Fan Fare, What's New, Pussycat?
Here’s where you’ll find TJ photos and stories that don’t fit into any other categories. It is, as its name says, just for fans — and, hopefully, for fun.
Vintage Tom Jones On Youtube: We Have The Video AND The Story
Friday, July 4th, 2008Someone posted the video below on youtube with no explanation and, we’re afraid, if you don’t know the story, it’s just a bit of horrible quality, crappy old video. So, if you’re not interested in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, then skip down to see the clip at the bottom of this post. But we posted it with this long explanation because so many of Tom’s fans are interested and/or remember this and, truthfully, because we are interested. So, for all of you who attended the Swingin’ Soirees or who want to learn about them, enjoy!
In the heyday of rock ‘n’ roll — the 1950s and 1960s — the disc jockey was king (yes, there were few if any female DJs). And the most important king was a guy named Alan Freed. He began in Cleveland, coined the term “rock ‘n’ roll” (in case you ever wondered why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, that’s why) and went on to become the most important DJ in the most important entertainment city of the day, New York. Every Christmas and Easter vacation, Freed would present a huge rock ‘n’ roll show — Christmas at the Times Square Paramount; Easter at the Brooklyn Paramount. The line-up included the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the Everly Brothers, Ruth Brown, Bo Diddley, Little Anthony, Jackie Wilson — all the greats of the day. There were eight shows a day with each performer singing one song. The headliners might do two or three, but it was always seven or eight shows. In 1960, payola — the then-very common practice of paying a DJ to play a record — was declared illegal. The payola scandal that ensued knocked Freed off his throne. (You can see Freed’s story and some of the best rock ‘n rollers from his show in the movie, American Hot Wax on DVD.)
Stepping up in his place was DJ Murray Kaufman, known as Murray the K and his show, the Swingin’ Soiree. He is remembered by people who listened to him for playing lots of romantic, slow songs for couples going to what he euphemistically called the “submarine races.” The first of many self-proclaimed “Fifth” Beatles, Murray the K hosted a show on WINS AM in New York (back then, almost all AM radio was music and AM was the only radio you listened to) and began to do what Freed had done with live shows. His were at the Brooklyn Fox Theater, across the street from the Brooklyn Paramount. He did them several times each year during school vacations. He became known in his live shows, as he was on the radio, for promoting black and Latino artists rather than the white singers who covered them. He was an early champion, too, of Bob Dylan, saying his music was “not rock, not folk. It’s Dylan.” In 1965, when WINS changed to its all-news format, he left the the station and began to work in FM radio.
So, that’s the background. Here — as promised above — is the actual story of the video.
In 1965, Murray the K, who had spent a lot of time in England interviewing and traveling with The Beatles, used both live performances and filmed performances from the UK. In his Show of Stars his acts included Little Anthony & the Imperials, Cannibal & Headhunters, Ray Charles, Dave Clark Five, Bill Cosby, Drifters, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Herman’s Hermits, Chuck Jackson (who, 39 years later, brought Tom to the Apollo in Harlem), the Stones, Little Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Martha & the Vandellas, Johnny Mathis, Righteous Brothers, Johnny Rivers, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Ronettes, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Temptations, Dionne Warwick, Mary Wells with Shindig Dancers and — ta dah! — Tom Jones.
Here is the video of Tom, with his hair in a ponytail, that was shown — probably with a lot more clarity — by Murray the K. With “American” teenagers in cages(!). It was called Teenager Americanus. And, of course, the photo at left above is Tom exuberant about his new single — the one he performs here.
Note: It’s a RealPlayer video here. Thanks, Lois!!
July 4th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Oh boy, do I remember. Alan Freed’s Rock ‘N’ Roll shows. As a young teenager, an Everly Brothers “New York Groupie,” getting up almost in the middle of the night, taking the subway so I and my friends could be the first in line. What a wonderful life. We would meet at the theatre and stand and stand and stand until they finally opened the doors,and the rush to the first rows. Once we got inside, we had the BEST SEATS. Then after the shows, getting autographs. Some I remember besides the Everlys are Frankie Avalon and Buddy Holly. WINS was the only station we listened to…there WAS no other station in our minds. Can’t remember when transistor radios came in but we did carry around big bulky battery operated predecessors to “boom boxes.” Memories keep coming back…my best friend Marie and I doing the Lindy because most of the boys only wanted to do the “slow dances,” the “record players” with the 45’s. My mom telling me to “turn down that music.” OMG, It’s almost impossible to stop the flow of these wonderful memories of those fantastic days. WHAT A TIME TO GROW UP…WE HAD A LIFE THAT IS TO BE ENVIED TODAY. I haven’t been able to play the video but will keep trying. May bring back even more memories.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
P.S. Thanks Ladies for the wonderful memories.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Anita, All: If you cannot watch it as posted here, it is on youtube. Try that. But, as noted above, without the story it’s just a rather bizarre staging of the song with awful video.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
What a hoot! It so unusual to so watch Tom singing a song without gyrating his hips. lol I grew up in Cleveland and we listened to Murray the K too and all the singers listed above. Thanks for the memories!
July 4th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I loved it!!!! Ok, the quality of the video was really bad, visually, BUT it showed Tom Jones at his very best, being natural, gentle and truely an animal lover. For how the old this show was, the gentleness streamed from Tom Jones as he unselfishly shared his bag of popcorns with the zoo animals. That is what I enjoyed the most about watching the performance of a an extremely young Tom Jones. More young performers of today should watch, learn from it and follow the examples of the making of a true and humble person, who’s truely a Star.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I posted this video on tom jones.com on Thursday, but didn’t have the background info. Thanks for explaining where it came from.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
WOW I agree with Anita…it was a GREAT TIME! I loved WINS it was the only station to listen to and I loved Murray the K (Cousin Brucie)!!! Every Saturday night with all those oldies!!!! And the last hour was if I remember it “HOUR AFTER HOUR, AFTER HOUR” WAS ALL SLOW SONGS!!!! Later in life I worked with the mentally disabled. Cousin Brucie knew our Agency well and I would call up on Saturday nights and talk to him and make song requests!!!! NO THERE WILL NEVER BE A TIME LIKE THE 50’s AGAIN!!!!!!
Moderator’s Note: Cousin Brucie (Morrow) came along after Alan Freed and Murray the K. He was at WINS, WABC and WCBS — all AM stations — in New York. Now he’s programming oldies on Sirius radio. You’ve heard his voice in commercials and seen him in Dirty Dancing, where he also played the magician and in Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, among others.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:26 am
I agree with TJFRIEND and the interpretion of the video with Tom singing and feeding the animals. I loved it - lucky little goats!