Here's a shout-out to Will Hutchins, who is now 88. It's taken a
while, but his legendary series "Sugarfoot" is now out via legit box
sets. These sets are "print on demand," meaning they're a little more
expensive on eBay than some other TV season sets. We're fortunate they
exist at all, since piracy has led many companies to simply forget about
releasing stuff that's "all over YouTube and blogs and torrents and
hidden forums." Since everybody likes "free," it's up to fans to step up
and buy, and cut out the "my old man's a Dutchman" snickering excuse for "sharing." While Uncle Putin leads some to think that Capitalism is a bad idea, buying and selling is important, and the only way that the studios will offer us pristine digital quality re-issues, or even bother to go into their vaults
at all.
Funny thing, Will had a perfect real first name for a western
hero: Marshall. He was born Marshall Lowell Hutchason. He was born as
far West as you could get at the time: California. His first movie role
was as an extra in the W.C. Fields comedy "Never Give a Sucker an Even
Break."
Born at the right time, he was in his 20's when a talent scout at
Warner Bros., hungry for handsome guys to star in their burgeoning
collection of westerns, signed him up. The same thing happened to James
"Maverick" Garner and many others. In the case of the newly re-named
Will Hutchins, the slant was to cast him as a brainy version of a
western hero. Why not? Will was a cryptographer during the Korean War.
As Tom Brewster, he was the "Sugarfoot," a greenhorn who wandered the
territory getting into problem situations and hoping to get out of them
with reason and logic...and a knowledge of the Good Book and law books.
Brewster, you see was studying to become a lawyer. In fact, he could
defend somebody better than shoot somebody. Of course on "Greenhorn,"
that show about a sugarfoot...oh...my error...things could reverse. Not
THAT often though, because Warner Bros. had plenty of other cowboys who
were brawnier and quicker on the draw:
That's
Will on the left. This is only SOME of the Warners stable (and there
was also competition from other studios during the extreme era where
DOZENS of westerns dominated prime time TV).
Oh. You don't recognize all of the guys? It's Will, Peter Brown, Jack
Kelly, Ty Hardin, James Garner, Wayde Preston and John Russell. I know,
they missed Clint Walker, among many others. (Parenthetically, John
Russell and Peter Brown's "Lawman," also finally on DVD or DVD-R, holds
up excellently. Russell is even more intense than Clint Eastwood, and
troubled Peggie Castle was an alluring saloon girl on the show.)
"Sugarfoot"
lasted for three long hot seasons (69 episodes in all) and they still
hold up very well, thanks to Will's unique all-American personality.
You'll also find all kinds of soon-to-be stars turning up in guest roles
including Adam West, Charles Bronson and Martin Landau). All kinds of
cult favorites turn up as well, including the oh-so-delightful Venetia
Stevenson, consistently creepy Ray Danton, and "Plan 9" stalwart Gregory
Walcott. This was, and is, a somewhat underrated show, and Hutchins was
absolutely perfect as the idealistic young lawyer with a slight Will
Rogers touch (not much, since it isn't easy to write Rogers-type
one-liners).
Will's versatility,
post-"Sugarfoot," included everything from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
and "Perry Mason" to the Elvis Presley film "Spinout" and "The Shooting"
co-starring Jack Nicholson. He also starred in two short-lived sitcoms,
"Hey Landlord" and "Blondie." The good-natured star was less active in
the mean-spirited late 70's and 80's, when many nice-looking blond guys
(Troy Donahue, Doug McClure, Tab Hunter) likewise had trouble finding
suitable roles in middle-age.
Fans of the classic westerns have been very loyal, and have supported
various cowboy-themed memorabilia shows around the country. Will has
always been known as one of the really "good guys," just like his
"Sugarfoot" image, willing to listen to fanboy babble, and glad to
personalize an autographed photo.
While "Sugarfoot" remains one of the more original Warner Bros.
western concoctions, in one way it was just like the rest: a stupid
theme song. At best, the theme song simply and ridiculously explained
the show's premise ("The Lawman came with the sun. There was a job to be
done.") At worst, the lyrics had idiot repetition ("Riverboat ring your
bell, fare thee well Annabelle") and things you could easily
misunderstand (Maverick didn't live in Jackson Heights, Queens, he lived
on Jacks and Queens, because he was a gambler.) As for "Sugarfoot," you
get to hear all about the "easy lopin' cattle ropin'" Sugarfoot, thanks
to, of all people, Lawrence Welk, his bubbly band, and his sappy
vocalists....
SUGARFOOT
TV THEME SONG (instant download or listen online...no passwords,
Russian spyware or obnoxious demands for a Paypal tip)
What happens when you mix another Lesley Gore “party” song with a dash of a Herman’s Hermits-type British invasion dance beat? You get a can’t miss item…that missed. In fact, “it did not chart.”
Why toss it here? Oh, just as a reminder that there's no such thing as a sure thing.
I was enjoying a bunch of Gore (no, not the SAW movies) when up came “Start the Party Again.” I thought, hmm, pretty catchy, but did this obvious sequel go anywhere? No, a quick check of the reference books confirmed.
From the borrowed beat of the Hermits to the familiar voice of Gore and the familiar word “PARTY,” there’s no reason why this thing couldn’t have been at least in the Top 20. But who knows. DJ’s had other things to play. Gore was momentarily played out…despite playing "Pussycat" opposite Julie Newmar's "Catwoman" on a two-part "Batman" show. (That's where the picture above is from).
You remember Lesley? Just old enough to NOT interest a guy like Jerry Lee Lewis, she recorded “It’s My Party. “ Producer Quincy Jones, who covered a wide range of musical styles, knew exactly what teen whites would go for, and this was a #1 mammoth hit. She instantly knocked off a sequel: “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” which burrowed into the Top 5. 1963 was her year, and it wasn’t even half over yet. In June, 1963, her two hits were part of an album cleverly titled, “I’ll Cry If I Want To.”
Back then, kids couldn’t afford an entire album too easily, and there were no Croatian or Russian blogs and forums to throw the music around, so "I'll Cry If I Want To" didn't quite make the top 20. It was loaded with filler that played on the words “Party” and “Cry.” There was “Just Let Me Cry,” “Cry and You Cry Alone,” “The Party’s Over,” and “No More Tears Left to Cry.”
Gore explored new territory with “You Don’t Own Me,” which has become a feminist anthem over the years, but quickly returned to being the hapless victim with the Top Ten drama of 1964, “Maybe I Know.” But…by 1965 she was treading water with a “Golden Hits” package, and no single reaching the Top 10. Things were likewise grim in 1966, as Mercury pushed four singles and only one (“Young Love”) made it to #40. “Treat Me Like a Lady” didn’t even crack the Top 100. The "Mersey Sound" and Liverpool beat continued to dominate the charts. No surprise then, that "Start the Party Again" tried for a bit of the "Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good" Herman's Hermits style.
Happily for Lesley, in January of 1967 the Marvin Hamlisch minor-key “California Nights” brought her back to the Top 10. It was her only 1967 success, as the single “Brink of Disaster” got no further than #82. Her career as a pop star was over. Still, her tunes remained "golden oldies" and she eventually mounted a career in cabaret clubs and swanky lounge rooms, combining the old hits with newer, more mature material. The phrase "Let's get this party started" became a cliche used by boxing announcers, and "Start the Party Again" was the title of a CD compilation of her hits.
The party can start and end, any time. And sometimes, despite all the calculations and formulas saying “this is a surefire hit,” the party might not happen at all.
START THE PARTY AGAIN - American girl, Brit invasion beat - no passwords, Paypal tip requests or delays and extortion about buying a "premium account" for faster downloads. NO $$ going to the uploader for "hard work"
Above, Jeff Chandler and his lady friend, Esther Williams. It's somewhat of an odd pose, as Esther spent most of her film career in a swim suit, and Jeff liked to crossdress.
Like so many Hollywood stars, Jeff was asked to cash in on his screen stardom by putting out a record. It didn't do too well, but it wasn't because he wasn't an adequate singer. There was just so much competition from, oh, guys like Sinatra. It also wasn't because fans were turned off to the rugged 6'4" star because they heard about his "drag" proclivities. That stuff was unknown until Esther published her autobiography in 1999.
Williams, who once took LSD, said that her book was just another form of "therapy." She said "Cary (Grant) told me LSD was like instant psychiatry, and I was sorry the kids got ahold of it and made it a recreational drug." She was likewise told that writing an autobiography was good therapy, and so she vowed to be honest about her many failed relationships, both with men she married (like Fernando "You look Mahvelous" Lamas) and ones she didn't, like Chandler. Some Chandler fans either didn't believe her anecdotes about him having a huge selection of gowns and accessories, or felt she was destroying his good name just to sell books. As if many people knew who Chandler was in 1999.
Chandler is even more forgotten now. HOW forgotten? I was in a boxing forum, and somebody mentioned Jeff Chandler...the obscure (except to fight fans) bantamweight who had a pretty good run (32-2) in the early 80's. I countered with a photo of THE Jeff Chandler, in his iconic role in "Iron Man" (1951) and people were very surprised. They didn't know the film or him.
Born Ira Grossell (December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) Chandler changed his name to something less Jewish, and won early fame playing Cochise in "Broken Arrow" (1950). He was nominated for an Oscar, and was quickly cast in another quirky film, "Bird of Paradise" as a Polynesian. Then came "Iron Man," and various exotic epics including "Sign of the Pagan." Meanwhile, on radio, where he'd begun his career in both sitcoms and dramas, he turned up as himself, and often sang. In the mid 50's he even played Las Vegas.
In the late 50's, he ended his association with Universal by starring in "The Tattered Dress" and "The Man in the Shadow," which Esther Williams may have considered as apt title for a Chandler biography. His cross-dressing didn't seem to have been a factor in his divorce from his first wife, or his brief flings with Gloria De Haven and Ann Sheridan, but back then studios were powerful enough to quash detrimental stories about their stars, and few tabloids would print such things without photographic evidence. After Williams' book appeared, Jane Russell huffed, "I've never heard of such a thing. Cross-dressing is the last thing I would expect of Jeff. He was a sweet guy, definitely all man." Well, that's why there's the phrase "in the closet," even though most cross-dressers are heterosexuals and many look lousy in drag (J. Edgar Hoover anyone??) Williams had grumbled, "You're too big for polka dots," but Jeff countered that he thought he looked quite charming.
Chandler finished "Merrill's Marauders," another manly exercise, but entered a hospital to take care of a back injury, technically a spinal disc herniation, which was no longer responding to painkillers. As Brother Theodore once said, "the bad hospitals let you die, and the good hospitals kill you." Jeff Chandler went to a good hospital. Complications from the first surgery led to a second operation, which went on for seven hours. A third operation ten days later, and Chandler passed the crisis. He died. His children won a 1.5 million malpractice suit. Jeff was only 42.
And what's your lovely way of spending an evening? Take a few minutes to listen to Jeff Chandler sing....
Jeff Chandler - LOVELY WAY TO SPEND AN EVENING - listen online or download from a legit no-spyware server; no Putinville weasel clouds here
Here's a pretty silly ballad...a guy mewling "Toodle Loo" to his baby. You might even laugh, especially since it's from Bob Kayli, whose only chart action was in the novelty field.
The first thing you might want to know, if you have an inquiring mind, is where the idiotic expression “toodle loo” came from. The answer is…nobody’s quite sure. Some say it’s mis-heard from the French “a tout a lheure” (see you later). If you pronounce it “tootle-lure” and shorten it to “tootle loo,” you’ve got it. Maybe. It might be a mutation on the word "toddle." As in, “I’ll be toddling off to that new Indian restaurant…” “And toddles to you, too…” “Toodle loo…” Toora loora loora and a vindaloo, too.
Bob Kayli used a pseudonym rather than be identified as Bob Gordy, brother of Berry Gordy. After all, the song was on the Gordy label, and DJ’s of the day were a bit concerned about payola and nepotism. In the photo above, that's Robert on the left, Mable John, and Berry. Bob celebrated a birthday a few days ago (July 15, 1931) so what better way to celebrate a forgettable artist than to publish a forgettable song on an obscure blog?
Though Kayli gave a toodle-loo to his singing career, after only a few singles, he did have an auspicious beginning. His lone scrape at the Top 100 came in 1958 when “Everyone Was There” (written by both of the Gordy brothers) hit #96. Since the song was far from the Gordy label's soul stuff, it ended up being released on Carlton, which was more novelty oriented; they had a hit with “Little Space Girl.” That one featured a white guy with a black-sounding name (Jesse Lee Turner) while “Everyone Was There” had a singer’s name that seemed white (Bob Kayli) and a vocal style that was a bit similar in hiccups to Buddy Holly.
Sort of a name-dropping version of “Splish Splash,” Bob sings about a party…that featured all the hip novelty acts of the day:
“The Witch Doctor walla-walla’d in the sand while the Purple People Eater ran a hot dog stand. Everyone was there-eh-eh-errre, everyone but you-ha-hoo….then I met the pretty Pe-he-heggy Sue…”
Between 1958 and 1962 Kayli tried and tried again to get further into the Top 100. One novelty attempt was a COVER of an ANSWER song. Following “Big Bad John,” Phil McLean recorded the oh-so-clever “Small Sad Sam,” and Bob Kayli covered it. There's more curious-but-who-really-cares trivia for you.
“Toodle Loo,” which Kayli wrote by himself (the label credits R. Gordy) was the flip-side to “Hold On Pearl” (1962) which was another Bob and Berry co-write. “Hold on Pearl” is a stupid novelty that somehow mashes together the “Teen Horror” songs of the day (like “Tell Laura I Love her”) and the hapless soul miseries of a guy like Gene McDaniel (“Tower of Strength”).
The song didn’t go anywhere with its various stanza anecdotes about Pearl getting into trouble and Bobby having to save her: “She was laggin’ back and caught her size ten foot in a railroad track. The train was coming it was plain to see. She kept laughin’ at the train and screamin’ to me! I cried, “Hold on Pearl! Hold on girl! Hold on Pearl! Your Bobby’s comin’ to you!” Kind of odd that this song about a jerk who can’t get rid of a troublesome twat had the kiss-off “Toodle Loo” for the flip side.
Robert Gordy dropped his Kayli and went to work at Jobete Music, which owned the publishing rights to so many Motown hits. He was there from 1961 until his retirement in 1985, when he and the company said TOODLE LOO. But...as your download awaits, TOODLE LOO is not always FOREVER....
Toodle Loo - instant download or listen online - No dopey Passwords or bratty demands for a Paypal tip
Tab Hunter missed reaching his birthday by just a few days. That's sad for fans of the actor...admired for his acting career as a likable hetero hero...and for coming "out of the closet" late in life to discuss what it was like in an era when, as in Oscar Wilde's time, there was a type of love "that dare not say its name." There probably aren't many who miss the guy for his singing! And that's why he's on this blog of less renown.
Tab Hunter (July 11, 1931-July 8, 2018) began his career as an actor, taking a name almost as ridiculous as Rock Hudson, Rory Calhoun, Guy Madison, Troy Donahue, Rip Torn, Dirk Bogarde and Touch Connors. [Touch Connors managed to switch back to being Michael Connors and ultimately Mike Connors...star of “Mannix,” which at least wasn't the detective's first name.]
Hunter was born Arthur Kelm, a half-Jewish New Yorker who had a mean father and a doting mother. He was only 21 when he as cast opposite Linda Darnell in “Island of Desire” (1952). He was Robert Mitchum’s younger brother in “Track of the Cat” and had a meaty role in “Battle Cry” (both in 1955). He and Natalie Wood became a team when Warners cast them together in two 1956 movies. The studio cooked up a fake romance between them, and the following year, Pat Boone’s record label signed him for a recording (below) of “Young Love.” He’s not quite Fabian. He’s an adequate singer, similar to his somewhat bland boyfriend for a while, Anthony Perkins. Perkins released several albums (but is hardly remembered for his music). Unlike Perkins, Tab scored a #1 hit thanks to “Young Love.” No, Tab doesn’t seem too convincing in his depiction of boy-meets-girl delights, but it’s not an easy song to sing. Morrissey could do it well as a bit of camp, but at the time, sugary songs with awkward vowels stretched over several notes, were quite welcome, including choirboy high notes on songs that didn’t have the angst of Johnnie (gay) Ray. Dot now had two puppy-love vocalists to dominate the charts: Pat Boone and Tab Hunter. Or, did they?
In an amazing bit of music trivia, Warner Bros. decided to start up a record division just to exploit Tab Hunter. Tab had to end his contract with Dot and be exclusive to Warners in both music and movies. He combined music and movies with his next film, the only one that made any impression on me: “Damn Yankees.” Hunter hadn’t starred in the Broadway version, and probably didn’t have the singing chops for 8 performances a week, but he had the perfect “look” for the movie. He was believable as an All-American baseball hero, ironically looking like one of those “Damn Yankees,” sort of in the ballpark with fair-haired Mickey Mantle and Tony Kubek. The movie didn’t require all that much singing or dancing from him. Like many a female star, all that he had to do was stand around looking pretty.
Hunter’s bland good looks were an interesting contrast to older woman Gwen Verdon as Lola. The film’s director didn’t want Gwen in the movie, pronouncing her “ugly,” but she had made the Broadway show a hit. One of Tab’s next leading ladies would be Sophia Loren in the 1959 drama “That Kind of Woman.” Hunter moved on to safer leading ladies, co-starring with Debbie Reynolds in the fluffy 1961 film “The Pleasure of His Company.” He also had a sitcom which lasted a year. After that, he was another journeyman actor with decent credits, revived in 1981 by John Waters’ “Polyester,” a campy (of course) item that fueled the rumors that Hunter was gay. Gays happily filled blogs with pix of Tab posing with other "hunks" of the day, and sharing "girl dating" advice with Roddy McDowall, who was notoriously well endowed and had no trouble finding playmates on either side of the sexual equator. He officially “came out” via his 2005 autobiography.
Many obits on Hunter simply headlined that he was a well-known movie star. Some mentioned he was also a "gay icon." Nobody mentioned his #1 single. And leave it to the London Daily Fail to headline that he had a relationship with "Psycho star" Anthony Perkins. Couldn't put "Psycho" in quotes, or italics, you lot of loonies...
At this point, the “Damn Yankees” soundtrack is memorable for Gwen Verdon’s “Whatever Lola Wants,” and for eccentric Ray Walston’s cheerfully black ode to Jack the Ripper and the stock market crash, “Those Were the Days.” Likewise, Hunter’s #1 hit and other recordings are as forgotten as so much of Dot’s other pop idol, Pat Boone. And so, for the blog of less renown, Tab Hunter — The Singer — fits right in. The golden boy may not have had a golden throat, but his tunes certainly reflected the times…fairly light-hearted and naive and…gay mostly in the old sense of the word. Tab missed his birthday by only a few days, and many still miss those days when all a movie needed was a nice guy and a nice girl and a happy ending.
Tab Hunter sings of YOUNG LOVE -- come on, Morrissey, cover it, just for fun
Astute readers of this blog know JENNY DARREN’s been covered here not once, but TWICE. What an achievement, huh? She was written up in 2009 to call attention to her raw, powerful and sexy 70’s music, and again in 2014, when it looked like she was making a comeback. At her best, she strutted somewhere between Genya Ravan and Pat Benatar, and she had a challenging glare that was sort of challenging and spooky in a Jane Fonda-type way. Too bad not too many people knew that. And, too bad that when she did get a chance at big-time TV exposure a few months ago (“Britains Got Talent”) she got banished for being anti-Gay and antisemitic.
Yeah, antisemitic and anti-Gay, which I guess means she truly hates Harvey Feirstein. It might mean that she was reflecting the small heavy-metal skinhead audience that follow her…the type who like the skinhead look, goose-step in their leather, show off obnoxious tattoos, and love it when Trump validates them as they wave confederate flags and try to intimidate anyone marching for human rights.
What a heartbreaker, this Jenny Darren; we all knew Alice Cooper was really a conservative, for example, and many a rock star has said something bizarre (Elvis Costello on Ray Charles) but…in this PC age, you can’t be a douche without getting bagged. Another casualty of “Britains Got Talent” was co-presenter Ant McPartlin. In April, around the same time Jenny was stopped from advancing to the next round, he got into a 3 car collision while driving drunk. He issued a statement: “I am truly sorry for what happened…I’m just thankful nobody was seriously hurt.” Even so, BGT banned him. His partner Dec had to solo through the semi-finals and final broadcast, with almost no reference to the missing Ant. No doubt Ant's traffic accident got just as much attention in the British media as the embarrassing reveal on Jenny Darren:
The “Got Talent” shows in England, America and around the world, are like the other “reality” shows on TV — full of lies, distortion and fakery. It’s a bit hypocritical for them to ban Ant for a lapse in sobriety, or even Jenny Darren, when the show (and its owner, Slimy Towel) engage in so much that is crooked and immoral.
The show is loaded with faked moments of drama, and pushing dire back-story profiles of some performers while not profiling some who are more talented. Slimy Towel has been known to majestically raise his hand and stop someone’s performance…acting as if he’s pulling the plug. Instead he says, “this isn’t working…sing something else.” Which heightens tension, produces a “wow” moment as the singer nails a far more dramatic number, and is thoroughly unfair, as judges should NOT interfere with what a contestant does.
Worse, the show pretends that professionals are amateurs. Since it’s rare to find a Susan Boyle or Janey Cutler who can, if only for a moment, compete with seasoned entertainers, the show relies on people who’ve spent 10, 15, even 25 years working cruise ships, nightclubs and bars. Sometimes the act will admit, for the sake of sympathy, “this is the big break I’ve been hoping for. I’d like to raise a family and make real money.” Sometimes, NOT. Jenny Darren did NOT say she had recorded four albums for Dick James’ DJM label, and another contestant, Father Ray Kelly, did NOT say he had issued two albums for Universal just three years ago. No, for Father Kelly, the panel fawned over how amazing his rendition of “Everybody Hurts” was, despite it being on one of his albums. They acted as if he was just a nobody who appeared, miraculously, out of nowhere to offer heavenly entertainment.
When Jenny Darren came out and blasted an AC/DC tune, nobody said, “Wow, isn’t that nice, that at 68 you performed a song by a group YOU OPENED FOR IN THE 70’s.” She pulled that stale trick of showing up in dowdy clothes and pulling them off to reveal a much hotter and professional COSTUME underneath.
When "Jenny Darren" was announced on episode #2, I was surprised and delighted. I instantly thought, “not THE Jenny Darren?” But yes, I recognized her, even in the dowdy outfit. I was happy for her when she stripped and revealed her rock star voice and wowed the crowd. That she didn’t allude to her past career didn’t bother me, as that’s just typical “Got Talent” truth-fudging. I hoped she’d get to the semi-finals and get the kind of gigs Sonja Kristina and Elkie Brooks do. And then…the headlines came in. Somebody had gone to Jenny’s YouTube account and noticed she had a dirty secret…a custom playlist apparently loaded with edgy racist and homophobic shit she wanted her skinhead pals to chuckle about.
If “Britains Got Talent” is less than honest, well, so is the media that supports it. The Daily Mail and a few others (and all the copycat steal-the-news sites that re-write and regurgitate stories) all gave the same information: her “YouTube playlist of videos included offensive remarks about the LGBT community, labeled Jews as a “pest to society” and called on Jewish people to be “hunted down.”
Also found on her Facebook page was a poem she wrote that criticized LGBT relationships. Darren’s YouTube playlist has since been deleted.” Since it was “deleted,” nobody seems to have documentary evidence on what exactly these items were about…were they songs, screeds recited by some moron in his basement, or maybe propaganda news clips from Al Jazeera or Fox News?”
Considering Darren plays very infrequently, and does so with her "Ladykillers," a band of creepy looking young guys, it isn't a surprise if she pandered to their intolerant and ignorant attitudes...or, that she had them herself. Put it this way, AC/DC fans who actually want to see Angus Young, a ridiculous little Chucky, play headbanger shit while wearing a schoolboy uniform for 40 fucking years, are likely to be far more amused by Nazis than the followers of Flash and the Pan, the art rock band run by little Chucky's older brother George Young.
Jenny apologized (apparently to the producers, not to the public or any reporter) but she was gone, just like co-presenter Ant. Nobody at BGT apologized for pretending this woman was merely “retired,” and not saying she was a retired ex-rocker. Nobody mentioned that in 2015 Angel Air, the geezer re-issue label, offered up a compilation of Jenny’s late 70’s songs, and pointed out that “Heartbreaker” was actually written by a Manchester songwriting team for her, but somehow was grabbed by Pat Benatar who had the hit with it. BGT also didn’t mention that in 2015 Father Ray Kelly was still signed to Universal. A spokesperson shrugged: “Father Ray Kelly was signed to Universal International for two albums only. His recording deal with Universal ended in 2015. He is currently a working priest.”
The question was whether Jenny would try to explain to her fans what exactly, and in what context, she’d posted the anti-Gay and antisemitic material. Apparently most of her fans didn’t care, and she may have figured that it was better to ignore the scandal and let it fade. Through April, May and June, her Facebook page contained nothing but news about a few gigs she was playing in obscure locations, and that she had parlayed her AC/DC performance on BGT into a new single. Her Facebook page was loaded with pix of herself and her band of skinheads and headbangers happy to be going to hell:
Does she believe Jews are a “pest to society” and should be “hunted down?” Were those lines buried in some dopey heavy metal song, or had she “liked” some neo-Nazi asshole named Darren sitting in his basement behind a swastika flag, spouting his deranged manifestos? On Facebook, June 4th, she posted a meme “I picked my team for the World Cup: GERMANY.”
In May, on her website, she posted an apology...for not being on YouTube much. She blamed it on having so much email from adoring fans, so much to do keeping up with her Facebook posting...and didn't address a) what YouTube pulled or b) how sorry she felt about it. No Roseanne Barr, she. Best to ignore the controversy in case a few of her handful of fans didn't know. How often she banned somebody on Facebook who asked her about it is unknown.
On June 14th, billing herself as the “Rock Gran from BGT,” she played The Swan Inn, in Stone. Or was it The Stone Inn, in Swan? Her last gig apparently was June 18th, at the Dick Whittington Tavern in Gloucester. And now, in July, Jenny Darren is just another faint name, like Wendy James, getting by with a few hundred gerontophile fanboys. (Yes, and you're thinking, and this ONE blogger who actually remembers a few Jenny Darren songs....)
On June 30th, Darren once again took to Facebook, promoting herself as ballsy, and talking up her minor single and faint bookings, and again, never apologizing or explaining why she disappeared from BGT:
The bottom line is that there are classical music fans who still listen to Wagner, and feel that what he did as an artist should be separate from what he was as a person. Whether BGT should’ve skunked Jenny’s chance to reach the semi-finals is sort of a gray area, because it’s hard to tell just how awful the material on her YouTube playlist was and how actively she endorsed the material.
She did not, after all, come out in the kind of neo-Nazi outfits Roger Waters has worn on stage, and has not, unlike Roger Waters, openly stated intolerant and hateful views. The guys from KISS used an “SS” logo design and claimed that they didn’t realize it symbolized the “SS” and that since Gene and Paul are both Jewish, leave ‘em alone and don’t make a big deal out of it.
Can those who reject intolerance be tolerant enough to still acknowledge that Jenny Darren recorded some vivid stuff 40 years ago? That she's still capable of entertaining the crowd as a raunchy old broad today? Maybe individuals should be able to make that decision and not have hypocrites at a corrupt TV show do it for them. Maybe the only way to get people to understand what morality and decency is about is to banish them when they lack common sense and flaunt their stupidity in public.
Jenny Darren is a HEARTBREAKER listen or download, no passwords, no being directed to some shitty spyware site, no Paypal tip jar hypocrisy
Fight BACK! Are you tired of stupid twats like Cardi B talk-singing their awful rap singles? Tired of jerks passing by in a car and blasting Drake, Pusha T and Childish Gambino? Do you NOT appreciate Ed Sheeran, or "oldies" stations that assail you with Shitney Spears, bay-bee bay-bee? Do you hear Shitney Houston, and think "I-ee-I-ee-Iee I-ee will always HATE you?"
Don't get mad. Get even. Get that boom box out of the closet. Convert the mp3 below onto cassette. And go out there and DUM PAPA TOO TAH TAH 'em.
Among the many irritating tunes of the 50's doo wop era, which segued into stupid nonsense syllable pop in the early 60's, “Dum Papa Too Tah Tah” just MIGHT be the worst. It’s beyond repetitive. It’s beyond repetitive. It’s beyond repetitive. It’s the work of Sonia Von Ever, Sheila Von Ever and Renee Von Ever, who I guess pronounced their last name the French way: “Von Errr.” As ’The Vonnair Sisters,” they briefly recorded for that sadist of sweetness, Walt Disney.
Disney’s Buena Vista label was home to Annette Funicello, and she used The Vonnair Sisters a few times for backing vocals. The sisters recorded five singles on their own before spooning into the sugar bowl of obscurity. “Dum Papa Too Tah Tah” was the B-side to their 1961 debut single, “Beach Love.” Another try, in 1962, is the rather prophetic “Watch Out For Don.” That song Trumps some of their other obscurities, such as “Luscious Lucius" and “Blame it On My Mouth.” The sisters are so obscure that “Mouse Tracks,” an entire book about Walt Disney recordings, barely offers ONE PARAGRAPH about them.
It takes one solid minute before these twats sing anything but “Dum Papa Too Tah Tah.” Later they explain that they have a language all their own, and this phrase somehow translates as “I am his and he is mine.” The choice is YOURS: endure Millennials, ethnic dance music, pop tarts, countrypolitan saps in cowboy hats and rappers...or say VENGEANCE IS MINE! DUM PAPA TOO TAH TAH!!!
DUM PAPA TOO TAH TAH - instant listen online or safe download - no creepy server asking you to "update your flash" or take you to a spyware site
Happy birthday to Sammy Walker July 7th. Regulars know the blog is only updated on the 9's (9th, 19th, 29th) but a few days late isn't such a much.
Since his last mention here, there's been the re-issue of a set of demos he recorded for Warners. It brings up memories of when he was caught between the two swords of "Dylan soundalike" and "Ochs protege." Both stirred some resentment and expectations. If you want an offbeat comparison, how about Tippi Hedren, pronounced the new Grace Kelly and Hitchcock's protege? She made two major films ("The Birds" and "Marnie") and that was about it. Walker had a two-record deal with Warners, and that was also about it.
Sammy's first album was for Folkways. Ochs got him the deal, and then pushed to get him on a major label: "“Phil called up Warner, and he was singing some of my lyrics over the phone to (Warner Bros exec) Mo Ostin. But after Phil died, Warner didn't do much to promote my records." Walker's debut on Warners featured album notes that mentioned Phil Ochs, and also Dylan:
“Influenced by Woody Guthrie, Dylan and Pete Seeger, Sammy made a noncommercial “kitchen” tape for the progressive FM station WBAI, and soon came to the attention of Phil Ochs. Sammy was brought to Folkways Records by Phil, who produced his debut album and considered Sammy his protege. The album was recorded nearly eighteen months ago…it was on the back of Sammy’s first record that Ochs himself wrote: “Sammy walker is the finest songwriter and singer I have co,e across in the last dozen years. I am certain he has a great future ahead of him…” What has emerged is an album both uncalculated and unpretentious. Sammy’s reflective personality and his preponderance as a commentator of life and the environment are greatly realized as is the promise Phil Ochs saw two years ago. In that spirit, this album is dedicated in the memory of Phil Ochs.”
Walker’s second and last Warners album was “Blue Ridge Mountain Skyline.” This was 1977, but the 1969 “Nashville Skyline” from Dylan may have still caused some backlash among fans resenting any Dylan “imitator.” As much as fans sought a "new Dylan" after Bob "went electric," they also kept to the idolization of "nobody can be another Dylan." Oddly enough, Walker’s country-tinged sound was a lot more authentic than Bob’s. Bob was from Minnesota, and affected a Guthrie-Okie delivery. Sammy was from Georgia and his twang came naturally.
Warners seemed to have counted on Phil Ochs banging some kind of a drum, and having Sammy for an opening act. Without Phil, the Warners publicists pushed others. Sammy’s manager lost interest after failing to get him the role of Woody Guthrie in an upcoming film. The role went to David Carradine instead. There was no Walker tour to support the album: “I didn’t have anybody to help put a tour together for me. Warner Brothers didn't do anything. My manager didn't do anything. I was still a naïve kid, and I didn't know how it worked. I was counting on those people to put things together for me, and nobody did."
Sammy couldn’t even get on stage for the Phil Ochs tribute concert at the Felt Forum. The evening included famous names such as Tim Hardin, Dave Van Ronk, Bob Gibson, Melanie, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger and Odetta. Sammy was going to join Ramblin’ Jack Elliott for “Bound for Glory,” a song Sammy had sung in duet with its author, Mr. Ochs. Jack Elliott, more obnoxious than usual, ignored young Sammy, and made it pretty clear that the spotlight wasn’t big enough for the both of them. The stunned young folksinger wandered out of the venue in tears.
After Warners cut him loose, Sammy managed an indie CD once in a very great while. The last album of original material came out in 2008. The latest is a collection of the solo demos he sent Warners. These “Brown Eyed Georgia Darling” demos repeat nine songs that are on
Sammy’s first Warners album (fleshed out by producer Nik Venet with a full band). The one demo Warners passed on his “Talkin’ Women’s Lib.” The label apparently replaced that one with two newer songs: “Little New Jersey Town” and “Catcher in the Rye.” Below is a sample demo, the upbeat "I Ain't Got Time." Ramseur's even got a vinyl version for old folkies who still know how to use a needle the right way.
These are tough times for any indie record label, and the amount of piracy on the Internet, along with free streaming, means that fans have the power to choose when, and if, they "support" anyone by actually buying anything. Indie labels surrender their songs to Spotify, Pandora and YouTube where they are lucky to get a penny a play. In fact, YouTube doesn't even bother to "monetize" an upload until it get 500 or 1000 plays. Sammy's album on YouTube, as you see from the screen capture above, is nowhere near that modest number. What do the artists do? They "keep on keeping on" if they can. The songwriter says "I ain't got time to kill," and keeps writing songs while hoping for a few gigs or some kind of break...while keeping the day job or waiting for the social security check. The royalty check...not so much.
Sammy Walker solo guitar demo of "I AIN'T GOT TIME TO KILL" to passwords, creepy foreign server, or Paypal donation whining.
