Hi, friends!
Dell Rat Tom
back today to share with you two amazing new
pictures I just received that are directly related
to my old alma mater - The Shady Dell.
The first image brings back fond memories
of something my first wife and I did in 1973 -
something I had completely forgotten about
in the years since. My reminder came in
the form of an email from Jim Sieling,
a York resident with close ties to
John Ettline and The Dell.
Jim and his wife Nancy Rae (right),
one of John Ettline's nieces, helped
me launch my first blog, Shady Dell
Music & Memories, back in 2008
by supplying an abundance of
information and anecdotes
about John Ettline.
Over the years, the Sielings
have continued to contribute
facts, stories, pictures and
original artifacts including
the Dell's restaurant menu.
In the email I received the other day, Jim wrote:
Tom – I think I may have come across a 45 record
that you gave to Helen and John Ettline
in 1973. (See the attachment)
My wife, Nancy Sieling, who is a niece of John,
acquired the Seeburg Jukebox and some
45’s from the family.
While going through the 45’s I found
Close Your Eyes which you may have given to him.
If you are ‘the Tom’ I hope it
brings back fond memories. - Jim
I'm astounded, Jim!...
and I thank you and Nancy very much
for this wonderful surprise! Yes indeed,
I am "the Tom" who, along with my
first wife Karen, sent that record to
The Ettlines at The Dell in 1973.
The message on the label is
in Karen's handwriting.
In storybook fashion, Karen and I
met on the Shady Dell dance floor
in June, 1968. Over the next three
years, she and I went to The Dell
on practically all of our dates. In
1971, we moved away from York
and got married. We left our old
hangout behind, but The Dell
and The Ettlines remained on
our minds and in our hearts.
As I now recall, we sent that
record to Helen and John as
a way of thanking them and
showing appreciation for all
the great times we had over
the years as guests in their
house, our home away from
home - The Shady Dell.
Why did we choose to send that particular 45 - "Close Your Eyes"
by The Five Keys? Because it is the Dell song of greatest longevity.
Certain songs resonated with the Dell crowd to such an extent that
they stayed on the jukebox for years. "Close Your Eyes" is the best
example of the phenomenon. The record is ranked #1 on my list of
The 200 Greatest Hits Of The Shady Dell. Written by Chuck Willis,
the tender doo-wop vocal group ballad remained one of the most
popular jukebox selections at The Dell more than a dozen years
after its initial release in 1955. Listen now to that very special
song, the greatest Shady Dell hit of all - "Close Your Eyes."
"Close Your Eyes" - The Five Keys
(Mar./Apr./May 1955, highest chart pos. #5 R&B)
Equally astonishing is the second picture that Jim
and Nancy sent to me. Original Dell rats behold -
the Shady Dell's 1960s Seeburg Jukebox!!!
This is the workhorse that stood in the Dell's "barn" dance hall
and played non-stop, hour after hour, every night, 24-7, year
after year. It's the very same jukebox that prompted couples
to get out on the floor and dance to "Close Your Eyes"
and all the other "Jukebox Giants" - the greatest
hits of The Shady Dell!
For the last 13 years, whenever I have posted about the Dell's
jukebox, I have used a picture that I found online of a
Seeburg that resembled the one at the Dell. I am
absolutely thrilled to be able to display the
actual Shady Dell jukebox from now on!
Thanks a million, Jim & Nancy Sieling, for making
so many great contributions to our Shady Dell blog!
WOW! I wonder if my finger prints are still on that juke box. What a great surprise you got and what memories the picture brings back. I have enough old 45s we could use to fill it for a reunion. Now if I could only get the fire place and sofa back. What a way to start my day. Have a good one! Jerre
ReplyDeleteHi, Jerre!
DeleteThanks for hurrying over to claim the Early Bird spot, good buddy!
I told you this post would blow your mind as it did mine. Imagine my delight when Jim Sieling, whom I hadn't heard from in years, contacted me and laid these surprises on me. To hear Jim tell it, he and Nancy salvaged not only the Dell's Seeburg jukebox, but some of the treasured 45s it contained. I'd love to sift through those records and let the cherished memories flow!
I don't think Jim would mind me sharing with you two more interesting tidbits. First, more info about The Dell's dance hall jukebox. Jim wrote:
<< The Seeburg we have has not been running for at least 20 years but I finally found a guy in New Freedom that is repairing it. Nancy always wanted it fixed so our grandchildren could experience the juke and play the songs we grew up with. >>
I am very proud of Jim and Nancy for wanting to introduce their grandkids to the songs we listened to and loved so much at The Dell.
I'm sure you will appreciate this next part, Jerre. Jim and I were discussing the mystery of who programmed the dance hall jukebox, who or whom had the knack of picking the sweet doo-wop and soul records that made the Dell's musical menu the greatest in all the land? It is a mystery that remains unsolved. In an email to Jim, I offered my own theories:
<< One summer day circa 1967, I went to the Dell early in the afternoon. I was the only customer there at that hour. I walked down to the barn and found it silent, the jukebox pulled out from the wall. A guy in a uniform was crouched behind the machine, and I seem to recall him loading 45s into it, but he might have been repairing or doing maintenance on it. I was thinking that John might have had a deal with a company that researched the trade publications, identified trending records for teenagers and dispatched a jobber to venues with jukeboxes to insert new records, pull old ones that were no longer performing well and leave intact older 45s that were still being played often. I also speculated that John might have had a deal with local radio station programmers to recommend hot new records for the Dell, or perhaps relied on savvy local record retailers like The Disc-O-Rama, Sol Kessler's or Drinda Warner, manager of Mailman's record department, who served as programmers/buyers for the Dell's jukebox. >>
Jim wrote:
<< I have no idea how new records were selected/purchased/retired but John saved a lot or maybe all of them. (I just found a Mag Men – Piece of Mind 45 which I will treasure. I graduated in 1960 in Dave Bupp’s class at York Hi and recently Nancy and I have been going to hear Buddy King sing every Christmas at a local restaurant. >>
How's that for exciting Dell-related info, Jerre? As my oldest follower and supporter, you well know that facts and stories like these provided by Jim delight "old timers" - original Dell rats like us, and they have been the bread and butter of my Shady Dell themed blogs over the years. I am tremendously excited to be learning more from The Sieling family at this stage of the game about The King of All Dell Rats, John Ettline and his Shady Dell.
Thanks again for reporting in early, good buddy Jerre. Enjoy your holiday and the week ahead!
What a delightful treat for you! The older I get, the more I appreciate little glimpses of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteI loaned a special 45 to a cousin of mine for the jukebox in his beer joint. Sadly, due to circumstances beyond my control, that was the last I ever saw of it. (Arkansas Twist by Bobby Lee Trammell)
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for coming over on your holiday, dear friend! I hope you brought my buddy Pat with you. :)
Yessum, this recent email from Jim was a delightful treat, and I knew right away that I needed to post about it and play Show & Tell. I again thank friends Jim & Nancy for their thoughtfulness in reaching out to me after all these years. I'm surprised that I had forgotten about shipping that record to John & Helen, but it completely slipped my mind over the 48+ years that have elapsed since we did that in March of 1973.
Thanks for sharing your anecdote with me, Kelly. I love stories like yours. I remember coming across Bobby Lee Trammell's 1962 "Arkansas Twist" single a few years ago. I enjoyed listening to it again just now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBZr6uX8zWM
Clearly it was inspired by Chubby Checker's monster "Twist" hit, and I can also hear the influence of Chubby's "(Do The) Hucklebuck." I have a similar story of my own. In the summer of 1965, I was so excited after listening to a neighbor girl's 45 of "Out In the Sun - Hey-O" by The Beach-Nuts that I asked to borrow it. I loved the record so much that I couldn't bring myself to return it. It is still in my collection. Maybe in 2025, on the 60 year anniversary, I will finally do the right thing and give it back. :)
Thanks again for your visit and comment, dear friend Kelly. I hope your outdoor canine companions are managing to handle this summer heat. Please do something extra special for my buddy Pat today and have a great week!
Hey there friend Shady, what treasures to get! I've been organizing old family pictures recently too so I know the feeling of stumbling upon things that are in the back storage room of our mind. Hope you had a great 4th. Ours was fun with the safe and sane fireworks in our driveway and watching all the illegal ones in the air above us. Poor Benny didn't like it very much and we found him shivering when we came inside. Hugs and a sweater did the trick of calming him down and he was right as rain today. Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteHi, Janet!
DeleteThanks for coming by to see my Show & Tell exhibits, dear friend!
Yessum, it never fails. Whenever you start sifting through boxes of old pictures you are bound to come across things like ticket stubs, concert and theater programs and other memorabilia you threw in the box until you could work them into your scrapbooks. As you come across old forgotten pics and artifacts, a thousand memories dance through your head.
I'm happy to know Benny returned to normal yesterday following a day or two of loud fireworks. The stray black kitty that we took in as a house pet last year was spooked by the non-stop sound of firecrackers exploding in our neighborhood. He must have thought someone was shooting at him. I can't rule out celebratory gunfire. "Boots" hid in the closet the entire day and night. I felt like joining him.
Thanks again for your kind visit nd cheery comment, dear friend Janet. Take good care of yourself and my buddy Benny and enjoy the rest of your week!
As you know, Shady, I did a post on Andy Warhol recently and so couldn't help but notice the three what-looks-like-silk screen pictures at the top of the juke box. I don't know if it's actually Warhol's work or, perhaps more likely, a graphic artist working for the Seeburg jukebox manufacturer that copied the style, but it brings up another point. Whenever I read what you write about the Dell, I'm always visualizing Arnold's on Happy Days even though I believe you're a bit too young to have been a teenager during the era that show depicts. But that jukebox has not the '50s but the '60s written all over it. Not just the three Warhol or faux-Warhol pictures, but also the silhouettes in blue at the bottom, in particular the girl, on whose whose dress the hemline looks a bit too high for the 1950s. I'm going to have to adjust how I visualize your Dell posts from now on.
ReplyDeleteNever heard it before, but I liked The Five Keys song, and I can imagine THAT playing at Arnold's.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for dropping in for this special post inspired by the kindness of friends Jim & Nancy Sieling back home in York, PA!
You have a keen eye, good buddy. I only watched Happy Days for the first few seasons, and I don't remember Arnold's hangout in great detail. I found this piece of trivia regarding Arnold's jukebox which appears in the show's opening title sequence. It happens to be a Seeburg: << The classic M100C is featured early in the opening of the Happy Days TV series, although the actual spinning 45 rpm record shown is being played on a Rock-Ola. >> I looked at a gallery of 1950s and 60s jukeboxes and examined the artwork on their placards and panels. I didn't see anything that resembled the art on the Dell's Seeburg acquired by Jim & Nancy. I didn't start going to the Dell until 1965 and I was a regular until 1967 and a semi-regular until 1971. During that entire span I remember the jukebox having a horizontal deck displaying the field of title strips, a style indicative of 1960s models, as opposed to the almost vertical bank of title strips on most 1950s boxes. I'm guessing it is safe to say the Seeburg that came from the Dell's dance hall is a mid 60s model. Perhaps it was installed just before my first visit to the historic venue.
I'm glad you liked the mellow doo-wop sound of the Five Keys singing the Dell's #1 hit -- "Close Your Eyes."
Thanks again for coming over, good buddy Kirk. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Howdy Stranger! I wanted to drop in and say Hey! I love this post too! What treasures that your friends sent to you! Isn't it wonderful to be transported back, not only in your mind but with actual tangible artifacts that bring the past to life. Couple those with the music of the time and you have yourself a true time transport. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteLove that jukebox too! I have such fond memories of jukeboxes...the push-button kind, not the digitals. Buttons and knobs are a thing of the past. Remember the cigarette machines that used to be in the corners too? Drop a few coins, pull out that long lever, grab that pack of smokes and you're on your way. And the sounds they made too. Those sounds were all part of the atmosphere.
My good friends who moved away 2 years ago (I told you about how devastated I was when they moved) actually moved back to Austin a few weeks ago. What a thrill! They had me over to their new home for dinner last week and I got lost on the way home. Had to re-navigate and turned onto a "country road" and saw something out of the past that captivated me: a big huge Sunoco gas station sign! Sunoco? How long has it been since you've seen a Sunoco sign? It reminded me how much I wished I could go back in time and pull my '71 Monte Carlo into the Esso station where the hot long-haired gas station attendant would come over and flirt with me while filling my tank. haha
It's crazy how just a logo symbol or sign can take one back. Ever since then I've been reminiscing in turbo mode. Was chatting with an old college friend the other day and it got me thinking about those years. I wondered if my old college yearbook was online so I started searching & there it was: the YSU Class of 1984! I spent over an hour in the wee hours of the morning pouring over it, looking at the senior pictures and finding all my club affiliation photos. It was wild. And my senior picture: Good Lord, all that 80s hair!!! Lol
Seems we both have been lulled into genuine blasts from the past that makes our hearts sing. Thanks for sharing yours!
Hope all is well in your world, my friend. We need to do a catch up soon.
My best to Mrs. Shady.
Michele at Angels Bark
Hi, Michele!
DeleteI'm thrilled to see you, dear friend! Thanks for dropping by!
Yessum, the soundtrack of our youth in the 50s and 60s was made up of great songs, but it also included the distinctive sounds of machinery like vending machines, pinball machines and other games of the period. Isn't it cool how our minds are able to play back the exact sound of a steel vending machine lever being pulled and the payload of cigs falling to the tray below? That background noise, those low tech sounds we heard over and over again in juke joints and taverns, were comforting in their own way and I miss them. Your observation brings to mind the new TV commercial for CarMax entitled "Old Days": << As we move into the future, CarMax asserts that there are some things that should be left in the past. These woes include wearing clunky orthodontic headgear, searching through dozens of encyclopedias for one tidbit of information, and dealing with the inconveniences of VHS tapes and CDs. Perhaps the worst thing we should never experience again is having only one way to purchase a new car. Luckily, CarMax offers modern-day buying options that let you shop online, in-person or any combination of the two. >>
These days we can order online and have practically everything we want or need delivered to our doorsteps. No need to leave the house and go shopping anymore, no need for actual retail stores as we used to think of them. We are at risk of losing a lot of the things that made life so much fun in the past. "Sometimes doing something the hard way is better for the soul than doing it the easy way." - Shady Del Knight
Yessum, I can imagine how exiting and nostalgic it was for you to get lost on the way home, pass a signpost that read "Next stop: The Twilight Zone," and spot that old Sunoco sign. I well remember when Esso signs were a familiar sight, later replaced by Exxon. You missed my post in April 2019 saluting my big brother on his 80th birthday. The pic at the top of the post shows my brother posing next to a Tydol pump at the gas station where he worked in the mid 50s. It was a "Flying-A" station. Do you remember that brand? Take a look at that post:
https://tctgyb.blogspot.com/2019/04/80-is-new-18-happy-birthday-to-my-big.html
Yessum, I remember the years when it was customary to pull your car into a service station and have one or more uniformed guys appear immediately and pump your gas, clean your windshield and offer to check your oil while making pleasant conversation. It was a great experience!
It must have been exciting for you to find your college yearbook online and browse the old photos from the early to mid 80s including your own. I still have my two high school yearbooks and my college yearbook. Once a year or so I page through them to keep my memories sharp and recall good times.
Hey, thank you again, Michele for this delightful visit which added to my week of surprises. Please don't be a stranger. Come back and see me again soon and email me when you get a chance. I hope you are well and in good spirits. Seems so. Enjoy the rest of your week, month and Austin summer, dear friend Michele!
Dear Shady,
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome find! Nearly a 1/2 century ago a gift for the Ettlines from no other than our own Tom Anderson (a.k.a. Shady)! I seriously can’t believe it was kept safely all these years. I never heard the song, “Close your eyes” but, I love it, understandingly a #1 classic!
I love the juke box pic, too. What a treasure! I can only imagine how many fingers pressed those buttons to hear their Dell favorites!
Great post, Tom! It’s fantastic to have true pics to relive your “Dell” memories. Only wish there were more!
Toni Deroche
Hi, Toni!
DeleteTanks for taking a peek at this special post, dear friend! As the former owner of the Shady Dell, I knew you'd be interested.
Yessum, that 45 Karen and I sent to The Ettlines in 1973 is indeed an awesome find for Jim & Nancy. Along with the Dell's jukebox, The Sielings acquired some of the original records once played on it. "Close Your Eyes" by The Five Keys, the record Karen and I autographed and gifted to Helen and John, was among them. It's gratifying to see that the 45 was stored in its protective paper sleeve which no doubt kept it in pristine, near mint condition all these years.
Yessum, I am ecstatic to finally be able to post a picture of the actual jukebox from the barn dance hall. It is another tremendous addition to our collection of Dell images and artifacts.
Thank you again for stopping in and leaving such a nice comment, dear friend Toni. Enjoy the rest of your week and happy birthday to you! :)
That is one cool jukebox! All kinds of special treasures in this post.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Hi, Sherry!
DeleteThanks for popping in, dear friend!
Yessum, it was a wonderful surprise to receive a picture of that long lost 45 we gave to Helen & John nearly 50 years ago, and to know it is safe and sound in the possession of friends Jim & Nancy. It is also a thrill to have a pic of the jukebox played so heavily by Dell rats in the "barn." The old dance hall is gone, but the juke and the memories live on.
Thanks again for your visit and comment, dear friend Sherry!
Wow, that's pretty cool. That Jukebox looks really neat too. It's always fun to get pictures of things from our childhood. I've never heard the song but that's very cool.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mary!
DeleteThanks for swinging by to check out this nostalgic post, dear friend! How's my buddy Falcor today?
Yessum, pictures like these that were sent to me by Jim Sieling are priceless, all the more so because I had completely forgotten about shipping that 45 rpm record to John & Helen at The Dell. If it hadn't been for Jim's generosity, that memory probably never would have resurfaced. In addition, my memory of the Dell's dance hall jukebox had faded over the decades. Now it is in sharp focus and in living color thanks to this amazing picture.
I'm glad you like "Close Your Eyes (Take a deep breath. Open your heart)," the greatest of all Shady Dell songs.
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Mary, and thanks again for coming by!
What a treasure and surprise! How nice to get that and be transported once again to the Dell and all those memories! Also it's a little piece of Tom Anderson life in those days. With the love of the Dell forever etched in your heart I bet any kind of memorabilia is so appreciated. I so glad you were the right "Tom" on the record and that you shared it here today. I can see why that 45 was a hit with the Dell crowd. A great one to grab your honey and slow dance all night! Take care Tom and have a good week!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteI'm happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks a lot for dropping in to experience this special Show & Tell post.
Yessum, Jim Sieling's gesture brought fond memories rushing back, but I honestly still don't remember buying that 45 I sent to The Ettlines and don't remember Karen and I signing it or shipping it to them. However, the proof is right there before our eyes in these pictures. To me, it seems like a small miracle that the record was preserved so nicely for more than 48 years and then fortuitously wound up in the possession of Jim and Shirley who happened to recall their collaborations with me years ago when I was just starting out as a blogger. It has been years since I had any contact with either one of them, but Jim remembered me, and when he came across that autographed "Close Your Eyes" 45 in a batch of records he acquired along with the Dell jukebox, he correctly guessed that I am the same Tom Anderson. He wrote to me using an old email address that I hardly ever check in recent years. I usually bulk erase all of the inbox emails on that account because they are almost always junk. Fortunately I happened to spot Jim's email in the middle of all the junk, opened it and we were reconnected. That I even noticed his email is another small the miracle. So I guess you could say that the stars aligned over Starcross Road (the Dell's street address), when Jim took a chance and reached out to me the other day, making this joyful post possible.
Yessum, sweet, sincere, mellow, vocal group doo-wop ballads were the heart & soul of the Shady Dell, the style of music heavily favored by Dell rats and played most often on both jukeboxes, the one in Helen's snack bar and the one pictured in this post, the music machine that was located down in the dance hall.
Thank you again for your visit and wonderful comments, dear friend YaYa. Take good care of yourself, Jack and Arnie and enjoy the rest of your week!
Ahh, sweet nostalgia! What a fantastic post. Wonderful memories, wonderful friends. I'd always dreamed of having a juke box of my own. Thanks for the transport back in time for a bit. Gonna go dig out my autographed Marvelettes glossy and my signed Joey Dee & the Starlighters t-shirt...
ReplyDeleteHi, b.a.f.!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place, my good friend!
I'm happy to know you appreciate this nostalgic post displaying new pictures that flashed me back to my youth in the 1960s and 70s thanks to the kindness and generosity of The Sielings, a couple with close ties to The Ettlines, owners of my old hangout The Shady Dell.
You aren't the only one who always dreamed of having a jukebox. I wish now that I had gotten around to buying one years ago. Ironically, in the 2000s, I assembled a modest collection of "Dell song" 45s, but don't even own a turntable to play them on, much less a jukebox.
Wow, you have some neat collectibles! In the mid 80s, I was stage manager for an oldies revival show. We released a poster for the event, and my poster was autographed by the artists who performed in the show. They included The Chiffons, The Earls, The Coasters and Freddy Cannon. I had dinner with Freddy after the show and he autographed my napkin. He even wrote down his phone number in Tarzana, California, and invited me to call him. I never worked up the nerve!
Thanks a lot for coming by and supporting my blog, good buddy. I hope to see you again soon. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your week!
I love it when old friends get in touch and stir memories of those days long gone. What a treasure to receive a record like that. The fact that it survived means it must have been important to your friend. Happy July!
ReplyDeleteHi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteI'm mighty pleased to see you, dear friend! Thanks for joining me on a stroll down memory lane as I recall for the first time in decades, a gesture aimed at showing appreciation to John & Helen Ettline for all those great times Karen and I spent at their Shady Dell.
Yessum, it does my heart good to realize that John & Helen valued my wife and me as friends as much as we valued them. I believe they never played the record, choosing instead to preserve it in near mint condition stored in its protective paper sleeve. I am overjoyed to realize that Jim & Nancy came into possession of the autographed disc and that it is now safe in their care.
Thanks again for your kind visit and comment dear friend Cheryl-Lee. I wish you a happy July as well!
Shady!
ReplyDeleteHow neat! That's so awesome that this 45 made it back to you! Thank you for sharing your stories with us, especially this special one.
"Close Your Eyes" is such a beautiful song. I've never heard this before, but it was a much needed listen today.
How cool! Have a great evening, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteHow's the birthday girl? :) Thanks for taking a look at this special post brought about by the thoughtfulness of friends Jim & Nancy Sieling.
The "autographed" 45 didn't make it back to me, only a picture of it emailed to me by The Sielings. I originally shipped the record to John & Helen. It pleases me to know that after nearly 50 years, the collectible platter has found a new home with Jim & Nancy, particularly because they are introducing their grandchildren to the songs of the Shady Dell. If The Sielings' grandkids wind up in possession of that signed record someday, all the better. As I told Jim, we are all members of the same family - The Shady Dell family.
Yessum, based on my first hand observations as a Dell rat, "Close Your Eyes," the Dell song of greatest longevity, ranks as the #1 Greatest Hit of the Shady Dell.
Thanks again for dropping in, dear friend JM!
Hi, Shady!
DeleteThis birthday gal is doing well. Although last night was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I don't know how my interview went and I'm a bit nervous. Sometimes I feel like a failure because I get nervous.
Yet, I am not. As the birthday train ride comes to an end, I have people in my life who love and support me. I'm not a failure. There is a job out there for me and if I don't get it, I'll just keep looking.
Ah! I got it! I really hope their grandkids wind up with the records because it makes me excited to see a new generation discover this wonderful music!
I'm feeling the crush buzz and might have to listen to "Close Your Eyes" again.
I hope that you have a wonderful Thankful Thursday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for dropping back in, dear friend!
Regarding job interviews, all you can do is your best, and learn from the experience no matter what the outcome. I hope the news is good. I'm happy that you were quick to remind yourself how many people love and support you. You certainly are not a failure.
Yessum, one of the greatest challenges faced by people my age is finding young people who are interested in the 50s and 60s and would appreciate inheriting record collections and other memorabilia from us. Seems like Jim & Nancy have that covered with grandkiddos who are into Dell songs plucked from the jukebox.
Thanks again for coming by, dear friend JM, and happy TT to you as well!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteHow cool, a piece of your past returned to you thanks to modern technology! That's so nice Jim supplies you with nuggets of yesterday to share with your fellow Dell Rats. This has to stir good memories for you and others. "Close Your Eyes" is new to my ears. It was a joy to listen to the throwback sound of yesterday. The Five Keys band name doesn't ring a bell. Wiki shows the group's busiest recording years in the 50s but released some tunes in the 60s and even one in 1973. It appears they didn't have any #1 hits so this is probably why I'm unfamiliar with this old group. The Five Keys had that classic dreamy doo-wop tone that'll stop you in your tracks but for a moment as your mind soaks up the timeless melody. Thanks for sharing the music and the memory, my friend. Have a good week!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks for coming, dear friend!
I'm delighted to have you here to travel back in time with me in pictures and in song. Yessum, every few years someone contacts me and donates more priceless pieces of the past for use on my Shady Dell themed blog. I am proud to add to the Shady's Place collection these pictures Jim emailed to me showing the forgotten 45 Karen and I shipped to The Ettlines all those years ago plus, for the first time ever, a picture of the actual Shady Dell Jukebox. Jim believes it is a 1967 model, which would mean that an older box was in service when I first arrived on the scene in 1965. The one Jim now owns kept me and my friends entertained for a period of four years before I moved away from York.
I'm glad you like the smooth, sweet sound of the R&B/doo-wop group The Five Keys doing the #1 Dell song of all - "Close Your Eyes." Truth be told, record collectors and music historians believe The Five Keys made their best recordings before they signed with Capitol Records in 1954. The group's earlier recordings on the Aladdin label, beginning with their first release in 1951, "With A Broken Heart," are ultra rare, coveted by collectors and worth well over $100 each.
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend Cathy. Enjoy your Thursday and the weekend ahead!
Wow Shady! What a great find! I bet you were totally excited when you got the news! It was a wonderful gift to John and Helen from you and your first wife, and it remained with the Dell treasures for so many years. And how amazing to have a photo of the Dell juke box! It just gets better, doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great song, a lovely song! I remember it well. The DJs at our teen dances at the churches would play this one, and I enjoyed hearing it again-it's been a long time.
Thank you for coming by to share this fantastic news, Shady! I'm typing on a Chromebook, and it's kind of hard, since I'm not used to it. Have a great remainder of your week, and stay safe from the raging hurricane!
And, I wanted to mention how I love your photo and the opening photo of the kids dancing and snacking!
ReplyDeleteHi, Suzanne!
DeleteI'm excited to see you, dear friend! Thanks for being on hand to share my joy in receiving these two new additions to the Shady Dell picture gallery. I was an avid record collector in the 1970s and had a subscription to Goldmine, the record collector's magazine. I believe that I found an ad in that publication for a mail order record store where I placed my order for that 45. It is not on the original Capitol label. It is a reissue containing back-to-back hits by The Five Keys. Nevertheless, it was new and unplayed when I bought it, and I'm sure that's what mattered most to me at the time. I didn't want to send John & Helen a used, worn record. With its cold open, "Close Your Eyes" is a powerful yet tender love ballad. I'm sure you can imagine Dell couples flocking to the floor whenever that song started to play. It was the ideal song for snuggling and swaying with your special someone. I'm thrilled that you remember it being played at dances in your youth.
I traced the origin of that picture at the top of the post showing teenage couples slow dancing and chatting at a table. The caption reads "Teenagers at a party in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1947." Even though it is not a mid 50s picture, it's pretty close, and I liked it so much that I thought I'd use it for this special report. The picture of guest blogger Dell Rat Tom :) was taken, as I recall, in late 1971, close enough to March, 1973, when we shipped that signed record to The Ettlines.
I'm sorry you are apparently still hampered in your blogging activities. It makes me appreciate all the more the effort it took for you to compose this wonderful comment. We got several inches of rain from hurricane Elsa but no rough stuff in our immediate vicinity. I just returned from a doctor appointment and needed to drive through sheets of rain, another torrential downpour. Our lawn has deep puddles all over it. We went from famine (drought) to feast (frequent and heavy rain) and now it's getting to be too much of a good thing.
I hope you are well and in good spirits. Thanks again for coming by. Stick around the another Murder Mystery brain buster quiz coming up in my next post on Saturday. Until then, take good care of yourself and master Scootie, dear friend Suzanne!
Hey...I did write here...I know I did but it must not have stuck!?? That is so weird. I love those old jukeboxes and wish I had one. I bet they loved it and what a treasured gift. I am glad you have a photo of it. Love the song.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for completing the "hat trick" and visiting all three missed posts, dear friend!
If you say the dog ate your homework (your original comment) then I believe you. :) Yessum, there's nothing like an old jukebox to get the memories flowing and recall a bygone era so many of us experienced and greatly miss. I am grateful to the Sielings for reaching out to me and contributing these priceless pics.
Thanks again for being here, dear friend BB!