Johnny Otis, Rhythm and Blues Pioneer, R. I. P.

Johnny Otis, a pioneering rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, drummer, bandleader and disc jockey best remembered for his 1958 hit, "Willie and the Hand Jive," passed away on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area at the age of 90.


Here's a Capitol 45RPM record of Johnny's 1958 hit.

Jerry Lieber, Half Of Legendary R 'N' R Songwriting Team, R. I. P.

Jerry Lieber, who was the lyricist of one of the all-time legendary rock and roll songwriting teams, passed away on Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from cardiopulmonary failure at age 78.


Together with Mike Stoller, Mr. Lieber wrote such songs as "Hound Dog" (originally a rhythm and blues hit for Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, better remembered as one of Elvis Presley's best remembered recordings), "Jailhouse Rock" (another of Mr. Presley's greatest hits and the title song of the best movie Elvis ever appeared in), "Searchin'," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown" (all recorded by the Coasters), "There Goes My Baby" (the Drifters), and "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King).


Jerry and Mike were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.

Johnny Preston Joins Running Bear And Little White Girl In That Happy Hunting Ground

Singer Johnny Preston, whose million-selling recording of "Running Bear" (written by the late J. P. "Big Bopper" Richardson) topped the pop charts in early 1960, passed away on Friday at Baptist Beaumont Hospital in Beaumont, Texas at age 71.


Mr. Preston had bypass surgery late last year and had been suffering from health problems.


Johnny had two top-ten hits in 1960.  "Running Bear" topped Billboard's Hot 100 chart for three weeks early that year, and "Cradle of Love" reached #7 on the pop chart.


One other note on "Running Bear."  The Indian noises in the background were done by J. P. Richardson and George Jones.  This record was made shortly before the Big Bopper lost his life in the plane crash that also claimed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

Johnny Maestro, R.I.P.

Johnny Maestro, lead singer of the rock n' roll/doo-wop vocal group Brooklyn Bridge, passed away on Wednesday night at age 70 following a battle against cancer.

Born John Mastrangelo in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Maestro had earlier been the lead singer of The Crests and whom in 1958, recorded a doo-wop classic entitled "Sixteen Candles."  It was an well-produced record, and it put New York-based independent Coed Records on the pop music map.

In 1961, Johnny broke away to embark on what turned out to be an unsuccessful career on his own, before forming the Brooklyn Bridge in 1968.  "The Worst That Could Happen" was a #3 hit in early 1969.

Johnny was living in Cape Coral, Florida at the time of his passing.

It's Rock 'N' Roll, Champagne Style!

Several weeks back, I embeded a YouTube video of a 1955 ABC telecast of the Lawrence Welk Show that originated from Chicago. Here's another clip from this episode as the Champagne Music Makers perform Chuck Berry's "Maybelline."



Key Personnel:

Buddy Merrill, electric guitar (Let's see him try Chuck's duck walk!)

Myron Floren, accordion

Johnny Klein, drums

Buddy Hayes, bass

Pete Lofthouse, trombone

Bill Page, clarinet

George Aubry, saxophone

Rocky Rockwell, trumpet

Oh Boy! Redux

Here is the only other reported surviving episode of the British TV series Oh Boy!

This is the series finale from May 30, 1959.

Segment One:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- TV Hop (Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Bill Forbes & Dickie Pride)
Rip It Up (2 Vernons Girls)
Lonesome Traveller (4 of Lord Rockingham's XI + Cliff et al)

-- Rah Rah Rockingham (Lord Rockingham's XI)

-- Let's Rock While the Rockin's Good (Cuddly Dudley)

-- Don't Knock Upon My Door (Billy Fury)

-- Looby Doo (Cherry Wainer)

-- All American Boy (Marty Wilde)



Segment Two:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- Slippin 'n' Slidin' (Dickie Pride)

-- When I Grow Too Old To Dream (Peter Elliott)

-- When the Saints Go Marching In (Complete cast for close of first half)

-- I Had A Dream (Start of 2nd half with Vernons Girls & Dallas Boys)

-- Woman From Liberia (Bill Forbes)

-- Dirty Old Town (Mike Preston)





Segment Three:

Compered by Jimmy Henney and Tony Hall

-- Turn Me Loose (Cliff Richard)

-- Good Cat (Neville Taylor & The Cutters)

-- Percy Green (Don Lang)

-- Three Cool Cats (Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Dickie Pride)

-- Early in the Morning (Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard)

Oh, Boy!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear.  Those of you in Great Britain (or who lived there during the late 1950s)  who are old enough to remember, may remember a show entitled Oh, Boy! that aired on ITV, a commercial television network during 1958 and 1959.  Kinescopes of eight episodes aired here in the US on ABC during the summer of 1959.  Here is the episode from April 4. 1959.

Segment One:

Compered by Tony Hall (a Jazz critic)

1. It's Late (Dean Webb) 
He's My Own (2 Vernons Girls) 
Good Rockin' Tonight (The Cutters & Entire Cast.) 

2. Long Gone (Lord Rockingham's XI) 

3. Charlie Brown (Neville Taylor & The Cutters)

4. Oh Wait For It Baby (Cherry Wainer) 

Segment Two:

Compered by Tony Hall

1. I Like Love (Tony Sheridan and his Wreckers) 

2. Don't Look Now (The Vernons Girls) 

3. Red Planet Rock (Don Lang - with Red Price on sax solo)

4. Slippin' n' Slidin' (Dickie Pride) 

5. This is Our First Anniversary (Lorie Mann)

Segment Three:

Compered by Tony Hall

1. Move It! (Chris Andrews) 

2. Dirty Old Town (Mike Preston) 

Tony Hall introduces Brenda Lee's first UK TV appearance;

3. Humming The Blues Over You (Brenda Lee) 

4. Wont You Come Home Bill Bailey (Brenda Lee & Lord Rockingham's XI)

This series was produced by Jack Good, who formerly produced 6:5 Special for the BBC,  and who also produced Shindig! here in the States on ABC  from 1964 to 1966.  38 episodes of this show were produced, but only two of them are reported to be still in existance.

Rock 'N Roll, The Lawrence Welk Way....

As practiced by Buddy Merrill on this clip from a 1956 telecast of the Lawrence Welk Show. On this clip, Buddy sings and plays "Rock 'N Roll Ruby," a song written by Johnny Cash.




The song, I think, was originally recorded in Memphis by one of Johnny's Sun Records colleagues, Warren Smith.