Turley Richards

Artist: Turley Richards

LP: Turley Richards

Song: "But Came the Dawn, and Then Goodbye"

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Song: "I Heard the Voice of Jesus"

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After listening to this self-titled 1970 LP by Turley Richards, it's hard to understand why he isn't as well known and revered as similar singers of the era like Tim Buckley and Nick Drake. Born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1941, Turley was blinded in the left eye in an archery mishap when he was just four years old (his friend was supposed to shoot the arrow into the pillow that the bent-over Turley was holding over his ass...don't ask—this is West Virginia, remember). Though he eventually lost sight in his right eye too after the infection spread, Turley still had his voice. And what a voice! He's pure liquid velvet on "But Came the Dawn, and Then Goodbye," which he wrote himself. Turley then shows off his dynamic 14-octave range in "I Heard the Voice of Jesus," wherein he leads listeners over vocal peaks and valleys before finally shooting straight for the moon. The song peaked at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1970. You can read a little about Turley Richards on Wikipedia here, and then visit his website here to find a brief preview of his life story before his autobiography, "BlindSighted," hits the shelves. There are photos of Turley Richards performing with friends earlier this month here, and if you're fortunate enough to live in Louisville, Kentucky, you can catch this incredible singer/songwriter performing at Chubby Ray's this Saturday night, or on Saturday, October 6th at Clifton's Pizza.

Los Telefonistas

Artist: Los Telefonistas

LP: Cancion de un Estudiante Enamorado / Cuando Quieras Regresar

Song: "Jesse de Teran"

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You're the winner! You're the viewer of my 1,000th blog post! When I was looking at the cover of this 1981 record by Los Telefonistas earlier today, I noticed the different ways that the two estudiantes enamorados were holding their libros. It reminded me of an incident at the end of one particular summer many years ago, when I was about to enter junior high school. My mom noticed I was holding my schoolbooks in my arms folded across my chest, and she warned me that I was carrying them like a girl.

She instructed me that the way boys carried their textbooks was to hold them against their side at the hip, cradled in one of their hands.

I was grateful, since I certainly didn't want to make my Wilson Junior High School debut carrying my books like a girl! I wanted to carry them like a boy! I hadn't really thought about that little bit of parental advice over the years until today, but I have to say that it seems pretty damn messed up that there are actually gender-specific ways of carrying textbooks! I'm starting Spanish classes at North Seattle Community College next week, and not only will I finally find out what a "Telefonista" is, but I'm also going to make a point of carrying my schoolbooks like a girl.

 

[ Los Telefonistas ]

Kaye Ballard

Artist: Kaye Ballard

LP: Boo Hoo-Ha Ha

Song: "Nobody's Heart"

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Song: "Little Kid Sister"

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As the flip-floppable cover of her 1961 LP implies, versatile entertainer Kaye Ballard presents two opposing moods on this record—boo-hoo and ha-ha—represented by "Nobody's Heart" and "Little Kid Sister," respectively. Everybody knows Kaye Ballard. Maybe you've seen her on Match Game or The Muppet Show. You might know her from The Mothers-In-Law with Eve Arden, or maybe you remember her early days with Spike Jones. Perhaps you caught her cabaret show, Doin It For Love, which premiered at the historic Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas earlier this year. But, of course, I know Ms. Ballard best as Angie Pallucci, who, with her husband Louie, owned the Italian restaurant downstairs from Doris Martin's San Francisco apartment on The Doris Day Show. You can read about this fantastic lady's life and career on Wikipedia here, and visit her website here to read even more, buy her autobiography and new CD, look at lots of neat Kaye Ballard photos, and a whole lot more! For the legendary and elusive Angie Pallucci Hungarian-Italian stuffed cabbage recipe, click here.

 

 

Isabelle Aubret

Artist: Isabelle Aubret

LP: Isabelle Aubret

Song: "Les Moulins"

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I wasn't familiar with this charming chanteuse before stumbling across her self-titled 1966 LP down in Tacoma several months ago. Born in the summer of 1938 in Lille, France, Isabelle Aubret won the French national gymnastics championship at age 14, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for France ten years later, and then fifty years after that she won my heart. I'd like "Les Moulins" to be the soundtrack to my life this autumn, even if I just lay in bed the entire time. Slated to play the starring role in Jacques Demy's 1964 film THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, Aubret had to put everything on hold after being involved in a terrible auto accident from which she took several years to recover. She suffered a similar setback after breaking her legs (all of them!) while rehearsing a trapeze act with boxer Jean-Claude Bouttier in 1981. She came through it all though, and she's still going strong. You can read about the life and career of Isabelle Aubret on the Radio France International website here, and if you parlez-vous français you can find more info on her official website here. Click the link below to see Aubret performing her 1962 Eurovision award-winning hit. 

Isabelle Aubret on YouTube:

[ "Un Premier Amour" ]

Ray Conniff

Artist: Ray Conniff

LP: I Will Survive

Song: "I Will Survive"

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I was going through my albums again this weekend, clearing out the "ho-hum" to make way for the "wow!" when I came across a secret stash of Ray Conniff LPs. I figured I'd chuck them all, since there's a GoodWill up the street where I could easily acquire multiple copies of any of Ray's 90+ albums released between 1956 and 2000 if I ever really began to miss them. But after giving another listen to Ray Conniff and his singers' rendition of Gloria Gaynor's 1978 disco anthem, this 1979 LP ended up back on my shelf. Indeed, it has survived. (The record also includes a wonderfully terrible version of "Music Box Dancer"...with lyrics!) You can read all about the life and career of the prolific Mr. Conniff on Wikipedia here.

[ Ray Conniff: November 6, 1916 — October 12, 2002 ]

The Osmonds

Artist: The Osmonds

LP: Phase-III

Song: "My Drum"

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This album is kinda' scary, 'cause we all know what comes next. Anyone else suspect that "hit my drum" might be a euphemism?

Damian Luca

Artist: Damian Luca

LP: Trésors Folkloriques Roumains

Song: "Repezita"

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Here's evidence that Zamfir isn't the only Romanian flautist in the world who knows his way around a pan flute. Instructed by his uncle, the great pan flautist Fănică Luca, Damian mastered the flute and hit the road, performing at the Olympia in Paris, at New York's Carnegie Hall...he was even on The Ed Sullivan Show! My copy of Damian's "Trésors Folkloriques Roumains" LP is autographed by the entire troupe from Lucas' 1978 Pacific Northwest Tour, which lasted from October-December and which I somehow missed. "Repezita," one of the album's exuberant dances (side II - 1), provides a terrific showcase for Lucas' pan flutin' skills—this guy's a real Romaniac! You can read a bit about Damian Luca on the International Swiss Panflute Seminar website here, and LP liner notes in English and French are included below.

 [ Fănică Luca: April 5, 1894 — October 28, 1968 ]

Di Marie

Artist: Di Marie

LP: ¡¡Preciosa!!

Song: "El Libro de Mi Vida"

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Lately I've been feeling like el libro de mi vida could really use more interesting chapter headings, ya know? Not to be confused with the functional and fashionable LA-based ladies' denim line (with a huge photo of downtown Chicago on their website), this Di Marie was born in Puerto Rico, was originally named María Dolores Pérez, and she released this terrific LP on Columbia Records in early 1963. Aside from the LP liner notes included below, there's not much information available about this lovely singer whose voice simply throbs with Latin emotion. What we do know is this: the release of ¡¡Preciosa!! earned her a notice for International Special Merit in the January 19, 1963 issue of Billboard magazine!

 [ Shazam! ]

Banda Mochis de Porfirio Amarillas

Artist: Banda Mochis de Porfirio Amarillas

LP: Banda Mochis de Porfirio Amarillas

Song: "El Payasito"

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Song: "Arriba Mochis"

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When I was in high school, my mom used to complain that my music sounded like garbage cans being banged together. I rolled my eyes and informed her that she was wrong, but now it seems I'm turning out just like my mother! It sounds like Banda Mochis de Porfirio Amarillas is banging garbage cans together! I mean that in the best possible way, of course. They're practically punk rock! There's not much info about Porfirio Amarillas or his Banda Mochis on the web, but I'm guessing they're probably from the northwestern Mexican coastal city of Los Mochis, and I bet Porfirio Amarillas is the fellow who got this exuberantly noisy bunch together and gave them their garbage cans. "Arriba Mochis" is the only song on the LP with vocals, and they're sung with gusto by a gentleman named Concepción Cristobal. If anyone has more info about Porfirio Amarillas, Señor Cristobal, or Banda Mochis, let me know!