Special Report: I Wish I Knew What Dress to Wear

Meet Pop Music's Unsung Heroine

GINNY ARNELL

and watch LIVE AND IN COLOR

as investigative reporter

GERALDO RIVERA

probes one of history's greatest

musical mysteries and scores

a ratings hit "In the Grotto."

The regularly scheduled program

will not be seen tonight... but will

return next week at its regular time.

Now stay tuned for the following

Shady's Place exclusive presentation:

"In The Grotto." Here's your host,

I-Team reporter Geraldo Rivera!

Join me as I attempt to solve:

A MYSTERY

WRAPPED IN A RIDDLE

INSIDE AN ENIGMA!

Tonight, as you sit in your easy chair in the comfort and safety of your home,

you will witness broadcast history being made as I boldly go where no man

has gone before. Experience the excitement and suspense as I venture deep

beneath the earth's surface and travel through a dark, some say "haunted"

cave in a remote, undisclosed location somewhere in the desert southwest. 

It is here in this isolated, God forsaken subterranean cavity that our

adventure begins. I will sweep aside spider infested cobwebs and

crack open an ancient vault that is believed to hold treasure.

It might just as easily contain the funk of 40,000 years.

Alright, we're heading underground. From this point on, my

production crew will turn the camera away from me and

give you a p.o.v. shot. Your eyes are seeing exactly

what I am seeing as we make our way deeper

and deeper into the foreboding pit.

We are already close to a hundred feet below ground level.

The long trek to rock bottom has only just begun.

  Say goodbye to the last rays of sunlight we'll see for a while.

I'm starting to feel claustrophobic and apprehensive.

As we continue on, in the interest of transparency and full disclosure,

I need to tell you that, although no man has gone here before, two

young women actually did explore this creepy isolated cavern

back in 1959. Millie Brubaker, an ambitious cub reporter for

the local newspaper who fancied herself an amateur sleuth,

went looking for this very same vault. We might never

know if she found it... and here's why. 

The disturbing picture below was taken by Millie's friend and

colleague, Polly Patagonia, the newspaper's staff photographer,

who accompanied Millie into this isolated hell hole.

Seconds after Polly's camera captured this terrifying moment,

she lost consciousness. When she awoke, her friend Millie

was gone and was never seen or heard from again. On a

happier note, Polly's amazing picture went viral and she

 won the "Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography."

How's that for a happy ending?

Okay, as you can see, I'm now deep in this creepy crypt

and approaching the long abandoned vault. 

Does it contain buried treasure... or will this turn out to be,

as it was for Millie Brubaker... a chamber of horrors?

We are now at ground zero, the vault, and suddenly there is literally electricity

in the air. The walls are crackling with some kind of energy and emitting

strange ribbons of light. I've never seen anything like this bizarre,

unsettling phenomenon. It's as if someone... or something

doesn't want us here... doesn't want us

violating this sacred place.

With the help of five bodybuilders from Gold's Gym,

I am now prying open the massive steel door.

This is the moment we've been waiting for... the moment of truth.

The excitement and suspense are palpable. I'm hyperventilating.

Now, here's a word from the makers of America's Most Famous Dessert...

J-E-L-L-O. Kids of all ages know: "There's Always Room for Jell-O." 

And we're back live.  During the break, I emerged from the pit.

I can now reveal what I discovered inside the vault, an airtight

compartment that had remained sealed for nearly 60 years. 

I found a box containing the recordings of Ginny Arnell, a Connecticut

singer who began her career paired with another Connecticut native,

Gene Pitney, who you might recall rose to fame as both a singer

and a songwriter. In 1959, coincidentally the same year that

Millie Brubaker went missing, Gene and Ginny released

two uncharted singles as the duo act Jamie And Jane.

You can listen to their first record, "Snuggle Up Baby"

released in March 1959, by clicking here.  You can

listen to their second 1959 single, "Classical Rock

And Roll,"  a song that starts out sounding a lot

like "Jailhouse Rock," by clicking here. 

I'm more interested in the records Ginny made as a solo artist in the

years that followed, and I'm going to listen to ten of them right now.

 Through the miracle of modern technology, I have loaded Ginny's

ten songs onto your computer and combined them with the covers

of vintage teen romance comics. These colorful pulp magazine

illustrations will help set the mood for Ginny's story songs

about teenage infatuation, puppy love and broken hearts.

Listen to Ginny sing and afterward read my review.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO PLAY GINNY'S SONGS!

 "Yesterday's Memories" 

 Brenda Lee - Skeeter Davis 

 Sound by Ginny Arnell 

 (June 1964) 

 "Portrait Of A Fool" 

 Glorious Country-pop Ballad 

 by Ginny Arnell (Jan. 1965, 

 B side of "Just Like A Boy") 

 "Trouble's Back In Town" 

 Gene Pitney Sound by Ginny Arnell 

 (June 1963) 

 "I'm So Afraid Of Loving You" 

 Gene Pitney Sound by Ginny Arnell 

 (From 1964 album Meet Ginny Arnell) 

 "Tell Me What He Said" 

 by Ginny Arnell (Dec. 1960, B side 

 of "Look Who's Talkin'") 

 "Dumb Head" 

 by Ginny Arnell (Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964, 

 highest chart pos. #50 Hot 100, 

 #60 Cash Box) 

 "How Many Times 

 Can One Heart Break" 

 Gene Pitney Sound by Ginny Arnell 

 (Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964, B side 

 of "Dumb Head" 

 "I Wish I Knew 

 What Dress To Wear"

 GERALDO'S "PICK TO CLICK" 

 by Ginny Arnell (Mar./Apr. 1964, 

 highest chart pos. #130 Bubbling under) 

 "He's My Little Devil" 

 Gene Pitney Sound by Ginny Arnell 

 (Mar./Apr. 1964, B side of "I Wish 

 I Knew What Dress To Wear") 

 "Watch What You Do 

 With My Baby" 

 By Ginny Arnell (from 1964 

 album Meet Ginny Arnell) 

GERALDO'S

REVIEW:

After listening to the recordings of

Ginny Arnell, I can draw only one

conclusion. She's Old School Cool.

 A little bit Brenda Lee, a little

bit Connie Francis, a little bit

Sue Thompson, a little bit

Everly Bros. and a whole

lotta Gene Pitney, Ginny

is a delightful singer who

deserved a much greater

measure of success and

fame, every bit as much

as her early singing

partner... the late,

great Gene Pitney. 

Incredibly, only one of Ginny's solo singles, "Dumb Head," made it even

halfway up the Hot 100 chart. It should be noted that "Dumb Head" was

one of the casualties of the JFK assassination. The record entered the

Billboard chart in November, 1963, just 6 days before the president

was shot. In the weeks that followed, the nation was in mourning

and many excellent pop recordings released during the period

struggled on the chart and sold poorly. To top it off, Ginny

and other teen pop queens and kings suffered a knock-out

punch when The Beatles and their kind burst onto the scene.

Furthermore, my Pick To Click, "I Wish I Knew What Dress To Wear,"

lingered near the bottom of the Bubbling Under chart at #130. Seriously?

In the early months of 1964, with The Beatles and other British and

American rock bands coming on strong, "I Wish I Knew What Dress"

To Wear" was one of the last glimmers of hope for sweet girl pop

artists and songs about proper attire and etiquette, adolescent

insecurity and innocent teenage romance, although it should

be remembered that Lesley Gore continued having hits

with the formula for a couple more years. 

GINNY ARNELL

 The Female Gene Pitney and

Pop Music's Unsung Heroine 

And so, my perilous journey down into the ancient catacombs did indeed

yield treasure - the long lost gold nuggets of pop songstress Ginny Arnell.

Ginny's was one of the most beautiful singing voices of the 1960s.

She made significant contributions to the teen pop and girl group

genres. Ginny's teen angst anthems were released by major record

labels, Decca and MGM. Why then didn't she become a major star? 

Unfortunately, I don't know the answer. With all she had to offer,

so much talent and so many great recordings... the fact that

Ginny Arnell isn't one of the big names in music remains

one of music history's greatest unsolved mysteries.

Her case truly is:

A MYSTERY

WRAPPED IN A RIDDLE

INSIDE AN ENIGMA

 I'm Geraldo Rivera. Thanks for being here for this Shady's Place exclusive,

an unprecedented television event brought to you live and in color -

the cracking open of an ancient hidden vault in search of musical treasure. 

This was merely a sneak preview of things to come. Please check your

local listings and stay tuned for the official launch of my new series

coming soon to Shady's Place Music & Memories. It'll be called:

It's My Vault... and That's Vinyl. 

So long!

Salivating 74 Years of Service to the Blog World!

Hiya, I'm Brian Griffin!

As you recall, I'm a professional martooni taste tester.

(Lishen, I'm not as drunk as some thinkle peep I am.)

I am also the personable pooch from Family Guy

and a member of the DJ team on S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio here at Shady's Place.

Sorry about the typo in the title

of the post.  It should read 174

14 YEARS.

That's right!  This week,

Shady is observing his 

14th blogiversary! 

That figure includes 10 years as emcee of the old blog,

Shady Dell Music & Memories, and 4 years as the so-

called brains behind Shady's Place Music & Memories.

I shay this calls for a shalivation... and the gang's all here.

Well, some of them are here, because we only have time

for the traditional seven song salute. Without further

delay, let's start from scratch and get to the music

because I'm itchin' to dance with your leg.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

If you're a fan of my show Eclectic Avenue, then you know I love variety

(and Jerky Treats).  The original by Smokey Robinson And The Miracles

is still the greatest, but wait till you hear what I found, a cool rerecorded

version of Smokey's "More Love" released in the summer of 2015!

"More Love" (rerecorded) - The Miracles

(July/Aug. 2015, from albums Disco Hits, Disco Gold,

Disco Dance, Disco Heaven & Class A Soul Songs)

"The Woo Woo" is here for you you!

Hi everyone, this is Old Leather

Lungs... Old Aching Adenoids...

Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg

from WMEX Boston, simulcasting

my famous Night Train Show

on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

Congrats to Shady Del Knight

on his fourteen years as a

member (in shady standing)

of the blogging community!

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

To help Shady celebrate, here's

a song from my Wimex Tunedex.

It's the Brill Building Sound of Gene Pitney making a run

at the top 10 in the fall of 1964 with a song originally

intended for Neil Sedaka- "It Hurts To Be In Love!"

"It Hurts To Be In Love" - Gene Pitney

(Sept./Oct. 1964, highest chart pos. #7 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

A Doctor Donald D. Rosey good morning to you,

and happy 14 to Shady Del Knight! The Doctor's

in the house! I'm Dr. Don Rose, top 40 DJ at

"Quixie in Dixie," on loan to S-P-M-M here at

Shady's Place. I dropped by on this special day

to spin the kind of record you're likely to hear

on my Rose-Colored Glasses show, sounds

of the 60s that are good for what ails ya. In

1966, The Left Banke found fame thanks to

their top 5 hit "Walk Away Renee." In 1968

Motown's Four Tops covered the song and

scored a hit of their own, a record that

finished in the top 10 on Cash Box.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here they are, the mighty men of Motown, the Four Tops, with

one of the best covers of any song by anyone-- "Walk Away Renee!"

"Walk Away Renee" - Four Tops

(Feb./Mar. 1968, highest chart pos. #8 Cash Box,

#14 Hot 100/#15 R&B)

 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!
On my S-P-M-M radio show Pink Cadillac
I play old school rock 'n' roll, R&R revival,
rockabilly, psychobilly, country, outlaw -
it's all good, understood

First off, happy 14 year blogiversary, Shady D! Now let's rock this

here roadhouse with a good old Texas boy named Moon Mullican,

a fella who earned the nickname King of the Hillbilly Piano Players.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's Moon backed by Boyd Bennett And His Rockets with the original

recording of the classic rockabilly song "Seven Nights To Rock!"

"Seven Nights To Rock" - Moon Mullican

(Feb. 1956)

Hyski here - Hy Lit - The South Philadelphia Kid,

The Potentate of the Keystone State - veteran DJ

on Wibbage, WIBG, and the host of Natural Hy

on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. Before I spin a

boss golden, I wanna give a shout out and props

aplenty to my good friend Shady Del Knight on

his 14 years of blogging. Way to go, man!

On Natural Hy, I play groovy greats of the 60s

and 70s with some 50s doo-wop occasionally

added to the mix. The epicenter of my show

is Philadelphia from the mid 60s through the

mid 70s, the sweet soul, psychedelic soul and

blue-eyed soul sounds that the kids danced to

in the studio on The Hy Lit Television Show.

START VIDEO NOW!

Here's a great example - Philly's very own Intruders with a

sound of the season-- "Love Is (just) Like a Baseball Game!"

"(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game" - The Intruders

(Aug. 1968, highest chart pos. #4 R&B,

#26 Hot 100/#41 Cash Box)

Hey, Vern! How's life been treatin' ya?

This here's yer old buddy, yer old pal

Ernest P. Worrell.

Ain't none of my beeswax, Vern, but looks like you got
somethin' caught in yer teeth there. Looks like Popeye
ain't the only one who's been eatin' his spinach!

Hey, Vern, guess what. Today Shady
Del Knight is celebrating the big 1-4.
No, he's not 14 years old, even tho

it sure seems like it sometimes.
I mean that he's been sharin' his
 music and memories with us for

14 years on two different blogs.

He deserves a great big attaboy.

Just a reminder, Vern. On my S-P-M-M show Rock-A-Billygoat, I spin

the best of rockabilly, early rock & roll, rock & roll revival, traditional

country & western and country-pop crossover. Now hold onto

yer hat, Vern, 'cause I got a dilly for you right cheer.

This boy and his band played everything from

rock & roll to R&B, folk, country, pop

and even psychedelic rock.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

In the late winter of 1969, the group scored a hit with this country

pop song. Here are Kenny Rogers And The First Edition

performing-- "But You Know I Love You!"

"But You Know I Love You" - Kenny Rogers And

The First Edition (Feb./Mar. 1969, highest chart pos.

#15 Cash Box, #18 U.S. Easy Listening/#19 Hot 100,

#9 Canada Easy Listening/#11 Canada, performance on

Dec. 8, 1968, ep. of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour)

Flashing back to late '68 and early '69, that was the late great Kenny Rogers
and his group The First Edition appearing on The Smothers Brothers

Comedy Hour and doing "But You Know I Love You," a single

that made the top 10 in Canada and the top 20 in the U.S.

Well, I'll be ding, Vern. We're

plumb outta time. Me and my

best buds need to skedaddle.

Hope you enjoyed this

anniversary bash we

threw to celebrate

Shady's 14 years

as a blogger.

Don't worry your head none, 'cause I'll be back in two shakes of a jiffy

with more toe tappin' tunes for your bobby sock high school hop,

your hillbilly hayride and your heartland hoedown.

Hey, this one's too cool for school, Vern.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, Johnny Rivers and his cover of Chuck Berry's

"Memphis, Tennessee." Now for Brian, Arnie, Don, Hepcat

and Hy, this is Errnest P. sayin' don't take any wooden

nickels and don't do anything I wouldn't do...

know what I mean Vern?

"Memphis" - Johnny Rivers

(June/July 1964, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100 & Cash Box)