For the last three years I’ve been writing my book about my 50 years in the music business. I was warned not to write about certain people, certain companies, and certain things which made me want to tell more.
As my blog became more popular with over 1,870,000 VIEWS, I began to get bolder and relentlessly went after large corporations and social networks until they discontinued some of their questionable practices.
I’m proud to have been the first to write about Tommy James’ shocking book, “ME, THE MOB, AND THE MUSIC” and have an exclusive no-holds barred three part interview with my pal from the past and former label mate…probably the only such event where the participants didn’t have to go into the witness protection program right after the show!
In my book, “I DID IT FOR A SONG”, I write about my first hand experiences songwriting (Aretha, Michael Jackson,Tony Orlando, Cher, etc.) producing (the Kingsmen, The Shirelles, the Guess Who) and getting hits for Warner Brothers Music (“You’re 16″, “R+R Heaven”) and Irving/ Almo music (“I Honestly Love You”, “Our Day Will Come”).
I share my private stories about, Carole King, MORRIS LEVY, Neil Bogart, The BEATLES, Jimi Hendrix, SCOTT SHANNON, Eagles, MICHAEL JACKSON, Bert Berns, THREE DOG NIGHT, Alan Freed, BOBBY DARIN, Brian Wilson, PAUL WILLIAMS, Murray The K, TOMMY JAMES and the Shondells, Olivia Newton-John, HERB ALPERT, JERRY MOSS, Don Kirshner, RICK JAMES, Rolling Stones, ELLIE GREENWICH, Clive Davis, Barry White, DAVID GEFFEN, Marvin Gaye, QUINCY JONES, The Rolling Stones, DAVID BOWIE, Phil Spector, AND DOZENS MORE!
EXTRA! EXTRA! YOU CAN BUY MY BOOK ,“I DID IT FOR A SONG” AT AMAZON or Barnes & Noble or 
TO READ A CHAPTER OR TWO FOR FREE CLICK HERE
TO READ SOME OF THE COMMENTS CLICK HERE
Thanks and regards, Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.com
Special thanks to Sally Stevens for the Rainbow’s End photopainting on the cover. http://sallystevens.fineartstudioonline.com/
http://rockphiles.typepad.com/a_life_in_the_day/
http://www.rockphiles.com/rp_artistIndex.php
Copyright 2011 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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SHEILAH KENT R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
August 17, 2010
L to R – Sheilah Kent, Artie Wayne, and Allan Rinde in 1972
It’s always hard for me to write about a friend who’s passed away, but especially hard to write about someone I have so much history with like Sheilah Kent. In 1965, that beautiful California Girl married this aspiring songwriter/artist from the Bronx during a time when inter-racial marriages were against the law in most states.
We had known each other for only two months, and spent the next three years growing up together, which inspired me to write dozens of songs…including 3000 MILES By Brian Hyland
3000 MILES
Was I wrong to think that you…could live like I’m accustomed to?
Your Daddy’s rich…you could’ve married a…millionaire or dignitary
But you chose me…Are you happy? Or sometimes is your mind
3000 MILES AWAY…3000 MILES AWAY
To a life that could’ve been…a wife you could’ve been,
I can just give you love…but is that good enough?
When there’s a tear in your eye…it makes me almost wanna’ die
I think of what you threw away to live…hand to mouth from day to day
And I wonder do…you think of it too? Sometimes is your mind
3000 MILES AWAY…3000 MILES AWAY
To a life that could’ve been…a wife you could’ve been,
I can just give you love…but is that good enough?
So I must love you a little bit more, kiss you a little bit more
And hope you’re satisfied…so you won’t wander…
3000 MILES AWAY…3000 MILES AWAY
To a life that could’ve been…a wife you could’ve been,
I can just give you love…but is that good enough?
Words and Music by Art Wayne Copyright 1966/2007 BMG Music
At Mercury records, Sheilah worked as a secretary for producers, Luchi DeJesus (Miriam Makeba), Dennis Lambert (Freddie and the Dreamers), Artie Kornfeld (The Cowsills), and Jerry Ross (Bobby Hebb, Keith, Jay and the Techniques) while we socialized with them and their wives, I also wrote songs with her bosses.
When we divorced in 1968, I moved to California, while she stayed in New York and ran Jerry Ross’ office at Heritage records, and later worked with Artie Kornfeld again when he and Michael Lang put on Woodstock. When I ran A&M’s publishing in 1974, I hired Sheilah as my personal assistant. By this time, she not only had highly developed managerial and organizational skills, but also had a rapport with creative and business people that was second to none.
Sheilah, who once had been the inspiration for some of my deepest songs, had become one of my closest friends. We always had each others backs, as well as each others shoulder to cry on. In the late ‘70s, I was ecstatic when she married actor David Warner (“Time After Time”, “Titanic”). Although their marriage didn’t work out they produced a son, Luke, who I met as a small child.
It was Luke who E-mailed me of his mothers passing and although we never met I felt a connection there. My deepest sympathy goes out to all of her family and friends, who will surely miss her.
Sheilah Kent R.I.P. Rock In Perpetuity
Respectfully with much love, Artie
Here’s a song I wrote with Patti Dahlstrom, for our friend Jim Croce the night his plane crashed…I dedicated it to my mother when she passed away…and now to Sheilah who will always be in my heart.
Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
Special thanks to Heather MacRae for helping me put this tribute together.
If you have a comment to make about Sheilah, please do so in the space provided below. I’ll make sure her family will get each and every one.
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH ELLIOT MAZER!
May 9, 2009
The first time I met producer Elliot Mazer (Janis Joplin, Neil Young) was in the office of Arnold Shaw, the General Professional manager of E.B. Marks music. Elliot was with another Philadelphia producer Billy Jackson (The Tymes) who was playing “Wonderful, Wonderful” (Raleigh/Edwards), for Shaw (the publisher) which was the follow up to the Tymes’ #1 hit, “So Much In Love”.
The next time I saw Elliot was on my first trip to Philadelphia, where I was trying to get some of my songs recorded by the artists who were dominating the charts, like Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, and Bobby Rydell. Producer/songwriter Jerry Ross (who I met in Harold Lipsius’ Jamie/Guyden record office trying to sell a master), took me up to Sigma Sound where I met all the top producers in Town.
Over the next few years, I’d run into Elliot at airports, getting brief, but always interesting reports about his recording activities. He’d start a story about a Janis Joplin session at LAX, and finish it up a few weeks later when I’d run into him at at JFK in N.Y. After a while I got used to hearing partial stories about producing Linda Rondstadt, or the Band’s “Last Waltz”.
When I was General Professional manager of Warner Brothers Music, we had a co-publishing deal with Neil Young and I had the privilege of hearing The “Harvest” album, produced by Mazer, months before its release. For weeks “Heart of Gold” was #1 with a bullet, in my office.
Now thirty years later, after reconnecting with Elliot on FACEBOOK I find he still has interesting stories, and I discovered they just reissued a remastered digitized version of “Harvest”…which I can’t wait to hear!
Copyright 2009 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
WHEN CENSORSHIP RULED THE EARTH!
March 21, 2009
Who knew that one day you’d be able to see Britney Spears naked and Justin Timberlake’s “Dick In A Box” just by turning on your TV! In this anything goes kind of world, it’s hard to believe there was a time when Censorship Ruled The Earth!
“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 with Ben Raleigh, “(Meet Me At) Midnight Mary” (Raleigh/ Wayne). When I produced the record with Joey Powers, we tried to get away with saying she was having a baby a baby out of wedlock, but were warned that radio would never play it!”
We’ve all seen the clips of Mick Jagger on the Ed Sullivan Show singing “Let’s Spend The Night Together”, forced by the the producers to change the lyric to, “Let’s Spend Some Time Together” in order to get by the network censors. I didn’t realize that this was a common practice, and then my friend producer Jerry Ross (“Sunny”, “98.6”, Keep The Ball Rolling”), told me this story…
“With Two super hits under their belt, “Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie”, and “Keep The Ball Rolling”, Jay and The Techniques were invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. This was a dream come true…hit records…concert tours…and now the Ed Sullivan Show! During rehearsal….sound check/ lighting etc, the band really was in a great frame of mind…..This was a dream come….HIT Records… Concert and tours…and now The Ed Sullivan show,,, spirits were high until the executive producer of the TV Show ( Ed Sullivan’s’ son-in law) Bob Precht pulls us aside and gives us the good news and the bad news…The good news….we are happy to have you on tonight’s show…the bad news….you can’t sing “Keep the Ball Rolling” because the lyrics in the 2nd verse (‘all or nothin’ at all”) are too suggestive)……….So….we put our creative heads together and decided to repeat the 1st verse twice….problem solved !!!!!!! As Ed Sullivan might put it, “It was a REALLY BIG SHOW!! (Ross laughs and corrects himself) I mean, It was a REALLY BIG SHOE!
COMING NEXT WEEK…TOMMY JAMES AND THE STORY BEHIND, “I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW”
For Part One of the series, “F#@K MUSIC CENSORSHIP! https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/fk-music-censorship/
For Jerry Ross http://phillyoldies.com
For “The Best of Jay and the Techniques Newest CD with 28 original tracks just released by RPM UK http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=%22the+best+of+jay+%26+the+techniques%22&x=15&y=17
Copyright 2009 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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