You've heard of the Sweet Sixteen,
the Elite Eight and the Final Four.
Dell Rat Tom circa 1961, age 11
Today Jim and I are spreading
MARCH GLADNESS
and introducing you to
THE BIG THREE!
Hi, friends!
Dell Rat Tom
back to share with you another
surprise from my hometown -
York, PA. It's another picture
that's directly related to my old
alma mater - The Shady Dell.
The picture arrived in an
email sent by my friend
Jim Sieling, a Yorker
with family ties to
John Ettline and
The Dell.
As you recall, Jim is the husband of Nancy Rae Sieling,
the niece of Dell owner John Ettline.
Last year, Jim sent me pictures of a 45 rpm record, "Close Your Eyes" by the
Five Keys, the song that tops my list of the 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell.
Writing on the label indicates that my first wife and I shipped that record to
Helen & John at the Dell in 1973. I had forgotten all about it over the years!
Jim found the 45 in a large batch of records salvaged from the Dell's
dance hall jukebox (above) which Jim also owns. A few months later,
Jim surprised me again by sending pics of another record of special
interest to Dell rats, another record that I had sent to the Ettlines
and forgot about - "Jingle Bell Rock." Today I present the third
surprise from Jim, yet another priceless picture. Jim explained:
Tom -- It’s been a while since I last contacted you. I’ve been busy organizing
the 45’s that were saved from the Shady Dell. Most are now in artist sequence,
have title strips, and are in sleeves. There are still a few that need title strips
and some of them also need sleeves. Once they are merged together the
final step will be log them into my computer so a particular record
can be found either by artist or song. There may be as many as
2500 records – once they have been entered into the
database we will have a good count.
In any event, after reading your blog I kept my eyes open and found
the original copies of your Shady Dell top three songs and have
attached a photo of all three together to this note.
Apparently at one time ‘Close Your Eyes’ was at location A 3...
...and N 8 was pressed for ‘Peace of Mind’. I hope the pictures
bring back even more fond memories of The Dell. - Jim
Jim, you have me shaking my head
and smiling ear to ear, my friend!
I am very grateful to you for sharing
these priceless pictures with me and
with Shady's Place readers. It blows
my mind to gaze at these records,
"The Big Three" - the top three
Jukebox Giants of the Dell -
and to realize these are the
actual records I listened and
danced to hundreds of times
at the Dell in the mid 1960s.
It's surreal that these are the
same title strips I squinted
to read as I peered into that
Seeburg jukebox in the
dimly lit Dell dance hall,
the strips that compelled
me to play these great
songs countless times.
Yes, Jim, thanks to you my mind is indeed reeling and filled with fond
memories. Thank you very much for this kind gesture, my friend!
Now that the field of 200 Greatest Dell Hits has been whittled down to
THE BIG THREE, let's listen to a few songs. Last year, in my first
post inspired by Jim's generosity, I played "Close Your Eyes."
To listen to the song again, click HERE. For today's post,
Jim sent me the picture below, a marvelous closeup of
the label and the many different title strips used in
the jukebox over the years for "Close Your Eyes."
Jim wrote: This one record (out of all the records found at the Dell) had
so many title strips. (I don’t think any other one had more than 4). There
must have been something special about this 45 !!!!
Probably about 90% +
of all of the hand written strips over all the years were printed by the same
person (notice the L’s, G’s, & T’s). I’m guessing it had to be either John or Helen.
about that 45, Jim. As you already know,
"Close Your Eyes" ranks #1 on my list of
The Dell's Greatest Hits. It also earned
the title of Record of Greatest Longevity
because it first entered the Dell jukebox
shortly after its release in January, 1955,
and it was still being played frequently
ten years later in 1965 when I arrived
on the scene. In fact, "Close Your Eyes"
was still in the "Barn box" and still
popular in 1971 when I ended my
stint as a Dell rat and moved away
from York. To my knowledge, no
other record lasted that long on the
Dell's main jukebox. It should be noted
that many other 1950s doo-wop records
were eventually retired from the jukebox
in the Barn and found a new home inside
the music machine in Helen's snack bar.
Since I played the A side
song "Close Your Eyes"
last year, today I'd like
to spin the seldom heard
B side of that Five Keys
single. I honestly don't
remember this song
being played at Dell,
even though it's on
the back of the #1
ranked Dell hit.
From what I've gathered
on YouTube, the song is
an early example of the
Carolina Beach Music
genre. Here now are
The Five Keys with--
"Doggone It, You Did It."
"Doggone It, You Did It" - The Five Keys
(Jan. 1955, B side of "Close Your Eyes")
The second biggest hit of the Shady Dell is by the local York group
The Del-Chords aka Del-Cords led by Dave Bupp and Buddy King.
Released in 1964, this dreamy soul ballad was played on radio stations
across the mid-Atlantic region and is one of Pittsburgh's Favorite Oldies.
In "the Barn" at the Dell, it was a monster, a genuine Jukebox Giant.
Here are Bupp, King and The Del-Chords reminding us that--
"Everybody's Gotta Lose Someday."
"Everybody's Gotta Lose Someday" - The Del-Chords
(1964, uncharted nationally #2 Shady Dell)
I consider the Del-Chords' platter a double-sider, because the flip
is also fantastic. Here's a sad story that's got to be told, a song
originally titled "Daddy's Lonely," and officially released
as-- "Your Mommy Lied To Your Daddy."
"Your Mommy Lied To Your Daddy" - The Del-Chords
(1964, B side of "Everybody's Gotta Lose Someday")
We now move to the third record scan sent in by Jim Sieling,
the #3 ranked Dell song "Peace Of Mind" by our hometown
heroes... The Magnificent Men. Lead singers Dave Bupp
and Buddy King founded the all white member R&B
and soul band after dissolving The Del-Chords.
Along with "Stormy Weather," this is one of the group's signature songs,
a smash hit at the Dell in 1966 and beyond. Rats scurried out to the
dance floor, formed a line and rode the tempo as The Mag Men
performed-- "Peace Of Mind."
"Peace Of Mind" - The Magnificent Men
(Mar. thru Sept. 1966, uncharted, #3 Shady Dell )
Those were The Magnificent Men with
the sweet soul anthem "Peace Of Mind,"
a single that missed the national chart
but hit the Dell like a tsunami, earning
the lofty position of #3 on my list -
the third most popular song on the
Shady Dell jukebox in the mid 60s.
Now let's flip that platter, because
it's another genuine double-sider...
two great songs for the price of one.
Here again are "our blue-eyed soul
brothers," The Magnificent Men,
with the Northern dancer-- "All
Your Lovin's Gone To My Head."
"All Your Lovin's Gone To My Head"
- The Magnificent Men (Mar. thru Sept.
1966, B side of "Peace Of Mind,"
#18 Shady Dell)
As a bonus, I will expand
THE BIG THREE
into
THE VINYL FOUR
and play the 4th biggest hit of
the Shady Dell in the mid 60s.
The majestic fanfare at
the start of this record
was the signal that sent
Dell couples flocking to
the floor for three minutes
of heavenly embrace -
ample time to do some
huggin' and smoochin'.
Hands down this is one of
the greatest R&B ballads
of all time. At #4 on the
Dell's 200 Greatest Hits
survey, Mr. Dynamite,
James Brown, sings--
"It's a Man's Man's
Man's World."
"It's A Man's Man's Man's World"
James Brown And The Famous Flames
(May, June 1966, highest chart pos. #1 R&B,
#4 Cash Box/#8 Hot 100/#4 Shady Dell)
You just witnessed a steaming, sizzling, sweat-drenched performance by
The hardest working man in show business, James Brown, along with
his crackerjack band, The Famous Flames, doing "It's A Man's Man's
Man's World," the song ranked #4 on my Dell's Greatest Hits list.
Once again I wish to thank my good friend Jim Sieling in York
for his kindness and generosity, and for doing so much
to preserve the Shady Dell legacy.
Have a Shady day!
Good morning, Tom!
ReplyDeleteYou rock started my today with some oldies from a long ago era. The only song I knew is your closing tune by James Brown which probably isn't any surprise to you. I enjoyed all your song picks but I think my favorite introduction is "All Your Lovin's Gone To My Head" by The Magnificent Men. I always like sampling their music when you share it. They really had a sound that works for me. I've been thinking about featuring The Magnificent Men on my site, but have yet to do it. I better make a note to myself so I won't forget. :) Thanks for the blast from your past. What fun days you had at the Shady Dell!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm delighted to see you, dear friend! Thanks for dropping in to see what Dell Rat Tom is so excited about - another Shady Dell-related surprise from friend Jim Sieling in York.
Yessum, the Five Keys version of the Chuck Willis song "Close Your Eyes" spent 16 weeks on the R&B chart in the spring and summer of 1955, but that was years before you were born. The records by the Del-Chords and Mag Men were monster hits at the Dell and popular throughout the mid-Atlantic region, but were not widely known across the country. James Brown topped the R&B chart and reached the top 10 nationally with "Man's World," which would explain why it is the one song you remember. I'm thrilled that you singled out "All Your Lovin's Gone To My Head" as your favorite. That Mag Men flip side is one of the Dell's greatest "killer bees." If you need Mag Men songs, I have many of them uploaded to my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/sfratpack
Yessum, my friends and I had many fun days (nights) at The Shady Dell, and I cherish those memories. Thanks again for coming by and have a wonderful week, dear friend Cathy!
Tom,
DeleteWhen I was growing up there was place like the Shady Dell in my area for youngster to congregate, other than one another's homes. I remember spending hours at my BFF's house listening to her song collection. As I've mentioned before I can't recall owning any vinyls other than one I had when I was a small child. My parents had little to no extra money to give out to us kids but that's the way it was for many in rural West Virginia. Anywho, it was always great fun to listen to tunes spinning at my girlfriend's house and I remember what a contrast of sounds there was between her and her brother. He was into the heavier rock, even metal sounds such as AC/DC, Alice Cooper, and Kiss. I'm sure there were others but those are the few who come to mind. Growing up in the 60s and 70s was a fun, innocent time a lot like the 50s I imagine especially in our neck of the woods where very little had changed since the earlier doo-wop days.
Thanks for letting me know that you have a YT channel. I will definitely follow you there and perhaps borrow from you music library. Have a wonderful Wednesday, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI love that you took time to share more memories from your youth, dear friend. To me, that is what the comment section of a blog is for.
Yessum, it makes sense that in your small rural community there was not a place like the Shady Dell where hundreds of teenagers could congregate and dance. Before I started going to the Dell in 1965, and before I started collecting records in 1964, I did what you did, and that was to hang out at somebody else's house listening to their record collection. In my case, I listened to the 45s and albums owned by four of my cousins, Paula, Bill, Donny and Betsy. Paula introduced me to teen idols and teen pop mewsic. Bill introduced me to James Brown, The Young Rascals and Johnny Rivers. Donny introduced me to British Invasion artists, particularly Herman's Hermits. Betsy owned great records by The Ventures, Jan And Dean, Shangri-Las, Lesley Gore and Barbara Mason. My parents introduced me to vinyl records at a very early age when they bought me children's records. I played them often and was fascinated with the magic of mewsic coming from plastic platters. That's how the whole thing started, my love of records and mewsic.
it's interesting that you mention your girlfriend's brother listening to Alice Cooper and Kiss. My nephew Mike is the one who got me interested in those two artists because he owned some of their early albums and played them for me whenever I visited his place.
Thanks for showing interest in my Y/T channel, dearie. However, I haven't uploaded anything new to it in years. I established it mostly for the purpose of getting videos made for the recordings of The Magnificent Men and another Central PA act, The Emperors.
Thank you very much for your kind return visit and marvelous comment, dear friend Cathy. I'll see you tamale at CAAC for our Thursday Art Date with Rain!
I was so excited for you when I saw what your friend sent! I kept thinking that you must be over the moon with all the memories that were shared and knowing that someone else is also making sure the Dell isn't forgotten. I can't imagine going through that many records and putting them in order and on a computer. I'm lucky I can blog on my computer! As always I imagine all the kids hanging out, falling in love, dancing cheek to cheek, enjoying the snack bar and just being a kid in the 60's. Great songs, even though I don't remember any of them I do know some of the artists like the Magnificent Men from all the times you've posted about them and shared their songs. Such treasures from an important time in your life. Have a great week Shady!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteThanks so much for coming early on day one to check out my latest Shady Dell Show & Tell special report!
Yessum, it is a blessing that I was able to connect with Shady Dell VIPs Jim & Nancy Sieling when I got started in blogging in 2008. Over the years, they have contributed many valuable facts and stories about the Ettlines and the Dell along with Dell-related pictures and artifacts. On display in this post is the latest surprise - scans Jim sent of the actual top 3 records that played in the dance hall jukebox when I was there in the 60s. When I think of the odds against something like this ever happening it blows my mind. Think about it. I might never have chosen to start a Shady Dell blog in the first place. I might never have met Jim & Nancy. They might not have had in their possession all the items they were able to share with me. I am grateful to friend Jim for working behind the scenes up in York to help preserve the Dell/Ettline legacy. I once owned a collection of vinyl 45s that numbered around 2,500. I know how much work/play is involved in organizing and cataloging that many discs because I did it with my own collection close to 50 years ago before computers.
The images you have in your imagination are like scenes ripped from Dell history. You have followed me so long that it is as if you share my memories, YaYa.
Yessum, The Mag Men are frequent flyers on my blogs, and they'll be back soon when Dell Rat Tom returns with another edition of his show Jukebox Giants.
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend YaYa.
Have a terrific week up there at The Pines!
You have me wanting to pull out my collection of 45s, Shady! However, it still irks me that I never got back the 45 of Arkansas Twist (Bobby Lee Trammell) I loaned a cousin for his beer joint juke box. Que sera, sera.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for being here early again this week, dear friend!
I'm happy to know that Dell Rat Tom's special feature gave you vinyl fever. I didn't know you have a collection of 45s. If you have time to reply, I'd love to know which genres are represented and the span of years. Any Peaches & Herb? :)
Yessum, I remember you mentioning that novelty dance record "Arkansas Twist" a while back. I found it on YouTube, listened to it and liked. I think I told you that I borrowed a 45 from a neighbor girl in 1965 and never gave it back. (I liked it too darn much.) That's no excuse, and I often think I should try to track her down and return it. Hooray for beer joint jukeboxes! :)
Thanks again for coming, dear friend Kelly. Please give my buddy Pat a good scratchin' and have a super week!
No Peaches & Herb (I don't think!!). To be honest, I can't even remember what all I have. Off the top of my head I remember Eric Clapton (I think), Booker T and the MGs, and Skylark.... but I'd have to go through them to remember what else. It's been a looooong time since I played any 45s!
DeleteThanks for returning to let me know, Kelly! Seems like your collection might be a reflection of your eclectic taste.
DeleteI don't think I've owned a working turntable in this century. Yet, it was during the 2000s that I built my collection of 211 rare, near mint condition vinyl 45s. They are strictly collectibles, not intended to be played. I keep them in two boxes that are specially designed to safely store 45s. They are crush proof, dust proof and allow no light inside. I keep them on a shelf away from heat sources. The records themselves are in paper sleeves and further protected inside clear plastic outer sleeves. I have them organized and catalogued in chronological order. I never played any of them. It has been 10-15 years since I last handled them or even looked at them. The satisfaction comes from knowing that I have them and all they represent to me.
Thank you again for taking time to explain, dear friend Kelly!
That sounds like an impressive collection, Shady.
DeleteI still have so many vinyl LPs that I've made sure to always have some way to play them. My current set-up isn't really quality, but it works well enough should it strike my fancy to play one.
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for returning to follow-up, dear friend! I forgot to mention that, at one point, I had hundreds of LPs in near mint condition, but foolishly sold them all circa 1990 to convert to CDs. I was paid only a fraction of what the albums were worth. In addition, CDs do not produce the rich, "organic" sound quality that vinyl records do. In case you are curious, yessum, I bought a Peaches & Herb album at the college campus record store in 1968, and their Date single "Love Is Strange" is in my collection of 211 rare specimens.
Thanks again for coming over, dear friend Kelly!
I might add that there's a scan of my Peaches & Herb 45 in the right sidebar of my blog. You will need to scroll down pretty far, but you'll come to it. The Date label is bright green.
DeleteI found it! My LPs were all oft-played and well-loved (and cataloged in a card file!). At one point I transferred them all over to cassette, but ended up selling them at a "trash & treasure" sale. (all that work!!) When my parents died, all my dad's 78s were disposed of. I was too young at the time to appreciate that loss, but sometimes wish I knew what some of them were. I'm guessing a lot of Big Band. Again, Que sera, sera!
DeleteI should clarify it was the cassettes I sold. I still have the LPs. I really should go pull out that bag of 45s (you'd be horrified how they're stored!).
DeleteThanks for returning, dear Kelly!
DeleteIt's better to have parted with those dub cassettes than to lose your original vinyl albums. Imagine me taking hundreds of albums to a record dealer store circa 1990 and watching as the guy stacked them on his counter and used a ruler to measure the depth of each stack. He then did the math with a pad and pencil and payed me a few cents per inch!!! He never even looked at the titles to determine what they might actually be worth! It was so insulting, a day I will always regret.
As a rule, I don't think big band sounds on 78 are as valued by collectors as records released in the rock & roll era. I have a few books on the subject of record collecting and the perceived value of certain titles to collectors. By and large, collectors pay most for the dreamy ballads released on 45 rpm by early R&B doo-wop groups of the 50s. Some rare releases can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars each. That said, I did own a rare Vogue Picture Record that I inherited from my aunt. It had big band songs on each side and a color romantic illustration pressed into the vinyl on both sides. My dad mounted it for me. Somehow it went missing decades ago and I have no idea where it is now.
Ha! I remember in college placing some of my vinyl treasures too close to a radiator and they melted and warped! I felt sick about it. One time the mailman delivered a rare 45 I had ordered. To make it fit inside the mailbox, he folded the package in half!!! Needless to say it was broken in two!
Thanks again, dear friend Kelly!
That post really brings back memories. I sure would be interested in Jim's final list and thanks to him for sharing the photos. I did miss one of my favorites. I forget where "Human" by Tommy Hunt was on the all time list. Of course I have copies of all the records in this post and almost all of James Browns old 45s. On any case, I really enjoyed this post. Thanks to both of you for starting my day with a blast!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jerre!
DeleteThanks for reporting in, good buddy! I knew you'd want to see this special post that came about through the kindness and generosity of my friend in York, Jim Sieling. I'm so glad you appreciated what Jim has done and continues to do to honor John & Helen and the Dell.
Yes, it would be great to examine Jim's list of 2,500 records pulled from the Barn's jukebox. Such a list would be far too cumbersome for a blog post, but maybe it can be handled via email. I'll check into it.
I have your info handy, Jerre. On my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell (mid 60s) "Human" by Tommy Hunt is #28. Keep in mind that I was not yet going to the Dell during the years you were a rat, so your song list and rankings would surely be different. I remember you telling me you have a lot of James Brown 45s, including his earlier releases.
Jerre, thanks for being here, good buddy. You ain't seen nothin' yet, because Jim and I have collaborated on another post set to begin on Father's Day. It's loaded with new info about John and other Dell VIPs. You don't wanna miss it. I will give you an email alert a few days before I publish it. I guarantee it is the biggest Dell related post in recent years!
Thanks again for being out there, Jerre, and for coming here to hang out at Shady's Place!
How wonderful to see these pictures of the old 45's that you sent to Helen and John but also the ones that kept being played. I would love to own an old fashioned jukebox. It's funny how one song can be played and played yet I don't know this song. I just loved listening to all of these including the last one which is very famous. I say even because, He was a gifted musician/ entertainer but I dislike the man intensely for his abuse and rape of women. On a totally different note, I wonder what the history is on that one song, "Your Mommy Lied to Your Daddy."
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteWelcome in to Shady's Place, dear friend, and thanks so much for joining the fun!
Yessum, what a thrill it is to see these original 45s that were pulled from the jukebox in the dance hall of the Shady Dell. I never dreamed I'd ever see them. Note the clarity and detail of these jumbo size scans sent in by Jim Sieling. We can read the printing on the labels and title strips and even the handwritten slot designations that were placed on the strips, mostly likely by Helen or John. Such artifacts are priceless to original Dell rats!
Yessum, I always wanted to own a jukebox for my game room or man cave, but never got around to buying one. I remember you telling me how much you dislike James Brown because of his track record of abusing women. If you think about it, some of our favorite actors, actresses and music stars had major character flaws.
Thanks for bringing up The Del-Chords mysterious B side "Your Mommy Lied." As you see on that demo label, the original working title was "Daddy's Lonely." I never knew that until I spotted this video. IMO, "Your Mommy Lied" is a more compelling title. The song seems to tell a tale of a woman who perhaps cheated and ultimately abandoned her husband and children. I have no idea if it was inspired by actual people and events.
Before I forget, please make a note that I will be very late getting to your music post on Wednesday. I have an appointment first thing in the morning. I will visit you a.s.a.p. that day, okay?
Thanks again for your visit and great comments, dear friend BB!
That's awesome! And so great you've managed to save some of the 45's. Kids today would think they were Frisbees.
ReplyDeleteHi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for dropping in to see what Dell Rat Tom has up his sleeve, good buddy!
My friend Jim Sieling is the one who has taken possession of all of those original 45s from the Dell. I have a collection of 211 singles, most of them in near mint condition, that cover many of the Dell's Greatest Hits, including the four in this post. Beyond that, I have another large box of original label 45s in less cherry condition, but still priceless to me for the memories they trigger.
I agree that many millennials would think these platters are intended for playing fetch with Fido at the park, but there are also many people of all ages getting back into vinyl in recent years and buying hi-end turntables to play their records on. There are quite a few YouTube channels devoted to playing vinyl recordings on state of the art equipment.
Thanks again for your visit and comment, good buddy Alex!
Shady,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful walk down memory lane! I'm so glad Jim sent you those photos of the record you sent to the Shady Dell. Wow! I love when you walk down memory lane.
I'm not familiar with any of these songs, but March gladness indeed. They put a smile on my face.
Have a great evening, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for checking out my March Gladness post featuring the Shady Dell's Big Three and Vinyl Four. All of the embedded songs were released light years before you were born, and therefore I didn't expect you to know them, but I'm happy to know they put a smile on your face. We have Jim Sieling to thank for making this special report possible.
Thanks again and have a great week, dear friend JM!
Hi Shady,
DeleteI had a dreadful visitor this week and these hits helped send her packing. Thank you for providing an uplifting soundtrack when I needed it.
Have a great thankful Thursday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteI'm sorry you had a rough week, dear friend. I suppose you will offer an explanation in your TT post. At any rate, I'm happy to know that these vintage Dell songs gave your spirits a lift.
Happy TT to you, dear friend JM, and have a safe and happy weekend!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteOh! I remember the big three from your favorite countdown of the Dells best! And to think two of the three bands were locals! What a thrill, for you to be able to relive the visual memory picking out those favorite 45s from the Dell’s jukebox and seeing the actual labels /records ! On the flip side, I have to admit, frequenting Myrtle Beach, where the shag originated, I can image the shaggers loving the song, ”Doggone it, you did it”!
So nice of Jim Sieling to share this treasure of yesteryear with the #1 Del Rat! Love the appropriate “March Gladness” title along with 12 yrs old (?) Tom A. Shooting the hoop! I share your excitement and also shared this link on my FB Shady Dell landmark page.
Toni Deroche
Hi, Toni!
DeleteThanks for visiting Shady's Place again, dear friend! I knew you'd be excited as I am over Jim Sieling's latest surprise. When I started blogging nearly 14 years ago, I never imagined all the nice people I'd meet along the way, people who have direct ties to the Shady Dell and generously lent their support to the old blog and to this new one. They include Jim and Nancy Sieling, Shirley Dreyer, Phil Spangler, Margaret and Kathleen Mae Schneider, original rats Jerre Slaybaugh, Ron Shearer and Greg Gulden and, of course, you, Toni. You and the other people I just listed contributed photographs, facts, stories and Dell souvenirs, all of which helped me present the Shady Dell story as accurately as possible. New stories and shocking revelations keep coming, as you will see in June when, with Jim's help, I present a special Father's Day salute to John Ettline.
Yessum, I was thinking about you when I posted that Five Keys flip side. I know you are a frequent visitor to Myrtle Beach, the "beach music" mecca that was the setting of the movie Shag. There's a very good chance young people on the Grand Strand during the mid and late 1950s shagged to "Doggone It, You Did It." It amazes me to realize that I have owned a copy of that 45 for decades and only recently listened to that up tempo B side for the first time!
I'm glad you appreciated the timing of this post and it's title. I can't determine for sure if I was age 11 or 12 in that picture. You could be right. It might have been taken in the summer of 1962 when I was 12. I remember my dad erected that backboard and hoop in the spring of 1960, because that summer, as my buddy and I played b-ball on my patio, we sang a new hit song that was playing on WSBA, the cover of "Volare" by Bobby Rydell.
Thank you again, very much, for being here on this special occasion and for linking to the post from your Facebook page. Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Toni!
Wow. We never had any place like the Shady Dell around here, or at least none that I knew of. It seems that your top fave songs were good ones to slow dance to with your special girl. Very romantic. How wonderful to have these old 45's. That's a lot of work to go through to catalog them all. Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a wonderful rest of your week my friend.
ReplyDeleteHi, Janet!
DeleteThanks for dropping by, dear friend! I'm happy that you could be here to share Dell Rat Tom's joy over Jim Sieling's latest surprise.
Yessum, all the original Dell rats consider ourselves lucky to have had such a unique haven for teenagers to hang out. All these years, I have never heard of a place quite like our Dell. "Close Your Eyes" and "Man's World" were two of the biggest slow dance ballads on the jukebox in the mid 60s. When "Peace Of Mind" played, Dellions had a choice. Some chose to slow dance, while others did a shuffle style line dance. I remember slow dancing to the first two snuggle songs I mentioned, but I can't remember specifically which Dellettes I was dancing with at the time.
Yessum, Jim is engaged in a labor of love up in York, PA, going through and cataloguing some 25-hundred priceless discs from the Dell's jukebox. It's safe to say that every record is worth a thousand memories.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Janet. Please give my buddy Benny a hug for me and enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!
I had to do a test to see if my comment would be published. I had trouble on my tablet, but now I'm on a PC. I was so happy about the 45s Jim sent to you. That's amazing and wonderful! I loved reading about your record collections in the comments too.
ReplyDeleteI liked, The Magnificent Men, the best today. In fact, their song, All Your Lovin's Gone to My Head, sounded very familiar. But I don't know if that song was played when I lived in California. James Brown's song is great. I always loved the opening line and how he sang it. No one would write a song with those lyrics today. Lol. They would be cancelled for sure. However, he DID say, men were nothing without women, so that makes up for everything else. Lol. Have a great day!
Hi, Belle!
DeleteI'm excited to see you again this week, dear and wonderful friend!
Thanks for coming to see this special post that has Dell Rat Tom playing Shady Dell Show & Tell, displaying the latest set of mind boggling pictures contributed by friend Jim Sieling in York.
I'm glad you took time to read the comments. Over the years, I have been very proud of all the interesting threads that have been opened and followed in the comments sections of my two blogs. This is where the real teaching and learning occurs. This is where genuine, long lasting friendships like ours are forged.
Yessum, at one time I had around 2,500 vinyl 45s in my collection and around 750 albums. Now I am down to about 500 singles and only five or six albums. The only ones I kept and never sold are my priceless (to me) Magnificent Men albums, my Emperors album and a couple of various artists albums that contain obscure, hard-to-find songs of local or regional interest.
I'm glad you singled out the Magnificent Men, and you are the second person to tell me they especially like "All Your Lovin's Gone To My Head," the up tempo flip side of "Peace Of Mind." That video for the song is one that I edited and uploaded to my YouTube channel many years ago. The audio was transferred from my original 45 by a professional dubbing facility in another state. I (nervously) shipped many of my rare and valuable records off to them and had them dub the music using their state of the art equipment. I doubt you ever heard that obscure B side in California. in fact, I'd be surprised if you ever heard the A side while you were still living there in San Berdoo. You might remember hearing these songs 11 or 12 years ago when we first became friends and I posted them on my old SDMM blog.
Yessum, parts of James Brown's "Man's World" song are cringeworthy, but he does redeem himself with the punchline admitting that man would be nothing w/o a woman or a girl. "He's Lost..... in the wilderness. He's lost.... in bitterness."
Thanks again for stopping by, dear friend Belle. I hope you are well and in good spirits, and I hope to talk with you again soon.
God bless!
As always, memory lane was filled with fun and...memories! So glad that Jim sent you the images--blasts from the past.
ReplyDeleteI lingered over the songs, and soaked up a bit of March Gladness. Thanks for that, Shady.
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteThanks for coming over to soak up some March Gladness, dear friend! Yessum, my friend Jim Sieling back home in York has blown my mind over and over again in recent months with pictures he's taking and the good work he is doing behind the scenes to preserve the Shady Dell legacy. We all owe Jim a debt of gratitude. I'm glad you enjoyed listening to the songs while examining the scans of the record labels and title strips.
Thanks again for taking a look and a listen, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!
I never thought much before about juke box label strips and where they came from. If I had to guess, I would have assumed the record company provided them. I'm also guessing that once they wore out, it was up to the proprietor of the juke box to come up with a replacement, even to the point of writing them out in longhand.
ReplyDeleteMy ears aren't always that good at identifying musical instruments on records, but the horn solo, or quasi-horn solo, on The Five Keys "Doggone it, You Did It" really jumped out at me. I like it, as well as the song as a whole.
The intro to the Del-Chords "Everybody's Got to Lose Some Day", Dave Bupp calls it a "taste of '60s Soul", further stating that it's "music and memories for you." Can I assume that intro is NOT on the record that played at the Dell, since the '60s were still going on at the time?
The lyrics to "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" probably don't hold up as well as they once did, but the music does, and so too Brown's voice. You've heard of method actors, the kind that use "sense memory" as a way of bringing authentic emotion to their performance? James Brown was a method singer. He seems truly perplexed by, and distraught over, the notion that man can invent all those things but, at the end of the day, he still needs a woman. So upset does he seem, in fact, that I fear he might go on that bridge and jump in the water! Call 911!
On that dramatic note, that's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for being here to experience this special feature, a collab between your friend and mine, Dell Rat Tom, and Jim Sieling, a friend of the Dell and husband of John Ettline's niece Nancy.
I was astonished to see all the different title strips for "Close Your Eyes," an indication that it was indeed the record of greatest longevity at the Dell, a platter that remained a very popular selection on the dance hall jukebox from 1955 until 1971 when I stopped going to the Dell, and perhaps even longer. The sweet, soulful slow dance ballad is truly worthy of it's rank as #1 on my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell. I'm glad you enjoyed the "killer bee," a gem of the Carolina Beach Music genre, "Doggone It, You Did It."
To answer your question about that Del-Chords biggie "Everybody's Gotta Lose," I created that hybrid video for my YouTube channel. In my collection, I have a various artists album hosted by Dave Bupp, lead singer of the Del-Chords and The Magnificent Men. On the album, Dave voices intros to 1960s songs of local and regional interest. I lifted his introductory toss line at the beginning of the album and butt spliced the original recording of "Everybody's Gotta Lose" onto it. So, to make a long story short, no, Bupp's voiced intro is not part of the original Del-Chords recording. I simply used it to make a custom video for my Y/T channel and for use on my blogs.
Thanks for explaining what you have learned about James Brown's singing method. I didn't mention this in the intro or the caption, but I'm pretty sure that clip of JB singing "Man's World" was taken from an episode of Dick Clark's Where The Action is, because I recognize that pond in the background from taped performances of other artists that appeared on the series.
Thanks again for reporting in and for taking the discussion in interesting new directions, good buddy Kirk. Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!
Those are all new songs to me this week.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was a kid my parents had a record player and tons of records. My grandma's collection of records was huge. I don't remember ever being anywhere that had a juke box though.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteI apologize, dear friend. I just now found this comment of yours in my spam folder I don't know why two of your recent comments were sorted as spam. Maybe now that I have marked this comment "not spam," future ones will publish right away.
I thank you very much for coming to see this special feature and glad you learned some new songs. Yessum, many people of your parents and grandparents' generations had rather large collections of vinyl records. It was part of youth to have friends over to your bedroom or game room and entertain them by playing records from your personal collection. That is basically what I have been doing in recent years here at Shady's Place. I'm sorry you missed the joys of visiting a juke joint. They were another familiar sight and sound of those boomer glory years.
Thanks again for coming, dear friend Mary!
Shady,
ReplyDeleteSo incredible that I was remembering the Shady Dell this week and then happened on this site.
I was a newcomer to York, moved there the day after graduating HS in OH. Being new in town the SD saved my life. Was only able to go there for a few months before I was forced to join the navy, but I came back on leave whenever I could.
There I met the love of my life, Linda D., oh where did you go 💔? And then there were a few others, Tui E., Ikey (yavone), Sandy ? And others.
I remember a lot of the songs listed and my old heart aches. Wish I wasn’t so old.
Thanks for putting up this site. Good memories.
Sailor C
Hi, Sailor C!
DeleteWelcome to Shady's Place Music & Memories, my friend! I was surprised and delighted to find your comment in my "awaiting moderation" folder, the bin that snags comments left two weeks or more after a post is published.
Thanks so much for dropping in to say hello and share some of your Shady Dell memories with us. Yes, it is a coincidence that you were thinking about our old alma mater and then stumbled upon my blog. I'm curious. How did you find my site, if I may ask?
By the way, I have an older Shady Dell related blog that goes all the way back to 2008 when I got started. That site is called Shady Dell Music & Memories. I'll give you the link to one particular post that might interest you, and then you can jump around on the timeline either direction from that point and perhaps find other posts of interest:
https://shadydell.blogspot.com/2012/04/to-dell-and-back-rat-packers-of-old.html
I established my Shady Dell blogs with people like you in mind, Sailor. I love to hear from original Dell rats, people who were there and still care. I am thankful that you decided to share some memories of the people, the place and the times of your life. That's what this blog and my previous blog are all about.
I wish I knew what years you went to the Dell. If you were there in the 50s or early 60s, you could provide valuable information about the Dell that I have not yet been able to elicit from anyone. I am also curious to know how the Dell saved your life, so to speak. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you mean by that? If you remember the Dell songs I posted here, then you must have been hanging out there in the mid 60s, perhaps back in York on leave from your service in the Navy.
If you have Dell related stories you would like to share, I would love to hear from you. If you could send me your email address separately in another comment, it will go to my "awaiting moderation" bin. It will not be published. I will simply use it to contact you. Once we have established an email connection, I can ask you some questions and collect some of your stories and memories. Who knows, I could wind up building an entire post around the things you observed and the good times you had at our home away from home, the Shady Dell.
Thank you again for letting me know you are out there and that you appreciate what I am doing here at Shady's Place Music & Memories. Stay tuned for a mind-blowing post coming up on Father's Day this year - June 19. It is filled with new facts about John Ettline and other Dell VIPs. You won't want to miss it, Sailor. Take care, and please let me hear from you again, my friend!