Thursday, June 25, 2015

Little Anthony and The Imperials~ "I'M Taking a Vacation From Love"


Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s.

Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott.

The group was one of the very few doo-wop groups to maintain success on the R&B and pop charts well throughout the 60's. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4, 2009,[1] 23 years after the group's first year of eligibility for induction.


Little Anthony and the Imperials

Little Anthony and the Imperials in 2005, New York City.(L to R) Harold Jenkins,Ernest Wright,Clarence Collins,"Little Anthony" Gourdine
Background information
Also known as The Imperials
Origin Brooklyn, New York City, USA
Genres R&B, doo-wop, rock & roll, soul, adult contemporary
Years active 1958–present
Labels End, Roulette, United Artists Records, Avco Records, Janus Records, Veep Records, DCP Records
Website littleanthonyandtheimperials.net

Members "Little Anthony" Gourdine *
Ernest Wright *
Robert Deblanc
Johnny Britt

Past members Clarence "Wa-hoo" Collins *
Samuel "Sammy" Strain
Glouster "Nate" Rogers *
Tracey Lord *
Bobby Wade
Harold "Hawk" Jenkins
Kenny Seymour
George Kerr
Original members *


Career

In 1957, a doo-wop group known as the Chesters existed with members Clarence Collins, Tracy Lord, Nathaniel Rodgers, and Ronald Ross. Anthony Gourdine, a former member of the Duponts, joined as lead vocalist.

Ernest Wright took over from Ross, and the group recorded briefly for Apollo Records.[citation needed]

Changing their name to the Imperials, they signed with End Records in 1958.

Their first single was "Tears on My Pillow", which was an instant hit. (While playing this song, D.J. Alan Freed came up with the name "Little Anthony".) The B-side, "Two People in the World", was also a hit.

The group followed up with "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop" in 1960.

When their success dwindled in 1961, Gourdine left to attempt a solo career.

Original Imperials member Nate Rogers was drafted into the service and Tracey Lord, another original member, left to get married. and the line-up then became Collins, Wright, Sammy Strain, (a childhood friend who had grown up together with the Imperials in Brooklyn), and George Kerr.

Kerr was replaced by Kenny Seymour after a short time. This line-up had little success.[2]

Gourdine returned in 1963, replacing Seymour. The group's classic line-up – Gourdine, Wright, Collins, and Strain – was now complete.

With the help of record producer/songwriter Teddy Randazzo (a childhood friend of the group), the Imperials found success on the new DCP (Don Costa Productions) label with the dramatic pop-soul records "I'm On The Outside (Looking In)" (1964), "Goin' Out Of My Head" (1964), "Hurt So Bad" (1965), "I Miss You So" (1965), "Take Me Back" (1965), "Hurt" (1966), "Better Use Your Head" (1966), and "Out of Sight, Out Of Mind" (1969).[3]

In 1965, the Imperials appeared on the CBS-TV special Murray The K - It's What's Happening, Baby, where they performed "I'm Alright" before a live audience in New York at the Brooklyn Fox Theater. At the height of their career, the group made two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, at the time television's top talent showcase, on March 28, 1965, and again on January 25, 1970.[4][5]

They also performed on many other popular television variety shows during the sixties, including Shindig!, Hullabaloo, Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, Soul Train, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and The Tonight Show.

The Imperials then joined United Artists Records and were assigned to its Veep Records subsidiary, and then to the parent label itself, where they recorded "World Of Darkness","It's Not The Same", "If I Remember To Forget", "Yesterday Has Gone", and the Thom Bell-produced "Help Me Find A Way (To Say I Love You)".

Albums from this era include: Reflections, Payin' Our Dues, Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind (named after their hit cover of The Five Keys song), and Movie Grabbers, which included a rendition of "You Only Live Twice", the James Bond motion picture theme.

The song was originally recorded by The Imperials -expressly for the film and it's soundtrack- but was later given instead to Nancy Sinatra for the film, due to her father Frank's greater influence.[6][7]

They recorded three singles for Janus Records including "Father Father", which they later performed on the Merv Griffin Show.

Then they went to Avco Records in the mid-1970s and recorded On A New Street,[8] and charted with the songs "La La La (At the End)" and "I'm Falling In Love With You".

This album was produced by both Bell and Randazzo. A second LP for Avco Records entitled Hold On was withdrawn from sale in the USA after the failure of the title track to sell and AVCO's subsequent financial difficulties.

The group appeared on Soul Train on May 26, 1973. By this time, Strain and Wright had left the group, although both would eventually return.[citation needed]

Wright left in 1971 to join Tony Williams' Platters. He was replaced by the returning Kenny Seymour, who was again replaced after a short time by Bobby Wade, formerly a Cleveland based singer with a number of solo releases on Cleveland labels, that included Way Out and Big Jim.

Strain left in 1972. He had a restaurant in Los Angeles and was not singing for three years; at the end of that period he was briefly a member of The Fandangos with Lonnie Cook and Alvin Walker.

He also auditioned for the lead voice of Arpeggio. Strain had been replaced by Harold Jenkins as a member of The Imperials. He then joined the O'Jays as the replacement for original O'Jays member William Powell, who left the group due to illness. (Powell died of cancer shortly thereafter.)

Jenkins had already been functioning as the group's choreographer. Jenkins and Seymour had previously performed together in the Impacts. Gourdine left for a second (more successful) attempt at a solo career.

The trio of Collins, Wade, and Jenkins continued as "the Imperials". Collins left in 1988, and was replaced by Sherman James. They then toured as "Bobby Wade's Imperials". James left in 1992, and was replaced by Ron Stevenson.[citation needed]

Reunion

In 1992, Collins, Wright, Strain, and Gourdine reunited for a concert at Madison Square Garden. This reunion proved to be a success. When the decision was made for the foursome to tour together again, Wade relinquished the Imperials name, with his group becoming "Bobby Wade's Emperors". They[which?] became the house band at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

At this point, Strain left the O'Jays, and permanently returned to the Imperials.

1992, the year of the group's reformation, was also the 40th anniversary of Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and he invited the Imperials to appear as part of the televised special celebration.

On August 30, 1997, the group was featured on NBC's Today show as part of that show's "Summer Concert Series", and appeared on two popular PBS specials: Rock, Rhythm, and Doo-Wop and Soul Spectacular: 40 Years Of R&B in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Also, during this period, they recorded two new CDs: Little Anthony & the Imperials – Live: Up Close & Personal (the group's first ever live album), and Pure Acapella,[9]

An all acapella CD showcasing the group's vocal talents on several classic 50's doo-wop songs, including their own hit, "Two People In The World", which was written by Imperials member Ernest Wright. These two recordings marked the first time that the classic line-up had recorded together in over 30 years.

Later years: 2000 to present

Gourdine, Collins, Wright, and Strain continued touring as "Little Anthony and the Imperials" until Strain retired in 2004 and Jenkins returned to take his place. In 2010, Jenkins also retired, and was replaced by Robert DeBlanc.[10]

As of 2012, the Imperials were (along with the Dells), one of the few 1950s-era R&B groups still touring with the great majority of their original members (Gourdine, Collins, and Wright).

They are also one of the very few late 1950s-based groups to successfully re-invent themselves and go on to maintain consistent recording success well into the 1960s/1970s,[citation needed] while many of their contemporaries had long since faded from the charts.

Little Anthony and the Imperials released their first new LP in several years in October 2008, entitled "You'll Never Know", and they performed on the Late Show with David Letterman on August 26, 2008.

On their Discovery album, the electronic music duo Daft Punk sampled Little Anthony and the Imperials' 1977 recording of "Can You Imagine" for the track "Crescendolls".

Imperials founder Collins retired from the group in late 2012 due to age and health reasons.[11] He still owns the trademark on The Imperials' name. He and Anthony are married to twin sisters, Brenda Collins and Linda Gourdine.[12]

The Contemporary Christian Gospel Group The Imperials uses the name with Collins' permission. Gourdine's first wife was Judy Fouseca, with whom he had four children, and four more by his second wife, Linda.[13][14][15] Strain, once married to singer Yvonne Fair (now deceased), is married to his second wife, DeBorah, and has two children, Vincent and Shawn.[16]

Original member Wright is married and has a daughter, Nicole.[17]

He is also a songwriter and producer. Original Imperials bass singer Glouster "Nate" Rogers is a cancer survivor. He has been married many years to wife Loretta.[16][18] Original Imperials member Tracy Lord is deceased.[19]

In early 2014, Gourdine toured the UK with David Gest's Legends of Soul when he performed "Tears on My Pillow" and "Goin' Out of My Head" .[20] The same year, he released his biography, Little Anthony: My Journey, My Destiny, recounting his life, his memories, and his years with The Imperials.[21]

As of 2015, The Imperials are still performing. Imperials founder Collins, now retired, has been replaced by Johnny Britt. De Blanc and original members Wright and Gourdine round out the group.

When the group is not touring, Gourdine does stage plays and currently also has a one-man show, which he is currently doing to support his recently-released biography, and to celebrate his 55-plus years as a performer.[22][23][24]

2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and other awards

Little Anthony and the Imperials received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1993.

They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006. In 2007, the Imperials were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame[25][26]

On January 14, 2009, it was announced that Little Anthony and the Imperials had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[27] Gourdine, Wright, Collins, Strain, and Rogers were present to be honored.[28]

Deceased original Imperials member Tracy Lord was inducted posthumously; his sons accepted his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on his behalf.[29]

The group was inducted by Smokey Robinson. In October 2009, the group performed "Two People in the World" at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert.[30]

In 2014, Goldmine magazine inducted the Imperials into The Goldmine Hall of Fame.

Editor Phil Marder referred to them as one of the few 1950s doo-wop groups (though the group hated that label) to consistently chart hits during the British Invasion.[31][32]  

Goldmine also named Little Anthony and the Imperials as one of The 20 Greatest Doo-Wop Groups of All Time.[33]

Sammy Strain is one of the few artists in popular music history who is a double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted with the O'Jays in 2005 and the Imperials in 2009.

In 2015, Little Anthony and the Imperials are scheduled to be inducted into the Official Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Cleveland . [34]

Source: Wikipedia.org


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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Ricky Nelson~ "A Long Vacation"




Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) – known as Ricky Nelson, later also as Rick Nelson – was an American actor, musician and singer-songwriter.
He starred alongside his family in the television series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–66), as well as co-starring alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in Howard Hawks's western feature film, Rio Bravo (1959).
He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973 including "Poor Little Fool" which holds the distinction of being the first #1 song on Billboard magazine's then-newly created Hot 100 chart. 
He recorded 19 additional Top 10 hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987.[1][2] In 1996, he was ranked #49 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.[3]
Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949 playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
In 1952, he appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first single, debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and released the #1 album entitled Ricky.
In 1958, Nelson released his first #1 single, "Poor Little Fool", and in 1959 received a Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" after starring in Rio Bravo.
A few films followed, and when the television series was cancelled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on various television programs.
Nelson and Sharon Kristin Harmon were married on April 20, 1963, and divorced in December 1982.
They had four children: Tracy Kristine, twin sons Gunnar Eric and Matthew Gray, and Sam Hilliard.
On February 14, 1981, a son (Eric Crewe) was born to Nelson and Georgeann Crewe.
A blood test in 1985 confirmed that Nelson was the child's father. Nelson was engaged to Helen Blair when both were killed in an airplane crash on December 31, 1985.


Rick Nelson
A young man in profile playing a guitar and standing before a microphone.
Nelson in concert in Lawton, Oklahoma
Background information
Birth nameEric Hilliard Nelson
BornMay 8, 1940
Teaneck, New Jersey, US
DiedDecember 31, 1985 (aged 45)
De Kalb, Texas, US
GenresRockabilly, Rock 'n' roll, Pop,Folk, Country
Occupation(s)Actor, musician, singer-songwriter
Years active1949–1985
LabelsImperial, Decca/MCA, Epic
Associated actsElvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Connie Francis, Carl Perkins, James Burton
Websiterickynelson.com

Early life[edit]

Ricky Nelson was born on May 8, 1940, at 1:25 p.m. at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey.[4][5][6]
He was the second son of big band leader Ozzie Nelson, who was of half Swedish descent, and his wife, big band vocalist Harriet Hilliard Nelson (née Peggy Louise Snyder).
Harriett remained in Englewood, New Jersey, with her newborn and her older son David while Ozzie toured the nation with the Nelson orchestra.[7]
The Nelsons bought a two-story colonial house in Tenafly, New Jersey,[7][8] and, six months after the purchase, moved with son David to Hollywood, where Ozzie and Harriet were slated to appear in the 1941–42 season of Red Skelton's The Raleigh Cigarette Hour; Ricky remained in Tenafly in the care of his paternal grandmother.[9]
In November 1941, the Nelsons bought what would become their permanent home: a green and white, two-story, Cape Cod colonial home at 1822 Camino Palmero in Los Angeles.[10][11]
Ricky joined his parents and brother in Los Angeles in 1942.[10]
Ricky was a small and insecure child who suffered from severe asthma. At night, his sleep was eased with a vaporizer emitting tincture of evergreen.[12]
He was described by Red Skelton's producer John Guedel as "an odd little kid," likable, shy, introspective, mysterious, and inscrutable.[13]
When Skelton was drafted in 1944, Guedel crafted the radio sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet for Ricky's parents.[13][14]
The show debuted on Sunday, October 8, 1944, to favorable reviews.[15][16]
Ozzie eventually became head writer for the show and based episodes on the fraternal exploits and enmity of his sons.[17]
The Nelson boys were first played in the radio series by professional child actors until twelve-year-old Dave and eight-year-old Ricky joined the show on February 20, 1949, in the episode "Invitation to Dinner."[18][19]

The Nelson family, 1952
In 1952, the Nelsons tested the waters for a television series with the theatrically released film Here Come the Nelsons.
The film was a hit, and Ozzie was convinced the family could make the transition from radio's airwaves to television's small screen.
On October 3, 1952, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet made its television debut and was broadcast in first run until September 3, 1966, to become one of the longest-running sitcoms in television history.

Education

 

Nelson attended Gardner Street Public School,[20] Bancroft Junior High,[21] and, between 1954 and 1958, Hollywood High School, from which he graduated with a B average.[22][23][24]
He played football at Hollywood High[22][23] and represented the school in interscholastic tennis matches.[25]
Twenty-five years later, Nelson told the Los Angeles Weekly he hated school because it "smelled of pencils" and he was forced to rise early in the morning to attend.[22]
At Hollywood High, Nelson was blackballed by the Elksters, a fraternity of a dozen conservative sports-loving teens who thought him too wild.[26][27]
Many of the Elksters were family friends and spent weekends at the Nelson home playing basketball or relaxing around the pool.[27]
In retaliation, he joined the Rooks, a greaser car club of sideburned high school teens clad in leather jackets and motorcycle boots.[27][28]

He tattooed his hands, wrist, and shoulder with India ink and a sewing needle, slicked his hair with oil, and accompanied the Rooks on nocturnal forays along Hollywood Boulevard.[27][28]
Nelson was jailed twice in connection with incidents perpetrated by the Rooks and escaped punishment after sucker-punching a police officer only through the intervention of his father.[28]
  
Nelson's parents were alarmed. Their son's juvenile delinquency did little to enhance the All-American image of Ozzie and Harriet, and they quickly put an end to Ricky's involvement with the Rooks by banishing one of the most influential of the club's members from Ricky's life and their home.[25]
One of Ricky's seldom-publicized traits was his "fierce loyalty" to boyhood friends whom he regarded as trusted confidants. When young friend Bill Aken was in a crippling auto accident in New York City and confined to a hospital bed for months, Ricky would often phone Billy's mother, asking about his progress and writing short notes and letters to Billy to cheer him up.
They became lifelong friends, and Aken recorded the only family-authorized tribute record ("Gentle Friend") for the fan club after Rick's death.
Ozzie Nelson was a Rutgers alumnus and keen on college education,[29] but eighteen-year-old Ricky was already in the 93 percent income-tax bracket and saw no reason to attend.[23]
At age thirteen, Ricky was making over $100,000 per annum, and at sixteen he had a personal fortune of $500,000.[30]
Nelson's wealth was astutely managed by his parents, who channeled his earnings into trust funds. Although his parents permitted him a $50 allowance at the age of eighteen, Rick was often strapped for cash and one evening collected and redeemed empty pop bottles to gain entrance to a movie theater for himself and a date.[31]
Accustomed to affluence, Nelson had a cavalier attitude about money and never managed his finances very well.[26]

Music career

Debut

 

Nelson played clarinet and drums in his tweens and early teens, learned the rudimentary guitar chords, and vocally imitated his favorite Sun Records rockabillyartists in the bathroom at home or in the showers at the Los Angeles Tennis Club.[32][33][34]
He was strongly influenced by the music of Carl Perkins and once said he tried to emulate the sound and the tone of the guitar break in Perkins's March 1956 Top Ten hit "Blue Suede Shoes."[33][34]
At age sixteen, he wanted to impress a girl friend who was an Elvis Presley fan and, although he had no record contract at the time, told her that he, too, was going to make a record.[32][35][36][37]
With his father's help, he secured a one-record deal with Verve Records, an important jazz label looking for a young and popular personality who could sing or be taught to sing.[36][37][38][39]
On March 26, 1957, he recorded the Fats Domino standard "I'm Walkin'" and "A Teenager's Romance" (released in late April 1957 as his first single),[40] and "You're My One and Only Love".[39][41]
Before the single was released, he made his television rock-and-roll debut on April 10, 1957, lip-synching "I'm Walkin'" in the Ozzie and Harriet episode "Ricky, the Drummer".[42][43]
About the same time, he made an unpaid public appearance, singing "Blue Moon of Kentucky" with the Four Preps at a Hamilton High School lunch hour assembly[40] in Los Angeles and was greeted by hordes of screaming teens who had seen the television episode.[44][45]
"I'm Walkin'" reached #4 on Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores chart, and its flip side, "A Teenager's Romance", hit #2.[36][45]

When the television series went on summer break in 1957, Nelson made his first road trip and played four state and county fairs in Ohio and Wisconsin with the Four Preps, who opened and closed for him.[46]


Source: Wikipedia.org


Somebody Come and Play in Traffic with Me! Earn as You Learn, Grow as You Go!

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