Disk J.F.K.— Top Capitol Artists in Dec

Xmas Decca Offers Disk J.F.K.— Top Capitol Artists In Dec. Albums Spin Pre-Packs NEW YORK—Two seasonal holiday Records is re- publication of the same title (jointly NEW YORK—Capitol programming pre-packs have been is- Nation’s Leader leasing four albums, featuring top promoted by Capitol and the publish- sued by Decca Records to facilitate of 12 performance of perennial Christ- names in its catalog, for Dec. ing company, the LP consists the catalog favorites. Separate pre- selections from Ford’s best- mas Nat Cole will be represented with favorite packs were compiled, one featuring “Dear Lonely Hearts,” named after selling series of religious LP’s, song- pop, the other highlighting country music material. his singles click; Frank Sinatra will book contains music and lyrics for a Special self-sealing envelopes have Capitol sing “The Rodgers & Hart Song total of 50 selections from the been made and imprinted for easy Book,” including R&H material culled series, including those on the LP); identification by radio station person- nel. Respectively, they read, “Open in- “The New Frontier” by The Kingston from previous Sinatra sessions, Now for Happy Holiday Program- cluding one tune, “Wait ’Til You See Trio is dedicated to the Peace Corps ming” and “Open Now for a Merry Country Style.” The rec- Her,” not released before; Tennessee and includes a title song written by Christmas ords were colated and shipped from trio’s John Stewart (see separate Ford has “Book of Favorite Hymns,” the Decca’s Gloversville, N.Y. factory to inspired by the new Prentice Hall story). individual branches and distributors throughout the country for distribu- tion to area stations. The pop pre-pack contains the year- UA's Country Line, 1 Yr. Morty Palitz Dies in, year-out holiday favorites “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, Russ Old, Plans Expansion NEW YORK—Morty Palitz, the long- Morgan’s “Blue Christmas,” Brenda Christmas time music man, died on Sat., Nov. 17, Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Tree,” Guy Lombardo’s “Auld Lang YORK—United Artists Rec- while recuper- NEW at Lenox Hill Hospital Syne,” “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby ords, now completing its first year in ating from a heart attack. Helms and last year’s “Dear Gesu by Christian Morandi and the country music field, will step up Palitz, who was 53, had been in Bambino” narrated by Steven Meisel. schedule and add substan- its release show business for almost thirty years. The featured records in the country tially to its artist roster in 1963, ac- Besides his activities as a disk exec package are: Red Foley’s couuling of “Frosty the Snow Man” and “Rudolph cording to Art Talmadge, president. and producer, he was also a violinist, the Red Nosed Reindeer”; “White The expansion, based on the initial composer and conductor. With Alec Christmas” and “Blue Christmas” by year’s production, will be under the Wilder and Bill Engvick, he was re- Ernest Tubb; “Christmas Time’s A- Coming” and “The First Whippoor- direction of H. W. “Pappy” Daily, sponsible for one of the all time will” by Bill Monroe; and a new re- who has headed this phase of the op- standards, “While We’re Young.” cording by Kitty Wells, “Christmas Christmas Anymore” and eration under Talmadge. His last disk affiliation was with the Ain’t Like “Dasher.” Currently on the artist roster are Edgewood-Apollo setup. Previously, A special mailing of the pre-packs George Jones, Judy Lynn, George he had served as veep and general is being made to all Decca single sub- scription seryice members as well as Riddle, Sonny Burns, Bill Mack, Dur- manager of Jubilee Records (1956-59). to branch and distributor outlets for wood Haddock, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy From 1947 to 1952, he worked for general radio station distribution. Blakely, and Herbie Remington. To Decca Records, serving as director of In another seasonal moye, the label has released a Burl lyes single, “The this list will be added a number of ad- pop during 1951-52. Besides cut- A&R Twelye Days of Christmas” and “The ditional artists beginning in Jan., ting various artists, he produced Indian Christmas Carol,” from his with Burl 1963, Daily stated. Decca’s original-cast recordings of holiday LP, “Christmas Eye lyes.” In addition. Daily said, effective “Guys & Dolls,” “The King & I,” and with the start of the new year a regu- “Two on the Aisle.” lar monthly release schedule will be He started out as a record salesman New Members For L.A. NARAS assure con- set-up and maintained to in 1936 for the American Record HOLLYWOOD—Lou Busch, member- sistent activity by all artists record- Corp., which then owned the Bruns- ship chairman of the Los Angeles (National ing for UA. Included will be singles wick, Columbia and Okeh labels. chapter of NARAS Academy of Recording Arts & Sci- NEW YORK—After a remarkable ini- well Already set for as as albums. Palitz soon became a recording direc- ences), has announced the local board tial sales response. Cadence Records’ follow- Jan. is a new George Jones package tor, and in 1939, when American was of goyernors has accepted the “First Family” comedy LP is a run- ing for actiye membership: Jimmy and “Country Hits Volume 2” featur- bought by CBS’ newly-formed Colum- away sales smash, and the most Hilliard, Hy Lesnick, Pete Fountain, ing a number of the UA attractions. bia Records, he became a producer at Helene Marcus, Paul Gardner, lyan talked-about, written-about disk in- Daily will resume his recording ac- the label, cutting such names as Fischer, Gary Paxton, Tommy Mor- dustry product at the moment. gan, Grieg McRitche, James Malloy, tivities next month when he will cut Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Mildred At presstime, Archie Bleyer, Ca- Neil Boyle, Helen Solomon and Dar- dence topper, told Cash Box that or- a new album and singles with Judy Bailey, Xavier Cugat and Eddie rell Calker. In addition. Jack Tracy ders on the LP had been clocked at Lynn in Las Vegas, then early in Jan. Duchin. swings oyer from the Chicago chapter of the record academy following his well oyer 1 million. will cut Jones and several other ar- He is survived by his wife, Jeanne, recent transfer to Mercury Records’ Dudd Dolinger, sales head, added tists in Nashville. and his brother. Dr. Laurence Palitz. Hollywood office. that 750,000 had been shipped, and that the label had a backlog of be- tween 400 to 500,000 copies of the LP. DIuegrass Style Is Moving Up In Folk -Pop Field Tremendous acceptance of the LP comes on the heels of Warner Bros, NEW YORK—Though overshadowed elude The Stanley Bros., Rene & Besides the 5-string banjo, the typi- sensational comedy album, Allan by the Nashville sound, another of Smiley, Bill Clifton, Lonesome Pine cal Bluegrass instrumental make-up Sherman’s “My Son, The Folksinger,” the various forms of country-market Fiddlers, Mac Wiseman, and others. consists of a fiddle, guitar, mandolin, again number 1 in mono album sales music Bluegrass is also spreading All of these attractions, too, are en- a dobro guitar and string bass. — — this week. out to other music markets. joying increased disk sales, more de- The music that comes across from Led by the established “kings” of mand for personal appearances, and this combination has been compared The unique sales success for two bluegrass music, Lester Flatt & Earl more foreign releases of their rec- to the workings of New Orleans jazz comedy LP’s is sure to lead to the Scruggs (Columbia) and Bill Monroe ords. or Dixieland in that each instrument well-founded conclusion that comedy (Decca), the style, featuring the non- This week’s Top 100 carries, in the has a specific and defined role that is LP, musical or non-musical, has amplified, three finger style of 5- number 96 position, a Bluegrass date closely adhered to. The bass and string banjo picking, now reaches col- by Flatt & Scruggs, “Ballad of Jed guitar are used for backing and firmly re-established itself as a potent lege dates, concert halls and event Clampett, which is the main-theme rhythm, while the other instruments sales-getter. If the business was get- network TV and radio. Flatt & of the new hit TV series, “The Beverly are used for lead and solo. ting signs that the comedy LP area, Scruggs will make their Carnegie Hillbillies.” By eyen the four string banjo 1930, boosted greatly a few years ago by Hall debut Dec. 8, their 20th appear- The increasing importance of the was fading out, and many people re- ance in New York. Bluegrass style is seen as an out- membered how to play the fiye string sales of Bob Newhart-Shelley Ber- Starday Records, the giant in the growth of the great, college audi- banjo, and the instrument was no man-Rusty Warren, was on the wane field of country-gospel music, reports torium, concert-hall strides made by longer manufactured. When Earl in popularity these two hits are increase in sales and interest folk artists and their music, and Blue- Scruggs’ 5-string banjo pickin’ style a recent bright go-ahead signals for continued in its catalog of Bluegrass and guitar grass material is mostly derived from made an appearance on the Grand Old LP’s, which now numbers 40, almost folk and traditional music. Also noted Opry in 1945, the 5-strong banjo was and, undoubtedly, no-holds-barred LP 1/3 of Starday ’s total album product. has been the fact that the banjo, back. production. Scrugg’s is given credit for the de- which lost ground as a popular instru- The name “Bluegrass,” by the way Cadence itself is about to start velopment of current Bluegrass style, ment after the 20’s, is now the top does not refer to the music of Ken- work on a second LP by JFK-imper- which was achieved, interestingly selling instrument in America. In enough, when Earl Scruggs was a 1960, banjo sales had increased 300% tucky, or the Bluegrass area of the sonator Vaughn Meader. As for book- member of the Bill Monroe Band. from previous years. This revival of U.S., although the sound is popular ings for the comic, who gained fame is Scruggs teamed with Lester Flatt in banjo sales also viewed as a result in those areas. It seems that it came as a nitery mimic of President Ken- 1948, with Monroe continuing to em- of the general “pop” acceptance of the about in the early 1950’s after dee- nedy, the situation was reported as ploy Bluegrass instrumentation. folk music sound, making it possible the for Other performers who have taken-up for the Bluegrass style to get ex- jays had receiyed mail asking for “chaotic” due to great demand the Bluegrass style with success in- posure more readily. “some of those Bluegrass songs.” his seryices.

iash Box—December 1, 1962 7