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Home , Charlie Gillett, Luther Dixon

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TEN years of pop. In my case, British pop. I've lived it, listened to it, loathed it, loved it. Had Loving, loathing -and fun with it. My decade has been a mixture ... of personal involvement with, many of theoriginals and by and large they were better than our build-up which was soon to collapse. stars,of standingin judgement on their imitative idols. At pop level, an American named Bruce Channel product.Of beingwrong, andprejudiced,and Chap named John Barry had a lot to do with the introduced harmonica into the general singles field - misguided. pop development. He, his Seven and his trumpet. remember "Hey Baby!" or course, everybody copied Sometimes, though, being right. I can't get all that "Rotten musician", said many. "Can't even play." it. Ad nauseam. serious about pop.I didn't oftenget he up, Well, maybe. But John is now one of the highest -paid And I got a single in from a new band and wrote: over -heated under the collar.I just enjoyed it. My movie -scorn writers in that highly -paid game. Oh, oh, "Harmonica AGAIN starts off the top deck and this scene has been British, almost to the core. seven Bond and all that. strangely-monikered group gets at the lyrics. Fairly The Sixties DID swing. But not immediately. At Butintheearlysixtieswere were so twee. restrained in their approach, they indulge in some first, it was Adam Faith and Russ Conway and Cliff Fresh -facedballadeerslikeMarkWynter,Craig off -beat combinations of vocal chords. Though there's Richard and Tommy Steele and Marty Wilde. Douglas. No guts, just pleasantness. Ever-so-naice. But plenty happening, it tends to drag about mid -way Cliff has lasted best of all. A genuine nice guy. But where was the hard individuality? The Americans such specially that perishing harmonica takes over for a I've always held that Billy Fury was the best on-stage as , Brenda Lee, the Everlys has us licked. spell." performer of the British bunch. Writhing, twisting, Rick Nelson, Del Shannon, Mighty Roy Orbison, The song: "Love Me Do". The group, . sexily sinister. They kicked up a helluva fuss about his Connie Francis, the old twanger Duane Eddy. That's The persistent fellow who got them a hearing when act in Ireland and Bill told me: "It's natural, my where pop was. several companies had rejected them: Brian Epstein. movements. I'm upset at the criticism because my But it was all horribly predictable for the most And everything changed. But everything. The four mum will think I'm being kinda indecent on stage." part. And I achieved my one thousandth interview short -haired ever -so -polite Liverpudlians were shuffled Oh, well. . . had the same kind of with a new singer "definitely destined to be the new into my office for the great ritual of "introducing troubles in the States. That Elvis has a lot to answer Cliff Richard". What's wrong with the old one, I kept them to the Press". They shuffled on. Paul was for. But his name was his very own - meantersay, thinking. pleasant;Georgewasnostalgicandhelpfulin who'd INVENT a name like that. We went for the Charlie Gillett has laid a lot of blame fairly on rememberingtheirshortpast; John occasionally gimmicky names . ..Eager, Pride, Fury, Power, Chubby Checker for his twisted influences on the grunted: Ringo looked as if he was trying to hide. Fortune, Wilde, Faith, Goode. scene. I concur. Chubby, amiable though he was, held I spent several days a month with them - plotting a PETER JONES on a decade And there was a lot of pop on television and it was us all up. We yodelled along for a while, didn't we, Mr. ,paperback book, chatting 'em up. Even feeding them. exciting and well -presented and we thanked Jack Ifield! We worried about little Miss Shapiro - SUCH a "Meet us at the flat", they said. "Don't be early. Good (which happened to be his real name). BUT... deep voice for such a young girl. Mr. Acker Bilk Don't tell anyone the address. .. fans have driven us of British pop we were largely copyists. America had turned up the interpolated rustic humour in the great tradjazz out of five flats already."

DON'T look now, but that bloke standing next to you flicking through the record boxes labelled "underground," "blues imports" and Generation that would' "West coast groups" is 33 -years -old and he should be mending the floor boards at home But if these were the people who had the most trash on the radio. or watching canned sport on the box. And here he is,obvious effect on the music of the rest of the decade, The Shirelles'leadsinger,, was one of the mature delinquents who are going to putthe real hereos were the people who had stayed in pop erratic from one record to the next in her pitch, this world in one hell of a mess in twenty years' timemusic through the bad years, doing enough to bring sometimes achieving the right sense of helplessness as when it's their turn to rule the world and they're still the wanderers back from the wilderness. she missed the note she was trying for, but other times sticking their heads in stereophonic cookers, digging Phil Spector and Berry Gordy have been properly just sounding out of tune. It was a tricky thing to the 27th annual blues and rock 'n' roll revival. acclaimed for their role in showing how real feelings calculate, and sometimes the gospel chants helped hide And who'stoblame? Nobody but Chubbycould be expressedin even the worst periods of the ones that didn't work. Checker. , but these two were really only carrying (Scepter's now going to be released here by Decca You may be too young to remember, or too old toon the work of other producers including Luther on the Wand label, and with luck someone with good care, but if you're now between 19 and 29, you might Dixon and Bert Russell. ear will pick out the best of the Shirelles, previously recall the despair of the record buyer in 1960 when Luther Dixon tendsto be referredtorather available only on two imported LP's of uneven there didn't seem to be anything but stuck -pig voicescasually these days, as the husband of Inez Foxx. But quality.) and computer -planned 4/4 beats. his major contribution to the sound of the sixties was Luther Dixon also played a part in bringing Chuck There was alotof wandering aboutinthe his realisation that a group of black girls could do Jackson, Maxine Brown and Dionne Warwick to fame, wilderness by people escaping from that tyranny, asmore for music than simply back up solo male voices but the Shirelles are enough to remember him for. Phil people floundered in jazz and folk music and classical on records. Spector pushed the ideainhis records with the music or simply wallowed in the rock 'n' roll that had Working as A & R man for in New Crystals and the Ronettes, the Tokens produced the been good, before 1958. And gradually, from late York, he produced records by the Shirelles, wrote Chiffons for Laurie, and of course Gordy came up 1962 onwards, they began coming back - by a curious material for them, and created an impression of a girl with the Marvelettes. Martha and the Vandellas and coincidence, Bob Dylan, and theplenty of us could want, breathless if not quite the Supremes. Beatlesseemtohavemadetheirfirstserious panting, ready to surrender on the strength of a couple InEngland,John Lennon interpretedShirley CHARLIE GILLETT on a commercial recordings at almost exactly the sameof easy promises. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" Owens' role in an interesting way and to his surprise time. was more than enough reward for a couple of hours of was told he'd invented a new style. decade of U.S. music

CAN it really have been as long as ten years ago?For me1960'smusicstillseems Confessions ofaSc amazingly close - frighteningly so, when I consider thatI was already sixteen as the Blues. (Also, "Poetry In Motion" and "Rubber Ball"!)' Over all, THE TWIST and the birth of Discotheque decade began (a confession which will now Meanwhile, earlier in 1961, two young girls reached dancing and a teenage night -life. And, thinking of the doubtless condemn me in the minds of most of you to theU.S. Top 20 with significant records:Carla Twist, these were the Cameo -Parkway days: the Orions' the modern equivalent of the "Bring Back The Big Thomas and Aretha Franklin. Carla's was the record "Wah-Watusi" and great "The Conservative", Dee Dee Bands" brigade, who I found so boring)! As you may with the more immediate effect - her "Gee Whiz Sharp.s "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" and later remember, 1960 dawned here amidst the excitement (Look At His Eyes)" was the start of the Memphis great "Night", Len Barry and the Doyens' "Bristol of a new heart-throb, Adam Faith, a new music, Trad, Soul Sound and the Stax label (Memphis had hitherto Stomp", Don and Dewey's "Soul Motion". Also, let's and a new musical movie, "Expresso Bongo". Cliff been best known for its Rock legends and residents). remember that classic left -over from the '50s, "The Richard was temporarily filling someone else's shoes, Aretha had already hit with "Today I Sing The Blues", Duke Of Earl''. her first commercial (non -Gospel) recording in 1960, and Emile Ford (whose then advanced ideas went Gradually, a trend had been growing, although until largely unrecognized) was in the process of selling a but it was her "Rock -A -Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Little Eva's "The Locomotion" it had not attracted million records. However, apart from this home-grown Melody" smash thatfirst brought her to the pop much attention - that of the powerful song -writer/ activity, the Pop Charts were still very much the realm public's attention - although it was the "Operation. producer, either as an individual or as a team, who of American records - and it is American music that Heartbreak" flip which was more indicative of her really made the hits. and ; these necessarily very personal reminiscences concern. future direction. Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich; PHIL SPECTOR; Bob New Year, 1960: Freddy Cannon, Sandy Nelson, Crewe and Frank Slay; Kal Mann and Dave Appell; Preston Epps, Johnny and the Hurricanes - hey! - 'tali 62: a dull period in many trendies' estimation. Really? Joe Jones's "You Talk Too Much", Clarence Frank Guida; and Hal David; Luther and Fats Domino! In fact the new year that most Dixon;JohnMadara, Dave WhiteandAram Henry's "ButI Do", Barbara George's "I Know ", people were waiting for began in March with that Boormazian (Len Barry to you!); Bert Berns (Russell); "Someone else's" demob from the U.S. Army (March Cosimo Matassa, and the New Orleans Sound of Joe Jerry Ragovoy; Curtis Mayfield; and (about time I 24th was to be the magic date, but with a bit of leave Banashak's Minit label. Dion, Joey Dee, Ernie Maresca. The Ska-influenced Gary "U.S." Bonds, Bobby Lewis. mentioned this lot, eh'?) Berry Gordy, Jr. and William thrown in he was actually out a few weeks earlier), so Robinson, and onintovariouscombinations of that by the end of the month we were all eagerly The Sensations, Marvelettes, Shirelles. Ritchie Barrett (and the ChanteLs!), Bobby Parker, Ike and Tina Norman Whitfield,thebrothers Holland, Lamont buying "Stuck On You" c/w "Fame And Fortune" .. Dozier, and others. . then Phil and Don had to stop it hitting number one Turner, Jerry Butler, , the lsley Brothers, JAMES HAMILTON on a by hogging the top with 'Cathy's Clown'! By the end of -the Flares, thc. Rivingtons ("Deep Water" ... wow!), '63:the Beach Boys. ("What!" shout the Soul the year, something new and interesting had happened the Mar -Keys. Frank lfield, the Tornados (just to give Freaks, who are just getting interested!) 1963 was -- the Drifters made number 2, and Maurice Williams this some perspective!) and, admittedly, Bobby Vee, indeed the year of the birth of "Soul", as we know it. decade of U.S. pop and the Zodiacs made the Top Ten. Rhythm and Brian Hyland, Del Shannon and Brenda Lee . Ray Charles (whose influence. C & W recordings

8 RECORD MIRROR, December 27, 1965