Hey, John on the Suncoast: Yeah. I started this thread, thinking about popular music of the 50's. Top 40 stuff. Of course, when you think of the 50's, who can forget Segovia? Tail fins on cars, poodle skirts, Segovia and Leonard Bernstein? The thing that was unique to me about popular music in the 50's was the sea change that was taking place where you could hear Gene Vincent followed by Patti Page. All the country music stuff (don't count on my not having a lot of that stuff, Martin because you'd be wrong) and Rhythm and Blues didn't get much top 40 pay with notable exceptions like Hank Williams and maybe Bob Wills, and R & B on seperate (but better than equal) radio stations mostly in big cities. How much Country (when it was Country and Western)and R & B you heard also depended on where you lived.. I grew up in Southern Wisconsin and heard the same mix of music as you did, Martin. Every morning, my parents would turn on the news on the local radio station and when the Hog Reports came on, I knew that it was time to get up. How many people remember waking up to someone one the radio calling "Soooooeeeeeee?"

For those Catters who weren't around to hear the music in the fifties, the music may seem to have been all the American Grafitti/Happy Days soundtracks. That's all still great stuff to my ears, although I listen to it sparingly because I've heard it too much.

Some other comments. Green Door was somewhat of a breakthrough because up until the fifties, most popular singers came through the big bands. I remember what a big deal they made about Frankie Lane never having taken voice lessons. Jim Lowe was a DJ (disc jockey.) He wasn't even a professional singer, for God's sake! And the ultimate affront to the musical establishment was Don Howard, who recorded Oh Happy Day (not the gospel song) in a record your own voiced booth and had a national hit despite a concerted effort by the music industry to squelch it. Most of the 50's music that was a little out of the mainstream has never been re-issued. I still have my 45 rpm of Oh Happy Day by Don Howard (and gospel version too) but it has never been re-issued (neither has Bluebirds over the Mountains or Hambone or much of the other 50's stuff.) I have Swinging Shepherd Blues too, Jimmy and I've never seen it included in re-issues. I also have Marie, John... a two CD set of the Four Tunes that was very hard to find. It also has their other major hit, I Understand.

And then there's rhythm and blues. I don';t dare get in to that, or I'll spend the next 500 posts talking about it. Fred Parris and the Five Satins are singing in New Haven, CT next weekend, where they started. I'm hoping to go hear them..

Jerry