Helen Ettline - The Mother of All Dell Rats: Adorable... and a Little Bit of Heaven

 Shady Dell owner Helen Ettline 

 didn't have any children of her own. 

 In a way, we were all her kids 

 and she was our mom. 

Clearly Helen & John

loved kids. Why else

would they have

put up with the

aggravation all

those years?

The Ettlines

believed in kids.

They enjoyed

counseling and

helping kids.

The pictures above and below remind me ever so much of Helen's snack bar

and the jukebox in the adjoining room where rows of diner booths were located.

To remember and honor

Helen on Mother's Day,

I picked four songs that

I think she would enjoy.

Helen, these are for you.

"Straight A's for Helen." My "A to Z" friends

might appreciate knowing that the titles of

all four songs begin with the letter "A." 

 RONNIE DOVE 

The first of my 'A" songs for Helen is by Ronnie Dove, a Virginia

country pop singer whose records were quite popular in Central PA.

Ronnie put together a string of hits in the mid 60s and here's one of

them. Cracking the top 5 on the Easy Listening chart and hovering

around the top 15 on the pop survey, Ronnie Dove describes what

it's like to be with his girl-- "A Little Bit Of Heaven." 

 "A Little Bit Of Heaven" - Ronnie Dove 

 (June/July 1965, highest chart pos. #4 Easy Listening, 

 #15 Cash Box/#16 Hot 100) 

 THE DRIFTERS 

The song "Adorable" was first recorded in the fall of 1955 by the California

based R&B group The Colts. The original 45 on the Mambo label is worth hundreds

of dollars to collectors. At Christmas that year and into the early weeks of 1956,

The Fontane Sisters, famous for recording capable covers of R&B originals,

charted their version of "Adorable" on the B side of their hit "Daddy-O."

The most successful recording of the song was by The Drifters who

hit #1 on the R&B chart during the Christmas holiday season.

 "Adorable" - The Drifters 

 (Nov./Dec. 1955, highest chart pos. #1 R&B) 

 JEANETTE JURADO 

In the early weeks of 1961, the San Diego doo-wop group Rosie & The Originals

achieved a top 5 crossover hit with "Angel Baby." A great cover of the doo-wop

classic can be found in a scene from the 1995 film My Family. In the movie

Jeanette Jurado, lead singer of the popular 80s freestyle group Exposé,

portrayed Originals' lead singer Rosie Hamlin. Watch and listen!

 "Angel Baby" - Jeanette Jurado 

 (orig. version Jan. 1961, highest chart pos. #5, 
 scene from May 1995 film My Family) 

 RICKY NELSON 

Finally, I'm thinking Helen might enjoy being serenaded by teen idol Ricky Nelson.

In March, 1957, Ricky waxed his first set of songs and so began his very successful

recording career. One of the songs, a cover of Fat Domino's chart-topping R&B hit

"I'm Walkin'," was released as the A side of Ricky's first single. Ricky's version

became a major hit as well, cracking the top 5 on the pop chart and reaching

the top 10 R&B. As it turned out, Ricky's first record was a doublesider.

The killer B, "A Teenager's Romance," surpassed the A side and went

all the way to #2. Ricky performed the ballad on an episode of his

family television series The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet. 

 "A Teenager's Romance" - Ricky Nelson (June/July 1957, 

 highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100, #8 Cash Box, B side of 

 "I'm Walkin'"... scene from 1957 ep. of TV series 

 The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet) 

 Happy Mother's Day, Helen! 

 We love you and miss you! 

Hepcat Black Presents - The Collins Connection!

 HOWDY! 

 Hepcat Black's my name. 

 Hep music's my game. 

I'm a cool cool kitty, but let's get one thing

straight between us, Gus. I ain't from

New York City! I just pulled up in
my Pink Cadillac to spin some

cool tunes for ya. Old school

rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, psychobilly,

country, outlaw - it's all good, understood?

For my first stint as guest host here at Shady's Place
I am proud to present "The Collins Connection!"

 THE COLLINS KIDS 

 (LARRY AND LORRIE) 

Now I'm not talkin' about Joan Collins or Gary Collins or Tom Collins.

I'm talkin' about The Collins Kids - Lorrie and Larry Collins, the brother

and sister rockabilly duo you gotta see and hear to believe. Watch this

amazing performance of "Hoy Hoy," a single the siblings released

around Christmas 1957. When the song's over and you've put

your eyes and ears back in your head, then we'll talk.

"Hoy Hoy" - The Collins Kids (Larry And Lorrie)

(Christmas 1957, live perf. on 1958

ep. of Tex Ritter's Ranch Party)

Gotta love 'em - Lorrie and Larry Collins - The Collins Kids,
regulars on Tex Ritter's Ranch Party, the late 50s television
series known earlier that decade as Town Hall Party.

Little Larry's mentor was guitar virtuoso Joe Maphis -
The King of the Strings - who was also a regular
and featured soloist on Town Hall Party.

Here's another sizzler guaranteed to get you out
of your seat and up on your feet. "Hop, Skip
And Jump" was released in April of 1957
on the B side of "Young Heart."

"Hop, Skip And Jump" - The Collins Kids (Larry And Lorrie)

(Apr. 1957, B side of "Young Heart," orig. studio sound
over video of perf. on Tex Ritter's Ranch Party)

In August 1957, Arkansas country crooner Edwin Bruce

released as a single a song he wrote entitled "Rock

Boppin' Baby." In August of '58, Lorrie and Larry

Collins released a sultry, seductive cover. Here

are the C- Kids delighting the Town Hall Party

audience with a live performance of the song.

"Rock Boppin' Baby" - Lorrie And Larry Collins

(Aug. 1958 single, perf. on Town Hall Party)

 RICKY NELSON & LORRIE COLLINS 

As the story goes, teenage idol Ricky Nelson spotted

15 year old Lorrie Collins on Town Hall Party.

It was love at first bite sight. Ricky caught cat scratch fever and set out

to make Lorrie his "Be Bop Baby." Before long the two were going steady.

Don't they make a purr-fect couple?  It's easy to see why Lorrie Collins

caught the Rickster's eye. Take a look and a listen as Lorrie sings

"Waiting Just For You" on a 1958 episode of Ranch Party.

"Waiting Just For You" - Lorrie Collins

(perf. on 1958 ep. of Tex Ritter's Ranch Party)

In 1958 Lorrie demonstrated her singing
and acting skills on an episode of Ricky's
family TV sitcom The Adventures of
Ozzie And Harriet. Lorrie played the
dual role of Ricky's girlfriend and her
identical twin sister who was dating
Ricky's brother David. Together
Ricky and Lorrie performed

"Just Because," a song written in
1929 and recorded by numerous
artists including Elvis Presley
and Paul McCartney.

"Just Because"
Ricky Nelson & Lorrie Collins

(scene from 1958 episode of 
The Adventures of Ozzie And Harriet)

Ricky and Lorrie didn't last. The following year 17 year old Lorrie married

Stu Carnall, Johnny Cash's manager, a man who was twice her age.

Dang! Lorrie could have had me, Hepcat Black!

In 1958 "The Killer," Jerry Lee Lewis, had a hit single

with "High School Confidential," the theme song of

the 1958 crime drama movie of the same name.

Watch and listen as the talented siblings rip it

up with their version on Town Hall Party!

"High School Confidential" - The Collins Kids

(live perf. on Town Hall Party)

In addition to his blistering performances on guitar, Larry Collins is

an accomplished songwriter. He penned songs for The Collins Kids

and in later years co-wrote (with Alex Harvey) his best known song

 "Delta Dawn," a top 10 country hit for Tanya Tucker in 1972. Larry

and Lorrie performed together until the mid 60s before going their

separate ways. In 1993 the talented brother and sister team

reunited for a rockabilly revival show in England and

continued to make live appearances until 2018.

 I hope you agree that 

 The Collins Kids 

 are a couple of cool, cool kitties. 

 I'm Hepcat Black 

 saying so long for now and see you soon! 

SCROLL DOWN:

EDITOR'S NOTE:

If there's a rock and roll

heaven, Ricky Nelson

and Lorrie Collins are

performing together again.

I am sad to report

that lovely Lorrie

died two months

ago of complications

resulting from a fall.

Lorrie was 76.