Variety (January 12, 1955)

54 music Wednesday, January 12, 1955 Diskers Gird to Sustain Holiday Sales Drive Well Into New Year * The record companies are gear- ing to sustain the sales momentum of the holiday season into the new year. Sales staffers of the top labels have fanned out around the country this past week to brief branch managers and distributors on upcoming product, while home- olfice exploitation chiefs are prop- ping a heavy promotional barrage on the new releases. The final figures aren’t in yet but it's expected that this season s Yule sales spurt will show up as the best in years. RCA Victor, for example, reports last week as one of the biggest in over-the-counter sales in its history. Label’s Ames Bros.’ etching of “Naughty Lady of Shady Lane” racked up 60.000 sales in one day. Decca, Columbia and Capitol also report heavy sales play throughout the week. » The companies for the most part will be banking on their disclickers of the past to pull ’em through again. In Columbia’s case, however, one of its major pushes will be on a new pactee, Mahalia Jackson. Thrush’s initial Col platters will be out in January and all of the plat- tery’s branches have been alerted for the big push. Victor’s Packages Victor currently is laying on the Tony Martin-Dinah Shore waxing of "Melody of Love” as well as The Johnson Family coupling of “Do You Know Where God Lives” and “The Lord Is Counting on You.” In the package field Victor is prep- ping a deluxe original cast album of “Silk Stockings” and the Eddy Arnold collection tagged -An American Institution” for the Jan- uary drive. Decca is coming off one of its hottest years with the Cowboy School waxing 6f a pair of Stuart Hamblen tunes, the Caterina Va- lente slice of “Malaguena” and a new Sammy Davis Jr. biscuit for the new year drive. Cap is stressing the Les Paul-Mary Ford coupling of “Song in Blue” and “Someday Sweetheart” as well as the Frank Sinatra-Ray Anthony workover oi “Melody ol Love.” MGM expects to hit hard early in the year with Joni James and Betty Madigan slices; Mercury will stress The Crew Cuts, Gaylords and newcomer Denise Lor among others, while London will enter David Whitfield, Frank Chacks- field, The Johnson Bros, and Mon- tovani for a fast getaway in ’55. GEORGE LIBERACE SET FOR OWN CONCERT TOUR Hollywood. Jan. 11. George Liberace, orch conduc- 1 tor-brother of pianist Liberace, is | set to make his ow n concert tour j across the country following his guest appearance on George | Gobel’s tv show Jan. 22. George, recently inked by the Premiere Artists agency, also conducts his own orch in Liberace’s j upcoming Warner's pic, “^sincerely Yours " On-Spot Liberace Bowl Taping Set As Album An on-the-spot taping of a Liberace concert is being prepped for album release by Columbia Rec- ords. Package will include Liberace’s keyboarding, patter, and j reaction and orch accompaniment by brother George. Taping was made at Liberace’s Hollywood Bowl concert last year. Del Wood Joins RCA RCA Victor has added femme pianist Del Wood to its country and j western talent roster. Steve Sholes, Victor’s c&w r chief, headed for Nashville this week to cut her first sides. Miss Wood broke through with a hit a couple of years ago with her keyboard version of “Down Yonder.” BOB STEWART sings A MILLION STARS YOURS FOR THE ASKING MGM 11902 ' K 11902 78 RPM 45 RPM M G M RECORDS THE GREATEST NAME IN ENTERTAINMENT Disk Best Sellers of 1954 Listed below in alphabetical order of the artist are the top 50 best sellers in the pop disk field during 1954. Compilation is based on the information contained in Variety’s weekly Retail Disk Best Sellers charts. Artist-Title Label AMES BROTHERS—“Man With the Banjo” Victor AMES BROTHERS—“Naughty Lady of Shady Lane” Victor TONY BENNETT—"Stranger in Paradise” Columbia ARCHIE BLEYER—“Hernando’s Hideaway” Cadence TERESA BREWER—“Jilted” Coral CHORDETTES—"Mister Sandman” Cadence ROSEMARY CLOONEY—“Hey There” Columbia ROSEMARY CLOONEY—“Mambo Italiano” Columbia ROSEMARY CLOONEY—“This Ole House” Columbia NAT (KING) COLE—“Answer Me. My Love” Capitol PERRY COMO—“Home for the Holidays” Victor PERRY COMO—“Papa Loves Mambo” Victor PERRY COMO—“Wanted” Victor DON CORNELL—“Hold My Hand” Coral CREW CUTS—“Crazy ’Bout You, Baby” Mercury CREW CUTS—“Sh-Boom” Mercury DORIS DAY—“If I Give My Heart to You” Columbia DORIS DAY—“Secret Love’’ * Columbia DeCASTRO SISTERS—“Teach Me Tonight” Abbott EDDIE FISHER—“A Girl. A Girl” Victor EDDIE FISHER—“Count Your Blessings” Victor EDDIE FISHER—“I Need You Now” Victor EDDIE FISHER—“Oh. My Papa’’ Victor FOUR ACES—"Heart of My Heart” Decca FOUR ACES—“Three Coins in the Fountain” Decca FOUR KNIGHTS—“Oh, Baby Mine” (I Get So Lonely) ...Capitol FOUR TUNES—“I Understand Just How You Feel” Jubilee GAYLORDS—“From the Vine Came the Grape” Mercury GAYLORDS—“Little Shoemaker” Mercury* BILL HALEY’S COMETS—“Shake. Rattle and Roll” Decca KITTY KALLEN—“In the Chapel in the Moonlight” Decca KITTY KALLEN—“Little Things Mean a Lot” Decca RAlBH MARTERIE—“Skokiaan” ..Mercury DEAN MARTIN—"That’s Amore” Capitol TONY MARTIN—“Here” * Victor McGUIRE SISTERS—“Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight” . .Coral MILLS BROTHERS—“Jones Boy” Decea LOU MONTE—“Darktovvn Strutters Ball” Victor PATTI PAGE—“Changing Partners” Mercury PATTI PAGE—“Cross Over the Bridge” Mercury LES PAUL-MARY FORD—“I’m a Fool to Care” Capitol GEORGIE SHAW—“Till We Two Are One” Decca FRANK SINATRA—“Three Coins in the Fountain” Capitol FRANK SINATRA—“Young at Heart” Capitol JO STAFFORD—“Make Love to Me” Columbia KAY STARR—“If You Love Me” (Really Love Me) Capitol KAY STARR—“Man Upstairs” Capitol JOAN WEBER—"Let Me Go, Lover” Columbia FRANK WEIR—“Happy Wanderer” London VICTOR YOUNG—“High and the Mighty” Decca Seattle AFM Local Elects New Officers Seattle, Jan. 11. Leslie Martin, a bass player In the Seattle Symphony, defeated longtime incumbent Harry L. Reed for the presidency of Local 76, Musicians Union here, in a hotly contested election. Reed had been president of the local since 1944. Other contested office, that of business representative, was w r on by Chester Ramage, who defeated Jack Smith, biz rep since 1947, with one year out in 1951. Reed and Smith directed most campaign fire at one another, with Reed supporting Ramage. Martin was also elected presi- dent of the Musician’s Club of Seattle over Reed. Ramage, Reed and Ida B. Dillon were chosen delegates to the AFM convention. Unopposed officers included Alvin Schardt, vice-president; Ed. J. Carey, secretary, and Cliff Leh- man, treasurer. Omaha Reelects Prez Omaha. Jan. 11. John Shildneck recently was elecTed prexy of Lincoln, Neb., Musicians Association for his eighth consecutive term. Other 1955 officers are Gunnar Sorenson, v.p.; Mark Pierce, sec- Best British Sheet Sellers (Week ending Jan. 1) London, Jan. 5. Mister Sandman Morris Hold My Hand Wood Can’t Tell. Waltz Reine.. This Ole House Duchess Santo Natale Spier If I Give My Heart.. Robbins Count Your Blessings. .Berlin Finger of Suspicion. . Pickwick Veni, Vidi, Vici Dash Happy Wanderer ...Bosworth Must Be A Reason ..Connelly No One But You Robbins retary-treasurer; Tony DiPaola, sergeant-at-arms, and Jack Snider, Riley Smith. Bob Graham, Eugene Stoll and John Cox, board of di- rectors. Weinstein N.O. Tooter Head New’ Orleans, Jan. 11. Dave Weinstein was elected president of the Musicians Mutual Protective Union, Local 174, ! American Federation of Musicians, last Wednesday (5). | Other officers are Nick M. Tadin, vice president; John Scheuermann Jr., secretary-treasurer; Charles F. Hartmann, business rep; Charles Dupont, assistant business rep; Clifford H. Eustis, accountant, and Joseph Graffagnini, sergeant-at- arms. Grinnell Bros., Detroit, Elects New Officers Detroit, Jan. 11. For the first time in several years, two members of the Grin- nell family head the 75-year-old Grinnell Bros. Music House, larg- est in Detroit. Store has 30 branches in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario. Lloyd G. Grinnell was elected president, succeeding Eddy R. Mc- Duff, who resigned to become prexy of the Winter Piano Co., of New York. Ira L. Grinnell was elected to replace Lloyd G. Grin- nell as v.p. Other officers are Lee R. Joslyn Jr., secretary, and Rob- ert Baker, treasurer. Stevens-Seven Disks Schenectady, Jan. 11. Garry Stevens and the “After Six Seven, featured on “TV Show’- ease” via WRGB, Schenectady, five times weekly, last week cut sides of four records for sale in Capital District stores. Group is Issuing the records un- der its own name. CAP STEPPING UP PUSH ON V-M CHANGER UNE Capitol Records will step up its sales and promotional campaign on its V-M record changer line for the coming year. Capitol took over the V-M line in August, 1953, but this will mark the first year the diskery will have a special depart- ment to handle the record changer division. Joe Bour will head up the department handling sales and promotion matters. Branches handling the V-M line now has been upped to 21. In ’53 only Cap branches in New York, Newark, Los Angeles and San Francisco presented the phono- graphs. V-M is home-based in Benton Harbor, Mich., with K. L. Bishop as general sales manager and M. B. Cain as distributor sales manager. New MPCE Council Music Publishers Contact Em- ployees Union began the new year with election of a new' executive council. Seated for a two-year term were Leo Diston, Bob Baum- gart, Mac Kooper, Burt Haber, Bernie Pollack, Mickey Garlock, Jack Perry, Sammy Smith, Murray Luth and Harry'Santly. Union’s presidential election w ill be held in 1956. Bob Miller is current MPCE prexy. That ‘Space Ship’ Feeling Hollywood, Jan. 11. There’s a definite “out of this world” flavor in the RCA Victor album completed here recently by the Voice of Walter Schumann. Album is in the science fiction vein of music with a “space ship” feeling. Experiment in melodies of the future is for release fairly seen. Tunes are all original compositions by Leith Stevens. Ted Dreher was reelected presi- dent of the Kansas City Musicians Local 34, AFM. He had been president three years. A WONDERFUL SEASONAL SONG Si? end Cohn s "LIT IT SNO W.'" "ut it Show 1 " "UT IT SHOW!" CAHN MUSIC COMPANY Second 12 I Still Believe.. .Macmelodies Sky Blue Shirt Wright Smile ....Bourne My Son Kassner Happy Days Wright My Friend Chappell I Love Paris Chappell Things Mean a Lot.. Robbins Heartbeat ...Kassner Mama Doll Song Leeds Story of Tina... .Macmelodies Whitt* Christmas Berlin America's-Fastest ■= Selling -:Records!