Emerald City Soul Club Weekender 9-11 November

Another quick shout for the above - check their MySpace

Benefit For #1 Emcee Uncle Donald Senegal Today

Lil Buck Senegal has mailed me about the above event:

Can You Dig It?

Local musicians come together for “Donnalroo” to support Lafayette’s favorite emcee, Uncle Donald Senegal.

Once you’ve seen and heard Uncle Donald, you won’t forget him. He’s a tall gaunt man, usually dressed in a wide-lapel leisure suit. He wields the microphone like a weapon, keeping it close to his mouth and throwing out lines of jive faster than your brain can process it. Local musician C.C. Adcock says, “In his own words, Uncle Donald is airplane-flyin’, limousine-drivin’, 6-foot fivin’, totally live and full of jive. Can you dig it, dig it?”“He’s just a beautiful cat,” Adcock adds, “and he’s had some trouble lately. So we’re all coming together. There’s going to be a lot of cross-pollinating going on.”

A lifelong resident of the McComb neighborhood just off of St. Charles Street, Senegal has recently experienced some complications from diabetes and lives in a local nursing home.On Sunday afternoon, Grant Street Dancehall opens its doors for Donnalroo, a musical benefit to help Senegal offset mounting medical costs. There will be food and auction items on site as well. (The event’s name is a play on the successful Bonnaroo Music Festival held ever year in Manchester, Tenn.)

Senegal has wound up the crowds for the likes of zydeco greats Clifton Chenier and Rockin’ Dopsie, as well as Lightin’ Hopkins, Lil’ Buck and the Top Cats, the Cowboy Stew Revue and even his own band in the ’70s — Love Ltd. Orchestra. “But he’s most known for his dancing abilities,” Adcock says. “He’s told me, ‘Charlie, I got wiggles worms ain’t learned.’”Donnalroo kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. at Grant Street Dancehall in Lafayette, featuring performances by Lil’ Buck Sinegal, Buckwheat Zydeco, Sonny Landreth, Steve Riley, C.C. Adcock, Curley Taylor, Warren Storm, Michael Juan Nunez, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars and Patrick Henry and the Liberation Band. Admission is $15 at the door.

Tease A Go-Go 3/11/07

Soulpower 3/11/07

Just picked up on this night:

It's time again! DJs Troy and Pari invite you to Virginia's Number One Funk Party! Get ready for some rare Soul and Funk, straight from the Oldschool. Our guest DJ (or shall we say DJane?) this time is Drika, who will fix you the finest sister Funk. It's gonna get sweaty!

The day before, as always, Troy and Pari will be guesting on "Richmond Soul Stew" hosted by Mordecai and Chew La Rock, on W-DCE 90.1 fm. That's Friday, November 2nd, from 5 to 8pm EST. Tune in or listen to the live stream at www.wdce.org

Laura Lee @ Motown Gospel Brunch 28/10/07

If you are in Detroit tomorrow then drop by to hear Laura!

Fingerpoppin' Soul Radio Show Now Archived

Hans and Harry who present the long running Dutch radio show Fingerpoppin' Soul have let me know that the show is now archived on the Net:

Check it out as follows:

Hans Diepstraten - Harry van Vliet
Thursdays 22 - 24 h
Groove FM, 103.3 Cable & 106.8 Air
PO Box 14876, 1001 LJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

Listen to the archived shows here;

http://www.fingerpoppinsoul.nl/ondemand.html

Here's the playlist of the latest archived show:

Fingerpoppin' Soul # 737 18-10-2007

Special guest : Mark Fisher

1 Cold sweat - James Brown
2 What do I have to do to prove my love to you - Marva Whitney
3 I'm not gonna cry - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
4 Woman - James Brown
5 Something's changed - Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
6 He can only hold her - Amy Winehouse
7 I almost blew my mind - The Positive Sounds
8 You know I love you - Barbara Stant
9 This precious moment - The Tams
10 Changin' - Sharon Ridley
11 Worth your weight in gold - Delroy Wilson
12 The Minstrel - Cornell Cambell
13 Put the hurt on you - Inner Soul
14 Never find a love like mine - The Brownettes
15 I can't explain it - Ann Nesby
16 Don't take it personal - Wahoo
17 Someone is watching - Solomon Burke ( Sol is performing in A'dam on oct 21st !)
18 Got to get you off my mind - Sandra Alexandra
19 Does he treat you better - Unique Blend
20 I forgot - The Soul Attractions
21 Wayward dream - Annette Poindexter
22 All that's left is memories - Pinch of Perfection
23 Mr Me and Mrs You - The Ebonys
24 Love never stays the same - Harvey Averne Band
25 Girls are out to get you - The Fascinations
26 Your love - The Ballads
27 The world ( is going up in flames) - Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band
28 Do for you - Heavy

Nathaniel Mayer Berlin 26/11/07

Brenda Holloway on Right Track Show Listen Again!

If like me, you missed the delightful Brenda Holloway on The Right Track Show then don't worry because you can still listen on line:

The Right Track Soul Radio Show
is on Tuesday evening on WFM 97.2 FM
from 8 pm - 11 pm or
listen in via the internet at
http://www.wfmradio.org/wfm.m3u

To listen to past shows click on
www.therighttrack.org.uk

Lou Pride Tonite@ 100 Club

My mate Nick Sands dropped me a line to tell me that he is DJing at the above gig tonight:

Lou Pride returns to the UK side of the pond for just 5 dates in October, backed as always by the fab Mo Indigo + The WattSoul Horns.

Thurs 25 LONDON, 100 Club

As far as the London Lou Pride gig is concerned, there will also be a DJ playing great rare danceable soul, which will also include new breed R&B, making this a night not to miss.

See you there,

Nick

Backroads Of American Music

One place which everyone who is interested in soul music should drop over to is Backroads of American Music:

We find real American music off the beaten path and host an online community for other searchers to share their stories

Please go over and either help or just discover the riches of the site!

Good luck to Preston and the guys!!!!!

Bettye Lavette Interview on Soul Express

My old friend Heikki has let me know that he has posted a new interview with Bettye Lavette on his Soul Express Deep.

Muscle Shoals Movie?

I've picked up some exciting news from Times Daily.Com:

Paul Justman, award-winning documentary filmmaker, plans to point his cameras on Sheffield and Muscle Shoals for a documentary on the music that made the Shoals famous in the 50s and 60s. His previous documentary, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" (2002), about Motown studio musicians, won three Grammy awards and brought international recognition to Detroit.

Justman said he hoped to do the same with the Muscle Shoals sound film.The $2.5 million documentary would combine dramatic re-enactments that shaped the Muscle Shoals sound, interviews with surviving performers and producers plus performances with the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section."It's one of the great music stories - ever," Justman said.

Justman plans to film at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals; 3614 Jackson Highway studio, which is the original Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, in Sheffield; Shoals Theater in Florence; and various points around Sheffield.

And where might the performances be shot? Well, in Tennessee, actually."

Spam Allstars Tonite in NYC

Wax Poetics mailed with news of the above gig:

This Thursday, October 25, join the Spam Allstars at SOB's, presented by Wax Poetics and Fania Records. Doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 10pm. Tickets are available at the box office or at Ticketmaster ($12 advance, $15 day of show).DJ Le Spam will be spinning Cuban music, Boogaloo, Guaguanco, and Latin Soul.SOB's is located at 204 Varick Street at West Houston. (212) 243-4940

Playground Lost Soul Preview on MFVR 29/10/07

An E-friend Jim Lancaster, one of the guys behind the Soul Resurrection series, has mailed me to let me know abou the following preview of the next Cd from the old Playground Studio tapes:

Howdy Folks,

We'd like to invite you to pull up a seat at out digital campfire on Monday night Oct. 29th at www.mfvr.org (click on the appropriate radio player for your computer) for the Playground Thursday Night Radio Show featuring the Waco Ramblers. Rambler showtime is at 9:00 pm..

To catch some previews of Playground's "Lost Soul" collection check in around 8:00pm Unreleased Soul Trks from the Vault.. Following the Rambler show we'll be playing some 70's rock by Beaverteeth, Wilbur Walton Jr. and Many others..Hope to see you there...Tell your friends and neighbors...

www.playgroundrecordingstudio.com
www.wacoramblers.com

Billy Jones European Tour

Billy Jones has been in touch to tell me that his European Tour starts on October 26th:

26 Oct 2007 Club Bastion - Germany
27 Oct 2007 Elektra - Netherlands
28 Oct 2007 Blues Cruise @ De Meul'n
7 Nov 2007 Le Baladin - Italy
8 Nov 2007 Cafe Emmental - Switzerland
9 Nov 2007 Folkclub - Italy
10 Nov 2007 Cafe de Belsj - Netherlands
15 Nov 2007 Topos - Germany
16 Nov 2007 Cave 54 - Germany
17 Nov 2007 Folk Club - Austria
18 Nov 2007 Reigen - Vienna

Find out more about Billy Jones and his music by dropping over to his MySpace

Sir Shambling Site Update

John Ridley has sent me a message to say he has updated his website:

Hello,

Just a quick note to say that I have posted some new artist pages to my website.

They are Dicky & Billy from New York, another Big Apple group the Appointments, the wonderful Gladys Tyler, West Coast singer George Freeman and the underrated Joe Perkins.

There are also interesting and valuable updates to some pages, notably Pep Brown and Steve Dixon.

My thanks as always to those who help with facts and info.

The artist list showing recent new pages and updates can be found here:

http://www.sirshambling.com/general/artistlist.htm

Best wishes,

John

I highly recommend dropping by John's website if you love deep soul because he shares his knowledge alongside hearing the music.

Eddie Floyd@Stax Museum 29/10/07

The Stax Museum have let me know of the above gig:


Eddie Floyd LIVE!

Last Mondays in Studio A
Monday, October 29 7:00 p.m.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
926 East McLemore Avenue in the heart of Soulsville, USA

*See you there... and bring your dancing shoes!*

Please join us on Monday, October 29, when soul pioneer and Stax legend EDDIEFLOYD *will be making a rare intimate performance for our Last Mondays in Studio A concert series!*Knock On Wood!... Big Bird!... 634-5789!... Ninety-Nine and a Half Won'tDo!... I Never Found a Girl!... Raise Your Hand!... **and many more!*

The show begins at 7:00 p.m. sharp! General admission is $20.

*Seating will be extremely limited!*

Shirley Slaughter@ Jazz & Soul Festival 9/11/07

My good mate John Carrier has let me know that Shirley Slaughter will be appearing at a Jazz & Soul Festival at Swarthmore College in Philly on 9/11/07. I will be getting a full report from John on the gig!

The Hook & Sling@ Brown Sugar Bar

George Jones RIP

Superlatives

I recently picked some sad news from Funky 16 Corners:

I just got a bit of sad news via a post to the blog (by his son) , that being George Jones of the Superlatives passed away on October 10th. Martez Thomas Jones has set up a Myspace page as a memorial to his late father.

Please go over to Martez's My Space and give him some support!

Groove Nite 27/10/07

George Clinton Glasgow 4/11/07

Funky Sole 27/10/07

Picked up a bulletin from the guys:

FUNKY FRIENDS!

This Saturday Oct 27th:We are doing it big for the Halloween weekend with our extended family member DJ, CUT CHEMIST, who though he occasionally drops by to freak off a little psyche funk 45 or two will be doing a full Funky Sole set for the folks! We encourage any and all masquerade get ups to get on down this Saturday which is basically the grown folks Halloween!

There's a couple EXCLUSIVE FUNKY SOLE T'S left that we're gonna give out this Saturday night. KEEP AN EAR OUT ON THE DANCE FLOOR! Make sure to get there in time to catch our newest resident DJ Clifton aka Soft Touch do his thing each & every Saturday night. Also respect to the newest member of the Funky Sole family SEAN PERRY & HIS SOUL PROJECTIONS out in the patio!

Budos Band Dates in Nov/Dec

Daptone let me know that The Budos Band will be opening for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for a few shows this Nov/Dec.

Come check out the Daptone Revue, details below...

November 9 2007
Middle East Club
480 Massachussetts Ave
Cambridge, MA, 02139
Doors: 8:00pm
Set: 9:00pm~~~~~~

November 10 2007
Higher Ground
1214 Wlliston Rd Burlington, VT, 05403
Doors: 8:00pmSet: 8:30pm~~~~~~

November 11 2007
La Tulipe
4530 Papinneau Montreal, QC, H2X 1C3
Doors: 7:30pmSet: 9:00pm ~~~~~~

December 14 2007
Theater of Living Arts
334 South St
Philadelphia, PA, 19147
Doors: 8:00pm
Set: 9:00pm

Orgone Release Party LA 26/10/07

John Sayles Honeydripper Movie

I got tipped to this movie only recently:

It's 1950. Dusty roads and the cotton is high in Harmony, Alabama.Honeydripper. It's the name of the juke joint run by Tyrone Purvis. Things aren't going well for Ty, whose place is more a social club for old bluesmen than a going concern.Starring starring Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Charles Dutton, Vondie Curtis Hall, Keb Mo, Mary Steenburgen, and introducing Gary Clark, Jr.

Written and Directedby John Sayles

Produced byMaggie Renzi

www.emergingpictures.com/honeydripper

See a clip here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlcamZUs4SQ

Soulside

Check out their events at their MySpace

Bronx River Parkway New 45

Truth & Soul have let me know about new 45

BRONX RIVER PKWY AGUA CON SAL b/w ME TOCA

Bronx River Parkway gives us two more cuts from their trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico where they collaborated with local latin musicians who've shared the stage with such legends as Roberta Roena, The Fania All-stars, and Ismael Riviera to name a few. Pablo Rodriguez from Candela records acted as the executive producer and brought the two forces together with the vision of melding the soulful latin stylings of Bronx River Parkway with the more traditional aspects Puerto Rican music. AGUA CON SAL is a mix of sixties soul and the traditional mambo that Perez Prado and Beny More made world famous in the late fifties. It features a burning Timbale and Conga solo while Bronx River Parkway lays down an infectious and constant rythmn.

The Flip side, ME TOCA, features Zoe Velez singing (in Spanish) about the ever-so familiar life experience of a long lost love. The dark overtones of this side has the track somewhere between Fela's 69 sessions and the nu-yorican soul of the early seventies. It is only appropriate that Bronx River Parkway's fourth single to date rounds out Truth & Soul's summer series of singles.

Uptight Soul Weekend Frankfurt 23-25 Nov

Sharon Jones & The Dap-kings on CNN

Had a message from Daptone:

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Featured on CNN!


"Bringing the Funk: Life After Work" - CNN stopped by the record release party at The Apollo as well as Daptone Studios for some exclusive footage. Look out for it during the times below...

Air Times:CNN:

Fr: 9-10a, 3-4p

Sa: 1-2p

Su: 3-4p

Headline News

Fr 9:30-10a, 4:30-5p

Sa 4-4:30p

Su 4-4:30pm

And if you're not around to catch it on TV, click here to watch it online.

Backstreet & Yute Rockers 2/11/07

Funkduplondon Club Experience

Ernest Withers 1922-2007

Ernest Withers holds a unique place in mid-20th-century American photography. Working as a self-employed photographer in the American South, Withers was in a unique position to record the making of history. However, he was not merely a recorder of this history, but was very much an active participant. His photographic subjects have ranged from the Civil Rights Movement, the baseball players of the Diamond League, to the blues and jazz performers in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

Lionel Hampton

Withers could be called the original photographer for the Civil Rights Movement. Documenting the Movement from the 1950s through the 1960s Withers produced a book on the Emmett Till murder that became a motivating influence for the push towards equal rights. In the 1950s he photographed players of the Diamond League including such icons as Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. Based on legendary Beale Street in Memphis, Withers photographed the early performances of such celebrities as Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Ike and Tina Turner, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin.

In 1992 the Massachusetts College of Art organized the exhibition and published a catalogue entitled Let Us March On! Selected Civil Rights photographs of Ernest C. Withers, 1955-1968, which is now out of print. The photography of Ernest Withers has been reproduced in many publications, including Time, Newsweek, Ebony, Jet, The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Defender, The Tristate Defender, Norfolk Journal and Guide, Amsterdam News, and others.

You can read a full obituary in the Commercial Appeal
He was a striking figure walking around taking photos during the opening celebrations of the Stax Museum in Memphis back in 2003. His books featuring photos of the Memphis music scene are essential. I was fortunate enough to see an exhibition in the Stax Museum of his work. The photographs look more stunning and evocative in a large size.

Cellarful Of Motown Volume 3

An essential CD is out this week - volume 3 in the much acclaimed series complied by Paul Nixon A Cellarful Of Motown Vol. 3 (2CD)

Disc 1

You're Walking Out With My Heart - Brenda Holloway
This Love Will Never Die - Miracles
Get Ready - San Remo Golden Strings
Love Is Good - The Marvelettes
Jealousy Is Creeping Up On Me - The Contours
Easier Said Than Done - Dennis Edwards
At The Go-Go - Stevie Wonder
Memories Of Her Love Keep Haunting Me - Spinners
I'm In Love Again - Shorty Long
I Can't Let Him Go - Yvonne Fair
Come On And See Me - Chris Clark
Never Give You Up - Blinky, Edwin Starr
Just Too Much To Hope For - The Monitors
Loving You (Is Hurting Me) - Fantastic Four
SOS Girl In Distress - Marv Johnson
Thief Of Love - Oma Page
Too Young, Too Long - Carolyn Crawford
You Stay On My Mind - Clarence Paul
Come Back My Love - The Temptations
A Chance With You - Marvin Gaye
Watch Your Step - Mike Varo
The Boy From Crosstown - The Marvelettes

Disc 2

We'll Keep On Rolling - Brenda Holloway
I Can't Help Loving You Baby - The Contours
I'm Here Now That You Need Me - J.J. Barnes
Judge's Daughter - The Originals
Something About You - Debbie Dean
Soldier Of Love - Four Tops
I'm Gonna Get You - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Don't Stop Loving Me - Ivy Jo
Sweet Sweet Love - Lollipops
I'm Doing The Best I Can - Jr. Walker & The All Stars
Cindy - Bobby Taylor
Little Girls Grow Up - The Marvelettes
Too Late I Learned - Spinners
Beware Of A Stranger - Rita Wright
You Took Me This Far Take Me All The Way - Edwin Starr
Can I Get A Witness - Blinky
(There's Always Room For) Love In A Movie - Bob Kayli
Farewell Is A Lonely Sound - Paul Peterson
You've Made Me So Very Happy - Little Miss Soul
Honey Hut - Shorty Long
Honey Boy - Little Lisa
This Is Goodbye - The Headliners
Going To A Go Go - Brenda Holloway, The Supremes

You can't beat Motown!!!!

Gwen McCrae European Tour in November

Soul Power have let me know of tour dates for Gwen McCrae in November as follows:

Nov 09 Hannover, Palo Palo

Nov 11 Oslo, Cosmopolite

Nov 16 Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire

Nov 17 Newcastle, Gateshead

Nov 20 Paris, La Scene Bastille

Nov 21 Paris, La Scene Bastille

Nov 24 Aachen, Westbahnhof

Nov 26 Vienna, Porgy & Bess

Don't forget to check out her live album from last year.

The Congo Room & Mission Impossible

Barbara Bain in Mission Impossible

Twistin' Kings Congo Pts 1 & 2 Motown

Channel 5 US in the UK has been showing re-runs of the US TV series Mission Impossible from the first season.

One show was The Carriers. The synopsis is as follows:

Enemy agent Janos Passik is preparing to train 200 foreign agents to infiltrate the U.S. and engage in some form of bacteriological warfare. The team figures out that Passik has created a replica of a "typical American town" so as to train his agents to learn how to blend into American society. Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, and bacteriologist Roger Lee replace the new group of recruits and must then find their way to the research lab. They soon realize that the American-trained agents will be infected with a highly contagious plague and then sent into American to kill millions. The group must not only destroy the plague samples but make sure that Passik and his superiors do not find out that the destruction was deliberate.

One of the things that interested me most in the show was the infiltration role given to Cinnamon played by Barbara Bain. She is seen practising to be a go-go dancer for her role in the Tiger A-Go-Go in Philadelphia. We see her learning to go-go dance in a club called the Congo Room in the phoney US town. She is seen wearing regulation go-go gear and could have stepped out of Hullabaloo! What intrigued me was the use of the name Congo Room. I suppose the choice would seem appropriate to makers of the series in that the Communist agent would be looking for obvious examples of degenerate of Western culture. What better than using the name of the famous Las Vegas club in the Sahara Hotel.

The name Congo is a fanciful allusion to a mythical Congo and has given its name to everything from chocolate bars to songs and clubs. Perhaps someone thought that it sounded exotic and harks back to "Congo Square"in New Orleans. In the 19th Century, the square was a gathering in New Orleans for both free and enslaved African-Americans to meet for marketing, music-making, and dancing.

The name Congo originally derives from the name for the ancient Kingdom of Kongo. The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic Of The Congo and the western portion of the Democratic Republic Of The Congo. The name was also given to one of Africa's largest rivers.The Congo is also the name for a cylindrical Caribbean drum with double skins introduced to Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago as well as being the name of a cylindrical drum found in the Dominican Republic.

Congo River

The producers of Mission Impossible must have had the famous Las Vegas club based in the Sahara Hotel in mind when they made the series.The Sahara Hotel and Casino is located on the Las Vegas strip. The Moroccan-themed hotel has 1,720 rooms and a casino covering more than 85,000 square feet and sits on 55 acres including the empty adjoining land. The Sahara is the last remaining "Rat Pack" hotel, and is the northernmost resort on the east side of the Strip. The hotel was opened in 1952 by Milton Prell just outside of the City of Las Vegas, and was the sixth resort to open on the Strip. The resort was built by Del Webb. In late 1954, the hotel hired jazz musician Louis Prima to be their late night lounge act, one of the earliest ones on the strip. Along with his then wife Keely Smith and sax player and sax player Sam Butera, they created one of the hottest latenight attractions on the Strip.

In 1961, the hotel was purchased by Del Webb. In 1962, The hotel became known for featuring top performers over the years, including Tina Turner, the Beatles, Johnny Carson, and Ann-Margret. Fast forward to today, there is certainly no shortage of exceptional entertainment available at the Sahara Las Vegas Theatre, the Casbar Lounge and the Congo Room at the Sahara Vegas.

I decided to use the Twistin' Kings "Congo Pts 1 & 2" to go with the post. This is a real tittyshaker and features in Mr Fine Wine's top 10 of tittyshakers! I thought the sleazy little number went well with the club featured in Mission Impossible and you can just imagine girls geting on stage to do their thing to the music of the Twistin' Kings. I am no expert but I assume the drums which can be heard in the instrumental are "congo" drums.

Julie Driscoll If You Should Ever Leave Me

Julie Driscoll If You Should Ever Leave Me Parlophone

Regular readers of the blog will now I have a soft spot for Julie Driscoll.

Here she is on one of her early recordings for Parlophone.

Here are some picture sleeves and a poster to go with the post:

Joey Heatherton When You Call Me Baby Decca

Joey Heatherton When You Call Me Baby Decca

Joey cut a number of records but the ones I enjoy are "Hullaballoo" (Coral, 1965) and "When You Call Me Baby" (Decca, 1966).

If you search on You Tube you can see her singing "Hullaballoo" live on the Hullaballoo Show. But I will always associate her with "When My Baby Calls", which has been a favourite of mine from its first plays back in 1977 on the Northern scene. Back then, I didn't really appreciate who she was even though I loved US TV shows!

Joey began her career as a child actress and received her first sustained national exposure in 1959 as a semi-regular on The Perry Como Show and made many appearances in the 60's on shows such as Dean Martin's TV Variety Show. She later co-hosted Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers. She also made multiple appearances on the many other variety shows proliferating 1960s television, such as The Andy Williams Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and This Is Tom Jones.

She was a long-time member of Bob Hope's USO troupe between 1965 and 1977, delighting soldiers with her enticing singing, dancing and provocatively revealing outfits. Excerpts from the USO tours were televised as part of Hope's long-running series of NBC monthly specials.

Additionally, throughout the 1960s, she interspersed her variety show appearances with strong dramatic turns in three theatrical films and on numerous episodes of series such as Route 66. She appeared in the the movies in such films as Twilight House, Where Love Has Gone and My Blood Runs Cold.

By the 1970s, Joey's career was slowing down, but she was still popular enough to do a series of memorable TV ads for RC Cola and Serta Mattress.

In subsequent years, Joey performed in Las Vegas and acted in a few scattered TV shows and films.

Jimmy Guilford aka Jimmy Gilford

I have recently received a mail from Jon Dembroski to tell me that Jimmy Guilford's website is back up and running.

Here is Jimmy's bio from his site:

Jimmy Guilford's professional career spans five decades. Named "Entertainer of the Year" in New York, Detroit and several other major cities around the country, While in Detroit, Jimmy signed with Wheelsville USA, the predecessor to Motown Records, and recorded a series of hits produced by Detroit music legend, Don Davis, including "Heartbreaker,""Misery Street" and the smash "Nobody Loves Me Like My Baby". Many of these recordings continue to sell throughout the world today.

He has performed as a solo artist and as a lead vocalist in such singing groups as The Ink Spots, The Lamplighters, and The Four Sounds to name a few. Jimmy has performed on numerous stages throughout the world including several appearances at the world famous Apollo Theatre in NYC.

Throughout his music career and years on the road, he has worked with many of the greats like Brook Benton, Dinah Washington, Arthur Prysock, Big Maybelle Smith, Earl Grant, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, The Drifters, The Counts, Dakota Staton, Etta Jones, Ruth Brown, Faye Adams, Shirley Lee, Faye Emerson, Gene Chandler, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Edgar Bergen, Ethel Merman, Faye Emerson, Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Ivory Joe Hunter, Big Joe Turner, Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, George Kirby, Roz Ryan, Nancy Wilson, Barbara McNair, Hines Hines & Dad, Geoffrey Holder, Toe Jamm, Step 'n' Fetchit (Lincoln Perry), B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Diana Ross, to name a few. Ha!

Over the past 8 years, Jimmy has been featured in several theatrical productions at the American Cabaret Theatre in Indianapolis including "Jazz & Dixieland", "Fats & Eubie", "Old Time Rock 'N' Roll", "Take This Job...", and "Street Corner Harmony". Jimmy was thrilled to star as his childhood hero, Louis Armstrong in ACT's production of "Satchmo".

Lately, Jimmy has been quite busy in the recording studio. He recorded two duets "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "Christmas Is" on Simply Beautiful, the debut CD of up-and-coming singing sensation, Kelleen. He most recently recorded a CD, I Love Being With You, as the male vocalist with the Cool City Band. He currently performs around the midwest with local bandleader Roy Geesa and his Cool City Band.

Please drop over to his site and check out the his new CD and see photos from back in the day.