Top Hit Club of America Inc. - Old York/Shady Dell Chapter Volume 2: The Run For the Rosies!

Hi, I'm Debbie the Dellette...

a teenager of the 1950s

dancing at the Shady Dell.

I am also president of the Old York -

Shady Dell chapter of the

Top Hit Club of America!

 Today my friends and I will make  

 you regret the day you were born! 

What do I mean by that? When you hear the records my fellow Dell rats

play at today's meeting, you will wish you had been a teenager in York, PA,
in the 1950s and 60s and a regular at Shady Dell during those golden years.

Remember, as these original rats spin their songs:

"Don't just listen with your ears -

listen with your heart."

The rats are restless and eager to get started, and I second that emotion.
The meeting of the Old York - Shady Dell chapter of the
Top Hit Club of America will hereby come to order!

In vol. 1 of this series, original

Dell rat Ron Shearer joined

Dell rat Tom Anderson.

The veteran vermin

took turns playing

classic Dell songs

and reminiscing.

Today it's our good friend

Jerre Slaybaugh's turn to play

dueling turntables with Tom.

Jerre was sworn in as a Dell rat

in 1959 and ran with the pack

through the mid 60s. 

Jerre sent in a list of the most memorable tunes played

in the Dell dance hall during the years he hung out

there, and I am proud to play them for

Jerre's entertainment and yours.

 THE FIESTAS 

Jerre would like us to hear a song by The Fiestas,
the R&B group from Newark, New Jersey, led by
Tommy Bullock. The Fiestas are best known for
"So Fine," a single that brushed the top 10 in the
spring of 1959. On the back of "So Fine," Jerre
and other members of the rat pack found this
gold nugget, a sweet ballad entitled--
"Last Night I Dreamed."

"Last Night I Dreamed" - The Fiestas

(Apr./May 1959, B side of "So Fine")

 THE RIVINGTONS 

Here's more proof that Dell rats had a knack for
discovering hidden treasures on the flip sides
of jukebox singles. In 1962 The Rivingtons,
an R&B group from Los Angeles led by

Carl White, had a top 50 minor hit with
the up tempo novelty number "Papa-
Oom-Mow-Mow." Jerre and his
fellow Dell rats took the plunge,
flipped the record and dove into
 the fine B ballad-- "Deep Water."

"Deep Water" - The Rivingtons

(Sept. 1962, B side of "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow")

Hooray for the Rodentia Intelligentsia, Jerre! We already
knew that Dell rats had radar for cool, and you offered
even more evidence of the phenomenon with these
two obscure B sides that turned into slow dance
classics at the Dell.

Alright, Jerre, now it's time for you to take a break
so that we can find out what Dell Rat Tom brought
to the turntable. Tom told me he picked these
tunes with you in mind. Looks like he's set
to spin, so take it away, Tommy boy!

                THE LAVENDERS 

Thanks, Debbie! The first record I'd like to play for you,

Jerre and the other club members was waxed in 1961
by The Lavenders, a doo-wop group from Camden,
New Jersey, right across the Delaware River from
Philadelphia. The Lavenders included lead singer
Brent Edwards, formerly with Dale and the
Cashmeres, and Leon Huff on piano. Huff,
as you know, went on to fame in the 70s
as one of the architects of The Sound of
Philadelphia through his partnership
with Kenny Gamble. As the story goes
The Lavenders were playing at a club
in West Philly when they were dis-
covered by John Madara of the East
Coast producing team Madara & White.

 With another Philly music legend, Jerry Ross, producing them, The Lavenders

released the up tempo dance craze single "Slide" backed with this dreamy ballad

on the B side.  Here's young Leon Huff playing with The Lavenders on-- "Angel."

"Angel" - The Lavenders

(Oct./Nov. 1961, B side of "Slide")

 THE FASCINATORS 

Like many other doo-wop groups of the 1950s,
The Fascinators emerged from a group of guys
who enjoyed singing harmonies on the street
corners of Brooklyn. With Tony Passalaqua on
lead vocals The Fascinators landed a contract
with Capitol but recorded only three singles
before being dropped by the label. I'm going
to play their third and final release. From the
summer of 1959, backed by Jesse Stone and

his Orchestra, The Fascinators continue my
"Run for the Rosies" with-- "Oh Rose Marie."

"Oh Rose Marie" - The Fascinators

(July/Aug. 1959)

 JIVE FIVE WITH 

 EUGENE PITT 

Thanks, Tommy! Great stuff there, and now you have me curious about the other

songs that go along with your "Run for the Rosies" theme. Before we find out,
let's listen to another platter recommended by Dell Rat Jerre Slaybaugh.

Jerre loves The Jive Five, the Brooklyn based doo-wop group that featured the lead vocals of the late Eugene Pitt. I'm sad

to report that Eugene died in the summer of 2018. In 1961,

The Jive Five struck gold with their first single "My True

Story" which topped the R&B chart and went top 3 pop.

The group followed with a string of excellent doo-wop

records that kept Dell couples locked in warm embrace

night after night, year after year. Strange as it seems,

several of these great sounds missed the R&B chart,

the pop chart, or both. One such mysterious miss is the

1962 release "What Time Is It?"... a modest hit on the

pop side that never showed up on the black chart. Dell

rats paid no attention to the charts. They made their own

hits and left no record unturned - always checking out the

flip sides in search of gems. They found this one on the

back of "What Time Is It?" Listen to this killer B, a song

that might remind you of "My True Story." Credited as

Jive Five With Eugene Pitt, here's "Beggin' You Please!"

"Beggin' You Please" - Jive Five With Eugene Pitt

(September 1962, B side of "What Time Is It?")

That's classic doo-wop, Jerre.

Thank you! Okay, now sit

back, relax and listen as

Dell Rat Tom completes

his highly touted

"Run For the Rosies!"

 ROSIE 

Debbie, I'm sure you and Jerre can tell where I'm
going with this. I already played a song called
"Angel" and another called "Oh Rose Marie."
Now here's Rose "Rosie" Hamlin, lead singer
of Rosie And The Originals, the group best
known for their hit "Angel Baby." In 1961
Rosie released the solo album Lonely Blue
Nights. One of the songs on the LP is the
bluesy number "Maybe I'm Dreamin'."

"Maybe I'm Dreamin'" - Rosie

(from 1961 album Lonely Blue Nights)

 THE 

 MELLO-TONES 

To complete my "Run For the Rosies," here
are the Mello-Tones, a vocal group formed
by a group of boyhood friends from the

same Manhattan neighborhood. Their
influences included the vintage R&B
groups The Orioles, The Cadillacs and
the Five Keys. With tenor Ray Hulbert
on lead vocals and backed by the
Hank Ivory Orchestra, The Mello-
Tones recorded "Rosie Lee," an
up tempo single that cracked the 
top 30 in the spring of 1957.

"Rosie Lee" - The Mello-Tones

(May/June 1957, highest chart pos. #24 Hot 100/#27 Cash Box)

Many thanks to Dell rats Jerry Slaybaugh

and Tom Anderson for sharing their

Shady Dell music and memories with us.

I hope you had a good

time eavesdropping on
today's meeting of the
Old York - Shady Dell

Chapter of the Top Hit

Club of America. Stay

tuned for more doo-

wop classics of the

50s and 60s spun by

original Dell rats Jerre,

Ron and Tom coming

your way soon!

A Shady's Place Exclusive: The Tom Anderson Interview!

Hello, this is Shady Del Knight blogcasting live from the
brand spanking new headquarters of Shady's Place, the spin-off
of Shady Dell Music & Memories. As you can see, I am still here -

still puffing my pipe - ready, willing and able to continue serving
as your master of ceremonies as we begin the next leg of our
journey. I'm sure you read the announcement over on SDMM

stating that I resigned my host post and was replaced by
William Frawley. It was bogus, a hoax - a fake story
cooked up by my special guest. We'll meet him
right after this message from Mallard Airlines.
"Mallard Air... fly safe. Stay funky."

Obviously that was a fake message about a fake airline.

It's the kind of gag routinely sprung on readers by my

special guest, a man who seems to have adopted the

slogan "A deviant mind is a terrible thing to waste."

Landing an exclusive interview with this gentleman

was a major coup and I consider myself lucky. He's

the wizard behind the curtain, the brains behind the

blog, the man who for the last ten years has been

working hard to educate and entertain you.

 To launch Shady's Place in style, I am proud to introduce

the creator of Shady Dell Music & Memories and

Shady's Place, Tom Anderson. Welcome, Tom!

Well, thank you very much, Shady! It's a pleasure

to meet you and it was nice of you to invite me on

as your first guest as we kick-off year eleven.

It's exciting to know that from now on your

posts will originate from our new facility,

Shady's Place, aka SPMM (Shady's

Place Music & Memories). 

S.D. KNIGHT: Love that new blog smell. :)

ANDERSON: Good one! Do you realize that in the ten years we have been working together, this is the first time we have actually come face to face?

S.D. KNIGHT: I never gave it much thought until now but, by golly, you are correct, sir! This is the first time that you and I have ever been in the same room at the same time.

ANDERSON: This should lay to rest those pesky rumors that we are the same person. :)

S.D. KNIGHT: Tom, let me ask you this, and I know the readers must be wondering about it, too. Why did you choose to pull the plug on Shady Dell Music & Memories and move your operation across town to Shady's Place?

ANDERSON: Well, first of all, I wouldn't say that I "pulled the plug" on Shady Dell Music & Memories. The old blog is still there, ten years of material, and will remain intact. The old site will now serve as a reference source where people can learn about the Shady Dell and its owners John and Helen Ettline. They can also read about Margaret Schneider, whom we affectionately nicknamed "The Oldest Living Dell Rat." Margaret's father, George Brown, built the Dell, and his family became its first occupants in 1913 before the start of World War I. Margaret and her family resided at the Dell through The Roaring Twenties. Visitors can also trace the history of the Dell over the period it was owned by the Spangler family during the Great Depression. Of course, SDMM also contains thousands of music reviews, tributes to some of my favorite people, and parodies of popular movies and TV shows. There's a link to Shady Dell Music & Memories in the sidebar of Shady's Place.

S.D. KNIGHT: So why the new blog name and new address... and why now?

ANDERSON: I'm glad you asked those questions, Shady, just as we rehearsed. :) Here's the thing. From the time it opened in the 1940s until it closed in the 90s, The Shady Dell remained at the same location. During the years I attended, The Dell hardly changed a bit. Some would say the place wasn't much to look at, but it was ours and we loved it. My original intention was to do the same thing with Shady Dell Music & Memories - to keep it modest and maintain the same look year after year. However, as my ten year blog anniversary approached, I began to think it was time for a change, time to add some color and a more evocative header. Instead of tinkering with the existing blog I decided to make a clean break and start fresh at a new address with a new name and an updated look. 

S.D. KNIGHT: Would you care to mention a couple features of the new design?

ANDERSON: Brown is the new black, Shady, and I selected a rich brown and blue combo that I hope most readers will find pleasing to the eye. As you might have noticed, the post field is wider at Shady's Place and therefore less scrolling is required. The expanded column also allows me to embed videos at a width of 560 pixels. The narrow column at Shady Dell Music & Memories made it necessary to shrink videos to 420 pixels to fit the format.

S.D. KNIGHT: Okay, Shady's Place is easy on the eyes and easy to use, but what about the content? Can readers of Shady's Place expect to find the same type of stuff they enjoyed at Shady Dell Music & Memories?

ANDERSON: Absolutely! Shady's Place will pick up where Shady Dell Music & Memories left off. My mission over the next ten years will be to continue to honor John & Helen Ettline and Margaret Schneider, to share stories about the Shady Dell, and to present a wide variety of music, something for every taste. This year I will be launching six new interactive series that will allow you, the reader, to play Top 40 DJ and introduce records "on the air." As was the case on SDMM, many of the posts here at Shady's Place will be laced with humor. As the blog description indicates, Shady's Place means good friends, good tunes and good times. Here at SPMM we will relive happy memories, make new ones and remain forever young.

S.D. KNIGHT: Hold that thought, Tom, because we need to take another pause for
the cause. I'll be back with my special guest Tom Anderson right after this word from
Top Brass hair dressing.

BARBARA FELDON

1964 Top Brass commercial

And we're back with Tom Anderson, creator and author

of Shady Dell Music & Memories and Shady's Place.

Tom, I couldn't help noticing that the Shady's Place

address is a mysterious series of letters:

tctgyb.blogspot.com

Is that what is called an initialism?

That's correct, Shady, and that Top Brass

commercial we just watched offered a clue.

The purring kitten in that old TV spot is

Barbara Feldon, the actress who played

Agent 99 on the spycom Get Smart.

"Barbara" or "Barbra," as the case

may be, is the operative word here,

because the letters in the Shady's

Place address are an initialism of

a quote from one of my favorite

movies, Night of the Living Dead.

"They're coming to get you, Barbra!"

(tctgyb.blogspot.com)

Very clever, my friend. Hey, thanks so much for

being with us today, Tom, and for introducing our

new Shady's Place hangout. I look forward to

collaborating with you in the coming years

to make SPMM a fun place to visit.

The pleasure was all mine, Shady, and thank you for your outstanding service as the emcee of Shady Dell Music & Memories and your pledge to continue on as the face of Shady's Place. Here's to ten more years!

Now let's wrap up season 11 - ep. 1, the first

post originating from the new and improved

Shady's Place, with videos featuring two

more memorable Barbs:

BARBRA STREISAND

(PAN'S PEOPLE)

The song "Stoney End," written by Laura Nyro, was first recorded in 1968

by Peggy Lipton (Julie on Mod Squad) and released as a single at Christmas

that year during the first season of her hit (and hip) counterculture cop series.

Peggy's a fine singer and I love her version, but the record failed to rise above

#121 on the Bubbling Under chart. Two years later, Barbra Streisand covered

the song on a single that made the top 10. They're coming to get you, Barbra!

Look! - there they are now - the Pan's People dancers on Top Of The Pops!

"Stoney End"- Barbra Streisand
(Jan. 1971, highest chart pos. #2 Adult Contemporary,
#6 Hot 100, #27 UK, perf. by Pan's People on
Dec. 30, 1971, ep. of Top Of The Pops)

BARBARA GEORGE

From the church choir to your ears, by George, via good old New Orleans style

rhythm and blues. My last Barbara achieved the biggest hit of her career with

a song she wrote, a cooking R&B number inspired by the traditional hymn

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee." Here now is Barbara George with her

1962 R&B chart-topper "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)."

"I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" - Barbara George
(Jan. 1962, highest chart pos. #1 R&B/#3 Hot 100)

If you like the all new Shady's Place then please remember to follow, subscribe

by email or bookmark, because this is where I will be posting from now on.

I look forward to seeing your face

in my little space -

Shady's Place!

(Shady and Tom chant in unison)

HAVE A SHADY DAY!