Salvaged and Restored -
The Shady Dell
Record Collection!
Vol. 6: Long Lost Dell Songs
from Summer and Fall of 1957.
BEWARE! NOTHING CAN
PREPARE YOU FOR...
JUKEBOX GIANTS
THAT TIME FORGOT!
Hello, friends! Dell Rat Tom
welcoming you to volume 6
of my exclusive 36-part
Shady's Place series
SAVED
BY THE
DELL
Today, you will travel
back to the summer, fall
and holiday season of
1957
and find yourself
standing before
the Dell jukebox.
Those dimes
and quarters
you brought
along are
burning
a hole
in your
pocket...
so why not
feed them
to the record
machine and
play some
of the great
Dell songs
of mid to
late 1957?
This series was made possible by Jim Sieling, my good friend
in York, and the husband of John Ettline's niece Nancy.
Jim Sieling
(faithful friend of The Dell)
As you recall, Jim acquired the Dell's Seeburg jukebox (below)
and many of the records that played on it through the decades.
Keep in mind that the Dell had two jukeboxes - one in Helen's
snack bar up at the house, the other down in "The Barn" -
the dance hall John had built onto the barn and garage.
When Jim took possession of the Dell's record collection,
he discovered, to his dismay and ours, that many of
the discs had been improperly handled and stored.
Simply put - they were filthy.
Mice (Dell rats?) had made a home among the records, and at least
one snake (a Violet Hill viper?) had slithered in looking for a meal.
Jim undertook the mammoth job of cleaning, organizing and cataloging
the records, then sent me the finished alphabetical list. There are 6,065
records on Jim's list including Christmas records, 12,130 songs in all!
My series brings you the 180 best Dell jukebox songs from 1955
through 1963, a period long before I arrived on the scene.
This series is dedicated to
the memory of Nancy Sieling.
Nancy Sieling
(faithful friend of The Dell)
Nancy, who was John Ettline's niece and Jim's wife, passed away in 2020.
Over the years, Nancy's generous contributions of pictures, information
and Shady Dell memorabilia greatly enhanced the quality of both of my
Dell-themed blogs. We have Nancy to thank for rescuing many of the
Dell's priceless platters when they were art risk of being thrown into
a trash dumpster and destroyed, hence the name of my series...
SAVED BY THE BELL DELL
Of course, we also have Jim to thank for tackling the enormous
task of cleaning, organizing and cataloging these 6,065 records!
Okay, it's time to use your imagination. Pretend that you are
at the Dell looking at the musical menu on the jukebox.
Scroll down and play the next 5 Dell songs.
BEWARE AND BEHOLD...
LISTEN AND LEARN...
AS WE EXPERIENCE...
JUKEBOX GIANTS
THAT TIME FORGOT!
The records and pictures are arranged in chronological
order, allowing you to trace the evolution of the
"Shady Dell Sound" and clothing styles
month by month through the years.
You know the drill.
ENJOY THE VINTAGE FASHION
PARADE AND FANZINES.
CLICK ON PICTURES OF
RECORDS TO PLAY SONGS.
AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1957
SAVED BY THE DELL
DELL SONG 26
SAVED BY THE DELL
DELL SONG 27
SAVED BY THE DELL
DELL SONG 28
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1957
SAVED BY THE DELL
DELL SONG 29
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 1957
SAVED BY THE DELL
DELL SONG 30
Once again I thank our late, great friend of the Dell,
Nancy Sieling, and her husband Jim, for doing the
good work of preserving the Shady Dell legacy for
future generations. We owe you a debt of gratitude.
Stick around. You'll hear more long lost songs
of the Shady Dell... the moldy oldies, dusty discs,
colossal fossils and rusty relics we like to call...
JUKEBOX GIANTS
THAT TIME FORGOT!
coming up on the next exciting edition of...
SAVED BY THE BELL DELL
That's amazing he was able to save so many records. Isn't that wild that to hear a song away from your record player, you had to put music in a jukebox or call the DJ at your local station? Now with cell phones, your music is always with you.
ReplyDeleteCool old retro images.
Hi, Alex!
DeleteYou take the Early Bird title again this week, good buddy. Thanks for the "Pete Rose hustle!"
You're right, Alex. Millennials are totally connected to the world day and night. When I was young, we were incommunicado most of the time. We were content with that kind of life. Being out of touch with other people for a few minutes or even a few hours did not induce panic as it does today. We appreciated and, I think, benefitted from not having music, movies, TV shows and the internet right at our fingertips. Sometimes, many times, the waiting, the anticipation, the journey are the best parts of the experience. Less is more, etc. etc. etc.
Thanks again for coming over for part 6 of my series. Enjoy the rest of your week, good buddy Alex!
Jukeboxes! I wish we still had places to plunk in our quarter (that's my recollected amount) and listen to some tunes while sipping a chocolate malt. Half the fun was getting to choose the three songs you got for that $.25.
ReplyDeleteOur library just received a donation of vinyls from an estate. The sound is still the best.
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
DeleteHappy March and IWSG First Wednesday to you, dear friend! Thanks for coming over to experience volume 6 of my series which combines the rusty relics from the Shady Dell jukebox with the fashions, products and celebrities that were popular during the same time period.
Yessum, it was fun to play the jukeboxes at various venues. It was interesting to follow the song sequence at the Dell and hear the picks of others as well as your own. On busy nights, it took close to an hour for the record or records you selected to play.
That's great news about the vinyl donation your library just received. Vinyl is making a big comeback. Maybe other obsolete artifacts of the past will come back in style as well. Certainly, vintage 50s clothing styles are perennially popular.
Thanks again for coming by to chat, dear friend Cheryl-Lee. Have a wonderful month!
Again great adds and magazine covers. I never was a Mouseketeer and not much of a beach blanket bingo movie fan. However, the music was great and really changing at that time. I remember the Hit Parade on TV and they had trouble with their crew being able to cover the newer rock and roll songs well. The hit parader list above with Andy Williams mentioned with new stuff shows the shift in music styles. I know all the songs and have all but Bobby Helms, I think I have Tonight Tonight on a different label and I remember how big a hit all the Channel songs were.
ReplyDeleteJerre
Hi, Jerre!
DeleteThanks for dropping in, good buddy, and welcome to part 6 of Saved By The Dell, not to be confused with The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island. :)
I'm glad you like this month's assortment of magazine covers and print ads. I watched The Mickey Mouse Club every week and had a crush on Annette, but didn't particularly like the characters she played in those beach movies.
How about that brand of cigarettes called Hit Parade? Yes, that Hit Parader cover reminds us that rock & roll was at first regarded as a passing fad. Little by little, the stuffy old men in suits realized that a revolution was taking place and that music by teenagers - for teenagers was the coming thing. I remember how those bland vocalists on Your Hit Parade struggled to seem convincing when singing rock & roll numbers. I always make fun of Pat Boone, but he actually did a better job on his covers of black songs than other white crooners of the period.
Well, we're getting into the zone now when you started going to the Dell. The tunes in this series will become more familiar as time goes by. Thanks again for joining me at the Dell jukebox again this month, and stay tuned for Vol. 7 coming a few weeks from now. Enjoy the rest of your week and have a great month, good buddy Jerre!
It always surprises me how this man cleaned all those records. It shows how dedicated he is to keeping this alive . I know the last song which is very famous but I don't know the other songs. It's was just fun to listen to.
DeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for reporting for duty, dear friend! I'm delighted to see you on day one of the run.
Yessum, I have a small collection of 211 rare vinyl 45s, many of them "Dell songs" such as these. As I collected the records, I carefully cleaned them before placing them inside dust free, crush proof boxes specially designed to safely store vinyl records. It takes a considerable amount of time to properly clean a record. Jim cleaned, sorted and cataloged more than 6,000 records! It was an enormous task, and Dell rats will be forever grateful to him.
This edition of the series has more major and minor hits than previous volumes. The Mello-Kings record peaked at #77. The song by the Tune Weavers was a top 5 charting crossover hit. The Bobby Helms single made a run at the top 5 during the 1957 holiday season.
Thanks again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend BB. I'll see you tamale at the BBC!
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing those vintage pictures and ads. It's like taking a little trip in a time machine. Thanks for sharing! Enjoy the rest of the month!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sherry!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place for Part 6 of my 36-part Saved By The Dell series. Forgive me, Sherry. Your comment was collected by the blog gremlins and placed in my spam bin where I just now found it. A week ago, I found another of your comments published weeks earlier, that had also been removed as spam. I need to be more vigilant in checking up on those mischievous trolls.
I thought you'd enjoy seeing what women were wearing in 1957, some of the products that were being advertised and celebs who were popular. Carol Lynley turns up quite often on magazine covers during the period as do Natalie Wood and Sandra Dee. The image immediately beneath Song #26 is up-and-coming model and actress Tuesday Weld in a 7 Up ad.
Thank you very much for coming to the platter party and fashion parade, dear friend Sherry. Have a super month!
Some of these were around way before I was. lol So I don't know them but a few sounded familiar. But they also sounded like other songs that I might have heard on some old movies. Not sure.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of soda in the glass bottles though, I remember that. I remember the vending machines that they came in too.
Some of those dresses in the ads sure look like stuff my mom wore when she was an older teen. But the baby carriage in the one ad reminded me of my own baby carriage that I would see in the garage of our home. It was black, had black lace and it just looked like something out of an old Victorian gothic horror film. lol It was so cool.
And cigarette ads, you don't see things like that anymore.
Have a wonderful week, Shady.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteHooray, dear friend - your comment was published automatically this time! The gremlins were asleep at the switch! :) Thanks for coming to see and hear part 6 of my series.
This series slowly follows a chronological timeline from the beginning of 1955 to the end of 1963, and therefore, it seems unlikely you will know many of the songs along the way since they were all released light years before you were born.
Yessum, those sturdy glass Coke bottles were a familiar sight back then. I'm sure if we examined a list of all of the things that have been discontinued in the decades since then, it would boggle the mind.
I'm glad some of the dresses on display remind you of pics of your mother as a teenager, and the little girl with the dolly in a baby buggy also brought back fond memories for you. The black carriage you describe sounds like it belonged to Rosemary's Baby. :)
Yessum, you will continue to see ads for cigs, beer, wine and hard liquor as the series progresses. I'm happy that you are carefully examining the images and pulling up memories.
Thank you again for your kind visit and splendid comment, dear friend Mary. Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll see you on Song Day Saturday!
I don't think I knew any of the songs, but I always enjoy seeing all the photos! (so many TINY waists!!!)
ReplyDelete~Kelly (and Pat)
Hi, Kelly & Pat!
DeleteThanks for dropping in on day one, dear friends!
Yessum, you will see some tiny waists on the models in these print ads from retail store catalogs and magazines. I always thought "spaghetti models" had something to do with hurricane tracking. I must have been wrong. :) It doesn't surprise me that you don't know these moldy oldies from 1957.
Thanks again for coming over for a visit and enjoy the rest of your week in Arkansas, dear friends Kelly & Pat!
Hey friend Shady: I'm not as familiar with most of these songs although I do recognize Happy Happy Birthday and My Special Angel. I was focusing on the ads and they are so rich with history. Carol Lynley reminds me a little of Nicole Kidman and I was excited to see the Agatha Christie mention. She is my all time fave author and I just finished reading Third Girl, a book I've had in my collection for over 20 years but don't remember reading!
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been nice for the past two days, or I should say it has been dry for the past two days. I don't really consider 50 degrees a "nice" day! I'm definitely looking forward to our summer weather and baseball to start. Hope you are doing well. Have a great weekend buddy.
Hi, Janet!
DeleteI'm very pleased to see you today, dear friend! Thanks for coming over to be Saved By the Dell... not to be confused with getting Morganized. :)
Heck, you remember more of these 1957 songs than most of the readers, Janet, and I don't mind you pivoting to a discussion of the ads. That's why I put them in this series.
Yessum, that John Bull Magazine cover referencing Agatha Christie was a wonderful find. Wiki says the UK magazine, which ended publication in 1964 was << similar in style to the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post. >> Wiki further notes that << All versions of the publication intended to cash in on John Bull, the national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular. >> And finally this from Wiki: << The 1946 relaunch featured covers that encapsulated post-war Britain and employed some of Britain's finest illustrators. During this period, the magazine also included short stories by major British authors such as H. E. Bates, Agatha Christie, Nicholas Monsarrat, N. J. Crisp, Gerald Kersh, J. B. Priestley and C. S. Forester. >>
I know you guys have had terrible weather most of the year so far. I hope it settles down now so that you can enjoy walking my buddy benny and getting out to the ballpark.
Thanks again for coming, dear friend Janet. I wish you a happy Friday and a safe and happy weekend!
Hi Shady! Sorry I'm late! It's been a busy week but I'm sure glad I was able to see these fashions and magazine covers. You know how I love to see the styles and how they changed and yet some could be worn today very easily. I will admit I knew none of the songs but did enjoy listening to them tonight. They just bring you back to that time and of course the kids at the Shady Dell I'm sure were slow dancing! Seeing the cigarette ads made me smile. It wasn't unusual to see ads (Hello Tom Selleck as the Marlboro Man) back in the day and we all had candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars! The models here were all so skinny but today it wouldn't be PC to just feature bodies like that. Thanks for the back in time ads to when I was 4. Since I just turned 70 it's weird to realize how much time has passed! Thanks always for your wonderful comments and for my
ReplyDeletebirthday wishes! Have a good weekend!
Hi, YaYa! How's the birthday girl today? I hope your celebration continues up there at The Pines as you mark this milestone in your life. I'm delighted that you could come by to experience Vol. 6, dear friend. I figured you headed back to work at the hospital and that you might be late for this one.
DeleteYessum, I believe the smart, elegant classic looks of the 50s will never go out of style. I am surprised and encouraged whenever I see young women of today paying homage to fashions of the period. There is one young YouTuber that I have started following who dresses like Lesley Gore and sings 60s songs authentically. I won't reveal who she is, because I hope to surprise everyone by posting some of her songs in the near future.
Thanks for reminding me that we pretended to be all grown up and smoke by enjoying candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars. However, I found both to be incredibly hard to light. :) I miss those years when smoking was actually GOOD for you. :)
Yessum, the year was 1957, and plus size models were not yet commonly seen in fashion catalogs, print ads and on magazine covers. I think most men would agree that models of the past were too thin, even though they were apparently the ideal size and shape for wearing the clothing styles rolled-out by designers.
Thank you again for dropping in and enjoying the vintage Dell songs and fashion parade. Please smooch Annabelle for me and have a safe and happy weekend, dear friend YaYa!
Some pretty good do-woppish music. The song I've heard before is "My Special Angel", though I don't recognize the name of Bobby Helm. Is he any relation to the late CIA director? If so, that "Special Angel" may be a code name for a U2 spy plane!
ReplyDeleteOf the songs that are new to me, I like best "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" by--let me scroll up--by the Tune Weavers. Maybe it's just the novelty of hearing a woman vocalizing in that genre.
The rest of my comments concern the images. They may not be the rationale behind this post, but you DO have a lot of them.
Until I looked at the small print, I simply did not recognize Natale Wood on the cover of that Photoplay magazine. Her eyes should be twice that size. One other thing about that cover. "Jayne Mansfield: Is Her Boom a Bust?" Heh, heh, heh.
The Owens-Illinois ad. I know things were pretty formal back in the 1950s, but would a woman really wear pearls to a picnic?
The John Bull magazine. Is that a doctor putting gas in that car? Or perhaps that's a trench coat and he's a secret agent (Bobby Helms might be able to answer that.) One thing's certain, he's not a gas station attendant. But self-serve didn't come to the United States until I was in high school, and that's quite a bit after 1957. Now, John Bull is to the U.K. what Uncle Sam is to the U.S., so I assume it's a British magazine. I just didn't know that country had self-serve that far back.
Finally, as subscriber of many years to The New Yorker, it was nice to see that magazine included, though it seems a bit of an outlier compared to everything else. Then again, that magazine is STILL an outlier, and may it always be so.
That's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for reporting for duty midweek, good buddy! I'm glad you enjoyed the doo-woppish tunes played at the Shady Dell in the latter part of 1957. I have no reason to believe that singer Bobby Helms is any relation to CIA director Richard Helms (or to Pee-Wee Herman or Monti Rock III), however I am running behind today and also too lazy to look up a possible link to any of them. (To make you feel really old, Pee-Wee will soon be 71 and Monti Rock, a frequent flyer on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, will soon be 81.)
Your ears picked "Happy Happy Birthday Baby" as your favorite, and that makes sense, since the record by The Tune Weavers was the biggest hit among these five.
I agree. I didn't recognize Natalie Wood as the cover girl of that first magazine. How about that ominous headline, "Can Natalie beat the Hollywood jinx?" Sadly, we know the answer all too well.
In the ad encouraging people to do the right thing, drink more beer, and buy it in quart size bottles, I just now noticed that woman wearing a string of pearls to a picnic. Gussied up to that extent, she should have been sipping champagne instead of guzzling brew. However, to answer your question, I do believe Ginger and Lovey Howell wore their pearls to picnics on Gilligan's Island.
There is indeed a lot going on in that scene on the cover of the UK publication John Bull. The man in the trenchcoat is eyeing the little girl as he pumps gas. Perhaps the illustration hints at the Agatha Christie mystery to be found within. I provided more details about the John Bull mag in my reply to friend Janet (above).
Yes, good buddy, I promised there would be a New Yorker cover in this series and there you have it. Hey, thanks again for your midweek visit and terrific comment. Have a nice weekend, good buddy Kirk!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteMy apologizes for not doing a return visit on Wednesday after you stopped by CAAC. I don't know where my brain is sometimes. Nearly all of these oldies are introductions with the exception of the last two in your line up. "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" and "My Special Angel" but I believe these songs I know were done by cover artists. Going on memory, I think I actually prefer The Tune Weavers to Ronnie Milsap and Elvis. I'm sure it has to be one of these two I'm thinking of. As for the other song title, I'm clueless which artist I'm thinking of now and it could even be someone shared the original in Blogosphere since I started blogging. This is a great collection of oldies. I really enjoy this series and am looking forward to the next installment. Have a sunsational Sunday afternoon, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm pleasantly surprised to see you, dear friend. Thanks for remembering me! If you didn't come over today, I would have reminded you about this post tomorrow, since it still has one more day to run before being bumped on Tuesday morning. I figured your mind is tied-up thinking about the A to Z Challenge and producing content for it. It's that time of year again - crunch time - when everyone gets super busy. Anyway, I am glad you didn't miss Vol. 6 of my series.
Yessum, it stands to reason that the last two songs are the most familiar to you because they were the two biggest chart hits and the two you hear more often to this day. Both songs have been covered by many other artists, but these are the 1957 originals. Yessum, you have a good memory and a good ear. "Happy B-day" was covered by several country singers including Dolly Parton, Sandy Posey, Ronnie Milsap and Wanda Jackson, and also covered by Rosie And the Originals and Elvis the Pelvis. The biggest cover of "My Special Angel" in the U.S. is the one by The Vogues, a popular vocal group from Western PA. In the fall of 1968, their version topped the Easy Listening chart for two weeks. I'm sure that's the other version you remember. I certainly remember it, because it was on the radio when the future Mrs. Shady #1 and I were courting in the months shortly after we met on the dance floor of the Shady Dell.
Thank you again for swinging by to check on my post on your weekend. I'll be over to see you for 4M Monday tamale. Have a wonderful week, dear friend Cathy!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI had been thinking about the A to Z Challenge. You might be disappointed to find out that I decided to not participate in the blogfest next month. I got about four posts into the groove and honestly I felt more pressure than excitement. The thrill to meet the challenge fizzled. This has been a long time coming. For the past couple of years I haven't been able to give it my all. I think a break is what I need and maybe next time around I'll feel refreshed, ready to tackle the month long event. I'm sure you understand. Sometimes, we have to first be true to ourselves. I'll let you in on a little secret. After the April shindig has passed I plan to debate my own A2Z contribution in my mid-week time slot. Most likely this will occur sometime after my last Maine photo memories post publishes which isn't until late May. I can say this that since I decided to not do the challenge I feel lighthearted again and more like drawing. I also hope to contribute more for TADs. I will go at this at my own pace. I want to enjoy what share and to have time for return visits. That I've felt a bit cramp for time lately. Of course, as soon as I figured all of this out I now have a handful of doctor appointments (follow-ups) that will cut into my schedule. Despite that, I still am feeling better about blogging for the first time in quite awhile. I guess I needed to give myself permission to play hooky from the annual affair to get my enthusiasm going again. Thanks for joining me on the dance floor today. Have a boogietastic week!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm delighted that you came back over, dear friend. Thanks!
Well, I think you are making a sensible decision not to join this year's A To Z Challenge. I feel the pressure every year, and yet I don't even participate in the hop. You've got the right attitude about blogging. When it ceases to become fun and becomes more like work, it's time to take a step back and reevaluate your commitment. You have plenty to offer all year round as it is, no need to knock yourself out and neglect DH and the rest of your family to crank out 26 posts in a single month. Your content is more valuable than that. I'm sure you will find life more relaxing and fun knowing the pressure's off. Like you, I was never at my creative best when constantly under pressure, and yet that's exactly the situation I was in for years as a TV news producer having to meet a strict deadline every day. A fresh newscast needed to be assembled and ready for air by 6 pm sharp - no excuses - and I was the person responsible for it. I was very happy to leave news and get into entertainment where the deadlines are measured in days or weeks, not minutes and seconds.
You bring up another good point. When you are too busy to reply to comments on your own blog or visit friends' sites and take ample time to read and comment on their posts, you are not living up to your potential as a blogger.
Yessum, every year around this time you have seemed undecided about the A to Z, but always bowed to peer pressure. Now, this year, you have set yourself free. Now you can do things at your own pace, enjoying blogging like never before. That's how I roll all these years - free and independent. I look forward to seeing ideas you might have used in the A to Z showing up throughout the year on Wednesdays and/or Thursdays. I love the music you present, your artwork and your travel photography.
Thanks again for coming back over for a visit and for letting me know what you're thinking and feeling. That's what great friends do! Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Cathy!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteSorry for being so late to the party. David and I threw a party for his roommate's 29th birthday yesterday and we spent last week planning. Between that and my scrapbooking display at the library. Life has been busy in Jessicaland.
I'm not familiar with any of these songs, but I am going to ask dad if he is. He might have to walk down memory lane. I love the fashion of 1957 and I also love that Jack-o-lantern on the New Yorker. Their illustrations are classic and timeless.
Have a great Monday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteWelcome back, dear friend! Iit's been so long I was beginning to think you had clicked to unsubscribe and unfriended me. :)
It's good to see you and welcome to the final hours of this month's Saved By The Dell tunefest and fashion parade. Yessum, let me know if your dad remembers any of these songs. This batch includes two substantial hits, so maybe he does. I'm glad you like the vintage illustrations and clothing/hair styles.
Thanks again for taking a peek at the post. Stay tuned for more fun when your neighbor down the road, Meg Pryor in Philadelphia, hosts the first episode of Meg's Mysteries and Pryor Convictions. Her series starts first thing tomorrow. Have a wonderful week, dear friend JM!