Dion and the Belmonts

videeoo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:40:09 +0000

Not Touring, no rating After an unsuccessful first single, the group was signed to Laurie Records. Their breakthrough came when “I Wonder Why” made #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the group appeared for the first time on American Bandstand. They followed it with the ballads “No One Knows” (#19) and “Don’t Pity Me” (#40) This success won Dion and the Belmonts their first major tour in late 1958, with The Coasters, Buddy Holly and Bobby Darin, and this was followed up by the “Winter Dance Party” tour with Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. On 2 February 1959, after playing at the Surf Ballroom, Dion decided that he could not afford the $36 cost of a flight to the next venue. The plane crashed; Holly, Valens, The Big Bopper, and the pilot were killed on 3 February 1959, shortly after midnight. However, the tour continued, with Jimmy Clanton and Bobby Vee being added to the bill as replacements. In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts’ next single, “A Teenager in Love”, was released, making #5 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #28 in the UK Singles Chart, and this was followed by an album, Presenting Dion and the Belmonts. Their biggest hit, “Where or When”, was released in November 1959, and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, in early 1960, Dion checked into a hospital for heroin addiction, a problem he had had since his mid-teens. Other singles released for the group that year were less successful. In addition, there were musical and financial disputes between Dion and members of the Belmonts. In October 1960, Dion decided to quit for a solo career. The Belmonts also continued to release records, but with less success. Dion and the Belmonts reunited in 1966 for the unsuccessful album Together Again on ABC Records, and again in 1972 for a one-off show at Madison Square Garden, recorded and released as a live album. In 2000 Dion and the Belmonts were inducted in The Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Louis Armstrong

videeoo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:31:13 +0000

Solo Act – No rating The influence of Louis Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. Yet, Louis Armstrong irrepressible personality both as a performer, and as a public figure later in his career, was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his contributions as a musician and singer. As a virtuoso trumpet player, Louis Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary talent for melodic improvisation. Through Louis Armstrong playing, the trumpet emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. Louis Armstrong was a masterful accompanist and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his innovations, Louis Armstrong raised the bar musically for all who came after him. Though Louis Armstrong is widely recognized as a pioneer of scat singing, Ethel Waters precedes his scatting on record in the 1930s according to Gary Giddins and others. Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra are just two singers who were greatly indebted to Louis Armstrong. Holiday said that she always wanted Bessie Smith’s ‘big’ sound and Louis Armstrong’s feeling in her singing. The house where Louis Armstrong lived for close to 28 years was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is now a museum. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34-56 107th Street (between 34th and 37th Avenues) in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the City University of New York’s Queens College, following the dictates of Lucille Armstrong’s will. On August 4, 2001, the centennial of Louis Armstrong’s birth, New Orleans’s airport was renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport in his honor. In 2002, the Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925-1928) are preserved in the United States National Recording Registry, a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. The US Open tennis tournament’s former main stadium was named Louis Armstrong Stadium in honor of Armstrong who had lived a few blocks from the site. Today, there are many bands worldwide dedicated to preserving and honoring the music and style of Satchmo, including the Louis Armstrong Society located in New Orleans, LA. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Fans Against Fake Bands » Music from the 50′s

Dion and the Belmonts

Louis Armstrong