2005 – No. 1 Chart Topper ‘Jailhouse Rock’ – Elvis Presley (The 1,000 UK No.1 single) is number 1 in the UK.
Lryics:
(words & music by jerry leiber – mike stoller)
The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band was jumpin and the joint began to swing.
You shouldve heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Spider murphy played the tenor saxophone,
Little joe was blowin on the slide trombone.
The drummer boy from illinois went crash, boom, bang,
The whole rhythm section was the purple gang.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Number forty-seven said to number three:
Youre the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
The sad sack was a sittin on a block of stone
Way over in the corner weepin all alone.
The warden said, hey, buddy, dont you be no square.
If you cant find a partner use a wooden chair.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Shifty henry said to bugs, for heavens sake,
No ones lookin, nows our chance to make a break.
Bugsy turned to shifty and he said, nix nix,
I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks.
Lets rock, everybody, lets rock.
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin to the jailhouse rock.
Jailhouse Rock is an American motion picture directed by Richard Thorpe, released by MGM on November 8, 1957. The film stars Elvis Presley (his third ever film role), Judy Tyler, and Mickey Shaughnessy. Tragically, co-star Tyler was killed in an automobile accident a few weeks after the film was completed, and like Loving You before it, Presley was so upset that he refused to ever watch the completed film. In 2004, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Presley plays “Vince Everett,” an ex-convict working in the music industry, and a character analogous to Presley’s then public image. After going to jail for a bar fight he did not start, Everett meets Hunk Houghton in prison, and the two men form a bond. Houghton, a washed-up country singer, teaches Everett to play an old guitar, and to sing a few songs.
Upon his release, Everett lands work at night clubs, but not singing. He meets Peggy Van Alden, a record company talent scout, who allows Everett to record a song. They bring his record to an executive at a small record label, who then records the exact arrangement with one of his established stars. Everett and Van Alden then start their own label to bring Everett’s records to the public, and fame, riches, and a film career ensue.
Presley and Tyler
Presley and Tyler
Everett’s prison buddy Houghton shows up, and instead of getting in on the action as anticipated, has to settle for being Everett’s gofer. Throughout the film, Everett is the epitome of the spoiled star, surly, uncommunicative, bellicose, and treating all around him with either cruelty or diffidence, especially Van Alden and Houghton. A final fight at the end of the movie with Houghton, meant to give Everett his comeuppance, damages his vocal cords, bringing into question his ability to ever sing again. He learns his lesson in humility, and expresses his true feelings for Van Alden and Houghton.
Primary cast
* Elvis Presley : Vince Everett
* Judy Tyler : Peggy Van Alden
* Mickey Shaughnessy: Hunk Houghton
* Vaughn Taylor : Mr. Shores (narrator)
* Jennifer Holden: Sherry Wilson
* Dean Jones: Teddy Talbot
* Anne Neyland: Laury Jackson
* Bill Hickman: Guard who whips Vince
Soundtrack
Main article: Jailhouse Rock (EP)
Unlike his previous film, a full long-playing album soundtrack was not originally devised for Jailhouse Rock. Instead, five of the six songs written for Presley were released as an extended play, seven-inch 45 RPM record on RCA Records, Jailhouse Rock.
In April 1997, a full soundtrack CD comprising of the songs from Jailhouse Rock and his first film Love Me Tender was released, featuring:
* Jailhouse Rock (Hit version)
* Treat Me Nice (Hit version)
* I Want To Be Free (EP version)
* Don’t Leave Me Now (Previously unreleased)
* Young And Beautiful (EP version)
* Baby, I Don’t Care (You’re So Square)
* Jailhouse Rock (Movie version)
* Treat Me Nice (Movie version)
* I Want To Be Free (Movie version)
* Young And Beautiful (Movie version)
* Don’t Leave Me Now (Previously unreleased alternate version)
* Love Me Tender (Hit version)
* Poor Boy
* Let Me
* We’re Gonna Move
* Love Me Tender (End title version)
* Let Me (unreleased version)
* We’re Gonna Move (Unreleased stereo alternate take)
* Poor Boy (Unreleased stereo version)
* Love Me Tender (Unreleased stereo version)
1997 – Elvis Week begins in Memphis to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death on August 16.
Elvis Week 2008 Event Calendar & Ticket Information
Saturday, August 9 – Sunday, August 17
Below is the current Elvis Week 2008 calendar of events along with ticket purchase information for each event. Updates to the calendar will be made as additional guests, details and events are confirmed. Please check back often to get the latest updates.
Some ticketed events below are sold through Graceland. Other events are sold through Ticketmaster.
For the Elvis Week Fun Package and other tickets sold through Graceland, the ticket prices below include sales tax. There is a $4.50 per transaction service fee for each order placed through Graceland. This includes orders made over the phone or online orders. Tickets available through Graceland reservations will be on sale through August 5. After August 5, they will be available in person at Graceland Guest Services or at the door of the event, pending availability. All tickets below sold through Ticketmaster will be subject to tax and Ticketmaster fees.
All ticket sales are final and non-refundable.
Please note, if you are ordering your tickets to tour Graceland at the same time as ordering your Elvis Week event tickets, the $4.50 order fee for Graceland tickets is a separate charge from the $4.50 order fee for Elvis Week tickets and will appear as two separate order fees on your final order listing
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
26th Annual Elvis Presley International 5K Run to Benefit United Cerebral Palsy
8:00 a.m. Starts at the Graceland gates. Join thousands of Elvis fans and runners in front of Graceland for the 26th Annual Elvis Presley International 5K Run to benefit United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of the Mid-South. Runners and walkers will enjoy more than the typical 5K. More than 2,000 entrants from around the world will join in the family fun while enjoying the festive atmosphere of Elvis Week 2008 and raising money for UCP. After the race, join everyone across from the mansion as UCP hosts one of the best post-race parties in town. Entertainment will be provided by The AIMS Gang, one of the best bands in Memphis. Pre-registration is $20; race day registration is $25. Click here to register for the race online or call Joanie Nuchols at (901) 761-4277.
D&N’s Mardis Gras Beads for Elvis and United Cerebral Palsy
D&N’s Elvis Presley Fan Club invites you to support UCP of the Mid-South and honor Elvis’s memory by purchasing a Guitar Mardis Gras beads for $2. You don’t have to come to Memphis to be a “spirit runner” in the 26th Annual Elvis Presley International 5K Run. You may register as a “spirit runner” to receive the cool “King Creole” Elvis Race Shirt for 2008 and Guitar Mardis Gras beads. Click here to register online or visit D&N’s site for more information.
Elvis Presley – His Home, His Story – DVD Theatrical Premiere
Three screenings: 9:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 10:00 a.m. Malco’s Studio on the Square, 2105 Court Avenue, Memphis. Enjoy the theatrical premiere of the new Graceland tour DVD on the big screen. See stunning footage of Graceland while watching the story of Elvis’s life at Graceland and his amazing career. The new DVD features photos from the Graceland archives, home movies and more. Tickets for the event are free, however you must have a ticket to attend. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
Elvis Meetup at Marlowe’s Benefiting the Memphis Humane Society
12:00 noon. Marlowe’s, 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd., Memphis. No cover charge, but attendees must pay for their own food, drinks and tips. Special guests have been invited. Elvis door prizes will be given. RSVP to Sharon Parker by calling 615-830-5126 or emailing elvismeetupatmarlowes@hotmail.com.
Memphis Welcomes the Fans Redbirds Baseball Game
6:10 p.m. AutoZone Park, 200 Union Avenue (corner of Third & Union) in downtown Memphis. On behalf of the citizens of Memphis, grateful to Elvis fans and all they mean to our city, the Memphis Redbirds baseball team and AutoZone Park celebrate Elvis and welcome the Elvis fans to town with this Elvis Week 2008 kick-off event. Enjoy Elvis-themed entertainment, fireworks and more. For more information call 901-721-6000 or visit their web site to buy your tickets today.
Elvis Week Kick-Off Party at EP’s Delta Kitchen
10:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m. EP’s Delta Kitchen, 126 Beale Street, Memphis. After the Redbirds game, the official kick-off party is at the EP’s Delta Kitchen on Beale Street. The event will feature live music by Elmo and the Shades. General admission is $20. VIP admission is $40 and includes a food buffet. Cash bar. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000. Please note, this event venue has changed from the original location to EP’s Delta Kitchen, located at 126 Beale Street.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
Elvis Gospel Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Elvis Presley Car Museum, Graceland Plaza. Enjoy brunch in the Elvis Presley Car Museum while listening to Elvis Gospel music and watching Elvis videos on the drive-in theater movie screen. Tickets are $33.00 per person. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
Memorial Luncheon for Bill Burk
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Marlowe’s, 4381 Elvis Presley Blvd., Memphis. Celebrate the life of Bill Burk at a special Elvis Week memorial luncheon. All of Bill’s friends – the fans and the famous – have been invited to come to remember Bill and share memories. An open mic will be available for comments, stories, songs, poems, photos…whatever you would like to do. There will also be a special presentation to Bill’s family. Everyone in attendance will receive a special memento. Reservations are a must. Tickets are $15 and include your lunch and beverage. Please send your check, made out to Nancie Craft, to her at 6607 Cindy Lane, Houston, TX 77088. Part of the ticket includes a donation in Bill’s name to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
Graceland Scavenger Hunt – Bears on Tour
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Starting at the Graceland Ticket Office. Guests are invited to tour Graceland Mansion (no audio tour) and the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum while simultaneously participating in a trivia scavenger hunt. Adult and junior versions of the scavenger hunt will be available. Prizes for both adult and junior versions to be announced. All ticket holders receive a complimentary limited-edition Elvis bear from Limited Treasures. Admission: $29.00 Adults; $14.00 children 7-12. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
Club Elvis
8:00 p.m. – 12:00 Midnight. Elvis Presley Car Museum, Graceland Plaza. Come hang out and enjoy a private party with your fellow Elvis fans. A disc jockey spins Elvis records for your listening and dancing pleasure. Cash bar featuring adult beverages (ID’s checked) and soft drinks. Outdoor smoking area designated – no smoking inside. A wristband ticket allows you to come and go from Club Elvis as much as you like during the evening in order for you to enjoy all the other activities on the property. Admission $25.00. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
MONDAY, AUGUST 11
A Celebration of Fans – Fan Club Presidents’ Event
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. Join Elvis Presley fan club presidents from independent Elvis fan clubs from around the world at this special event. At this year’s August Fan Club Presidents’ Event, Elvis Presley Enterprises will open the doors to let more people know about the amazing work that fan clubs do. For the August 2008 fan club presidents’ event, the public will be invited to purchase tickets to the attend the event and hear from some of the fan clubs who work hard to continue on Elvis’s name and memory. All fans are invited to attend this event where they can learn more about what official Elvis Presley fan clubs do, while also enjoying a program of EPE company updates, special announcements and a special guests. This year’s special guests for the Elvis Presley Fan Club Presidents’ Event will be members of The Imperials – Joe Moscheo, Terry Blackwood and Sherman Andrus. The Imperials sang backup vocals for Elvis in Vegas. The event this year will spotlight the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County and EPE will be collecting donations for the organization at the door of the event. Click here for a wish list of donation items. Elvis Presley fan club presidents’ will receive an invitation to the event directly from EPE in early June to reserve their complimentary ticket for the event and do not need to call Graceland Reservations. Tickets for additional fan club members and the general public are $8.00 and can be reserved through Graceland Reservations. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
Elvis Week Memphis Meetup & Meet ‘n’ Greet
12:30 p.m. Downtown Marriott’s Magnolia Grille Restaurant on the main level. It is a buffet-style lunch at $12.99 per person. Seating is limited to 50, so please email Gigi at ballester_gigi@yahoo.com if you are planning on attending. This event will benefit the Todd Morgan Sound Fuzion Performance Enrichment Fund. They will be collecting donations for the fund. Anyone not attending can mail a check for donation to Gigi. Email Gigi Ballester at ballester_gigi@yahoo.com for details.
Music and Movies at Graceland – Day One
7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 5:30 p.m.) Front lawn, Graceland Mansion. Bring your lawn chair or a blanket and make yourself at home on the front lawn of Graceland to enjoy a live concert by Andy Childs and his band while the sun begins to set. Then, stay for a screening of Jailhouse Rock under the stars. Refreshments available in a vendor area outside the mansion gates. Food, beverages and coolers may not be brought onto the mansion grounds. Also during Music and Movies will be a celebration of the launch of Elvis: Viva Las Vegas, with clips from the special and appearances by Jerry Schilling and George Klein. For more information about Elvis: Viva Las Vegas and to enter the sweepstakes, click here. For more about Jailhouse Rock on DVD and other Elvis Warner Home Video releases, visit www.elvisondvd.com. One day Music and Movie admission is $44.00. If you plan on attending both days of Music and Movies, you can purchase a two day ticket for $75.00 Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000. In addition, you can purchase special VIP seating for this event by purchasing the Elvis Week Fun Package. A special rate is also available for groups of 15 or more who purchase tickets for this event in one transaction. Groups of 15 or more will receive a discount of $5.00 off each one night ticket or $10.00 off each two night ticket. Tickets must be purchased in one transaction, via phone only and all tickets will need to be picked up by same person who placed order. To order at the group rate, contact Graceland Reservations at 800- 238-2000 or 901-332-3322.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12
Malco Theatre’s Elvis Film Fest 5
Presented by The DeHart Group
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Studio on the Square, 2105 Court Avenue, Memphis. Celebrate the 5th anniversary of the now-legendary Elvis Film Fest with special showings of King Creole, GI Blues, Blue Hawaii, Girls!Girls!Girls! and Paradise Hawaiian Style. Admission is $5.00 per film and all proceeds benefit the Todd Morgan Sound Fuzion Performance Enrichment Fund at the University of Memphis. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6, at www.malco.com and the Malco theatre box office. So, make a date to take a memorable trip down memory lane with your friends from the The DeHart Group and Malco Theatres.
Elvis Presley Fan Club Reception at The MED
10:00 a.m. The MED’s cafeteria. For more information, contact Marsha Evans at 901-545-6405 or email mevans@the-med.org.
The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Meet ‘n’ Greet
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EP’s Delta Kitchen, 126 Beale Street. Private event reserved for those who have purchased the platinum seating package for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. Please note, this event has moved from its original location to EP’s Delta Kitchen, located at 126 Beale Street.
Shawn Klush in Concert
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. Enjoy an amazing concert by 2007 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest winner Shawn Klush. Opening act will by comedian Sammy Shore, who opened for Elvis in Las Vegas in 1969-1972. Tickets are $30.00 and $22.00. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 901-525-1515.
Music and Movies at Graceland – Day 2
7:00 p.m. (Gates open at 5:30 p.m.) Front lawn, Graceland Mansion. Bring your lawn chair or a blanket and make yourself at home on the front lawn of Graceland to enjoy a live concert by Terry Mike Jeffrey & Band, members of the TCB Band and The Imperials. Then, stay for a screening of Elvis – That’s The Way It Is under the stars. Refreshments available in a vendor area outside the mansion gates. Food, beverages and coolers may not be brought onto the mansion grounds. For more about Elvis – That’s The Way It Is on DVD and other Elvis Warner Home Video releases, visit www.elvisondvd.com. One day Music and Movie admission is $44.00. If you plan on attending both days of Music and Movies, you can purchase a two day ticket for $75.00. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000. In addition, you can purchase special VIP seating for this event by purchasing the Elvis Week Fun Package. A special rate is also available for groups of 15 or more who purchase tickets for this event in one transaction. Groups of 15 or more will receive a discount of $5.00 off each one night ticket or $10.00 off each two night ticket. Tickets must be purchased in one transaction, via phone only and all tickets will need to be picked up by same person who placed order. To order at the group rate, contact Graceland Reservations at 800- 238-2000 or 901-332-3322.
Club Elvis
9:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Elvis Presley Car Museum, Graceland Plaza. Come hang out and enjoy a private party with your fellow Elvis fans. A disc jockey spins Elvis records for your listening and dancing pleasure. Cash bar featuring adult beverages (ID’s checked) and soft drinks. Outdoor smoking area designated – no smoking inside. A wristband ticket allows you to come and go from Club Elvis as much as you like during the evening in order for you to enjoy all the other activities on the property. Admission $25.00. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13
Elvis Expo 2008 – Day 1
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. South Hall, Memphis Cook Convention Center, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. . The ultimate Elvis tradeshow with more than 75 booths and 35,000 square feet of Elvis that includes all the latest Elvis music, movies, merchandise, celebrity autograph sessions, authors, artists and photographers, and lots of Elvis freebies and samples. Admission is $15.00 per day. Elvis Insiders Conference attendees are admitted free by showing their conference badge. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
Guests confirmed to appear in the showroom are: actress Darlene Tompkins, who appeared with Elvis in the movies Blue Hawaii and Fun in Acapulco; dancer Tanya Lemani George, who appeared in Elvis’s 1968 television special; Joanne Cash, singer; The Imperials, gospel group and backup vocals for Elvis in Vegas; Celeste Yarnall, Elvis co-star in Live A Little, Love a Little; DJ Fontana, Elvis’s original drummer, who worked with him from 1955-1968; Chris Noel, who appeared with Elvis in Girl Happy; Charles Stone, who helped arrange tour schedules and security for Elvis in the ’70s; Marian Cocke, Elvis’s friend and private nurse from 1975-1977; Sandi Pichon, an Elvis fan who became a REAL Elvis Insider by getting to know and socialize with Elvis and his inner circle of friends; Edward Faulkner, Elvis’s co-star in GI Blues and Tickle Me; Francine York, Elvis’s co-star in Tickle Me; Nancy Rooks, Elvis’s maid and Author of Inside Graceland: Elvis’ Maid Remembers. Cydney Miller, Elvis fan and current Mrs. Tennessee, representing the state in the Mrs. America pageant. More guests to be announced.
The Official Elvis Insiders Conference – Day 1
10:00 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. Hosted by Tom Brown, Vice President of Original Production at Turner Classic Movies. Enjoy two full days of special guests and programming put together by Elvis Presley Enterprises, including on-stage interviews with people who were part of Elvis’s life and career. Conference attendees will receive a welcome kit loaded with Elvis-themed gifts and everyone will win a door prize. The Elvis Expo 2008 will be open nearby and admission to the showroom is included with your Elvis Insiders Conference ticket. Tickets are $85.00 for a two-day ticket. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 901-525-1515. In addition, you can purchase special VIP seating for this event by purchasing the Elvis Week Fun Package. Click here for details on the Elvis Week Fun Package.
Special guests for August 13: Dixie Locke Emmons, who dated Elvis early in his career; Mike Stoller, part of the Leiber/Stoller song writing team who wrote “Jailhouse Rock”, “King Creole”, “Hound Dog”, “Treat Me Nice”, “Love Me” and many more; Sammy Shore, comedian who opened for Elvis from 1969-1972 in Las Vegas; Celeste Yarnall, Elvis’s co-star in Live A Little, Love A Little; Francine York, Elvis’s co-star in Tickle Me; Edward Faulkner, Elvis’s co-star in GI Blues and Tickle Me .
Special guests for August 14: Robert F.X. Sillerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CKX Inc., parent company of Elvis Presley Enterprises; Susan Henning, appeared in Live A Little, Love A Little and the ’68 Special; Joe Guercio, Elvis’s musical director and conductor for concerts from the summer of 1970 to the summer of 1977; Jerry Schilling, one of Elvis’s closest friends; Steve Binder, producer of Elvis’s ’68 Special.
D&N’s Humes Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction
4:30 – 5:30 PM Silent Auction; 5:30 Dinner. Humes Room at Club Superior, 159 Beale Street, Memphis. D&N’s Elvis Presley Fan Club invites you to join them for a fabulous 3 course dinner in the private Humes Room at Club Superior. Enjoy the large collection of Humes memorabilia, including unique items of Humes famous graduate, Elvis Presley, formerly displayed at Anna’s Steakhouse. Silent auction benefiting Elvis’s Alma Mater, Humes. Advance ticket purchase only. Reserved seating. Tickets are $35 per person. Mail checks to: Nancie Craft, 6607 Cindy Lane, Houston, TX 77008. Please enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope for tickets to be mailed. Click here for more information.
Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Semifinals
7:00 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. Semifinal round of competition for the 2008 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. Attendees to the show will see the best Elvis tribute artists from around the world performing and competing on stage for their chance to move onto the finals round on August 14. Elvis Tribute Artists will receive their chance to showcase their talents and why they should be named Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2008. Finalists chosen from these rounds will return on August 14th to compete for the title of Elvis Tribute Artist of the Year. The Exspence Account Band will perform with the contestants. Visit the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest page to find out about the finalists.
Tickets are only available in a set that includes one ticket to the semifinals on August 13 and one ticket to the finals on August 14. Platinum package seating for the event is $140.00 and includes a special Meet ‘n’ Greet with the semifinalists. (Tickets for the Meet ‘n’ Greet will not be mailed out with the semifinals/finals tickets. Ticket holders who are entitled to attend the Meet ‘n’ Greet will just need to show ID at EP’s Delta Kitchen on August 12.) Gold package seating is $80.00. Silver package seating is $50.00. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 901-525-1515.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14
Elvis Expo 2008 – Day 2
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. South Hall, Memphis Cook Convention Center, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. The ultimate Elvis tradeshow with more than 75 booths and 35,000 square feet of Elvis that includes all the latest Elvis music, movies, merchandise, celebrity autograph sessions, authors, artists and photographers, and lots of Elvis freebies and samples. Elvis Expo special guest information coming soon. Admission is $15.00 per day. Elvis Insiders Conference attendees are admitted free by showing their conference badge. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
Guests confirmed to appear in the showroom are: actress Darlene Tompkins, who appeared with Elvis in the movies Blue Hawaii and Fun in Acapulco; dancer Tanya Lemani George, who appeared in Elvis’s 1968 television special; Joanne Cash, singer; The Imperials, gospel group and backup vocals for Elvis in Vegas; Celeste Yarnall, Elvis co-star in Live A Little, Love a Little; DJ Fontana, Elvis’s original drummer, who worked with him from 1955-1968; Chris Noel, who appeared with Elvis in Girl Happy; Charles Stone, who helped arrange tour schedules and security for Elvis in the ’70s; Marian Cocke, Elvis’s friend and private nurse from 1975-1977; Sandi Pichon, an Elvis fan who became a REAL Elvis Insider by getting to know and socialize with Elvis and his inner circle of friends; Edward Faulkner, Elvis’s co-star in GI Blues and Tickle Me; Francine York, Elvis’s co-star in Tickle Me; Nancy Rooks, Elvis’s maid and Author of Inside Graceland: Elvis’ Maid Remembers. Cydney Miller, Elvis fan and current Mrs. Tennessee, representing the state in the Mrs. America pageant. More guests to be announced.
The Official Elvis Insiders Conference – Day 2
10:00 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. Hosted by Tom Brown, Vice President of Original Production at Turner Classic Movies. Enjoy two full days of special guests and programming put together by Elvis Presley Enterprises, including on-stage interviews with people who were part of Elvis’s life and career. Conference attendees will receive a welcome kit loaded with Elvis-themed gifts and everyone will win a door prize. The Elvis Expo 2008 will be open nearby and admission to the showroom is included with your Elvis Insiders Conference ticket. Tickets are $85.00 for a two-day ticket. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 901-525-1515. In addition, you can purchase special VIP seating for this event by purchasing the Elvis Week Fun Package. Click here for details on the Elvis Week Fun Package.
Special guests for August 13: Dixie Locke Emmons, who dated Elvis early in his career; Mike Stoller, part of the Leiber/Stoller song writing team who wrote “Jailhouse Rock”, “King Creole”, “Hound Dog”, “Treat Me Nice”, “Love Me” and many more; Sammy Shore, comedian who opened for Elvis from 1969-1972 in Las Vegas; Celeste Yarnall, Elvis’s co-star in Live A Little, Love A Little; Francine York, Elvis’s co-star in Tickle Me; Edward Faulkner, Elvis’s co-star in GI Blues and Tickle Me .
Special guests for August 14: Robert F.X. Sillerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CKX Inc., parent company of Elvis Presley Enterprises; Susan Henning, appeared in Live A Little, Love A Little and the ’68 Special; Joe Guercio, Elvis’s musical director and conductor for concerts from the summer of 1970 to the summer of 1977; Jerry Schilling, one of Elvis’s closest friends; Steve Binder, producer of Elvis’s ’68 Special.
Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Finals
7:00 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. The finals of the 2008 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. Top finalists from semifinals on August 13 compete for the title of Elvis Tribute Artist of 2008. Elvis Tribute Artists will receive their chance to showcase their talents and why they should be named Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2008. The Exspence Account Band will perform with the contestants. Visit the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest page to find out about the finalists.
Tickets are only available in a set that includes one ticket to the semifinals on August 13 and one ticket to the finals on August 14. Platinum package seating for the event is $140.00 and includes a special Meet ‘n’ Greet with the semifinalists. (Tickets for the Meet ‘n’ Greet will not be mailed out with the semifinals/finals tickets. Ticket holders who are entitled to attend the Meet ‘n’ Greet will just need to show ID at EP’s Delta Kitchen on August 12.) Gold package seating is $80.00. Silver package seating is $50.00. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 901-525-1515.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
Blue Hawaii Breakfast at Graceland with Darlene Tompkins – SOLD OUT
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Elvis Presley Car Museum, Graceland Plaza. Have breakfast in the Elvis Presley Car Museum while enjoying Elvis music and watching Elvis videos on the drive-in theater movie screen. Darlene Tompkins, who co-starred with Elvis in Blue Hawaii and Fun in Acapulco, will be the special guest at breakfast and will meet ‘n’ greet with fans and sign autographs. This event is now sold out.
Elvis Presley – His Home, His Story – DVD Theatrical Premiere
Three screenings: 9:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 10:00 a.m. Malco’s Studio on the Square, 2105 Court Avenue, Memphis. Enjoy the theatrical premiere of the new Graceland tour DVD on the big screen. See stunning footage of Graceland while watching the story of Elvis’s life at Graceland and his amazing career. The new DVD features photos from the Graceland archives, home movies and more. Tickets for the event are free, however you must have a ticket to attend. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
David Garibaldi’s Rhythm and Hue Performance Art Show
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Graceland Plaza. World famous artist David Garibaldi will be showcasing his “Rhythm and Hue” performance art show, where he creates 6-foot portraits of pop icons in under 7 minutes to music. David will also be available to meet fans during an autograph session following his performance from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Special pieces and artwork in addition to Garibaldi’s new coffee table book will be available for purchase at Graceland during the performance and signing session. Free.
Presley Place Open House and Tours
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Les Passees Center for Children and Families and Presley Place, 715 St. Paul Ave, Memphis. Free of charge. During this open house and tour, see Presley Place, a 12-unit apartment property affiliated with MIFA Housing Opportunities. This program provides transitional housing for families who have been homeless, as well as valuable life skills education to help them live independently and productively. Supported by the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation and Elvis fans across the globe, Presley Place has been a safe haven for more than 100 families since its inception in July 2001. You can also see the Elvis Music room, which has inspired young people for years, as well as meet families who have lived at Presley Place. Other activities and refreshments will also be available. This event is sponsored by the Jennings Osborne family of Arkansas. For more information, contact MIFA at 901-529-4544.
Mass In Memory of Elvis Presley
3:00 p.m. St. Paul Catholic Church, 1425 E. Shelby Drive, Memphis, TN 38116. On the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mother, St. Paul Catholic Church will celebrate a special Mass for the repose of the soul of Elvis Presley. St. Paul Church is located at 1425 E. Shelby Drive (south of Graceland–approx. 2 1/2 miles). Recorded music: 2:15 p.m. Choir: 2:45 p.m. Mass: 3:00 p.m. Come together to pray and remember Elvis. Spaghetti Dinner follows.
Candlelight Vigil
8:30 p.m. Gates of Graceland Mansion. After an opening ceremony at the gates of the Graceland Mansion property, fans are invited to walk up the driveway to Elvis’s gravesite and back down carrying a candle in quiet remembrance. Free admission. No tickets or reservations. Gates remain open until all who wish to participate in the procession have done so, which typically takes until the early morning hours of August 16, the anniversary date of Elvis’s passing. Free secured parking at the Graceland visitor center complex after 6:00 p.m. Prior to Elvis Week, posted here will be a link to the text of the special information and guidelines flyer for the Vigil that is handed out at Graceland during Elvis Week.
Can’t be here for the Vigil? Enjoy live coverage from Graceland by Elvis Radio/Sirius Satellite 13. They also will have special Elvis programming throughout Elvis Week.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16
George Klein’s Elvis Memorial Service
12:00 noon. Main Theatre Building, University of Memphis. Free admission. Annual event hosted by George Klein, longtime friend of Elvis. Speakers will include friends and family of Elvis and celebrity guests. For more information, contact the U of M Department of Communication at (901) 678-2565.
Elvis: From Broadway to Memphis with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Two Shows: Matinee Show – 2:00 p.m. Evening Show – 8:00 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street, downtown Memphis. An all new, never-before-seen show! Enjoy a sophisticated and fun celebration of Elvis music with Leah Hocking, from the Broadway cast of “All Shook Up” and Austin Miller, television and Broadway star. The show will also star Elvis Presley, via video, accompanied by live music on stage during some special segments of the show. All will be accompanied by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Included in the exciting show will be Elvis fan favorites, The Dempseys and lots of surprises. Tickets to the matinee event are $70.00, $50.00 and $30.00. Tickets to the evening show are $125.00, $85.00, $65.00 and $45.00. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 901-525-1515. (The special $125.00 ticket package includes access to the rehearsal of Elvis: Broadway to Memphis on August 15, a seat in the orchestra pit section, a reception during intermission of the show with light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, a complimentary Elvis Insiders membership or renewal, a special collectible lanyard from the event and two Elvis champagne flutes. All package items (excluding ticket) will be available for pickup at Graceland on August 8-16 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17
Elvis Gospel Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Elvis Presley Car Museum, Graceland Plaza. Enjoy brunch in the Elvis Presley Car Museum while listening to Elvis Gospel music and watching Elvis videos on the drive-in theater movie screen. Tickets are $33.00 per person. Tickets are now on sale through Graceland Reservations. Click here to purchase your tickets online or call 800-238-2000.
MULTIPLE DATE EVENTS
Morning and Evening Walk-ups for Meditation Garden
Daily throughout the year, there is a special period of time for free admission walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden at Graceland. The summer hours for free walk-ups are 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. daily, then the garden becomes part of the regular ticketed Graceland tour. There will be no morning walk-ups on the morning of August 16 due to the Candlelight Vigil. As a special courtesy to fans, there is always an additional schedule of evening walk-up times during Elvis Week. Evening walk-up times will be from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on August 9, 10, 13, 14 & 16.
Elvis Week Entertainment Tent at Graceland Crossing Sponsored by Elvis Collector’s Edition Tins
August 8-16. Continuous presentation of Elvis music performed live by various singers and bands, plus other activities. Children and youth karaoke also featured. Free admission. A detailed schedule will be available at the Elvis Week information table in the Graceland Plaza as Elvis Week begins.
Elvis Week Art Contest & Exhibit
August 9-15. Ticket office pavilion in Graceland Plaza. Free admission to view this exhibition of Elvis-themed artwork from amateur and professional artists from around the world. Click here for a Art Contest Rules, Guidelines and Entry Form for artists who would like to submit their work. Deadline to submit artwork is July 31.
Children’s Elvis Week Art Activities
August 9: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and August 10: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Ticket office pavilion in Graceland Plaza. Children will get the opportunity to create Elvis art to hang in the 2008 Elvis Week Art Contest & Exhibit as part of the exhibit only category. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation. Free.
Kids Karaoke
August 9: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 pm; August 12: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 pm. Elvis Week Entertainment Tent sponsored by Elvis Collector’s Edition Tins, Graceland Crossing. Children and youth aged 2 to 17 are invited to perform karaoke Elvis songs. Free admission to perform and to be in the audience.
Children’s Activities
August 11-15. 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Graceland Ticket Pavilion. Craft activities for children aged 2 to 12. Free.
Elvis Fan Club Festival
August 12-16. 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Airport Inn, 1441 E. Brooks Rd., Memphis. Free admision. This year is the 30th anniversary of the original Elvis Fan Club Festival. Vegas atmosphere with EPE, Inc. items from 1956 to present. Continuous Elvis music.
Artwork of Betty Harper Exhibit
August 13 & 14: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Everything Elvis, Graceland Crossing. Betty will be exhibiting her artwork and meeting fans.
Tours of The MED and Elvis Presley Trauma Center
August 12-17. Contact Marsha Evans at 901-545-6405 or mevans@the-med.org for details.
1987 – Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson are among those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts the late Jackie Wilson, the Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, B.B. King, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, Leonard Chess, Ahmet Ertegun, Louis Jordan, the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, Clyde McPhatter, producer Jerry Wexler and Big Joe Turner.
1971 – Donald McPherson of the Main Ingredient dies of leukemia. Age 29. The group’s biggest hit is the million-selling No. 3 song “Everybody Plays the Fool.” by Aaron Neville.
Much too young!
The group was formed in Harlem, NY in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Donald McPherson, Luther Simmons, Jr., and Panama-born Tony Silvester. They made their first recordings for Leiber & Stoller’s Red Bird label, but soon changed their name to the Insiders and signed with RCA. After a couple of singles, they changed their name once again in 1966, this time permanently to the Main Ingredient.
Nothing much happened until the Main Ingredient hooked up with producer Bert DeCoteaux, who had an excellent sense of the lush, orchestrated direction soul music would take in the early ’70s. Under his direction, the Main Ingredient reached the R&B Top 30 for the first time in 1970 with “You’ve Been My Inspiration.” Things grew steadily from there; a cover of the Impressions’ “I’m So Proud” broke the Top 20, and “Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling in Love)” went Top Ten. They scored again with the McPherson-penned black power anthem “Black Seeds Keep on Growing,” but tragedy struck in 1971: McPherson, who had suddenly taken ill with leukemia, died unexpectedly. Stunned, Silvester and Simmons regrouped with new lead singer Cuba Gooding, Sr., who’d served as a backing vocalist on some of their previous recordings and had filled in on tour during McPherson’s brief illness.
The Gooding era began auspiciously enough with the million-selling smash “Everybody Plays the Fool,” which hit number two R&B and number three pop to become the group’s biggest hit ever. The accompanying album, aptly titled Bitter Sweet, became their first to hit the Top Ten on the R&B charts; its follow-up, 1973′s Afrodisiac, featured several songs written or co-written by Stevie Wonder, although it didn’t produce any huge successes on the singles charts. They peaked at number eight on the R&B chart in 1974 with “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely,” which sold over a million copies and also reached number ten on the pop chart, and the disco-flavored “Happiness Is Just Around the Bend,” which did not. In 1975, the group recorded several songs co-written by Leon Ware, including the R&B Top Ten “Rolling Down a Mountainside.” By this point, however, Silvester was harboring other ambitions; he released a solo album called Magic Touch that year, and left the group to form a production team with Bert DeCoteaux.
Later Years
Silvester was replaced by Carl Tompkins, but the chemistry wasn’t the same, and Gooding departed for a solo career on Motown in 1977, which produced two albums; Simmons, meanwhile, left music to work as a stockbroker. Gooding, Silvester, and Simmons reunited as the Main Ingredient in 1979, and cut two more albums, 1980′s Ready for Love and 1981′s I Only Have Eyes for You (the latter featured a minor hit in “Evening of Love”). The trio reunited for a second time in 1986, but their Zakia single “Do Me Right” flopped, and Simmons returned to his day job. He was replaced by Jerome Jackson on the 1989 Polydor album I Just Wanna Love You. In the wake of Aaron Neville’s Top Ten revival of “Everybody Plays the Fool,” Gooding resumed his solo career and issued his third album in 1993. Silvester and Simmons re-formed the Main Ingredient in 1999 with new lead singer Carlton Blount; this lineup recorded Pure Magic in 2001. Gooding’s son is, of course, Cuba Gooding, Jr., the actor best known for his Oscar-winning performance in Jerry Maguire.
Silvester died on November 27, 2006, at the age of 65.
Discography
Albums
* 1971: Black Seeds (RCA) – US #176, R&B #35
* 1971: Tasteful Soul (RCA) – US #146, R&B #26
* 1972: Bitter Sweet (RCA) – US #79, R&B #10
* 1973: Afrodisiac (RCA) – US #132, R&B #16
* 1974: Euphrates River (RCA) – US #52, R&B #8
* 1974: Greatest Hits (RCA) – R&B #32
* 1975: Rolling Down a Mountainside (RCA) – US #90, R&B #3
* 1976: Shame on the World (RCA) – US #158, R&B #27
* 1976: Super Hits (RCA) – R&B #46
* 1977: Music Maximus (RCA) – US #177
* 1980: Ready for Love (RCA) – R&B #69
* 1981: I Only Have Eyes For You (RCA)
* 1989: I Just Wanna Love You (Polydor) – R&B #59
* 2001: Pure Magic (Magnatar)
* 2005: Everybody Plays the Fool: The Best of the Main Ingredient (RCA/Legacy)
Singles
* 1970: “I’m Better Off Without You” – US #91
* 1970: “You’ve Been My Inspiration” – US #64, R&B #25
* 1971: “Black Seeds Keep On Growing” – US #97, R&B #15
* 1971: “I’m So Proud” – US #49, R&B #13
* 1971: “Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love)” – US #52, R&B #7
* 1972: “Everybody Plays the Fool” – US #3, R&B #2
* 1973: “Girl Blue” – R&B #51
* 1973: “You Can Call Me Rover” – R&B #34
* 1973: “You’ve Got To Take It (If You Want It)” – US #46, R&B #18
* 1974: “California My Way” – US #75, R&B #48
* 1974: “Happiness Is Just Around The Bend” – US #35, R&B #7
* 1974: “Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely” – US #10, R&B #8
* 1975: “Rolling Down a Mountainside” – US #92, R&B #7
* 1975: “The Good Old Days” – R&B #45
* 1976: “Instant Love” – R&B #96
* 1976: “Shame On The World” – R&B #20
* 1986: “Do Me Right” – R&B #75
* 1989: “I Just Wanna Love” – R&B #15
* 1990: “Nothing’s Too Good For My Baby” – R&B #29
1961 – Runaround Sue (Dion) was a hit on this day in rock history!
Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter who blended elements of doo-wop, pop, and R&B styles.
Early years
Dion was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx. As a child, he used to accompany his father, a vaudeville entertainer, on tour, and developed a love of country music – particularly Hank Williams – and the blues and doo-wop stars he heard in local bars and on the radio. His singing abilities were honed on the street corners of Crotona Avenue, where he rounded up other local singers inventing a cappella licks, and in local clubs.
In early 1957 he auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz, who had just formed Mohawk Records. They recorded him with a vocal group, The Timberlanes, and released a single “The Chosen Few”, arranged by Hugo Montenegro, which became a minor regional hit.
Career
With the Belmonts, 1957-1960
See main article Dion and the Belmonts
Schwartz also signed up Dion’s friends, The Belmonts, named after nearby Belmont Avenue. Their breakthrough together came in early 1958, when “I Wonder Why” made #22 on the national US charts, followed up with “No One Knows” and “Don’t Pity Me” which were also chart hits.
This success won Dion and the Belmonts a place on the “Winter Dance Party” tour with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. On February 2, 1959, after playing in Clear Lake, Iowa, Dion decided that he could not afford the $36 cost of a flight to the next venue. The plane crashed, and Holly and the other stars were killed, still the tour continued with Jimmy Clanton and Bobby Vee being added to the bill as replacements. Dion and the Belmonts continued to perform until the end of the tour.
In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts’ next single, “A Teenager in Love”, was released, making #5 in the US pop charts and #28 in the UK. Their biggest hit, “Where or When”, was released in November 1959, and reached #3 on the US charts. However, in early 1960, Dion checked in to hospital for heroin addiction, a problem he had had since his mid-teens. Further single releases for the group that year were less successful. There were musical and financial differences between Dion and members of the Belmonts, and in October of 1960, Dion decided to quit for a solo career. The main reason was because of his heroin addiction.
Solo stardom, 1960-1964
By the end of 1960, Dion had recorded and released his first solo album, Alone with Dion, and the single “Lonely Teenager”, which rose to #12 in the US charts. The performer name on his solo releases was denoted simply as “Dion” without the last name. Follow-ups “Havin’ Fun” and “Kissin’ Game” had less success, and the signs were that Dion would drift onto the cabaret circuit. However, he then recorded, with new vocal group the Del-Satins, an up-tempo number co-written with Ernie Maresca. The record, “Runaround Sue”, stormed up the charts, reaching #1 in the US charts in September 1961, and #11 in the UK, where he also toured.
For the next single, the record company promoted the A-side, “The Majestic”, but it was the B-side, Maresca’s song “The Wanderer”, which received the radio plays and again rose swiftly up the charts, reaching #2 in the US charts in December 1961 and #10 in the UK. As a classic oldie, it made the UK top 20 again in 1976.
By the end of 1961, Dion was a major star, with a worldwide touring schedule, and an appearance in the Columbia Pictures musical film Twist Around the Clock. He followed up with a string of hit singles – “Lovers Who Wander” (#3), “Little Diane” (#8), “Love Came To Me” (#10) – all making the top 10 in 1962. Several of these were written or co-written by Dion. He also had successful albums with Runaround Sue and Lovers Who Wander.
At the end of 1962, Dion moved from Laurie to Columbia Records, the first rock-and-roll artist ever signed to that label. The first Columbia single, Leiber and Stoller’s “Ruby Baby”, was a big hit, reaching #2, and “Donna the Prima Donna” and “Drip Drop” both reached #6 in the charts in late 1963. (Dion also recorded an Italian version of “Donna the Prima Donna” using the identical backup vocals.) His other Columbia releases were less successful, and problems with his addiction and changing public tastes caused him to enter a period of commercial decline.
Changing fortunes, 1964-1968
Following a European tour, Dion returned to the USA and was introduced to classic blues music by Columbia’s John Hammond. To the consternation of his management, he began recording more blues-oriented material, including Willie Dixon’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Spoonful”, but these releases – some produced by Tom Wilson, with Al Kooper on keyboards – were not commercially successful.
In 1966, Dion briefly reunited with the Belmonts for the album Together Again on ABC Records. Again, this bombed, despite one classic self-penned song, “My Girl The Month Of May”. Although by this stage Dion’s career appeared to be nearing an end, he retained enough credibility to be, along with Bob Dylan, one of the only two pop artists featured on the album cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.
In April 1968, Dion experienced what he identified as a powerful religious experience. After getting clean from drug use, he approached Laurie Records for a new contract, and they agreed on condition that he record the song “Abraham, Martin and John”, written by Dick Holler (also the writer of The Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron”) in response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and those of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy during the summer of 1968. The success of this song – later recorded by many others including Marvin Gaye – which reached # 4 in the US charts and #1 in Canada, resuscitated Dion’s career.
The mature period, 1968-1986
For the next few years, Dion’s music became radically different, moving to more contemplative and mature material. He released several albums essentially as a singer-songwriter, to critical acclaim but moderate sales, moving to the Warner Brothers label in 1969.
There followed a one-off live reunion show with the Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in 1972, released on album. This was followed in 1975 by the album Born To Be With You, produced by Phil Spector. The album was a commercial failure, but has been subsequently praised by such artists as Jason Pierce of Spiritualized and Pete Townshend of The Who.
In 1978 Dion released an album drawing on many of his teenage influences, Return of the Wanderer, another critical success and commercial failure. In December 1979 he experienced a life-changing religious experience. Thereafter, his recordings for several years were in a contemporary Christian vein, in which he released a number of albums on the Dayspring label reflecting his religious convictions.
Recent work
In 1987 Dion agreed to do a concert of his old hits at Radio City Music Hall in New York. This helped free him to celebrate both his past and his future, and led to a series of special appearances, including a fundraiser for homeless medical relief. There he shared the stage with fans such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Lou Reed, all of whom cited Dion as one of their prime influences.
In 1988 Dion’s autobiography (co-authored by Davin Seay) titled The Wanderer: Dion’s Story was published. In the following year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the induction speech being given by Lou Reed.
In 1989 he returned to secular rock music with the album Yo Frankie, and since then has released several albums with contemporary rock artists. His Déjà Nu album in 2000 found him covering Bruce Springsteen, a major follower over the years. Dion joined Springsteen onstage in Miami in 2002 for a performance of “If I Should Fall Behind” from Deja Nu.
He joined Scott Kempner of the Del-Lords and Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens in a short-lived band called Little Kings. A live album was later released, but not widely circulated or promoted.
In January 2006, he released Bronx in Blue, an album of blues and country standards, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Grammy. In November 2007 he issued a follow-up in similar vein, Son of Skip James.
As a practicing Catholic, Dion pursues prison ministry and reaches out to men going through addiction recovery. He now lives in Boca Raton, Florida
* 1959: Presenting Dion & The Belmonts
* 1960: Wish Upon a Star With Dion & The Belmonts
* 1961: Alone With Dion
* 1961: Runaround Sue #11
* 1962: Lovers Who Wander #12
* 1962: Love Came to Me
* 1963: Dion Sings to Sandy’ (and all his other gals)’ #115
* 1963: Ruby Baby #20
* 1963: Donna the Prima Donna
* 1967: Dion & The Belmonts – Together Again
* 1968: Dion #128
* 1969: Wonder Where I’m Bound
* 1970: Sit Down Old Friend
* 1971: You’re Not Alone
* 1971: Sanctuary #200
* 1972: Suite For Late Summer #197
* 1973: Dion & The Belmonts – Reunion, Live at Madison Square Garden #144
* 1975: Born to Be With You
* 1976: Streetheart
* 1978: Return of the Wanderer
* 1980: Inside Job
* 1981: Only Jesus
* 1984: I Put Away My Idols CCM #37
* 1984: Seasons
* 1985: Kingdom in the Streets
* 1986: Velvet & Steel
* 1989: Yo Frankie #130
* 1990: Fire in the Night (recorded 1979)
* 1992: Dream on Fire
* 1993: Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas
* 2000: Déjà Nu
* 2003: New Masters
* 2005: Live New York City
* 2006: Bronx in Blue #2 Blues Lps.
* 2007: Son of Skip James #4 Blues Lps.
Chart singles
Release date Title US record label Chart Positions
US Charts AC UK Singles Chart Black Singles Chart
Dion and the Belmonts
1958 “I Wonder Why” Laurie 22
1958 “No One Knows” Laurie 19 12
“Don’t Pity Me” Laurie 40
1959 “A Teenager in Love” Laurie 5 28
“A Lover’s Prayer” Laurie 73
“Every Little Thing I Do” Laurie 48
“Where or When” Laurie 3 19
1960 “Little Miss Blue” Laurie 96
“When You Wish Upon a Star” Laurie 30
“In The Still of the Night” Laurie 38
Dion
“Lonely Teenager” Laurie 12 47
1961 “Havin’ Fun” Laurie 42
“Kissin’ Game” Laurie 82
“Somebody Nobody Wants” Laurie 103
“Runaround Sue” Laurie 1 11 4
“The Wanderer” Laurie 2 10
(also 16, 1976)
“The Majestic” Laurie 36
1962 “Lovers Who Wander” Laurie 3 16
“Little Diane” Laurie 8
“(I Was) Born to Cry” Laurie 42
“Love Came to Me” Laurie 10 24
“Ruby Baby” Columbia 2
1963 “Sandy” Laurie 21
“This Little Girl” Columbia 21
“Come Go With Me” Laurie 48
“Be Careful of Stones That You Throw” Columbia 31
“Lonely World” Laurie 101
“Donna the Prima Donna” Columbia 6 17
“Drip Drop” Columbia 6
1964 “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” Columbia 113
“Shout” Laurie 108
“Johnny B. Goode” Columbia 71
1968 “Abraham, Martin and John” Laurie 4
“Purple Haze” Laurie 63
1969 “From Both Sides Now” Laurie 91
1970 “Your Own Back Yard” Warner Bros. 75
1971 “Sanctuary” Warner Bros. 103
1989 “And The Night Stood Still” Arista 75 16
1990 “Sea Cruise” (From “Ford Fairlane”) 28
1949 – Rick Springfield (Richard Springthorpe) is born in Sydney, Australia. His biggest hit is the million-selling No. 1 single “Jessie’s Girl” in 1981. He wins a Grammy for the song as Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe on August 23, 1949 in Sydney) is an Australian-American songwriter, musician and actor. As a musician he is most famous for the 1981 #1 single “Jessie’s Girl”, which became a Grammy Award-winning landmark of 1980s pop-rock and helped establish the emerging music video age. Also an actor, Springfield’s best known role is that of the character Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital. He originated the character from 1981-1983 and then returned to play him again from 2005 until present.
Background
Springfield grew up in a military family and frequently moved as his father was posted to various military bases throughout Australia and Great Britain. Springfield started playing piano at age 9. He began playing the guitar at age 13 and writing songs at 14.
[edit] Musical career
In 1967, Springfield dropped out of high school to begin his professional music career. His first appearance in a band was as a singer/guitarist in the band Rock House. In 1968, the band changed the name to MPD, Ltd, then embarked on a tour of Vietnam to entertain the troops stationed there.[1]
In 1969, when Springfield returned to Australia, he formed a band named Wickedy Wak with MPD bandmates Danny Finley and Paul Shannon, along with a keyboardist who went by the name of Ray Wight. Later that year, he joined the band Zoot. Zoot became one of the most popular Australian groups of the late 1960s. Another notable member of Zoot was Beeb Birtles, who in 1975 went on to form the Little River Band. In May 1971, when Zoot broke up, Springfield began a solo career. He had a #1 hit single in Australia, “Speak to the Sky.”
After his success in Australia, the 22-year-old Springfield relocated to Hollywood, California in 1972.[1] Capitol Records signed him, and he recorded his first album Beginnings. “Speak to the Sky” was re-released as a single in the US, and reached #14 in the Billboard Top 100. Exposure on American Bandstand, as well as being regularly featured in teen fan magazines such as 16 magazine and Tiger Beat, sparked interest amongst teenage girls. In 1973 a Saturday morning cartoon called Mission: Magic! was centered around Springfield and ran for one year, with a soundtrack album also released.
According to the 2005 A&E documentary Rick Springfield: Behind The Image, radio stations became suspicious of the album “Beginnings” and refused to play it, because of rumors that the record company, Capitol Records, was paying people to purchase it. Capitol denied the rumor, but Springfield was subsequently dropped from the label. However, in 1973 he was signed by Columbia Records, who released his second album Comic Book Heroes (1974). It received very good reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine, but it failed to chart. Springfield was dropped from that label as well, and plans to release an album entitled Springfield were also scrapped.
In 1976, Springfield released a third album Wait for Night under the Chelsea Records label. But while he was out touring to promote the album, the record company went bankrupt. Despite one single, “Take A Hand”, grazing the Top 40, the album still fell off the charts. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Springfield performed in various clubs on the Sunset Strip and throughout Los Angeles, but was unable to maintain a career at the top of the charts.
After a break of several years to do some acting (see section below), Springfield returned to music in 1981 with the album Working Class Dog. Most notable on this album were the singles “Jessie’s Girl”, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts, and “I’ve Done Everything for You” which was written by Sammy Hagar, and reached #8 on Billboard. Springfield won a Grammy in 1982 for “Best Male Rock Vocal Performance” for “Jessie’s Girl”. Springfield was also nominated for a second Grammy in 1982 and a third Grammy in 1983. His subsequent release in 1982, the album Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet, also contained a string of top 40 hits including the #2 hit “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and the ballad “What Kind of Fool Am I?”
His 1983 album Living in Oz contained more serious subject matter, and more of a hard-rock sound. The album went platinum on the strength of the hits “Human Touch”, “Souls”, and “Affair of the Heart”. That same year he won an American Music Award for “Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist” along with John Cougar Mellencamp.
His 1984 single “Love Somebody” (from the soundtrack album to the Hard to Hold movie he starred in that year) was his last top ten hit in the U.S. to date, peaking at #5 on the Billboard singles chart. He stopped touring in 1985, for the birth of his first son, Liam. Also in 1984, Mercury Records released Beautiful Feelings which were unreleased sessions Rick recorded in 1978 but never released. The LP was remixed and additional instrumentation was added without Rick’s involvement. Rick attempted to block the release of this LP, but was unsuccessful. Springfield later purchased an ad in several music industry magazines revealing the true nature of this LP, and he did not authorize it’s release and his new LP (the afordmentioned “Hard To Hold”) would be coming out soon. Despite the controversy, “Beautiful Feelings” reached number 78 on the LP charts, and a single, “Bruce”, a song about people mistaking Rick for Bruce Springsteen, hit number 27 on the Hot 100.
Springfield was one of several performers who participated in the Live Aid charity concert. After releasing the album Tao in 1985, Springfield chose to take a break from recording to spend more time with his family, and to deal with the depression that had affected him since his adolescence.[2]
In 1987, Springfield returned to the studio and released the album Rock of Life. The next year, he was seriously injured in an ATV accident. Since he was unable to play the guitar for six months, the planned tour to promote his album was canceled. It would be nearly a decade before Springfield would return to the studio to record the albums Sahara Snow (1997) and Karma(1999).
From 1999 onward, he has held several concert tours throughout North America. In February 2004, he released the critically acclaimed album “Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance” (in short S/D/A/A) on his own “Gomer Record” label. It went up to #8 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and #22 on Top Internet Album Sales chart.
In 2005, Springfield released The Day After Yesterday – a collection of his covers of “songs [he] wish[es] [he] had written.”
On April 28, 2006, Springfield performed a medley of his hits at the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards, and received an enthusiastic response, which included a standing ovation from his acting peers. Springfield’s latest release is a live concert DVD entitled Live in Rockford.
In late-August 2007, Rick took part in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia. It was the first time Rick had performed live in Australia for some 35 years.
Curiously the one global chart market Springfield failed to break into with any great success was the British chart scene, despite having lived in the UK for a period and having a huge following there. This seeming failure was due more to timing than lack of popularity as the genre of soft rock that Springfield was part of remained largely unsuccessful in the new romantic and ska dominated British charts of the early 80s, which also saw the likes of Olivia Newton John and British artists Sheena Easton and Def Leppard fail to enjoy any great success in the period. He is often likened to the modern British act Robbie Williams who has suffered a similar fate in the United States despite global appeal and a decidedly strong American fan base. retrospectively the soft rock explosion in late 80s Britain has ensured that, despite not being a big hit at the time, Jessie’s Girl, Springfield’s biggest UK hit, is today regarded as an 80′s classic with regular airplay in the UK.
In August 2008, Rick released Venus in Overdrive which debuted on Bilboard at #28. He also performed the first single “What’s Victoria’s Secret” on General Hospital as Eli Love.
[edit] Acting career
Because of various issues regarding the management of his recording career and uncertainty with immigration paperwork, in the 1970s Springfield decided to branch off into acting. He had already starred in the cartoon series Mission: Magic, produced by Filmation in 1973, where he appears in the animated format, along with the teacher Miss Tickle and her teenaged students. In 1978, he became one of the last contract actors signed to Universal Studios, and appeared in several guest roles in series such as The Incredible Hulk and The Rockford Files. He also had a brief role as Zac in the 1978 movie Battlestar Galactica, and a small recurring role on the soap opera The Young and The Restless.
In 1981, Springfield became a soap opera star on General Hospital. He had signed a contract with RCA Records and already recorded the album Working Class Dog, which neither he nor his agent had expected would do very well, which is why Springfield took the soap role. But the song “Jessie’s Girl” went to #1, and Springfield ended up both playing the role of Dr. Noah Drake from 1981 through 1983, while simultaneously going on tour with his band. The success of the song boosted the ratings of the show, which according to Springfield “became the biggest show on TV for that summer,” and the fame from the show likewise boosted the sale of the song.[1]
In 1984, Springfield made one full length feature film Hard to Hold.[2] It was considered a box office failure, but the movie did produce a successful soundtrack with a top ten song “Love Somebody.”
Despite the fact that he played a young rock star in Hard to Hold, in real life Springfield was already in his 30s, had become a husband and father, and was growing uncomfortable with the teen idol image he portrayed.
Throughout the 1990s, Springfield acted in several made-for-TV movies, and appeared in television shows such as Suddenly Susan. In 1992, he starred in the suspense detective series Human Target. From 1994 to 1996, he also starred in another detective series, High Tide.
In addition to the roles on television and in film, Springfield also acted in musical theatre. In 1995, he was a member of the original Broadway cast of the musical Smokey Joe’s Cafe.[3] This Tony Award-nominated musical featured the songs of rock & roll songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. From February 2000 through December 2002, Springfield performed in EFX Alive![4]at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada to critical acclaim.[citation needed]
In 2001, he appeared in the film Dying to Dance, which also starred another General Hospital actor, Kimberly McCullough (Robin Scorpio). Springfield also played the role of Nick Knight in the original Forever Knight TV movie, a role later taken up by Geraint Wyn Davies.
[edit] General Hospital
See also: Noah Drake and Eli Love
In December 2005, Springfield was asked by the General Hospital producers to return to the show, and he returned to his role as Dr. Noah Drake after a 23-year absence.[5][6] His run was subsequently extended, although as of 2007 he remains a guest star on recurring status, and not a full contract cast member.[7] In July 2007, a new storyline was introduced with another character also played by Springfield, Eli Love, “a 1980s rock star” who just happens to look exactly like Dr. Drake. The storyline requires Drake, who hates musicians, to fill in for an injured Eli Love at a charity concert. In the summer of 2008, he returned as both Noah Drake and Eli Love. On July 29 2008, he performed his latest single “What’s Victoria’s Secret” on the show.
[edit] Personal life
In 1974, Springfield dated and lived with then 15-year-old actress Linda Blair. He considered it his first “grown up” relationship, despite nearly 10 years difference in their ages.[8][9]
He is married to Barbara Porter (October 27, 1984). They met in 1980 while she was working as a receptionist at the recording studio where he recorded his 1981 album Working Class Dog. They have two sons: Liam, born in 1985, and Josh, born in 1989.
In 1985, Springfield took break from his musical career to spend more time with his family, and to deal with the depression that had affected him since his adolescence.[3] He had also wrestled with depression in the 1970s, when the serious illness of his father (who died on April 24, 1981) and career troubles caused him to “hit the wall” and contemplate suicide.[1]
In 2006, Rick Springfield became a citizen of the United States, but also retains his Australian citizenship.
[edit] Awards
* 1982 Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Jessie’s Girl”
* 1983 American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist along with John Cougar Mellencamp
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
* Beginnings (1972) #35 US
* Comic Book Heroes (1973)
* Mission Magic (1974)
* Wait for Night (1976)
* Working Class Dog (1981) #7 US
* Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet (1982) #2 US
* Living in Oz (1983) #12 US
* Hard to Hold (1984) #16 US
* Tao (1985) #21 US
* Rock of Life (1988) #55 US
* Karma (1999) #189 US
* Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance (2004)
* The Day After Yesterday (2005) #197 US
* Venus in Overdrive (2008) #28 US
[edit] Other releases
* Beautiful Feelings (1984) US #78 (New instrumentation of songs originally recorded in 1978, published without Rick’s accept)
* Sahara Snow (1997)(With Tim Pierce and Bob Marlette)
* The Greatest Hits ALIVE (2001)
* Platinum & Gold Collection: Rick Springfield (2003)
* Written in Rock–Anthology (2005)
* Live in Rockford (2006) DVD concert
* The Early Sound City Sessions (2007) Original recordings from 1978 that later became Beautiful Feelings in 1984
[edit] Singles
Year Song US Hot 100 US MSR US A.C. UK Singles Album
1972 “Speak to the Sky” 14 – – – Beginnings
1972 “What Would the Children Think” 70 – – – Beginnings
1974 “American Girls” 98 – – – unreleased Springfield album
1976 “Take a Hand” 41 – – – Wait for Night
1981 “Jessie’s Girl” 1 10 – 43 Working Class Dog
1981 “I’ve Done Everything for You” 8 – – – Working Class Dog
1981 “Love Is Alright Tonight” 20 40 – – Working Class Dog
1982 “Don’t Talk to Strangers” 2 11 30 – Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet
1982 “What Kind of Fool Am I” 21 – – – Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet
1982 “I Get Excited” 32 – – – Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet
1983 “Affair of the Heart” 9 23 – – Living in Oz
1983 “Human Touch” 18 34 – 23 Living in Oz
1983 “Souls” 23 – – – Living in Oz
1984 “Love Somebody” 5 – – 95 Hard to Hold
1984 “Bop ‘Til You Drop” 20 – – – Hard to Hold
1984 “Don’t Walk Away” 26 – – – Hard to Hold
1984 “Taxi Dancing” (duet with Randy Crawford) 59 – 16 – Hard to Hold
1984 “Bruce” 27 – – – Beautiful Feelings
1985 “Celebrate Youth” 26 – – 80 Tao
1985 “State of the Heart” 22 – – – Tao
1988 “Rock of Life” 22 – – 83 Rock of Life
2004 “Beautiful You” – – 28 – Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance
2008 “What’s Victoria’s Secret” – – – – Venus in Overdrive
1939 – Singer Dion (Dion DiMucci) is born in the Bronx, N.Y. He records with the Belmonts until 1960. They have two top five hits: “A Teenager in Love” and “Where or When.” His biggest solo hit is “Runaround Sue,” a No. 1 song for two weeks in 1961.
Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter who blended elements of doo-wop, pop, and R&B styles.
Early years
Dion was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx. As a child, he used to accompany his father, a vaudeville entertainer, on tour, and developed a love of country music – particularly Hank Williams – and the blues and doo-wop stars he heard in local bars and on the radio. His singing abilities were honed on the street corners of Crotona Avenue, where he rounded up other local singers inventing a cappella licks, and in local clubs.
In early 1957 he auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz, who had just formed Mohawk Records. They recorded him with a vocal group, The Timberlanes, and released a single “The Chosen Few”, arranged by Hugo Montenegro, which became a minor regional hit.
Career
With the Belmonts, 1957-1960
See main article Dion and the Belmonts
Schwartz also signed up Dion’s friends, The Belmonts, named after nearby Belmont Avenue. Their breakthrough together came in early 1958, when “I Wonder Why” made #22 on the national US charts, followed up with “No One Knows” and “Don’t Pity Me” which were also chart hits.
This success won Dion and the Belmonts a place on the “Winter Dance Party” tour with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. On February 2, 1959, after playing in Clear Lake, Iowa, Dion decided that he could not afford the $36 cost of a flight to the next venue. The plane crashed, and Holly and the other stars were killed, still the tour continued with Jimmy Clanton and Bobby Vee being added to the bill as replacements. Dion and the Belmonts continued to perform until the end of the tour.
In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts’ next single, “A Teenager in Love”, was released, making #5 in the US pop charts and #28 in the UK. Their biggest hit, “Where or When”, was released in November 1959, and reached #3 on the US charts. However, in early 1960, Dion checked in to hospital for heroin addiction, a problem he had had since his mid-teens. Further single releases for the group that year were less successful. There were musical and financial differences between Dion and members of the Belmonts, and in October of 1960, Dion decided to quit for a solo career. The main reason was because of his heroin addiction.
Solo stardom, 1960-1964
By the end of 1960, Dion had recorded and released his first solo album, Alone with Dion, and the single “Lonely Teenager”, which rose to #12 in the US charts. The performer name on his solo releases was denoted simply as “Dion” without the last name. Follow-ups “Havin’ Fun” and “Kissin’ Game” had less success, and the signs were that Dion would drift onto the cabaret circuit. However, he then recorded, with new vocal group the Del-Satins, an up-tempo number co-written with Ernie Maresca. The record, “Runaround Sue”, stormed up the charts, reaching #1 in the US charts in September 1961, and #11 in the UK, where he also toured.
For the next single, the record company promoted the A-side, “The Majestic”, but it was the B-side, Maresca’s song “The Wanderer”, which received the radio plays and again rose swiftly up the charts, reaching #2 in the US charts in December 1961 and #10 in the UK. As a classic oldie, it made the UK top 20 again in 1976.
By the end of 1961, Dion was a major star, with a worldwide touring schedule, and an appearance in the Columbia Pictures musical film Twist Around the Clock. He followed up with a string of hit singles – “Lovers Who Wander” (#3), “Little Diane” (#8), “Love Came To Me” (#10) – all making the top 10 in 1962. Several of these were written or co-written by Dion. He also had successful albums with Runaround Sue and Lovers Who Wander.
At the end of 1962, Dion moved from Laurie to Columbia Records, the first rock-and-roll artist ever signed to that label. The first Columbia single, Leiber and Stoller’s “Ruby Baby”, was a big hit, reaching #2, and “Donna the Prima Donna” and “Drip Drop” both reached #6 in the charts in late 1963. (Dion also recorded an Italian version of “Donna the Prima Donna” using the identical backup vocals.) His other Columbia releases were less successful, and problems with his addiction and changing public tastes caused him to enter a period of commercial decline.
Changing fortunes, 1964-1968
Following a European tour, Dion returned to the USA and was introduced to classic blues music by Columbia’s John Hammond. To the consternation of his management, he began recording more blues-oriented material, including Willie Dixon’s “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Spoonful”, but these releases – some produced by Tom Wilson, with Al Kooper on keyboards – were not commercially successful.
In 1966, Dion briefly reunited with the Belmonts for the album Together Again on ABC Records. Again, this bombed, despite one classic self-penned song, “My Girl The Month Of May”. Although by this stage Dion’s career appeared to be nearing an end, he retained enough credibility to be, along with Bob Dylan, one of the only two pop artists featured on the album cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.
In April 1968, Dion experienced what he identified as a powerful religious experience. After getting clean from drug use, he approached Laurie Records for a new contract, and they agreed on condition that he record the song “Abraham, Martin and John”, written by Dick Holler (also the writer of The Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron”) in response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and those of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy during the summer of 1968. The success of this song – later recorded by many others including Marvin Gaye – which reached # 4 in the US charts and #1 in Canada, resuscitated Dion’s career.
The mature period, 1968-1986
For the next few years, Dion’s music became radically different, moving to more contemplative and mature material. He released several albums essentially as a singer-songwriter, to critical acclaim but moderate sales, moving to the Warner Brothers label in 1969.
There followed a one-off live reunion show with the Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in 1972, released on album. This was followed in 1975 by the album Born To Be With You, produced by Phil Spector. The album was a commercial failure, but has been subsequently praised by such artists as Jason Pierce of Spiritualized and Pete Townshend of The Who.
In 1978 Dion released an album drawing on many of his teenage influences, Return of the Wanderer, another critical success and commercial failure. In December 1979 he experienced a life-changing religious experience. Thereafter, his recordings for several years were in a contemporary Christian vein, in which he released a number of albums on the Dayspring label reflecting his religious convictions.
Recent work
In 1987 Dion agreed to do a concert of his old hits at Radio City Music Hall in New York. This helped free him to celebrate both his past and his future, and led to a series of special appearances, including a fundraiser for homeless medical relief. There he shared the stage with fans such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Lou Reed, all of whom cited Dion as one of their prime influences.
In 1988 Dion’s autobiography (co-authored by Davin Seay) titled The Wanderer: Dion’s Story was published. In the following year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the induction speech being given by Lou Reed.
In 1989 he returned to secular rock music with the album Yo Frankie, and since then has released several albums with contemporary rock artists. His Déjà Nu album in 2000 found him covering Bruce Springsteen, a major follower over the years. Dion joined Springsteen onstage in Miami in 2002 for a performance of “If I Should Fall Behind” from Deja Nu.
He joined Scott Kempner of the Del-Lords and Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens in a short-lived band called Little Kings. A live album was later released, but not widely circulated or promoted.
In January 2006, he released Bronx in Blue, an album of blues and country standards, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Grammy. In November 2007 he issued a follow-up in similar vein, Son of Skip James.
As a practicing Catholic, Dion pursues prison ministry and reaches out to men going through addiction recovery. He now lives in Boca Raton, Florida
* 1959: Presenting Dion & The Belmonts
* 1960: Wish Upon a Star With Dion & The Belmonts
* 1961: Alone With Dion
* 1961: Runaround Sue #11
* 1962: Lovers Who Wander #12
* 1962: Love Came to Me
* 1963: Dion Sings to Sandy’ (and all his other gals)’ #115
* 1963: Ruby Baby #20
* 1963: Donna the Prima Donna
* 1967: Dion & The Belmonts – Together Again
* 1968: Dion #128
* 1969: Wonder Where I’m Bound
* 1970: Sit Down Old Friend
* 1971: You’re Not Alone
* 1971: Sanctuary #200
* 1972: Suite For Late Summer #197
* 1973: Dion & The Belmonts – Reunion, Live at Madison Square Garden #144
* 1975: Born to Be With You
* 1976: Streetheart
* 1978: Return of the Wanderer
* 1980: Inside Job
* 1981: Only Jesus
* 1984: I Put Away My Idols CCM #37
* 1984: Seasons
* 1985: Kingdom in the Streets
* 1986: Velvet & Steel
* 1989: Yo Frankie #130
* 1990: Fire in the Night (recorded 1979)
* 1992: Dream on Fire
* 1993: Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas
* 2000: Déjà Nu
* 2003: New Masters
* 2005: Live New York City
* 2006: Bronx in Blue #2 Blues Lps.
* 2007: Son of Skip James #4 Blues Lps.
Chart singles
Release date Title US record label Chart Positions
US Charts AC UK Singles Chart Black Singles Chart
Dion and the Belmonts
1958 “I Wonder Why” Laurie 22
1958 “No One Knows” Laurie 19 12
“Don’t Pity Me” Laurie 40
1959 “A Teenager in Love” Laurie 5 28
“A Lover’s Prayer” Laurie 73
“Every Little Thing I Do” Laurie 48
“Where or When” Laurie 3 19
1960 “Little Miss Blue” Laurie 96
“When You Wish Upon a Star” Laurie 30
“In The Still of the Night” Laurie 38
Dion
“Lonely Teenager” Laurie 12 47
1961 “Havin’ Fun” Laurie 42
“Kissin’ Game” Laurie 82
“Somebody Nobody Wants” Laurie 103
“Runaround Sue” Laurie 1 11 4
“The Wanderer” Laurie 2 10
(also 16, 1976)
“The Majestic” Laurie 36
1962 “Lovers Who Wander” Laurie 3 16
“Little Diane” Laurie 8
“(I Was) Born to Cry” Laurie 42
“Love Came to Me” Laurie 10 24
“Ruby Baby” Columbia 2
1963 “Sandy” Laurie 21
“This Little Girl” Columbia 21
“Come Go With Me” Laurie 48
“Be Careful of Stones That You Throw” Columbia 31
“Lonely World” Laurie 101
“Donna the Prima Donna” Columbia 6 17
“Drip Drop” Columbia 6
1964 “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” Columbia 113
“Shout” Laurie 108
“Johnny B. Goode” Columbia 71
1968 “Abraham, Martin and John” Laurie 4
“Purple Haze” Laurie 63
1969 “From Both Sides Now” Laurie 91
1970 “Your Own Back Yard” Warner Bros. 75
1971 “Sanctuary” Warner Bros. 103
1989 “And The Night Stood Still” Arista 75 16
1990 “Sea Cruise” (From “Ford Fairlane”) 28
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