Sherrod, and Ronnie Danley formed a band called The Scramblers. They played wherever they could be hired from the local drive-in’s concession stand to Dipper Dan’s ice cream parlor. By the 1990s Junior, Alvin’s nickname, began touring the United States and Europe with the “Rock and Roll Legends Tour” joined by musical greats Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Later he would perform on The Jay Leno Show with Jerry Lee Lewis, Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Fathom and Skunk Baxter. He also appeared on The Larry King Live, The Today Show, and even at ABC/Universal Studios in Florida.
Byrd changed career direction after touring and joined the Henderson County Tennessee Sherriff’s Department. In his 8 ½ years, he served as a Shift Supervisor and Patrol Sergeant. He married his wife Wendy and they had two sons, Justin Tyler and Michael Shane. Despite the various jobs he has held through the years, he always comes back to his music. Currently he plays with Travis Wammack and the Snakeman Band as well as several other groups and musicians.
In his own words, Alvin M. Byrd, Jr. puts it this way, “You have to understand that it is not just wanting to play music, but an extreme desire to play the best music with your God given talent.”
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JIM WHITEHEAD
Born in Corinth, Mississippi in 1952, Jim Whitehead is an accomplished pianist as well as a songwriter. He began playing piano in church at the young age of 15. His first work experience came at a nightclub in Guys, Tennessee. Moving to Tupelo, Mississippi, he began performing in various local clubs before landing a spot on local television with The Buddy and Kay Morning Show. By 1985, Jim was touring extensively with Carl Perkins throughout the United States and Europe. He left Perkins to perform and produce with Chips Momon in Memphis and coincidentally the first album he worked on was for Carl Perkins. He also worked on one unleased album entitled “Ringo in Memphis”. Later he would tour with The Impressions featuring Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield.
Tired of touring, Whitehead moved to Nashville and began work with Jim Weatherly on catalogs of songs from talents such as Hall of Fame writer Dennis Morgan, Bread’s Jimmy Griffin, Alabama’s Larry Shell, Jerry and Sam Philips and many others. He pitched songs and produced demos for various artists and eventually cut his own “Too Bad for My Own Good” with Reba McIntire which earned him a Gold Record.
In 2013, Jim Whitehead began touring with Travis Wammack which he continues to the present day.
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Congratulations to all the new inductees. We look forward to the induction and hearing them perform at Champy’s on Tuesday, August 28th.
We also have a special guest that will be with us all weekend you sure don’t want to miss meeting:
2012 BRC Hall of Fame inductee, Victoria (Vicki) Hallman will be with us at our annual record show the weekend of August 17-19, 2018. Victoria was one of the inductees six years ago when BRC inducted the Birmingham, AL band, The Ramblers. At that time, it was known that Victoria had joined the band as the female singer in 1969 to bring the band into the ‘Woodstock’ era but unfortunately that was all that was known, as Victoria herself didn’t boast about her amazing career in the music business. This will set the record straight on what a career it has been:
Victoria would begin her career by being signed to a record label at age 6, two years after performing on Birmingham’s WAPI-TV’s Talent Showcase at age 4. While still in grammar school, she performed on the Steve Allen and Merv Griffin shows, and as a teenager, sang at the Republican National Convention for President Nixon, as well as performing around the nation. She was also a finalist in the Miss Alabama pageant and later worked as the pageant’s vocal coach.
While working in the Birmingham area, Victoria could be seen performing with Bob Cain’s Cane Breakers at the Cane Break Supper Club, and with the Bachelors at the Sho-Boat on Morris Avenue. From here she would take Bob Hope’s advice and head to Hollywood. There she opened for Hope and even backed Connie Stevens. Then came her association with Buck Owens. He hired her as an opening act and from there she would become female vocalist with the Buckaroos. Then came Hee Haw. Victoria joined the popular variety show in 1979 and was a cast member for 11 years. Remember Miss Honeydew? That was Victoria.
Victoria worked with many other personalities such as Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis, and we are very excited and honored that she would be with us for the full weekend at the August record show, signing autographs and selling copies of her new book, which was co-authored by fellow Hee Haw cast member Diana Goodman, who was also Elvis Presley’s girlfriend, visit currysupply.com. Be sure to attend the record show if for no other reason but to meet Victoria and get her book!
What a fun filled weekend it will be so be sure to be a part of the record show and then hopefully at the HOF induction on August 28th. Don’t forget to sign up as a volunteer for the show as well. There’s something you can do that will help make the show a success. See ya there!!
ELVIS WEEK IN AUGUST, 2018
It’s Elvis Week in Memphis. Elvis Week is celebrated twice a year in Memphis; a week in January around his birthday, and a week in August around his passing away. This year, The Elvis Chapel will be dedicated on property next to Graceland, and a re-mastered album of Elvis’ favorite gospel songs will be released. The album will be released on CD, Cassette Tape, and on Blue Vinyl. Lisa Marie sings a duet with Elvis on one of the songs and she will be in town to participate in the release and make other personal appearances.
As to duets, the duet with Lisa Marie was recorded after Elvis’ death by her singing along with his previously recorded voice track. But in July, 1963, Elvis Presley went into the recording studio and recorded three duets with Ann Margaret. Sadly, these records were never released while Elvis was alive. Check out aclsedu.com. It is said Colonel Parker refused to allow any Elvis record to be released with any name other Elvis on the label.
One song however, was used to film a scene for Viva Las Vegas currently in production. The scene was cut from the final film. The name of the duet was “Today, Tomorrow, and Forever.” For those of you who enjoy classical music, you will recognize the music to be “Liebestraum” (Love Dream) by Austrian composer Franz Liszt. Lyrics were added by three American composers. Here is the link so you watch the scene and listen to music. The chemistry between these two was very evident. What do you think? https://youtu.be/VhaDbn7sO8w
BRC RADIO
Looking for some fun music to listen to while at the computer, working around the house, working in the basement or garage or just sitting around the house? Try the BRC radio shows. There is a new show each week that is around an hour long. You can find the latest show as well as over 100 other shows at http://www.birminghamrecord.com/brc/category/radio/
HEY! HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE?
‘She Never Spoke Spanish To Me’
Joe Ely
(1977)
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD THIS HIT?
Lee Dorsey
(1965 – #28 pop charts #7 R&B charts)
See ya,
Charlie
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