BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP

THIS MONTH’S MEETING
MEETING THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 9TH
NEXT MEETING, FEBUARY 13TH  2:00 PM

THIS MONTH’S MEETING
***WE WILL BE MEETING ONCE AGAIN AT THE FULTONDALE FIRST BAPTIST CHUTRCH***
409 MAIN ST FULTONDALE, AL 35068

Due to the parking lot work continuing at the Homewood Library we will be meeting at Fultondale First Baptist Church this month.

This month BRC member, Bryant Saxon will be with us to discuss some projects he has been working on for a while. Bryant has been re-releasing some music from Alabama and he even has a record label called Earth Libraries. He has done a re-make of Larry & The Loafers song, ‘Panama City Blues’. So plan on being with us in January and see what Bryant has been doing as a record producer.

TRIVIA TIME

Before Charlie Daniels recorded his first solo LP in 1971 he had produced the 1969 Youngbloods LP, Elephant Mountain.

In 1960 Hank Ballard & The Midnighters became the first group to have 3 songs in the U.S. Hot 100 at the same time. ‘Finger Poppin’ Time’, ‘Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go’ and ‘The Twist’.

Hank Ballard’s cousin, Florence Ballard was a member of the Supremes.

‘To Sir With Love’, a #1 hit in the US for Lulu didn’t chart in the UK even though Lulu was a Brit and the movie was about British school kids.

Between March 17, 1973 – July 16, 1988 Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon’ LP was on the Billboard LP charts for 736 weeks although it was at #1 for only 1 week.

The flip side of the Beach Boys #61 hit in 1969, ‘Bluebirds Over The Mountain’ is a re-worked version of a song written by Charles Manson who had befriended band member Dennis Wilson. Manson’s title was ‘Cease To Exist’ but the style, some lyrics and title were changed by the group. The title the Beach Boys used was ‘Never Learn Not To Love’. Manson received no writers credit but according to Dennis Wilson was given about $100,000 in stuff including a BSA motorcycle.

Elvis opened his concerts for many years with the Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey. Why? Who knows but if you add the numbers that are his death date, 8-16-1977 you get 2001. Just saying.

Tom Jones lost a paternity suit in 1979 and ordered to pay $200 a week in child support. The judge who presided over the suit and made to judgment would go on to have her own TV court show and be known as ‘Judge Judy’.

Before Elton John had his first hit he worked as a writer and session player. One of the many hits he played on was the Hollies, ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’.

George Young was a member of the Australian band, The Easybeats and was a co-writer of the classic song, ‘Friday On My Mind’. He would go on to produce the early works of another Australian band, AC/DC. Young ‘s two younger brothers, Malcolm and Angus were the founders of AC/DC.

Barry Manilow had a #1 hit in 1976 entitled ‘I Write The Songs’. The song was really written by Bruce Johnston, writer, producer and a member of the Beach Boys from 1965.

It was Chas Chandler, former bass player for the Animals who discovered and managed Jimi Hendrix. Chandler saw Jimi playing at a Greenwich Village cafe called Cafe Wha? Playing under the name of Jimmy James. He convinced Jimi to go to England with him where he teamed him up with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell an go back to using his real name.

Johnnie Taylor’s hit, ‘Disco Lady’ was the first single to sell over 2,000,000 copies thus becoming the first single to be certified platinum by the RIAA.

The name Alice Cooper was originally the name of Vince Furnier’s band before Vince changed his name legally to Alice Cooper.

‘Shut your mouth’ is what a backup singer tells Isaac Hayes in his song ‘Shaft’. The backup singer is Thelma Hopkins who was a member of Dawn, Tony Orlando’s backup singers.

Ringo Starr was not the drummer on the Beatles songs, ‘Back In The U.S.S.R.’ and The Ballad Of John And Yoko’. Paul McCartney drummed on the latter and Paul, John and George are given credit for drumming on the former.

Jan Berry of Jan & Dean, had an IQ of around 180. Both of the singers balanced their singing career with their education. Jan took science and music courses at UCLA while Dean took advertising and design at USC. Jan was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Dean was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Jan would later enroll at the California College of medicine in 1963.

Original members of The Eagles, Glen Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon first met when they were members of Linda Ronstadt’s backup band.

You have heard of Gary Lewis & The Playboys but if not for a clerical mistake at the hospital the band could have been known as Cary Lewis & The Playboys. His parents Jerry & Patti Lewis had planned on naming him Cary after the actor Cary Grant. The hospital made a mistake and the parents didn’t pursue the change.

Bobby Goldsboro played guitar for Roy Orbison from 1962-64.

In 1950 Chuck Berry worked many jobs to support his family even training as a beautician at Poro College of Cosmetology.

When ‘Rock Around The Clock’ was originally released it sold 75,000 copies. Twelve months later the song was used in the movie, ‘Blackboard Jungle’ and the single would sell over 25 million copies.

The things we just don’t or didn’t know that go on in the music world.

BRC RADIO
Check out our latest shows at birminghamrecord.com. Click on ‘RADIO’ and listen to some long-lost music and even some new sounds. There is a wide variety of music now that we have 3 hosts doing shows. Check out all our shows.

DO YOU REMEMBER THESE?
‘COUNTRY GIRL – CITY MAN‘
BILL VERA & JUDY CLAY
1968 #36

‘(YOU’VE GOT TO) MOVE TWO MOUNTAINS’
MARV JOHNSON
1960 #20

See Ya,
Charlie