—RUN RUDOLPH RUN—
“Run Rudolph Run“is a Christmas song popularized by Chuck Berry, written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie and published by St. Nicholas Music (ASCAP). The song was first recorded by Berry in 1958 and released as a single on Chess Records. Berry’s 1958 45-rpm single, however, gives writing credits to “C. Berry Music – M. Brodie”.
(Source: WiKipedia)
— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —
CHUCK BERRY * 09 * DECEMBER 17
Jack Dominico Scafone, Jr., age 83 of Sterling Heights, died Thursday, December 12, 2019 at the Warren Campus of Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital. He was born January 24, 1936 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, son of the late Jack Sr. and the late Laura (nee: Franks) Scafone.
Jack Scafone, (under his stage name, Jack Scott), was a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011 and was called “undeniably the greatest Canadian rock and roll singer of all time.”
Scott spent his early childhood in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit, Michigan. When he was 10, Jack’s family moved to Hazel Park, a suburb of Detroit. He grew up listening to hillbilly music and was taught to play the guitar by his mother Laura. As a teenager, he pursued a singing career and recorded as “Jack Scott.” At the age of 18, he formed the band, Southern Drifters. After leading the band for three years, he signed to ABC-Paramount Records as a solo artist in 1957. After recording two gold-selling local hits for ABC-Paramount in 1957, he switched to the Carlton record label and had a double-sided national hit in 1958 with “Leroy” / “My True Love.” The record sold over one million copies, earning Scott his first gold disc. Later in 1958, “With Your Love” reached the Top 40. In all, six of 12 songs on his first album became hit singles. On most of these tracks, he was backed up by the vocal group, the Chantones.
Jack served in the United States Army during most of 1959, just after “Goodbye Baby” made the Top 10. The year 1959 also saw him chart with “The Way I Walk.” Most of his Carlton master tapes were believed lost or destroyed until Rollercoaster Records in England released a vinyl EP, “Jack Scott Rocks”, and the CD, “The Way I Walk”, which were, for the most part, mastered from original tapes rather than the disc dubs used for previous reissues.
At the beginning of 1960, Scott again changed record labels, this time to Top Rank Records. He then recorded four Billboard Hot 100 Hits; “What in the World’s Come Over You”, “Burning Bridges”, “Oh Little One”, and “It Only Happened Yesterday”. “What in the World’s Come Over You” was Scott’s second gold disc winner. Scott continued to record and perform during the 60’s and 70’s. His song “You’re Just Getting’ Better reached the country charts in 1974. In May 1977, Scott recorded a Peel session for BBC radio 1 disc jockey, John Peel.
Scott had more US singles, in a shorter period of time (41 months), than any other recording artist, with the exception of The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Connie Francis. Scott wrote all of his own hits, except one; “Burning Bridges.” It has been said that “with the exception of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, no white rock and roller of the time ever developed a finer voice with a better range than Jack Scott, or cut a more convincing body of work in rockabilly, rock and roll, country-soul, gospel or blues.”
In 2007, Jack Scott was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was honored to have been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Later Scott was nominated for the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 2015, Jack’s latest (and final) album, “Way to Survive” was released. Along with filling countless hearts and homes with his music over the years, many of Jack’s songs were also featured in numerous movies, as well as being covered by many artists in their shows and events. He continued singing and touring, and lived in a suburb of Detroit.
Jack was the beloved husband of Barbara Ann. Dearest father to his daughters and their husbands, and his stepsons. Jack also leaves his grandchildren, and his loving siblings, to treasure his memory.
Memorial donations are welcomed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 . . . or to www.stjude.org.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home in Warren, Michigan.
D. S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home
30009 Hoover Road
Warren, Michigan 48093
P: 586-751-0444
Public visitation hours: 3 p.m.-9 p.m. (Today) Monday, December 16
–-HAVE YOUR SELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS—
The Hollyridge Strings were an American studio orchestra that specialized in easy-listening music, and recorded for the Capitol Records label in the 1960s and 1970s. Stu Phillips, Mort Garson, and Perry Botkin, Jr. were among those who produced, arranged, and conducted the group’s recordings.
The group specialized in orchestral versions of songs by such then-contemporary pop-music artists as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, Elvis Presley, and Simon & Garfunkel. Capitol Records released this Hollyridge Strings instrumental cover of this titled Christmas song classic as a single in December 1965.
(Source: WiKipedia)
— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —
THE HOLLYRIDGE STRINGS * 10 * DECEMBER 16
—ABOUT THIS ALBUM—
The Temptations Christmas Card is a 1970 Christmas album by The Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label. The album was released on October 30, 1970. It’s also the group’s first holiday release, it features each Temptation leading on various popular Christmas standards and original Christmas songs.
(Source: WiKipedia)
— 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK —
*****
A special THANK YOU to Greg Innis for recently contributing this WCHB December 15, 1969 ‘Soul’ chart with Motor City Radio Flashbacks
— The Greg Innis Collection —
This WCHB chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
A MCRFB VIEWING TIP: To fully appreciate this WCHB December 15, 1969 chart feature click on image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.
Click your server’s back button to return to MCRFB home page.
On your mobile device? Tap on image. Open to second window. “Stretch” across the featured article to magnify largest print view.
—LITTLE ALTAR BOY—
“Little Altar Boy” was written in 1961 and first recorded that year by vocalist Vic Dana for his album This Is Vic Dana. Released as a single, it reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In an introspective moment, Dana performs this quiet song in the 1962 musical-comedy film Don’t Knock the Twist.
The song was also recorded by Andy Williams on his 1965 album Merry Christmas, by Glen Campbell on his 1968 album That Christmas Feeling, and by Jack Jones on his 1969 album A Jack Jones Christmas.
(Source: WiKipedia)
— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —
VIC DANA * 11 * DECEMBER 15
*****
‘MOTOR CITY MUSIC KEENER 13 AND THE SOUNDTRACK OF DETROIT’
The long anticipated WKNR tome by Scott Westerman is now available!
At long last, the Keener legend is in print. It’s a tale 56 years in the making and 4 years in production, with biographical sketches of many of the original WKNR personalities, popular culture highlights from each year of the Keener era and scans of 9 years of WKNR Music Guides.
Motor City Music – Keener13 and the Soundtrack of Detroit tells the story of Keener’s birth and how Bob Green, Dick Purtan, Jerry Goodwin, Robin Seymour and others found their way to the Detroit airwaves. There are classic tales of Keener and the Beatles, a contest that almost landed WKNR in court and the station’s power to raise a half million dollars for charity during a newspaper strike.
We meet two of the men behind the scenes, program director, Frank Maruca and chief engineer Jerry Martin, a duo who help craft both the sound and the vibe that made WKNR jump out of your radio and into your heart.
Music guide buffs will love watching their favorite hits ride up and down the charts, watching how the promotional pictures of the announcers morphed over the years and remembering some of the products that Keener helped sell to thousands of fans across the Motor City.
Motor City Music is a true trip down memory lane, a required reference for those of us who followed the music and a loving tribute to the talent that transformed a 5,000 watt AM station that barely covered the market into a powerhouse that became the soundtrack of our lives.
Grab your copy of Motor City Music – Keener13 and the Soundtrack of Detroit in either print or digital form at Amazon.com.
And to one and to all . . . Merry Christmas!
Scott Westerman
—SLEIGH RIDE—
“Sleigh Ride” was covered by the American girl group the Ronettes. The Phil Spector-produced recording has become the most popular version outside the traditional pop standard genre, charting yearly in Billboard’s Top Ten U.S. Holiday 100 and was #26 in 2018 in the Hot 100. It features the well-known “Ring-a-ling-a-ling, ding-dong-ding” background vocals, and the clip-clop and whinny of a horse at its beginning and end.
(Source: WiKipedia)
— Christmas Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life —
THE RONETTES * 12 * DECEMBER 14
