Some of you are a bit older than me, that helps.

When you're talking early rock and roll.

So, what was it like? I was a small child, not even into music yet. In the early 50s, share some thoughts, reflect a bit about what you remember. What has stuck in your mind all of these years? What artists got your attention? Do you recall it building slowly or exploding onto the scene rapidly?

I guess they didn't have keyboards. Little Richard had to have a real piano there!

Growing up in the Philly, South Jersey area where the "Original Bandstand" was broadcast(I'm talking pre-Dick Clark - anybody remember Bob Horn?)the R&R movement was definately an explosion.

Back then drive-in movies were the rage and some would feature R&R shows which were performed on the roof of the concession stand. Jerry Blavitt (the Geeter with the Heater) hosted many of these in the S. Jersey area.

A lot of the early R&R groups performed this way. Among the many performers I remember seeing were the Shirelles. Strange, but one of the things I remember most was their sparkly dresses which looked very cool from a distance. But as you moved closer you could see that they were fairly rag-tag from being worn night after night.

A few years ago I met Martha of Martha and the Vandellas on a cruise ship. We talked about those days and how so many of those early groups paid their dues flying around the country performing on rooftops, in parking lots, in movie houses and on tv.

Despite their busy schedules, most did not make a great deal of money. Unfortunately many were cheated by managers and record companies. Others went on to lasting fame and fortune.

Eddie

Hey Eddie...Do you remember the name of the drive inn in Cherry Hill on Rt 70 at the Rt 38 junction circle???? and wasn't Bob Horn
the host on Phila. Bandstand before Dick Clark...isn't he the one that had the scandal with the 16 yr old girl??? Gerry Blavitt was just starting out...do you remember "Georgie Woods, the Man With the Goods"??? it all started the Doo Wop movement
back then...when all of the movie houses had
intermission between features and had stage
shows featuring live bands....gotta go now...
will think of more later....

Tony...
I know the drive-in you are talking about and I think it was just called "The Cherry Hill Drive-In". At least, that is what we called it. The one I frequented most was on Rt 78 in Palmyra, NJ across from the Roger Wilco Liquor store.

Some of the best stage shows I saw were at the Uptown Theater in Philly. They featured a lot of the old R&R groups, plus the likes of Count Basie and comedians such as Red Foxx.

Yes, I remember Georgie Woods. And yes again on Bob Horn. He left WFIL Channel 6 in disgrace. Dick Clark picked up the show and took it national renaming it "American Bandstand".

Thanks for the post. I enjoy your posts about Cozumel and hope to get down to see you someday.

Eddie

Ahhhh....A blast from the past.....thanks...
Come on Down.....bring uncle Dave with you...

If you could make an authentic Philly Cheese Steak, that would be a real incentive.
Eddie

I was 11 years old when I got my first playing job in 1956 playing two nights a week at a officers club at Ladd AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska. Popular music was Les Paul and Mary Ford, Rosemary Clooney, etc.
Many of the early rock-n-rollers were from a country background (Marty Robbins, Bill Haley, etc.).

I couldn't figure out how some early rock-n-roll was recorded with such a uniques bass sound. Later, I discovered that a popular recording technique was to double the bass line played on an upright with a 6 string bass guitar. Fender made one, but the most popular one was a Dan Electro. I bought a reproduction "DanO" when they were re-introduced 5 or six years ago. Instrumentals like Rawhide and some early Duane Eddy tunes were also recorded on a six string bass guitar.

In 1960, I was playing in a club called Brocks in Lexington with Little Enis and the Fabulous Tabletoppers. Enis played an L-5 left-handed without reversing the strings. On Wednesdays, traveling acts were booked on their way from Chicago to Atlanta (about half-way). The club owner put them up in a six room motel behind the club, fed them and had them play with the band for an hour or so.
Most of these acts (Jerry Lee Lewis, B.J. Thomas, the McCoys (Hang on Sloopy)) traveled in a car with a box truck for equipment.
They were either rising acts who didn't play the biggest venues or older ones still on the circuit. They usually used the house system, but most had a Shure vocalmaster, and echoplex and Shure 585 high impedance mikes...no sound man and no monitors.

The switch to Fender P basses really changed the rock-n-roll business (Carol Kay-Jamison). We were part of a Dick Clark caravan of stars tour one year...man, I learned what being road weary really was. We had a Greyhound looking bus, but most had old school busses...lots of breakdowns...no airconditioning. It was a miserable summer.

During the early English invasion years, a massive stack of Marshalls was the thing. I used two Marchall heads and two marhall stacks (16 12's) for a house job in a nearby college town (Think Vanella Fudge). When strobe lights became affordable (1964?)
we OD'd on them. The use of B-3's was another huge influence, but because of the size, many bands used smaller M-3's.

I was privilaged to begin playing close to the birth of Rock-n-roll, then into surf music, then through the Brittish invasion.
Then, I got hooked on jazz and it was all downhill from there (Ha!).

Now, I work with an arranger and a nylon string playing dinner music. But, every night, I pull out some of the "oldies".

Man, the memories...!

Russ

Wow, 11! You must be good. That's really young! What instrument at age 11? How old were the bandmates?

Wow! I must be a lot older than you folks. I can vividly recall listening to Bo Didly songs played on Radio CKLW Cincinati, Ohio, and just prior to him, I was listening to Bill Haley doing country songs live from a Buffalo, NY station, but I can't remeber the call letters. We could only get the stations after midnight, when the local stations went off the air. Picked up my first guitar when I was 12 (1952), the first song I learned to play was Mountain Dew, and at 14 I played back-up guitar with a local country band. Man were making big bucks then--I think we got $10 per person and played two jobs a month. Keep in mind, though, back then you could fill the gas tank of my father's 1949 Oldsmobile for $5.

Sweet memories,

Gary

I remember roller-skating at our outdoor rink. The two biggest hits were "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel", on opposite sides of the same record. Had to be around 1956 when I was around 13.
I remember in High School Band, we played "Topsy, Part 2" and "Rock Around The Clock".
In college I was singing all the early Elvis, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis songs.
We also had one of the first "Beatles" bands in college. We all wore wigs. I played bass, drums or guitar, depending on who showed up.
My senior year in high school, I had a yellow 57 Chevy two-door hardtop. Wish I had it now.
DonM

Ah...those were the days....
Memories??
I can remember being an involuntary dance partner for my 3 sisters.....on the plus side..I learned to jive when I was 6 or 7.
Loved "Bill Haley & the Comets", and at the same time enjoyed the music of Benny Goodman etc....although that was "swing".
Couldn't get enough of that semi-hollow body guitar sound, the early use of spring reverb, the piano players, who actually knew how to play, the sound that a drummer (the likes of Buddy Rich) could get out of what today might be considered a simple kit.



[This message has been edited by shboom (edited 01-27-2005).]

I thought they were ancient, but the bass player and drummer were GI's in their early 20's. I played a 1952 ES 295..an archtop electric which is now called a 175...smaller than an L-5, with P 90 pickups.

It was a low-key coctail hour job that I sometimes did by myself. Was I good? Not very, but I knew changes and instrumentals of the day, and the drummer sang well. Got paid $10.00 in silver dollars. The military paid in silver dollars occasionally to show the community the effect of the military on the local economy.

This was on Ladd AFB and there were very few musicians in Fairbanks. The fact that I was a little kid was part of the draw. We're talking a two hour job for 50 officers getting a drink on the way home. Good training, though.


russ

When Rock & Roll was born(1955) I was too young to even play in the sandbox ! I sometimes think I missed those happy days!

My first record of any kind was Bill Haley and the Comets' Rock Around The Clock. I knew every word of every song. I still have it by the way.
DonM

That was the first number 1 R&R song on the charts.... AND the year I was born!

Hey Uncle Dave....I've got a High School diploma 2 years younger than you...hehehe
you didn't miss anything, as you said, it's all coming back....get ready....

You know something I don't? I wish! That would be seriously cool if 50s style rock and roll did make a comeback. I love that music as much as any.

Bill, almost regardless of the age group, the 50's songs are always well-received. The young folks haven't heard them and the old folks can reminisce. Swing dancing is big again. Sometimes the couples even touch each other!
Don

My first recollections are of 1954 and a young DJ in NYC, Alan Freed, who is credited with coining the phrase "Rock and Roll"... his RnR show at the Brooklyn or Manhattan Paramount Theaters were legendary with 'Sam the Man' Taylor and his big band backing up the groups ... http://www.alanfreed.com/
Freed played a lot of RnB and RnR recorded by black artists, whose songs were covered by the likes of The Crew Cuts, and Pat Boone !!! ...
Then came DJs like "Cousin Bruce" Morrow (who I believe is still around) and legendary Scott Muni and "Wolfman" Jack ...
One of the first songs I remember was The Penguins "Earth Angel" which was recorded in 1954... I had an original 78RPM recording which unfortunately got into the wrong hands and broken a few years back ... Then came groups such as The Platters, Frankie Lymon and the teenagers, etc.
I listened to Chuck Berry, Elvis (of course), Gene Vincent (BEE BOP A LULA) and a bunch of others ... It was a really happy time in my musical journey ...
It led to me starting a RnR band in high school which shortly thereafter transitioned into the group I was with for 26 years ...
As for it "building slowly or was it an explosion" ... it was DEFINITELY and explosion!!! ....
The "oldies" are STILL part of my repetiore ...
t.

PS: I knew the guys who were "The Elegants" who recorded "Little Star" (Twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder where you are... etc.)which was a #1 hit countrywide in 1958 .. they followed up "Little Star" with a recording of "Little Boy Blue" (staying with the nursery rhyme theme) ... They also recorded a song called "True Love Affair" which may have been their best of all, but 'legend has it' they had a falling out with the aforementioned Mr. Freed, and he vowed that they would never have another hit ... They didn't .....
t.

I wish you guys could spend some time with my friend Dean Mathis. We work together a lot. He, along with brother Mark and Larry Henley, were the Newbeats (I Like Bread and Butter) (Run, Baby Run). They were really hot in the 60s. He has some wonderful stories about touring with some of the giant acts of the time, such as Roy Orbison, Rolling Stones, Roger Miller, and many others.
DonM

Along with Mr. Alan Freed and the (payola)
do you remember "JOCKO" out of NY??? Do you remember some of the old labels back then...
Bruce Records...Old Town Records, Paradise Records and Andrea Records just to name a few
How about Alan Freeds first live NY Rock & Roll Show.. The Rock & Roll Jubilee ball way back in 1955....Man I could name some groups from back then....The Elegants had a unique sound.....to bad they pi$$ed the man off...
How about the Moonglows, Limelighters..with and without Shep...the Clovers, the Harptones
The Moonlighters, The Cadillac's, The Shirells
The Platters, The Counts, The Flamingos The Heartbeats, The Drifters, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Frankie Lyman & the Teenagers
The Cleftones, The Wonderers and Dion & the Belmont's....I could go on and on....
Come on post some more groups from back then
lets keep alive.....

"E to the O .... IT'S JOCKO!!!.... YEAH BABY ...

how about Johhny Maestro and Brooklyn Bridge ... heard him recently and he even sounds BETTER now..; The Ronettes; The Crystals; The Dell-Vikings; The Dominoes with Clyde McPhatter who later went to the Drifters ... and I believe was replaced there by Jackie Wilson ...; a male/female duo - Johnny and Jo who recorded "Over the Mountain" ... The Crests; The Mystics; The Earls; The Rays; The Silhouettes; ... and on and on...
When I was playing with the band in NYC and someone would request the oldies our sax player, who was into jazz at the age of 10, would cringe because he knew that once we started with the I VI IV V progression, I could go on forever ... ...
t.

Man, you folks are really "bringin it all back"...a really enjoyable trip down memory lane. Haven't thought of some of those groups in ages!


Regards,


Russ

It's amazing how the mind will function with a little nudge ....
Just thought of Lloyd Price and "Personality" ... a tune I will still do once in a while ...
t.

My Favorite was Stagger Lee.....how about
the Five Satins, Duprees, the Coasters,
Skyliners, How about Johnny Maestro when he was with the Crests...Sixteen Candles, Sea Cruise...Frankie Ford...Majestics, Ben E.King
Mel Carter, Danleers,Capris, The Mellow Kings, The casinos, Ed Townsend, Sam Cooke,
and on and on and on...man what a great time in lifes music....

PBS does an oldies doo wop show, around fund raising time, that features what is left of all those groups. Some great stuff, some of the old guys are "carried" by the younger band members as far as high harmony. But pbs sells cd's, tapes, and dvd's of the live performance. Loyd Price, Jerry Butler, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Coasters, Crystals, Edsels, Chiffons, Tokens and alot more. The Dvd's are on the PBS website as Doo Wop 50 and Rock and Roll at 50 and a couple more.

One more thing I think is interesting back in the late 50's and 60's you heard Sinatra, Johnny Cash, The Ventures, Conway Twitty and Doo Wop all on the same radio station we grew up exposed to all kinds of music. A hit was a hit you heard "strangers in the night" right next to the Beatles, next to "I walk the line." Songs like "Lonely Bull", "Cherry pink" "I left my Heart in San Francisco" and Led Zepplin, we were exposed to all that great music from one station, now it is so fragmented there are three kinds of country stations, And I don't even know how many kinds of rock and other formats.




[This message has been edited by mikeathome1 (edited 01-28-2005).]

Bet you never heard of these 50-60s groups:
The Vests
The Emanons (No Name, backwards)
The Spiders
Ray Hartman & The Sequins

Those are a few of the bands I played in during high school and college that I still can remember. We never would have thought of naming ourselves Sex Pistols.

What were the names of your groups?

Eddie

First ever name was Blue Rondos!
Then Dennis and the Devins. Don't ask what a Devin is, because we didn't know.
My best group was Nitelife. Now that's a unique name.
DonM

* Johnnie Green and the Giants (no, damnit, I'm not kidding!)

* Little Enis and the Fabulous Tabletoppers

* The Torques

* The Classics (way too original)

* Russ and Tom

* The Jim Alford Band

* The Preston Weber Experience

* The Russ Lay Trio (catchy...I Like That One)

* The Campbell House 4

WOW...these are awful! I guess you had to have been there!

Russ

The Brigands, The Blue Stars, The Club Four, Ed Sones and his Rhythm Five, The Niteshades, The Sones Collection, Sounds Familiar (we had to change that to The Martin Davies Quartet to get a tour of USAF bases in Europe), The Peanuts, Ovation, Double Tempo and nowadays Britz.

Some gems in there, eh?

I would join a working 50's band in a heartbeat...No other music reaches the memories of so many people....You would have to be pretty bad not to exceed playing the 50's stuff..

My trio is close..a third of our material are from the fifties..

If we want to bring back the fifties music, let's do it..we have a nucleus right here at SZ...we can all quit our day jobs and apply our attention to bringing back the 5o's...we don't have to have a lot of money, or eat a lot...we can do it!!

Now I have to call a lead about a 5 th year High School reunion....let's see what music is their era.....oh no ...I don't want to do this stuff!!!

BTW, my first working band were the "Hi-Five" as in Stereo talk not booze and drugs[early 60's]

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 01-29-2005).]

Like DonM I turned 13 in 1956, what perfect timing - a new teenager synching with the new music. First record I bought was Bill Haley & The Comets' "Hook, Line and Sinker"/"Goofin Around".

Skiffle, a kind of acoustic American folk music, was the starting point in the UK. Early hits by Lonnie Donegan (Puttin' On The Style, Cumberland Gap), Nancy Whisky (Freight Train), etc. had everyone pestering their parents for a cheap guitar.

Then things got electrified and the rock acts came along, Elvis copies for the most part: Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard, Terry Dene, Billy Fury. Groups were springing up everywhere doing covers of American R&B acts like The Orlons, The Exciters, The Drifters, etc.

Great days, indeed. If I'd had the choice, I don't think I'd have chosen any other era in which to grow up.

Yeah, a 12-ounce Pepsi-cola was a nickel, and you could fill up the gas tank for $4.00. By the time I got out of college with an Advertising degree, my weekend band job was paying more than my full-time position as Circulation manager for "The Oil and Gas Journal."
DonM

"In 1960, I was playing in a club called Brocks in Lexington with Little Enis and the Fabulous Tabletoppers. Enis played an L-5 left-handed without reversing the strings."

When I was a child, I used to see Little Enis (Carlos Toadvine) at the old State theater in Danville Ky. Yes, his guitar playing style was quite unique. As you said, he was left handed, and played backwards and upside down. He picked or strummed from the bottom up with his left hand, and chorded from over the top of the neck with his right hand. We lost Carlos much to soon in 1976 at only 40 years old. I have put up a tribute page on my site to Little Enis. I only have six of his songs, and am looking for more. I am also looking for some pictures of this obscure but legendary rockabilly singer. Any help would be appreciated.

Gary

Little Enis Tribute Page http://www.geocities.com/garycountry/enis.html

My bands were - The Four Dimensions, Musicians Extraordinaire, Music Express, Me2 and Token. I've toyed with the One2Many, but haven't had the chance to use it.

Gary...how interesting...I had no idea that
there was such interest in Enis.

A well-known local writer...Ed McLannahan, wrote an article for Playboy magazine in 75 or 76 that won him a major award. It was called "The world's best left-handed guitar player", or something like that. Ed comes to the Merrick Inn in the summers (where I play on the patio). He is as close to an Enis historian as anybody. He actually dated the owner of the Merrick Inn, Libby Murray, while in college. You can probably search the Playboy archives, and Ed is still a resident of Lexington. I looked in the local directory...I think his number is (859) 231-8322. His address is 204 Walton Ave. 40505 (?) not sure about the Zip.

After the Playboy article, Enis had a brief resergence of his career (75-early 76). He played several times in Vegas and in Lexington. He would show up in early 1976 at the Sportsman Lounge on Winchester Road. I played in the band upstairs with his old drummer from Brocks, Jerry Musselman, who still lives in Lexington, and then after hours downstairs in the dining room. By that time, he was so weak, we had to carry him upstairs. He sat on a chair and sang his ass off.

Enis was born in a little town in Lincoln County, Kentucky,where my family is from. He had rhumatic fever as a child and learned to play on a guitar my uncles had. My grandmother, who lives in St Clound, Florida
still has the guitar (she's 102 years old).

The L-5 Gibson guitar he had in the 60's was bought by a guy named Dusty Paling, who teachess guitar at Carls Music Center (don't know if he still has it).

The Herald/Leader had feature articles about Enis over the years, and a magazine called ACE (a Lexington publication) has had several relatively recent articles about Enis written by McLannahan. The Herald-Leader has a photo archive and sells repros of old photos and articles(100 Midland Ave...Lexington, Ky 40505-Phone # 1-800-274-7355).

The only recording I'm aware of is "I Kept the Wine and Threw away the Roses". This Album was a classic...Enis in his pink Cadillac on a country Road...don't know the year, but I could find out. The Trimble brothers played organ and drums in the Tabletoppers. One brother died and the
other moved out of state. Besides Jerry, there is a saxophone player named Bucky Sallee still here in Lexington. He is the trumpet player for Keeneland (before each race) and a State retiree.

Enis had a daughter named Donna Fay, who had a budding career here in Lexington and moved to Nashville in the early 80's.She was featured in a recent special on the Country music cable channel. He also had an ex wife who worked a a waitress at the Sportsman in 1975-6, but I've lost track of her.His brother was alive and living in Lexington in the mid-90's and may still be alive. there is a Joey Toadvine listed in the local directory (502) 867-4808, who is probably a relative.

I went to Enis' funeral with Raymond Comer, who was Enis' mentor. Comers was a local club, and Enis played there and next door at Boots Bar until he got too weak to work.
Raymond gave Enis a place to live and gave him money and took care of his medical and funeral expenses for the last 10 years or so of his life. Sadly, Mr. Comer (a close friend) died last year. I have a framed photo taken by a local Photographer, Guy Mendez,which was included in the Playboy article. Guy shot many photos of Enis
over the years. He recently retired, but Ed will know if he is still in the area.

Ed's your main source of "all things Enis".
If I can help you in any way, email me at MCCI@prodigy.net or call me at 1-859-253-0390. By the time I was playing with Enis, he had mostly swiched to rock-a-billy, was fairly "out of it" most of the time (1961-62), and becoming weak from such a hard life. I was called in when the Tabletoppers backed out-of-town acts and would go to Club 68 in Lebanon on many Saturday nights to work with them.

Just a few leads...let me know if I can help in any other way.


Regards,

Russ Lay

I'm just gonna throw this one out there. If I could ever lay my hands ona reproduction, that would be amazing.
"Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus and his Pumpin' Piano / flip side "Dig".
I used to have this on 78, and at the time, it was an amazing piece.
"Toolin' down the highway doin' 79"
"I'm a twin pipe poppa an' I'm feelin' fine"Hey Man...Dig that..was that a red stop sign?"
"Transfusion..transfusion, Oh doc pardon me for this crazy intrusion"
"I'm a never never never gonna speed again...."
"Pour the crimson in me Jimzun!"
Very close to Jerry Lee in style.
Okay...I'll go now....

------------------
...shboom
Ta-Dah...I found it on Limewire.

[This message has been edited by shboom (edited 03-18-2005).]