Our Monthly Club Meeting will be this Sunday, September 14th at the Homewood Public Library. 2:00 PM
*****Next club meeting will be October 12th, 2008, the second Sunday******

Thanks to all members, dealers, sponsors, advertisers, customers and our Hall Of Fame inductees for making the 27th annual BRC Record & CD Show a very successful event. I heard many good comments about the show. A sample of comments included these from some of our customers, dealers and others:
“Thanks to you and all of the BRC members for the best show I've ever had with. Very well done and good money for the whole weekend.”

“Just wanted to thank you and your club for a terrific record show. My sons and I had a very enjoyable weekend. We sold well but more importantly, added some great LP's to our collection. Thanks to all you folks who work so hard to make the show a success. The hospitality of your group made the show that much more enjoyable. We will be back next year!”

“Very enjoyable weekend and I had a great show.”

One dealer received a comment from a customer and he forwarded it to me.
“Here is an excerpt from an e-mail that I received from a customer at the Record Show this past weekend. I thought that you would enjoy reading his impression of the show. Feel free to share it.

"It was good to meet you at the Birmingham Record Collectors Show on Saturday. I thought it was a great show and I really enjoyed it".

“It was a great show. Thanks to you and everybody else that worked on it.”

I received this comment from one of Dale Karrh’s daughters, Andrea:
“Thank you so much for all your hard work and making the induction of the "Premiers" such an enjoyable event. My Dad (Dale Karrh) would have been so in his element and proud. My sister and I appreciate
your kindness and we absolutely love the framed print and bio. That means so much to us and we are so proud of our Dad and the mark he has made on the music industry in Birmingham.”

And to see the enthusiasm from the HOF inductees and how grateful they were was very encouraging. Listening to the inductees talk to each other about their memories was lots of fun. Having their family members there along with so many friends made it all worth it. Seeing all of Ben’s family there was an extra joy.

I also want to thank Bobby Hewlett for adding some spice to the weekend. Bobby was a member of The Premiers from 1959-60. He and I made contact through the BRC website forum. Bobby said he had 3 promo pictures of the group his mother took at his house and wanted the club to have them. He had the pictures framed and sent them to me in time for the show. They were displayed along with the bios on the stage. If you didn’t get a chance to see them at the show they will be at this month’s meeting. By the way, when Dale Karrh’s daughter saw these photos, she asked about getting copies. Bobby sent her copies via email. These pictures taken so many years ago now bring some excitement to family members again. Thanks, Bobby. Not only for the pictures but for your contributions to the Birmingham music scene in the 50’s & 60’s.

THANK’S FOR THE MEMORIES OF THE 2008 BRC RECORD & CD SHOW

Here’s an interesting article from Johnny Powell. How many of these do you have?

Hit Records was a record company based in Nashville, Tennessee specializing in producing and selling cover versions of top 40 hit records.

Founded in 1962 by Bill Beasley, Hit Records were sold in grocery and ‘5 and 10 cent’ stores for 39 cents - less than half the price of the original hit recordings they were covering. Located in Nashville, the company had a pool of talented singers and musicians to record the cover songs. Some of these performers would later become successful on their own – Sandy Posey, Ray Stevens, Bobby Russell, Sam Moore, and Barry Lattimore. Most of the artists were given fictitious names on the credits. Two of them are featured below as they have interesting stories relating to their connection to the Hit record label. One is Alpha Zoe and the other is John Preston.

The company folded in 1969 due to competition from record companies such as K-Tel which issued various artists compilation albums featuring the actual hit recordings licensed from the various record companies. Many Hit records are very collectable and some of the performers on these recordings have developed their own fan base. There are quite a few collectors trying to run the label as there were 349 releases over 7 years.

Alpha Zoe (means “first life”) started singing in public when she was only 3 years old. She was so small her mother would stand her in a chair so she could be seen while singing. Her mother was an expert pianist as well as a teacher and her father was a math teacher and the tenor in a quartet that traveled from town to town and sang in churches. She was their only child and to keep herself occupied, Alpha learned to read by playing with her mother's sheet music. They lived far out in the country - in Gallatin, Tennessee. Their barn was about a half block from their house and Alpha would stand in the yard and sing to get an echo off the barn. She would keep going up in pitch just to see how high she could go. That was the extent of her singing training, and as it turned out she can sing from C below middle C to C above high C – quite an extensive range. She loved and could sing all types of music. She had a routine that she did for charity affairs where she sang a couple of songs from every venue. Alpha started recording for Hit records at the age of 15. Alpha would have between 3 hours to overnight to learn the songs she was going to record, but she didn't need the time because she had the ability to hear a song once and could then sing it well. On Hit #80, Alpha (recording as Dot Hester) doing “My Boyfriend’s Back” pinched her nose at the end of the song to give it the unique ‘Angels’ sound. Alpha’s voice and rendition of popular hit songs has drawn a huge group of fans and collectors. She had to endure mental, physical, and sexual abuse during her recording years, and she often wonders what would have happened if she had had the right manager and support during her early years. When she turned 18, she stopped singing except in church. Listen here as Alpha sings “Hello Stranger”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1yYB6_er8o

Discography
Hit #31 - Alpha Zoe – “You Beat Me to the Punch”
Hit #36 - Alpha Zoe as The Gleams – “He's a Rebel”
Hit #38 - Alpha Zoe as The Dacrons – “Don't Hang Up”
Hit #41 - Alpha Zoe – “Keep Your Hands off my Baby”
Hit #44 - Alpha Zoe – “Everybody Loves a Lover”
Hit #54 - Alpha Zoe – “Let's Turkey Trot”
Hit #55 - Alpha Zoe as Clara & the Cleftones – “Our Day Will Come”
Hit #57 - Alpha Zoe as The Dacrons – “He's So Fine”
Hit #61 – Alpha Zoe as Connie & Clara – “I Will Follow Him”
Hit #65 - Alpha Zoe – “Da Doo Ron Ron”
Hit #65 - Alpha Zoe as Clara Wilson – “Foolish little Girl”
Hit #70 - Alpha Zoe – “Hello Stranger”
Hit #80 - Alpha Zoe as Dot Hester – “My Boyfriend's Back”
Hit #81 - Alpha Zoe as The Dacrons – “Then He Kissed Me”
Hit #121 - Alpha Zoe as Mary Jones – “Walk On By”
Hit #124 - Alpha Zoe as Peggy Gaines – “Every Little Bit Hurts”
Hit #229 - Alpha Zoe – “Lover's Concerto”

Starting in 1963, John (Bud) Preston was the Kroger grocery store chain’s first Non-Foods Merchandiser assigned to the Nashville, Tennessee division. Through his job, John came to know the owner of Hit Records, Bill Beasley. Bud had placed a “Hit Record” display rack full of records put in all of the Kroger stores in middle and east Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Alabama. At 39 cents each, it was definitely a money-maker for Beasley and Hit records.

One day Bill came to Bud and showed him a record – “Blue on Blue” - with the name “John Preston” listed as the vocalist. Bill asked Bud how he liked having his name on the recording. Bill told Bud who had actually recorded it, but Bud had never heard of him. Bud does know that many well-known artists, mostly Country and Western, recorded for Hit Records under other names. Many were fictitious, but some, like Bud’s, were real people but not recording artists. So here is a man who never recorded anything, but has the following discography to his credit.

Discography
Hit #69 - John Preston - “Blue on Blue”
Hit #92 - John Preston – “Walking Proud”
Hit #155 - John Preston – “Ringo”
Hit #177 - John Preston – “Speaking of Broken Hearts”
Hit #194 - John Preston – “You Were Gone”
Hit #207 - John Preston – “Once You've Been in Love”
Hit #207 - John Preston – “Long Lonely Nights”

Upcoming record shows

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20 ALLENTOWN, PA Allentown 45 show! Get gone with thousands of wild platters! www.surroundsoundproductions.com

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28, BROOKLYN RECORD RIOT!
WARSAW, DRIGGS AVE., BROOKLYN Back for round two hopefully without the disco DJ! Records and kielbasa – what are you waitin’ for?!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28, ATLANTA, GA Marriott century center. “Without you there would be no show.”

FRIDAY OCTOBER 24-SUNDAY OCTOBER 26 WFMU RECORD FAIR, NYC The big one wraps up the year with the wildest wax weekender yet! www.wfmu.org/recfair

Upcoming Concerts

Sept 13, Frankie Valli & Four Seasons, Cobb Energy Performing Center, Atlanta, GA
Sept 15, Drive-By Truckers, Bama Theatre, Tuscaloosa, AL
Sept 18, Eagles, Sommet Center, Nashville, TN
Sept 19-21, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN
September 26, Glen Campbell, Capitol Arts Center, Nashville, TN
Oct 1, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville, TN
Oct 3, ZZ Top, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN
Oct 18, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham, AL
Oct 24, Jackson Browne, Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL
Nov 9, Tina Turner, Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AT THE BRC CLUB MEETINGS

Looking for some interesting websites that are dedicated to searching for songs, doing some research on recording company labels, stations that play oldies or obscure songs or just need an update on how to navigate through the BRC website and maybe do your own radio show? A program is being planned that will help you. If you are new to the computer or can operate one blindfolded, this will be a helpful program for all.

What recordings that are relevant to Alabama do you consider the most important? Club member Andy Millard, who is employed at UAB and has written a book on the local music scene, has picked his top 5. Start thinking about this and be prepared to give your top 5. COMING SOON.

Are you a picture sleeve junkie? Do the covers of CD’s leave you feeling blue because they don’t have that something that sleeves give you? Club member Gus Liberto has a collection of picture sleeves that will rival many and wants to share them with us. This program is planned for November.

SPECIAL THANKS
While searching for some songs on the internet I received an email from someone providing them. The person turned out to be Bill Wall, aka Chi-Town Bill, a DJ I have listened to on Destination Doo Wop which is one of the stations on the Live365 network of web stations. Bill was kind enough to give some plugs for our record show. These went out world-wide. One of the songs I asked him to play and dedicate it to all BRC members was The Mar-Keys, “Last Night”. He did so and then emailed me and said he is now using the song as background music for one of his promos. He has let me put it in the newsletter (see below). Click on it and give it a listen and for good music give his show as well as all the DJ’s shows on Destination Doo Wop a listen. Bill is now an honorary lifetime member of BRC. Thanks, Bill.
http://www.cmyshop.com/jp/Chi-Town.mp3

Link to Destination Doo Wop http://www.destinationdoowop.com/

Link to Live 365 http://www.live365.com/index.live

More news and music info next month. See ya,

Charlie