RARE PATSY CLINE 78 I FALL TO PIECES Jukebox Classic M-

	£		36
	$		48

A NEAR MINT VINYL COPY OF THESE TWO GREAT SIDES ON A JUKEBOX CLASSIC 78

Patsy Cline (b. Virginia Patterson Hensley September 8, 1932 ? March 5, 1963) was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville Sound in the early 1960s. Since her death at age 30 in a 1963 plane crash at the height of her career, she has been considered one of the most influential, successful, revered, and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century . The story of her life and career has been the subject of numerous books, movies, documentaries, articles and stage plays.

Patsy Cline's recording career can be divided into 2 periods: 51 tracks for Four Star Records from 1955 to 1960, and 51 tracks for Decca from 1960 to 1963. All but two of her recording sessions were managed by producer Owen Bradley in Nashville. The two odd ones were held on April 24 and 25, 1957.

In the beginning of her career, Patsy was completely into country music, and recorded mostly up-tempo songs. Her later songs included slower ballads, more pop than country, but she made sure she didn't get too much "uptown" pop into her recordings, because she was really a country girl at heart...

At first, Patsy didn't have many hit records. The first one ("Walkin' After Midnight") was recorded on November 8, 1956. The record company didn't release it until after Patsy performed it on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Show - it was a total success!

Despite her success on the Godfrey Show, her next big hit (probably her biggest), "I Fall To Pieces" wasn't recorded until November 1960. After that, the hits were coming fairly regularly, "Crazy", "She's Got You", "Leavin' On Your Mind" -- just to mention a few.

Six high school classmates from the Belle Harbor neighborhood on Long Island formed the Harbor Lites, named after their neighborhood, in 1959. Among the six were Kenny Vance (nee Rosenberg, December 9, 1943), Sandy Yagoda (born January 30, 1943) and Sydell Sherman. Also living in the neighborhood was Irving Feldman, owner of Ivy Records. They sought out Feldman for an audition, but were turned away after being told they needed more practice. At that time the other three members left. After a few months of practice, they auditioned for Feldman again and were signed. In April 1960, their first single "Is it To Much To Ask" was released. It might have come out on Ivy, but was soon purchased by Jaro a small label run by the J. Arthur Rank Organization, a huge British entertainment complex. .With help from New York deejay Cousin Brucie it became a minor hit locally. Rank soon closed Jaro to concentrate on releases by its Top Rank subsidiary and the Harbor Lites were dropped. In 1960, the groups other single "Tick-a Tick-a Toc," which may have been released briefly by Jaro, came out on Mala label, a struggling, medium size New York company.

The boys picked up a manager in Jim Gribble. Gribble had handled several groups in the area, including the Classics, the Fiestas, the Passions, a young Paul Simon as well as the Mystics.. The Mystics had a big hit with "Hushabye" in the summer of 1959. Their lead singer, Phil Cracolici, was forced to drop out and John Traynor was brought in. Traynor was born November 2, 1941 was from Albany, New York where he attended Greenville Central High. He and his mother moved to Minleola on Long Island in 1959. He joined with some guys from Queens to form the Ab-Tones. The Traynors moved to the Baybridge section of Brooklyn where he was introduced to Jim Gribble. One day Traynor met Vance and Yagoda in Gribble's office and the three decided to form their own group. An old friend from Flatbush, Howard Kane (nee Kirschenbaum) was added.

In 1960, the group auditioned for Terry Phillips, a Belle Harbor songwriter and producer for Golden Records. With his connections, Phillips got them an audition with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. When Leiber and Stoller criticized the Phillips material the boys had been practicing, Phillips pulled the group out of the office. Kane was so mad he went back to give Leiber and Stoller a piece of his mind. Shocked, but pleasantly surprised they signed the boys to a contract. 

Leiber and Stoller built on the group's natural doo wop ability attempted to broaden their appeal by emphasizing Traynor's lead and the pop flavor of the sound. United Artists decided to rename the group Blinky Jones and the Americans. A compromise changed it to Jay and the Americans, using Traynor's nickname.

The big movie at the time was Westside Story, in which United Artists had a stake. The record division needed some artists to record songs from the film and Jay and the Americans were given "Tonight." In the late summer of 1961, the group cut "Tonight" at its first United Artist recording session. At the same time two other U.A. acts, Ralph Marterie and Ferante and Teicher, also recorded "Tonight."  Though most of the promotion money was spent on the two better known acts, the single sold 40,00 copies around the New York area.

The second single "She Cried" headed straight up the charts and reached #5 in the spring and early summer of 1962. The next single "This Is It" failed to chart. At this time Traynor decided to leave to pursue a solo career that began in 1963 with Coral Records. His first single "How Sweet It Is" went nowhere  as did his last single "The Merry Go Round Is Slowing Down" three years later for ABC-Paramount Records.

Meanwhile, David Blatt (who called himself David Black, born November 2, 1938) and Marty Sanders (Born February 28, 1941) were also trying to record on the Ivy label. They recorded :Forgive Me" on the Atlantic label as the Two Chaps. Then in the spring of 1962, they sang with the Empires from Tilden High in Brooklyn, on the Epic label release of "Time and a Place." Marty was also playing guitar for Jay and the American sessions. While working on their album he asked to become a member.

Meanwhile the Americans were without a lead single. Marty Sander, the group's backup vocalist since "She Cried " sessions brought in his friend David Blatt (born 28, 1941) to audition. Blatt was the lead singer for the Empires, an all Jewish vocal group from Tilden High School in Brooklyn. Blatt won the spot. Reluctant to change the group's name to David and the Americans, David Blatt became Jay Black. Other names changed as well: Kenny Rosenberg became Kenny Vance; Howard Kirshenbaum became Howie Kane.  With a new lead and three new names Jay and the Americans resumed its career. The next two singles, "Tomorrow" and "Strangers Tomorrow" failed to chart.

With the success of "She Cried," Jay and the Americans were booked on a continuous string of one nighter tours. The constant travel and failure of the next two singles caused Traynor to leave the group to go solo by mid-1963. The Americans without Traynor sang backup vocals on Bobby Goldsboro's "See the Funny Little Clown."

Early in 1963 The Drifters (produced by Leiber-Stoller since 1959) recorded a Mann/Weil composition called "Only In America." When Atlantic decided not to release it the vocals were erased and replaced by Jay and the Americans. "Only In America" was released in July, 1963 and became their first chart hit (#25) with Jay Black singing lead.

Leiber and Stoller's work with the Drifters and the Coasters caused them to turn over production of the group's material over to Artie Ripp of Kama Sutra Productions (Later to be Kama Sutra Records). One year and two singles later they had their biggest hit with "Come a Little Bit Closer" (#3).  This resulted in them going on the Beatles first American tour in 1964, that also included the Righteous Brothers.

"Let's Lock the Door (#11) and "Think of the Good Times" both charted in the summer of 1965. At this time they began the second phase of their career with "Cara Mia" (#4). Beginning with Cara Mia" the group began covering successful oldies. Their next release was "Some Enchanted Evening" (#13) followed by Neil Diamond's first songwriting success "Sunday and Me" (#18).

DON'T MISS OUT - BID NOW!!
 

I AM HAPPY TO COMBINE POSTAGE ON MULTIPLE PURCHASES