WJBK RADIO 15 REMEMBERS JFK: NOVEMBER 29, 1963

john-f-kennedy-1967conniefrancis-inthesummerofhisyears(1)

This single was packaged in a conservative gold sleeve with no photos,

and proceeds were donated to the family of

JD Tippet, a policeman who’d also been slain that day in Dallas.

“In The Summer Of His Years” * Connie Francis * 1963

connie-francis-in-the-summer-of-his-years-1963-3

 

WJBK - NOVEMBER 29, 1963

‘THE REGULAR RECORD REVIEW WAS NOT PUBLISHED THIS WEEK OUT OF RESPECT FOR OUR LATE PRESIDENT’ (No. 167 – November 29, 1963)

 

 

A MCRFB VIEWING TIP: To fully appreciate this WJBK Radio 1500  November 29, 1963 feature — to enlarge this image FULL SCREEN — click on the image and open to second window. See ‘Original size: ‘2433 × 2937‘ at the top/left and click on that link for EXPANDED LARGEST VIEW (twice). Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size. (Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB main home page).

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BBC KENNEDY BROADCAST IS HOT ITEM . . . DECEMBER 14, 1963

Motor City Radio Flashbacks logoFrom the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1963

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS

Saturday, November 23, 1963

 

 


 

NEW YORK — The record and radio industries were caught up in a hot controversy last week over the propriety recording and broadcasting the song “In The Summer Of His Years,” the John F. Kennedy tribute which was first sung on the BBC program, “That Was The Week That Was. NBC rebroadcast the BBC program.

The BBC's tribute to John Fitzgerald Kennedy THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS Saturday, November 23, 1963
The BBC’s Tribute to John Fitzgerald Kennedy – THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS – Saturday, November 23, 1963.

At press time, some seven single recordings of the song had been issued, and more were scheduled. In addition, Decca Records acquired the rights to release the soundtrack of the BBC show — originally broadcast on November 23 — and rushed out the album (see separate story).

Millicent Martin, the EMI artist who sang the song on the BBC show and whose performance is included in the Decca album, was also represented on a single released here by ABC-Paramount. Other singles as of press time were Kate Smith on RCA Records, Connie Francis on M-G-M, Mahalia Jackson on Columbia, Tony Arden on Decca, Hettie London on Palance Records.

Despite the fact that some of the royalties accruing from the song are to be given to charities or various causes, some stations refused to expose the disks. However, the diskeries involved felt in the main that their records were in good taste and indications were that they would not be withdrawn. Several of the labels involved said that they had already seen considerable action on the disk as a result of airplay on out-town-stations.

‘BLATANT’ SAYS PAULSEN

In New York, Varner Paulsen, Program Director of WNEW, said: “The records are a blatant attempt to try to commercialize on a national tragedy. The song as sung in the BBC-TV show of ‘This Was The Week That Was’ was a heart-rendering and sincere performance. Taken out of the context of the show it becomes something different.”

Mark Olds, general manager of WINS, stated: “The song was part of an almost extemporaneous serious program tribute to the late President of the United States with no thought of commercialization of material. Station policy forbids capitalizing commercially on such a tragic event.”

Ruth Myer, WMCA program director, said: “WMCA does not believe in banning records. We played the original version from the BBC program the day it was released. We felt it was of some interest to our audience. It isn’t anymore . . .  so we stopped playing it.”

BRITISH PRODUCT

Meanwhile, an astute observer noted the curious fact that the controversy was not an outgrowth of Tin Pan Alley activity. Two Brits wrote the song as part of the BBC tribute. Herbert Kretzmer wrote the words and David Lee the music. Lou Levy, president of Leeds Music, happened to be in a London apartment when the program was performed over the BBC.

He felt the song was a great piece of material and he acquired the copyright. Several artists, according to Levy — among them Connie Francis, queried the BBC to ascertain the publisher — and in this way the initial disks were cut. Levy notes he made no effort to promote the song — he merely urged that artists bear in mind the dignity of the material and exercise care care in their choice of material for the flip side. Even if the publisher wished to stop the flood of records, this was impossible owing to the compulsory or automatic license  provision of the Copyright Act.

Levy stated in part: “No one has ever been able to explain the creative process. Whatever magic is involved . . . touched two young songwriters in London . . . when the news about President Kennedy came to them over the air it was part of the BBC’s tribute . . . “

“But songs are not made just to be sung and heard; they are created to be sung over again and again. And so many fine artists have recorded this song: Connie Francis, Mahalia Jackson, Tony Arden, Kate Smith, Millicent Martin. Translations are being made in many languages; it is a song to be heard ’round the world . . . it will be part of every remembrance . . . royalties are being donated by many of those involved. Our part in making this song is small, but we feel well rewarded.”

As the week closed, discussions reached a high point, centered around the theme of what was the proper role of the music-record industry — and the radio industry — with regards to “event songs,” in this specific instance a song dealing with one of the most tragic events in the nation’s history. END

___

(Information and news source: Billboard; December 14, 1963)


 

THE BBC JFK TRIBUTE SONG — A CHICAGO VIEW

CHICAGO — “In The Summer Of His Years,” taken from the BBC-televised tribute to the late President Kennedy on the program “That Was The Week That Was,” will have a tough time getting airplay here, a check by Billboard indicated here last week.

Though many local stations still haven’t had time to review the numerous versions of the tune, those that did turned thumbs down.

At WIND, a Westinghouse Group W station, Guy Harris termed the disk “lousy and mauldin.” He said it was “hard to get specific . . . we reject a lot of records each week, this is one of them.”

Gene Taylor, at WLS, the ABC powerhouse, said he had heard only the Connie Francis version and that he just “wouldn’t touch it.”

At WGN, Bob Bradford said he hadn’t heard the record and would have to listen before making up his mind. He said the original was “beautifully done,” but felt the record might be “out of context” on a commercial radio station.

Floyd Brown at WYNR, the big McLendon corporation rocker, said he though it in “poor taste to capitalize on such a tragic situation.”

At WBBM, the CBS outlet, Len Schlosser said the records haven’t been screened as yet. At WVON, the city’s biggest R&B outlet, Lloyd Webb said the station had not made up its mind yet, though he did feel it was a good tune. END

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(Information and news source: Billboard; December 14, 1963)



BBC TV logo 1964

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REMEMBERING JOHN KENNEDY | NOVEMBER 25, 2013

JFK Presidential Portrait

JFK '63 Arlington November 2013
 
 
Who Shall Speak For Us Now?
 
 
Who shall speak for us now?
For the moment has taken him
Just as the moment
Brought him forth.
 
Curtain calls were many,
On our feet, hearts in our hands,
Applause loud and clear.
But now he lives, no longer here.
 
I think he knew all at the last moment,
Looking back at us, missing us
In his eyes. Then his final bow,
His last goodbye.
 
Oh, that faraway yesterday,
Had he not done
All his time would allow?
Who shall speak for us now?
 
And might he ask of us each,
And with qualification,
What of your own voice?
 
 
“Who Shall Speak For Us Now?” A personal favorite poem on JFK submitted by Scottie Regen. ’60s WKNR Detroit radio personality. November 15, 2013
 
Arlington National Cemetery. Dawn. November 22, 2013
Dawn. Arlington National Cemetery. November 22, 2013
Arlington National Cemetery. Dusk. November 22, 2013
Dusk. Arlington National Cemetery. November 22, 2013

Arlington Nation Cemetery. November 22, 2003

JOHN F. KENNEDY QUOTE

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MEMORIALS TO PRES. KENNEDY CARRIES WEIGHT IN LP MARKET . . . DECEMBER 21, 1963

MarqueeTest-2From the MCRFB news archives: 1963

JFK Albums in Demand for pre-Christmas Holidays 1963

 

By RENT GREVANTT

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK — Albums memorializing the late President John F. Kennedy are having a heavy impact on the pre-Christmas record album market place. At week’s end, manufacturers were claiming virtually around-the-clock pressing activity “trying to keep up with orders.” This condition was in marked contrast to that obtaining in connection with various single records containing material related to the recent death of the President.

Three of the fastest-moving of the Kennedy albums are out on budget (99-cent) lines and these appear to be getting the heaviest retail action at the moment. These are available through Premier Albums. Pickwick International and Ambassador (Diplomat label). Twentieth Century-Fox has an album out at $3.98 and a new firm Documentaries Unlimited also released a full price set, though it’s understood the latter is now selling at $1.98 at some locations. Decca Records is also in the race with the sound track to the BBC-TV memorial show, “That Was The Week That Was,” and claims strong action.

Premier got out first and was actually shipping five days after the event, according to the firm’s president, Phil Landwehr. He said that currently, 16 pressing plants are turning out the LP’s, which he indicated had now been shipped in quantities approaching 1,000,000.

Benefit LP

Premier and WMCA have agreed to turn over their royalties to the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation for Mental Retardation. He added that arrangements are being made to bring out a full-price ($3.98) companion to the current 99-cent item, which will contain the news coverage of the Dallas tragedy by a different New York station.

A spokesman for Ambassador records , what has a 99-cent Diplomat label LP containing a number of Kennedy speeches and comments, declined to reveal actual sales figures. “It’s just fantastic and that’s all they’ll let me say right now,” he commented.

Close to 1,000,000 copies of the Pickwick-produced LP have been shipped in the first six days of its release, according to the firm’s president, Cy Leslie. He said that shipments are going out from four depots now and nine pressing plants are in currently in mass-production action.

“We didn’t get into this thing until last week, because we didn’t want to see anybody get into it.” But when others did, we felt we had to go,” said Leslie. “We’re replenishing supplies at the rate about 150,000 a day. There is one difficulty, however. Many dealers are now going into a sort of panic or shock that they won’t be able to get a supply. So some of them are duplicating or even tripling orders — the same orders. In other words, when one order is filled, they cancel the others, so you can have a certain inflation factor.”

Solid Action

John F. Kennedy THE PRESIDENTIAL YEARS 1961-1963 album. 20th Century-Fox (click image for larger view)
John F. Kennedy THE PRESIDENTIAL YEARS 1960-1963 album. 20th Century-Fox (click image for larger view)

At 20th Century-Fox, which has issued a $3.98 list LP with numerous of the Kennedy speeches, label head Norman Weiser, said: “We’ve shipped 315,000 with no guarantees and no allocations. We’ve received a great response from Schirmer’s in New York and the whole Sears chain has come through nicely.”

Weiser said he understood the Handleman racking operation alone has accounted for 75,000 orders through its wholly owned ARC distributorship in Detroit.

Decca, which grabbed the the original TV sound track to the BBC-TV, “That Was The Week That Was,” memorializing Kennedy, also reports strong demand for its $4.98 list album. Decca, like most other labels with a Kennedy package, is turning a good portion of its proceeds over to charity, got a big column break from Dorothy Kilgallen, Monday, December 9.

Since that time, the company’s New York branch in Woodside, Queens, has been running orders all over the city by station wagon, while other major orders are being flown around the country. A spokesman estimated a possible sale of up to 250,000 albums by the first of the year.

Meanwhile, the activities on singles of the song “In The Summer Of His Years,” appear to be uncertain due to lack of any full-scale radio support for any of the disks. Versions now available are by Connie Stevens, MGM; Milicent Martin, ABC-Paramount; Toni Arden, Decca; Kate Smith, RCA Victor; Mahalia Jackson, Columbia, and Hettie London, Palace Records.

Late in the week, two other memorial singles appeared. One of these was by the Briarwood Singers, a folk-based vocal group on the United Artists label, who offered “He Was A Friend Of Mine.” At the same time, British actor-singer Tony Newley wrote and recorded his own tribute to the late-President Kennedy on his A Capella label. END.

 

MarqueeTest-2From the MCRFB news archives: 1963

JFK RECORD URGE ON RISE

NEW YORK — The consumer demand for documentary material featuring the voice of the late-President John F. Kennedy indicated in last week’s Billboard seems to be intensifying.

The 20th Century-Fox label, which has an album culled from its Movietone News affiliate, “John F. Kennedy — The Presidential Years,” has received strong reactions to its package. The album contains actual news reel sound tracks of the inaugural address by the late President and other prominent speeches.

The label has done little to promote the album, but produced it for educational and historical purposes. Outside of initial calls to distributors (to let them know the Kennedy album was available) no follow-through or hype calls have been made., but the label has been inundated  with high demand for the disk. END.

(Above two articles appeared in Billboard; December 21, 1963).

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THE COMPLETE STORY NOVEMBER 22-25, 1963: ‘FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD’ COLPIX RECORDS

Colpix 1963 LP 'Four Days That Shocked The World'From the MCRFB MISCELLANEOUS archive: 1963

The Actual Voices And Events of  FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD – The Complete Story – November 22-25, 1963

 

 

 


 

Produced in association with United Press International; 1963

Colpix Records No. CP 2500 XTV 89953; 1963

 

The Complete Story ‘FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD’  November 22-25, 1963

 

Having made the turn from Main Street unto Houston Street, the Presidential limousine is heading towards the Texas School Book Depository Building for the left turn down Elm.
HAVING MADE the turn from Main Street, the Presidential limousine is on Houston headed towards Elm Street and the Texas School Book Depository Building. Friday, November 22, 1963. (Click on image 2x for a much larger detailed view).

 

 

P R O D U C E D  B Y   H E R B E R T  S U S S A N | Colpix Records

P R O D U C E R ‘ S   N O T E S

COLPIX imagesThe FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD is told in three basic segments: first, Friday, November 22, the day of the assassination of President Kennedy . . . the day of shock . . . from early morning through the assassination until President Johnson’s first remarks at Andrews AFB as the new President.

The second section is the Lee Harvey Oswald story . . . from his capture in the Texas theater through his murder by Jack Ruby in the basement of the Dallas jail, to the announcement of his death.

The third major element covers the ceremonies and events in Washington from Friday, when the President’s body lay in repose in the White House, through the ceremonies at the Rotunda of the Capitol . . . through Monday . . . with the highlights of Mass . . . the procession to Arlington . . . and the events at the grave until the moments of the final taps.

The telling of this story in the limited time of a recording has been a great challenge. Compiled from more than 85 hours of audio tapes, this unprecedented example of audio journalism takes you directly into the scenes as as they happened and places you in the action . . . to create this memorable document in sound of the most dramatic four days in our times.

 

PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

 

 

 

 

T H E  W O R L D  M O U R N S

The voices and events of ‘Four Days That Shocked The World‘ was produced within weeks after the assassination. The LP was finalized and was released in late-December 1963.

“President Kennedy died as a soldier, under fire, for his duty and in the service of his country. In the name of the French people, a friend at all times of the American people, I salute this great example and this great memory.” – Charles De Gaulle, President of France

“The loss to the United States and to the world is incalculable. Those who come after Mr. Kennedy must strive the more to achieve the ideals of world peace and human happiness and dignity to which his Presidency was dedicated.” — Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain

“A heart-breaking tragedy has occurred. The world can ill afford at this time in our history to lose a man of his courage, which he displayed in war and which he displayed in peace.

“It is difficult for me to say anything more at this time. Our hearts are filled with sadness.” — Lester Pearson, Prime Minister of Canada

“The President’s shocking death deprives mankind of a compassionate champion of peace and brotherhood, his country of a courageous executive, his family of a loyal husband and father, his parents of a dutiful and devoted son.” — Pope Paul VI

“I shall remember my personal meetings with President John F. Kennedy as a person of broad outlook who realistically assessed the situation and tried to find ways for negotiated settlements which now divide the world.

“The Soviet government and the Soviet people share the grief of the American people over the great loss and express the hope that the search for settling disputed questions, a search to which President John F. Kennedy made a tangible contribution, would be continued in the interests of peace, for the benefit of mankind.

“Accept, Mr. President, my personal condolences.” — Nikita Khrushchev, Premier of the Soviet Union, in a telegram to President Johnson

 

 

 

 

F O U R  D A Y S  T H A T  S H O C K E D  T H E  W O R L D

N A R R A T E D  B Y  R E I D  C O L L I N S  |  WNEW Radio News

SIDE I

  • President Kennedy — Fort Worth Breakfast Speech
  • Arrival At Love Field, Dallas — Coverage By Joseph Long, KLIF, Dallas
  • At The Scene — At The Moment Motorcade Is Fired Upon — Coverage From The Texas School Book Depository
  • With A Mobile Radio Unit At-The-Scene With The Motorcade Speeding To Parkland Hospital Nearby The Presidential Limousine
  • Eyewitness Report Of The Actual Assassination
  • Announcement Of Last Rites By Father Oscar Huber And Of Death Of President Kennedy
  • Eyewitness Account –Ambulance Driver — Mrs. Kennedy Prior To Trip Back To Dallas
  • Eyewitness Report — Merriman Smith — Scene Aboard ‘Air Force One’ As Mrs. Kennedy Returns With The President’s Body, The Swearing-In Of President Johnson, And Flight To Washington
  • Actual Swearing-In Of Lyndon B. Johnson By Judge Sarah T. Hughes
  • Arrival At Andrews Air Force Base First Public Statement — President Lyndon B. Johnson

SIDE II

  • Dallas Policeman — Eyewitness Report Of Capture
  • Lee Harvey Oswald — Actual Voice Denial Of Guilt
  • Actual Court Charge Of Oswald
  • Reports of Investigations
  • Sunday Morning — Tensions Mount In Dallas
  • On-The-Spot Report From Basement Of Dallas Jail At The Moment Oswald is Shot By Jack Ruby — Exclusive Coverage — Ike Pappas, WNEW News
  • Oswald Rushed By Ambulance To Parkland Hospital
  • Police Identify Killer As Jack Ruby
  • On The Scene Report — Parkland Hospital
  • Oswald’s Death Announced
  • President Kennedy’s Body Lies In Repose In White House — November 23
  • President Kennedy’s Body Taken From White House To Capitol Rotunda
  • Final Playing Of “Hail To The Chief”
  • Chief Justice Warren — Eulogy (Excerpt)
  • Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield — Eulogy (Excerpt)
  • President Kennedy’s Body Lies In State in Rotunda
  • Mrs. Kennedy — Midnight Visit To Rotunda
  • Funeral Procession From Rotunda To St. Matthews Cathedral
  • Dignitaries From The Entire World Join Procession
  • Mass At St. Matthews Cathedral By Richard Cardinal Cushing (Excerpts)
  • Funeral Procession From St. Matthews Cathedral To Arlington Cemetery
  • Jet Fly-By — Arlington
  • Richard Cardinal Cushing — Prayer At Graveside
  • 21 Gun Salute
  • Taps At Arlington 
Flanked by the Armed Forces Military Honor Guard, President Kennedy's flag-draped casket is carried to his place of rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Monday, November 25, 1963
Flanked by the Armed Forces Military Honor Guard, President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket is carried to his final place of rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Monday, November 25, 1963.

 

 

REID COLLINS is the award-winning correspondent of America’s most honored independent radio news organization — WNEW, New York’s METROMEDIA Station. Winner of every major news award, WNEW covered the story of the President’s assassination from Dallas, Washington, New York and the foreign capitals of the world. Collins reported the four days from Friday, November 22nd through Monday, November 25th, from the nation’s capitol. Narration (Washington sequence) written by Reid Collins, WNEW.

HERBERT SUSSAN, producer of FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD, is an Executive Producer supervising International Production for Screen Gems, Inc. He is former National Director of Special Programs for NBC-TV, was the senior Producer of the highly-acclaimed WIDE WIDE WORLD television series, and is a veteran TV Producer-Director.

 

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL now has recorded the tragic events of November, 1963, in words, still pictures, motion picture film and sound. For the UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL this record represents reporting in a new dimension. UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL is happy to be associated with COLPIX RECORDS in the production of a permanent recording of these “Four Days That Shocked The World.”

EARL J. JOHNSON  Vice President & Editor  UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL

 

 

 

 

Don Kirschner
Don Kirschner

WE AT COLPIX RECORDS have been determined to create an historical document of lasting significance out of the four heartbreaking days that began with President Kennedy’s speech at Fort Worth and ended with taps at Arlington. It was a task that required intense care and attention from everyone concerned with its preparation. Hours of audio tapes and hundreds of exclusive photos and filmstrips were utilized in production of this unique and special album. To the UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL for its permission to use this material and to all the reporters on radio, and in the press, whose on-the-spot coverage made this album possible — our sincere gratitude.

DON KIRSCHNER  Executive Vice President  Music and Record Division  Columbia Pictures-Screen Gems TV

___

 COLPIX RECORDS IS A DIVISION OF COLUMBIA PICTURES CORPORATION (c. 1963)

 

 

'PRESIDENT SHOT DEAD': New York subway transients and commuters reading the tragic news on their way home. The New York Journal-American and The New York World-Telegram. Late-Friday evening, November 22, 1963
PRESIDENT SHOT DEAD‘: New York City subway transients and commuters reading the tragic news on their way home. The New York Journal-American and New York World-Telegram. Late-Friday evening, November 22, 1963. (click on image 2x for largest view).

 

 

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD‘ contained the information as was transcribed verbatim, above. These were the actual words found in print inside the album’s gate-fold spread. The album cover also contained “15 color and black and white photographs which were part of the extensive photographic coverage of these events by the United Press International.” A portion of royalties accrued to Colpix Records was donated to the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.,  Foundation for Research on Mental Retardation.

___

All photos above were selected randomly by the author for this feature.

___

In the January 18, 1964 issue of Billboard, ‘FOUR DAYS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD’ was described as, “The most important record of our time. Not an album of speeches — you are there as the most dramatic flow of events become history.” 

 

 


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DETROIT WJBK RADIO 15: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1963

WJBK Survey November 22, 1963

Back Of WJBK Survey.November 22, 1963A MCRFB VIEWING TIP: To fully appreciate this WJBK Radio 15 November 22, 1963 chart feature — to enlarge chart image FULL SCREEN — click on the image and open to second window. See ‘Original size: ‘2550 × 3300‘ at the top/left and click on that link for EXPANDED LARGEST VIEW (twice). Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size. (Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB main home page).

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50 YEARS AGO: THE ‘FIRST FAMILY’ STORY — WOW! . . . JANUARY 26, 1963

MarqueeTest-2From the MCRFB news archives: 1963

Cadence LP Smashes Most Marks in History of Disks

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK — In the history of the phonograph record business there has never been an album that has broken so many records, or set so many new ones as the Cadence LP of “The First Family,” with Vaughn Meader and friends. It has sold more than any other LP ever issued, more than 4,000,000 as of January 10., just about two months after it was first released (November, 1962).

Vaughn Meader's 'The First Family' on the Cadence label; 1962-1963 (Click image for larger size).
Vaughn Meader’s ‘The First Family’ on the Cadence label; 1962-1963 (click image for more detailed larger size).

It holds all-time records for the number of LP’s sold in a day, a week and a month, and it has set new marks at RCA Custom where 2 million were pressed (in three busy weeks), and at Columbia’s custom plants, where 1 million were made. Of the 4 million shipped, Cadence billed and shipped 3,600,000, the other 500,000-plus being shipped at no charge as part of the firm’s four for 25, or 16 per cent merchandise deal.

That Cadence was able to meet the instantaneous and furious demand for the album — which ran as high as 1 million a week —  within days or even hours of the orders almost from the time the record started to jet off, is a tribute to the firm’s quickly devised and ingenious production schedule Cadence undertook marketing this particular LP.

This schedule was probably the most massive ever attempted in the record business. It is also a tribute to the printing firms, the album fabricators, the pressing plants and the trucking firms, who met the intricate, rush production schedules. When it is noted that Cadence, like many other independent record labels, has no pressing facilities of its own, and that the demand for “The First Family” came at the height of the Christmas buying season, the production job accomplished becomes even more extraordinary.

Something else that cannot be overlooked is the role played in “The First Family” story by Cadence distributors, who did a back-breaking job in getting the albums to dealers. The album set all-time marks with every distributor who handled it; Alpha Distributors in New York moved 300,000 “First Family” LP’s in 16 (around-the-clock) scheduled days.

In The Beginning

Vaughn Meader displays his JFK comedy/satire LP in a press photo, 1963.
Vaughn Meader displays his JFK comedy/satire LP in a press photo, 1963.

When Cadence shipped samples of its LP, “The First Family,” the week of November 5, Cadence President Archie Bleyer and sales promotion chief Bud Dollinger felt they had a pretty good album. They thought it would sell at least 100,000, and with luck double or triple that, which would be a substantial sale for a new and unknown comic named Vaughn Meader. Production manager Bob Mack had place a pressing order for about 15,000. Because Meader was due to be on the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, November 11 (1962), Cadence had shipped its new York distributor, Alpha, 100 copies to place in key store windows in Manhattan alone.

Monday, November 12, was a quiet day at Cadence, the firm’s last quiet day for about two months. Tuesday, November 13, Bob Booker, co-producer of the “First Family” set, brought the LP to his old friend, Stan Burns, WINS in New York. Burns listened to parts of it and then put in on the air immediately and kept playing tracks from the LP during his entire show.

The phone started ringing at Alpha Distributors from dealers wanting copies. Harry Apostelaris of Alpha Distributors called Cadence and ordered 400 sets. Pete Myers of WINS continued to play the album on the station that same day. A little later Bob and Ray on WHN played excerpts of the LP on their show. The phones kept jumping on Alpha. Apostelaris excitedly picked up the phone again and called Cadence. This time he placed an order for 20,000 copies for the LP.

Taking Off

Wednesday morning, November 14, Klavan and Finch started to expose tracks from the album over WNEW. By that afternoon almost every disk jockey in New York was “on” the LP. Alpha’s order that day totaled 20.000. He ordered another 25,000 copies from Cadence.

Thursday, November 15, the “First Family” was the talk of the town. Consumers were clamoring for copies. Alpha ordered another 25,000 for a whooping total of 70,500 in four days.

Cadence executives knew now they had a smash, though they still didn’t know how big a smash it really had become.  They shipped 15,868 copies to Alpha. That order was quickly snapped up. And they stilled owed Alpha 55,000. They anticipated Alpha would order another 25,000 the next day, Alpha ordered another 50,000 instead!

Here Mack decided he couldn’t get enough pressing facilities on one coast to handle the album. He booked a flight to Los Angeles on Sunday, November 18 (the earliest reservation he could obtain), and assigned his assistant, Peter Hess, to fly to Indianapolis to set a pressing, printing and album facilities there. They were both met in the different airports by manufacturers and printers and album people. They both took with them from positives and progressive proofs of the album covers that they had ordered from their New York printers.

“I wasn’t worried about getting pressings in time,” Mack said, ” “or even the albums. It was the four-color covers that concerned me.”

Coast Opens Up

On Friday, November 17, Ralph Story on KNX in Los Angeles, started to lay the excerpts for the Meader disk. That same day a West Coast dealer called Dollinger and Bleyer in New York and demanded 200 records. When they told him they were clean, he screamed for copies without covers. They refused.

Said Dollinger: “If we did that we we would have made it possible for counterfeiters to sell “First Family” LP’s all over the U.S. without covers. We told him he would have his 200 copies Tuesday. He did.”

Cadence's 'The First Family' LP became a sensational multi-million seller for the label in 1963.
By January 1963, Cadence’s ‘The First Family’ album became an all-time, multi-million selling LP for the label. The LP sold over 4,000,000 copies in a record-breaking span two months after its November 1962 release.

By Monday, November 19, “First Family” records were being pressed all over the country. RCA Victor was making the albums in Rockaway, New Jersey; Indianapolis and Los Angeles. Columbia Records were pressing in Los Angeles; Bridgeport, Connecticut and in Pittman, New Jersey. Capitol was pressing the LP at its Scranton, Pennsylvania plant; Monarch at its Los Angeles plant; Sonic at Hicksville, Long Island; and All Disks in Roseville, New Jersey.

Printing of the “First Family” album covers and liners was assigned and done by  Lithograph Corporation of America in Bridgeport, Burford Printing in Indianapolis and Imperial in Hollywood.

Also, albums were being manufactured by Country Box, Modern Album Company and by Globe in New York; Modern Album in Terre Haute, Indiana and Hollywood,  and Rek-O-Pak and Imperial in Hollywood.

The printers, jacket manufacturers and pressing plants came through “splendidly,” according to Mack.

“They gave us unstinting cooperation. Victor had to take its Elvis Presley record of “Girls, Girls, Girls” off their presses to make “First Family” LP’s and they couldn’t turn them over to Columbia or Capitol, for we had those plants locked up, too,” he said, “but they came through.”

Columbia, with its own Christmas stuff rolling, also made room for us at Bridgeport and Pittman. They were all wonderful.”

Vaughn Meader's 'The First Family' LP on Cadence (b/cover).
Vaughn Meader’s ‘The First Family’ LP on Cadence (b/cover). (TIP: For a more detailed look, double-click image TWICE for an expanded spread of the album-back cover).

No Holidays

Dollinger, Mack and Hess set up an over-all production chart to check every printer, jacket manufacturer and pressing plant in New York, Los Angeles and Indianapolis, the three production areas. They were on the phone day and night for almost four weeks, including Thanksgiving Day, Saturdays and Sundays. They lined up trucks to take the finished covers and liners to the jacket manufacturers and the jackets to the pressing plants. They then allocated the completed albums to their 32 distributors.

“You should see our phone bills,” said Mack.

“Our distributors were incredible,” said Dollinger. “They would send their own trucks to the plants to pick up the finished merchandise. Our Baltimore distributor used to have a truck waiting at the Victor Rockaway plant every day, and so did our Boston distributor.”

In New York demand for albums were so great that dealers would come over in their own cars or in taxicabs and help unload the trucks arriving with “First Family” albums at the Alpha warehouse on 10th Avenue. They were billed as they shoved the albums into their cars or taxicabs before speeding away. The same scene was being enacted in Los Angeles.

By November 23, about ten days after the record had broken in New York, Cadence had billed and shipped more than 900,000 LP’s, excluding the complimentary copies. The firm had shipped more than 135,000 to Alpha in New York, and it still owed 150,000 on back-order.

Printing of the “First Family” album covers and liners was assigned and done by  Lithograph Corporation of America in Bridgeport, Burford Printing in Indianapolis and Imperial in Hollywood.
Printing of the “First Family” album covers and liners was assigned and done by Lithograph Corporation of America in Bridgeport, Long Island.

All The Way

As of November 30 the firm has billed and shipped 2,100,000 records, again excluding the complimentary albums which add up to about 16 per cent over the top. As of December 7, total billed and shipped was 2,800,000;  December 14, 32,000,000; December 21, 3,400,000; December 28, 3,500,000; January 5, 3,585,000; January 10, 3,600,000.

The album is still selling at a rate of about 10,000 a week. Still, shipments have been carefully watched to the extent that right now, according to Dollinger and Mack, they do not believe there are more than 10,000 albums in the field that might be returned. “Our distributors are clean,” says Dollinger, “and we think dealers are stock clean insofar this LP as well.”

Just after the album really took off, and Cadence had shipped its first million LP’s, a remarkable thing happened with the firm’s distributors. It started when the firm’s Hartford distributor, Eastern, called to place a large order. “I’m sending Archie a check for $50,000,” said Eastern chief Dick Godlewski. “If I don’t pay it now I’ll never catch up, and I know Archie needs it.” Several other distributors, almost simultaneously, did the same.

Distributors Came Through

Although Cadence is a strong, independent label, with a solid credit rating and cash in the bank, the help from distributors were welcomed because of the astronomical sums being laid out by the firm.

From then on the firm called on its distributors to send something with its orders. Distributors all came through with cash, many of them going out and getting loans on their accounts receivable.

At the height of the frantic demand, Dollinger was receiving impassioned calls from stores, racks and chains. He had one order for a direct sale of 100,000 LP’s at $2.10 each and turned it down. He told the store to see the local Cadence distributor.

“We turned down all direct sales,” said Dollinger, “since we believe in letting our distributors handle all accounts.”

Dollinger added that the “First Family” album has created an interesting development as far as dealers and distributors are concerned.

“In talking to our distributors, we have found that a number of them have got back some accounts that were being serviced by rack jobbers. It seemed that when they wanted the “First Family” they found they could get it more quickly from distributors than from the rackers. Distributors say that a number of chains have returned to them and intend to stay with them because of better service.”

Could another album ever rise to repeat the fantastic “First Family” story? Dollinger: “I don’t know whether there will ever be another that sell so many copies in such a short period of time. But we now know not only that an album can sell 4 million in a few months, but that it is also possible to produce 4 million and get them to the stores while they’re hot.” END.

— BOB ROLONTZ

Vaughn Meader pitches his LP to customers at a NYC record store in December 1963.
Vaughn Meader pitches his ‘First Family’ LP at a NYC record store, December 1962.
(Photo: LIFE Magazine; February 8, 1963)

(Information and news source, Billboard; January 26, 1963).

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50 YEARS AGO: RADIO PUSHED ‘FIRST FAMILY’ LP OVER THE TOP . . . JANUARY 26, 1963

MarqueeTest-2From the MCRFB news archive: 1963

RADIO EXPOSURE BIGGEST FACTOR, BLEYER SAYS

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK — “If there was any single thing that put over ‘The First Family,’ it was radio exposure,” said Archie Bleyer last week in a conversation of the Vaughn Meader album.

“In case anyone underestimates the power of radio I can tell them it is the most important medium of all in exposing not only singles, but albums.”

Cadence's Archie Bleyer.
Cadence’s Archie Bleyer

“I say this because we decided to go ahead with “The First Family,” we had assurances that it would get exposed on TV. In fact, we built a lot of our exposure campaign along the lines of TV programming. We didn’t think then that radio was the right medium to expose this album. We felt that TV would enable people to see Meader and the rest of the cast and that a segment of, say, a TV variety show could be built around Meader’s press conference or another aspect of the album.

“We were all wrong,” said Bleyer. “Radio not only enabled listeners to imagine Meader as President Kennedy, but to imagine all of the other people in the cast in their respective roles. We found that the onetime shots we had on TV didn’t have nearly the impact of the radio play.

Cadence Records“It wasn’t only the stations who normally program albums that helped put ‘First Family’ over,” said Cadence sales chief Bud Bollinger, “but the Top 40 stations as well. We were surprised and pleased to find top 40 station which never had programmed an album before playing tracks from ‘First Family’ and this got kids as well as adults interested.”

“The sales of the album indicate something else,” said Dollinger. “For a long time Archie had said that a soft record market is a misnomer. A soft market is one in which the manufacturer don’t have the product on the market the consumer wants. Give them the records they want and they’ll buy it.

“I’ve disagreed with Archie in the past about this, but I think sales of ‘First Family’ proves him right.” END.

ADDENDUM: Vaugh Meader’s short-lived, political, comedic stand-up career effectively ended November 22, 1963. Vaughn Meader passed away in 2004 at the age of 68. For more on the life and times of Vaughn Meader, go here. — MCRFB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0jMe-3_Dl0

(Information and news source: Billboard; January 26, 1963).

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BLEYER HAS KIND WORDS FOR THOSE WHO BLEW IT . . . JANUARY 26, 1963

MarqueeTest-2A MCRFB news brief: 1963

First Family Album Went Through Various Changes at Cadence

 

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK — Archie Bleyer said last week that it was unfair to condemn any of the firms who turned down “The First Family,” as a substantial number of companies did.

'The First Family' comedy album on Cadence records, 1962.
‘The First Family’ comedy album on Cadence Records, 1962.

“When I first heard the album there were only a few demos of some skits and a script outlining the others. A lot of the sketches were unusable; some of them, as far as I was concerned, were not in good taste.”

“Before we ever sat down to record the album we went over every single word in every skit. We tossed many ideas out and changed many of them around. We did our best to make sure everything was in unchallengeable taste. The album didn’t come to us ready to go. It required hard work by all concerned before we had a workable script.

“When anyone knocks the firms who turned down the album, he’s wrong. What they heard was not the material that finally came out on Cadence.

“So they turned it down. Well, I’ve turned down plenty of hits in my time, too. It not what you turn down that matters but what your track record is at the end of the year. Don’t forget, a lot of firms that didn’t accept the album has fine records. That’s what counts in the long run.” END.

(Information and news source: Billboard; January 26, 1963).

 

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