Overlooked Rock and Roll Era- Kennedy 's Early 60s- A Cultural History

Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America

A Cultural History of the Early 1960s

By: Richard Aquila

Narrated by: Chris Abernath

Rock and roll of the early 60s was easily dismissed by many  after quieting of pioneers like Elvis , Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly and before British Invasion following Kennedy assasination- and to this day- thus so many icons still not voted in rock hall of fame(Connie Francis, Neil Sedaka, etc). More than  the music , a Very enjoyable look back at perhaps my favorite era of rock and roll and 'Camelot' upbeat culture with oft overlooked Icons like Roy Orbison, Dion, Shirelles, Connie, Neil, the Ventures, Everly Brothers, Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Brenda Lee, Mary Wells , Marvelettes, Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, Bobby Vee , Bobby Rydell, Leslie Gore, Lou Christie, Chubby Checker, early Motown, Phil Spector / groups like Ronnettes, Righteous  Brothers, etc.

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Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America

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A rousing, poignant look at the cultural history of rock & roll during the early 1960s

...

In the early 1960s, the nation was on track to fulfill its destiny in what was being called "the American Century." Baby boomers and rock & roll shared the country's optimism and energy. For "one brief, shining moment" in the early 1960s, both President John F. Kennedy and young people across the country were riding high. The dream of a New Frontier would soon give way, however, to a new reality involving assassinations, the Vietnam War, Cold War crises, the civil rights movement, a new feminist movement, and various culture wars.

Based on extensive research and exclusive interviews with Dion, Bo Diddley, Brenda Lee, Martha Reeves, Pete Seeger, Bob Gaudio, Dick Clark, and other legendary figures, the book rejects the myth that Buddy Holly's death in 1959 was "the day the music died." It proves that rock & roll during the early 1960s was vibrant and in tune with the history and events of this colorful era. These interviews and Aquila's research reveal unique insights and new details about politics, gender, race, ethnicity, youth culture, and everyday life. Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America recalls an important chapter in rock & roll and American history.

©2022 Richard Aquila (P)2022 

ROLLING STONE , the rock and roll magazine , took off with the Beatles and only really covered Beatles-era music and beyond alomg with 'roots' music. Only when early 60s artist like Roy Orbison and Del Shannon  and Dick Dale were rediscovered with second careers did RS and mainstream media finally pay attention to some extent. Yet to the day the left-leaning media aloong with institutions like the rock Hall Continue to

Play up 'social conscious' artists, often black, gay and, yes, rap. At fairs and events you  see many trubute bands, too, mostly post-65 music, usually black , heavy metal or British, but very little 'whitebread' music such as surf, country rock or  even early motown.

 

Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America

A Cultural History of the Early 1960s

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Forgotten Christmas - Holiday and Food-Themed Music

 REMEMBER MARIE of Donny and Marie fame? She's back looking better than ever. You can too>

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 Forgotten Thanksgiving thru Christmas Music  and food themed Music

     Sit and relax by the fire watching and listening to the greatest Christmas music of the Golden Era

 Here's that beatnik himself, ED 'KOOKIE'BYRNES with YULESVILLE ..more talking than music
but we loved it then and love it now. Afterall, they don't make 'em like that anymore...




 


 


 A real rare one now from the Motown House Band, the Funk Brothers from 1961 and XAMS TWIST





   

 

Forgotten Christmas Oldies Music and food themed Music

       Oldies Country has put together a list of largely Christmas Forgotten Forty-Fives , as we like to call them...some not so forgotten but all pretty great. Sure, we've left out a lot of good ones but we we'll be adding more and open for sugestions... We've also got a playlist of Favorite Christmas Programs as well special categories - Rarest and Special Programming, like the above Christmas Wish from Sam Cooke on his last Christmas in 1963. Interesting that so many of these songs are from 1962 and especailly 1963 , recorded around the time of the Kennedy Assassination. More Christmas Classics came out of the 1955-'63 era than any other we believe. Says something doesn't it? Enjoy the Good Times Again!

 CHRISTMAS SAMPLER - Lesser Known and Popular Tunes  & a fwe extras

-Single click , below, will play them all in order

- updated - 
 CHRISTMAS -  FIFTY FAVORITE FORTY-FIVES plus

FULL 1957 ELVIS CHRISTMAS ALBUM

 

CHRISTMAS TV SPECIALS were BIG in the '60s and  a few years later...

Johnny Cash had one of the best series...with guests like Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers. Here, in a later  show, a great performance from  the one and only ANDY KAUFMAN  doing his uncanny inpersonation of ELVIS, which, purportedly, Elvis called the best impersonation of himself!

If you're into Original, Real Rock & Roll / Pop , this may be the best Christmas Special of them all all,

THE JOHNNY CASH CHRISTMAS SHOW from1977 featuring none other than the original SUN breathren of CARL PERKINS, JERRY LEE LEWIS and  ROY ORBISON (who had been on the 1969 Cash special)... Yes, it was filmed 'out of  'the era'  but if it contains people 'of the era' that's ok by us...

NOSTALGIA CRITIC - TOP 12 CHRISTMAS VIDEO SUGGESTIONS

Wondered where to get some good 'ol Christmas entertainment, ie movies, films and TV shows beyond the usual 'It's A Wonderful Life' (which is still our favorite though we need to find some new material)...

Well, here it is... INCLUDING 'It's a Wonderful Life'... but a lot of other lesser known suggestions from THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC...his TOP 12 CHRISTMAS video

(Please excuse the modern references and somewhat off-color remarks)

  

Pick One:

Like/Share this if you  like  this music and memories....

  Forgotten Christmas Music  and food themed Music

Rare Video you can dance the TURKEY TROT to along with LITTLE EVA
and the girls (from SHINDIG, March 3, 1965)

 Food-Based Oldies for Christmas Dining

So. food themed music 'Turkey Trot' by Little Eva and "Mashed Potatoe Time' by Dee Dee Sharp ...Nice background music for the family and tell them they can continue listening when they get back home  'over the river and through the woods' Just tap the JUKEBOX and even select your favorite song @ www.OldiesCountry.blogspot.com , then check out some more, at the bottom of page - and the very bottom see and hear Dee Dee Sharp doing  a slightly difference dance tune than Turkey Trot, 'MASHED POTATO TIME'  Now, heres wishing you a nice, long, music-filled Christmas Holiday!   

Below are some more 'food themed' songs, courtesy of Bill Herald of Examiner.com:

• "LET'S TURKEY TROT" (Little Eva, 1963) was a No. 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Little Eva. a North Carolina vocalist who was discovered by songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Her biggest hjt was "The Loco-Motion" (No. 1, 1962).
• "MASHED POTATO TIME" (Dee Dee Sharp, 1962). a song with an appropriate title for the Thanksgiving food topic, climbed to the No. 2 spot in the spring of 1962. The singer, born Diane LaRue in Philadelphia, began as a backing vocalist for Cameo Records.
• "BREAD AND BUTTER" (The Newbeats, 1964) went to the No. 2 spot on Billboard for a trio that featured the falsetto voice of Texan Larry Henley along with backup singers, Marc and Dean Mathis from Georgia.
• "CANNED HAM" (Norman Greenbaum, 1970) was the follow-up to the vocalists huge hit "Spirit In The Sky" (No. 3, 1970). It attained No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1970 for the Massachusetts native, who moved to Los Angeles at age 24.
• "APPLES, PEACHES, PUMPKIN PIE" (Jay & The Techniques, 1967) was a No. 6 song on the national pop charts in the summer of 1967. The integrated group, headed by Jay Proctor, was from Allentown, Pa.
• "SNOWMAN, SNOWMAN SWEET POTATO NOSE" (The Jaynetts, 1963) was an uncharted follow-up to "Sally Go Round The Roses" (No. 2, 1963) for a Bronx girl group was formed by producer Zell Sanders.
• "VEGETABLES" (The Beach Boys, 1968) was was performed by the legendary surf-rock group from Hawthorne, Calif., as part of the "Smiley Smile" album.
• "GREEN ONIONS" (Booker T & The MGs, 1962) went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a group composed of Memphis studio musicians, headed by keyboardist Booker T. Jones. And "MG" stands for Memphis Group.
• "GRAVY" (Dee Dee Sharp, 1962) was an appropriate follow-up to her "Mashed Potato Time" hit, and it managed to reach the No. 9 position on the Billboard Hot 100.
• "HOME COOKIN''" (Junior Walker & The All-Stars, 1969), while it doesn't refer to a specific food item, it's included because of its title, and the single was a No. 42 Billboard charter for the South Bend, Ind., group.
• "THE TURKEY" (Paul Revere & The Raiders, 1971) was actually the B-side of a Top 40 single ("Birds of a Feather") for a group -- featuring lead singer Mark Lindsay -- formed in Portland, Ore., in 1960.
• "CHERRY PIE" (Marvin & Johnny, 1954) was an original hit for the Los Angeles doo-wop duo of Marvin Phillips and Emory "Johnny" Perry. Six years later, it was a No. 11 national charter for Skip & Flip.

  Forgotten Christmas Music  and food themed Music

OLDIES COUNTRY STORE

OLDIES MARKETPLACE 

- One Shop Shopping for the Holidays and beyond..

WELCOME TO OLDIES COUNTRY STORE ! We've tried to come up with a nice selection of some of the best CDs, videos and even vinyl featuring the best of the music, TV shows and movies form the Golden Era 1950s and early 60s. Of course, there's much too much to get it all in here right now, but check back early and often as we'll add and change the selection. In the meantime you can also  search   on Uncle Amazon for just about anything you want . ENJOY! :) -JB

BE SURE TO COME BACK HERE WHEN YOU'RE DONE BROWSING THE MARKETPLACE...

GOT A REAL TREAT FOR YOU JUST BELOW!

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Holiday Shopping Made Fun - Shop, Save and Sing-Top Sellers, Top Stores

Holiday Shopping Made Fun - Shop, Save and Sing-Top Sellers, Top Stores

 REMEMBER MARIE of Donny and Marie fame? She's back looking better than ever. You can too>

 Oldies Country Store features yours and our favorites like Ray Stevens, Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Del Shannon, Gene Pitney, Neil Sedaka, Leslie Gore, Doowop, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Big Joe Turner, Alan Freed, Dick Clark, American Bandstand, Doo-wop, Annette, Oldies, Disneyland, Neil Diamond, Lou Christie, Ray Peterson, Surf Music, Instrumental, Exotica, Bachelor Pad, Tiki. Phil Spector, Girl Groups, Ronnie Spector, Frankie Lymon, Teenagers, Motown, Chubby Checker, Dance Craze, Rhythm and blues, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Platters, Drifters, Jay and the Americans, Shag, Twist, Pony, Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley, Ronnettes, Crystals, Doc Pomus, Brill Building, Mary Wells, Walt Disney, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Tokens, Dick Dale, Jan and Dean, Freddie Cannon, Palisades Park, Coney Island, Catskills,Alan Sherman, Henny Youngman, Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Allen, Honeymooners,Leave It To Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet,Father Knows Best, Rick Nelson,Mickey Mouse and many more to come. There's even some comedy, TV shows, themes  and more. ENJOY!

Holiday MUSIC -  Oldies Music for Christmas and  Thanksgiving, Oldies Songs

 BE SURE TO VISIT OUR SECOND SISTER STORE @ HTTP://OldiesCountry.com where we'll be putting up a lot of different ones you don't see here. And, if that don't get it you can forget it 'cuz it couldn't be got.

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NEIL DIAMOND'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Weekend - Five Decades of Hits!

Early live performance of 'Cherry Cherry' (1966) in stereo!

   

Live performance of 'Holly Holy,' a song Diamond admitted that he wrote, trying to capture the Roy orbison big ballad sound. The song hit #8 in 1969, one of seven top 10 

singles.

   

Diamond does a pretty fair cover of the Drifter's 'Save the Last Dance for Me' on his Brill building covers 

album

 

A rare treat, Neil Diamond's first-ever recording, 'Million Miles Away' 1958

NEIL DIAMOND'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Weekend - Five Decades of Hits!

Neil Diamond was recording music as early as 1958, yet his career didn't get on track until the mid-60s with 'Solitary Man'   his  breakout hit in 1966*, quickly followed up with guitar-based rockers 'Cherry Cherry' and 'Thank the Lord for the Nighttime.'  Diamond hit in country with 'Kentucky Woman' and his first ballad 'Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon' all in the 60s before changing his tune, somewhat, with the times in later decades. Yet, he always  included rock and roll including his album of Brill Building covers in the 1990s. In fact, Diamond was a Brill Building song writer, himself, writing hits for the Monkees (I'm A Believer') and others but it wasn't until the late 60s  until anything stuck. 

*  'Solitary man' really didn't become the big hit   until 1970 when it re-emerged on the charts at #21, up from #55 in 1966 - a rare feat for a song to not only chart twice but reach higher position the second time around!

Neil Diamond is one of those rare artists who, despite changing times and sounds  has, consistently, maintained his fan base for decades. His concerts have always and continue to sell out to this day. Even when his records didn't well, Diamond was one of the top acts and  Diamond   returned to the charts in a big way in recent years, garnering his first No 1 album in decades under the direction of Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash and others).  Modern music critics, led by Rolling Stone, has feasted on crticising   Diamond  him as a lightweight , a sequined nostalgia act - much as they did Roy Orbison before his comeback, yet Diamond has been covered often by contemporary artists  and his 'Sweet Caroline' has become the 'Seventh inning stretch' song for Boston Red Sox  and several other Sports teams (see below).  In his 'comeback' album, Brian Wilson duetted with Diamond on 'Delirious Love,' a top 40 hit in 2006.

• He attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he sang in the All City Choir with Barbra Streisand. The pair went on to record heartache ballad You Don't Bring Me Flowers.
• A longtime back pain sufferer, he had a tumor surgically removed from his spine just before he started shooting "The Jazz Singer" in 1979.
• He won a fencing scholarship to New York University and was a member of the 1960 NCAA men's championship team.
• Artists who have recorded Neil Diamond songs include Elvis Presley, Deep Purple, Lulu, Cliff Richard, The Monkees, UB40, Johnny Cash and Smash Mouth.
• John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline was the inspiration for his hit "Sweet Caroline". Diamond revealed he wrote the anthem after seeing her on the cover of Life Magazine in an equestrian riding outfit.
• "Sweet Caroline" is played during the 8th inning at every Boston Red Sox home game - even though Diamond is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The song is also played during the 8th inning of every New York Mets home game and at Washington Nationals home games. Ice hockey team the New York Rangers have also adapted it as their own, and play it when they are winning at the end of the 3rd period.
• Diamond became the first-ever winner of a Worst Actor Golden Raspberry Award in 1980 for "The Jazz Singer". He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the same role.
• Famous for wearing colorful, sequin-adorned shirts in concert, Diamond claims he first came up with the idea so everyone in the audience could see him without the aid of binoculars. The Bill Whitten-designed and made shirts cost approximately US$5,000 each. Whitten designed and made the shirts for Diamond from the 1970s until 2007.
• Among his many accolades, the Grammy Award winner and 12-time nominee is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors bestowed upon songwriters. He was the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2009.
• Diamond has sold more than 128 million records worldwide.

Read more: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/w0009845.html#ixzz2rTY8f05E

NEIL DIAMOND'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Weekend - Five Decades of Hits!



NEIL DIAMOND COLLECTABLES

Neil Diamond sings 'Sweet Caroline'

live for Boston Red Sox fans

Neil Diamond's latest effort,  'Freedom Song'

sung for the Boston Bombing July 2013

   

Note Diamond's progress in this 1962 effort, AT NIGHT

Diamond's symphonic performance of 'America' 

from his movie, 'The Jazz Singer' one of his stronger rockers of later years

Live on Johnny Cash.. after Neil and Johnny play a few bits Neil does 'Brother Loves Travelin Show', a gospel-style fan favorite from Diamond's early, late 60s period

 NEIL DIAMOND, always a big Everly Brothers fan, recorded this on one of his later albums.

Hear some valentine love songs

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