Sammy Davis, Jr. - Entertainer.

You need only one word to describe the essence of Sammy Davis, Jr; that word is Entertainer; with a capital E and a period at the end. Fluent in the arts of singing, dancing, impressionism, and everything in between, Mr. Davis is one of those who came out of the last days of vaudeville; touring with his Uncle in the Will Maston Trio at the age of 3. The man was literally born on stage. And then dominated it, in spite of racial and physical difficulties which would make it hard even in today's enlightened era.

After serving in the army during the 2nd World War Mr. Davis took to the stage and from there went on to Hollywood and Las Vegas. It was during that period when he made the acquaintance of Frank Sinatra, beginning a friendship which would last until the two men died. Sinatra was the one who brought Mr. Davis into the fabled Las Vegas "Rat Pack", making him part of a legend even while they were still performing.

His solo career soared after the release of his first #1 single "Hey There" in the early 1950's. With his signature voice and suave style of performance it was not too long before he was headlining on that new medium, television.

This film is from one of the literally hundreds of TV appearances he made during the late 1950's and 1960's. I don't know which show it's from; if you recognize it please let me know. What really makes this a great clip to watch is that it's longer than the average 3 minutes, and Mr. Davis gets to show off his unique range of talents.

To really hear Mr. Davis at his best; using his fantastic vocal power and range; then listen to this song which is usually associated with Robert Goulet; the heckler is Frank Sinatra. The recording was made in Chicago in October 1963. And, for a really good book on Mr. Davis' life, I'd recommend his autobiography, "Yes, I Can."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhJkEMapV_0

"A Little Piece of My Heart" - Live - 1969 Germany

I was very pleasantly surprised to find this on You Tube, my favorite place to hang out. All of the other “live” versions I have heard of this classic song by Janis Joplin are really hard to listen to. She is either too stoned, or the band is way out of tune with one another. The Jefferson Airplane had the same problem. I always called it the San Francisco sound. But this version, live from German television in 1969, just one year after the songs release, really shines.

Ms. Joplin is often portrayed as being way out of touch with her career, being “led” by handlers and promoters. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ms. Joplin was in firm control of both the direction of her career, as well as the material she chose to record, right up until her death.

A quick listen to her original “demo” of “Me and Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferson will confirm my assertion. She merely arrived at the studio, whipped out her acoustic, and played the song the way she felt and heard it. Here is the link to that “demo”;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o2kURk-YtU

With the new tribute show, "A Night with Janis" making the rounds, it's quite a treat to watch the real thing from the archives of my old friend You Tube.

Townes Van Zandt

It’s hard to know where to start with Townes Van Zandt. His haunting ballads have been recorded by so many artists. I suppose “Pancho and Lefty” is the most well-known of his works, but this early recording of Mr. Van Zandt performing “Waiting Round to Die” in the movie “Heartworn Highways” is probably my favorite. It reeks of desperation and sorrow.

Performers such as Mr. Van Zandt are seldom fully appreciated until after their death. That is the case with Mr. Van Zandt. He wrote some of the best songs; ones which other artists made into hits; but somehow never had a hit record himself. Sometimes it just works out like that. 

He moved to New York in the 1990’s, where his music influenced artists such as Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Gillian Welch, Norah Jones, Steve Earle and even Keith Richards. He passed away there on January 1, 1997 due to complications from years of substance abuse. In some ways, you might say, he was just waiting round to die.

“Waiting Round to Die”

Sometimes I don't know where

This dirty road is taking me

 Sometimes I can't even see the reason why

 I guess I keep a-gamblin'

 Lots of booze and lots of ramblin'

 It's easier than just waitin' around to die

One time, friends, I had a ma

I even had a pa

He beat her with a belt once 'cause she cried

She told him to take care of me

Headed down to Tennessee

It's easier than just waitin' around to die

I came of age and I found a girl

In a Tuscaloosa bar

She cleaned me out and hit in on the sly

I tried to kill the pain, bought some wine

And hopped a train

Seemed easier than just waitin' around to die

A friend said he knew

Where some easy money was

We robbed a man, and brother did we fly

The posse caught up with me

And drug me back to Muskogee

It's two long years I've been waitin' around to die

Now I'm out of prison

I got me a friend at last

He don't drink or steal or cheat or lie

His name's Codeine

He's the nicest thing I've seen

Together we're gonna wait around and die

Together we're gonna wait around and die

"River Of No Return" by Jeffrey Buckner Ford (2008)

When I was 1 year old Tennessee Ernie Ford hit it really big with his recording “Sixteen Ton”. Consequently I don’t remember a time when that song wasn’t around, either on TV, or radio. And you still hear the song today, being played on “oldies” stations, as well as classic country ones. And it’s a great song. But, aside from that song, just who was Tennessee Ernie Ford? (As a child of 4, I thought it odd that he was named after a state and a car.)

In “River of No Return”, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, son of the iconic entertainer, not only answers the question of who his father was, but also explores just how he came to be who he was. A man who seemingly had it all; from his good looks, wartime service, and his eventual marriage to Betty Jean Heminger, whom he met while in training to fly B-29’s; he was blessed at every turn with sucess.  As luck would have it, the war ended just as he was about to head for the Pacific.

The book is also a history of the music industry in the days after World War Two and the impact which television had on the industry. So much of what went on the air was live, and improvised. "16 Tons" was originally recorded in 1949 by Merle Travis for a folk music anthology. The song was risky to record, as it was pro-union in the early days of McCarthyism. The finger snapping, which Mr. Ford did before all his recordings, was left on by accident. As a matter of fact, the song was supposed to be the "B" side of "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry." It sold 400,000 copies in 11 days!

Although mainly known as a gospel singer, Tennessee Ernie Ford was much more. His sessions with Kay Starr in 1950 and 1951 produced several gems. He also recorded with Betty Hutton, resulting in  the iconic "River of No Return", which became the title song for the Robert Mitchum/Marilyn Monroe film of the same name.

In addition to the musical history behind his Dad's career, Mr. Ford also tells the story behind the veneer of his parent’s marriage, which looked picture perfect to the 30 million people who tuned into his TV show weekly between 1956 and 1961.  I say “veneer” rather than “façade” to note the fact that these two people loved one other very much. But the rising star of Tennessee Ford’s career eclipsed the talent which his wife possessed as a painter, bringing a strain to that love.

With unflinching honesty, Jeffrey Ford writes of the struggle his father endured with alcohol, and how that struggle affected those whom the elder Mr. Ford loved the most. And when he is finished telling the history of that portion of his life, the younger Mr. Ford talks of his own journey to discover what is important in life beyond the fame and fortune which beckon us daily.

Written with great warmth for his parents; and a proper amount of disdain for his father’s second wife; Jeffrey Ford had done the seemingly impossible. He has written an account of his father’s career, his parent’s family history and marriage, and the demons that constantly lurked on the perimeter. That he has done so without rancor, and without disrespect to the memories which his father left us, is a credit to his spirit, and a testimony to his ability as a writer.

"April Flowers" - Al Jolson ( Live 1949)

It's raining in North Carolina. We always need it, and so we're glad when it comes. April is the time for it anyway. When I was a kid, my Uncle Irving used to sing Al Jolson songs to himself. He had a terrible voice, and never knew the words, so he kind of mumbled along to the melody. That was my introduction to Al Jolson, who was arguably one of the major entertainers of the first half of the 20th Century.

So I thought I'd celebrate today's rainy weather with his iconic (I like that word) version of "April Showers", performed live at Chicago's Soldier's Field in 1949. Here are the lyrics written by B. G. De Sylva. The music was written by his partner Louis Silvers and first published in 1921. It became one of Al Jolson's signature songs for decades to come. And Uncle Irving used to hum it under it his breath every April when it rained. That still goes for me, too.

April Showers

Though April showers may come your way,
They bring the flowers that bloom in May.
So if it's raining, have no regrets,
Because it isn't raining rain, you know, it's raining violets.

And where you see clouds upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird, And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.

And where you see clouds upon the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird, And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.

Goodbye, Gladys Horton

Farewell to Gladys Horton, the lead singer of The Marvelettes, who passed away today at age 66. She was 15 when she first began her career, inspiring, with her unique vocals, everyone who heard her sing. Even The Beatles covered her version of "Please Mr. Postman." Gone too young, too soon, I hope that letter is waiting for her when she gets there...