Variety (March 1959)

Wednesday, March 18, 1959 MUSIC 81 RETAIL RISK BEST SELLERS Disk Signings KAKIETY —— Survey of retail disk best sellers based on reports ob¬ tained from leading stores in 19 cities and showing com¬ parative sales rating for this and last week. Coral Records has added Lillian Briggs to its roster. Singer for¬ merly etched for the Epic label. She recently returned from a nit- ery date in Uraguay, and is slated for a, stand at the Flamboyant | Club, 'San Juan, Puerto Rico. National Rating This Last wk. wh. Artist, Label, Title Elektra: Jean Shepherd Jean Shepherd, who became the “prophet of the night people” via his New York radio show, has been signed to Elektra Records. Jac ; Holtzman, Elektra prexy, will ] groove Shepherd for label’s "Spe- ! cialty Series.” First package will ; be out in April. FRANKIE AVALON (Chancellor) Venus . . 3 1 1 1 1 2 2.. 5 3 .. 4 DAVID SEVILLE (Liberty) Alvin’s Harmonica. 6 3 8 2 .. .. 5 .. 4 .. 1 COASTERS (Atco) Charlie Brown .. BROOK BENTON (Mercury) It’s Just a Matter of Time ....... FLEETWOODS (Dolphin) Come Softly To Me . . ANDY WILLIAMS (Cadence) ■ Hawaiian Wedding Song... CHRIS BARBER (Laurie) Petite Fleur . THOMAS WAYNE (Fermvood) Tragedy .. RICKY NELSON (Imperial) Never Be Anyone Else But You.. 2 2 1 .. 2 11 2 8 8 3 5.. 7 .. 1 .. 2 1 ... I Merc: Buddy Rich, Dick Marx I Buddy Rich and jazz pianist ! Dick Marx have signed on with I Mercury Records. They’ll etch ; mainly for EmArcy, the diskery’s ijazz label. ! Marx co-tops the alternate house ! trio at the Mister Kelly’s nitery i in Chicago. 6 7 6 .. 6 4 9 7.. 4 3 4.... 8 9 5 .. 6 3 5 7 8 10 .. .. 3 9 .. 10 Capitol: Eligibles I The Eligibles, rn^Ie vocal quar- i tet, have been signed to an exclu- j sive recording pact by Capitol, j Group’s recordings will be pro- ! duced by a&r exec Ken Nelson. .. 4 .. .. 10 RICKY NELSON (Imperial) It’s Late. . RAY ANTHONY (Capitol) Peter Gunn Theme. RITCHIE VALENS (Del-Fi) Donna . MITCH MILLER (Columbia) Children's Marching Song. BELL NOTES (Time) I’ve Had It. LLOYD PRICE (ABC-Par) Stagger Lee. CYRIL STAPLETON (London) Children’s Marching Song. BUDDY HOLLY (Coral) It Doesn’t Matter Anymore. DODIE STEVENS (Crystalette) Pink Shoe Laces. TOMMY EDWARDS (MGM) Please, Mr. Sun.. BILLY WILLIAMS (Coral) Nola. VIRTUES (Hunt) Guitar Boogie Shuffle. HENRY MANCINI (Victor) Peter Gunn Theme... LaVERN BAKER (Atlantic) I Cried a Tear. REG OWEN (Palette) Manhattan Spiritual .. CONNIE FRANCIS (MGM) If I Didn’t Care. Imperial: Joe Loco Joe Loco, Latin American band¬ leader, has been signed to an ex¬ clusive recording pact by Lew Chudd’s Imperial Records. 4 .... 10 4 Panama: Danny Marshall Danny Marshall, singer-come¬ dian, has been set for a two-year pact with Herbert Wolff Jr.’s Panama Records. Pact calls for two albums a year and at least two single sides per annum. Cur¬ rently filling a three-week en¬ gagement at the Wagon Wheel, Lake Tahoe, Marshall expects to cut his first album of original songs and standards around April 1. Cascade: Dennis Weaver Dennis Weaver, co-star to James Arness in CBS-TV’s “Gunsmoke” series, is embarking on a vocal career. Thesp, best known for his “Chester” characterization in the western telepix, has been signed to an exclusive recording pact by Fess Parker and A1 Kavelin’s Cas¬ cade Records. 3 .. .. 12 Fame: Larry Bennett The indie Fame label added Larry Bennett to its roster last week. Bennett is a bit actor in pix. Inside Stuff—Music DANE MORGAN SINGS TO EACH The Big Three (Robbins, Feist & Miller) is in the running again for this yearns Academy Award “best song” nomination with “A Certain Smile.” This marks the 22d consecutive year that the firm has had a tune nomination. During this period 34 Big Three tunes have been nominated and five have won the Oscar. In the “best score” category, the firm also has a streak going for 21 years. During this period, the Big Three chalked up 67 “best score” nominations and won 10 Oscars. In present Oscar race, firm is represented again in “best score” cate¬ gory with “Mardi Gras” and “The Young Lions.” HIS OWN KAPP RECORDS IPAPAMOUST MUSIC CORPORATION! Lorraine Hansberry, writer of the new Broadway legit click, “Raisin In The Sim,” is the wife of music bizite Bob Barron, who’s square handle is Robert Nemiroff. Barron is professional manager of Bryden Music which had the “Cindy Oh Cindy” hit recorded by Vince Martin on Glory Records a couple of years ago. Incidentally, Phil Rose, Glory prexy, is co-producer of the play with David J. Cogan. BIG ONES FROM MPHC Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and casino owners are readying an affair honoring longtime Vegas resident Gene Austin in behalf of his efforts as an “international goodwill ambassador” for his home town. Now warbling in the lounge of the Tropicana Hotel, L.V., he was awarded the first gold record ever presented (“My Blue Heaven”— RCA Victor). It’s now in the Smithsonian Institution. age aren't done by her in the pic, the set should attract some inter¬ est because of Miss Bailey’s marquee pull. Her lazy singing style, however, doesn’t make much of "Summertime,” “I Got Plenty of Nuttin’ ” or “Bess You Is My Wom¬ an Now.” It fits much better on such as “Love Is Here To Stay,” “A Foggy Day” and “It Ain’t Nec¬ essarily So.” She gets a neat vo¬ cal assist from The Ambassadors and an orch conducted by Buddy Baker. George DeWitt: “Sings That Tune” (Epic).- Although he’s no great shakes as a singer, George DeWitt does have a pleasant qual¬ ity and a potential audience for this package via his hosting on CBS-TV’s “Name That Tune” show. Set is a blending of pops and some showtime items and he carries it off neatly with the help of Ray Ellis who did the arranging and conducting. Gros. Blaine’s Distrib Reshuffle In a reshuffling of its distributor setup, Jerry Blaine’s Jubilee Rec¬ ords acquired five new outlets in Albany, Buffalo, Hartford, Hous¬ ton and New Orleans. The new distribs will also handle, the Josie, Port, Jane and Dana labels. The five new distribs are the L. Smith Distributing Co„ Albany; Metro Distributing, Buffalo; Trin¬ ity Distributing, Hartford; H. W. Laily, Houston, and the All-South Distributing Corp., New Orleans. A 1959 SAN REMO IMUSil FESTIVAL PR'ZE /.'INNER I GAO, GAOI BAMBINA n IO to b 0 m b c ■; r. 3 DEARER THAN DEAR Mtn WILLIAMS KAPP A supplement to the "Rodgers & Hammerstein Fact Book” is being released this week, covering the period from “Cinderella” to the im¬ pending production of “Babes in Arms.” Reference book is available cUffo to libraries, radio-tv and other theatrical reference sources from the R&H office in New York. ******** **********★**★*★★**★★**★*** * THE NEW YORKER (Whitney Balliett) Mar. 7, «ay«- * * "... the most intense and single-minded exploration of * * jazz yet made by one man . . . remarkably consistent ^ * ... invariably exhilirating . .." * 1700 SQ. FEET Adfaceet Time-Life I Mg. Sellable for: Recording. AedHioe, Photographic, Dacca Stedfa Immediate Peueaioe Tel. Owner—LA 4-4480. Ext. 3 G&S Tunes Getting Jazz Workover for WB Gilbert & Sullivan will be given a jazz workover via an upcoming album from Warner Bros. Records. Package, titled “Gilbert A Sul¬ livan Revisited,” was produced for WB by Bouree Productions which made diskery’s recent release, “Porgy & Bess Revisited.” The G&S package will Include a dozen songs from their operettas played by an 11-piece group. Set was conceived and produced for Bouree by George T. Simon, and Jim. Timmens fronts the group. Albiim Reviews THELONIOUS MONK Currently— APOLLO THEATRE. New York , Continued from page 76 ; RIVERSIDE RECORDS “Dormi-Dormi-Dormi,” “StradaV’- Forsa” and “Guaglione” are some of the tunes that sound better with the Balcaloni beat. The Hirshfield caricature of the singer on the caver is a display plus. Pearl Bailey: “‘Porgy & Bess’ and Other Gershwin Melodies” (Roulette). Peg for this set is Pearl Bailey’s appearance in the Samuel Goldwyn production of “Porgy & Bess.” Although most of the “P&B” selections in the pack- Pers. Mgr.: HARRY COLOMBY NOW ROOKED EXCLUSIVELY BY ;—ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORPORATION—4 JOE OLASER. Pres. 745 Fifth Avt. 509 N. Wabash Ava 407 Lincoln Rd. 9419 Sunsat itvd. Naw York 22, tt.Y Chicaea, IH. Miami Baach, Fla. tt'wtad H, Calif. PLaxa 9-4699 CEntral 5-9451 JEffarsan 9-0212 OLympla 2-9949