Welcome to a sneak preview
of my new series
SHADY'S ANGELS
coming to Shady's Place in 2022.
Today I am staging a "battle of the bands" between old school rock 'n' roll
singers Gary Shelton and Troy Shondell. Okay, I confess. They're actually
the same guy - Gary Schelton of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who released records
under two different names. Sadly Gary/Troy died at the start of 2016
from complications of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Let's turn back the clock
to happier days and listen
to some of his best sides.
Although Gary aka Troy is
remembered by most as
a one-hit-wonder for his
top 5 charting "This Time,"
the song I saved for last,
I'd like you to hear some
of his other recordings.
If you don't have time to
listen to all of them from
start to finish, just play a
few seconds of each to
get a feel for the singer's
dramatic, rockabilly
influenced style.
to happier days and listen
to some of his best sides.
Although Gary aka Troy is
remembered by most as
a one-hit-wonder for his
top 5 charting "This Time,"
the song I saved for last,
I'd like you to hear some
of his other recordings.
If you don't have time to
listen to all of them from
start to finish, just play a
few seconds of each to
get a feel for the singer's
dramatic, rockabilly
influenced style.
To set the mood, I brought along some of
SHADY'S ANGELS
vintage classic pinups by Gil Elvgren and other
artists that I will use throughout this series.
artists that I will use throughout this series.
Without further delay, here is the sound of
Gary Shelton aka Troy Shondell!
Gary Shelton aka Troy Shondell!
"Don't Send Me Away" - Gary Shelton
(Oct. 1957, B side of "My Hero")
"Goodbye Little Darlin' Goodbye" - Gary Shelton
{Mar. 1959, B side of "Stop The World
(My Baby's Gone)"}
"Stop The World (My Baby's Gone)" - Gary Shelton
(Mar. 1959, uncharted)
(Mar. 1959, uncharted)
"Honey Bee" - Gary Shelton
(Mar. 1960, uncharted)
"Kissin' At The Drive-In" - Gary Shelton And
The Tone Blenders (May 1958, uncharted)
"Gone" - Troy Shondell
(Sept. 1962, uncharted)
"A Rose And A Baby Ruth" - Troy Shondell
(July 1967, uncharted, Apr. 1969, B side
of "Something's Wrong In Indiana")
"Island In The Sky" - Troy Shondell
(Jan. 1962, highest chart pos. #92 Hot 100,
#100 Cash Box, B side of "Tears From An Angel")
"This Time" - Troy Shondell
(Oct./Nov. 1961, highest chart pos.
#5 Cash Box/#6 Hot 100)
I hope you enjoyed the sound of this prolific,
terrific, yet underrated rock 'n' roller -
Gary Shelton aka Troy Shondell.
More vintage tunes and classic pinups
are coming your way next year
in my new series...
SHADY'S ANGELS.
See you then!
I don't recall his name. (either of them!) He's certainly got the sound of the time down, though. I'm surprised he wasn't more well known.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for coming, dear friend! You and you alone will wear the tin-plated tiara - the coveted crown reserved for the Shady's Place Early Bird! :)
Yessum, it is a shame that Gary aka Troy didn't emerge as a bigger star. On various recordings he sounded like Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Frankie Avalon and other young men who made it big as singing idols. It is also a terrible shame that he died from complications of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's at the too young age of 76.
Please give my buddy Pat a hug and tell him Shady sez to be a good doggie. Thanks again for joining me, dear friend Kelly, and enjoy the rest of your week!
I never heard of him to be honest so it is really nice that you showcase him here so we gain knowledge of this musical man. Alzheimers is just so horrible. Looking at this young man makes me feel so bad that he suffered this calamity. Too bad his family couldn't see this tribute. Have a beautiful day! It is a breathless 40C here so I am not stepping outside.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteYou're the second place finisher this week, but a first rate friend. Thanks a lot for coming early!
Yessum, Gary Shelton wasn't exactly a household name, even after he changed his moniker to Troy Shondell and scored a top 5 national hit with "This Time." It wasn't for lack of talent.
Yessum, fate was not kind to Gary/Troy, and he left us under dreadful circumstances. You are kind to suggest that surviving family members would appreciate this tribute. I cannot take credit for it. Shady's Angels put the post together. I merely signed-off on it.
WHAT??? The temp up in Canada is 40C today? That's 104 degrees F. Down here in Florida we have a term for that. We call it a cold snap. :)
Thanks again for dropping by, dear friend BB!
Hi Shady, and Angels! You found some pretty good photos of cool cars and pretty ladies! I don't remember either of his names/Gary Shelton, aka, Troy Shondell, but he and his band do pretty good stuff.
ReplyDeleteGary was a pretty handsome guy, and I enjoyed the videos of his performances. A few of the songs are kind of corny, but I like "Goodbye Little Darlin' Goodbye" and "Honey Bee". "Honey Bee" made me think of Travolta and gang singing in "Grease". Perhaps they listened to some of Gary's songs and picked up his moves and hiccups! "Kissin at the Drive in" was very cool! The video was great, giving us back lashes of classic cars and drive in speakers!
I have to give the band a "thumbs up"...they're great! The piano and guitar is noticeably up tight in "Kissin' at the Drive In". "Island in The Sky" is another tune with great music. This is a very nice slow dance song, isn't it!
Of course, my favorite is "This Time"! I recognize and love this song, even if it brings tears to many eyes! At the beginning of the post, the song is mentioned, and I knew right away which one it was. Thanks for bringing this one along! Gary's/Troy's voice seems more mature and earnest, and the band is superb!
This is a great post, Shady! Another virtual unknown, who is handsome and talented with all the right moves. Have a great weekend, that is moving quickly upon us! Take care, dear friend!
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteThank you very much for visiting me again so soon and claiming the third place trophy, dear friend!
I'm glad you like the wallpapers of Shady's Angels that I tacked up on the wall to go along with the oldies but goodies in this new series which officially starts next year.
I'm delighted that you appreciated this batch of recordings by underrated rock & roller Gary Shelton aka Troy Shondell. Shady's Angels selected the song lineup, and I found it interesting that they chose three B sides - four if you count "A Rose And A Baby Ruth" which was first issued as an A side in 1967 and later as a B side in 1969. It is the most recent recording by our featured artist in the entire post.
Yessum, Gary/Troy's early up tempo rock & roll and rockabilly records feature that familiar hiccup technique used by many artists of those genres in the 50s. I'm glad you singled out "Honey Bee," because it is one of my favorites, too. Thanks for sharing what it reminds you of. To me, "Honey Bee" sounds a lot like teen heartthrob Frankie Avalon singing "DeDe Dinah" without holding his nose. I dig the rock & roll song "Kissin' At The Drive-In" (credited to Gary Shelton And The Tone Blenders) because it's great rock & roll and also for the same reason you mentioned, because the video is a slideshow of vintage images reminding us how much fun it was to go see movies at the drive-in. Last I checked, there were still a few drive-ins operating around the country, but most have been turned into flea markets or torn down and the land developed for other uses.
Like you, I also really like "Island In The Sky," a fabulous number that reminds me of "Sea Of Love," the top 40 hit by R&B/swamp pop artist Phil Phillips in 1959. My top favorite matches yours - Troy's signature song "This Time" - simply a great recording that has stood the test of time. I'm impressed that you remembered the song by it's title alone.
Yessum, Gary/Troy was a good looking guy with talent and charisma. He should have become a bigger star. Shady's Angels are classy ladies for wanting to give him his props.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Suzanne. I hope you and Scootie are in good health and in good spirits. Stay tuned. Next Wednesday, you'll meet "Wordless Wendi" and three more new S-P-M-M radio personalities. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your week and have a safe and happy weekend!
Hi, my friend Shady :) Here is hoping, that all is still well with you and your loved ones regarding that covid thing. I can report, that my family and myself are all well ... close by and far away. First and foremost on my mind, right now, is my farm. Although, we had a bumper hay crop this year, our canola and barley is very much destroyed due to 3 hail storms and grasshoppers. Crop insurance guy tells us at least 50% damage. Now we have requests for our hay by farmers from southern AB, Sask and Man. We used to sell 1 ton round bales for $15/ each, but are are now charging $50+ in order to survive. So many farmers are forced to sell up to 50% of their perfectly good cattle plus their babies for slaughter. Tears. Anyway ... always, enjoy your awesome posts, always have and always will. Smiles. Theo and this old cat are sending love. http://a.msn.com/01/en-ca/AAMWQmZ?ocid=se
ReplyDeleteHi, cat!
DeleteHow are you and my buddy Theo, dear friend? Thanks a lot for dropping in and nailing down 4th place in the weekly Race to Shady's Place! The lifesize cardboard cut-out of Shady is yours!:)
Yessum, thank for asking. Mrs. Shady and I are still healthy, even as new cases in our state are spiking dramatically and the situation worse than ever before. I am relieved to know that you and other members of your family remain AOK. However, I am dreadfully sorry to learn that your crops were destroyed by a different type of plague - grasshoppers - along with hail storms. I do hope that you can recover some of your losses, and I am very sorry to learn of them. I am also shocked to read about the hardships faced by Canadian farmers. Watching that video news report has me in tears, same as you. Climate change is real and it's a crisis that needs immediate attention and action if we are to save ourselves and this planet we live on!
Thank you again for reaching out, dear friend cat. I think about you often and always appreciate your visits. Please take good care of yourself and TT and come see me again soon!
Appreciate the pinups. Nice! Back when a sexy woman had a figure other than 'pencil.'
ReplyDeleteTurning the clock back to happier days. You've only got to go back about two years...
Hi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for being here for the sneak peek (thru the hole in the tent) at Shady's Angels... coming soon to a computer screen near you via Shady's Place. I'm happy to see you, good buddy!
You and I and just about every man I've ever known agree that pencil thin women are not as attractive as they and the fashion houses that dictate to them seem to think. Turn back the clock five years and we've got a deal. :)
Thanks again for your visit and comment, good buddy Alex!
I've never of Troy Shondel either, but I do like his sound. Shady's Angels is going to be an awesome series and I can't wait to hear more of these tunes!
ReplyDeleteYou've opened my eyes to a lot of new music, dear friend. I might ask dad if he has ever heard of Troy Shondel.
Have a great Thankful Thursday!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteI hope you are counting your blessings and that your spirits are on the rise this Thankful Thursday, dear friend! Thanks for attending the sneak preview of my new series Shady's Angels featuring the great oldies of the Eisenhower 50s and early 60s and classic pinups by Gil Elvgren and other 20th century artists and illustrators.
Yessum, please ask your dad if he remembers Troy Shondell. I'm betting he will recall Troy's biggie - the top 5 national hit "This Time."
Thanks again for swinging by, dear friend JM. Happy TT to you and have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Shady,
DeleteI will ask dad today!
I'm on vacation starting tomorrow. I will be in Brighton Beach/NYC until Saturday evening. I won't be checking blogs or e-mails. I'm really looking forward to getting away and unplugging.
I'm taking Amtrak to NYC since I have tons of points, my Amtrak roundtrip was free. :) I'll be listening to your blog on my way to the Big Apple.
Have a great week ahead!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteI know you are looking forward to your beach getaway, dear friend. I hope the weather forecast looks favorable.
It's good to go unplugged a few times a year. It gives you some idea of how relatively uncomplicated life was when I was your age. There was no such thing as staying connected, and somehow that was liberating compared to what we have now, the feeling that we can't let go of the umbilical cord for fear of missing something important.
Good for you, racking up points and earning a free Amtrak ride out and back. I wish you a safe trip to the Big Apple, dear friend JM!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the introduction to the sound of Gary/Troy. None of his songs, even his hit title has never made it to my ears before now. All but three of your picks released before I entered this great big world in December 1961. I enjoyed listening to him but Aww-oh, look at the pinup girls in this post! You know that I'll be back if for nothing else more views of vintage pinup gals. :) I know in your next edition, you'll have some great old classic sounds of yesteryear and it's always such fun to visit a time when I was not or just a wee girl, so with that I can't wait to read/hear more in your next publication of Shady's Angels! 😗 Have a great weekend, my friend, and stay cool!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks for joining the fun as Shady's Angels give you a sneak peek at their new series featuring vintage mewsic and classic pinup art. As you can see, I began the post with a pinup by Bill Medcalf.
Yessum, I suspected that the harem of classic pinup girls of the mid 20th century would catch your eye. The artwork aspect of the series will be just as important as the nostalgic tunes the ladies pick to play.
Yessum, most of the songs presented in this series will be from the 50s and early 60s, and therefore I don't expect you and other younger readers to know them, but you might find that you like a few as we go along. It's an opportunity for you to learn and for me to learn right along with you. Truth be told, almost all of the songs in today's post were brand new to my ears until recently when I did research for this tribute to Gary/Troy. I only knew him as a one-hit-wonder artist for his biggie "This Time." Turns out he released some great records that remained uncharted.
Thanks again for being here for this introduction to Shady's Angels, dear fried Cathy. I wish you and DH a safe and happy weekend!
Tom,
DeleteA few minutes ago, I left a comment using a different browser. When I pressed publish, it evaporated and it didn't matter which sign-in option I try, except Google which wouldn't even let me use. I copied my original message so I could check out my regular browser to see if it's experiencing the same issues which I have in the past but it seems to look okay. Here's what I tried to share with you...
Tom,
I'm using a new browser, so I'm not sure if I'll be successful in leaving you this comment. Elvgren's art I pretty good at identifying. I haven't made a connection of other well-known pinup artists and their signature style yet but I know Bill Medcalf by name and have some of his work saved on my computer. You used several good pinups. Some I didn't see an artist signature on the image. I'm going to have to double check. Well...I don't feel so bad now knowing the direction of this music series. It will be a load of fun to learn about and get exposure to songs unknown to my ears. Thanks for stopping by to hit the 4M dance floor this morning. Have a boogietastic week, my friend!
Although, signing in with Google is an option it's not working correctly. I'm not sure if there's a conflict due to using the browser and it won't allow me to sign in using the Name/URL option which only leaves Anonymous commenting which I really detest. However, if it lets me do it then I will but I'm adding my signature so others can find me.
Curious as a Cathy
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, dear friend, but sorry to learn that you had difficulty leaving a comment. Looks like you got it figured out, because your comment was published along with your avatar. You well know that I have occasionally had trouble leaving comments on your Wordpress site. It seems like the blog gremlins do their mischievous deeds a few times every year. I panic whenever our connection is disrupted, because it is very important to me.
Yessum, I have a gallery of Shady's Angels classic vintage pinups to introduce in the ten or more volumes of this series that I plan to post, so stick around. If you are puzzled and would like to identify the artists responsible for some of them, try that "search by image" function on Google. It is very helpful.
Yessum, most of the songs played by Shady's Angels will hark back to the Eisenhower era and Kennedy years of the early 60s, coinciding with the publish dates of many of the pinups.
Thanks again for persisting until you could get a comment through to me. I appreciate the effort. Have a wonderful week, dear friend Cathy!
Hey there my friend. I have never heard of any of these songs or this singer, although I agree that he does have that 50's sound. I don't know if I'd classify him as Elvis-like though. Have a wonderful weekend my friend. I'm hoping to be able to get some crafting done in my studio between walks with Benny.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet!
DeleteThanks for coming by, dear friend! I'm delighted to see you.
Yessum, Gary/Troy had the right sound to become a rock & roll or pop country star, but it didn't work out that way. None of the records he released as Gary Shelton made the chart. As Troy Shondell, he scored one major hit, reaching the top 5 with "This Time." Subsequent releases peaked lower and lower: "Tears From An Angel" #77, "Island In The Sky" (B side of "Tears") #92, "Na-Ne-No" #107, and "Let's Go All The Way" #129. Therefore, the artist went into the music history books as a one-hit-wonder. I suppose you and I would have needed to be in the audience at that rock & roll revue to determine how "Elvis-like" Gary was at that particular point in his career.
Thanks again for coming to the oldies platter party thrown by Shady's Angels. I'm happy to know you and Benny have some plans for the weekend that include pleasurable walks. If Benny's like my Toto, he sniffs the ground every step of the way. :) Have a wonderful weekend, dear friend Janet!
I haven't heard any of these songs but when I listened to Kissin At The Drive In, I saw a picture of what looked like Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello on the drive in screen at the very beginning of the song. My mom loved them.
ReplyDeleteThere are still some drive ins around and I can still remember going to ones like this and having a good time when I was a kid.
I like the Shady's Angels pictures. Models these days are too thin in my opinion.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteHow are you, dear friend? How's that little rascal Falcor? Thanks for attending the platter party hosted by Shady's Angels. These Angels don't battle bad guys the way Charlie's do - they spin great oldies!
Yessum, that custom made video for "Kissin' At The Drive-In" contains many nostalgic images including that one of Annette & Frankie on the drive-in theater screen in one of their famous Beach movies. Thanks for sharing that your mom loved them. I also appreciate you telling me that there are drive-ins still operating in your region and that you are old enough to remember going to drive-ins when you were young. My folks and I went practically every weekend when I was a kid. We'd take a couple bags of chips along, and my mom would make foot-long sub sandwiches and pack them in a cooler along with sodas. Having our own snacks in the car meant we didn't have to wait in line and spend a fortune at the concession stand.
You and I (and friend Cathy above) all agree that many of today's models (and female celebs) are too wafer-thin to be attractive. Fear not! Shady's Angels are determined to stamp out skinny in our lifetime. :)
Thanks again for joining the fun and for finding ways to relate to the content even tho you are too young to remember these recordings. You're a great blog friend! I'll see you tamale when you present your weekly feature about the joys of life in your apartment community. :) Thanks again for coming, dear friend Mary!
I never heard of Gary/Troy but his sound was pretty typical of that period. Although I noticed he did have some later tunes and with a different name but still didn't ring a bell. He is super talented and it always amazes me how some artists make it big and others just fizzle. Isn't it sad that he died of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. A cruel double whammy. Looking at his youthful self it's hard to imagine him old isn't it? The posters were super cool. Very colorful and kitchy. I was reminded of my highschool days when I asked to be able to take auto shop. I was turned down by the instructor. He said girls were too distracting..huh? AS if! Well, maybe he was thinking of those posters! Ha! I'm still in Chicago and my sister gets home from the hospital today so I'll be here until next week to help her out more. I hope you have a good weekend Shady!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteThanks for reporting in from Chicago, dear friend! It means a great deal to me that you made time to visit Shady's Place in the middle of your duties holding down the fort while Midge is convalescing. I hope her procedure went well and that she is feeling better by the hour. Tell her Shady's thinking about her.
Yessum Gary/Troy had the right look and the right sound at the right time, and therefore it remains somewhat of a mystery why he didn't become the next Buddy Holly or Elvis. I see that Gary started out releasing records on the Mercury label and its subsidiary Smash. That was a good start, and should have provided a solid launch pad for his recording career. However, he then went on to release singles on Regis, Mark and Alpine, small independent labels, and they probably didn't (couldn't) do as good a job promoting and distributing his records. Troy enjoyed his greatest success on Liberty Records, a hit-making label. Liberty released Troys sig song "This Time" (previously released on the Gaye and Goldcrest imprints, plus the fine recording "Island In The Sky." He then jumped around to 16 other record labels with limited success.
Yessum, Gary/Troy suffered an awful fate in later years, a sad end to his story.
Great anecdote about wanting to take auto shop when you were in high school. The reason given by the instructor in denying your request to take shop with the boys reminds me of captains of ships forbidding women aboard their vessels when they set off to sea. I found this interesting paragraph about the superstition on howstuffworks.com: << an old nautical superstition held that women on ships or boats were very bad luck. Women were historically forbidden from sailing on military vessels or merchant ships because captains believed their presence would anger the sea gods, who would cause rough waves and violent weather. An alternate explanation might have been that bringing a woman on an extended sea voyage could be extremely, let's say, "distracting" to the all-male crew — and probably cause problems for the woman as well. A distracted or jealous crew is an unsafe crew. Sometimes women would even disguise themselves as men in order to work on a ship. >> With your striking good looks, YaYa, I can see why you were considered a hazardous distraction for high school age boys using power tools. :)
Once again, thank you very much for making time for a visit and for your delightful comment. Sending prayers for Midge's full and complete recovery. Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend, dear friend YaYa!
I never heard of Gary Shelton/Troy Shondell, but he's very good. When I first heard "Kissin' at the Drive-In" I thought you may have gotten the date wrong. The lyrics reference Danny and the Juniors, and it's odd for a '50s rocker to reference ANOTHER '50s rocker. I thought maybe it was a song recorded long after the 1950s ended that was a tribute to that era, sort of like Elton John's "Alligator Rock" or Brian Setzer's "Rock This Town", or any song from Grease. But, no, I looked it up and it was indeed recorded in 1958. The word "groovy" is also in the lyrics, but that's not so unusual. I once heard Danny Kaye, of all people, say that word in a movie made during World War II!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of songs recorded in a 1950s style after the 1950s had ended, "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" certainly qualifies. It would have sounded very out of place in 1967, but then it was only two years later that Sha Na Na played at Woodstock, so maybe not.
Finally, he's more on the cartoony side, and his pinups tend to be in black-and-white, but you might want to give Bill Ward a look. If you don't like pencil-thin girls, I can assure you his are not.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for joining the fun with Shady's Angels, good buddy! They and I are pleased to have you over as we pay tribute to Gary Schelton, an Indiana rock & roller who made records under two different stage names in his career but never achieved the degree of success he deserved.
Thanks for taking time to do some research on the side to make sure I had the release date correct on "Smoochin' At The Drive-In." There's a site called 45cat that I rely upon heavily as I prepare the posts for Shady's Place. Record collectors all over the world have assembled a huge database covering just about every popular music recording made during the rock & roll era. Follow this link and you will see the Gary Shelton listing that includes "Kissin'.":
http://www.45cat.com/artist/gary-shelton-aka-troy-shondell
I love to trace the origin of words like "groovy," and I did that in a post on the old SDMM blog. I believe I learned at the time that it went back to the 1930s or 40s and was first used by jazz
musicians.
Yes, I think the old school recordings of solo singers like Gary/Troy, Ricky Nelson, Elvis and others are locked in the Eisenhower and Kennedy years. Their careers all took a hit after The Beatles and other pop and rock bands caught on and transformed the music landscape. Rick Nelson adapted by creating his Stone Canyon Band. Elvis turned to gospel. In the late 60s, Troy became a songwriter and went into music publishing, then reemerged in the 21st century to perform concerts with other nostalgia acts on the oldies circuit under the name Masters of Rock 'n' Roll. I took a look at a gallery of Bill Ward erotic pinups. Olive Oyl was not among them. :)
Thanks again for reporting in and adding to the discussion, good buddy Kirk. Have a safe and happy week ahead!