“BABY, IT’S YOU” IN PREVIEWS!”
March 28, 2011
“The new Broadway musical Baby It’s You! tells the inspiring story of Florence Greenberg, the woman who changed the recording world forever when she discovered The Shirelles and created Scepter Records, becoming the music industry’s first female powerhouse. Starring Tony Award winner Beth Leavel as Greenberg, conceived by Floyd Mutrux, directed by Floyd Mutrux and Sheldon Epps, and written by Tony nominated book writers Mutrux and Colin Escott, the team behind Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet, Baby It’s You! begins performances at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street) TONIGHT (March 26), and opens Wednesday, April 27, 2011”
Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/BABY_ITS_YOU_Begins_Previews_Tonight_20110326#ixzz1HuPNzGtS
For my articles on Florence Greenberg and the Shirelles
https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/a-tribute-to-florence-greenberg/
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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OMG BOB DYLAN SINGS “FRIDAY”!
March 28, 2011
Have you heard the biggest song in the world “Friday” by Rebecca Black or the cover of it by BOB DYLAN?
Remember…“IF IT’S ON THE INTERNET, IT’S GOTTA’ BE TRUE!”
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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Last year when my friend producer/ manager, Joel Diamond, who was under consideration to be an “American Idol” judge and I were talking about the problems facing America today. Both of us wished that we could do more to help the country that has given us so many opportunities. The next day I got an e-mail from him, which he has allowed me to reprint.
Dear Artie,
I’m not a politician or even a reality show star; I’m just a guy who loves America and everything it stands for! We are dealing with more crises at the same time than any other point in our history…but we cannot let it get us down.
While the rest of the world is in turmoil, we can proudly say that we have never turned away from a challenge because it looked too difficult or when it looked impossible.
I truly believe in America and the unifying power of music. It moved me so much that I recorded this brand new version of “UNITED WE STAND” by the Joel Diamond Experience featuring Benny Mardones and Teresa James in preparation for the 10th anniversary of 911, but I realized that America needed to hear it NOW! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5peYnpW75ro
“UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL AND IF OUR BACKS SHOULD EVER BE AGAINST THE WALL …WE’LL BE TOGETHER…TOGETHER YOU AND I.”
Your friend always,
Joel Diamond http://joeldiamond.com
Artie Wayne on the Web hopes you’ll give “UNITED WE STAND” a listen and vote in the comments below to help make it the official theme of the anniversary of 9/11
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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ELIZABETH TAYLOR R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
March 23, 2011
In 1974, when I was running Irving-Almo music, I lent one of our writers Randy Edleman out to score the first US-USSR film collaboration “The Bluebird”. Although it was a landmark event what made it memorable for me was meeting its star Elizabeth Taylor.
I was backstage at a Blood, Sweat, and Tears concert saying hello to my old high school classmate Freddie Lipsius who played sax with the group, when I was introduced to miss Taylor. It seems that they all spent some time together in the Soviet Union while the group was touring and she was filming “Bluebird”.
She smiled at me being a bit flustered and reverting to my childhood stammer as I stared into her legendary violet eyes. I gave up on trying to say, “I-I-I-I’m p-p-pleased to meet you “, and just smiled back.
It isn’t everyday you meet a legend, but when you do, you know you’re gonna’ remember it for the rest of your life Thank you for sharing your talent and your life with the world!
Ms. Taylor, May you ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
Respectfully, Artie Wayne
Here is the song “I Love You, Elizabeth” that Michael Jackson wrote for his longtime friend and performed at her 65th birthday celebration!
Here’s an excellent blog on Ms. Taylor by Sally Stevens “MY LIFE IN A DAY” http://rockphiles.typepad.com/a_life_in_the_day/2011/03/goodbye-mrs-burton-.html
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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DAILY INFORMATION ON JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF!
March 22, 2011
On Saturday I got a note from hooponopono my YouTube friend in Japan who has one of the best Michael Jackson tribute sites in the world
Hi…How are you?
Japan is now in sorrow.
Michael is a daily music to heal damaged hearts.
I applied for your friends.
♥ The best regards
You’re a great channel.
I feel the warm love Michael ♥
Then as the morning progressed I heard about some of the scams that are being used to collect money for Japanese relief and I was appalled. There is only one organization that I have complete trust in and that’s the Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.1a019a978f421296e81ec89e43181aa0/?vgnextoid=f9efd2a1ac6ae210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD
Now I’m happy to say that the Universal Music group has just made an announcement…
LONDON (Reuters) – Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber Irish rockers U2 are among the artists being featured on a digital-only album being rushed out by Universal Music to raise funds for Japan’s earthquake and tsunami victims.
Also confirmed are Rihanna, Bon Jovi and Nicki Minaj.
The world’s biggest record label aims to make the album available by the end of the week, although the lineup of artists has yet to be fully finalized. Proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross, a spokesman for the group said on Monday.
“We are doing it only digitally because it is faster, and this will be a worldwide release. The plan is to have it available later this week,” he added.
Key to the album’s success will be finding more major acts willing to waive royalties for songs that appear on the record. Lady Gaga, part of the Universal stable, may be one of the stars tapped to contribute to the album, having already raised money for the victims of Japan’s recent natural disasters by selling a special wristband.
The March 11 earthquake and tsunami left at least 21,000 people dead or missing.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
UPDATE MONDAY MARCH 28, 2011
UNIVERSAL MUSIC RELEASES PACKAGE TO AID JAPAN!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/songs-for-japan/id428401715
TO DONATE TO THE RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.1a019a978f421296e81ec89e43181aa0/?vgnextoid=f9efd2a1ac6ae210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD
ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB WILL ADD INFORMATION DAILY ABOUT OTHER LEGITIMATE EFFORTS TO AID OUR FRIENDS IN JAPAN.
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
To reach my Youtube friend hooponopono http://www.youtube.com/user/hooponopono1043
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SURVIVING EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS AND DEADLY WEATHER!
March 19, 2011
For the last ten years I’ve lived over the San Andreas Fault where the big earthquake has been predicted to hit. Am I Afraid? Hell Yeah!!! But I learned a secret that has kept me safe, which I’d like to share with you.
If we think of our planet as a living breathing entity then we have to treat it with kindness and understanding. If we pray for our Mother Earth, our collective consciousness can siphon off the negativity from our planet and reduce major conflicts within nations, calm unprecedented severe weather, as well as control the devastating power of earthquakes…but how do we do this?
In a deep meditation, it was revealed to me that I was currently one of two hundred people, all over the world from every culture and walk of life called “lesser guardians”, who are praying daily for the earth using the following technique…
in a quiet, semi-darkened room with your eyes closed, and start with a 2-2-5 breathing exercise…
1. (Inhale) hold your breath for a count of Two………1…………….2………….(Exhale)
(Inhale) hold your breath for a count of Two………1…………….2………….(Exhale)
(Inhale) this time hold your breath for a count of Five
1………….2………..3…………4…………5………(Exhale)
2. Repeat the 2-2-5 again
(Inhale) hold your breath for a count of Two………1…………….2………….(Exhale)
(Inhale) hold your breath for a count of Two………1…………….2………….(Exhale)
(Inhale) this time hold your breath for a count of Five
1………….2………..3…………4…………5……….(Exhale)
3. Visualize a flight of stairs and starting at the number 100, count backwards slowly to the number 1, seeing each number as you descend…100……………..99………………98……………etc.
When you reach the bottom say a prayer for your family, friends, and yourself, then say, “In Jesus’ name please protect this area from earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, high winds, extreme temperatures, flash floods,mudslides, and terrorists.”
Then visualize your prayers combining with other prayers in the region enveloped in a Psychic Vortex and launched to where they’re needed (by counting forward from one to 200).
Finally, say “Positive Thinking brings results I desire… Positive Thinking brings results I desire… Positive Thinking brings results I desire…I trust in God. Positive Thinking brings results I desire… Positive Thinking brings results I desire… Positive Thinking brings results I desire… Positive Thinking brings results I desire. Everything is in divine order and I am part of the divine plan.”…now say it five more times.
I’ve been performing this ritual for over ten years now…and although danger has come close I’m still here!
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
Special thanks to photographer/artist Sally Stevens for the photo at top celebrating the first day of Spring! http://sallystevens.fineartstudioonline.com/
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A@#HOLES NEVER TAKE A DAY OFF! PT.3
March 19, 2011
Recently, I got permission for a friend to videotape a private event in exchange for the use of whatever footage I appeared in. A simple arrangement which I didn’t think required a contract…I was wrong!
A few days after the event was over and I asked my former friend for a copy of my appearances he denied that we ever had such an agreement, and turned vicious when I insisted that we did.
Won’t he be surprised when the organizers of the event won’t give him permission to use any footage he shot! Do I feel bad about it, hell no, he deserves everything he gets, after all, assholes never take a day off.
It’s been about ten days since I started calling a large publisher whose recent royalty statements to me have been questionable. So far they haven’t gotten back to me, but each time I call them I record myself leaving my number…and a longer…nastier message each time.If I don’t hear from them by the end of next week, I’ll post all the messages up on YouTube and see how fast they respond!
I can’t wait until the LIVE CHARLIE SHEEN RANT AND RAVE TOUR comes to my town and exposes those “Assholes” he used to work for and prove without a shadow of a doubt that A@#HOLES NEVER TAKE A DAY OFF!
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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THE BEST OF ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB 55
March 18, 2011
JUST CLICK ON ANY TITLE BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE
“ANOTHER ANGEL IS TAKEN INTO THE CHOIR!”
“A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE” AND TONI WINE
WHITNEY HOUSTON R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
YOUTUBE…THEY’RE PLAYIN’ MY SONGS, BUT THEY’RE DOIN ME WRONG!
IS HANK WILLIAMS, JR.’S FOOT STUCK IN HIS MOUTH OR IS THAT A FOOTBALL?
MY COLORFUL ENCOUNTERS WITH BARBRA STREISAND
CAN YOUTUBE SAVE THE MUSIC BUSINESS?
10 QUOTES WORTH REMEMBERING FEATURING DAN S. WHITE
JIMMY CASTOR R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
ETTA JAMES R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
“WHERE DOES A ROCK AND ROLL SINGER GO?” BY ARTIE WAYNE
In 1963, Ed Silvers, East Coast head of Liberty Records signs me to a singles deal. He had just produced a top 10 hit with Timi Yuro, “What’s The Matter Baby,” and I’m excited that he wants to work with me. I’m starting to get a lot of action with releases by Wayne Newton, Gene Pitney, Bobby Darin, the Angels and Dorsey Burnette — and I know it’s just a matter of time before I hit!! I beg him to let me do a song I just wrote with Ben Raleigh, “(Meet Me At) Midnight Mary” —Ed likes it — but he loves “Where Does a Rock and Roll Singer Go (When His Record’s Off The Charts?)” I just sigh and produce “Midnight Mary” myself with my friend Joey Powers — which becomes Amy/Mala/Bell (now Arista) Records first Gold Record. copyright 2012 by Artie Wayne .
The True Story Behind “Midnight Mary” by Joey Powers!
In the early 60′s, I went out with a few Iranian girls who actually told me that they were brought up to tell people what they wanted to hear, then go out and do the exact opposite. One of these girls, Jamela, was the beautiful daughter of a deposed general, who was exiled to the United States along with the Shah of Iran. I admit it was exciting to wonder who was following us on our dates, her father’s bodyguards…or the Secret Service! All of this danger, brought us closer together, and she revealed many aspects of her culture I never knew about. She told me that Iranian men showed no quarter to their enemy and were fierce warriors because they weren’t afraid of dying! It was only when she told me that she feared for my safety, did I take our cultural differences seriously! We continued to see each other secretly, however, which led me to co-write my first hit song, ” ( Meet Me At) Midnight Mary” (Raleigh/ Wayne). Ben Raleigh (“Wonderful, Wonderful”, “Tell Laura I Love Her”) came up with the title, and we wrote it in a couple of hours. The next day we took it up to Larry Taylor at Bourne music, who gave us an advance and gave us money for a demo. For the next year, the publishers weren’t able to get the song recorded, then we were told that a new artist on Capitol records, Jerry Cole, had just cut it.
Although his record was good, I thought I could produce a better one. I had become good friends with one of my co-writers, Joey Powers, who had just been released from an RCA recording contract. We decided to go into the studio to do another demo good enough to become a master. We scraped up $500.00, booked Associated recording studios, hired arranger Al Gorgoni and Charlie Macey to play guitars, Buddy Saltzman on drums and Jeannie Thomas who sang all the background parts. The following week, “Midnight Mary”was turned down by every major record label in New York City! I remember playing it for my friends song plugger, Jerry Landis (Soon to become better known as Paul Simon) up at E.B.Marks music and Tony Dee, who was a promotion man for the company. They both suggested that I take my master up to Larry Uttal who had started running AMY Records. Larry, who was my former neighbor at 1650 Broadway, loved the record gave us our production costs back as well as a shitty percentage! I remember as we signed contracts he asked me if I could make the bass on the master a little bit louder? I just looked at him and said, “What bass?” Larry smiled and handed me an extra $15 out of his pocket to add a bass and do a new mix. $15 ? for a bass player And a new mix? Fortunately I had a few friends who did me some favors, including bass player, Russ Savakis. After the session I took the $15 and bought everyone hot dogs and some coconut champagne at a store around the corner from the Brill building. A few months later, I remember taking publicity pictures and being handed a gold record by Larry Uttal, who whispered, “Now this doesn’t necessarily mean it sold a million records!”
It was November 22, 1963 and I had been preparing to record the entire “Midnight Mary” album during the four day weekend. I’d been flying to Columbus, Ohio every week to rehearse Joey Powers, who was going for his Masters Degree at Ohio State. That night, as Al Gorgoni put some finishing touches on the arrangements, and Jeannie Thomas polished the background parts for her and Lettie Hamblet. Our usual crew of musicians, augmented with Paul Simon and Roger McGuinn on 12 string guitars, was going over the charts for the first session, due to start in a half-hour. Joey Powers and I were riding into the city from the airport, listening to a new record by the Beatles, “I Want To Hold Your Hand!” on the radio. Suddenly, the announcer interrupts with a terrible unconfirmed report from Washington. By the time we walk into the studio and see the tears in everybody’s eyes, we know it was true, “President Kennedy had been shot! Joey Powers recalls, “You met me at LaGuardia Airport and had a cab waiting to go to the city. You are very nervous and keep looking away from me. The cabdriver is listening to the news on his radio, but I’m preoccupied with studying the music and not paying much attention. Then you finally say the President has been shot. It happened during my flight so I was completely in the dark. I’m in such shock up that I don’t think I can do the album!” The mood in the entire nation is somber, and the collective grief in the studio over the next few days is overwhelming, but we have a deadline to meet. Al Gorgoni keeps the session moving, while Jeannie Thomas comforts us all. “What a sad day is. It takes the wind out of all of us and takes us a while to get back to working. Even when we do, it’s with a very heavy heart. but we finish the tracks over the next three days.” Gorgoni recalls, “I guess concentrating on meeting the deadline was a good way for me to avoid the emotion evoked by such a tragedy. After one of the sessions I recall a conversation with Roger McGuinn about where Folk music was heading. He predicted the whole Electric Folk Rock thing that blossomed a while later when he formed The Byrds. Imagine being in the studio with Roger McGuinn and Paul Simon, who had started to record the “Wednesday Morning 3AM album”. They were about to help establish a whole new stream of Pop music. Artie certainly could recognize talent. Even through all the sadness I was happy to be there.” Amy Records promotion man Freddie DeMann drops by, but even his usual “Shtick”, can’t lighten things up. Larry Uttal comes by as well, but he can’t even make it in to the studio and breaks down in the hall. He says just before he leaves, “I don’t know how you guys can do it.” ************************************* 
In between the tracking and overdubbing sessions, Joey and I go down to WPIX TV, where Joey tapes the Clay Cole Dance show. Clay is old friend of Joeys’, who once worked with him as an NBC page. In between takes, the mood is dark and apprehensive, while we watch all the footage of the assassination as it comes into the newsroom unedited. As we watch the surreal events unfold, I have images forever etched in my memory, including the entire 8mm Abraham Zapruder home movie clip of the Presidential Procession, in which the President is getting his head shot off! The entire staff keeps watching the tape over and over again, getting more and more depressed. I don’t know how they’re ever going to be able to show this to the public. Finally, we decide to call it a night, and arrange for Joey to come in the next day to finish up his segment with Clay. It’s hard not to think about this history changing event, and stay positive the next day. As soon as Joey is finished lip synching “Midnight Mary”, and doing an interview with Clay, we all go into the control room. Everyone is crowded around a monitor and watch the assassination of alleged JFK killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, by Texas night club owner, Jack Ruby! Stunned by another history altering day, everyone wondered what could happen next? Joey and I rush back to the studio to finish up his vocals before he has to catch a plane back to Ohio. Exhausted, I fall asleep in the cab on the way back home to the Bronx, while on the radio, Murray the K plays “This Boy” by The Beatles.” After sending my friend Clay Cole my account of the events of 45 years ago, he e-mailed me back, “Damn, Artie! Thanks for the refresher. I blanked out on that memory….. that JFK nightmare dooms any good memories of that day! copyright 2012 by Artie Wayne
I WAS AN EYEWITNESS TO THE BEATLES AT CARNEGIE HALL
.
A Brief Encounter With Paul Simon!
Paul with that “other” ArtieTop Of The Pops- Closes Down Shop
In 1964, when I became disillusioned with the music business in the U.S., my friend Paul Simon [then known as Jerry Landis], convinced me that I should go to London, where I just had a top ten hit with Helen Shapiro, “Queen for Tonight” [Raleigh/ Wayne]. At the time I was trying to get some club work in New York’s Greenwich Village, Paul introduced me to the folk scene and backed me up on guitar at the Bitter End and Gerdes Folk City. He was tired of plugging other people’s songs at E.B. Marks Music, and was hoping his debut accoustic album with Artie Garfunkle, “Wednesday Morning 3Am”, would put him on the map. His producer at Columbia, Tom Wilson, disappointed with the public and label’s response to the album, went in and overdubbed the same electric group he used to record Bob Dylan, which caused a controversy among folk purists!. I remember, Paul shaking his head and telling me how much they respected his music in the U.K. and how he longed to go back. It didn’t take much to convince me that I too, needed a change. My Liberty single “Where Does a Rock and Roll Singer Go” [Wayne], had bombed out, money was slow coming in from my songs, and Amy records, for whom I produced “Midnight Mary” [Raleigh/ Wayne], was trying to take the Artist, Joey Powers away from me, because I didn’t have any subsequent hits. As I was about to leave for London, I came down with the chicken pox and had to postpone my trip. It was during the next few weeks that I met Bess Coleman, one of the Beatles Press officers, and started writing some songs with her. When she said that she was friendly with the road manager of the Rolling Stones, and Mick Jagger was going to be staying at his apartment, I jumped at the chance to write for the group. We wrote a few songs…made a few demos…and Bess gave her friend two songs to pass along to Mick. One of them, “It Ain’t Me”, is the song I eventually sued over. I knew the Stones were slated to record in Chicago, at the legendary Chess studios, before they went to Hollywood, where they filmed the “TAMI” show…so we crossed our fingers and hoped we had made the session. We didn’t hear back from anybody…so we uncrossed our fingers and went on with our lives. My co-writer, Bess Coleman, started preparing for the Beatles to come to New York and introduced me to Jackie DeShannon, who was the opening act for the Fab Four. A As we all hung out, it was Jackie, who re-ignited my desire to go to London. She said she was going there on a promotion tour in a few weeks, and it would be a perfect time me me to go. I figured that I could still meet up with Paul Simon, and play whatever clubs were left on his tour. When I arrived at Paul’s publisher’s office, however, I found a note from him saying that he had to go back to the States to promote the reworked single of “Sounds of Silence”. I wasn’t too upset, since It gave me the opportunity to go to recording sessions and TV shows with Jackie and her new co-writer, Jimmy Page. I had time to hang out and jam with the Animals and the Moody Blues, play guitar with “Howlin’ Wolf” and “Sonny Boy” Williamson, participate in a “kidnapping” of Cilla Black, from the Palladium, by her pals, Mike Millward and Billy Hatton, of The Fourmost, and go on the “Beatles for Sale” promotional tour. It was at “Ready, Steady, Go”, while chatting up one of the dancers, I heard a few familiar lines being sung by the Rolling Stones. It sounded like the song Bess and I had given their road manager to pass along to Mick. They were celebrating the success of “Little Red Rooster”, which was their first number one record, and this was the b-side, They were celebrating the success of “Little Red Rooster”, which was their first number one record, and this was the b-side,“Off the Hook”. After the performance, I went over to Mick and told him how much I enjoyed the way he did my song…he just looked at me somewhat astonished and just walked away, without saying a word! The next day, when I bought a copy of the record, “Off the Hook” and I saw that it credited Nanker Pheldge [Jagger and Richards] as the writers! I hired David Jacobs, one of the Beatles’ lawyers, to put a temporary injunction against the single. This came as a shock to everyone, bringing a volley of threats against me. I decided it would be safer for me to keep a very low profile for the remainder of my trip to London…and I hid out with a couple of “Birds” who lived on the floor below Charlie Watts in Ivor Court. I heard that a lot of unsavory characters were out looking for me, but I managed to escape the U.K. and get back to New York unscathed. For the next five years I spent thousands and thousands of dollars seeking justice in the U.S. courts, but ultimately lost the case. It seems that the defendants claimed they wrote their song a week before I wrote mine and sang it to an engineer friend, which in the U.K. constutes a common law copyright! Although my case prompted a change of the U.S. copyright law, I was devestated, traumatized and lost my will to write. This is when I started working for an array of publishers, showing other people’s songs. It was years before I was able to write again…but now, forty years later I can talk about it… and hardly feel any pain. copyright 2012 by Artie Wayne
MICHAEL JACKSON AND THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”
June 29, 2009
It’s summer of 1973 and Ed Silvers, President of Warner Brothers Music, is losing his patience with me. He thinks I’m spending far too much time trying to get our songs cut at Motown. Although I secure songs in our catalog by some of their biggest artists, they’re only album cuts. Ed is convinced that I’ll never get a single released by Motown. I know at this point that the only way I could have a chance for a hit and escape the wrath of Ed, is to get a cover by the Jackson 5 or little Michael. There was only one staff writer at Warner Brothers music who could write in a classic R+B style, George S. Clinton, Jr. I go to the two producers who love George’s writing the most, Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson, who just had big hits with 12 year old Michael on “Rockin’ Robin” and “Little Bitty Pretty One” (which was my suggestion). They tell me that “Ben”, from the movie of the same name, is racing up the charts and Berry Gordy wants each of his producers to start recording new sides with him. I sit with Jerry and Mel and we talk about what kind of song they should record with Michael. I suggest a Christmas song, one so commercial that it could be the follow up single to, “Ben”. When I see their eyes light up, I tell them that George S. Clinton, Jr. and I have started such a song! When they ask to hear it, I tell them we were still working on it, when in fact we hadn’t even started! I can’t tell them the title, ’cause there isn’t any! I do tell them, however, that it’s a true story of how my girlfriend left me out in the cold like the last tree in a Christmas tree lot, which is left unsold on Christmas Eve. They freak out and say they had to have the finished song by Monday. I say, “No problem” I call George, who knows nothing about any of this as soon as I get back to my office. He can’t believe I told them we’d have a finished song to them by Monday, when it’s Friday and we haven’t even started. Saturday morning we meet at my office. It’s the middle of summer, about 90 degrees, but we have to get in a Christmas Mood. As I tell George about my break up with Diana last Christmas, then I start to throw Ivory Snowflakes around the room. Soon, we have the first verse and chorus.” 
“Little Christmas Tree, looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care, they just went away and left him standing there…All alone on Christmas Eve!” 
On Monday morning George does a piano voice demo, and I get it to Jerry and Mel that afternoon. They love it so much that they knock one of their own songs off the date and cut ours. I’m almost in tears when I hear the finished record the following week with the news that it’s being considered for the follow-up to “Ben”, which had just hit number one! You can imagine how I feel a few weeks later when Berry Gordy, Jr. decides not put out any follow up to the Oscar nominated “Ben”, until the Academy Awards are given out…which is after Christmas! A few days later I come up with a plan and present it to Motown. I suggest that the company puts a double albums worth of previously recorded Christmas songs by each of their hit artists, along with “Little Christmas Tree”. The double album is called “A Motown Christmas”, which includes cuts by Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross, and it’s released just in time for the holidays.” “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE” George S. Clinton, Jr. and Artie Wayne I watch the snowflakes fall against my window plain and wonder if you are watching snowflakes too? I take a walk downtown to where you used to meet me There’s joy everywhere but all that waiting there is just a… LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE Looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care They just went away and left it standing there All alone on Christmas eve I hear the Christmas bells The happy people singing The songs of the chill that only brings me tears I sadly close my eyes and say a little prayer you’ll be waiting there for me I look but all I see is LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREELooking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care They just went away and left it standing there All alone on Christmas eve This is the season of love (This is the season of love) But I’m as sad as I can be (sad as can be) Why did you have to leave me (Why did you leave me) (Why did you leave me) LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREELooking sorta sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care They just went away and left it standing there All alone on Christmas eve Copyright 1973/2009 by Warner Brothers Music NOW YOU CAN BUY “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE” BY MICHAEL JACKSON IN THE JACKSON FIVE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS ALBUM AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM 
If you liked “THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”, please feel free to share it with a friend…but if you loved it, please feel free to send it to your entire address book! MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZA…ENJOY TO THE WORLD!ARTIE WAYNE R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
We’ve all watched the extensive coverage of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford’s extraordinary medical progress after being shot last year. We’ve seen her go through music therapy that helped her regained her voice. We heard the incredible story of wounded Iraqi war hero, J.R. Martinez, who was blown up in a road side bomb attack, his painful ordeal and his remarkable recovery. Then we saw him soar on the wings of music as he won the top prize on this seasons’ “DANCING WITH THE STARS”. I became more and more inspired as I watched J.R. grow stronger and get better as a dancer every week. I realized that the healing forces within his body were not only responding to the rigorous training his partner, Karina Smirnoff, was putting him through, but also through what I call “HEALING BEATS”. In many modern dance recordings there are “sampled” rhythms and sounds that date back to early man, which were used in tribal ceremonies to promote healing, among other things. When you dance to these “HEALING BEATS”, you feel better and your body re-calibrates itself over a period of time! I believe that’s what’s happening with me as you’ll see in this two minute video directed by Wedigo “Wally” Watson.
MY MEDICAL MIRACLE!
“HEALING BEATS” FROM LADY GAGA AND MICHAEL JACKSON!
50th ANNIVERSARY OF “THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT” WITH JAY SIEGEL!
RON ANTON…ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
DOBIE GRAY R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
CONGRATULATIONS DIANE WARREN ON YOUR GRAMMY NOMINATIONS!
NEIL BOGART R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
NEIL BOGART, CASABLANCA, AND KISS
FAT CATS GET FATTER AS MY WALLET GETS FLATTER!
ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB OCTOBER BULLETIN BOARD
ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB STRIKES AGAIN…AGAIN…AND AGAIN!
AND NOW …”OCCUPY TOGETHER” AND HEIDI LITTLE “SHINE”!
ORIGINAL “WE ARE THE WORLD” REVISITED!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta Be True! Lindsay Sniffs, Paris Strips, Rosie Flips!
Artie’s Top Music Videos Of The Month! #2
BEN RALEIGH R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
THE MUSIC LIBRARY REPORT A DREAM REALIZED!
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP UNDER SIEGE!
EXTREME GRIEVING INTO EXTREME HOPE!
WHOPPY AND STREAKER, TOGETHER FOREVER!
CAN THE MEDIA SAVE ARTIE WAYNE?
ARTIE WAYNE R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
FACEBOOK FRIENDS APPRECIATION DAY!
CONGRATULATIONS ALAN O’DAY FOR BEING IN #1 MOVIE “SUPER 8”!
STEVE POPOVICH R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
ANDREW GOLD R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
“AMERICAN IDOL” FINALE…THE BEST MUSICAL SHOW I’VE EVER SEEN ON TV!
THE FIRST CLASS ACTION AUDIT AGAINST THE UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP?
COMMENTS PEOPLE HAVE MADE ABOUT MY BLOG AND MY BOOK!
DENNY DOHERTY R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
Brief Encounters With Burt Bacharach!
IS LADY GAGA A CHEERLEADER FOR THE DEVIL?
JOHN CARTER R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
AUDIT! AUDIT! AUDIT!
BIN LADEN IS GONE! “HALLELUJAH!
ANN MUNDAY FROM PUBLISHER TO PAINTER…IN JUST A FEW STROKES!
ISN’T IT FUNNY HOW CERTAIN TV SHOWS NEVER LEAVE YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS…”THE TWILIGHT ZONE” WAS ONE OF THEM. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT A PARTICULAR EPISODE THAT APPLIES TO TODAY. HERE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITES! TO SEE “TO SERVE MAN” CLICK HERE http://vimeo.com/37778819
A TRIBUTE TO FLORENCE GREENBERG!
“In the ‘50s I grew up in the Bronx and worked in my aunt’s candy store after school. I was somewhat of a nerd, but I got hipper listening to what the kids were playing on the jukebox, especially “Met Him On A Sunday” and “Tonight’s The Night”. I never dreamed that one day I’d be working for the woman behind those records, Florence Greenberg, who describes herself as “a white woman in a black business who couldn’t carry a tune.” Artie Kornfeld, “The Father Of Woodstock”, who co – wrote “Tonight You’re Gonna’ Fall In Love With Me”, for the Shirelles remembers, “Florence Greenberg was quite a gal! She was as strong as Morris Levy in business, but always kind to me. I do think that Marv Schlacter ran a lot of the company. I had no problem with Scepter Records…but I never checked my royalty statements back then either.” Singer/Songwriter Larry Weiss (“Rhinestone Cowboy”, “Bend Me, Shape Me”) adds, “I REMEMBER FLORENCE GREENBERG WAS A DYNAMIC INDEPENDENT RECORD COMPANY OWNER, WHO PEOPLE HAD TO CHASE FOR AN HONEST ACCOUNTING..INCLUDING BACHARACH & DAVID..BUT SHE WAS A STRONG FORCE IN NYC FOR MANY YEARS WITH THE SHIRELLE’S, B.J. THOMAS, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER R&B ACTS.” Russ Regan, former CEO of UNI Records and 20th Century Records adds, “I loved Florence Greenberg!! I worked for her for 3 happy years. She loved the music business; she had great Instincts for hit songs!! She loved her artists!! She was passionate about her employees!! She was truly a great human being!! They don’t make them like her anymore!!” 
Ed Silvers, former president of Warner Brothers Music, fondly remembers, “Florence gave me a great opportunity, when she and Marv Schlacter offered me a job to run the publishing arm of Scepter Records, and co-own all new copyrights I could bring to the company. During my time at Scepter, I signed Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, along with their pal Joshie Armstead. Florence was a source of information on how record companies functioned in the 60′s. She had a great feel for talent–Luther Dixon, the hot producer, Hal and Burt doing Dionne, and signing The Kingsmen from a deal she had engineered with a Seattle producer. Florencealso knew how to deal with promotion of her releases–DJ’s came to Scepter often to receive encouragement!!! I miss her to this day.” After being unceremoniously fired from a song plugging job four days after I got married, my old friend Ed Silvers hired me to write and produce for Scepter. I got a chance to work with some of the most talented people in the world. I did demos with Nick, Valerie and Joshie, and even co-wrote a couple of songs with Nick. Florence was very sensitive to her employees. When Ed went on a 2 week business trip to the UK, I’ll never forget that Florence gave me a chance to write and produce some sides on the Shirelles, the Kingsmen, and the Guess Who, as well as gave me unlimited time to experiment in her new 8-track state of the art studio. If only Ed had stayed away another week, I’m sure would’ve gotten Florence to let me cut Dionne Warwick and B.J.Thomas!” (TO BE CONTINUED) photo at top l-r Luther Dixon, Florence Greenberg, Chuck Jackson, and Marv Schlacter photo in the middle l to r Joshie Armstead, Nick Ashford, Artie Wayne, Valerie Simpson, bottom- Ed Silvers thanks to Brian Gari for the middle picture from his collectionNY TIMES OBITUARY FOR “BABY IT’S YOU”
SHIRELLES SUE “BABY, IT’S YOU” TO STOP THE OPENING TONIGHT!
SHAME ON “BABY, IT’S YOU” PUBLICISTS!
THE SHIRELLES CHRISTMAS SONG “MAMA, MY SOLDIER BOY’S COMING HOME”
“Back in 1966 I was working as a staff writer and producer for Scepter Records. Florence Greenberg who owned the company decided to re-release “SOLDIER BOY” by the Shirelles which had been number one a few years earlier, and asked me to write and produce a new b-side for it. She also suggested that to save time and money I should write the new song over the old Shirelles track, “A THING OF THE PAST, which she owned and was in the girls key. It was during the Vietnam War and I decided to write a song about a soldier returning from the front at Christmas. It’s called “MAMA, MY SOLDIER BOY IS COMIN” HOME” As far as I was concerned there were no b-sides and even though I only had three hours to write and record the song with Shirelles I was determined not to make it a throwaway. I flirted with Shirley while she was on mike until she gave me the playful performance I was looking for. We recorded just one verse at a time and while she was singing one, I was writing the next. At the end of the session, everything was finished and was released the next day!” If you liked “MAMA, MY SOLDIER BOY IS COMING HOME, please feel free to share it with a friend…but if you loved it, please feel free to send it to your entire address book! MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZA…ENJOY TO THE WORLD! AN OPEN LETTER TO OPRAH WINFREY!
HAPPY EASTER FROM ARTIE AND STREAKER!
IT’S ANIMAL APPRECIATION DAY!
RANDY WOOD R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
ADELE VERSUS TAYLOR SWIFT!
WHAT DO CHARLIE SHEEN, MORRIS LEVY, AND DONALD TRUMP HAVE IN COMMON?
OMG BOB DYLAN SINGS “FRIDAY”!
“UNITED WE STAND” OFFICIAL THEME FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF 911?
ELIZABETH TAYLOR R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
CONGRATULATIONS TO RANDY NEWMAN AND TO P.S.22 ON STATEN ISLAND!
CAROLE KING, JAMES TAYLOR AND THE RISE OF THE SINGER SONGWRITER!
PHIL OCHS AND HIS DOCUMENTARY, “THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE”
STEVEN KURTZ R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
When I moved to Hollywood in the early ‘70’s the Whiskey Au-go-go and the Troubadour were the sun and the moon in the Rock and Roll universe. If you were in the music business you went to the Whiskey to dance and you went to the Troubadour to hustle, hype, and hang out! Before I started plugging songs at Warner Brothers Music, my friend Allan Rinde, who was the west coast editor of Cashbox Magazine, hired me occasionally to write live music critiques (including Don McLean and “American Pie” at the Troubadour, which was considered his first major review) 
“Monday night was “Hoot Night” at the legendary hot spot, it was not only a place to hear new singer/ songwriters, but also a place to “Schmooze” with all of the top music reviewers, promoters, publishers, and producers. I was the new kid in town, and to gain tenure at the bar where all the “heavies” hung out, I had to make an impression fast. One night after I took my friend Olivia Newton-John dancing at the Whiskey, I asked her to stop by the Troubadour so I could make my friends at the bar “jealous”. Suddenly, dozens of people gathered around us, including all the hot shots acting like my long lost friends, wanting to be introduced…from then on I never had to buy my own drinks at the Troubadour ever again! When my friend, artist/ photographer, “Lezlie Sokol”, who once was a waitress at the club told me that she is one of the organizers of the Troubadour Family Reunion, that I’d been hearing so much about, I got excited! She told me, “On Monday night, January 17, 2011, the club will celebrate the days of the Troubadour Family (1964 to 1974) and the club itself for those of us who were there when it all was going down. “The Hoot Night” and front bar regulars, the performers, former employees, and the “Underground Tastemakers” of the time are all expected to be here on this unforgettable night!” Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne
THE TROUBADOUR FAMILY REUNION…DO YOU “QUALIFY” TO ATTEND?
THE TROUBADOUR FAMILY REUNION!
THE TROUBADOUR FAMILY REUNION…EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS…AND COMMENTS!
THE TROUBADOUR FAMILY REUNION…AND THE SWEET SONG PLAYS ON!
SURVIVING EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS AND DEADLY WEATHER!
A@#HOLES NEVER TAKE A DAY OFF! PT.3
JIM MORRISON IN 2011
TOM SNOW’S AMAZING NEW WEBSITE!
URGENT! AN OPEN LETTER TO FACEBOOK AND ALL MY FACEBOOK FRIENDS!
PHIL OCHS DOCUMENTARY OPENS FRIDAY! “THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE”
“I LOSE IT WHEN I HEAR WHITE CHRISTMAS” BY TONI WINE AND ARTIE WAYNE
“As a long time lover of pop music I’ve always been curious about the story behind the song. Knowing that many of you feel the same way, I’d like to share the story behind “I Lose it When I Hear “White Christmas”, A new song that I wrote with Toni Wine (“Groovy Kind of Love”, “Candida”) which is on the Tony Orlando and Dawn “Reunion” album. In 1995, after 20 years of being in the music business as a singer, songwriter, producer, being an exec at April-Blackwood, Warner Brothers music, and running Irving/ Almo, I had become too weak to even hold a guitar. Finally, I could no longer work at Allan Rinde’s legendary Chinese restaurant in Hollywood, Genghis Cohen, [which I named and hosted off and on for ten years]. When I kept falling down in the street, I knew that something was seriously wrong with me! I was uninsured, and was facing this crisis all alone. My two closest friends, Allan Rinde, was spending more and more time in Nashville with his fiance, Toni Wine…and Patti Dahlstrom, had moved back to Houston, to teach music and critical thinking at the Art Institute of Houston. I had taken to wearing all black, as I stumbled around the back streets of Hollywood, hoping I wouldn’t see anybody that I knew. I felt, for the first time in my life, that I had reached the end of the road. Fortunately, Patti was in town for a conference, and came over to visit. I didn’t want her to see me broke and broken…but now I’m glad I did. She convinced me to swallow my pride, and seek help from social services, which saved my life! I went to the USC medical center for 2 days of tests, and they kept me for 3 weeks. It was a few days before Christmas, I was in a ward with many who were far worse off than me…and we did our best to keep each others’ spirits up. Somehow, I lost my phone book, and the only numbers that I could remember was my Mothers’, who had moved to West Virginia, and that my long time friend Alan O’Day, who was on his way out of town. It’s a policy of most hospitals to send as many patients home for the holidays to be with their family and friends. Soon, I was the only one left in the ward, since I had nowhere else to go. One lonely night, as I sat feeling sorry for myself, I heard a group down the hall, singing Christmas carols. I followed the voices to the children’s ward…where I heard the joyous sounds of “Jingle Bells”. It was the Salvation Army, passing out toys and candy, and singing to the kids, who were confined to their beds. I joined in on “Silent Night”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, and “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer”, but when they started singing “White Christmas” tears started running down my face, and I had to sit in another room to compose myself. This song, written by Irving Berlin, always brings back memories of family and friends in a snow covered New York City blanketing me with emotions. 10 years later, I told Toni Wine (whom I’ve known since she was 14…and showed her some lyrics I had written that night “I Lose it When I Hear “White Christmas”. She loved it, but wanted to make the story more universal. Over two writing sessions, which we started on Irving Berlin’s piano Toni bought many years ago, we came up with….” “I LOSE IT WHEN THEY HEAR “WHITE CHRISTMAS” words and music by Toni Wine and Artie Wayne They can play “Jingle Bells” all day talk about Santa’s Sleigh I’m alright on a very “Silent Night” But then my tears begin when they sing I can’t join in ‘Cause I Lose it When I Hear “White Christmas” Being’ without you just ain’t no fun what kind of thrill is cookin’ for one? Can’t deny I wanna’ cry myself out Here’s to Holiday spirit don’t wanna’ be anywhere near it ‘Cause I Lose it When I Hear “White Christmas” And Baby I know…You needed to go But why did you have to leave me now? [Instrumental] Don’t feel like spreading good cheer Just wanna’ sleep in the New Year ‘Cause I Lose it When I Hear “White Christmas” ‘Cause I Lose it When I Hear “White Christmas” Copyright 2005-CasmoTwine If you like it, please feel to share it with a friend…if you love it, however, feel free to share it with your entire address book! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and best of holidays, from Artie Wayne On The Web ENJOY TO THE WORLD! Copyright 2012 by Artie WayneIRWIN PINCUS R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
IMPROVE MEMORY FAST!
EXCLUSIVE! BRUNO MARS SUICIDE WATCH?
WHY DOESN’T THE FDA APPROVE DMSO?
JOHN BARRY R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
THE NEW ELDERS STRIKE AGAIN!
DON KIRSHNER R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETITUITY!
RARE VIDEO CLIPS…ELVIS, HOLLY, PERKINS, CASH, PLUS NEW PHIL OCHS TRAILER!
BRUNO MARS…BRUNO MARS…WHO ON EARTH IS BRUNO MARS?
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011! AND THE COMING OF “THE NEW ELDERS”!
“YO-HEY” “OY VAY”…”YO-HEY” “OY VAY”…
WHAT ABOUT THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS?
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010
CLAY COLE R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
“FROM THE INSIDE” HD AMBIENT MUSIC VIDEO FEAT. JANELLE SADLER
“IF YOU CAN ONLY LIFT ONE FINGER YOU STILL CAN POINT THE WAY!”
HOW MANY THINGS DID YOU FORGET TODAY?
A#@HOLES NEVER TAKE A DAY OFF! (part two)
DO WE KNOW MORE ABOUT VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES THAN WE KNOW ABOUT THE BLACKS AND THE JEWS?
HUEY MEAUX R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
CONGRATULATIONS TO JERRY ROSS ON 50 YEARS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS!
CONGRATULATIONS DENNIS LAMBERT AND BRIAN POTTER!
SHEILAH KENT R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
When my friend, the Father Of Woodstock, Artie Kornfeld invited me to the festival in 1969, I thought it was going to be a great picnic, I wasn’t expecting a life changing experience! Back in 1967 my wife Sheilah was working at Mercury records as a secretary to Artie Kornfield (“Pied Piper”, “Dead Man’s Curve”) We hung out a lot with Artie and his wife Linda. When we got divorced I got the dog and she got the Kornfelds! Then one day Sheilah calls me up to tell me that she’s working with Artie again. It seems that he and his partner Michael Lang are putting on a music and art festival at the end of August in upstate NY at a place called Woodstock, and she’s his personal assistant. It sounds a bit disorganized, but I don’t say anything, if anyone can pull it together, they can. It’s 3 hours before Allan Rinde and Rick Bolsom, from Mercury Records, Lita Eliscu a freelance writer (Rolling Stone), Cookie the groupie, and I are scheduled to go up to the Woodstock Music and Art festival. Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang, are having serious troubles getting permits and have to change locations to Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, NY, at the last minute. Unfortunately, I’m having serious problems of my own, I can’t score any grass to take to the event! As a last resort I call my friend Heather MacRae, who’s currently starring in the smash hit, “Hair” On Broadway. She must know someone in the “Hippie” cast who can help us out. She leaves our names at the backstage door with a note to go upstairs to see her friends, James Rado and Gerome Ragni, who co-wrote the musical. When we walk into Rado and Ragni’s dressing room, they look at Allan and me suspiciously, with cameras hanging around our necks, and tape recorders dangling from our shoulders. I laugh and nervously explain that we’re not cops or from the press trying to get a story, and show them our Woodstock press pass. Fortunately they believe us and when we tell them our “predicament”, they sell us a “lid” from their personal stash (at cost) and hand us a couple of capsules of mescaline for free, in the spirit of “Peace and Love”. We thank them and go to the garage to pick up Allan’s Oldsmobile Cutlass, and our friends, then head we head off for our weekend adventure.” “Let The Sun Shine…Let The Sun Shine In…The Sun Shine In!” The festival gets off to a great start with a set by Ritchie Havens, and then it starts to rain … and rain … and rain. There’s a buzz already that this is going to be a historic event. The press tent is alive with anticipation of seeing the artists and people behind the scenes. I’m skeptical when I hear that a lawyer is taking over as head of Columbia Records, until I meet Clive Davis awash in the rain, the mud, and the good vibrations. How cool it is for the head of a record company to be out here “roughing it” like this with his artists! Although my friends and I have warm, dry accommodations, food, water, and plenty of intoxicants, a half a million other people who are also here have to rough it in the mud and the rain! We run into a completely soaked (and delightfully stoned) Artie Kornfeld, The Father Of Woodstock, who tells us that thousands of people are crashing the gates, and Woodstock has become a free concert! Starry eyed and drooling, he turns around and melts back into the crowd. Thousands of people are still pouring in after midnight and I warn my friends that we were probably going to be in the middle of a riot between the “haves” and the “have nots!” I knew that this whole “Peace and Love” thing could blowup in a minute … but no one is listening to me as they slowly passed the bong around. I don’t know if it’s my paranoia of “Drug Crazed Hippies” rushing the motel or my fear of getting my new Fry boots dirty … I just knew I had to get the hell outa’ there! After being at Woodstock less than 24 hours, I say goodbye to my friends and decide to hitchhike back to the city. I’m 27 yeas old but, hitchhiking is something I never tried before. At the side of an on ramp, I see Vince Aletti, writer for the Village Voice, who I know from the press parties I crash. He has his thumb out and looks pretty discouraged. This is his first time hitchhiking, too … but I act like a veteran and convince him that if we put on great big smiles, and act sincere … we’re bound to get a ride! In less than 10 minutes we’re picked up by a guy in an old Chevy wagon, who happens to be going all the way into the city! Just like the guys who rode the rails and became “Boxcar Buddies”, Vince and I had a shared experience that went “without a hitch”, so to speak, “Hitchhiking pals” for the rest of our lives! Finally, I’m back in my apartment, thankful to be away from all of those people … I don’t believe all those people … Damn! It’s still early, so I pack my duffel bag and grab a subway out to Coney Island, stopping only long enough to swallow a little capsule Rado and Ragni, had given me. I don’t know why, but the rest of the day is magical! I feel so much love for Everyone I run into. I don’t even notice that I’m surrounded by a million people on the beach … twice as many as there was at Woodstock … but now … somehow I don’t care!” Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne
Rock And Roll Heaven – World Exclusive!
SCOTT SHANNON AND THE TOP 40 ALL-TIME SUMMER FAVORITES FROM FORGOTTEN HITS!!
JIMMY DEAN R.I.P. “ROCK IN PERPETUITY”
THE POWER OF GOOGLE AND MY FIRST BILLION AND A HALF SEARCH RESULTS!
“TWILIGHT…ECLIPSE” FEATURING MUSE AND A NEW ERA OF ROCK!
BOB RENO R.I.P.”ROCK IN PERPETUITY”!
TOMMY JAMES’ SHOCKING NEW BOOK! “ME,THE MOB, AND THE MUSIC
LENA HORNE R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! “FROM THE INSIDE”
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN RETURNS!
DEATH OF MY SPACE…RISE OF TWITTER!
A CONVERSATION WITH FELIX THE CAT.
A TRIBUTE TO FLORENCE GREENBERG!
WHO’S GOING TO REPLACE SIMON COWELL RON FAIR OR JOEL DIAMOND?
“GLEE” RETURNS TO NUMBER ONE!
JOHNNY MAESTRO R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
JACKIE MILLS R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
NEW REV-OLA COMPILATION CD BY PATTI DAHLSTROM!
911 FACEBOOK EMERGENCY!
HERB COHEN R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
“MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO EIGHTY MILES PER HOUR!”
THE BEST 30 SECOND TV AD EVER MADE!
I LOVE ROCK AND ROLL, JOAN JETT, AND THE RUNAWAYS!
IS DAVID GEFFEN THE MYSTERY MAN IN CARLY SIMON’S “YOU’RE SO VAIN”?
DOUG FIEGER R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
“SHADOW” MANN RIDES AGAIN!
I WAS THE “HOUSE NEGRO” FOR WB FILMS DURING THE BLAXPLOITATION ERA!
BLAXPLOITATION MOVIE TRAILERS!
A FEW BLACK MUSIC MILESTONES!
EXCLUSIVE! FOX GLOATS AFTER SIGNING CONAN O’BRIAN FOR $100 MILLION!
ABRAHAM, MARTIN, AND JOHN 2010
HAVE YOU HEARD? GREAT MUSIC IS BACK!
IF I DID NOW WHAT I DID THEN, I’D BE WRITING THIS FROM JAIL!
WILLIE MITCHELL R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
AARON SCHROEDER R. I. P. ROCK N PERPETUITY
FREDDY BIENSTOCK R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
It’s fitting that Berry Gordy, Junior’s Motown Records is having its 50thAnniversary at the same time we’re celebrating Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Both men had extraordinary dreams that helped shape our minds and culture.
Although I never worked for Motown, I was up there so often that you’d think I did. From writing songs for Michael Jackson, and the Temptations to bringing Ashford and Simpson to Eddie Holland, I’ve had quite a history with the label. Here are a couple of articles I’ve written on one of the greatest American record companies that ever existed…Motown Records. 1. Ashford And Simpson…”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/08/14/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-aint-no-mountain-high-enough/ 2. Breaking The Motown Sound Barrier…Marvin Gaye…”What’s Going On?” https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/09/23/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-part-two-in-the-series-whats-goin-on/ 3. ”Lady Sings The Blues” Diana Ross and Berry Gordy too” https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/12/10/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-part-iii-lady-sings-the-blues-and-berry-gordy-too/
THE MOTOWN VIDEO JUKEBOX
ARTIE KORNFELD AND THE TRUE STORY BEHIND “DEAD MAN’S CURVE”
BILLBOARD CHANGES CHART POLICY!
WTF-K…KENNY SCHAFFER BREAKS RADIO SILENCE!
SURF’S UP ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD!
THINGS I LEARNED WHILE DRIVING WITH QUINCY JONES!
SOUPY SALES R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
EXCLUSIVE! THE ANATOMY OF A GIANT MEDIA HOAX!
SHELBY SINGLETON R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
THE DEAN PITCHFORD VIDEO JUKEBOX
IS TIME-WARNER CABLE SCREWING YOU TOO?
ELLIE GREENWICH R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
LARRY KNECHTEL R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
THANK YOU FOR ONE MILLION HITS!
DAUGHTRY VS. LAMBERT WHO IS THE MOST POPULAR “IDOL” LOSER?
CONGRATS ALAN O’DAY JULY 9, 1977 “UNDERCOVER ANGEL” HITS #1
MICHAEL JACKSON…THE GRAND FINALE!
EXCLUSIVE! THE AMAZING SHIRT I MADE FOR MICHAEL JACKSON!
MICHAEL JACKSON R.I.P ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
LOST MICHAEL JACKSON TRACK FOUND ON YOUTUBE! “TOUCH THE ONE YOU LOVE”
MICHAEL JACKSON AND THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”
THE TOP, THE BEST, AND THE GREATEST MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEOS!
THE LIFE…AND DEATH OF MTV!
NEW EXCLUSIVE ADAM LAMBERT VIDEO…TOPS EVERY “IDOL PERFORMANCE!”
NOW DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER!
“LET IT BE ME”…THE ULTIMATE LOVE SONG!
THE HEADLINE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN…ADAM LAMBERT WINS “AMERICAN IDOL”!
CELEBRATING THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF “FOOTLOOSE” AND GENGHIS COHEN!
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH PHIL SPECTOR!
“ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY!”
BMI FINDS A NEW WAY TO SCREW THE SONGWRITER!
MORE WAYS BMI SCREWS THE SONGWRITER!
BMI SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT!
When my friend, the Father Of Woodstock, Artie Kornfeld invited me to the festival in 1969, I thought it was going to be a great picnic, I wasn’t expecting a life changing experience! Back in 1967 my wife Sheilah was working at Mercury records as a secretary to Artie Kornfield (“Pied Piper”, “Dead Man’s Curve”) We hung out a lot with Artie and his wife Linda. When we got divorced I got the dog and she got the Kornfelds! Then one day Sheilah calls me up to tell me that she’s working with Artie again. It seems that he and his partner Michael Lang are putting on a music and art festival at the end of August in upstate NY at a place called Woodstock, and she’s his personal assistant. It sounds a bit disorganized, but I don’t say anything, if anyone can pull it together, they can. It’s 3 hours before Allan Rinde and Rick Bolsom, from Mercury Records, Lita Eliscu a freelance writer (Rolling Stone), Cookie the groupie, and I are scheduled to go up to the Woodstock Music and Art festival. Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang, are having serious troubles getting permits and have to change locations to Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, NY, at the last minute. Unfortunately, I’m having serious problems of my own, I can’t score any grass to take to the event! As a last resort I call my friend Heather MacRae, who’s currently starring in the smash hit, “Hair” On Broadway. She must know someone in the “Hippie” cast who can help us out. She leaves our names at the backstage door with a note to go upstairs to see her friends, James Rado and Gerome Ragni, who co-wrote the musical. When we walk into Rado and Ragni’s dressing room, they look at Allan and me suspiciously, with cameras hanging around our necks, and tape recorders dangling from our shoulders. I laugh and nervously explain that we’re not cops or from the press trying to get a story, and show them our Woodstock press pass. Fortunately they believe us and when we tell them our “predicament”, they sell us a “lid” from their personal stash (at cost) and hand us a couple of capsules of mescaline for free, in the spirit of “Peace and Love”. We thank them and go to the garage to pick up Allan’s Oldsmobile Cutlass, and our friends, then head we head off for our weekend adventure.” “Let The Sun Shine…Let The Sun Shine In…The Sun Shine In!” The festival gets off to a great start with a set by Ritchie Havens, and then it starts to rain … and rain … and rain. There’s a buzz already that this is going to be a historic event. The press tent is alive with anticipation of seeing the artists and people behind the scenes. I’m skeptical when I hear that a lawyer is taking over as head of Columbia Records, until I meet Clive Davis awash in the rain, the mud, and the good vibrations. How cool it is for the head of a record company to be out here “roughing it” like this with his artists! Although my friends and I have warm, dry accommodations, food, water, and plenty of intoxicants, a half a million other people who are also here have to rough it in the mud and the rain! We run into a completely soaked (and delightfully stoned) Artie Kornfeld, The Father Of Woodstock, who tells us that thousands of people are crashing the gates, and Woodstock has become a free concert! Starry eyed and drooling, he turns around and melts back into the crowd. Thousands of people are still pouring in after midnight and I warn my friends that we were probably going to be in the middle of a riot between the “haves” and the “have nots!” I knew that this whole “Peace and Love” thing could blowup in a minute … but no one is listening to me as they slowly passed the bong around. I don’t know if it’s my paranoia of “Drug Crazed Hippies” rushing the motel or my fear of getting my new Fry boots dirty … I just knew I had to get the hell outa’ there! After being at Woodstock less than 24 hours, I say goodbye to my friends and decide to hitchhike back to the city. I’m 27 yeas old but, hitchhiking is something I never tried before. At the side of an on ramp, I see Vince Aletti, writer for the Village Voice, who I know from the press parties I crash. He has his thumb out and looks pretty discouraged. This is his first time hitchhiking, too … but I act like a veteran and convince him that if we put on great big smiles, and act sincere … we’re bound to get a ride! In less than 10 minutes we’re picked up by a guy in an old Chevy wagon, who happens to be going all the way into the city! Just like the guys who rode the rails and became “Boxcar Buddies”, Vince and I had a shared experience that went “without a hitch”, so to speak, “Hitchhiking pals” for the rest of our lives! Finally, I’m back in my apartment, thankful to be away from all of those people … I don’t believe all those people … Damn! It’s still early, so I pack my duffel bag and grab a subway out to Coney Island, stopping only long enough to swallow a little capsule Rado and Ragni, had given me. I don’t know why, but the rest of the day is magical! I feel so much love for Everyone I run into. I don’t even notice that I’m surrounded by a million people on the beach … twice as many as there was at Woodstock … but now … somehow I don’t care!” Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne
HANDS UP…YOU’RE COVERED!
FIRST PHOTO OF NEW WHITE HOUSE DOG!
WHEN CENSORSHIP RULED THE EARTH!
F#@K MUSIC CENSORSHIP!
30 VIDEOS OF OSCAR WINNING SONGS!
ANGELINA JOLIE ASLEEP IN MY BED! SARAH JESSICA PARKER UNDRESSED!
VALENTINE’S DAY VIDEOS…69 TOP LOVE SONGS FOR 2010!
PRESIDENT OBAMA NOW ON “TWITTER”… “A TWEET IS WORTH 1000 WORDS!”
SWIFT, LIL’ WAYNE SWEEP GRAMMYS! THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY!
BUDDY HOLLY R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
TWITTER…A TWEET IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!
CLINT BALLARD JR.- R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
WHOPPY, R.I.P. ROCK IN PURR-PETUITY!
MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY ON TOP OF ZAC EFRON AND VANESSA HUDGENS!
It’s fitting that Berry Gordy, Junior’s Motown Records is having its 50thAnniversary at the same time we’re celebrating Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Both men had extraordinary dreams that helped shape our minds and culture. Although I never worked for Motown, I was up there so often that you’d think I did. From writing songs for Michael Jackson, and the Temptations to bringing Ashford and Simpson to Eddie Holland, I’ve had quite a history with the label. Here are a couple of articles I’ve written on one of the greatest American record companies that ever existed…Motown Records. 1. Ashford And Simpson…”Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/08/14/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-aint-no-mountain-high-enough/ 2. Breaking The Motown Sound Barrier…”What’s Going On?” https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/09/23/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-part-two-in-the-series-whats-goin-on/ 3. ”Lady Sings The Blues” and Berry Gordy too” https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/12/10/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-part-iii-lady-sings-the-blues-and-berry-gordy-too/
50 YEARS OF MOTOWN RECORDS!
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DICK CLARK R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
LIKE EVERY KID IN THE LATE FIFTIES, I GREW UP WITH AMERICAN BANDSTAND AS A SAFE PLACE TO GO WHEN I WAS CHASED HOME AFTER SCHOOL. THE DANCERS WERE BROTHERS AND SISTERS I NEVER HAD, AND DICK CLARK WAS THE FATHER I NEVER KNEW. IN MY SPECTROPOP INTERVIEW WITH PRODUCER JERRY ROSS (“SUNNY”, “SUNDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME”, “98.6”) JERRY REMEMBERS DICK, “When I was starting out, One of my instructors took a liking to me and she set up a live on-camera audition with the general manager of WFIL-TV, Jack Steck. He handed me a copy of the Daily News and said, “OK, now ad lib.” AW: And then what? JR: They hired me! I found out that they had just fired the host of the local Bandstand show, Bob Horn, that day, and brought in radio personality Dick Clark to replace him. Dick had an afternoon DJ show called the Caravan Of Music and played artists like Joni James, the Four Aces and Tony Bennett. Dick didn’t know Chuck Berry from a strawberry! But, he learned very quickly by surrounding himself with local and national promotion people, who knew where the hits were happening – Red Schwartz, Matty Singer, Danny Davis. Dick was doing both shows, so I took over as DJ for Caravan Of Music three days a week. I was a DJ for WFIL radio, and then I would go over to the TV studio and do the station breaks, introduce Dick and do some commercials for Bandstand! AW: [Laughs] Sounds like they had you running! JR: Two months later the TV show went national and became American Bandstand! I was one of Dick’s first announcers. I was staff there for about two years. . AW: Those were the golden years of Bandstand – the first national TV show that was totally dedicated to playing pop music! JR: Between the charisma of the kid’s dancing – they were the stars – that great “music of your life” and the “Dick Clark appeal”, the show just exploded! During that time, we didn’t have a green room, and all of the top artists of the day – Bobby Darin, Chubby Checker, Connie Francis, Pat Boone, Neil Sedaka – would come in and hang out in my booth with their managers and promotion people while waiting to go on the show. So I got to meet a lot of movers and shakers early on.” 
ABOUT TWENTY LATER I WAS OUT IN MALIBU VISITING MY FRIEND AND CLIENT RADIO SPOT MAKER JOE KLEIN… We were walking down the beach when we run across a couple of girls from Pepperdine, who tell us about a party at Dick Clark’s house. I alwayswanted to meet, one of America’s most popular DJs, TV hosts, and creator of the American Music Awards, and there’s no better time than now. As we boldly walk into his house, I tell Joe I that I don’t know Dick, but just act like we belong there. Then a suspicious Charlie O’Donnell, Dick’s long time announcer, walks over to us. I shake his hand and tell him we met in Mel Bly’soffice, up at Warner Brothers Music. He breaks into a smile, and welcomes us to Dick’s private birthday party, and takes us in to meet the man himself! We wish him a Happy Birthday, and he acts as if he’s known us all of our lives. Although he’s been talking to some of his friends, he takes a few minutes to bring a couple of ice teas over to Joe and me, who are sitting on the couch. As Dick leans down to hand me the tall frosty glass, I imagine that the drink is a microphone, and he is interviewing me on American Bandstand. I suddenly have an urge to say, “I’m Artie Wayne, from the East Bronx, and I go to the High School of Music and Art.”, I but I don’t. I learned a long time ago that by sometimes saying less, you can leave more of an impression. * 
Dear Artie, In 1963,after growing up watching American Bandstand ,Steve Duboff,my writing partner and I fond ourselves with a top 40 hit called “The Pied Piper”.There we were performing on Dicks show.After the show Mr.Clark requited that we meet him and wanted to talk about our unusual success landing all the even minor hits we had.He was a gentleman and gracious.I flashed back to watching Bandstand and then running out to buy “Get a Job”.Bandstand built my record collection and lit the fires that led to mr success making music.
DICK CLARK WAS MORE THAN JUST A HOST AND MADE STARS OF A LOT OF ARTIST. THEY ALL TALK ABOUT HOW HE WAS THE BEST HOST WHICH HE WAS AND WHAT HE DID FOR THEM AS FAR AS A CAREER. DICK’S FAMILY AND MY FAMILY WERE VERY CLOSE FRIENDS HIS KIDS AND MY KIDS PLAYED TOGETHER. HE WAS THE VERY BEST!!!! MY FAMILY WILL MISS HIM. MY HEART GOES OUT TO KARI AND THE CHILDREN ROCK ON DICK
In 1970 when Don Fischel and I started Heller-Fischel and Irving was our Junior Agent Dick Clark was our 1st Landlord at 9120 Sunset Blvd. $150.00 dollars a month and on Fridays he would bring us Lunch. Paull Revere and The Raiders were right up the hall. Dick was the kindest, nicest most respectful human being that I ever met. He set the bar at the very highest level of Humanity, Class and GOOD TASTE. I never, ever saw him turn any of us down when we came to him for a favor. NEVER. I mean, my God people “HE WAS DICK CLARK”, he didnn’t HAVE to help anyone. When I’d see him over the years at Events, etc. I always felt the same warmth eminate from his persona. Hey man, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, R.I.P. and enjoy your next life, UPSTAIRS, my brother. YOU PERSONIFY ROCK AND ROLL.
Lenny Welch…”YOU DON”T KNOW ME”…Hi Artie, The first time I met Dick Clark I was 19 years old . My hit record at the time was “YOU DON’T KNOW ME” . His show was in Philadelphiaat the time and his office was no bigger than a small closet. I was very nervous at the time but he put me at ease. Since that time , I have done his show many times and he was always kind to me. In my day, if you wanted to see who was singing the hit songs you liked, you would turn on Dick Clark.
Bruce Belland…Four Preps…(“26 MILES”)…What can you say – a great friend of mine and the Preps. A generous, brilliant and decent guy. I’ll miss him dearly..
I am glad for the opportunity to briefly eulogize such a special person. I was lucky enough to go from being a teenager watching AB on a black & white Sylvania TV, to actually appearing 3 times on the show. Dick Clark was always cordial & professional, even working up a little on-air “piece of business” about having a stagehand toss me a large pillow so I could sit a little higher on the piano bench. But beyond my personal experience, here was a man who did a great deal for racial integration, quietly but powerfully, with the artists he featured (not to mention, eventually, the dancers). This “equal opportunity music” was so important to America as a country, and set a great standard.
Artie–When i was 15 growing up in Philly, a couple of buddies were going out with a few girls from South Philly who danced on Bandstand Friday afternoons. Somehow I got talked into going because the girls could get us in. Dick Clark was the epitome of suave. And he was nice when the camera was off, too. That day I was determined to stay in the bleachers but I gave in when I was dragged on the dance floor for slow song. While dancing I got the button on my jacket sleeve stuck in my partner’s hair. When the record ended we were still stuck and of course Dick was standing next to us with his mike and a camera. Could be the most embarrassing moment of my youth.--Rich Podolsky, author of ”Don Kirshner: The Man with the Golden Ear.” (RJP2001@aol.com)
Julia Negronremember the very first New Year’s Rocking Eve… with guests Three Dog Night! http://entertainment.time.com/2011/12/30/dick-clark-photos-in-memory-of-an-american-icon/?iid=ent-category-mostpop1#clark_02
Dick Clark was an icon and the bridge for many generations. Always decent, always consistant, always making othe people comfortable.
being on AB was a delight. the whole show dedictated to the music and the fans…..and dick clark was the first to do it in such a big manner. certainly the first to celebrate the spirit of the new music and those who welcomed and lived it. I’ve always doubted whether he would have been so succesful had he tried to be anythign else than what he was….no weird outfit or hip DJ name, not even from a hip trend setting town. a strangely perfect delivery system for parents and cautious broadcasters. One of the unique things about Dick Clark was his absolute attention to the details of his guests. He had savant level retention for names and little personal facts. Another icon in the biz with that kind of capacity is Clive Davis….almost total retention of all he takes in. Strange that both of them were so straight, so not musicians themselves, but had such unelivable impact on transcultural aesthetics. One of my favorite takes on Dick was offered by Johnny Carson who imagined Clark getting home from another day of Show Biz moguldom, stepping into his Malibu beach front home…his wife handing him favorite cocktail, they chat for a minute and then he steps out of his house, walks across the beach sand step into the surf and takes a sunset walk upon the water….. what a symbol of exciting times past!
Today I have lost my good friend, Dick Clark. Without him, I would not have had a career in the music business. He was always there for me whenever I called him on the phone. We’d sit in his office and just recall the wonderful early years of rock and roll. Without Dick Clark, rock and roll music would have never had the impact that it had. Because of American Bandstand the world was introduced to all of the great rock and roll artists that appeared on his show. On a recent CD that I just put out of my music, Dick wrote some of the liner notes. He was a good friend and I cannot even put into words how much I loved him and how much I will miss him. Rest in peace my good friend. 
Hi Artie,
HERE’S CHUBBY AND “THE TWIST”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BeD8Rp-6_vc
Remembering Dick Clark, who gave generations the chance to dance!
By Dawn Lee Wakefield of the National Examiner Classic Rock Music Examiner Baby boomers and music lovers have lost another icon today, as Dick Clark, host of “American Bandstand,” is dead, at age 82. WKYT, the CBS affiliate inPhiladelphia announced that Mr. Clark’s representative, Paul Shefrin, said that the perennially youthful Clark “had suffered a massive heart attack” and died. CNN reporter Alan Duke noted that the death occurred during an outpatient procedure atSt. John’sHospital inSanta Monica. Just 10 years ago this week, Mr. Clark had hosted the taping of “American Bandstand’s 50th: A Celebration” program at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium inPasadena,California. Unquestionably, his passing strikes a chord in the hearts of four decades of teenage viewers, who grew up watching “American Bandstand,” with Mr. Clark as their favorite host. In the industry of showcasing great rock and roll music, Mr. Clark reigned supreme. He presented chart-topping recording artists each week, as he brought national stars into your own living room with such frequency that you never wanted to miss a broadcast. He also introduced the country to new, up and coming artists, who were destined to become household names. The “Bandstand” show itself had a format that was ever as much as a showcase for initially unknown Philadelphia high school students to be considered “the dancers to emulate,” as teenagers across the country learned how to do the latest steps by watching the teens each week. Dick Clark gave all of us a chance to dance. Continue reading on Examiner.com Remembering Dick Clark, who gave generations the chance to dance – National classic rock music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/classic-rock-music-in-national/remembering-dick-clark-who-gave-generations-the-chance-to-dance#ixzz1sSAbiNNG EXTRA! WHILE SEARCHING FOR SOME AMERICAN BANDSTAND VIDEOS I FOUND A 14 MINUTE CLIP OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW IN 1982…WHICH IS EXTRAORDAINARY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E5xy6gjnt4&feature=related EXTRA! EXTRA!! THEN I FOUND A RALPH EDWARDS “THIS IS YOUR LIFE” FEATURING DICK CLARK THAT WAS JUST POSTED WITH ONLY 33 VIEWS SO FAR! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgPxz1VNU0E&feature=related BARRY MANILOW TELLS THE STORY AND SINGS THE AMERICAN BANDSTAND THEME http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-2Zgc8Aqug 
L to R – DICK CLARK, FABIAN, BOBBY RYDELL, AND FRANKIE AVALON Thank you Dick Clark for all that you’ve given us R.I.P., MAY YOU ROCK IN PERPETUITY! Respectfully, Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/celebrating-two-million-views-today-on-artie-wayne-on-the-web/2
Adventures Of “The Warner Raiders” – When Song Pluggers Ruled The Earth!
On the morning of the promotion, Teri Garr, the dancer, is a no-show, at which point Stephen Craig Aristei jumps in and says, “I can dance!!”. I got down from the window ledge and said, “If you dance today …you’ll be a “Warner Raider” tomorrow!! Well, Craig became a “Warner Raider”…and “I Want To Be Happy” was cut by Sammy Davis, Jr. and wound up on the b-side of his million selling, “Candy Man”! Over the years Craig has become one of the “Unsung Heroes” of our business, and one of the best song men I’ve ever known! Copyright 2008 by Artie Wayne“TWITTER” GOES DOWN THE SHITTER!
TWITTER APOLOGIZES…I ACCEPT!
Happy Belated Birthday, Cameron Crowe!
A Song Of Simpler Times- Of Kitty Cats And Nursery Rhymes
A CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH VIDEO SPECTACULAR!
GREAT LAST MINUTE GIFS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY FREE!
FREE CHRISTMAS VIDEOS, FREE HANUKKAH VIDEOS AND FREE HOLIDAY VIDEOS!
“CHRISTMAS IN MALIBU”…NOW A CERTIFIED CULT CLASSIC!
THE STORY BEHIND THE MOTOWN CHRISTMAS ALBUM!
10 HOLIDAY MUSIC VIDEOS THAT DON”T SUCK!
ALAN GORDON R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY
MOVIE MONSTERS I’VE KNOWN AND FED!
EXCLUSIVE PHOTO! THE SECRET SERVICE TRICKED BY SARAH PALIN AND TINA FEY!
R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY ARCHIVES
JERRY WEXLER R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
ISAAC HAYES R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
ELVIS PRESLEY 1/8/35 – 8/16/77 “On August 16, 1977, Elvis passes away at Graceland and the world mourns, but I feel guilty about crying over him. I was laughed at in my neighborhood, back in the Bronx, for liking and trying to emulate him. It angered the Black community that he allegedly said, “The only thing “Colored” people can do for me is shine my shoes and buy my records.” That afternoon my friend, DJ, Scott Shannon comes over to the house, and gives me a large picture book on Elvis and his life. I thank him with tears in my eyes and apologize for being so emotional. Then I tell him why I feel so badly. Then Scott says, “Artie, How could anybody who loved the blues, R&B and gospel music as much as Elvis did, ever say such a horrible thing. Isn’t listening to “In The Ghetto”, enough to convince you where his heart was really at?” I realize Scott’s right, and let go of those negative thoughts. I put on a cut by Elvis from the first album I ever had, a present from Mother 20 years ago.” by Elvis Presley from 1957 Ed Sullivan Show. “Peace In The Valley”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAJLB9IhrI4 Then Scott and I sat around all afternoon and listened to Elvis’ best songs.including “Heartbreak Hotel” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_1K6h1WFC0 Alan O’Day (Rock And Roll Heaven, Undercover Angel) recalls, “I remember my high school innocence, my passionate love affairs that existed purely in fantasy, and the exquisite pain at being rejected by a girl I worshiped. It was probably the same week that I had bought the 45 of “Heartbreak Hotel”. But when I discovered the breakup ballad “I Was The One” on the “B” side, it reached right through to my heart. The lyric spoke to exactly what I was feeling, and made it poetry. Elvis was so real to me because he knew my suffering. It was a very personal experience, and helped shape me as a songwriter.” “Don’t Be Cruel” A clip from Ed Sullivan Show 1956.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6D206o0Hws&feature=related from Milton Berle “Texaco Star Theater” show 1956. “Hound Dog”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5JALwwaASg “In the summer of 1956, I went to visit some relatives in Portsmouth Ohio. I knew somehow it was going to be a special Sunday. I went to my first bar-b-que, had my first beer, and stole my first kiss. When we got back to my aunt and uncle’s house, everyone was hovering around the TV set mesmerized by some singer who’s on the Steve Allen TV show. He’s a cool looking guy with a pompadour, sideburns and a guitar who is singing to a hound dog. When I see my cousins and their friends screaming and crying, this electrifying moment changes my life forever! I’m 14 years old and up until now, I wanted to be either a Nuclear Physicist, or a Clown. Now I want to be a Rock and Roll Star…a Rock and Roll Star, just like Elvis Presley!” Ed Sullivan show with clips from Elvis’ first movie “Love Me Tender”!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZBUb0ElnNY&feature=related Title song from the Hal Wallis 1957 movie “Jailhouse Rock”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzV_0l5ILI&feature=related “Baby I Don’t Care” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SovkqRVsim8 Publicist, Bobbi Cowan recalls, “As a teen, I saw him at the old Pan Pacific Auditorium…I used to hang at a hot dog stand on Beverly Blvd, near the entrance to Pan Pacific…it was called the Kosher Puppy…They had a jukebox that had all of Elvis’ early hits, and I went broke feeding nickels into that box, to hear “Teddy Bear,” “Teddy Bear” from “Loving You” 1957.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhdUucs8AlY&feature=related
Ms. Cowan continues, “I must have been 17, or 18, when I was introduced to one of Elvis’ guys, and struck up a friendship with him. I think his name was James, and he invited me to come up to the house on Perugia Way in Bel Air. I would hang out, learned to shoot pool, but mostly just hang out. I’d watch Elvis, his entourage, the starlet- de- jour, all draped over a huge L-shaped couch, watching TV with the sound off, with Elvis’ music playing. He’d put a cigarette to his lips, and 10 guys would be there with lighters… An indelible image, this lanky, gorgeous, larger than life person, holding court night after night, while someone named Priscilla waited for him at something called Graceland…and yet, he was very sweet, very polite, very nice to me and the other young girls who were lucky enough to get an invitation to Perugia.” From “King Creole” 1958 “Trouble”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrzPmUASBho “I’m excited when my uncle Mick tells me that a famous songwriter Sid Wyche (“Whole Lotta’ Shakin’ Goin’ On”), has just renteds the second story of his two-family house. As I start to walk upstairs to play Sid a few of my songs, he runs down the stairs nearly knocking me and my uncle over. He apologizes, and excitedly says, that he just got a $10,000 check from Hill and Range Music, as an advance against royalties for a song that Elvis Presley just recorded, “Big Hunk Of Love”. Sid momentarily forgets that his wife is waiting for him in the car to go cash the check and takes us upstairs to play us Elvis’ record. I’m screaming in hysterics, “Louder, Louder!” Sid’s jumping up and down and we ignore the horn frantically beeping outside as we play Elvis’ record over and over!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f78tRmbike8&feature=related From “Blue Hawaii” 1961.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdYHivTvQCU&feature=related “After being a staff writer at Aldon Music (Carole King, Barry Mann, Neil Sedaka, etc.), and working with songwriter/producer Paul Vance (“Itsy, Bitsy, Teenie, Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”, “Catch A Falling Star”), I went independent. 
I started writing with music vet, Ben Raleigh (“Wonderful, Wonderful”, “Tell Laura I Love Her”), and as Ben and I start to place songs all over town, one of my dreams comes true. Ben takes me up to Hill and Range Music, to meet Freddy Bienstock, who runs Elvis Presley’s publishing companies. He asks us if we’d like to write a song for Elvis’ next movie, “It Happened At The World’s Fair” I know this is my big chance, as Ben and I reach for the stars. We write a song for Elvis to sing on top of the Space Needle in Seattle, called “Where Do You Want The World Delivered?” Although Col. Parker, calls and tell Ben and Me, that Elvis loves the song, and we’re definitely going to be in the film, we’re knocked out at the last minute by a beautiful songwriter, who is on the set and has Elvis’ ear (among other things). Ben and I continue for the next year and a half to work on Elvis movies. Writing for, “Kid Galahad”, “Fun In Acapulco”, and “Kissin’ Cousins”. Unfortunately, none of our songs are used, but I treasure the advance checks we would receive from Gladys Music, which had Elvis’ picture on them! I swear I’ll never cash them unless I really need the money, which is usually an hour or so after I have the check in my hand. “It Happened At The World’s Fair” 1963 “Return to Sender”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z54-QHEZN6E Singer/actor, Eddie Hodges, says, “Elvis was a quiet man when I met him. I had a very small role in his movie, “Live A Little, Love A Little,” but he was very kind to me. He didn’t mind when I had to do 5 or 6 takes of a very simple scene. He was at home on the movie set and very attentive. I guess I had expected him to be kind of wild and boisterous, but that was not the case. He ran lines with me, worked out a realistic way I was to knock him down in one scene and was friendly every day. He liked jokes and told some good ones. I was smoking a Dutch cigar one day and, when he asked about them, I gave a few to Elvis. The next day, there was a whole pack of those cigars on my chair on the set. We talked about karate and he showed me some moves – even had the prop man set up a brick for him to break. He liked my square-toed boots and asked me where I got them – I heard he bought a half-dozen pair like them in all available colors. We also talked about things we did back home in Mississippi, like squirrel hunting. His boys were around him all the time – I talked a lot with Charlie Hodge, Elvis was a great person, but kind of sad. I think he was getting a divorce from Priscilla about that time, and I felt sad for him. It was a memorable time. I never had any contact with Elvis after that. I could not help but be impressed with how down-to-earth and laid back he was.” “Elvis, ‘68 Comeback Special! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tthEpLS69fo 
“I visit Hollywood, for the first time , about a month after the Comeback Special airs, and meet the producer/director Steve Binder and musical director, Bones Howe (the 5th Dimension, the Turtles, the Association), at a screening. I congratulate Bones for being the first producer ever to get a production credit on an Elvis Presley record with, “I Can Dream”. Then Steve shared a couple of stories with me, that happened during the taping…I wanted to hear more but then the movie started.”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonK5kcWKKo&feature=related “In The Ghetto”, Live 1970 performance…”In The Ghetto”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ox1Tore9nw Live Performance M-G-M Grand Hotel “Suspicious Minds”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBmAPYkPeYU&feature=related Live + Elvis and Pricilla Home Movies…”You Were Always On My Mind”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI94AsuvUUA&feature=related ‘Live In Hawaii” Special… “My Way” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlKJ-0bnxdA “Even though Elvis has left the building…his spirit is alive in everyone who hears his music, sees his movies, or watch his videos!…” Scott Shannon adds… “Elvis was more than just a performer, he impacted modern culture in so many ways, he changed the way people sang, dressed and behaved, both in America and around the world. To this day, you can go just about anywhere on this earth and say the one name: “Elvis”, and its pretty damn likely that you will get a response from someone.and probably even a smile!” May you Rock In Perpetuity! Elvis Presley 1/8/35 – 8/16/77 Special thanks to Scott Shannon, Eddie Hodges, Bobbi Cowan , Alan O’Day, and Steve Binder, for their contributions. Copyright 2012 by Artie Wayne
69 SIZZLING SUMMER VIDEOS!
TOP SUMMER CLASSIC MUSIC VIDEOS!
ARTIE’S HOT SUMMER MUSIC VIDEOS!
THE TOP, THE BEST, AND THE GREATEST PATRIOTIC MUSIC VIDEOS!
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AL GALLICO R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
Artie Wayne On The Web…Strikes Back!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta Be True! “Pirates 3″ Tops B.O. Sinks Competition!
Star Studded Nights At Genghis Cohen!
Artie’s Top Music Videos Of The Month! #3
If It’s On The Internet It’s Gotta Be True! Angelina Jolie And The Naked Truth!
HANK MEDRESS R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
My Brief Encounters With Herb Alpert And Jerry Moss And Why I Left A&M Records
Exclusive! Star Trek,”Rodenberry’s Box” – Michael Piller Chapt. 2 Download Now!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta Be True! Lindsay Sniffs, Paris Strips, Rosie Flips!
Artie’s Top Music Videos Of The Month! #2
BEN RALEIGH R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
In 1963, I was writing songs and producing records under my real name, Wayne Kent, and my friend Jerry Landis, who was about to change his name to Paul Simon, was a song plugger for E.B. Marks music. I was thrilled when he asked me if I’d like to meet his producer at Columbia records, Tom Wilson, who had started producing the “Wednesday Morning 3:00 AM” acoustic album. We adjusted our ties and sport jackets, as we waited on the couch in the A&R dept. at Columbia records then…Tom Wilson’s door opened. I was surprised to see a nattily dressed, 6’3″ black man emerge ( Paul never mentioned his ethnicity) followed by a scrawny pale white guy in a gray suit and a pink dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. I recognized him from the album cover I’d been playing for about a year, “Bob Dylan”, which John Hammond produced. Jerry ( I mean Paul ) introduced me to them as Wayne Kent and we had a casual conversation which I honestly don’t remember. I do, however, remember the feeling that I had being in the presence of greatness that was yet to be realized. Three men who would eventually change the course of popular music, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Tom Wilson! The next time I was introduced to Dylan was about a year later, when I was recording and writing under the name, Artie Wayne. I just had a hit as a writer and producer with Joey Powers and, “Meet Me At Midnight Mary”( Raleigh/ Wayne) , but royalties were slow coming in. Paul Simon, convinced me to start playing showcases at the Bitter End and Gerde’s Folk City in Greenwich village, so I could get some work and even offered to play back-up guitar. During a break after one of our sets, I was standing by the rail of the Tin Angel, all decked out in neatly creased denim, when an old pal from 1650 Broadway, Al Kooper walked over. The last time I saw him was when he was riding high on the charts with a song that he wrote, “This Diamond Ring”, by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. I hardly recognized him, with his hair down to his shoulders, black boots and a cape that almost touched the ground. I also couldn’t stop raving about his organ playing on “Like A Rolling Stone”. As we were catching up on old times, Bob Dylan, looking “Positively 4th Street” walks over and reminds Al that they have to be somewhere. Al introduces me to Bob as Artie Wayne, who stares at me with a slight look of recognition in his eyes. I didn’t say anything, cause I figured he’d never remember our first encounter anyway! In 1969, I was recording under the name Shadow Mann, and was going around the country promoting my album, “Come and Live With Me!” On my trip back to New York, I saw that a concert promoter friend of mine, Ron Delsoner was putting on a show with Laura Nyro. I asked if I could get a couple of tickets, but they were sold out. Then he invited me to stand with some of his friends backstage and watch the show from the wings. One of those friends turned out to be Bob Dylan. I was a bit embarrassed to meet him this time dressed in my evening Shadow outfit, which included a custom made black suede jacket with a Giant Red Eagle on the back, black suede bell bottoms, and a big black floppy hat. Ron proudly introduced me to Bob, as his old friend Shadow Mann. I noticed Bob glancing at me from time all during Laura’s concert…then halfway through the show, he looked at me, smiled enigmatically, and said, “Are you holding? (slang for do you have any drugs?) Shit if I had, I’d have a more exciting end to this story! Copyright 2007 by Artie WayneBrief Encounters With Bob Dylan!
A Few More Quotes Worth Remembering!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta Be True! People’s First Skank Of The Week!
Nickelback Video- “If Everyone Cared”… And The Return To Relevance!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta’ Be True! Startling Discovery Made On Al Gore’s Lawn!
VAN MCCOY R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
Isn’t It Time To Turn The Television Off… And Get Back To Our Senses?
ExaminingAnimal Rights And Wrongs!.
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Discover New Ways Of Opening The Mind And Retrieving Lost Memories!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta’ Be True! Excusive!- Bald Britney Arrested At Airport!
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Brief Encounters With Brian Wilson
Time-Warner Cable Horribly Out Of Sync!
NORMAN WHITFIELD R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY
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PREVIEW ALAN O’DAY’S AMAZING NEW CD!
ALAN FREED R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta’ Be True! Excusive! Is Al Gore An Energy Whore?
DENNY DOHERTY R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
Brief Encounters With Burt Bacharach!
SIDNEY SHELDON R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
Proudly Embracing The Paranormal!
Stax Records And A Paranormal Connection!
Okay, Enough Frivolity! It’s A Good Time To Cats Up On The Interviews You Missed!
Peaking In A Chinese Restaurant!
Exclusive! Star Trek,”Rodenberry’s Box” – Michael Piller Chapt. 2 Download Now!
If It’s On The Internet, It’s Gotta Be True! Lindsay Sniffs, Paris Strips, Rosie Flips!
Brief Encounters With Leiber And Stoller!
Come On…Get On…The Bus Boy Bus! They’re Servin’ Up A Really Good Time!
New Beatles Remix – All You Need Is Blood! Plus The Banned Beatle Album Cover!
Why Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard, Wasn’t Invited to The Tomkat Wedding!
It Was Women And Children First…The Day The Bubblegum Bubble Burst!
When The S#@t Hits The Fan, It’s The Man With The Tan Who’s Always The First To Go!
Exclusive! – Bush And Rumsfeld Fistfight On White House Lawn Should’ve Been A Clue!
Play Me Something Bubblegummy – “Chewy, Chewy”, “Yummy, Yummy , Yummy”!
“Let Sleeping Bitches Lie” – Dixie Chicks Stirring Things Up Again!
A Brief Encounter With Paul Simon!
My One And Only Unforgettable Encounter With John Lennon – Imagine
The Naked Truth about John Lennon and Yoko Ono, And An Outraged Sissy Spacek!
“Back in 1968, I was recording an album under the name Shadow Mann for the legendary Morris Levy. During the recording of one of my tracks, a cute little girl with a giant guitar case, walked into the control room. Ron Haffkine ( Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show), who was producing my album, jumped up, introduced himself…and then he introduced me as Shadow Mann. He got our engineer, Brooks Arthur, to play the track back as I danced around the studio. Sissy and I hung out over the next few months. She played me and Ronnie quite a few songs she had written, on a guitar that was almost as big as she was…but we didn’t hear that special song that could make her a star. Just before I left on a trip to California, a couple of free-lance writers Ron and John, (whose last names I don’t remember) brought a song to me that was a comment on the controversial John Lennon and Yoko naked LP album cover of “Two Virgins”. I suggested A few lyric changes and flew off to California for 10 days. When I returned I was surprised that my partner, Kelli Ross, had signed Sissy to our record label and Ronnie Haffkine had started making plans to record her on the song, “John, You Went Too Far This Time!”, by the two writers who finished the song in my absence! After I heard her sing it, I knew why everyone was so excited! When my album and Sissy’s single was finished, Morris Levy decided to send both of us out to promote our records at the same time…but not before one little thing. I convinced her to change her name to something more suitable for the times. She bit her lip and agreed to let herself be called Rainbo.” Copyright 2002 by Artie Wayne
DAVID GEFFEN- Most Powerful Man In Hollywood And How He Got That Way!
Exclusive- My Encounter With Michael Jackson As A 12 Year Old!
BARRY WHITE R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
JANIS JOPLIN R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
RICK JAMES R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
JOHNNY CASH R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
LEGENDARY MUSIC MAN MORRIS LEVY AND “SHADOW” MANN A LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND!
Kenny Schaffer – Shift Happens!
Patti Dahlstrom – Emotion
Stand Up And Be Counted Or Turn Around And Be Mounted!
RAY CHARLES R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY
Jesus Christ Superstar Ascends!
MARLON BRANDO And His Influence On Pop Music
Glowing Memories Of Genghis Cohen
Russ Regan – Over One Billion Served!
Neil Diamond- Shine O
What The World Needs Now Is Love – Jackie DeShannon
The Story Behind Lou Reizners “All This And World War Two”
Nookie with Bette Davis
The life you save may be your own
IRVING GREEN R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY
REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
CHRISTMAS https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/the-top-the-best-and-the-greatest-christmas-music-videos/ HANUKKAH https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/nookies-top-holiday-video-picks/
CKSON AND THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”
June 29, 2009
t’s summer of 1973 and Ed Silvers, President of Warner Brothers Music, is losing his patience with me. He thinks I’m spending far too much time trying to get our songs cut at Motown. Although I secure songs in our catalog by some of their biggest artists, they’re only album cuts. Ed is convinced that I’ll never get a single released by Motown. I know at this point that the only way I could have a chance for a hit and escape the wrath of Ed, is to get a cover by the Jackson 5 or little Michael. There was only one staff writer at Warner Brothers music who could write in a classic R+B style, George S. Clinton, Jr. I go to the two producers who love George’s writing the most, Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson, who just had big hits with 12 year old Michael on “Rockin’ Robin” and “Little Bitty Pretty One” (which was my suggestion). They tell me that “Ben”, from the movie of the same name, is racing up the charts and Berry Gordy wants each of his producers to start recording new sides with him. I sit with Jerry and Mel and we talk about what kind of song they should record with Michael. I suggest a Christmas song, one so commercial that it could be the follow up single to, “Ben”. When I see their eyes light up, I tell them that George S. Clinton, Jr. and I have started such a song! When they ask to hear it, I tell them we were still working on it, when in fact we hadn’t even started! I can’t tell them the title, ’cause there isn’t any! I do tell them, however, that it’s a true story of how my girlfriend left me out in the cold like the last tree in a Christmas tree lot, which is left unsold on Christmas Eve. They freak out and say they had to have the finished song by Monday. I say, “No problem” I call George, who knows nothing about any of this as soon as I get back to my office. He can’t believe I told them we’d have a finished song to them by Monday, when it’s Friday and we haven’t even started. Saturday morning we meet at my office. It’s the middle of summer, about 90 degrees, but we have to get in a Christmas Mood. As I tell George about my break up with Diana last Christmas, then I start to throw Ivory Snowflakes around the room. Soon, we have the first verse and chorus.” “Little Christmas Tree, looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care, they just went away and left him standing there…All alone on Christmas Eve!” On Monday morning George does a piano voice demo, and I get it to Jerry and Mel that afternoon. They love it so much that they knock one of their own songs off the date and cut ours. I’m almost in tears when I hear the finished record the following week with the news that it’s being considered for the follow-up to “Ben”, which had just hit number one! You can imagine how I feel a few weeks later when Berry Gordy, Jr. decides not put out any follow up to the Oscar nominated “Ben”, until the Academy Awards are given out…which is after Christmas! A few days later I come up with a plan and present it to Motown. I suggest that the company puts a double albums worth of previously recorded Christmas songs by each of their hit artists, along with “Little Christmas Tree”. The double album is called “A Motown Christmas”, which includes cuts by Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross, and it’s released just in time for the holidays.” “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE” George S. Clinton, Jr. and Artie Wayne I watch the snowflakes fall against my window plain and wonder if you are watching snowflakes too? I take a walk downtown to where you used to meet me There’s joy everywhere but all that waiting there is just a… LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE Looking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care They just went away and left it standing there All alone on Christmas eve I hear the Christmas bells The happy people singing The songs of the chill that only brings me tears I sadly close my eyes and say a little prayer you’ll be waiting there for me I look but all I see is LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREELooking sorta’ sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care They just went away and left it standing there All alone on Christmas eve This is the season of love (This is the season of love) But I’m as sad as I can be (sad as can be) Why did you have to leave me (Why did you leave me) (Why did you leave me) LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREELooking sorta sad and lonely just like me No one seems to care They just went away and left it standing there All alone on Christmas eve Copyright 1973/2009 by Warner Brothers Music NOW YOU CAN BUY “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE” BY MICHAEL JACKSON IN THE JACKSON FIVE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS ALBUM AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM If you liked “THE STORY BEHIND “LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE”, please feel free to share it with a friend…but if you loved it, please feel free to send it to your entire address book! MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZA…ENJOY TO THE WORLD! From Artie Wayne On The Web https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/ Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.comVALENTINE’S DAY https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/thirty-top-love-song-videos-for-valentines-day/ PATRIOTIC AND INSPIRATIONAL https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/top-the-best-and-the-greatest-patriotic-music-videos/ 
“THEIR STOCKINGS WERE HUNG BY THE COFFIN WITH CARE IN HOPES THAT JACK NICHOLSON SOON WOULD BE THERE!’…BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LET IN TRICK OR TREATING, IT MIGHT NOT BE OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING! BUT ENOUGH WHILE YOU’RE WAITING FOR THE “GREAT PUMPKIN” TO SLIDE DOWN YOUR CHIMNEY HERE ARE THE TOP 25 HALLOWEEN MUSIC VIDEOS FOR YOU TO CHECK OUT INCLUDES MICHAEL JACKSON (“THRILLER”, “DINNER WITH DRAC”, ELVIRA, ROCKY HORROR SHOW, ‘SCREAMIN” JAY HAWKINS, ALICE COOPER, “TWILIGHT” STARS, MUSE, RHIANNA, AND 18 MORE https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/the-top-halloween-music-videos/ AND IF THAT ISN’T ENOUGH HERE’S AND ARTICLE ABOUT “MONSTERS I HAVE KNOWN AND FED”… “Freddy Kruger (ROBERT ENGLUND), Frankenstein (PETER BOYLE AND CHRISTOPHER LEE), Jack the Ripper (DAVID WARNER) JOHNNY DEPP (EDWARD SISSCORHANDS), ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (IRON MAN) were all customers at GENGHIS COHEN, the Hollywood restaurant I named and hosted, which is why I kept a sharpened chopstick on me at all times! https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/movie-monsters-ive-known-and-fed/ HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB! HALLOWEEN https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/the-top-halloween-music-videos/ SUMMER CLASSICS https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/top-summer-classic-oldie-videos/ 69 SUMMER HITS https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/69-sizzling-summer-videos/ MY YOUTUBE VIDEO COLLECTION http://youtube.com/rtwayne Copyright 2012 by Artie Wayne
JIM MORRISON IN 2011
March 17, 2011
When the subject of Jim Morrison came up, I spoke about my first trip to Paris in 1974 and the Alcazar night club. I was told by the manager that this is where Jim really died of a drug overdose and was carried out of the club over the heads of some dancers, as if he was part of the act!
My friend Photographer/blogger Sally Stevens said that was nonsense and directed me to my pal from the past, Doors drummer John Densmore’s message board where a long discussion takes place. http://forum.johndensmore.com/index.php?showtopic=1778
Out of curiosity. I started asking friends from that era if they had any other stories, then my friend publicist Bobbi Cowan told me one about Jim after he passed away.
Bobbi remembers, The book “No One Here Gets Out Alive,” was published in 1981, with two authors listed, Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman. The truth is that journalist Jerry Hopkins, the first Los Angeles editor of Rolling Stone, author of the first book on Elvis, had interviewed the Doors on several occasions during Morrison’s lifetime and the extraordinary, life of the Doors. When Jim was found dead at 27 in his Parks bathtub, Jerry began working on the book that would be called “No One Here Gets Out Alive.”
When the Doors first surfaced, had recently opened a PR office on Sunset Blvd, and as a new THE BAND THAT REFUSED TO DIE
I was the new publicist in town in the mid-1960s, and my partner Beverly Noga and I were regulars at the newly –opened Whisky A-Go-Go. The Doors had become the house band there, but they didn’t stay “underground” for long, as word of this charismatic young poet/lizard king and his band circulated throughout the city.
Whisky Owners Elmer Valentine and his partner Mario Maglieri quickly knew that The Doors had a fascinating, mysterious sound; their lead singer had Charisma to burn. Nevertheless, they did fantastic business, and the Doors were soon signed to Elektra Records..
In 1971, I’m working at Uber- Rock n’ Roll PR firm Gibson & Stromberg, where the Doors were clients, and Danny Sugerman, the Doors’ Gopher, was in and out of our office daily, when he wasn’t on an errand for the Doors. A few days after I started working at Gibson, Morrison was dead, according to the main story, found by his wife Pamela, in their bathtub in Paris. There are other stories floating around about how and where he died, but, there are many who believe that death never occurred. Nevertheless, Morrison’s grave in Paris has been desecrated, decorated, and visited by millions of fans.
Danny got the word out that he had written a book but…the word was that the book was a mess, and I believed that to be true, as I had heard Danny and his life were a mess…He was a frequent Genghis Cohen customer, so Artie can probably back me up here.
Hopkins saw Danny’s book, which was a mess, but eventually “No One Here Gets Out Alive” was mostly the product of Jerry’s vast archive of interviews and his journalists’ perspective about Morrison and the Doors, interspersed with anecdotes and stories from Sugerman’s effort. Years later, Danny’s own book was published, which included much of his material on the Doors.
Jerry flew me to Honolulu, where I had a room in a Waikiki high rise, and he brought me the manuscript of the completed version. I couldn’t put it down, read it straight through, and called him telling him that I felt this book could be gigantic. Finally, here was a fascinating, exciting, well written account of Morrison and the Doors. I was hired for the PR and we commenced planning a launch party at the Whisky, where the Doors’ LA odyssey had begun. We made every effort to locate as many of the people from Elektra and who had been involved with the Doors in the early days.. Many of the principals showed up, including Elektra founder Jac Holzman, who had signed the Doors to his extraordinary label. It was an Electric night at the Whisky; the three remaining Doors agreed to perform, along with many local musicians, among them one of LA’s best underground band, Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs.
In the middle of the evening, a telegram was read from the Whisky stage—I think Manzarek read it—the book’s Publisher Warner Books announced that “No One Here Gets Out Alive” was the first – ever Rock’& Roll book to hit #1 on the New York Times best seller list”
According to at least 10 people who were in the room that night, Jim was at the Whisky ghost in the Whisky watching the proceedings….I believe he was there… probably didn’t want to miss the party!”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
Special thanks to Bobbi Cowan, Jerry Hopkins, and Sally Stevens for their help with this article.
To reach Bobbi Cowan http://bobbicowan.com/
For Jerry Hopkins http://jerryhopkins.com
To read Sally Stevens’ blog “A LIFE IN THE DAY” and the shocking six part series on JIM MORRISON, “Pardon Me, Mr. Morrison” http://rockphiles.typepad.com/a_life_in_the_day/2011/01/pardon-me-mr-morrison-.html
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MY VIDEO COLLECTIONS
March 14, 2011
SPECIAL VIDEO COLLECTIONS
VALENTINE’S DAY https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/thirty-top-love-song-videos-for-valentines-day/
PATRIOTIC AND INSPIRATIONAL https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/the-top-the-best-and-the-greatest-patriotic-music-videos/
HALLOWEEN https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/the-top-halloween-music-videos/ https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/the
HANUKKAH https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/nookies-top-holiday-video-picks/
SUMMER CLASSICS https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/top-summer-classic-oldie-videos/
69 SUMMER HITS https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/69-sizzling-summer-videos/
MY YOUTUBE VIDEO COLLECTION http://youtube.com/rtwayne
SPECIAL THANKS TO DON ORIOLO AND FELIX THE CAT http://felixthe cat.com
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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