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shadowkatgakked from anneth, thanks to twistingflame
for the link info.
CJL sent me information on the celebrities I mentioned in the post below (such as Ricky Jay, Sid Bernstein, Billy Jay Kramer and Steve Van Sant) but knew zip about - here it is, very interesting historical information on the recording industry. Oh what follows is in cjl's words not mine :
"So, for the sake of historical accuracy, here's the rest of the famous people on the panel. You can forward this to the masses:
BILLY J. KRAMER - Born William Howard Ashton on August 19, 1943, Billy grew up in Liverpool, the soon to be Mecca of popular music of the 1960's. Upon leaving school, he became a trainee engineer by day and an aspiring singer by night, performing under the stage name Billy Kramer (with "Kramer" chosen at random from the telephone directory). Billy's performance at local rock clubs soon brought him to the attention of Brian Epstein. Acknowledging his pop idol potential, Brian set out to add Billy to his growing managerial empire. which already included The Beatles and Gerry & The Pacemakers. Needless to say, Billy jumped at the chance to become a full-time entertainer.
At the suggestion of John Lennon, Billy added the "J." to his stage name to give it more appeal, the "J." being in memory of John's mother, Julia, and for his newly born son, Julian.
Upon handing Billy a tape of what was to become the first in a succession of smash hits written especially for him by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, John apologized for the quality of the recording. John had to record "Do You Want To Know A Secret' in the toilet, as it was the only place where be could find any peace and quiet. With this tune, Billy and his backup group The Dakotas, claimed the #1 chart spot in England, topping the Beatles themselves.
The Lennon/McCartney compositions: "Bad To Me", "I'll Keep You Satisfied" and "From A Window", all became International million sellers for Billy, and appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show". "Shindig", and "Hullabaloo" rocketed Billy to a place in Rock and Roll history as the pioneer of the British Invasion.
For his follow up to the chart-topping single "Bad To Me", Billy opted to record "Little Children", a song written by two Americans, Mort Shuman and John Leslie McFarland. Despite strong opposition from Brian Epstein and producer George Martin (who both felt that Billy should stick with another Lennon/McCartney song), Billy stood firm and his insight proved correct. "Little Children" became his biggest selling worldwide hit.
Billy's International momentum has continued for over twenty five years with sellout concert appearances and standing ovations in England, Australia, Germany. Scandinavia, and throughout the United States.
Billy J. Kramer has always felt that America was the home of Rock and Roll, and he finally fulfilled a long time ambition to move to the United States. He presently resides on Long Island, New York with his wife Roni, his two sons, and his dog Elvis.
With the experience of twenty five years in the music business and outlook clear into the 90's. Billy has proven himself a Rock and Roll pioneer who will always explore new territory as the evolution of popular music continues.
STEVE VAN ZANT ("Little Steven") is an acclaimed record producer for artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Artists United Against Apartheid, Darlene Love, Lone Justice, Gary U.S. Bonds, Michael Monroe, Lords of the New Church and the Arc Angels.
A gifted songwriter, he has written songs for artists including Jimmy Cliff, Southside Johnny, Gary U.S. Bonds, Brian Setzer, and Darlene Love.
In addition, Steven is a well-known musician in his own right, performing as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as well as w ith his own band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
In his early years as a musician, arranger, and producer he helped to craft what is now known as the Asbury Park Sound; horn-driven hard-driving soul music; forever legitimizing the genre of "bar band music." After leaving the E Street Band in 1982, he spent the 80's immersed in international politics, released four albums, and toured internationally with his own band. He has worked to further human rights since the early 1980's, spearheading the hugely successful anti-apartheid Sun City project, and establishing the Solidarity Foundation in 1985 to support the sovereignty of indigenous peoples. He has been honored twice by the United Nations for his human rights achievements, and received the International Documentary Association Award for his film The Making of Sun City.
Hearts of Stone by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, produced and written by Steven, was named in 1990 by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 albums of the past twenty years, and Rolling Stone called Sun City one of the best 100 albums of the 1980's.
In January 1999 Steven added yet another facet to his mercurial career: acting. He plays Silvio Dante in HBO's critically acclaimed dramatic series, The Sopranos, which completed its fourth season in 2002. The series has received numerous awards and honors. Stephen Holden said in The New York Times "it may just be the greatest work of American popular culture of the last quarter century." In addition to his fulltime acting job, Steven joined his old friend Bruce Springsteen for a record-breaking international tour with the E Street Band during 1999 and 2000. and is currently on tour with Bruce and the E Street Band to promote the hugely successful album, The Rising.
In Spring 2001, Steven joined forces with Jon Weiss of Cavestomp! to present a series of live garage rock concerts at a downtown New York club, the Village Underground. By the end of the year the series had showcased some 50 new bands along with such legends as Barry & The Remains, The Troggs, The Pretty Things, and Dave Davies of the Kinks. In addition, Steven was the catalyst for establishing the first garage rock section ever to be part of a major music retail chain in all 40 stores of The Wiz in the New York tri-state area. His passion and support of the genre also initiated a national search for new, unsigned talent sponsored by The Wiz. In December 2001 The Best of Little Steven's Cavestomp! Garage Rock Band Search Volume 1 CD was released by The Wiz, featuring 20 unsigned young bands.
[Yes, he wore his trademark "Little Steven" bandana and pseudo-gypsy rock costume. He looked AWFUL. When he's not on stage, he should stick with tailored suits. - cjl]
RICKY JAY - While Ricky Jay has long been considered one of the world’s great sleight-of-hand artists, his career is further distinguished by the remarkable variety of his accomplishments as an author, actor, historian, and consultant.
His one man show Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants was directed by David Mamet and garnered for Mr. Jay the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for Outstanding Achievement. Subsequent productions were staged at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater, the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, The Spoletto Festival in Charleston and the Old Vic in London. His most recent show, Ricky Jay: On the Stem, also directed by Mr. Mamet, just closed a seven-month critically acclaimed run in New York City.
As an actor, Mr. Jay debuted in the Joseph Papp production of Midsummer Night's Dream at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in David Mamet's films: House of Games, Homicide, Things Change, Spanish Prisoner, State and Main, and Heist. He can be seen in many other films including Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. He also starred in the heralded episode of the X-Files, "The Great Maleeni."
A serious student of his art, he has been elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society for whom he authored Many Mysteries Unraveled: Conjuring Literature in America 1786-1874. He is a contributor to The Cambridge Guide to American Theater and has defined the terms of his art for the Encyclopædia Britannica. Mr. Jay’s book, Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women [this is one of my favorite books! - cjl] was published to critical and popular acclaim and was voted one of the outstanding books of the year by the Theater Library Association and one of the "Notable Books of the Year" by The New York Times Book Review, which hailed his work in a rave front page review.
BRUCE SPIZER - Bruce Spizer is a first generation Beatles fan and a life-long native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He has an extensive Beatles collection, concentrating primarily on United States and Canadian first issue records, record promotional items, press kits and concert posters. A taxman by day, Bruce is a board certified tax attorney and certified public accountant. A paperback writer by night, he is the author of the critically acclaimed books, The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay, TheBeatles' Story on Capitol Records parts 1 & 2, The Beatles on Apple Records, The Beatles Solo on Apple Records, and THE BEATLES ARE COMING! The Birth of Beatlemania in America . Bruce's articles on the Beatles are featured regularly in Beatlology Magazine and Beatlefan.
SID BERNSTEIN - Legendary music promoter Sid Bernstein started his career as an agent for the General Artists Corporation (G.A.C.) after WWII. It was one of the largest talent agencies in the world handling all the top people in show business. When Bernstein joined G.A.C. he already had acquired a lot of experience producing shows, in New York and elsewhere, at the Paramount, the Palace, the Apollo, the Newport Jazz Festival, and the comeback tour for Judy Garland. Eventually he became the "responsible" agent for Tony Bennett, seeing to his specific individual career needs. Bennett, at this time, had a modicum of success on television and on record yet felt his career was somewhat stifled. After being with the agency for a time, Sid was also struggling with some career decisions of his own. He had success with and enjoyed his role, in the past, as the producer and promoter of acts and events big and small. He knew, as a talent agent, it was a legal and ethical conflict of interest to also engage in promotion, too. Nevertheless he proposed the idea to Bennett of bolstering his popularity and career by performing at Carnegie Hall. Tony loved it and Sid, working incognito, handled all the arrangements, booked the hall and put on the show. This was a watershed moment for Tony, as he had never played the great venue. Bennett's career, however, skyrocketed from that point placing him forever among our most beloved and prized interpreters of American song. "Tony was a real humanitarian. He once did a show for me for nothing, just to say thanks for the break at Carnegie Hall," says Sid.
While Bernstein has helped so many in show business, he is perhaps best known for bringing the Beatles to Carnegie Hall and, later, Shea Stadium. "I'm a hunch player, you see," states Sid modestly. "I was just glad to get this group I had been reading about for months. It took eight months after I booked them for there to be any airplay of their records on the radio. I had to convince Carnegie Hall and my financial backers to take a chance on this then-unknown group. I had been reading about their progress in the European papers and was fascinated with the hysteria that surrounded them. I was the first to promote the Beatles in the States and Ed Sullivan called me first about them before he ever booked them on his television show."
"My secret to success is that I've always loved good music and people," summarizes Sid. "The players in the promotion business today are, by and large, not in it for the art anymore. It's all about how many bucks can you make on a concert. That's permissible. I mean we are in a capitalistic society. But I feel a lot of the art thing is lost. It shouldn't just be about money. It should be about loving what you do." "
anneth, thanks to twistingflamefor the link info.
CJL sent me information on the celebrities I mentioned in the post below (such as Ricky Jay, Sid Bernstein, Billy Jay Kramer and Steve Van Sant) but knew zip about - here it is, very interesting historical information on the recording industry. Oh what follows is in cjl's words not mine :
"So, for the sake of historical accuracy, here's the rest of the famous people on the panel. You can forward this to the masses:
BILLY J. KRAMER - Born William Howard Ashton on August 19, 1943, Billy grew up in Liverpool, the soon to be Mecca of popular music of the 1960's. Upon leaving school, he became a trainee engineer by day and an aspiring singer by night, performing under the stage name Billy Kramer (with "Kramer" chosen at random from the telephone directory). Billy's performance at local rock clubs soon brought him to the attention of Brian Epstein. Acknowledging his pop idol potential, Brian set out to add Billy to his growing managerial empire. which already included The Beatles and Gerry & The Pacemakers. Needless to say, Billy jumped at the chance to become a full-time entertainer.
At the suggestion of John Lennon, Billy added the "J." to his stage name to give it more appeal, the "J." being in memory of John's mother, Julia, and for his newly born son, Julian.
Upon handing Billy a tape of what was to become the first in a succession of smash hits written especially for him by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, John apologized for the quality of the recording. John had to record "Do You Want To Know A Secret' in the toilet, as it was the only place where be could find any peace and quiet. With this tune, Billy and his backup group The Dakotas, claimed the #1 chart spot in England, topping the Beatles themselves.
The Lennon/McCartney compositions: "Bad To Me", "I'll Keep You Satisfied" and "From A Window", all became International million sellers for Billy, and appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show". "Shindig", and "Hullabaloo" rocketed Billy to a place in Rock and Roll history as the pioneer of the British Invasion.
For his follow up to the chart-topping single "Bad To Me", Billy opted to record "Little Children", a song written by two Americans, Mort Shuman and John Leslie McFarland. Despite strong opposition from Brian Epstein and producer George Martin (who both felt that Billy should stick with another Lennon/McCartney song), Billy stood firm and his insight proved correct. "Little Children" became his biggest selling worldwide hit.
Billy's International momentum has continued for over twenty five years with sellout concert appearances and standing ovations in England, Australia, Germany. Scandinavia, and throughout the United States.
Billy J. Kramer has always felt that America was the home of Rock and Roll, and he finally fulfilled a long time ambition to move to the United States. He presently resides on Long Island, New York with his wife Roni, his two sons, and his dog Elvis.
With the experience of twenty five years in the music business and outlook clear into the 90's. Billy has proven himself a Rock and Roll pioneer who will always explore new territory as the evolution of popular music continues.
STEVE VAN ZANT ("Little Steven") is an acclaimed record producer for artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Artists United Against Apartheid, Darlene Love, Lone Justice, Gary U.S. Bonds, Michael Monroe, Lords of the New Church and the Arc Angels.
A gifted songwriter, he has written songs for artists including Jimmy Cliff, Southside Johnny, Gary U.S. Bonds, Brian Setzer, and Darlene Love.
In addition, Steven is a well-known musician in his own right, performing as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as well as w ith his own band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
In his early years as a musician, arranger, and producer he helped to craft what is now known as the Asbury Park Sound; horn-driven hard-driving soul music; forever legitimizing the genre of "bar band music." After leaving the E Street Band in 1982, he spent the 80's immersed in international politics, released four albums, and toured internationally with his own band. He has worked to further human rights since the early 1980's, spearheading the hugely successful anti-apartheid Sun City project, and establishing the Solidarity Foundation in 1985 to support the sovereignty of indigenous peoples. He has been honored twice by the United Nations for his human rights achievements, and received the International Documentary Association Award for his film The Making of Sun City.
Hearts of Stone by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, produced and written by Steven, was named in 1990 by Rolling Stone as one of the top 100 albums of the past twenty years, and Rolling Stone called Sun City one of the best 100 albums of the 1980's.
In January 1999 Steven added yet another facet to his mercurial career: acting. He plays Silvio Dante in HBO's critically acclaimed dramatic series, The Sopranos, which completed its fourth season in 2002. The series has received numerous awards and honors. Stephen Holden said in The New York Times "it may just be the greatest work of American popular culture of the last quarter century." In addition to his fulltime acting job, Steven joined his old friend Bruce Springsteen for a record-breaking international tour with the E Street Band during 1999 and 2000. and is currently on tour with Bruce and the E Street Band to promote the hugely successful album, The Rising.
In Spring 2001, Steven joined forces with Jon Weiss of Cavestomp! to present a series of live garage rock concerts at a downtown New York club, the Village Underground. By the end of the year the series had showcased some 50 new bands along with such legends as Barry & The Remains, The Troggs, The Pretty Things, and Dave Davies of the Kinks. In addition, Steven was the catalyst for establishing the first garage rock section ever to be part of a major music retail chain in all 40 stores of The Wiz in the New York tri-state area. His passion and support of the genre also initiated a national search for new, unsigned talent sponsored by The Wiz. In December 2001 The Best of Little Steven's Cavestomp! Garage Rock Band Search Volume 1 CD was released by The Wiz, featuring 20 unsigned young bands.
[Yes, he wore his trademark "Little Steven" bandana and pseudo-gypsy rock costume. He looked AWFUL. When he's not on stage, he should stick with tailored suits. - cjl]
RICKY JAY - While Ricky Jay has long been considered one of the world’s great sleight-of-hand artists, his career is further distinguished by the remarkable variety of his accomplishments as an author, actor, historian, and consultant.
His one man show Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants was directed by David Mamet and garnered for Mr. Jay the Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for Outstanding Achievement. Subsequent productions were staged at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater, the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, The Spoletto Festival in Charleston and the Old Vic in London. His most recent show, Ricky Jay: On the Stem, also directed by Mr. Mamet, just closed a seven-month critically acclaimed run in New York City.
As an actor, Mr. Jay debuted in the Joseph Papp production of Midsummer Night's Dream at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in David Mamet's films: House of Games, Homicide, Things Change, Spanish Prisoner, State and Main, and Heist. He can be seen in many other films including Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. He also starred in the heralded episode of the X-Files, "The Great Maleeni."
A serious student of his art, he has been elected to membership in the American Antiquarian Society for whom he authored Many Mysteries Unraveled: Conjuring Literature in America 1786-1874. He is a contributor to The Cambridge Guide to American Theater and has defined the terms of his art for the Encyclopædia Britannica. Mr. Jay’s book, Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women [this is one of my favorite books! - cjl] was published to critical and popular acclaim and was voted one of the outstanding books of the year by the Theater Library Association and one of the "Notable Books of the Year" by The New York Times Book Review, which hailed his work in a rave front page review.
BRUCE SPIZER - Bruce Spizer is a first generation Beatles fan and a life-long native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He has an extensive Beatles collection, concentrating primarily on United States and Canadian first issue records, record promotional items, press kits and concert posters. A taxman by day, Bruce is a board certified tax attorney and certified public accountant. A paperback writer by night, he is the author of the critically acclaimed books, The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay, TheBeatles' Story on Capitol Records parts 1 & 2, The Beatles on Apple Records, The Beatles Solo on Apple Records, and THE BEATLES ARE COMING! The Birth of Beatlemania in America . Bruce's articles on the Beatles are featured regularly in Beatlology Magazine and Beatlefan.
SID BERNSTEIN - Legendary music promoter Sid Bernstein started his career as an agent for the General Artists Corporation (G.A.C.) after WWII. It was one of the largest talent agencies in the world handling all the top people in show business. When Bernstein joined G.A.C. he already had acquired a lot of experience producing shows, in New York and elsewhere, at the Paramount, the Palace, the Apollo, the Newport Jazz Festival, and the comeback tour for Judy Garland. Eventually he became the "responsible" agent for Tony Bennett, seeing to his specific individual career needs. Bennett, at this time, had a modicum of success on television and on record yet felt his career was somewhat stifled. After being with the agency for a time, Sid was also struggling with some career decisions of his own. He had success with and enjoyed his role, in the past, as the producer and promoter of acts and events big and small. He knew, as a talent agent, it was a legal and ethical conflict of interest to also engage in promotion, too. Nevertheless he proposed the idea to Bennett of bolstering his popularity and career by performing at Carnegie Hall. Tony loved it and Sid, working incognito, handled all the arrangements, booked the hall and put on the show. This was a watershed moment for Tony, as he had never played the great venue. Bennett's career, however, skyrocketed from that point placing him forever among our most beloved and prized interpreters of American song. "Tony was a real humanitarian. He once did a show for me for nothing, just to say thanks for the break at Carnegie Hall," says Sid.
While Bernstein has helped so many in show business, he is perhaps best known for bringing the Beatles to Carnegie Hall and, later, Shea Stadium. "I'm a hunch player, you see," states Sid modestly. "I was just glad to get this group I had been reading about for months. It took eight months after I booked them for there to be any airplay of their records on the radio. I had to convince Carnegie Hall and my financial backers to take a chance on this then-unknown group. I had been reading about their progress in the European papers and was fascinated with the hysteria that surrounded them. I was the first to promote the Beatles in the States and Ed Sullivan called me first about them before he ever booked them on his television show."
"My secret to success is that I've always loved good music and people," summarizes Sid. "The players in the promotion business today are, by and large, not in it for the art anymore. It's all about how many bucks can you make on a concert. That's permissible. I mean we are in a capitalistic society. But I feel a lot of the art thing is lost. It shouldn't just be about money. It should be about loving what you do." "
