A R C H I V E - #3



  • NEW YORK - The Rainforest Alliance's March 6 "Smart Sounds: Music for the Planet IV" benefit concert will feature Levon Helm, Dr. John, Keb' Mo', Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, BR5-49 and Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Throughout the evening, musicians will play instruments made from wood that has been grown and harvested according to standards set forth by the nonprofit conservation organization's SmartWood program. The benefit concert will take place at the Beacon Theater.



    Click for complete information


  • Quentin Jones from Lanark Records informs us that Charlie Gracie's new CD is going to press this month, to be release spring of 2001. Quentin has posted an EP of 5 songs from his upcoming disc on MP3.com, were fans can buy this CD. Also, Charlie new song "Lover Boy" is #1 on the MP3 rockabilly Charts. Check the sight at http://www.mypage.onemain.com/lanark for more info.


  • Johnny Cash leads Grammy veterans. Johnny Cash received a double dose of good news Wednesday. He got out of the hospital after a bout with pneumonia and won his 10th career Grammy. Cash's award for male country vocal performance, for "Solitary Man," made him a winner in five different decades. His first victory came in 1967 when he shared a Grammy with his wife, June Carter Cash.


  • Johnny Cash released from hospital. Johnny Cash was released from the hospital Wednesday where he was treated for pneumonia. The country music legend, who was nominated for two Grammys this year, planned to watch the awards show from home. Cash, an eight-time Grammy winner, thanked fans for all "their prayers and thoughts," and said they helped his recovery. Cash, 68, was treated for pneumonia, Baptist Hospital spokeswoman Jessica Etz said. He was admitted to the hospital Feb. 11. The singer suffers from autonomic neuropathy, a disease of the nervous system that makes him more susceptible to pneumonia. He was also treated for pneumonia in October 1999.
    Posted, Feb. 22, 2001


  • MEZCAL BROTHERS, Lincoln, NE. Check out their new release: "Hold on Tight"


  • DALE HAWKINS. Ken Burke received the following message from Mr. Suzy Q himself Dale Hawkins and thought you'd dig this news.
    Hello, I promised to keep you updated on the up coming session with "WILCO"! I leave here on the 28th to go to Chicago to start recording on the 2nd of March. I cut my first session in Chicago early 1958 at the Chess studios on South Michigan. The musicians on that session was Willie Dixon, Lafayette Leah, Carl Adams, Roy Buchannan, Al & Dean Mathis, Little Walter & I can't remember the drummer's name. I did my last session there in the latter part of 1959. Is that a trip? I am looking forward to this session! Can you believe over 40 years? Seems like yesterday.
    Dale Hawkins





  • WILLIAMS, CLINE AND CHARLES ADDED TO GRAMMY HALL OF FAME. Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces," Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'" and the Ray Charles recording of Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Lovin' You" are among 31 recordings added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. The new additions bring the Hall of Fame awards list to 530 titles. The Recording Academy established the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1973 to honor singles or albums of "enduring quality and relevance or historical significance." The titles must be at least 25 years old.


  • Presley's gold Cadillac moved. Elvis Presley's 1960 gold Cadillac limousine gets a new home on Wednesday (today, February 14). Shortly after daybreak, it was hoisted three stories in the air into the new Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Also being airlifted that morning was Webb Pierce's 1962 Pontiac convertible, which is studded with dozens of silver dollars and has real six-shooters for door handles. The items have been in storage since the old Hall of Fame closed in December, to prepare for the move into the new structure, which opens May 18.


  • BOWL-A-RAMA SHOW REVIEW 2/10/01 (with photos) by Mary Gunning.


  • Bid on a piece of country music history. Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country music, made country music's first picture disc in 1933. Only a few of those discs remain today, and now the Country Music Hall of Fame is offering one of these rare gems to the highest bidder. Get out your checkbooks - the starting bid is $1,000. Place your bid now or just check to see what this piece goes for!
    http://www.country.com/hof/auction/hof-auction-f.html


  • Patsy Cline's old house bought for preservation, rental ... If you're "Crazy" for Patsy Cline, soon you can live in her old house for only $625 a month. Sweet Dreams for Patsy, a limited liability corporation, has bought the house where the country singer lived on and off during the 1940s and '50s with the goal of preserving it. The 1,716 square-foot house, built in 1900, is assessed at $51,800. The corporation is controlled by The Adams Cos., whose president, Kevin D. Adams, is a board member of Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc., a Winchester group dedicated to building a museum in honor of Cline, who died in a plane crash in 1963. Mel Dick, general manager of the Always Patsy Cline Fan Club and Cline's brother-in-law, said, "They purchased the house for all the right reasons."


  • Matt Lucas "MOVIN ON " to England. Gold record Artist Matt Lucas has signed with Int. Ozark Sounds U.K. to handle all shows in the UK. Matt says he's ready to pack his drumsticks, and put on his stompin' shoes to rock England as soon as he gets the word from Willie Jeffery to head for the airport. For Bookings in the U.K. contact: Willie Jeffery at Int. Ozark Sounds - # 4 Greenacres-Oxted, Surry RH80 pb- - England 011-44-188-3714289.


  • Music City Records Signs Charley Pride. Music City Records, which recently announced a merger of operations with Fahrenheit Entertainment Inc. (OTC: FHOT - news) Tuesday announced the signing of Charley Pride to its roster. Bob Heatherly, president of the recently formed Music City Records, announced the signing of Country Music Hall of Fame Artist, Charley Pride, to the label's roster. Pride joins Texas artist Sonny Burgess on the label. Pride's newly recorded release on Music City Records, set to be shipped by March 20, will be a 15-song album of the music of Jim Reeves. This CD will simply be titled Charley Pride's Tribute to Jim Reeves.


  • ANNOUNCEMENT. Lo-Fi presents a new magazine for you pop culture/retro music hipsters! In the premiere issue of COOL CULTURE -- our special surf/beach party issue, which is sure to warm your winter blues, we present interviews with lots of cool kitschy celebrities, like Dick "King of the Surf" Guitar, PJ "Rock and Roll High School" Soles, Deborah "Gidget" Walley, a look back at the beach party movies, a travelogue of Haunted Hollywood, an interview with New York's premier trashabilly band, Psycho Charger, and much more! Be the first fun lovin' guy or gal on your block to own the coolest mag on the planet -- then subscribe to COOL CULTURE!! Send a mere $16 for 4 collectible issues payable to Lo-Fi Entertainment, 250 Washington Avenue #C1, Brooklyn, NY 11205.
          Also now available is our feature length motion picture Rockabilly Vampire -- it took 5 years for it to come out. Send $22 postpaid but hurry because supplies are limited! See ya on the flip side! -- "Lo-Fi" Lee COOL CULTURE Publisher


  • Gaylord Entertainment sells Christian music Web site. Still smarting from recent losses, Gaylord Entertainment has sold an Internet site that specializes in Christian music and other faith-based programming. Gaylord, which owns the Grand Ole Opry country music show, sold Christian music Web site Musicforce.com back in December. The Nashville-based company reported losses of $48 million in the first three quarters and has said overall losses for the fiscal year will be steeper than originally expected. CEO Terry London resigned in July. Gaylord's other holdings include radio station WSM-AM, the Ryman, music publishing companies, a Christian record company, convention hotels and part of the Nashville Predators NHL franchise.


  • BLUEGRASS AWARD WINNER. And the winner is -- again -- "Murder on Music Row." Larry Cordle and Larry Shell's lyrical diatribe against watered-down country music copped the song-of-the-year prize Sunday (Feb. 4) at the 27th annual awards show held by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) at Nashville's Sheraton Music City Hotel. Last year, "Murder" won a similar honor from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and George Strait and Alan Jackson's recording of the song snagged the Country Music Association's Vocal Event of the Year trophy. Fittingly enough, Cordle and Shell were also voted SPBGMA's Songwriters of the Year.


  • Ricky Skaggs' Son Recovering. Feb. 5, 2001 - One of Ricky Skaggs' children is recovering after slipping into a coma, a spokeswoman for the country singer's record company said Monday. Skaggs' son Andrew, 21, fell into a coma last week, forcing the singer to cancel a concert at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday. He since has regained consciousness. "He was seriously ill and it was a critical situation," said Maureen Miller, publicist for Skaggs Family Records. "Ricky needed to be with his son." Miller would not give more details, but said Andrew Skaggs, the oldest of four children, was being treated at a hospital in Lexington, Ky. Skaggs, a seven-time Grammy winner, will reschedule concert dates he missed at Purdue and in Fish Creek, Wis., Miller said.


  • HANK WILLIAMS III Article at Rockabilly Central


  • GLEN GLENN HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS: it's - glenglenn80@hotmail.com
  • DICKIE HARRELL HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS: it's - BeBopandDonna@aol.com


  • MAYBE BABY? From the Dallas Observer, Feb. 1, 2001: Buddy Holly raves on, four decades after he received a second chance, by Zac Crain


  • Chris Ebner's Latest Central Europe News Feature Winter 2001


  • ELVIS POEMS. The King lives on in an anthology of poetry the University of Arkansas Press plans to release in February. "All Shook Up: Collected Poems About Elvis" was compiled by Will Clemens with photographs by Jon Hughes. It includes the work of Joyce Carol Oates, James Seay and others. The anthology of poems about Elvis Presley "invites readers to experience the connection between the historical and mythical status of the King on the one hand and the poetic imagery of him on the other," according to a news release. "I read the manuscript and it just looked terrific," said UA Press Director Lawrence Malley. "After all, he (Elvis) is our most durable icon."


  • ERIC HEATHERLY FAN NEWS: Eric passed "first round" of TNN AWARD NOMINATIONS in 6 categories! Please help and VOTE ONLINE through March 2, 2001 at country.com and countryweekly.com
    Please VOTE BY MAIL also...ballots will be in the February 20 & March 6, 2001 issues of Country Weekly.
    You can vote once for every screen name/family member's email address that you have or create for them ... and please spread the word to any and all! "Eric" fans/folks who work at large offices/buildings can solicit co-workers w/computers..../family with computers! Each of us could be responsible for getting Eric hundreds and thousands of votes and not ever even know it! Chain reaction! We'll find out if Eric passed this round of nominations in the April 17 issue of CW. FINAL Winners will be announced live on the TNN/Country Weekly Music Awards, which will be televised nationally on TNN on Wednesday, June 13, 2001. See instructions below:
    1) Go to www.countryweekly.com
    2) Register with your email address
    3) Then they will email you your secret code...
    4) Vote once with that secret code.
    Eric is nominated in the following categories, but you must vote in every category for your vote to be successfully entered!
    Male Artist of the Year - Eric Heatherly
    Discovery Award - Eric Heatherly
    Album of the Year - Swimming in Champagne
    Song of the Year - Flowers on the Wall
    Single of the Year - Flowers on the Wall
    CMT Music Video of the Year - Please vote for "Swimming in Champagne"

    HEATHERLY GIVES BACK. Eric Heatherly made a couple of sick boys' dreams come true when the guitar man performed a benefit concert at Hunter Middle School in his hometown of Ooltewah, TN right before Christmas. Nearly $5000 was raised to fulfill the Make A Wish dreams of 2 little boys.


    HELP NEEDED...

    "Hello. My name is Janie Brewer after finding your website I was hoping you might could help me in finding some records of my uncle who passed away a few years ago. His name was Doug (Junior) Warren. He was my mothers brother, she is in bad health and I promised to find them for her. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am attaching a picture of one of his records. The name is Doug Warren and The Rays. He was from Haleyville Alabama, he was good friends with Carmol Taylor and Billy Sherrill. Thank you for you help. Janie Brewer, Sikeston Missouri - brewer_jv@hotmail.com


  • Watch out for the new Carlos and the Bandidos CD, which will be available in time for Viva las Vegas, their best yet. It has some great new tracks written by Malcolm Chapman. Watch out for them performing some of the new tracks from "Fist Full Of Carlos" on the Viva Las Vegas main stage.


  • Highlights during the week of Jan. 28 - Feb. 3:
    In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first national TV appearance on "The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show" on CBS. Afterward, sales of his "Heartbreak Hotel" single skyrocketed.
    In 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper made what ended up being their last public appearances at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. They died in a plane crash the next day.


  • JONES' LEXUS GOING DOWN IN VALUE. George Jones' crunched Lexus SUV was put up for bid on ebay last week by Dr. Raymond Turek. He expected to get $150,000 for the car that Jones wrecked in March of 1999, but the winning bid from a Tennessee car dealer was just $15,500, a lot less than Turek paid for the car in '99. posted Jan. 23, 2001


  • Some sad news to report. Herbert Kamitz, a longtime authority on Bill Haley, a collector, and a frequent contributor to Now Dig This magazine, died of a heart attack yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 20, 2001). He was visiting with Georg Weiss (Schurli of Girly and The Blue Caps) at the time. I believe Weiss was the vocalist on the Original Comets recording of Blue Christmas a few years ago. No other information is available at the moment. Herbert had been a fixture amongst Bill Haley fans since 1958 and he will be missed. - Thanks for the news, Alex (alexfh@home.com)


  • Emmylou Harris will release "Emmylou Harris Anthology: The Warner/Reprise Years" on Rhino Records April 17. Among the hits and hard-to-find tracks making their U.S. CD debut are "Precious Love," "Mama Help," "Driving Wheel" and "Timberline."



    Most folks know Colonel Tom Parker -- who died this past week in 1997 -- as the manager who pushed Elvis Presley to superstardom. Lesser known is the Netherlander's real name (Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk), his prior success in managing Eddy Arnold, or his even earlier work as a sideshow operator with a traveling carnival. Rumor has it that Parker ran a "dancing chickens" act in which the cunning showman turned up an electric hot plate, hidden beneath a platform, to make the birds "dance" faster and thus lure more coins from onlookers.


    ROCKIN' ROARY INVADES AMERICA ... check out all the great photos of his recent visit.


  • "HEARTLANDS HAYRIDE", America's newest live-performer, live-audience radio show, airs on WDVR-FM 89.7, Sergeantsville, NJ and on the internet at www.wdvrfm.org this Saturday and every Saturday from 6:00 - 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. This old-time, down-home country radio show brings back the golden age of radio, and has been gaining in popularity across the land. The show has been broadcast every week since September 30, 2000. As one listener from Virginia wrote "It reminds me of when I listened to the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940's." Heartlands Hayride boasts a very talented cast of 45 performers from Eastern Pennsylvania and Central New Jersey, with acts that include traditional country, old-time music, bluegrass, stand-up comedy and an outstanding house band led by Danny Newman, whose musical lineage goes back into the 1940's when his family performed on Philadelphia's "Hayloft Hoedown" and were the mainstay of the renowned Sleepy Hollow Ranch in Pennsburg, Pa. Sleepy Hollow attracted many of the legends of country music in the 1950's. Rob Segal , an outstanding steel guitar player from New York City, will be the guest on this week's show. Tune in this, and every, Satrurday to "radio like it used to be". Heartlands Hayride is a Buckie, Scrunchie and Arnie Production, and is presented by the Penn-Jersey Educational Network, non-profit, non-commercial, listener-supported radio.



  • The Rockabilly Hall of Fame is featured in VINTAGE GUITAR Magazine, cover issue March, 2001 - check you local news stand for a copy.


       
  • Darrin Stout and The Starlighters. 3 Piece Rockabilly band from L.A. Wally Hersom (formerly of Big Sandy) Plays the stand up bass, Philippe Aubuchon from (Russelll Scott and the Red Hots) plays drums and Darrin with vocals and guitar. They have a new CD out called (Darrin Stout and The Starlighters) available through HepCat Records, Tower Online, Wherehouse Online and Barnes & Noble Online. darrinstout@earthlink.net



  • C. BUGGS COOMBS & The Tone Chaperones have a new CD: "Country 'n Rock 'n Roll 'n Rhythm 'n Blues. C. Buggs Coombs has been a mainstay on the Southwest Michigan music scene his high school days. CD=$10. To order by mail: D-Cupp Records, PO Box 341, Lawton, MI 49065. For bookings call 616-624-2155 or e-mail cbuggs@prodigy.net


  • Jan., 18, 2001 - A sad message to report that Rufus Thibodeaux was admitted in a Lafayette, Louisiana hospital this past Sunday. He was having severe breathing problems and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure among other serious problems. Rufus, in case you didn't know him, is a fiddler who worked with Jimmie Newman on the Opry for many years. He was on the road with many other artists, a true Cajun friend to all in the steel guitar community. His only child, Teala, flew in from Nashville and is at his side around the clock.



    Click Here


  • Here's The New IFCO WEB SITE. The International Fan Club organization is the premier Fan Club Organiztion in the world of Real Country Music.


  • Nashville North USA - Upcoming Concerts. "Hey Scotty Moore fans check out Feb 17 on this site. Scotty will be playing with Ronnie Mcdowell. I've seen this show twice over the last few years and it's great! Ronnie does his country show for about an hour (ok but not what you came for) and then they do a Elvis set which is dead on. Th other times I saw this he had DJ Fontana and the Jordanaires with him also. Not exactly sure about this time but I wouldn't doubt it. Taylorville Illinois is just south of Springfield. Hope some of you will go. I'll be there for sure.I would order tickets soon if I were you. I got 13th row Saturday which is pretty good seeing how they have been on sale since Nov. The lady at the place said there were 36 rows total so it's probably not too big of a venue." -Craig Petty


  • REVIEW: Bob E. Rock's Rockabilly Redux


  • Gene Vincent fans!! Dickie Harrell is on-line! (direct at BeBopandDonna@aol.com) There have been some questions in the past that we have been unable to get answered. So now is a great time to get some questions answered from "one of the greatest drummers of all time". -according to Max Weinberg


  • Jon Johnson Reports:
    I was just looking around the website for the old "Punk" magazine (this month marks the 25th anniversary of its first issue - man, does that make me feel old...) and found this cool old interview with Robert Gordon back when he really seemed to be poised to be the next big thing. Well worth a read:
    Robert Gordon cover: http://www.punkmagazine.com/backissue/12/index.html
    Page 1 of interview: http://www.punkmagazine.com/backissue/12/gordon_a.html
    Page 2 of interview: http://www.punkmagazine.com/backissue/12/gordon_b.html
    --Jon Johnson - jon_erik@juno.com - Wollaston, Massachusetts


  • ELVIS AVENUE. City officials in Shreveport, La., have re-named a street in honor of the King. Elvis Presley Avenue runs right in front of the historic Municipal Auditorium, once home to the legendary Louisiana Hayride. Presley played the radio show often early in his career.


  • NEW!! - The RAGING TEENS - A news story from the Boston Phoenix, Jan. 10, '01


  • Charlie Ryan, the original writer and artist who recorded "Hot Rod Lincoln" in 1955. Charlie owns the one and only original Hot Rod Lincoln and continues to play and record at age 86!

  • The Eric Heatherly Fan Club Party, Show, and Buffet
    Thursday, June 14
    8PM - 12 Midnite
    Planet Hollywood, Nashville, TN
    Ticket price: $35
    Available to members w/one non-member guest each
    Limited number of tickets/seating available.
    To order tickets: Send Checks/Money Orders payable to EHFC.
    PO Box 24895
    Chattanooga, TN 37422-4895


  • BRIGITTE HANDLEY. If you haven't already, get on down to one of the following California appearances before Brigitte returns to the Land Down Under ...

    THE GIG
    January 12th, 8.00pm
    7302 Melrose Ave, Hollywood
    323 936-4440

    OPIUM DEN
    January 15th, 8.30pm
    1605 1/2 N.Ivar Ave.
    323 466-7800

    MARTINI LOUNGE January 19th, 8.30pm
    5657 Melrose Ave, Hollywood
    323 467-4068


  • Orville Nash Reports:
    "I'm gonna be featured on the CANALWEB TV international show in PARIS, FRANCE, on Monday January 15th at 6:30PM (PARIS local time) = 11:30AM CENTRAL standard time. This will be a live broadcast of 5 tunes that you may watch by connecting on http://www.canalweb.net. Since the show will be stored in archives, you can catch it again by clicking subject MUSIC - NEW COUNTRY TV."
    -Orville Nash


  • /www.78rpmAuctions.com/ is now up and running, they're alive and well with many classic country 78rpm records available and they'd like to very briefly introduce themselves!


  • BR5-49 played the wedding reception of Chris Robinson and Kate Hudson, reports People magazine. Robinson, frontman for rock band The Black Crowes, and Hudson, daughter of actress Goldie Hawn, were married New Year's Eve on Hawn's Colorado ranch.


  • Ronnie Milsap: An Interview by Barry Klein


  • Late Elvis Gets His Due in New "Way" - Review: "Elvis: That's the Way It Is" trims the fat and focuses on the King.


  • January 5, 2001 Les Brown, whose Band of Renown scored a No. 1 hit with "Sentimental Journey" during the big band era of the 1930s and '40s, has died of lung cancer. The conductor-clarinetist was 88. Brown died at his home, according to his daughter, Denise Marsh. An artist whose smooth arrangements of swing melodies transcended changes in musical tastes, Brown was cited in 1996 by the Guinness Book of Records for heading "the longest organized group in the history of popular music."


  • Hank Williams III will make appearances at The Grand Ole Opry on Friday, Jan. 19, and Saturday, Jan. 20. He has been invited to perform on the televised segment Saturday night and the televised pre-Opry interview segment, which both air nationally on the TNN network. He will perform the single "I Don't Know" off of his debut album, "Risin' Outlaw." Since the release of "Risin' Outlaw," Hank III has received critical acclaim from such publications as Rolling Stone, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. He has appeared on ``Late Night with Conan O'Brien,'' made the cover of Pollstar magazine and had a high-profile feature in the December issue of GQ. Heralded for his dynamic stage presence and artistry, he has toured extensively in the United States and abroad, opening for The Reverend Horton Heat and country music legend Ray Price. The Opry announced it will return to the historic Ryman Auditorium for a limited engagement during the months of January and February 2001. The tradition of the Opry revisiting its most famous home gives audiences the chance to see Hank III perform where his grandfather sang many years ago.


  • Posted 1/4/01 RIPSAW RECORDS announces that BILLY HANCOCK and the original members of THE TENNESSEE ROCKETS will re-unite and perform to support the re-issuance on CD of their 1981 critically acclaimed album, "Shakin' That Rockabilly Fever" by BLUELIGHT RECORDS of Finland. The band's first performance will be on Saturday, January 13th at WHITLOW'S ON WILSON, 2854 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA; (703) 276-9693; www.whitlows.com. Ripsaw's BOBBY SMITH will open for Hancock and the Tennessee Rockets.
    Promoters, agents, clubs, festival organizers, and others wishing to engage Billy Hancock & the Tennessee Rockets should contact Ripsaw's Jonathan Strong at: telephone - (202) 362-2286; email - ripsawrecords@aol.com; mail - Suite 805, 4545 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008.


  • NEW ZINE: "Hello all. I just wanted to let you all know that the debut release of TURNUPSPEED (a full color rockabilly/roots digest) will be ready for sale come February. If you would be interrested in purchasing a copy and/or selling them in your store, please let us know. Stop by and visit our site http://homestead.juno.com/angeldust97/turnupspeed.html - Please sign the guest book, I'd love to hear your comments. Hope to hear from 'ya." -Johnny Ells (editor), TURNUPSPEED MAGAZINE 724 838-1263, 504 Otterman St., Apt. 1, Greensburg, PA. 15601.


  • Update: Jan. 4. - Marshall Lytle has confirmed that former Jodimars drummer Max Daffner will be sitting in for Dick Richards on two U.S. dates the Comets will play in January. The 1954-55 Comets will then be embarking on a three-week tour of Europe with Bernie Reis sitting in before Richards rejoins the Comets in March.
    See our EXTRA! Column for more up-to-date news on Bill Haley / Comets.


  • Guitarist Eddy Shaver, who performed with his father, singer-songwriter Billy Joe Shaver, in the country act Shaver, and with Dwight Yoakam, died Sunday at age 38. No cause of death was disclosed. A funeral is set for Thursday in Waco, Texas. (posted Jan 2, 2000)


  • Sam Phillips will host, for the first time - according to him, a radio special about Elvis Presley. George Klein will co-host. The Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration, a three hour show, will air on Oldies stations around the country next weekend, January 6-8. The show is syndicated by Westwood One. Interested listeners should contact the appropriate station in their market to determine airtime.


  • Bobby Austin Update. Dec. 28, 2000 - Bobby is home recovering from a second pacemaker implant. Earlier this month, Mr. Austin underwent successful implant surgery at the Portland, Oregon Veterans Hospital. He is service connected as a Merchant Marine. Bobby would like to thank all the folks who sent emails. Send e-mails to Kim (Dunmore00@aol.com).


  • GUITAR GENIUS LES PAUL HONORED. Les Paul, the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar, will be honored with a technology Grammy in February after six decades of contributions to the recording industry. Paul, 85, is credited with inventing multitrack recording, the overdubbing recording technique, tape echo and the eight-track tape recorder. He experimented for years with a solid body electric guitar, bringing prototype after prototype to Gibson before the company accepted one. In 1952, it brought out the Les Paul model, which is still used by many musicians. Paul and his wife, singer Mary Ford, had 28 hit records between 1950 and 1957, including "Mockin' Bird Hill," "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise," "Tiger Rag," "How High the Moon" and "Vaya Con Dios."


  • Loretta Lynn's 2001 Tour Dates


    A Classic Christmas Card jpeg ...



  • Grand Ole Opry officials have announced the Grand Ole Opry will return to the Ryman Auditorium during the months of January and February. This is the third year the Opry has gone back to the Mother Church of Country Music. Frequent Opry guest Brad Paisley is the first artist to confirm a performance date for the Opry's Ryman return, making a guest appearance Jan. 6. For tickets and information please call 615-889-3060 or log onto www.opry.com. For groups reservations please call 615-871-5043.
    Speaking of the famous Nashville Ryman Auditorium ... Remember: on April 5, 2001, the Rockabilly Music Foundation presents Rockin' at the Ryman CLICK FOR SHOW & TICKET INFORMATION



    MOTORBILLY RULES!





  • A BIG THANK-YOU TO GOLDMINE MAGAZINE from the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. They featured a fine story on the RHOF website - issue cover date: December 29, 2000. Hope some of you get a chance to read it. Michael B. Smith did a great job of writing on this piece.






  • RUSTY EVANS and Ring of Fire, 12-track CD. Rusty's band is called "Cash is King". This album has several well-done Johnny Cash cover songs plus a few selections of Rusty's own material. Marcus "Rusty Evans" recorded for Coral/Brunswick as a teenager in 1957. Contact: e-mail: marcuzi@webtv.net - 415-488-1994. OSCI Music, PO Box 572, Woodstock, CA 94973. Rusty has a page within the Rockabilly Hall of Fame website.


  • Country Music Hall of Fame to Welcome 10 New Members in May. NASHVILLE - In addition to tripling its exhibit space, the Country Music Hall of Fame is beefing up membership in the elite group of artists, songwriters, musicians and business executives who make up the Hall of Fame itself. Country's most prestigious club will grow by 10 when the new Hall of Fame and Museum opens in May in downtown Nashville, the Country Music Association announced today (Dec. 14). Membership in the Hall of Fame historically has been limited to one to four inductees each year. The new honorees will be inducted formally during grand opening ceremonies in mid-May, bringing the Hall's membership to 84. They will be named prior to the gala event, but no announcement date has been set.



  • CARL MITCHELL JR., veteran country musician and songwriter has issued a super Christmas traditional song.


  • A Part of Route 66 rolls into Museum of American History. Flatbed trucks on Wednesday, December 13th hauled a 48-foot stretch of Route 66 to the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC - 55 tons of American road lore. The dozen slabs of steel-reinforced concrete are part of a major exhibit called "America On The Move." It will open in the fall of 2003 - a survey of how Americans have gotten around since the 1870s. "People will be able to walk on 66," said the museum's curator of transportation. Until a few weeks ago, the hunk of road was part of a spur between Interstate 40 and U.S. 281 between El Reno and Clinton, Okla., west of Oklahoma City. The double yellow stripe is still visible on the slabs. It's hilly country - no passing, a museum official explained. Dozens of small towns along the 2,400 miles between Chicago and Santa Monica, Calif., got a kick out of the "Okies" and other Midwesterners struck by drought and depression in the 1930s. The migrants' ramshackle cars and high-piled pickups sputtered along main streets, part of U.S. 66, on their way to California.


  • CLICK to read about ... "Bob Wills, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tex Ritter Sets Lead Album Releases"



  • GENE COOPER, owner/operator of the Arkansas-based Tri-Mountain Televison Network, wears a Rockabilly Hall of Fame T-Shirt on his Televison Series "Tuesday Night Live" - trimtntv.com - Gene is a life-long announcer now transitioned to televison. He is also a fine music vocalist amd musician.


  • Kentucky Has World's First Elvis Lottery Game Prizes that include Graceland VIP Dream Trips & More. December 13, 2000 - Even More Prizes Available Through Bonus Third Chance Internet Promotion. The world's first Elvis Presley Instant Lottery promotion storms the stage this week in the state of Kentucky, MDI Entertainment, Inc. announced. MDI holds an exclusive license by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. to create lottery promotions. The Instant "scratch off" game features "six feet of Elvis" with a series of 12, 4" by 6" tickets with official collectible images of Elvis and his Graceland home in Memphis, Tenn. The game includes eight Elvis experience grand prize dream trips (for two) to the Graceland Mansion and attractions. The prize includes airfare, a three-day, two-night stay in one of four Elvis-themed luxury suites at Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, a VIP Platinum Tour package to four attractions, dinner for two at Elvis Presley's famous "Memphis" restaurant, $1,000 in Elvis gift certificates and $500 in cash. In addition to the game's $30,000 top cash prize, Kentucky and MDI are offering second-chance prizes for players who mail in non-winning Elvis tickets. More than 4,400 official Elvis Presley merchandise prizes will be given away. They include a trilogy of Elvis classic movies, a three-CD set showcasing 75 of Elvis' greatest hits, collector's edition guitar-shaped watches, telephones and playing cards, along with Elvis shirts and denim jackets.
         Also starting this week is the Elvis "Good Luck Charm" Sweepstakes, a series of "third chance" bonus drawings. Players can visit the Kentucky Lottery Corporation web site ( www.kylottery.com) and register for a chance to win 50 free Elvis lottery tickets and official Elvis Presley movie videos. In addition, one lucky player will win a grand prize trip to Graceland.
         The Elvis Presley scratch-off tickets will cost $3 each. More than twenty years after his death, Elvis Presley remains the single most universally popular music icon worldwide. "The King" of rock and roll has sold more than one billion records, starred in 33 movies, and his legend draws more than 700,000 fans to Memphis annually. Attractions there include: - Graceland, the 14-acre mansion Elvis called home the last 20 years of his life. - The Sincerely Elvis Museum of his personal memorabilia and photographs. - The Elvis Auto Museum featuring vintage cars from his life and movies. - Elvis Presley's custom jets.


  • Elvis Presley's Graceland Offers Holiday Web Site Featuring Live Cam at www.elvis.com An extensive Christmas Web site is available at www.elvis.com. The new site features a live Gracelandcam spotlighting Elvis' beloved Graceland mansion in Memphis, with the extensive front lawn Christmas decorations, many selected by Elvis himself. Visitors to the site can also find free Elvis holiday musical e-cards to send to friends and family, a special Elvis flash trivia game, never-before-seen Christmas items from the Elvis archives and extensive holiday Elvis items from ShopElvis. Go to www.elvis.com for additional information. -Posted Dec. 12th.


  • Beat Time Productions would like to announce the inclusion of The Blue Moon Boys Christmas song "SANTABILLY BOOGIE" on WXRT 93.1 Chicago's "Songs Of The Season" C.D. Sold exclusively and sponsored by Borders,the c.d. contains 13 songs by such artists as The Smithereens, Jackson Browne, The BoDeans, Roomful of Blues and Robbie Fulks. To the Blue Moon Boys,it was a shock and an honor. All the proceeds go to Chicago charities. Of course, the strange and wonderful CD, "The Blue Moon Boys Rock & Roll Christmas Show" (beattime34022), with 24 selections is still available. Extensive reviews at www.bluemoonboys.com




    New Bill Haley Video


  • Ronny Weiser's December 2000 RHOF Column (#40): "Whatever Happened to Country Music??"



  • "YEAH, BUDDY! "There are those who find it hard to imagine that much banjo on a Holly album. But Buddy's first musical fascinations were country in nature. It's still the kind of music his brothers like to sing and play. Peggy Sue told me that there was a time when she had to say, 'Buddy, stop singing through your nose like a hillbilly!' I feel he would have made a statement in many forms of music had his life not ended prematurely, and he would not have forgotten his early love of bluegrass and country. Runaway Express has a greater repertoire of classic rock (well over a thousand) than either country or bluegrass, but it was effortless to give these great old rock songs that hillbilly twist."
    Jim and Salli Ratts - ratts@runawayexpress.com
    http://www.runawayexpress.com


  • JOSIE KREUZER happy to announce that her band has been chosen as one of 5 finalists in The Jim Beam (whiskey) Country Music Band Contest which will be held in Nashville at the Wild Horse Saloon on Saturday, November 11th. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame is will there to cheer Josie on. Josie will also appear at VLV 2001, on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame's West Lounge stage



    Barracuda Issue #9 Features Rockabilly Kitten/Chanteuse Joise Kreuzer in a Barracuda Girl Pin-Up! Also, check out articles: In Defense of the Automobiles, The Barracuda Gourmet's Secret Family Recipe for Homemade Cough Syrup, Real-Man Charles Goodyear - The Prophet of Rubber and some of the fetchingest Barracuda Girls this side of the Mississippi. Single copies are $5 each ($7.50 outside North America), 4-issue subscriptions are $12 ($18 Canada, $20 outside North America). CA residents add 8.25% sales tax. Send check or money order to: Barracuda Magazine, P.O. Box 291873, Los Angeles, CA 90029. Phone 323-769-5630, e-mail: mail@barracudamagazine.com - Visit www.barracudamagazone.com for easy online credit card ordering. On their site, they also now carry other magazines like: Rolls & Pleats, Hot Rod Deluxe, Tiki News, Burnout, Girlyhead, Grindstone and more.


  • Musician and songwriter Johnnie Johnson, also known as the Johnny in Chuck Berry's smash hit "Johnny B. Goode," has filed a multi-count lawsuit against Berry, alleging that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has neglected to ever pay Johnson for what he claims are significant contributions to Berry's career. Johnson's lawsuit, filed Wednesday (Nov. 29) in St. Louis Federal District Court, asks for "Johnson's rightful share of monies realized from numerous Johnson/Berry-composed songs, for which Johnson never received proper credit or royalties," according to court papers. Johnson alleges in the suit, which otherwise seeks unspecified damages, that he helped Berry create a new musical genre by assisting in the composition of such rock standards as "Roll Over Beethoven," "No Particular Place To Go," "Rock and Roll Music," "Sweet Little Sixteen," and many more. The suit further alleges that Berry registered all song copyrights in his own name, allegedly cutting Johnson out of his rightful share of their partnership. Johnson's representatives claim that Johnson has approached Berry in an effort to settle the matter out of court, but Johnson was apparently rebuked in those efforts. In September, Johnson was given the Pioneer Award by the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. He is also the subject of an upcoming Atlantic Records tribute album. (-All-Star News)


  • Jon Johnson (jon_erik@juno.com) reports: This is part of a larger piece on the alt.country band Wilco that's found on Rolling Stone.com. A pretty astute move on Hawkins' part since Wilco is a big deal in Americana circles. Having these guys on his next record could very well give him some added support from Americana-formatted radio stations.
         "As if all this wasn't enough to titillate avid Wilcoists, the balance of the band (Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer and John Stirratt) has been asked to back Louisiana rockabilly legend Dale Hawkins for a forthcoming album. Best known for penning 1957's "Suzy Q," a song Credence Clearwater Revival would ride to stardom a decade later, Hawkins is hoping to lay down tracks with the guys in the coming months for an independent album to be released in early 2001."


  • Grand Ole Opry CBS Television Special Reaches 13 Million Viewers as Opry Receives Mass Media Attention During Its 75th Anniversary Celebration.
    NASHVILLE - The Grand Ole Opry's CBS Television Special ("Grand Ole Opry's 75th - A Celebration"), which aired Thanksgiving night, helped the network post its best Thursday showing season-to-date. Over 13 million viewers tuned in to watch Opry members pay tribute to the world's longest running live radio show. The Opry special gave CBS its best performance during the 9-11pm (EST) time slot on a Thursday since May 18, 2000. Generations of artists, from Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Reba and Garth Brooks to Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner, Ralph Stanley and Little Jimmy Dickens, performed songs of some of the Opry's most legendary talents like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Marty Robbins, among others, during the two-hour program.


  • ON TOUR: Eric Heatherly
    12/14/00 - Baton Rouge, LA Texas Club
    12/15/00 - Jacksonville, FL Crazy Horse
    02/02/01 - Bettendorf, IA Isle Of Capri 02/16/01 - Raleigh, NC The Longbranch



    Ronnie Hayward "The Lost Utrecht Sessions" CD.
    Editor's Note: "If you see this recording, BUY IT! It's one of the greatest CD's I've heard all year! Talk about pure, simple, raw rootsy sounds ... it's all here, 16 tracks worth." -Bob Timmers.
    BTW: It is available thru Hep Cat, amazon.com and other sources in Canada and Europe.
    Ronnie Hayward's RHOF website


  • Loretta Lynn recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, her publicist reported Wednesday, Nov. 22th. "Performing onstage night after night is a lot harder, physically, than most people realize," says Loretta, who has recovered and spent Thanksgiving at her Tennessee ranch. "I guess . . . this old knee just felt like complaining a bit.


  • FAVE UK TRUCKERS TUNES: Some people would explain this by saying good taste crosses generations and oceans. A British truck drivers' union recently conducted a poll to find out the favourite tunes among big rig drivers in the United Kingdom. The Blue Chip Report says the top four included two country songs. Tammy Wynette's D-I-V-O-R-C-E came in at number three, and Johnny Cash's A Boy Named Sue was fourth. What beat them? Don McLean's 'American Pie' was the top-voted song. And Fleetwood Mac's 'Go Your Own Way' took second place.


  • Marti Brom Record Release announcement, in time for Christmas shopping (an item here, perhaps, for people you don't like but have to buy a present for): Marti's new record on Goofin' Records is now available on Amazon.com (although we would prefer that you ask for it through your local record shop - tell them to order it from the hepcat catalogue). The wav. files on the Amazon site are, as usual, warbly and from outer space, so don't take much stock in those samples. The record (EP) is Marti Brom "Feudin' and Fightin" with the Cornell Hurd Band. Hard to describe, except perhaps as hillbilly music for swells. It is not available in vinyl, although that was our original intention, so your only option is cheap plastic. Oh, and the one song on it that could be mistaken for rockabilly is a big sounding cover of Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Kiss Me Big". -Bobby Brom


  • Danny Edge, 21, saxophonist for the popular Boston-based rockabilly band the Kings of Nuthin', passed away suddenly Friday, November 3. Edge was a junior at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, majoring in Music Production and Engineering. He is survived by his brother Joshua, his mother Dena and his father Albert. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Daniel Edge Scholarship Fund, at Berklee College of Music, 1140 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215. The Kings of Nuthin', who had just released their debut CD, plan on continuing as a group and have announced an all-day memorial concert for Edge on January 6, 2000 at the Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


  • Gospel Singer Cecil Blackwood Dies At 66. MEMPHIS, Nov. 15 - Gospel singer Cecil Blackwood died of cancer Tuesday at Baptist Memorial Hospital East. He was 66. He was diagnosed with cancer last summer, and his health faded quickly after it spread to his liver, said Andy Childs, his son-in-law. The Blackwood Brothers have won nine Grammys and 20 Dove Awards for gospel music. They were a favorite of Elvis Presley, who briefly sang with Cecil Blackwood in the Songfellows. The Blackwood Brothers, members of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame, were formed in 1934 by Roy Blackwood, Cecil's father. Cecil Blackwood, born in 1934 in Ackerman, Mississippi, became the group's baritone singer in 1954. He is survived by his wife, Francine, of Memphis; son Mark Blackwood of Knoxville; daughter Regina Blackwood of Memphis; and daughter Barbara Childs of Nashville.


  • "REGEGADE RECORDS IS BACK!" Billy Poore reports: "We've in the process of sending out all of the CD orders that are owed to rockabilly fans who were unawre of our tragedy back in April. All fans that did not receive products that they paid for during the spring and summer will be receiving them by the first of the year. Future releases in 2001 include a 4 CD box set of 85 unreleased songs on Danny Gatton, titled "Runnin' Wild - The Renegade Years' abd 18 unreleased songs by Charlie Feathers. Our website has recently been updated and our e-mail us the same also - renegade@netease.net."


  • Bobby Curtola Memorabilia Auction. Bobby Curtola, Canada's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Legand, has generously donated a collection of memorabilia from the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s to Friends of Ben Lee Park Society, to be used as a fundraiser for the construction of a 20 acre children's park in Kelowna, BC, Canada. The memorabilia is being auctioned off over the Internet. To view the items and register a bid visit bobbycurtola.cjb.net - For more information contact Alice Hargreaves 250-769-5812 or e-mail: ktharg@telusplanet.net


  • BR5-49 has signed with Sony Music imprint Lucky Dog Records, confirms Mike Kraski, a Sony marketing executive. The retro country and rockabilly group rose to prominence at Robert's Western World, a honky-tonk bar on Nashville's Lower Broadway and debuted on Arista Nashville in 1996. At Arista the band released an EP and three albums including this year's Coast to Coast, a live set recorded during their tour with the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Sony hopes to have a new album out next year, Kraski says, but no target date has been set. Kraski spoke Saturday (Nov. 11) at the first meeting of the Americana Music Association, held in Nashville.


  • Rare Johnny Meeks Photos Still Available
    1    2
    3    4
    Johnny has a few photos left (less than 20 copies each) of the above four 8x10 B&W glossy poses. Once these are gone, he will not make any more. They can be purchased for $10 each per photo and Johnny will personally autograph them for you. Please print out the pose(s) you want, and send that with payment direct to: Johnny Meeks, 108 Apex St., Laurens, SC 29360.


  • Rare Music Memorabilia Site Launched. Items from the early 1800s to 1980s are available for collectors, nostalgia buffs and music lovers anywhere in the world. Over 10,000 items - from early 1800s sheet music to early 1900s Bert Williams' 78rpm record to Billie Holiday poster from the New York Jazz Museum to Frank Sinatra 45rpm Spanish pressings and Bing Crosby V-disc(made during World War II only for servicemen overseas) to Three Penny Opera print by David Stone Martin to John Lennon Photo Special(1981 book) to Elvis sheet music and photographs, etc. LPs, 45s 78s, sheet music, photographs, books, magazines, posters, etc. Every category of music and including comedy, TV-radio and spoken word LPs. See dates for monthly sales in NYC. Website: http://www.musiccollecting.com - Information: (212) 579-0689


  • MEZCAL BROTHERS UPDATE: November 8th, 2000 - "Our new cd - 'hold on tight' is out and available ... you can link to mp3's at www.mp3.com/mezcal or buy it online at www.zoobar.com - help us spread the word. love, the mezcal bros" - NebrBeef9@aol.com


  • TICKET INFO ANNOUNCED FOR FAN FAIR 2001. Fan Fair 2001 moves to downtown Nashville June 14-17 with a new pricing structure for tickets. It marks the first time to present the main stage shows at Adelphia Coliseum, home of the AFC Champion Tennessee Titans. Other exhibits and autograph sessions will be located in the Nashville Convention Center, with a series of afternoon concerts scheduled at Riverfront Park. Ticket prices will be divided into three categories, each corresponding to a different level of seating at Adelphia Coliseum. Essentially, the higher-priced tickets provide seating closer to the stage. Prices range from $90 to $115 for adults. For the first time, those 18 years old and younger can buy discounted tickets ranging from $59 to $79. The first people able to purchase tickets for Fan Fair 2001 will be those who have previously attended the event. Fans who pre-registered in 2000 or who have requested information online will be contacted in early December by e-mail or a direct mail brochure giving them early access to the best seating and information about ordering tickets. Interested fans may still get on the e-mail contact list at www.FanFair.com.


  • Here's an interesting bit of news for Narvel Felts and Ray Smith fans. Narvel will be playing "The Music Barn" at the Trail's End Ranch near Lovelaceville KY on Saturday, November 11. This will be a birthday party for Narvel and since it is in the heart of Ray Smith country there will also be a tribute to Rockin' Ray featuring none other than Stanley Walker and his band. Yep, that's the same Stanley Walker who provided the axe work on SUN 298, 308 and 319 etc. Stanley's repertoire theses days is decidedly country, and boy he sure can still play. 800-493-9696 for ticket info. -Thanks to Steve Lester for the tip.



  • New Book on Elvis Presley. ELVIS -- WORD FOR WORD by Jerry Osborne (Random House; 0-609-60803-7; $29.95; hardcover; 11/14/2000; Entertainment) This book provides a chronological transcription of every Elvis interview, monologue, and recorded telephone conversation known to exist in either audio or video format, as well as exact and complete texts of his personally written letters and telegrams to friends, fans, and girlfriends. Info contact: Caprice Garvin - cgarvin@fsbassociates.com


  • Elvis Presley's U.S. Army uniform, complete with the stain where he leaned against a newly painted window, is up for sale and could fetch $36,000, auctioneers said Monday. The uniform dress jacket was issued to the late King of Rock 'n' Roll in the United States for his posting to Germany. During the press conference arranged for his arrival in Germany in October 1958, Elvis leaned against a window and coated the jacket arm in fresh paint. He was swiftly issued a new jacket, and a lucky member of the painting crew kept the stained one as a souvenir. The jacket, now owned by diehard British Elvis fan Johnny Earle, is the star item at a pop and entertainment auction being staged on Wednesday, Nov. 8th in London by auctioneers Bonhams and Brooks.


  • A nice feature on MACK STEVENS can be found on the Gritz website. Click here to read all about it!


  • TRIBUTE TO RONNIE MACK. Dwight Yoakam will headline a tribute to Ronnie Mack's Barndance in Burbank, Calif. The bill will include James Intveld, the Blazers, Rosie Flores and others. Money will be donated to Mack to replace musical instruments stolen from his home.


  • Graceland Opens New Wedding Chapel. A new wedding chapel has opened near Graceland Mansion offering a unique wedding experience. Nestled in the woods adjacent to Elvis Presley's beloved home, this quaint Chapel in the Woods is the long-awaited setting for weddings to remember. Since Graceland's opening in 1982, the visitors' center across the street from the mansion has been the site of numerous weddings. In response to hundreds of requests over the years for additional services, the full service wedding facility has been completed. Available for intimate events with just the bride and groom, as well as parties of up to 50 people, Graceland's new Chapel in the Woods offers all the amenities and services expected for the "perfec" wedding. Guests in the Chapel will be seated in authentic, antique church pews while vows are exchanged in front of a replica of the stained glass transom located above Graceland Mansion's front door. An intimate reception area located at the back of the chapel includes a hand-painted mural of Graceland Mansion, and the landscaped grounds surrounding the Chapel offer a lovely setting for outdoor receptions. For additional information, visit: www.elvis.com


  • Gospel music legend Bob MacKenzie, who mentored scores of singers and writers including the Oak Ridge Boys and the Imperials, died Friday, October 20 of heart failure. He was 62. His death came two weeks before his induction into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame dinner ceremony will be held Oct. 30 in Nashville.


  • LUKE WILLS, the last of Bob Wills' brothers, died of stroke 11:10 pm, Oct. 21, 2000. Tenative funeral arrangements are for Wed. Oct. 25th, at Palm Mortuary on Eastern Ave. in Las Vegas at 1:00 PM. If you wish to send a card, send it to:
    Dorothy Wills
    c/o Joyce Bouchard
    849 Trotter Circle
    Las Vegas, NV 89107



  • Zeke Manners, once a popular hillbilly singer and disc jockey and the composer of "The Pennsylvania Polka," among hundreds of other songs, died on Oct. 14 in Los Angeles. He was 89 and lived in West Hollywood. His initial fame came from a publicity ploy in 1930 during the Depression. Although the "Grand Ole Opry" had already made Nashville the capital of country radio, New York's country music scene was nothing to sneeze at, and in New York Mr. Manners, who called himself the Jewish hillbilly, ruled the roost. By the 1940's, he was appearing daily on three radio stations, WINS, WHN and WMCA, and intermittently on others. In the mid-1950's he worked as a rock 'n' roll disc jockey. In the 1960's he appeared in Las Vegas with a bluegrass group. The Byrds recorded a song he wrote about the initial moon landing, "Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins." He was one of a couple living in a trailer park in "Lost in America," a 1985 movie directed by Albert Brooks, his nephew. Always, he wrote songs. "The Pennsylvania Polka," which was written with Lester Lee and introduced by the Andrews Sisters in 1942, has since been performed innumerable times, including eight times in the 1993 movie "Groundhog Day."


  • THE U.S. AMC CABLE CHANNEL "ROCKS". All times EST
    DON'T KNOCK THE ROCK (1956) Rocker Alan Dale returns home only to be misunderstood. Bill Haley and the Comets and Little Richard perform. B/W (1:24) 11/11 9pm 11/11 3am
    ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK (1956) Catch Bill Haley and the Comets and the Platters in this wisp of a story about a band on the rise. John Archer. Directed by Fred F. Sears. (1:17) 11/4 9pm 11/4 3am
    ROCK, ROCK, ROCK (1956) Tuesday Weld has to raise enough $$ for a prom dress! Featuring numbers from Chuck Berry, the Moonglows et al. D: Will Price. (1:26) 11/18 10:30pm 11/18 4am


  • The Tupelo Hardware Store & Elvis' First Guitar


  • Chris Ebner's Fall 2000 Central Europe News Feature


  • BLUE GRASS FANS: Thursday - Oct. 19th - One of country music's raw, willful "stepkids" steps forward today when the International Bluegrass Music Association holds its annual awards show in Kentucky. Since the bluegrass show isn't televised, the pressure for such commercial concessions is gone. Artists like Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas and Rhonda Vincent & The Rage are free to focus on unadorned, powerful music. Marty Stuart will host the awards show, which will be broadcast live in more than 3,000 U.S. radio markets and 14 foreign radio networks. "I think it's kind of like rockabilly," Stuart said. "They're both kind of stepkids of country, you know?" The IBMA has 2,600 members who nominate and vote for the winners. Nominees for the top award of best entertainer are Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Lonesome River Band, The Del McCoury Band, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, and IIIrd Time Out. Last year, the winner was The Del McCoury Band. Doc Watson and Lance LeRoy will be inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Honor. Bluegrass began with country music great Bill Monroe, who formed Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys in 1938 after his duo act with brother Charlie Monroe split up. Along with key band members like Flatt, Earl Scruggs and Jimmy Martin, he developed a style so imitated by other musicians that it evolved into a separate genre. Bluegrass uses acoustic instruments like banjos and fiddles to create intricate, emotional music. Many numbers are done at breakneck tempos, and sentimental ballads tell tales of murder, love and family. Monroe and many of the bluegrass singers who followed are known for piercing tenor voices. Monroe died in 1996. But other founding fathers like Scruggs and Martin are alive and well, and usually attend awards events. The Galt House hotel turns into one big bluegrass jam for most of the week. -Jim Patterson, AP


  • Good Golly, Little Richard allegedly hasn't paid his limousine bill. Jackson Limousine Service sued the rock 'n' roll pioneer Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court for failing to pay his $71,243 limo bill. The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit claims that Little Richard used its service and was to pay a monthly bill, but hasn't since May 1999. The suit also names a company called Mae's T Cup as a defendant. Little Richard, who is currently on tour, could not be reached for comment. The complaint, which sues the singer by his given name, Richard Penniman, names breach of contract as the cause of action. It was filed by attorney Robert D. Belshaw.


  • The Opry goes online


  • RAISED ON ROCK TOUR -2001 - VINCE EAGER with Special Guests; Big Jim Sullivan & Wee Willie Harris, Plus The Reunion Orchestra & The Corsairs
    2nd Feb - Billingham - The Forum - 01642 552663
    3rd Feb - Ayr - Gaity Theatre - 01292611222 4th Feb - Dunfermline - Carnegie Hall - 01383 314000
    6th Feb - Shrewsbury - The Music Hall - 01743 281281
    7th Feb - Newark - The Palace Theatre - 01636 655755
    8th Feb - Bournmouth - The Pavillion - 01202 456456
    9th Feb - Weymouth - Pavillion Theatre - 01305 783225
    10th Feb - Worthing - The Assembly Hall - 01903 206206
    11th Feb - Clacton-On-Sea - Princess Theatre - 01255 423400
    15th Feb - Leeds - City Varieties Music Hall - 0113 2430808
    16th Feb - Burnley - The Mechanics Institute - AWAITING DETAILS FROM THIS VENUE
    17th Feb - Morecambe - The Platform - 01524 582803
    18th Feb - Warrington - Parr HALL - 01925 442345
    21st Feb - Rhyl - Pavillion Theatre - 01745 330000
    22nd Feb - Halifax - Victoria Theatre - 01422 351158
    23rd Feb - Whitehaven - Civic Hall - 01946 852821
    25th Feb - Winsford - Civic Hall - 01606 867539
    27th Feb - Lincoln - Theatre Royal - 01522 525555
    28th Feb - Cheltenham - Town Hall - 01242 227979
    1st March - Bedworth - Civic Hall - 02476 376707
    2nd March - Porthcawl - Grand Pavillion - 01656 786996
    3rd March - Crewe - Lyceum - 01270 537333


  • ELVIS, KING OF THE LOTTOS? Not only is Elvis Presley coming back for sightings in two states, he'll also be packing lots o' cash. A Connecticut gaming firm, MDI Entertainment, has received commitments from two state lotteries, to launch its Elvis Presley Instant Lottery Game. The Kentucky Lottery is scheduled to launch its Elvis game on December fourth, and the New Jersey Lottery will follow on January second. The Kentucky Lottery will give away a variety of Elvis merchandise as well as eight instant-win trips to Graceland. And the New Jersey will give away 20 trips to Graceland, as well their own variety of Elvis Presley merchandise. But the sightings may not be limited to those two states. An MDI spokesman says they're in discussions with more than a dozen other lotteries, in the United States and around the world.


  • EARL SCRUGGS TO RECORD ALBUM. Details are still being withheld, but a close source has confirmed that banjomaster and Country Music Hall of Famer Earl Scruggs is recording an album. Word of the project leaked out today when actor/writer/picker Steve Martin said in a radio interview that he would be recording with Scruggs on his classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." The album will not be on Columbia Records, the source says.


  • Here's an article from the Commercial Appeal re: the PBS Sun special and the September concert in Arkansas that was filmed. The 2nd article below is about the King Of Clubs where part of the documentary was filmed. Click here: Gomemphis.com: Rockabilly -- Click here: Gomemphis.com: King Of Clubs


  • As reported earlier, Beveric Records will release a new CD by Dale Hawkins on 3rd November. Check this site, there's some information on the CD, plus some cool pics from American Bandstand.


  • Johnny Cash Won't Back Down. A conversation with an American master. On a sunlit afternoon, Johnny Cash sits in a large, comfortable chair in the Hendersonville, Tennessee, house he's shared with his wife, June Carter Cash, for more than thirty years. He's reflecting on his life. In 1997, he announced that he was struggling with a nervous-system disorder, and his public manifestations since then have been rare. But this afternoon, he is expansive, good-humored and, above all, indomitable as he talks about the ... Read more.


  • On stage in person ... ROCK 'N' ROLL - DANCEPARTY #4 - A tribute to Charlie Feathers. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4 AT: MANIFESTO, holenweg 14 C, HOORN HOLLAND. OPEN: 21.00 HRS. INFO: O229-213260 /KIZMIAZ@PLANET.NL


  • OPRY'S BIRTHDAY BASH GOES LIVE ON THE 'NET. October 12 - NASHVILLE - Tickets to all five shows are sold out for the Grand Ole Opry's 75th Birthday Bash, but you can watch part of the excitement online this weekend at the official website, www.Opry.com. It marks the first time the Opry's website has featured live video streaming. The cybercast begins Saturday at 6:15pm ET with the red carpet arrival of Opry members and other celebrities. Artists scheduled to perform Saturday include Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Lorrie Morgan, Dolly Parton, Pam Tillis and Travis Tritt. At 9:15pm ET Saturday, the streaming video will feature a live press conference with several Opry members. Fans can also ask questions via e-mail during the press conference. By the way, Diamond Rio is doing a chat on Opry.com Friday at 9 pm ET. Throughout the month of October, Opry.com is giving fans an opportunity to win an authentic autographed Grand Ole Opry mic stand with its Opry Member Spotlight Contest.


  • WAYLON & THE WAYMORE BLUES BAND: NEVER SAY DIE LIVE! OUT NOW. Waylon & The Waymore Blues Band Never Say Die LIVE!, is in stores. Recorded at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium over two nights in January, 2000, finds Waylon Jennings exploring new musical ground with a band as surefooted on a swampy blues number as on the country lope that's been Jennings' trademark for more than 30 years.


  • House of Blues to Expand. House of Blues Entertainment Inc. will open nine new amphitheaters and clubs in eight U.S. cities by next year, expanding the number of locations by about a third. The expansion announced Monday includes clubs in San Diego, San Jose, Calif., Denver, Dallas and Kansas City, Mo. The clubs include a concert hall that seats about 1,000 people and a Cajun-style restaurant that seats 200 to 300 diners. House of Blues Concerts Inc., a subsidiary of HOB Entertainment, plans to open larger amphitheaters - each seating from 7,000 to 20,000 people - in San Jose, Austin and Salt Lake City.



  • NEW RARE CD AVAILABLE: Northern Lights, "The Complete Collection, 1956-1963" rockin' disk is available now from the Rockabilly Hall of Fame Merchandise Dept. The Northen Lights originated in Greenfield, MA. in the early summertime of 1956 and disbanded in late 1963. As with many rock bands on the fifties, the Northern Lights musicians were high-energy teenagers who were thrilled and exited to be members of the band. Most of the band were 16 years old or younger - a handful to say the least - but band manager Donald Gates, Sr. and his wife Mary didn't let that stop them. They were young-at-heart music lovers who enjoyed every minute they had with this group of special kids. Donald Gates, Sr., a ballroom dancer and big band leader, was able to help the band develope rhythm and arrangements that gave the group its original style and sound. Contact: bprproductions@yahoo.com



  • RHOF Welsh Reporters Phil Davies (left) and Shaun Mather (right) visit with Joe Leonard in Burns, TN, October 4, 2000.


  • Elvis' Ex-Wife Unharmed. Oct. 7th - A hit-and-run driver being chased by police hit Priscilla Presley's Land Rover Wednesday night in the San Fernando Valley. The car hit six vehicles including that of the 55-year-old Presley, ex-wife of the late Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. She was unhurt. The chase began near Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue at about 4 p.m. after police saw a Red Pontiac Trans-Am involved in a hit-and-run, Los Angeles police Officer Jason Lee of the Media Relations Section told a news service. Broadcast sources reported that the chase lasted 15 minutes.



  • JOHN PICKERING is holding two Buddy Holly & The Picks LPs, one CD and the "Chirpin' Crickets" Brunswick album. The LPs are:
    "Buddy Holly & The Picks - 'The Voices of the Crickets'" (1992)
    "Buddy Holly & The Picks - 'The Original Chirpin' Sound'" (1986)
    "The Chirpin' Crickets" Brunswick (1957
    The CD is: "Buddy Holly & The Picks in 2000 AD" (2000)


  • DALE HAWKINS ON THE ROAD.
    Great news! Dale is featured in the upcoming Robert Mugge film, "Rhythm & Bayous." He will be making appearances at selected film festivals in conjunction with its release.
    Thursday, October 12 - Mill Valley Film Festival, The Sweetwater, 153 Rockmorsen Ave., Mill Valley, CA 7:30 & 9:45 pm. 415-388-7771. He will do an instore at Village Music, 9 East Birthdale Ave., Mill Valley at 4pm 514-388-7400.
    Friday, October 13 - Denver International Film Festival - The Boiler Room, 900 Auraira Parkway, Denver, CO, 10pm 303-893-5733>
    Tuesday, October 19 - New Orleans Film Festival, The Parish, 225 Decatur Street, New Orleans, 9:15 & 10:35. 504-529-3583.
    Thursday, October 21 - The Old Point Bar, 545 Patterson, Algiers, LA. 10:30 pm. 504-364-0950.


  • Elvis Presley's original guitarist, Scotty Moore, is about to play in the Boston area for the first time in years. Moore, who helped define the early rockabilly guitar style, has hooked up with Lee Rocker, who formerly played with Brian Setzer in the Stray Cats. Moore and Rocker have gathered up a band that will play at the House of Blues on Nov. 4.


  • Veteran Nebraska Rocker, BOBBY LOWELL passed away Saturday, September 30, 2000, 10:30 am, at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. More details will be posted here soon.
    "God Bless you Bobby!" You've left a big hole in my life. -Bob Timmers
    more info