BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP
THIS MONTH’S MEETING WILL BE THE SECOND SUNDAY, JUNE 9TH 2:30 PM
HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
NEXT MEETING, JULY 14TH 2:30 PM THE SECOND SUNDAY
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
We had a great time with Larry Parker and Travis Morgan as our speakers last month. Travis introduced us to the music preservation he is undertaking and needs help expaning his material. Travis will be set up at our August record show and would like for people to bring any pictures, posters, flyers, concert ticket stubs, radio surveys, etc that are connected to local bands. And Larry shared many more stories about his time in Birmingham and the southeast as a singer, promoter and DJ. Thanks to both guys and the time they spent with us.
This Month will be have Joe Reddick and Doug Roberts presenting two separate programs. Joe will be discussing LP artwork and Doug will follow his lead and also talk about artwork and what has changed. Be there!
Next month will be our meeting where we will be addressing and stamping our postcards as part of our advertising campaign for the August record show. There will be over 2,000 postcards so we need as much help as possible. Thanks!
2024 BRC AUGUST RECORD SHOW
Dates for our 39th annual record show will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday August 16-18. The show will be at the Gardendale Civic Center 857 Main Street Gardendale, AL 35071. Cost is $5. Kids under 12 free. BRC members & ARCA members free admission with membership card. BRC membership applications will be available at the front table at show time. Hours are:
Friday 11:00-2:00 BRC members only 2:00-8:00 Open to public
Saturday 9:00-5:00
Sunday 10:00-4:00
We will have postcards to use for advertising at the meeting that you can take with you to hand out or leave at various stores, etc.
Also, we will be needing volunteers to work the front table during the show weekend. Sign-up sheets will be at the June, July and August club meetings. If you are not able to come to a meeting to sign up you can contact me and let me know. Thanks.
THE CANADIANS ARE COMING, THE CANADIANS ARE COMING
If you were listening to music in 1964 you will be very familiar with what became known as the British Invasion. Let me say now that when I say British acts, maybe I should say UK acts because not all of these bands came from England. There were acts from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia and more. Although there were a few British acts who had songs make the pop charts pre-1964, it was nothing like what happened after the Beatles hit the charts and the shores of the USA. Lonnie Donegan, The Caravelles, Cliff Richard, Vera Lynn, Laurie London, Acker Bilk, Reg Owen, Hayley Mills, Kenny Ball, The Springfields, Frank Ifield and the Tornadoes were British acts who had songs on the charts between the late 50’s and the early 60’s and as good as they were none of them caused the excitement that came with the Beatles and other performers. Three British acts had #1 pop hits between 1958-1962 including the Tornadoes with ‘Telstar’ (1962), Laurie London with ‘He’s Got The Whole World (In His Hands) (1958) and Acker Bilk with ‘Stranger On The Shore’ (1962) but the British music popularity in the USA was just a twinkle in George Martin and Brian Epstein’s eyes. By the way, the song, ‘Telstar’ was in honor of the early communications satellites, so named, launched in 1962 by the NASA.
Over the next 2 years more groups than I can name tried their luck in the USA. Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Animals, DC5, Zombies, Gerry & The Pacemakers, and Them just kept coming. Well, they just kept coming with Them being one of the groups. What a time it was for music. In my opinion the American music scene, at least the records that charted seem to lack something especially when compared to the music in America from 1956-1959.
But it is not the Brits I want to discuss today. What did the British Invasion of the 1960’s do to inspire musicians in Canada? I only know of one Canadian group that hit the charts during 1964-66 and that was the Guess Who (info below) but there were plenty of acts pre-1964 and after that I wanted to mention today. So let’s get started with our Northern neighbors.
Unless you have heard of the name of this Big Band’s name you won’t even know a group like this from Canada existed. They were called the Royal Canadians and their leader was Guy Lombardo. Now this was of course 40 years before the Brits came but Lombardo had recordings on Columbia, Brunswick, Victor and the Decca labels. Maybe the first Canadian who had musical success in the USA.
Then we have a singer, songwriter who had 85 C/W hits in the USA between 1949-1980 including a song that the Stones would use in their concerts in the early years and have a live version on their 1966 December’s Children (And Everybody’s) LP. That song is ‘I’m Moving On’ and the singer is Hank Snow. Born in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1914 he had 7 #1 C/W hits in the USA. ‘I’m Moving On’, ‘Golden Rocket’ and ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ are three of his #1 hits and well known among music collectors. Maybe he was the first Canadian to be invited as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He is also an inductee into the Country Music Hall Of Fame.
‘I’m Moving On’ – Hank Snow
‘I’m Moving On’ – Rolling Stones (who would have thought the Stones in 1965 would have used a Hank Snow song in the concerts and on an LP. I think it was the lyrics that they liked)
Paul Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario. At age 14 he came to New York City with $100 an uncle had given him where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC records and the rest is history. His first record for ABC, ‘Diana’ would go to #1 on the charts. He would have 60 charted songs between 1957-83 including 3 #1’s and 22 making the top 20.
The next Canadian is one I am sure all of you have heard of. Giovanni Domenico Scafone, Jr. Better known as Jack Scott. Jack was born in Windsor, Ontario. His family moved to a suburb of Detroit when he was 10. Jack’s first 45, although neither side charted showcased the explosive feel for R&R he had. ‘Baby, She’s Gone’ b/w ‘Two Timin’ Woman’ were released in 1957 and then a string of hits started in 1958 with ‘My True Love’ b/w ‘Leroy’ being his first. Both charted going to #3 and #11 respectively and both stayed on the charts for 18 weeks. He would have 19 hits between 1958-1961.
‘Baby, She’s Gone’ – Jack Scott
One of the first, if not the first Canadian group that charted in the states during the British Invasion would be Chad Allan & The Expressions. This group would have two members go on to form the Guess Who. Guitarist Randy Bachman and bassist Jim Kale. ‘Shakin’ All Over’ was released as by Allan’s group but also credited by Guess Who? in Canada but was released on the Scepter label in the states as by Guess Who?. Guess Who would go on to have many hits and then Bachman would form Bachman-Turner Overdrive. And don’t forget that Guess Who’s singer Burton Cummings, a Canadian would go on to have a very successful solo career.
‘Shakin’ All Over’ – The Guess Who (really Chad Allan & The Expressions)
Then came the artists who followed after the 1964 ‘invasion’. I will have to list these quickly as my writing space is about gone. In the later part of the 1960’s we had Neil Young, The Band, Joni Mitchell and Andy Kim.
Young became best known as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and his solo career but he was with Buffalo Springfield from 1966-1968. That band had 5 members with 3 being Canadian and 2 being Americans.
The Band called The Band had 5 members with 4 being Canadian and 1, Levon Helm being an American. They started in 1958 as the Hawks and was the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins (‘Mary Lou’). Although Hawkins was born and raised in Arkansas he navigated to Ontario, Canada and became a large figure in the Canadian rock scene. He lived in Canada for most of his life and died there in 2022. The Band became very popular when they backed Bob Dylan and in 1966 they were the first electric band Dylan toured with.
Although Joni Mitchell didn’t have a pop chart hit until 1970 (Big Yellow Taxi’) she was well known as a songwriter and folk singer in the mid 1960’s. She came to New York in 1965 doing the coffee house circuit. ‘Both Sides Now’, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, ‘Woodstock’ and ‘Free Man In Paris’ are just a few of the songs she penned.
I must mention Steppenwolf also having Canadian ties. Of the 5 members, 2 were Canadians, 2 were Americans, and John Kay was German/Prussian/Lithuanian (you read about his birth and decide). In fact Kay, born Joachim Fritz Krauledat in 1944 and his mother had to flee from the Germans who were advancing into Prussia towards the end of WWII. As time went on his family wound up in Canada and from there Buffalo, New York.
After 1970 the best-known acts coming from Canada would include Five Man Electrical Band, Rush, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Gordon Lightfoot, Loverboy, k. d. lang, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Alanis Morissette. Yes, I know I didn’t mention all acts from Canada but space and time are limited but this gives you an idea of the influence Canadian Acts had on the American music scene. How much influence did the 1964 ‘invasion’ have to do with these Canadian acts? Who knows, but I would think the acceptance of the British music by Americans at the time sure didn’t hurt.
GRAMMY HALL OF FAME
Congratulations to Wanda Jackson – Her recording of the song, ‘Let’s Have A Party’ is being inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame, class of 2024. Wanda recorded her version of the song in 1958 for her 1st LP, Wanda Jackson. The song was issued as a single in 1960 and made it to #32 in the UK and #37 in the US
BRC RADIO
And don’t forget that BRC radio is still on the BRC website. We have three different “DJ’s” if you will. Joe Reddick, Tom Faison and myself play all kinds of music including, hit songs from the 1950’s – present, LP cuts, songs that received little or no air-play, and all genres. Check out some of the shows. Just go the birminghamrecord.com and click on the ‘RADIO’ icon.
See ya,
Charlie