Legendary Philadelphia labelreflects on hitmaking vocal group, early soul star and horror novelty artist.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.- Collectors' Choice Music in conjunction with ABKCO Music & Records continuestheir rollout of Cameo Parkway reissues on November 23, 2010 with the releaseof three CD double albums: The Dovells' ForYour Hully Gully Party/You Can't Sit Down, Dee Dee Sharp's It's Mashed Potato Time/Do The Bird, JohnZacherle's Monster Mash/Scary Talesand the compilation Cameo-Parkway HolidayHits.
Legendary Philadelphia labelreflects on hitmaking vocal group, early soul star and horror novelty artist.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.- Collectors' Choice Music in conjunction with ABKCO Music & Records continuestheir rollout of Cameo Parkway reissues on November 23, 2010 with the releaseof three CD double albums: The Dovells' ForYour Hully Gully Party/You Can't Sit Down, Dee Dee Sharp's It's Mashed Potato Time/Do The Bird, JohnZacherle's Monster Mash/Scary Talesand the compilation Cameo-Parkway HolidayHits.
InJune 2010, Collectors' Choice Music and ABKCO Music & Records began arollout of reissues and compilations from the legendary Cameo and ParkwayRecords masters. For some time ABKCO had been looking for the right team withwhom to delve into its vaults to create an ongoing Cameo Parkway reissueprogram. ABKCO found the right mix in Collectors' Choice Music and thetwo have entered into an arrangement, ensuring that a flow of reissues andcompilations will be available over the next few years. All releases arecurated by Teri Landi, ABKCO's resident engineer and catalog archivist, andannotated by respected music journalists.
The four new collections are asfollows:
The Dovells- For Your Hully Gully Party/You Can't Sit Down: The Dovells(Jerry Summers, Len Barry, Mike Dennis, Danny Brooks and Arnie Satin) cametogether in Cameo Parkway's back yard, Philadelphia, in 1959. After a pair offlop singles issued in 1960, the group topped the charts in the summer of 1961with "Bristol Stomp", inspired by a dance step taking Bristol, Pa. by storm.Cameo Parkway had become a leader in dance records with Chubby Checker's "TheTwist" and "Limbo Rock", Bobby Rydell's "The Cha-Cha-Cha", the Orlons' "The Wah-Watusi" and Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time" (more on that release in aminute). On the heels of an earlier "Hully Gully" from L.A. group the Olympics,Cameo Parkway staff writers/producers Kal Mann and Dave Appell worked up a newarrangement for the Dovells. It went Top 30 and inspired the For Your Hully Gully Party album. Thelong-player also features "The Jitterbug", "Stompin' Everywhere" and "Time forthe Madison" following the groove of the Ray Bryant and Al Brown "Madison"hits. The irresistible "You Can'tSit Down" was originally an instrumental hit for session guitarist PhilUpchurch, which he'd play live going into breaks. Mann wrote lyrics, and thesong became the Dovells' second biggest hit - rescued from its destiny asB-side of "Wildwood Days". Other songs on the You Can't Sit Down album include Larry Williams' "Short Fat Fannie",Bobby Blue Bland's "36-22-26" and Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout". Following the Dovells' run of hits, LenBarry went on to score with the 1965 hit "1-2-3". Gene Scullatti wrote the liner notes on the Dovells twofer.
• Dee Dee Sharp - It'sMashed Potato Time/Do The Bird: Dee Dee Sharp was born DioneLaRue in Philadelphia. But when the singer, who learned to sing in church,signed to Cameo Parkway and recorded her smash hit "Mashed Potato Time" she wasre-named Dee Dee Sharp because of her tendency to sing in the key of D Sharp.Originally part of a gospel group that backed artists like Lloyd Price, JackieWilson and Ray Charles, Sharp suddenly was the star - and Cameo artists theOrlons backed her on her hit. Offered the song "The Loco-Motion" by CaroleKing, the Cameo Parkway producers declined as they didn't own the publishing.But Sharp soon rebounded with "Gravy (for My Mashed Potatoes)", which performedremarkably well for a side dish, peaking at #9. The It's Mashed Potato Time album also featured "I Sold My Heart to theJunkman", a 1948 ballad by the Basin Street Boys; "Gee" by the Crows; and "AHundred Pounds of Clay" by Gene McDaniels. The album is coupled here with Do The Bird, which includes Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin", Jackie Wilson's "ReetPetitie" and Clyde McPhatter's "Just To Hold My Hand." Given her gospel upbringing, Dee Deehadn't heard any of these songs until producer Appell displayed "the patienceof Job" in presenting them. "But I was a quick study," she told Ed Osborne inthe liner notes, "and that's how I made it."
• John Zacherle - MonsterMash/Scary Tales: "John Zacherle's mystery is intact" writes Lovin'Spoonful frontman John Sebastian in his liner notes for this ghoulish reissue."I've been a fan for 50 years and I still know next to nothing about him." Theoriginally "y"-less Zacherle was a late '50s Philadelphia TV host known asRoland (pronounced Ro-land) who'dappear in a death mask of clown white and black shadow, hosting horror movies. Afterhis Philly stint he resurfaced on New York TV as "Zacherley" but would returnto Philadelphia to record horror novelty hits for Cameo Parkway including"Dinner with Drac Part 1." He also parodied several Cameo hits, with producersAppell and Mann using the original instrumental tracks. (Sebastian foundhimself marveling, "Boy, he really gets the band to sound like the realrecord.") Other songs on this twofer include a cover of the Bobby "Boris"Pickett hit "Monster Mash" plus Cameo Parkway parodies "Let's Twist Again(Mummy Time is Here)", "Popeye (The Grave Digger)", "Weird Watusi", "PistolStomp" and "Limb from Limbo Rock". Also included are bonus tracks "Dinner With Drac Part 2" plusalternate versions of "Scary Tales From Mother Goose" and "Igor". Zacherle rises from the dead on thespecial street date of October 26, just in time for Halloween.
•Various Artists: Cameo-Parkway Holiday Hits: Like any self-respectingindependent label of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Cameo Parkway recorded itsshare of holiday-themed recordings, and this 18 track collection wraps ‘em intoone tidy package. In that only four of the songs have been on CD, Christmasreally has arrived for collectors. Thecompilation includes "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker; "SantaClaus Is Coming to Town", "Winter Wonderland" and "Let It Snow, Let It Snow,Let It Snow" by the Rudolph Statler Orchestra; "Joy to the World", "Hark! TheHerald Angels Sing", "The First Noel" and "Deck the Halls" by the InternationalPop Orchestra; "Merry Christmas" and "New Year's Eve" by the Cameos; "Auld LangSyne" by Beethoven Ben and "White Christmas (3 O'Clock Weather Report)" byBobby the Poet; "I'll Stay Home New Year's Eve" by the Jaynells; "Twelve Daysof Christmas" by the Mexicani Marimba Band and "Donde Este Santa Claus (WhereIs Santa Claus)?" by Toni Stante; "Auld Lang Syne" by Bob Johnson And TheLonesome Travelers and "Sock It to Me Santa" by Bob Seger And The Last Heard. Plus, as a specialbonus, Collectors' Choice has unearthed an uproarious duet between ChubbyChecker and Bobby Rydell: "Jingle Bells Imitations".
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