...about "This Empty Place"
(Between Shady's Ears!)
I'm Abigail Ambrosia.
Classical mythology defines ambrosia as the food of the gods,
and I am here to satisfy your craving for good music and trivial
tidbits. Ambrosia also refers to something especially delicious.
Well boys... delish-is what this vintage dish-is. As Shady's Place advice
columnist and music trivia expert, I publish a weekly newspaper column
that features music related questions submitted by readers along with
my answers. My feature is so popular, it inspired a radio show that
is coming your way soon exclusively here at Shady's Place.
My friendly, all-female office staff fields
questions that come in on our toll free hotline.
Operators are on duty 24-hours a day and
standing by to take your call... so why hesitate?
I am more than happy to answer your trivia questions
and solve your musical mysteries, so let me hear from you!
The women on my staff enjoy getting all gussied up.
That's because, truth be told, most of the calls and letters we receive
turn out to be marriage proposals from men. That said... every
once in a while, someone asks a legitimate music question.
Without further delay, I now bring you this
sneak preview of my new Shady's Place series
Ask Abigail...
...a radio show that picks up where my
newspaper column leaves off.
Sally G. writes:
Dear Abigail, I'm a big
fan of your column and
curious about your last
name "Ambrosia." Isn't
there a band by that
name and, if so, did
they record any hits?
Hi, Sally! Thanks for writing.
Yes indeed there is a pop rock
band named Ambrosia. Formed
in LA in 1970, the band had 5
top 40 hits from 1975 to 1980.
They broke up in '82, reunited
in '89 and are still together in
2023. Ambrosia's first big hit
came in the fall of '78 when
they reached the top 3 with
"How Much I Feel."
"How Much I Feel" - Ambrosia
(Oct./Nov. 1978, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100)
Manuel G. writes:
Dear Abigail. Ritchie Valens
died decades before I was born.
My grandfather introduced me
to his music. Can you tell me
which Ritchie Valens record
was the last to be released
before his death and which
record was the first to be
released after his death?
No problem, Manuel! On February 3,
1959, now known as "The Day the
Music Died," a plane crash in Iowa
claimed the lives of three rock and
roll pioneers - Buddy Holly, J. P.
Richardson aka "The Big Bopper"
and Ritchie Valens, forefather
of the Chicano rock movement.
The last single released before
Valens' death was the rockabilly
instrumental "Fast Freight"
which hit the street in January,
1959. The record is credited to
Arvee Allens. (Valens' name did
not appear on original pressings.)
"Fast Freight" - Arvee Allens
(Jan. 1959 single)
BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
IT'S AN
Abigail Ambrosia...
(ECHO CHAMBER)
TWO-FER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER!
Right you are, Don Pardo.
A "two-fer" is an occasion
when I answer a question
with not one, but two songs,
usually by the same artist.
Released a month after
his death, Ritchie Valens'
single "That's My Little
Suzie," a song inspired
by Little Richard's hit
"Tutti Frutti," made it
roughly halfway up
the Billboard chart
and came close to
the top 40 on the
Cash Box survey.
"That's My Little Susie" - Ritchie Valens
(Apr./May 1959, highest chart pos. #43 Cash Box, #55 Hot 100)
If you're just tuning in, this is a sneak peek at
Ask Abigail...
...an advice column, information hotline and radio show rolled into one.
Make a note to check your listings because it starts soon
right here at Shady's Place on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.
I'm your hostess with the mostest...
Abigail Ambrosia
answering questions from you, the listener, about popular songs
of the past. There are two ways for you to submit a question.
One way is to mail your question to our offices here in
Shady Towers West. I'll give you the snail mail
address at the end of the show.
As you can see, we get a ton of male mail every day, and we love our work.
The other way to get your question to me is simply
pick-up the phone and call our toll free question-line.
It is also very much a "party line"... because, as you can tell
by now, I always play a song or songs that correspond to
your question and my answer. Dancing is encouraged!
What are you waiting for? Go to the phone and dial
1-800-555-2-ASK. CALL NOW!
Virginia B. is on the line with the following question:
Hello, Abigail! I hope you can settle a friendly argument I've been
having with my husband. He says Dusty Springfield is the
only diva that recorded "Wishin' And Hopin'"...
...but I seem to recall years ago hearing Dionne Warwick sing
a version of the song. Hubby thinks I'm crazy. Who's right?
Hi, Virginia! Thanks for calling.
Tell your husband that you are
correct and Abigail Ambrosia
says so. While it's true that
Dusty Springfield sang the
best known version of
"Wishin' And Hopin'"...
the English blue-eyed
soul singer was not the
only one to wax the
girl pop gem, nor
was she the first.
In February, 1963, Dionne Warwick
released her original version of the
Bacharach-David composition
"This Empty Place." A great
recording, Dionne's single
nevertheless stalled at #84
on the pop chart. The record
is noteworthy for its B side,
the original waxing of another
released her original version of the
Bacharach-David composition
"This Empty Place." A great
recording, Dionne's single
nevertheless stalled at #84
on the pop chart. The record
is noteworthy for its B side,
the original waxing of another
Bacharach-David song, "Wishin'
and Hopin'," which was covered
by Dusty Springfield and became
a top 10 U.S. hit for the English
songstress in the summer of '64.
Here now is sultry soul sister
Dionne singing "This Empty
and Hopin'," which was covered
by Dusty Springfield and became
a top 10 U.S. hit for the English
songstress in the summer of '64.
Here now is sultry soul sister
Dionne singing "This Empty
Place (between Shady's ears)."
"This Empty Place" - Dionne Warwick
(Feb. 1963, highest chart pos. #84 Hot 100/#26 R&B)
BOOTH ANNOUNCER:
IT'S ANOTHER
Abigail Ambrosia...
(ECHO CHAMBER)
TWO-FER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER-OOOFER!
Now, here's the version of
"Wishin' And Hopin'" that
you remember, Virginia,
Dionne Warwick's great
but overlooked original
recording of the song.
It went to waste on
the B side of that
low-charting 45.
Let's Listen!
"Wishin' And Hopin'"
- Dionne Warwick
(Feb. 1963, B side of
"This Empty Place")
Larry K. called
with this question:
Dear Abigail, I know Chubby Checker
for "The Twist" and other dance craze
songs, and I also vaguely recall him
singing a folk type song that asks
the question: "Does your mama
chaw tobacca?" What's the
name of that song?
Hi, Larry! Thanks for calling. The ditty you have in mind is "Hooka Tooka,"
a folk song associated with Chubby Checker and with folk/pop singer
Judy Henske. "Hooka Tooka (My Soda Cracker)" is based on a
children's jump rope rhyme. As the story goes, children in
days of old sang the song outside brothels where
their mothers were working to warn them
that police were on the way.
Released by Chubby Checker
on the B side of "Loddy Lo,"
another folk song cover,
"Hooka Tooka" made a
run at the top 15 on the
pop charts at Christmas,
1963, and the early
weeks of 1964.
"Hooka Tooka" -
Chubby Checker
(Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964,
highest chart pos.
#16 Cash Box, #17
Hot 100/#20 R&B)
That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek at my new Q & A
style series coming soon to Shady's Place. Stick around. Coming up
on the flip side of Gary Owens' news, it's the next exciting
edition of Shady's epic 36-part series
SAVED BY THE BELL DELL
Now this is advice columnist Abigail Ambrosia saying
so long and inviting you to join me next time for more
Q's & A's and more great sounds of the past on
Ask Abigail.
And remember, there's nothing trivial
about your love of music. See you soon!
If you have a musical question for Abigail Ambrosia...
call our 24-hour toll free question-line at
1-800-555-2-ASK...
...or mail your question to:
Ask Abigail
Shady Towers West, 24221 Hollywood Blvd,
Suite 5, Dept. 3-C, Los Angeles, CA 90901.
Who knows, Abigail might answer your question on her show!
