Alex Hassilev

Subject: Alex Hassilev
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 11:32 AM

I bought the dvd of Bucket of Blood by Roger Corman a few weeks ago, and last night I finally got round to watching it.

Anyway, there in the beatnik cafe singing Ewan macColl's Go Down You murderers, was a real 1960's style troubadour. After the MacColl thing, he did a florid Spanish number.

A little fumbling about on the net revealed the troubadour to be Alex Hassilev, he of the Limeliters.

My brother in law is a Limeliters completist, and he's played me their albums - but they always seemed powerful punchy productions.

Are there any fans out there who can point me towards the more intimate material like he was singing to the beatniks in the film?

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 11:49 AM

Alex Hassilev, born in France of Russian parents, retired from performing with the "Limeliters" some time ago. He occasionally appears as a guest with the current group, but no longer tours regularly. He is around 75 or 76 now, I believe.

I have not been able to find any sort of discography for him as yet. Any recordings he may have made as a solo folk singer would likely be very rare. His performing career has been so associated with the "Limeliters" since the group was founded in 1959 that few recall his earlier singing career. He has produced records, acted in film, television and on the stage and has had, all in all, a quite remarkable performing life.

When he was "discovered" by Lou Gottlieb, he was singing in a duo with Glen Yarbrough. PhD. musicologist Gottlieb, at the time, was arranging music for the Kingston Trio and thought the three of them could work up some good demos for that group. They eventually wound up singing together at the "Hungri i" in San Francisco, from which point their own career soared. Their stage name was taken from a club in Aspen, CO, that Yarbrough and Hassilev owned, called the "Limelight."

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: Stringsinger
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 12:53 PM

Alex also worked with Anita Shearer (Shear?). They both played flamenco and classical guitar as well. Lou is another for whom someone ought to dig out a discography. Lou was with the Jerry Walters Gateway Singers in San Francisco with Trav Edmondsen at the hungry i. Elmer Lee Thomas was a good singer there as well.

Alex is very cultured and knowledgeable about music.

Five-string banjo players might take notice, he designed a pick that up-picks and down-picks with the same finger.

Alex is known for his performance of "Gari Gari".

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 01:09 PM

did you guys ever see The Bucket of Blood film? reputedly made for 50 thousand dollars and it has become a cult classic. there must be some great stories attached to it.

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 02:32 PM

String (Frank)-- Do you perhaps refer to Emerlee Thomas, the distaff singer of the Gateway Singers? Elmer Lee Thomas is her son, but he seems much too young to have performed at the "i". And I thought being ',Jr.' was a burden.

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: GUEST,Tinker from Chicago
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 05:02 PM

Hassilev acted in the movie "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" along with fellow folksingers Theo Bikel and Alan Arkin, all of them playing Russians. I always wondered if any jam sessions came out of that.

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: pdq
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 05:45 PM

The Gateway Singers are a bit tangential to a discussion of Alex Hassilev, since he was not a member, but here is good news for their fans. Travis Edmanson seems to have helped get all of The Gateway Singers records out on CD as well as all his own work and all of Bud and Travis:

                                              check this out

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 05:51 PM

pdq: True. The proceeds from sales of these CDs are helping pay for Travis expensive medical care. He had an aneurism and stroke some years ago, which conspired to take away his wonderful guitar and performing skills (though he still loves to sing). I have purchased several CDs for myself and friends and enjoy revisiting both his own and Bud & Travis music.

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 06:01 PM

Wiki says this, in addition to the above, though you all probably already know all of this: For over thirty years he has been a successful record producer and songwriter, and today he continues to produce many of the Limeliters' recordings.

There are several addresses and phone numbers listed for someone by his name in West Hollywood aand LA at pipl.com. I suppose one could write and ask about a recording?

The Limelighters' website says he retired two years ago: Click Here

Here is one disc where he is listed as the composer of the electronic music and one of the voice actors for A Child's Garden of Grass circa 1971

Looks as though he got into producing some pretty funky stuff at one time: Click.

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 30 Dec 08 - 07:15 PM

This song occurs at the top of this page, and the title phrase is echoed in a poem that a rather pretentious poet is intoning in Bucket of Blood. I thought at first that that indicated Hassilev had some input into the script.

However I see the song was written much later. Is the title a common American saying?

HEY JIMMY JOE JOHN JIM JACK
(Livingston & Evans)

There once was a tiger, tiny little tiger
Playing with his tiger toys
But his nursemaid made him so afraid
He didn't dare make a noise.
What happened to the tiger, tiny little tiger
Who never learned to roar
He's just a mat, stretched out flat
On somebody's bedroom floor.
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
Even little tigers lose their knack
When somebody twice their size
Can't see the world through children's eyes

There once was a beagle, happy little beagle
Following his tail around
But his mother said ""Go straight to bed,
And don't make a single sound""
What happened to the beagle, happy little beagle
Who never learned to bay -
Some burglars came, and to his shame
He turned tail and ran away
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
Even little beagles lose their knack
When somebody twice their size
Can't see the world through children's eyes

There once was a bunny, fluffy little bunny
Through the piney woods he'd roam
But his father cried ""Come back inside
A bunny belongs at home.""
What happened to the bunny, fluffy little bunny
Who never learned to hop
Because the bunny couldn't hop
He hangs in the butcher shop
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
Even little bunnies lose their knack
When somebody twice their size
Can't see the world through children's eyes

Don't do this, don't do that,
You might as well be a statue
That's how children lose their spark
But if grownups would take part in
Things that children have their heart in,
We'd never end up hiding in the dark.
What we're saying is:
Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack
When you have your own kids let them know
Even though you're twice their size
You see the world through children's eyes
HEY JIMMY JOE JOHN JIM JACK!

Copyright Livingston and Evans
@child @aging
filename[ JIMMYJOE
RR
OCT98

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: Stringsinger
Date: 31 Dec 08 - 06:09 PM

Tinker, they did indeed. I was on the set with them being on a break from a studio call
down the street. Alan was a great "jammer" and would make great music with anyone.
He and I used to attend jazz jam sessions in L.A. Wherever Theo had a guitar, you can
bet there was music.

John, I did mean Elmerlee. I had forgotten how to spell her name.

Frank

Subject: RE: Alex Hassilev
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Jan 09 - 06:09 PM

refresh