© Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
Screaming yellow bloom
Harbinger of warmer days
And steamy short nights
Music
77 WABC – Harlem, NYC — Cousin Brucie & Dan Ingram – Long Island Boys – The 1965 & 1977 Blackouts – Campbell Soup – Alison Steele, The Nightbird
© Frank H. Jump
- WABC 77AM – Wikipedia
Bruce Morrow (born Bruce Meyerowitz on October 13, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American radio personality, known to many New York metropolitan area listeners as Cousin Brucie. – Wikipedia
Daniel Trombley “Dan” Ingram (born September 7, 1934 in Oceanside, New York) is an American Top 40 radio disc jockey with a forty-year career on radio stations such as WABC and WCBS-FM in New York. – Wikipedia
November 9, 1965 Northeastern Seaboard Blackout – Wikipedia
Area affected by the 1965 Northeast Blackout – Wikipedia (click for larger image)
It’s funny where my searches will take me when I put together a blog posting. In researching WABC’s theme song on YouTube, I found two great clips (both recently deleted) of two of my favorite DJs of my youth Bruce Morrow and Dan Ingram. The one with Ingram featured the moment the 1965 Blackout began in NYC. I remember I was watching I Love Lucy on our two-toned green Zenith black and white TV when the lights began to flicker.
1957 RCA two-toned green Portable TV
It was late autumn and the sun was already going down. My mom Willy was on the phone with her friend Barbara who lived a few doors down in our Laurelton Queens garden apartment. Then the TV tube gave one last gasp and the screen shrank into a glowing dot as the lights went out. Before I knew it, Barbara and her three kids – Dawn (my first girlfriend) – and her fraternal twin brothers David and Lester, crying from down the block – were in our apartment. I was hungry. I found a flashlight and got some candles and our camping stove. I lit some candles and started to make some Campbell’s Tomato Soup. I was five years old. I have since always done well in emergencies.
Campbell Soup Co. envelope – Brass Dragon
Campbell Soup postage meter slogan – Brass Dragon
Campbell Soup Company envelope – Brass Dragon
After the 1960s, I became a fan of the WNEW DJs since I was by the early 70’s an AOR (Album Oriented Rock) listener and we had moved to Howard Beach to escape the oppressive “bussing” experiment implemented to racially integrate NYC schools. Jonathan Schwartz, Vince Scelsa & Alison Steele were my favs. I remember calling Alison Steele regularly to request Yessongs. She got to know my voice after a while. “Hey Frank,” The Nightbird would say with her breathy, smoky voice – “Wanna here something from Yes?” “And here is Heart of the Sunrise for Frankie in Howard Beach.” I was listening to Alison Steele during the 1977 Blackout. She had just announced that Yes’ Going for the One album was going on sale with an early NY release when the lights went out.
Going For The One – Yes – 1977
It was the day before Bastille Day, hot and sticky. I worked a 48 hour shift at JFK that day and the following day I drove to Sam Goody in Green Acres to buy the album. I drove there in record time on South Conduit without any traffic lights. I miss you Nightbird.
Alison Steele – The Nightbird – 1937-1995
Alison Steele (born Ceil Loman on January 26, 1937; died September 27, 1995) was a pioneering American disc jockey in Manhattan at what would become the archetypal progressive rock radio station in the United States, WNEW-FM. She was commonly known as “The Nightbird“. She also became a writer, television producer, correspondent, and an entrepreneur. – Wikipedia
Seattle Street Art & Ads – Wheat Paste & Stencil Art – Mad Rad @ Chop Suey – July 24, 2009
Affectionate Men – A Photographic History of a Century of Male Couples – Part I & II
Courtesy of Music Misfit dot com - Frederick Delius
The photos appear in the following two books:
Affectionate Men: A Photographic History of a Century of Male Couples, 1850-1950 by Russell Bush and Ron Lieberman
Dear Friends: American Photographs of Men Together, 1840-1918 ~ David Deitcher
The slideshow just shows a small portion. I encourage you to purchase them. – Frederick Delius
Affectionate Men Part I & II
A Photographic History of a Century of Male Couples
I found these photos to be both beautiful and profound. The times between 1860 and 1930 men were more free to hold hands, hug, even kiss, without the fear of being riduculed, beaten or labeled.
Regardless if the men pictured here were lovers or friends, the photographs let us all realize that today we live in a society where our emotional freedom and tolerance of others should have moved forward. Instead we seem to be moving backward every day.
In spite of our great and positive leaps in science, medicine and fantastic inventions, as humankind we seem to have taken a rather significant negative leap into a world that is filled with hate and intolerance, one that has lost the innocence, simplicity and joy one feels in experiencing these photographs of a special and more unique time and place. – Frederick Delius
Memphis – Home of the Blues – Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll
© Vincenzo Aiosa
WC Handy Park © Frank H. Jump
© Frank H. Jump
Elvis © Frank H. Jump
Old Beale Street is coming down
Sweeties’ Snack Bar, boarded up now
And Egles The Tailor and the Shine Boy’s gone
Faded out with ragtime blues
Handy’s cast in bronze
And he’s standing in a little park
With a trumpet in his hand
Like he’s listening back to the good old bands
And the click of high heeled shoes
Old Furry sings the blues
-Furry Sings the Blues, Hejira (1976) Joni Mitchell
O.K. Houck Piano Co – Vose Pianos – Steinway Pianos – Memphis, TN
Music Trade Review - digitized by support by namm dot org
O.K. Houck Piano Co. - Everything in Music- Overlooking the Mississippi River © Frank H. Jump
Steinway Pianos © Frank H. Jump
Vose Pianos © Frank H. Jump
Overlooking the Mississippi River © Frank H. Jump
During the mid 1950s through the mid 1960s when Memphis, Tennessee appeared to be the virtual center of Rock ‘n Roll, Soul and R&B talent, the O.K. Houck Piano Co. was the premier dealer in the area where almost everyone bought their instruments.
Tennessee Centennial Prize March by Maurice Bernhardt 1897 O. K. Houck & Co. publication - Scotty Moore dot net
- OK Houck Piano Co – Scotty Moore Website – One of Rock ‘n Roll’s first Music stores
VOSE & SONS
James W. Vose was born on October 21, 1818. He became a cabinetmaker, then learned the piano making trade from various Boston area piano factories. In 1851 he made his first piano, starting his own business. He had three sons, and all of them learned the business, and joined their father as partners in the firm. At this time, he renamed it Vose & Sons. The business was incorporated in 1889, with the Vose family holding the entire stock. Eventually, the American Piano Company purchased the firm, and used the Vose name until 1982.
According to Spillane’s History of the American Pianoforte (printed in 1890):
“Vose & Sons came into existence in 1851 in Boston, and therefore bear the distinction of being a very old piano-makers. J. W. Vose, the founder and senior member of this firm, is a native of Milton, Mass., the birthplace of Crehore, where he was born in 1818. He served an old-fashioned apprentice course in Milton and Boston, first learning cabinet-making. At twenty, he became a piano-maker. Later he acquired a varied experience in various Boston shops, subsequently founding his business in the year indicated. The Vose & Sons piano of to-day contains all the standard improvements, besides specialties originated by the firm. It is a popular instrument, and has a large following of admirers in the musical profession throughout the States. The firm of Vose & Sons is made up of Mr. J. W. Vose, the founder, Mr. Willard A. Vose, born in 1852, Mr. Irving B. Vose, born in 1850, and Mr. Julien W. Vose, born in 1859, all practical piano-makers, and graduates of good educational institutions in Boston.”
One of America’s most distinguished pianos. The “Vose” piano has sustained itself in the respect of musicians and the admiration of the public through Mr. James W Vose, recognized as one of the greatest presidents of the many great piano manufacturing concerns of the country. From the first the career of the Vose piano has been steadily gaining until it has reached a position ranking among the foremost pianos of the world. The “Vose” pianos of today are marked by a distinct originality of case designs, careful and most thorough construction, and musical effects of the most satisfactory character. They are pianos whose characters are of a kind to attract the attention of people of refinement and good taste.
Fading Ad Blog Hits The Road Jack – Meet Us On The Way West!
Cross Country Itinerary by Trails dot com
We are planning to drive cross-country in our RV beginning tomorrow. Enzo and myself are planning to hit the northern route on the way across, going up to Vancouver – then down the west coast to Palm Springs – then crossing back doing the southern route through AZ, NM, TX, LA and up through TN.
Any fading ads you can suggest we see, please let us know – or meet us for coffee! Take it away Ray!
Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949) – Composer
GO DOWN MOSES!
Harry T. Burleigh (1866 – 1949), a great singer and expert on spirituals is associated with this song but it was written before he was born. The author is unknown. The Golden Gate Quartet, Paul Robeson, and Louis Armstrong all recorded wonderful versions of it. The story is about the exodus of the Hebrews (people of Israel) from Egypt after 300 years of slavery.
Harry T. Burleigh – Wikipedia
