tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73998861772498842982024-03-14T03:39:08.394-07:00Percy FaithMirror site of the Bill Halvorsen "Percy Faith Pages": Remembering PERCY FAITH... orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop music and standards. He pioneered the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and the 1960s.Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-46605228234211251192011-11-21T03:56:00.001-08:002022-01-26T20:11:42.138-08:00Website devoted to career of Percy FaithPopular music conductor Percy Faith<br />
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Faith was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the oldest of eight children. He played violin and piano as a child, and played in theatres and at Massey Hall. After his hands were badly burned in a fire, he turned to conducting, and his live orchestras utilized the new medium of radio broadcasting. <b>Beginning with defunct stations CKNC and CKCL, Faith was a staple of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's live-music broadcasting from 1933 to 1940</b>, when he resettled in Chicago. In 1945, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He made many recordings for Voice of America. After working briefly for Decca Records, he worked for Mitch Miller at Columbia Records, where he turned out dozens of albums and provided arrangements for many of the pop singers of the 1950s, including Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Johnny Mathis (for Johnny's 1958 Christmas album entitled "Merry Christmas Johnny Mathis"), and Guy Mitchell (for whom Faith wrote Mitchell's number one single, "My Heart Cries for You").<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Faith">Wikipedia</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Percy%20Faith&tag=ncdn&index=aps&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">SHOP: Percy Faith</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ncdn&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-1070687917460378932011-11-21T03:34:00.002-08:002022-01-26T20:10:09.045-08:00Radio Broadcast Interview...and Percy Faith conducting...1944<p> </p><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZPtqmh6gIP851vu_eyIG9yNmynY5bXbdff7kLfbp985LuTnDfwlEq-NhFMTrZTC4NfleAQ97GAC0RhjwdLN46-D2O_ewOfOt1cIZUBORYYe1dRlA0AzCsl_wqAhPy9F6_Pe3EHX_qmdUUj0vfJuU62HxwY4SjMbNHs1-Y7cNctlJAIYJZLFnYCTJ3=s709" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="709" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZPtqmh6gIP851vu_eyIG9yNmynY5bXbdff7kLfbp985LuTnDfwlEq-NhFMTrZTC4NfleAQ97GAC0RhjwdLN46-D2O_ewOfOt1cIZUBORYYe1dRlA0AzCsl_wqAhPy9F6_Pe3EHX_qmdUUj0vfJuU62HxwY4SjMbNHs1-Y7cNctlJAIYJZLFnYCTJ3=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><p> </p><iframe frameborder="0" height="102px" scrolling="no" src="https://anchor.fm/ralan-campbell/embed/episodes/GUARD-SESSION-Percy-Faith-e1dh1cd" width="400px"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>Martin Block interviews famous easy listening music conductor Percy Faith on the National Guard public service transcription. But first we hear a "Summer Montage" with Faith's recordings of The Theme From A Summer Place, Summer Breeze and Summer of '42.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhzyyi-Dj3XDzXUw5-Dpmv_vagdeWc7oTpGzJcHeikQZNDDt5Z6u4syGqxapFXxBhssbouPm_-U1Ig2VFci5lJivPYAXJUBm2Yip_YU8sP98k0gArPqSuLjrCGCWVf_LsFOaDh_t4ZRY/s1600/steber.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="527" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhzyyi-Dj3XDzXUw5-Dpmv_vagdeWc7oTpGzJcHeikQZNDDt5Z6u4syGqxapFXxBhssbouPm_-U1Ig2VFci5lJivPYAXJUBm2Yip_YU8sP98k0gArPqSuLjrCGCWVf_LsFOaDh_t4ZRY/s200/steber.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Eleanor Steber (July 17, 1914 – October 3, 1990) was an American operatic soprano. Steber is noted as one of the first major opera stars to have achieved the highest success with training and a career based in the United States. Here on this audio broadcast of May 21, 1944 she was a guest on the <i>Andre Kostelanetz show</i>...conducted that week by <b>Percy Faith</b>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Steber">WIKIPEDIA</a>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="160" src="https://clyp.it/iova1cun/widget" width="100%"></iframe>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-7559514231544998942011-11-21T03:32:00.001-08:002011-11-21T03:32:34.483-08:00Photos and Links<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;">ALAN BUNTING's website <a href="http://www.pelstream.co.uk/" style="color: #993300;">http://pelstream.co.uk</a> is the ultimate Faith resource with a complete discography (something you won't find here!) and much more for the collector. Alan has a tremendous discography complete with cover art and the various catalog numbers applied over the decades.</span></span></span></strong></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><div align="left">I have never been real bright on inclusion of links because I'm lazy or incompetent, but one link has never been shown here and it <i>always should have been</i>...</div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0;"><div align="left"><a href="http://www.duttonvocalion.com/" style="color: #993300;">http://www.duttonvocalion.com/</a></div></span></span><div align="left"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0;">T</span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;">here are wonderful recordings from London/Decca that we have all loved - Ronnie Aldrich and his "twin pianos" (well, not really <i>twin pianos</i> but some good twin-tracking and pan-potting), Stanley Black, Frank Chacksfield, etc... Many of the recordings have been perfectly remastered and reissued through Michael Dutton's website and it is must reading for mood musikians. Here you will find the great London Phase 4 records. Please check out your favorite artists from London Records (Decca in the UK) here!</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><div align="left">Here you will find a LOT of great music in a wide range of interests and going waaay back in time. Well worth a visit... please stop by! Robert Farnon records, even (gasp) Mantovani... there's a lot of great music here.</div></span><span style="color: #0000a0;"><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">T</span></strong><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">he ROBERT FARNON Society web page - Visit <a href="http://www.rfsoc.freeserve.co.uk/" style="color: #993300;">http://www.rfsoc.freeserve.co.uk<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></a>to read about/join the Society, that has done a magnificent job of maintaining, through the years, a keen interest in "our" type of music. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">RAY CONNIFF<strong> <span style="color: red;"> </span> </strong>The late Ray Conniff has two tremendous websites and publications, click here and below for<strong> </strong>details!<strong> </strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">Doug Mitchell's site: <a href="http://www.rayconniff.info/" style="color: #993300;">http://www.rayconniff.info/</a></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">Manfred Thonicke's<strong> </strong>RAY CONNIFF<strong> </strong>web page: </span><span class="EmailFormatvorlage15" style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.thoenicke.homepage.t-online.de/rayconniff/index.htm" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.thoenicke.homepage.t-online.de/rayconniff/index.htm</span></a></span></span></span></div></span><strong></strong><div align="left"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma;">CD's of vintage music</span></span></strong> <a href="http://www.deltamusic.co.uk/" style="color: #993300;">www.deltamusic.co.uk</a></div><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><div align="left"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">THE JOY BOYS: Washington DC's long-running, perfect example of how great live radio could be - and now Robert Bybee has a website devoted to their on-air antics. There's been nothing on the air for us "geezers" for a long time. Some people had their tapes rolling, and on the Joy Boys site, you'll hear some clips of "live radio" gems. By all means please drop by <span style="color: white;"><a href="http://www.thejoyboys.com/" style="color: #993300;">http://www.thejoyboys.com</a></span> and enjoy some sounds of two of the most talented gentlemen of the airwaves.</span></span></div><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: x-small;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Speaking of Washington, DC, I was born there, though my first trip home at two weeks of age was to the Maryland suburbs of DC. Through the web I can relive the local and national television shows that served as light education and a lot of just plain fascination as a kid - heck, gosh, gee, everyone remembers Bozo The Clown, right? Can you say WILLARD SCOTT??? Many of the shows and themes depicted here are local to the Washington area. What's very interesting relating to music, is that we've found that a couple of the tremendously popular shows used Percy Faith themes (Countdown Carnival used "Little Bells and Big Bells" - Captain Tugg used Faith's arrangement of "Bluebell" - and we just found out that Mitch Miller did the music for the "Ranger Hal" program. Visit Bob Bell's site and see the shows we watched as brats I mean perfect children in the 50's and 60's!!! <a href="http://kidshow.dcmemories.com/" style="color: #993300;">http://kidshow.dcmemories.com/</a>. Bob's site will bring back childhood memories of the television shows that some of our group of "aging boomers" grew up on - with a special emphasis, of course, on those shows from the Washington, DC television stations aimed at the kiddies</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br />
</span></div></span></span></strong></span></span></span></strong>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-41405182329988835802011-11-21T03:31:00.001-08:002011-11-21T03:31:41.417-08:00Photo Gallery The Percy Faith Pages<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<ul style="list-style-image: url(http://www.percyfaithpages.org/_themes/sandston/astonbu1.gif);"><li><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Dolly (Mary) Faith, Percy's widow, passed away on Thanksgiving Day, 1997. Here are some <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/dfpix.htm" style="color: #993300;">PHOTOS</a> I took at the Faith home in 1991, including one or two of Mrs. Faith. Then here are a few <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/morepix.htm" style="color: #993300;">more PHOTOS </a>(including Toshiaki Sato) and finally -<a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/pictures.htm" style="color: #993300;"> photos of two sheet music covers</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div></li>
<li><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">a formal black&white <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/images/pfaithbw.jpg" style="color: #993300;">picture of Percy Faith</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div></li>
<li><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">a picture of <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/pfbhpix.htm" style="color: #993300;">Percy Faith and Bill</a> (me)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div></li>
<li><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">a picture of <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/pfhgtgpix.htm" style="color: #993300;">Percy Faith, Sergeant Harry Gleeson (USAF Band) and Tom Gauger</a> (WMAL Radio)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div></li>
<li><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/bill.htm" style="color: #993300;">Bill (high school, photo taken at an elementary school, taping THE COMMODORES</a> (US Navy Stage Band) circa 1971; HS teacher loaned the tape to someone and it was never seen again. You can only see the back of my head seated in front of the tape recorder. It was a great recording of a great band, and some unknown Washingtonian has the tape, who shouldn't...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div></li>
</ul><div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">These pictures were taken March 23, 1974 at the WMAL radio studios on Jennifer Street in Washington, DC, the day before a concert with Percy Faith as guest conductor of the USAF Concert Band with the Singing Sergeants at DAR Constitution Hall the following day (Sunday, March 24, 1974).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><cite style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/55program.htm" style="color: #993300;">Here are some "nostalgic" photos/reviews taken from a 1955 concert tour Percy did with Tony Bennett.</a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"> Sadly, the very page with the most Percy Faith information, and his picture, was torn out, but it's still very interesting!</span></cite></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="left"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><cite style="font-style: normal;">Rather too shy to write to Percy Faith I initially composed a letter (didn't keep a copy) to Irving Townsend, who was responsible for the late 60's heavy pop-flavored albums that featured the female chorus (who can ever forget "Candy Man" but I digress...) <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/pfpages3.htm" style="color: #993300;">here is Faith's response</a>! </cite></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-13964405994958023072011-11-21T03:24:00.000-08:002011-11-21T03:24:36.386-08:00Johnny Douglas and The Living Strings<div style="background-color: #ffffcc; background-image: url(http://www.percyfaithpages.org/_themes/sandston/stonbk.jpg); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; font-size: medium;"><div align="center"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/images/Listening%20To%20Popular%20Music.pdf" style="color: #993300;">Dick O'Connor discusses the discontinuation of The Living Strings (and associated Living Things) on Camden, written in 1983 when it happened; a fascinating and informative look back in time. File is in .pdf format. Click here to read.</a></div></span><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><div align="center"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/Living%20Strings%20Camden%20List.htm" style="color: #993300;">The Living Strings Discography has been totally revised and completed by VINCE PARADA</a> (click this link)</div></span><div align="center"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/j_d_biography.htm" style="color: #993300;">Johnny Douglas Biography</a> <span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">© Norma Camby, last amendment 2009 Permission Granted for use on this Web Site</span></span></span></div><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><div align="center"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/johnny%20douglas%20tribute.htm" style="color: #993300;">Johnny Douglas Tribute</a></div></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"><img height="79" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/dulcimalogo.jpg" width="197" /></div></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span></span></b></strong></span><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></strong></span><strong><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">DULCIMA RECORDS</span></span></span></b></strong></div><strong><b><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">NEW RELEASE</div></span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS</div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"><span style="font-size: medium;">from</span></div></span></b><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold', 'French Script MT';"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">The Living Strings Series</div></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"><img height="387" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/the%20spirit%20of%20christmas%20dulcima.jpg" width="391" /></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"><span style="font-family: Webdings;">˜</span> <span style="font-family: Webdings;">˜</span> <span style="font-family: Webdings;">˜</span> <span style="font-family: Webdings;">˜</span></div></span></span></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">with</div></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">JOHNNY DOUGLAS</div></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">and his</div><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">ORCHESTRA and SINGERS</div></span></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">Three albums from the RCA Living Strings series</div><i><b></b><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"><b>"The Spirit of Christmas", "White Christmas" </b>and<b> "A Christmas Songbook".</b></div><b></b></i><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">This 2 CD set comprises of 32 tracks of well known Christmas songs, carols and medleys.</div><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">Disc 1 is an instrumental, featuring the lush, rich sound of the velvety strings and Disc 2 with voices, warmly blended as instruments of the orchestra.</div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><b><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">To <u>listen</u> to samples of some tracks please visit our website: <span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">www.dulcimarecords.com</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"></span></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">On compact disc only – DLCD 122</div></span><span style="font-size: large;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">UK customers £12.75 plus £2.00 p&p</div><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">Overseas customers $30.00 incl. shipping.</div></span></b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">Available from most record shops, our website, or by mail order.</div></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR"></div></span><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">DULCIMA RECORDS</div><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">39 Tadorne Road, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 5TF, UK</div><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">TEL/FAX: 01737 812922</div></span><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">Email: <span style="color: blue;"><a href="mailto:info@dulcimarecords.com" style="color: #993300;">info@dulcimarecords.com</a></span></div><span style="color: blue;"></span><div align="CENTER" dir="LTR">Distributed by AVID and SAVOY MUSIC</div><hr style="color: #333300;" /></b></span></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoTitle"><span lang="EN-GB">DULCIMA RECORDS </span></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small;"><h3 align="center" style="color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">WHERE DID THE NIGHT GO</span></span></h3><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">from</span></b></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: large;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold';">The Living Strings Series</span></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: x-large;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/images/JDouglas%20alb%201.jpg" width="386" /></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Webdings; font-size: 26pt;">����</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB">with </span></div></span></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">JOHNNY DOUGLAS</span></b></div></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">and his </span></b></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-GB">ORCHESTRA</span></span></span></div><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB">Two albums from the RCA Living Strings series</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">“<em>In the Still of the Night” </em></span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><em>and</em><b><em> “Where Did the Night Go”.</em></b></span></i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><em>Twenty tracks of well known and not so well known melodies including</em></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><em>In the Still of the Night, Deep Purple, Unchained Melody, Blue Velvet,</em></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><em>Fanny, Wish You Were Here and Where Did the Night Go? </em></span></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"> for any information contact DULCIMA RECORDS</span></b></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">39 Tadorne Road, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 5TF, UK</span></b></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">TEL/FAX: (+44) 1737 812922</span></b></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Email: dulcima@ukgateway.net</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Website: www.dulcimarecords.com</span></b></div></span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><h1 align="center" style="color: #660000; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;">Distributed by AVID/BMG and SAVOY MUSIC</span></span></h1><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><hr style="color: #333300;" /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: large;"><div align="center">NEW FROM DULCIMA July 2010</div><br />
<div align="center"><br />
</div></span></span></strong><h1 align="center" style="color: #660000; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 18pt;">NEW RELEASE</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></h1><h3 align="center" style="color: #333300; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 23pt;">ON BROADWAY</span><b><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></b></h3><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">From</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold';"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Living Strings & Living Voices Series</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoTitle"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26pt;">DULCIMA RECORDS </span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Webdings; font-size: 26pt;">����</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">with</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 27pt;">JOHNNY DOUGLAS</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">and his</span></span></div><h2 align="center" style="color: #663300; font-size: 18pt; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">ORCHESTRA and SINGERS</span></span></h2><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Two albums from the RCA Living Strings series</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: x-large;">“No, No, Nanette” </span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: x-large;">and</span><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> “On Broadway”.</span></i></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">With his foot-tapping arrangements of these Broadway melodies, Johnny Douglas makes a full orchestra sound like a dance band. He creates a show-music sound, captures the excitement of the choreography and the loveliness of the love songs.</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">To <u>listen</u> to samples of some tracks please visit our website:</span></span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; font-size: 16pt;">www.dulcimarecords.com</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">On compact disc only – DLCD 123</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="en-gb" style="font-size: 15pt;">U</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 15pt;">K customers £12.99 plus £2.00 p&p</span></div><h1 align="left" style="color: #660000; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 15pt;"> Overseas customers $30.00 incl. shipping.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></h1><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">Available from most record shops, our website, or by mail order.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;">DULCIMA RECORDS</span></span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;">39 Tadorne Road, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 5TF, UK</span></span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: medium;">TEL/FAX: 01737 812922</span></span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Email: <span style="color: blue;">info@dulcimarecords.com</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjExbmNc4oSTzcVNfTsTU_jpW3Lpm4HCCC8_yc071NDZhzatXZCo8pozNU3xoswZ-fjKerMpgXnKm-zoO-GIEFOS1-QEBfA32rgngBhD8weZyXdlyFxDkoiKdSMCjkzU21udnB_OghXSk/s1600/jd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjExbmNc4oSTzcVNfTsTU_jpW3Lpm4HCCC8_yc071NDZhzatXZCo8pozNU3xoswZ-fjKerMpgXnKm-zoO-GIEFOS1-QEBfA32rgngBhD8weZyXdlyFxDkoiKdSMCjkzU21udnB_OghXSk/s1600/jd.jpeg" /></a></div><h1 style="color: #660000; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Distributed by AVID and SAVOY MUSIC</span></h1></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-84058373500952292582011-11-18T18:22:00.000-08:002011-11-18T18:29:58.107-08:00Percy Faith in Japan<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Percy Faith? Japan? Starting in 1966, Percy began concert tours of about a month's duration, around 20 cities, throughout Japan, where people loved to hear his renditions of popular music, including Gershwin and showtunes. The Japanese audiences love his music and through all these years, Percy's original manuscripts brought his arrangements to life in Japanese concert halls, to listeners young, old, and in-between. Too bad it can't happen in the "corporate" environment of the United States... In the spring of 1976, just a few months after his death, the concert that sadly became a "tribute to Percy Faith" was conducted by DAVID ROSE. Then for many years, Alan Broadbent took the baton, followed in the 90's by the late Nick Perito. Orchestra manager Terry Woodson, conductor for Frank Sinatra, Jr., now conducts the live sounds of Percy Faith arrangements via tours of several Japanese cities every few years. I plan to post one or two of these concerts as recorded by Marilyn on her Sony Handicam, she was always seated near the back of the concert hall, but the simple-yet-beautiful stages were well captured. </strong></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></strong></span></span></span></strong><br />
<h2 align="center" style="color: #663300; font-weight: normal;"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0;"><i><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">KOGA MELODIES - HATTORI MELODIES</span></i></span></strong></span></span></span></strong></h2><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0;"></span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0;">Note that Hattori was released in the midst of the "SQ Quad" f</span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0;">renzy and unlike some of Faith's domestically released albums, sounds excellent on the SQ album. Taragon, however, chose to use what must have been the two-channel mix for the CD reissue now available; the mix is very different and rather diffuse and "in my opinion" not better than the Lp (the opposite from my impressions of other Faith SQ releases where the albums sounded terrible with very isolated tracks and exagerrated out-of-phase material used to "drive" the sound to the back speakers, especially if you had a receiver with "Wavematching Logic" that would steer the apparent sound of all channels to what would be the loudest. Put another way, the SQ releases of Faith's albums, e.g., "Clair" - sound lousy. The standard stereo mixes are fine, though it is my understanding that "Clair" and all albums after that were recorded using 8-tracks, mixed down and customary reverb added for 2-channel stereo. I was also told that Percy Faith was most likely the very last "holdout" who didn't want "multitrack" recordings.</span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
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</span></span></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXqCIpxNY30C6mRbfL7C4Jm7rSqgrE6XMFhRnRlgRSkcvAPg2DdJjP3nNpNKueicOY30k3BmwXbaabwzNfVtxRi_eq4hWuNA4SC01A0LQznH250WQ-pk51OSIuYRXqhGLFe3F9UVa2bg/s1600/hattori2ndcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXqCIpxNY30C6mRbfL7C4Jm7rSqgrE6XMFhRnRlgRSkcvAPg2DdJjP3nNpNKueicOY30k3BmwXbaabwzNfVtxRi_eq4hWuNA4SC01A0LQznH250WQ-pk51OSIuYRXqhGLFe3F9UVa2bg/s320/hattori2ndcover.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><i>"It was just after the War when I heard the name of Percy Faith for the first time. I had been attracted by the music of Kostelanetz with its flavor of symphonic jazz before I heard Percy Faith, and when I received the record of my melodies made by Percy Faith, I was so excited that I felt as though I was a child. As I enjoyed the Koga Melodies Lp, I had looked forward to hearing the Percy Faith arrangements of my melodies. The arrangements are unique. I am an arranger myself and I heard his arrangements with critical ears, however, his arrangements, with preludes and interludes which I could never think of, utterly knocked me down. I felt unavoidable difference in attitude toward music which probably came from cultural difference. The same can be said if I arranged some American music. It is very welcome that many Japanese music melodies are played by various musicians abroad and that Japanese melodies are introduced to world music lovers. I look forward to seeing Percy Faith on his next trip to Japan. - Ryoichi Hattori"</i></span></strong></span></span></span></span></strong></div><br />
<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><strong><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/spring_2003_terry_woodson.htm" style="color: #993300;">Spring, 2003 Concert Pictures from Japan courtesy Kats-Aoyama and Takeo Kimura</a></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><br />
<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: olive; font-family: 'Blue Highway'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: olive; font-family: 'Blue Highway'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/2005%20Program.htm" style="color: #993300;">2005 Program</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/images/2005Japanconcert1.jpg" style="color: #993300;">2005 Concert Photo 1</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/images/2005Japanconcert2.jpg" style="color: #993300;">2005 Concert Photo 2</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/images/2005Japanconcert3.jpg" style="color: #993300;">2005 Concert Photo 3</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-46472516153216834222011-11-17T23:29:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:29:47.002-08:00The Virginian, Theme<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"></strong><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoa8ovHIUJfOxu0CKCepwAX57WclUV0jvr9OyEOcVByIRF8mwwirJUXrmsycfx-38tYiH_KhcnET3FptxQvocpJUwbyHir-v6e2GMSpT9og6vll9njjV_xH5kI-XPBTJ6p54XGEon_fcE/s1600/6141G6BPBQL._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoa8ovHIUJfOxu0CKCepwAX57WclUV0jvr9OyEOcVByIRF8mwwirJUXrmsycfx-38tYiH_KhcnET3FptxQvocpJUwbyHir-v6e2GMSpT9og6vll9njjV_xH5kI-XPBTJ6p54XGEon_fcE/s1600/6141G6BPBQL._AA160_.jpg" /></a></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;">Check out Amazon.com, </span></strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: red;">THE VIRGINIAN</span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> is available on DVD. Percy Faith wrote the famous theme, but I can only account for about 2 1/2 episodes Percy scored from start to finish, and it's really difficult to listen and determine how much was "borrowed" from the pilot and used throughout season 1, and the Season 2 episode 1 isn't scored by Faith, I believe episode 3 is, however. I do have some of the raw "takes" from the pilot episode, fascinating listening. Percy Faith never recorded the theme played "straight" in stereo, but does have a "jazzed up" version included on the album CS 9009, The Love Goddesses, which includes the beautiful "Celia's Waltz" from the pilot - though in the television show scored with strings and flutes, and in this version the melody is often given to the saxophone (which Percy often did).</span></span></strong></div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=The%20Virginian&tag=ncdn&index=dvd&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">DVD The Virginian</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ncdn&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Percy%20Faith%20The%20Virginian&tag=ncdn&index=dvd&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">SHOP The Virginian Percy Faith</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ncdn&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-72870350656370469772011-11-17T23:24:00.001-08:002011-11-17T23:24:54.288-08:00WQMR, Washington, DC<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: #211443;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="right" style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><div align="center"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/chandler.jpg">ARTICLE BY DOUGLAS CHEVALIER about <b><i>BOB CHANDLER</i></b> from The Washington Post, August 10, 1982</a></span></div><div align="center"><i>Bill notes in a postscript to the above - if I'm not mistaken, WRC-FM went to beautiful music - but you couldn't put it in the same category as WGAY - WRC was, IIRC (if I recall correctly) changed to WKYS and the music was not the result of a library or programming talent in-house as was the case with beautiful music pioneer WQMR/WGAY, rather it was a SHULKE client - syndicated, packaged programming for a new generation of radio stations that had no ability, knowledge or desire to program beautiful music themselves. Programming was provided on NAB open reels, and Washington DC also had another major syndicator (Bonneville, providing music for WJMD). You have to respect the fact that WQMR/WGAY were one of the pioneers, bringing us what became known as the "beautiful music" format in 1960, NOT 1972! So I can well understand Bob Chandler's reaction as noted above! </i></div><div align="center"><img border="0" height="432" hspace="5" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/042066WorldBldgMove.jpg" width="443" /><img border="0" height="432" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/silver_spring_giffords_wgay.jpg" width="576" /></div><div align="center">Bernie Harrison, Radio-TV columnist for the Washington Star, notes the move to the "resplendent new studios atop the world building..." Bernie had a daily 5-minute broadcast, I believe it was at 4:55 Monday-Friday on WQMR-WGAY until his death. The picture on the right depicts the <i>real</i> view of the block where the World Building is located (OK, not quite real, it's a perfect Mr. Bill view and you can see Mr. Hands on the rooftop of ... is that... the fire station? Ohhhh Nnnooooo!!! Anyway, photo sent to me by Dave Statter, of a model RR setup crafted by Nick Sklias. Courtesy of Bob Bell, we now know eggzactly where Giffords was located! In fact... here's a picture from 30 odd years prior!</div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/silver_spring_giffords_wgay.jpg"><img border="0" height="489" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/silver_spring_md_giffords_forties.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><hr /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/dec071947.htm"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">an article from THE WASHINGTON POST about WGAY's First Birthday</span></a></div><hr /><div align="center">We have lost Art McDougall, pictured below, he died of cancer on Sunday, July 9, 2006 at 2:30 am. I am very grateful for the emails and photos he sent via email over the last couple of years, and my condolences to all who will miss him. - Bill</div><hr /><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;">ART McDOUGALL </span>provided the classic "bubblemobile" Plymouth? or Dodge? picture at the top of this page, in front of our (snif) long-gone WQMR/WGAY art-deco building, with those ever-cool glass bricks... and here's a picture of Art - at WGAY-AM, long before mood music, and it would be another decade before Connie B. Gay became the station owner! Many thanks to Art for a classic picture!</div><div align="center"> <img border="0" height="435" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/art_mcdougall_at_wgay_am_c_1949.jpg" width="534" /></div><div align="center">Hi Bill,<br />
FYI, I just came across this photo which was taken of me in front of<br />
the 1KW Collins AM transmitter, probably about 1949. God, I was young<br />
then!<br />
Art</div><hr /><div align="center">Art follows this with another picture he just found, another glimpse into the pre-Connie B. Gay WGAY-AM (I believe Art is working on a log as the station engineer). check out the mono board, with the ?RCA? ribbon mike on the left with the WGAY calls.</div><div align="center"> <img align="center" border="0" height="350" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Art%20at%20WGAY%20in%20the%201950s.jpg" width="457" /></div><hr /><div align="center"><br />
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<tr><td style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium;" valign="top" width="75"> </td><td style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium;" valign="top" width="5"></td><td height="100%" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium;" valign="top" width="100%"><h3 align="center">"You're tuned to <i>WQMR</i>, 1050 on Standard Radio - with <i>WGAY</i>, at 99.5 on the FM Band"</h3><div align="center"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/wjmd.htm">Bill Hamlin sent in a couple pics from WMJD and WEZR</a> (we lost Bill to cancer in February 2008)</div><hr /><div align="center">There were rumors of other radio stations on the dial <i>at the very same time WQMR was broadcasting beautiful music!</i> In celebration of that, thanks to Tom Gauger, I've included a few "new" clips from those great days when Ed Walker and Tom worked together when Harden and Weaver would go on vacation! They were great weeks to listen to H&W. Tom gives the time in these clips so they must be from occasions when Ed Walker dropped in on Tom during his regular show. Also hear THE MUSIC SCENE, the music by Pat Williams that Tom used to close his show for 17 years. Also for good measure, an example of his show closing - fast-paced fun. Radio wasn't always insulting and hateful; it was a joy to turn on, as a matter of fact; what a concept! So visit the "<a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/sounds.htm"><span style="color: red;">sounds</span></a>" page to hear these clips. Below is a photo of Tom with the late Bob Omand, who Tom describes as "my favorite engineer." Scenic Greentree studio, I dunno what that thing is above Tom's head, some sort of telemetry recorder??? Emergency something or other? Fancy Scotch Tape dispenser?</div><div align="center"><img border="0" height="768" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/TomGauger_BobOmand.jpg" width="705" /></div><hr /><center><div align="left"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode';">I</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">n April, 1959, the popular/DJ intensive WGAY-AM, a 1000-watt daytime radio station, in Silver Spring, Maryland (more like Wheaton, Maryland) brought us "mood music" broadcast back-to-back in quarter hour "clusters" of instrumental, back-to-back music. I'm told there were parallel or earlier developments in NJ (WPAT?) and KABL in Los Angeles, but these were all the <i>pioneers</i> of Beautiful Music radio, which back then, was coined "Washington's Quality Music Radio."</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">The "really truly early" days of WGAY AM & FM (that's right, read on) are kind of before my time (though I was born in 1952, now a recently retired geezer, I didn't start listening until 1960). Correspondence with Arthur McDougall, (who died last year) (now engineer at WGAY throughout most of the 1950's, brings some new perspectives (just wish I had some tapes to listen to!) - Music In The Air was evidently a staple of WGAY for a long, long time, I remember it being billed as the "longest running radio program in Washington.") Evidently it was a "good music" show that was broadcast years before the station went with the CBG/Ed Winton "quality music" format. Mr. McDougall recalls that when Connie B. Gay first purchased the station, he instituted rock and roll; prior to that the station appears to have been a 'generalist' station with a little of this and a little of that. Lots of country, lots of pop, and some mood music too. Back in the 50's it was owned by John Kluge and Joe Brechner. Engineer McDougall stayed with the station until about 1959 and then went with WPIK in Alexandria, before moving to Orlando to work, once again, with Joe Brechner at his new television station. In the 50's, Ernie Tannen was Program Director.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Fidlin' Curly Smith had a "hillbilly" music show; Val Thomas did many on-air hours and his shows were popular music. It was Chuck Dulane who hosted Music In The Air and brought us the music of Faith, Winterhalter, and Rose.. Oh! I mentioned WGAY AM & FM. Newpaper listings show WGAY as continuing with "WQMR Music" until 9pm in the 50's. Art recalls that when Connie B. Gay bought the station the FM became more of a hobbyist country station, sometimes fed by a jukebox (not high in technical standards).</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">I was only about 5 years old so this is all speculation, but in the late 50's I've had the idea that FM radios weren't in that many homes, certainly not outside of major cities. The whole "hi-fi" aspect of FM with its inherent ability to ignore thunderstorms in the summer, lent itself to stations like WASH-FM (then in Wheaton, Maryland, not that far from WGAY) presenting Washington Metropolitan area "early FM" listeners with lots of classical music. FM featured wide frequency response and static-free listening. Coverage wasn't so great, however, and I do remember "drift" was a major problem with FM receivers (I remember a Meissner mahogany cabinet component tuner circa 1955 or so, that I found in the mid 60's, still worked, but drifted like crazy (it would "mistune" itself). Before long, more stable circuitry lent itself to drift-free listening, sometimes through advanced design, sometimes through brute-force AFC (automatic frequency control). The drill was, as I recall, turn off the AFC, tune to your desired station, turn it back on, and you'd stay locked in to your station. If your desired station was weak, there was also a good chance your receiver would lock on to a more powerful station (thus occasions when AFC couldn't be used).</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">* The Formerly Unknown Artist on the Living Strings MUSIC OF THE SEA picture at the bottom of this page has been identified! I've just heard from Alan Campbell - of WQMR's golden age - and one day hope to post a few notes he has kept all these years with lots of nostalgia.</span></div><hr /><div align="center"><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif'; font-size: medium;"><b>FOUR DARK DAYS IN NOVEMBER</b>, </span><span style="font-family: 'Twentieth Century Poster1'; font-size: medium;">WQMR</span><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif'; font-size: medium;">'s</span><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif'; font-size: medium;"> memorable coverage of the John F. Kennedy assassination November 22-25, 1963</span><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif'; font-size: large;">, <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/sounds.htm">click here </a> </span><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif';">(then scroll to the bottom of the page)</span></div><hr /><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/ward_boote.htm">The Early Years: WGAY 1050 AM</a> memories in a letter from Ward Boote</span><br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/wqmr.htm#QualityMusic">Quality Music</a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/wqmr.htm#unknown artwork">Station Artwork by Kenny Flynn*</a> (probably)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/wqmr_baseball_scoreboard.htm">THE WQMR BASEBALL SCOREBOARD</a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/wgay%20board%20operators.htm">Known Announcers circa 1966-1972</a></span></div><hr /><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">...a long running, successful format, with loyal, happy listeners -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: medium;">this was - 1960's</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Heavy';">W</span><b><span style="font-family: Mangal;">ashington's </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Heavy';">Q</span><b><span style="font-family: Mangal;">uality </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Heavy';">M</span><b><span style="font-family: Mangal;">usic </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Franklin Gothic Heavy';">R</span><b><span style="font-family: Mangal;">adio</span></b><br />
<img border="0" height="413" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/connie_b_gay_world_bldg_c_1966.jpg" width="355" /><br />
<div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><a href="" name="QualityMusic"></a>The QUALITY MUSIC (mood music) format was soon ushered in by new owner Connie B. Gay, a country music promoter and performer. Years ago, the late Doug Bailey, who ran a small ad/film studio in Rockville, Maryland, recalled to me that the major players in the "new" station hatched this idea at a luncheon held at the Peter Pan Inn, in Urbana, Maryland (a landmark restaurant, sadly long gone). Doug wasn't one of the players, he merely happened to be there, and heard bits and pieces of the conversation about the exciting new format. This was an exciting time - and all this over a 1,000 watt daytimer!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Quality Music was a huge success with listeners - and therefore the sponsors. The station brought a new level of sophistication to the AM radio dial. The format offered listeners back-to-back music (detractors would say, wallpaper) and sponsors quarter-hour protection.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">In the spring of 1960, 1050 AM was reborn as WQMR - Washington's Quality Music Radio. The call letters WGAY were then used for the 5kw FM "country" hobby-station for Connie B. Gay. WGAY was the station's call <b>prior to</b> Connie B. Gay's purchase, it wasn't a "vanity call" though it might have helped the sale, who knows? The music of WQMR was further refined to include a great deal of direct and indirect (covers) of tunes from Broadway and Hollywood. Bottom line: lots of music, back-to-back, and music carefully chosen, announcers closely adhered to the scripts. You could say... we had a sophisticated "high-brow" station that in a way sounded canned, and yet it was NOT. Live turntables (monster Gates) and live announcers. Brilliant thematic material, based on the "WQMR Concerto" that originally existed on 10" Lp's. I believe they were recorded at a production house in Texas, and it was based on a (key of C major) E - F - G - E note sequence (with the E tripled for the enunciated W). The theme existed in fully orchestrated form, which was used for station signoff and played just for the heck of it late in the evenings at times. There were also "harps" - based on the same theme - that were inserted between EVERY record. Yes, lots of cart button-pushing, for years and years. There were longer vibraphone and guitar sequences for PSA's and station self-promotions. There were sequences of many lengths by many other instruments, but only the harp was used for normal "insert-between-records" programming. Sometime in 1964 or 1965, the station acquired "new" harp sequences; it has been legend, that I could never confirm, that a member of one of the service orchestras was retained to record the "new" harps. In the last permutation of the harp, it is also legend that engineer Delbert Keeling introduced a "tape delay" to the harp in 1966 when the FM went to stereo, a simple but eloquent solution to making the single-source mono harp <i>stereo!</i></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">This gets ahead of developments. WQMR made itself a fixture on many radio dials - self-described as "the music 'twixt classical and jazz - from Mantovani to Crosby." Successful? Must have been - a year later, April of 1961, we saw the addition of 20,000 FM station WGAY at 99.5 - simulcast with WQMR - which ended the country music broadcasts on FM. However, as Doug Bailey and I often discussed, WGAY-FM 99.5 was, in the early 60's, a well-kept secret. In other words, during the broadcast day, it was legally ID'd only on the hour and half-hour - but never otherwise mentioned. It was pure magic for "us listeners" as it offered the improved, static-free fidelity of FM (we won't mention drift, or its magic band-aid AFC) and best of all, the music of WQMR from 6AM to midnight - a vast improvement over the daytime operation of yore, which, in the days of shortest daylight, didn't even make it 'til 5pm. I will have to admit, one thing I loved about WGAY-FM at night was that it was (gulp) largely un-sponsored. That made for great commercial-free listening! The owners obviously knew the technology would catch on, and it did, in a big way.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">The names I remember from the sixties were Ted Dorf (business), Ed Winton (created the musical clusters!), and Bill Doty (mucho announcing). Ed Winton programmed the music in those early days - and he gave us some very fine listening, with the likes of Percy Faith, Frank DeVol, Andre Kostelanetz, and many other recording orchestras. The station ran narrated shows on "MATINEE AT ONE" on Saturdays and Sundays (cut back to just Sundays at some point), and I believe there were five hosts over the years. There were many other "shows" - such as "The Breakfast Table Edition of The WQMR News" weekdays from 7:45 to 8:00am. Over the years, the "clock" had minor changes, but the basics didn't; quarter hour segments of music (really 9-13 minutes), harps, musical intros on the hour, news headlines on the hour, "full paragraph" news on the half-hour, weather at quarter past the hour, and sports, sometimes, at 45 minutes past the hour. All that, sandwiched around the "quality music." The station did delve into light classics in the evening (with STAGEDOOR at 8:30pm, one-song excerpts from Broadway albums). The enthusiastic listeners boarded 'show buses' to see the real Broadway productions they enjoyed hearing so much on the radio. Yup - the early 60's. Pssst: Does anyone remember the Secret Sound Game? Country Music Classics?</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">1966 saw some big changes (below) personnel-wise but technology gave 'us listeners' more to spend our money on - STEREO RECEIVERS! I guess it was time to abandon the little white building at 11306 Kemp Mill Road - and move to 8121 Georgia Avenue, a.k.a. "The World Building." Two big technological changes: a new RCA transmitter - a STEREO transmitter, and a studio full of new equipment. Not just stereo, but "Washington's ONLY 50,000 watt stereo station." It wasn't long before there were other 50,000 watt stations, but still - this was one beautiful studio, with nice equipment, and the FM tower on top of the 10-story building, which looked IMPRESSIVE. Poor old 11306 Kemp Mill Road is an address that no longer exists; somehow Kemp Mill Road and Arcola aren't aligned "the way they were" or something... mystery solved pretty much by imagining WQMR was once in the land occupied by the shopping center. Another site had to be found for WQMR-AM at the time of the move - which turned out to be the Sligo Creek Golf Course in Silver Spring. Everything was stereo (WGAY did an "all at once" cutover to stereo - no "stereo showcase" music programs here and there) - there are even TWO voice mikes, as you can see, for the one announcer. If the announcer reached for a pack of cigarettes while talking, you, the listener, heard his voice shift off center (trivial, but kinda cool, could cause listener vertigo). I happened to be listening the night Connie B. Gay decided to inject just a bit of country music flavor into the beautiful music station with "Country Music Classics" which ran on Saturday nights, I believe it was from midnight to two a.m., not sure about the time. I believe this was about 1970. That night, the microphones were separated, CBG was on one side, the announcer on the other, as he kicked off the show. It was totally in keeping with beautiful music already in the library, just country covers brought together - and it kicked off with Percy Faith's recording of CAROLINA MOON from the album "American Serenade" - and I recall CBG said this was one of his favorites. Now, forty plus years later, that album is once again available; it was recorded in 1963 and deleted from the Columbia Records catalog around 1968 and, like all 50's and 60's mood music albums, became VERY rare. I recall arrangements of country-tune covers by the Living Strings arranged by Johnny Douglas as another example of the tunes used. So no, there was no Patsy Cline or Jimmy Dean on WGAY-FM 99.5.</span></div><hr /><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">The end of mood music isn't pretty; to some just a matter of evolution; to me a matter of rock taking over people's minds (and corporate folks tend to march in lock-step with any perceived changes or the so-called "maturing" of an audience, rendering it "useless.") In summary, Ed Winton left for new ventures by 1965 and Bob Chandler came on board the same year. Bob Chandler did a wonderful job maintaining the quality and integrity of the station. Connie B. Gay put the station up for sale in 1970, and it was purchased by Greater Media of New York. Pressure was, "of course," put on the station to play covers of current hits, and as the years went by, the whole thing became a "fifty flavors of Muskrat Love - performed instrumentally" station - the "classic" beautiful music was itself gradually replaced by custom music, and standards and showtunes bit the dust. The station went to - what else - Adult Contemporary! Mood music listeners had no alternatives. No room on that vast radio dial. Our favorite corporate radio conglomerate even took away the last bit of nostalgia, WWDC-1260 which broadcast nostalgia in AM stereo and rebadged it - briefly - WGAY before killing it off for "yet another talker." Music be damned, I guess you could say (especially <i>old</i>music!) Got to give the corporate owners of 1260 a lot of credit, they seemingly worked hard to run it into the ground, first by killing the AM stereo exciter, then by what seemed to be loose antenna connections that caused continually unreliable reception, especially on windy days.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">My knowledge of the station tends to run out in the mid 70's. While I have some air-checks of later years, I would not be able to write much about the station and could use some help - and in all honesty I'm not planning to go past 1980. Between the years 1980 and 1990, I'm afraid Bob Chandler was struggling to maintain the station's careful, strict sound while breaking in pop material in the guise of 'custom' music, an idea he helped to pioneer (including the International Beautiful Music Association, formed to help beautiful formatted stations share this custom music). I should add that "share" isn't exactly the right word, these recordings were expensive and therefore it was a way to recover the costs... Seems that original artists such as Percy Faith, Henry Mancini, and their peers, did not continue to record very far into the rock era, since their labels either fired them or forced them into retirement; more importantly, these musicians left no heirs - after all this music has all but vanished from the American pop culture scene. This forced radio stations to band together and record 'custom' music with European orchestras. This is not the music that made the station great; this is a "second generation" batch of music called 'beautiful music' but it's not the same as the classic mood music of the 50's and 60's - at all. (Alfred Newman, no, not the MAD magazine character, the composer-conductor-arranger, who wrote the beautiful musical scores of zillions of movies, is an exception; at least one of his sons, Thomas, writes some brilliant themes - using the - gasp - orchestra, to this day, but I leave that to the web sites that celebrate movie music, and there are plenty!)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">By 1991 when the format finally flipped to AC, and Bob Chandler retired, the entire year preceding the "big" format change was "eased into" by wall-to-wall instrumental rock covers with several softer rock vocals; tremendous emphasis on Antoniono Bennedito, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand... no standards, no showtunes. Fifty flavors of Muskrat Love. Lots of repetition, lots of shallow arrangements. Just the thing to alienate an audience, who were about to be <i>dropped</i>. (Yes, yours truly did not move on, I question those who think music and popular culture in America are disposable; I like what was done in a certain era, and see no reason for its abrupt withdrawal for "business reasons" when the "reasons" are more like "demographics they didn't like, the graying audience." So to hell with them, let's all go rock, and they did. Now, even the rockers have little joy in radio with the last creative rock stations with wide play lists and experimentation, given over to voice-tracked corporate conglomerate stations with 10-song play lists (or that's how it sounds anyway).</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/mark_rockman.htm">Read MARK ROCKMAN'S summary of events that led us toward the, er, end of the station as we knew it</a></span></div></center><ul><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: large;">Bill Halvorsen - </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;">vistabad - - - at - - - kc - - - rr - - - com (put in a dot in places of dashes, use the @ sign instead of "at")</span></div></li>
</ul><center><div align="left"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;">.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;">..and what about the music? </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Can you still purchase some of the <i>classic </i>"<i>mood</i>" <i>music</i> dating back to the prehistoric late 50's through the early 70's? Indeed you can, some of it is being reissued. <a href="http://www.discountoldies.com/"><span style="color: white;">Check out this page</span></a> (<u>Nina's Discount Oldies</u>, a.k.a. <u>Collectables</u>) and you'll find Faith, Kostelanetz, Conniff, even Frank DeVol. Some of the Faith and Kostelanetz reissues contain the very music heard in the BS (before stereo) days of the station, music long forgotten by radio - but music that deserves the careful preservation it has received. The music makes for some fine "rediscovery" or - travel back in time, where you find an artist you like, and trace their music backwards through the hi-fi era! When you get to Nina's Discount Oldies click on "Collectables CD's" on the lower left of the screen, then click on "easy listening" under "browse genres" and you'll see some fine albums you may recall - and can now buy in the ideal sound of the compact disc. For "non-Columbia" recordings, e.g., Capitol and Nelson Riddle, be sure to stay in touch with Collector's Choice - <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.ccmusic.com/"><span style="color: white;">http://www.ccmusic.com</span></a></span>(Collector's Choice often features gone-but-not-forgotten soundtracks by the masters, and many interesting "mood music" imports! Our music (hey, someone out there other than yours truly ;) is making some real progress in the reissue department. My tribute to the music of PERCY FAITH, whose music was a cornerstone of this station, is back on the web at http://www.percyfaithpages.org/</span></div></center><hr /></td></tr>
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<div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><a href="" name="unknown artwork"></a><img border="0" height="443" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/unknowndoodle.jpg" width="601" /></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">THE LIVING STRINGS "Music Of The Sea" - a genuine mono copy, with cover art depicting a fine sailboat riding a stormy sea, provides the dramatic background for the above doodle, impossible to scan legibly but reads as follows:</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">"But you said it would be calm today - - - glub, glub!"</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">"I heard of good weather from the WQMR weatherman!"</div><center style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Entire site copyright © 2001- 2010 Bill Halvorsen</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Contents of this website may include copyrighted material, and such material is presented here as part of radio's history, under the Fair Use provision of the copyright law. Music and radio related sounds and pictures are for historical purposes; the radio stations honored on this site are long gone, and I hate to see them forgotten, so sound and visuals appear on this site in a historical way only. I only spend money on this website, it is not for profit, but it's nice to bring back some of a period of radio that has been swept under the rock and rap carpet. Quality Music - what a concept!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">In some cases the call letters (and even frequencies) persist in different locales and ownership; there is<u> no </u>connection to what this web site celebrates (period, underscore). This is part of the history of radio in our small cow-town of Silver Spring and that rather larger city a few blocks down Georgia to the south - Washington, DC. Thanks for stopping by </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">and, for reading the fine print.</span></i><br />
</center>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-40521796885172374752011-11-17T23:20:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:22:38.109-08:00WQMR, Washington, DC...History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0IJjWMEzToM-BMMuZmqOCNg5XTz0NG1-gGkkmFNl50aH63RmYY3fFuFmtb0-M2WTbX51-H8nZLtOzrAYZxX4EnXduoKGpwhRCHIate1RBUnrdpRWYZF6wkRqefEDWMQy7S6fG_6oHKo/s1600/LeeReynolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0IJjWMEzToM-BMMuZmqOCNg5XTz0NG1-gGkkmFNl50aH63RmYY3fFuFmtb0-M2WTbX51-H8nZLtOzrAYZxX4EnXduoKGpwhRCHIate1RBUnrdpRWYZF6wkRqefEDWMQy7S6fG_6oHKo/s200/LeeReynolds.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">LEE REYNOLDS speaking before the Stereo Sennheisers!</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">In this picture circa 1966-1967, Mr. Reynolds has his photo taken at a sharp angle looking down from the front left of the board. It holds some details that I was delighted to see, especially the row of pushbuttons to start/stop cart tapes, even the monster Ampex open reel that can be seen hiding at the far right of the picture, is discussed more below. Lee Reynolds? Aging boomers will remember him from children's programs in the 50's and early 60's on WTTG-TV, most notably perhaps as <a href="http://kidshow.dcmemories.com/tugg.html">Captain Tugg</a>! Mr. Reynolds spent a short time at WQMR/WGAY, then went to the Mutual Radio Network before becoming THE voice of WETA Television for a quarter-century!</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"> In the picture at the top is the multicolored (b&w here, sorry), backlit "control panel" that allowed the board operator to easily discern important information - I think the dark panel bottom right flashed for the telephone "ringing" - I think one was E.B.S., one for FM Transmitter On, one for AM Transmitter on (or was it off, which it was a lot since it was a daytimer). To the right one of the two Fisher speakers, the GATES stereo board, a C&P Telephone (AT&T) 1A2 6-button key set (hey, no * or # keys - just a 10 digit keypad... how did they survive?) and the monstrous EMT Gotham turntables - fascinating devices (somewhere I have another picture from a hi-fi collector's site). They used a plastic disc that rode atop a VERY heavy "capstan" - the sub-turntable weighed 30 pounds, I believe. The platter on top of this massive capstan provided instant start and stop as it "slipped" with a solenoid pushing it from the side in the "off" position. The commercials, ID's, harps, came from the very high quality stereo carts you see on top. On the right is a picture of Larry Lambrose at the controls, cart tapes behind him, and the controls that appear to be above the tapes are really the top of a floor mounted cabinet that served as the transmitter controls (when it came time to turn off WQMR at sunset, I believe one cart was able to be "split" to AM only and the WQMR signoff was played, and once that finished he'd have to "push the button" on the transmitter remote control cabinet to put the AM transmitter at Sligo Golf Course to bed at sunset. The signoff, done over the WQMR concerto, held the optimism that you either had an FM radio and were too dumb to have it turned on already, or now that WQMR was saying saynonara, you'd make the change (actually it was a clever way to remind the audience that the great albums of beautiful music could be heard on WGAY until midnight (then 24 hours a day after 1966)... (signoff played over AM only - 'At this time, WQMR's programming of quality music switches exclusively to WGAY, at 99.5 on the FM band...) These great photos are vintage 1972. If you look closely beneath the volume POTS on the board, there is a row of - well - buttons! One very cool feature of this board was that the spots, harps, records, everything, could be tightly queued without reaching around, as these start/stop switches led to a relay rack then back to the equipment. All this was designed, I believe, by Tom DeBray in 1965-66. Robert points out the devices seen in the picture on the left at the top right are transmitter logging devices, and behind this door to the left were the teletypes for the rip 'n read headlines on the hour and a few minutes of news on the half-hour.</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">Jules Henry and Mike Handley allowed me to visit the studios to watch in fascinating the precision pace at which they could work with "live turntables" and load carts for spots and harps, flash edit rip 'n read news, answer the phone, and never (well, almost never) miss a beat. Jules died a few years ago, and I recently heard from Mike Handley who lives in Iceland and now we have lost Mike Handley as well. Mike gave the eulogies at the funerals of both Connie B. Gay and Bob Chandler.</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Bob_Chandler_Obit_article%20001.jpg">"The Loss of a Laid-Back Pioneer" from The Washington Post August 22, 1995</a></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">(just to clarify, Bob Chandler did not pioneer the WQMR/WGAY format of beautiful music, that dates back to 1960 with Ed Winton, but when Ed left for sunny Florida, Bob Chandler, who joined the station in 1965, maintained the sophisticated sound of the beautiful music format that Ed had started, and all the changes he made to the "format" of the station were always gradually introduced, and carefully crafted for the listeners!)</div><div align="left" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">At some point in the tower "at the top o' the World Building" became semi-symbolic as WGAY-FM hopped over to the WDCA/WETA/etc. tower on River Road; the signal got there via microwave from a dish mounted on the "then symbolic" tower. I believe the transmitter remained for backup purposes, though it didn't help during one of the fires in the studio, rather WKYS loaned a tape deck or two and some studio space so Bob Chandler could get back on the air quickly. I do remember vividly (but not THAT vividly because I don't know what year it was) awakening in shock hearing wonderful music and even the HARPS that had gone missing for several years. I was pretty sure that I had lost my mind. Somehow I was put through to a rather hyper Bob Chandler, see what in the heck was going on, and he told me of the fire and WKYS favor, and that he had grabbed some of those old 12-6am Sunday night/Monday morning tapes when the board was bypassed for maintenance and that was what I was hearing. The WQMR calls are now in use by a Maryland Eastern Shore talk-formatted radio station.</span></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-26875354979858940792011-11-17T23:18:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:18:37.152-08:00WQMR, Washington, DC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcxC19RDFvIppklhInXAIrUqlRAWvbP0AVIdZBO0UYHir1rP6w1WRerVSr96EmtaC9hgMN5gr7Gkn6DXdk0e-L9FEhv36gi0SsuuwWRxY3XT4CK_oJ4O-jJrsIjqjYT2tpHBkAwTDIyo/s1600/wbtallview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcxC19RDFvIppklhInXAIrUqlRAWvbP0AVIdZBO0UYHir1rP6w1WRerVSr96EmtaC9hgMN5gr7Gkn6DXdk0e-L9FEhv36gi0SsuuwWRxY3XT4CK_oJ4O-jJrsIjqjYT2tpHBkAwTDIyo/s320/wbtallview.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDBkJpqyz8sfZ0P9Iaur-gQaLE8QYJXbGfL6c2g-fjBXNnOhVgb0PB4rSauJVRA1fHpl4spKft7Z_wwjfPq2Jx0edRWYhK4fCOakuRaov2JqLohuW5HF2a4OaBJlHWnicVw9W9U-Vplc/s1600/wgay1287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDBkJpqyz8sfZ0P9Iaur-gQaLE8QYJXbGfL6c2g-fjBXNnOhVgb0PB4rSauJVRA1fHpl4spKft7Z_wwjfPq2Jx0edRWYhK4fCOakuRaov2JqLohuW5HF2a4OaBJlHWnicVw9W9U-Vplc/s320/wgay1287.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhw4ChNPHwDWH518bcUaiERWU7K0oSVCZ9XGMzp_jOYUJoaCSCIc9INf4QB9Dw2Ohwa1_bLjn_eGp2-xOU18M_kAbBI8TkanH92-bxQ_SRmiGWR1c2l4gIcJv5430W8v-3gFsYP432VI/s1600/wblookingnorth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhw4ChNPHwDWH518bcUaiERWU7K0oSVCZ9XGMzp_jOYUJoaCSCIc9INf4QB9Dw2Ohwa1_bLjn_eGp2-xOU18M_kAbBI8TkanH92-bxQ_SRmiGWR1c2l4gIcJv5430W8v-3gFsYP432VI/s320/wblookingnorth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Robert Morris was at WGAY in 1972 - and he indicates Bob Gotkin was there as well, and I've added them to the announcers list. He also reminded me that Bob Chandler, the boss, should be in that list as well! By the way, my caption in the upper right side of the picture above is HUGE because it has to be, the picture is a composite of two originals submitted by Robert Morris and enhanced by Bob Bell. Same with the lower left; the results are worth it, if you can ignore the "spaces" the picture of the studio is quite good.<br />
<div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">Starting in 1965, the station began the move to larger, modern (beautiful studio with the finest equipment) quarters at 8121 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, as seen <i>on the right</i>. I believe the "WGAY 99.5 STEREO" was a revision, somewhere in the dusty recesses of my brain I recall something like "WGAY 50,000 WATTS STEREO" but don't have a picture. Below, another shot looking northward from the DC direction, and a couple shots looking southward from the Silver Spring direction. Originally, the southbound traffic saw "WQMR 1050" on the side of the building. It was changed, late as I recall, to WGAY 1050 when the 'QMR calls were dropped for AM 1050, and eventually to just "WGAY 99.5" as the AM side was sold.</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRn6gdJ9VRHW-ZHzWv6GHjwp3hYGu6Q9XQsdgYB9u83NEmfh-AAfpsUghYPxT1586-Cw39Eb925LkqzJMSt7puUs9Dnh-VaeExeyAOVzmYxwoI2nEAs4lyfwJvEHQhvgmjaPOY9vH7E8/s1600/headingsouthlitsign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRn6gdJ9VRHW-ZHzWv6GHjwp3hYGu6Q9XQsdgYB9u83NEmfh-AAfpsUghYPxT1586-Cw39Eb925LkqzJMSt7puUs9Dnh-VaeExeyAOVzmYxwoI2nEAs4lyfwJvEHQhvgmjaPOY9vH7E8/s320/headingsouthlitsign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AeFd0IkjjmD-1LH16gXWX450Dyhnb7-qAijM8f6YcOiuMTF50F2TWzotVaiXuCy0MCRgAKhcdlUvQD4HlDV0RWqUMjy9ZwLEkGPi_NKaHk5E8FhHtef-KVMJbj_DULJPhezu3Q1T5KI/s1600/main_studio_sepia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AeFd0IkjjmD-1LH16gXWX450Dyhnb7-qAijM8f6YcOiuMTF50F2TWzotVaiXuCy0MCRgAKhcdlUvQD4HlDV0RWqUMjy9ZwLEkGPi_NKaHk5E8FhHtef-KVMJbj_DULJPhezu3Q1T5KI/s320/main_studio_sepia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Many thanks to Arthur McDougall (engineer at the station in the 50's), Mark Rockman, Dave Schweikart, and Tom Buckley for the photographs!</div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-76609487116482278402011-11-17T23:13:00.001-08:002011-11-17T23:13:56.955-08:00Project engineer Ron Crider discusses the move from Kemp Mill Road in Wheaton to The World Building in Silver Spring<div style="background-color: #ffffcc; background-image: url(http://www.percyfaithpages.org/_themes/sandston/stonbk.jpg); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><h1 style="color: #660000; font-size: 24pt; font-weight: normal;">RON CRIDER - <span style="font-size: medium;">WQMR/WGAY's Project Engineer for the station's move to the World Building...</span></h1><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sometime around 1965 I received a phone call from a buddy Tom DeBray, I had worked with Tom in Fort Lauderdale at several stations. Tom was in school in Maryland and also working part time for two radio stations in Silver Spring Maryland. It seems they were building new studios and relocating their AM and FM transmitter plants and were in need of a project engineer to get the job done. Tom could have been the man for the job but his education could not be but on hold. Tom recommended me for the job as he and I had recently built a state of the art FM stereo studio facility in Fort Lauderdale.<br />
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WQMR/WGAY was then owned by Connie B Gay the legendary Country and Western promoter. Country and Western was the then term used for “Country” now. Connie had purchased the stations from another legend in the communications and Broadcasting business John Kluge. The stations were also managed by yet another legend Ed Winton.<br />
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By the time I came on the scene Ed Winton had departed for South Florida to crank up the OCEAN. Connie installed his son Jan Gay at the station’s GM, Ted Dorf was the Sales Manager and if memory serves me well Bob Chandler was the program director and Bill Doty was Production Manager and News director. I may have the titles confused but there is no question that Ed Winton had set a great course for these two stations and following his departure the ship continued to sail on auto pilot with a few minor corrections by the team he had put in place. Ed was the creative genius and understudy of Gordon McLindon. Ed did copy much of McLindon’s material like those super, “mood intro’s with the Dallas Symphony and the “WQMR Concerto.” Where is that Concerto anyway? It is my understanding Ed himself wrote many of the intros, like:<br />
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“a sleek jet liner whisks across the midnight sky…….. 20,000 feet below a brooding Lincoln keeps constant watch on our Nation’s Capital……. Ushering in another hour of great music on WQMR….. Washington’s Quality Music Radio Station."<br />
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Ed had hundreds of these. Each one better than the other. Each had carefully selected music under the words setting the tone of the hour.<br />
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These stations were so good the Government had a special line installed to pipe the station straight from the studio to the White House. Somehow I suspect Ed Winton had a hand in this. When I was building the new facilities President Johnson was in the White House, however I think the line was installed first during the Kennedy administration and then reinstalled at the World Building. Somehow I can’t picture LBJ tuned in, but you never know who is listening.<br />
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Soon after I arrived Jan called all of us into the conference room to tell us Connie had cancer and was to be operated on. At that point Jan was the Man. Jan admitted he didn’t know much about radio as he was a lawyer not a broadcaster. However, Jan did know he wanted to build a showplace for these stations. He wanted lots of “bells and whistles,” real show Biz. I think the big bucks to build out these two stations and the Hunington WV stations came from sale of the valuable real estate formerly housing WQMR/WGAY. This real estate was sold to a developer to create a large Condo project. I was told it was worth a great deal. As I recall the original WQMR/WGAY was located on Viers Mill Road and perhaps in Wheaton. I have included a few pictures of this wonderful old radio station building and studios.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Most of the equipment was ordered and some being delivered when I arrived so I had very little say in what was installed. I added all those cute little switches in front of the controls on the main control board to control the cart machines, turntables and tape machines. Yes they still used real vinyl records for all the music broadcast over the air. I also designed the tally light system above the console on the wall indicating the status of the transmitters, EBS, telephones and the teletype. I also designed a special extended remote control metering panel on stainless steal panels in the equipment racks to control the 20 KW RCA BTF 20E transmitter on the roof and the RCA 1R transmitter over on the Sligo Creek golf Course.<br />
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I supervised the construction of the self-supporting tower on the roof of the World Building as well as the free standing tower at the new golf course site. Each site had it problems. In order to install the tower on the roof of the World building it was necessary to mount big I beams on top of the roof and secure them with additional I Beams directly under the roof. This required drilling many large holes through the roof about 3 inches in diameter. Unfortunately the weather turned really bad right after we finished drilling. The 5 inches of snow was not the problem. It was when the snow melted the big problems started. I received a call in the middle of the night from a watchman claiming there was a flood taking place on the top floor of the building in our new studios. The snow was melting and leaking through the many holes and coming down through the ceiling and stairs. The water coming down the stairs looked like a water fall. How to solve this problem? Like the child who put his hand in the dyke in Holland to hold back the water, we needed something like 36 of those children. The solution was somewhat the same idea, Thermos corks. You know those large big old corks that came with the old fashioned thermos bottles. Where can we get 36 big corks at 3 AM Saturday night. There was no Home Depot then. We called every drugstore in DC, Maryland and Virginia within a 50 mile radius. Three here, 4 there, 6 somewhere else. In 2 hours we had 36 thermos bottles and 36 corks. We pounded the corks into the roof and the flood waters subsided.<br />
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We did a lot of quick drying of the equipment using hair dryers and blowers. Fortunately the carpet had not been installed so we didn’t have that problem to contend with. Actually there was very little damage other than the inconvenience and lost time. The next problem with the tower was that the RCA vertical and horizontal antenna system had to be re installed as the labeling was wrong therefore part of it was installed upside- down. The actual problem was brought to our attention by an 8-year-old, Charlie Plunket who had taken to hanging out with us almost every day during construction. Why Charlie was permitted to be out till 10 at night was beyond us. We all adopted Charlie, so to speak, taking him to dinner and giving him a few dollars for helping us. I did meet his Mom and Dad one time. They seemed like normal middle class intellectuals. His Dad a patent attorney and his Mom a cellist. This kid asked more questions than any 20 children, but he was very helpful as a gofer. As the tower crew from Utility Tower company were installing the last vertical bay of the antenna Charlie ask me, “ How DO they know which end to point up? Now that was an excellent question. Upon examining the drawings with the antenna we discovered they were in conflict. One said do it one way the other indicated the opposite. I didn’t know as this was one of the first dual polarized FM broadcast antenna I had installed. The tower crew didn’t know. They said “we don’t know nothing about this crap”. “We just try to follow the instructions, but most of the time they don’t make no sense”. These guys weren’t any Einstein’s but boy could they work hard when they were on the job. However when quitting time came around they lived at the bar.<br />
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I made a call to RCA. They connected us with their antenna group. The person we talked to there wasn’t sure either. Finally the answer came. The answer was, we installed it wrong. The tower crew was not happy, but it got changed. The side bar to this problem was that Connie had a new station in Huntington WV. This crew had installed that antenna as well. Two days later Dan Grassi and I worked all night on top of a tower on top of a mountain in WV zero degree temperatures changing that antenna.<br />
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Next was the transmitter problem. This new RCA BTF 20E was the latest and suppose to be the best designed FM transmitter in the world. I had worked on the previous model the RCA BTF 10 D that had a history of fires in the final cavity. That old transmitter was hard to work on. The final cavity was small and not in the center of the cabinet. This new one had a much larger cavity with a much larger shelf and larger tube. It was also easier to work on. However the same problems that caused the old transmitters to catch fire had never fully been addressed. Unfortunately soon after this transmitter was installed those old gremlins reappeared. RCA sent their design engineer to the World Building immediately. Repairs were made quickly, but guess what? The same thing happened. They then sent us a low-power standby transmitter to use till a solution was found.<br />
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Unfortunately much air time was lost during the first few weeks broadcasting from the World Building. Having Jan Gay (Attorney) as the GM was a blessing in disguise. He may not have known much about radio but he sure knew how to get the attention of RCA. RCA finally came up with a fix. I rushed back to WV and installed the fix there first as we were running at low power there as well. The fix didn’t totally solve the problem, but we were able to get the transmitters back to full power. Tuning became the critical issue. Tuning for the minimum smoke was the slang expression as to how to tune one. I learned how to tune this series of transmitters with no more fires after the fix was installed. If I have tuned 1 I have tuned 100 of these over the years. Once they were tuned they generally stayed tuned. There is one other guy who is an expert at the E series and that is Ed Holiday in Columbia South Carolina. This guy has forgotten more about the E series than I may have ever known.</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: medium;">Ron Crider</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-58274137235705796572011-11-17T23:12:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:12:48.842-08:00Photo Gallery WQMR WGAY<img src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/WQMR%20rises%20above%20the%20treetops%20at%20Sligo%20RC.jpg" /><br />
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Charlie%20Plunket%20station%20Mascot%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Charlie%20Plunket%20station%20Mascot%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Charlie Plunkett, Station Mascot - read Ron's link for details</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Control%20Rack%20with%20Ron%20CriderRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Control%20Rack%20with%20Ron%20CriderRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="68" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Ron at the Control Rack</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Fishbowl%20view%20main%20studioRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Fishbowl%20view%20main%20studioRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Fishbowl window off the 10th floor elevator. Note that all announcers hated the fishbowl!</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/flood%20A%20from%20tower%20supports%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/flood%20A%20from%20tower%20supports%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="67" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Lots of water from roof holes (read Ron Crider's link above)</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/flood%20B%20from%20tower%20supports%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/flood%20B%20from%20tower%20supports%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Water from above (roof on world bldg)</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/foundation%20work%20for%20AM%20Xmtr%20at%20SligoRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/foundation%20work%20for%20AM%20Xmtr%20at%20SligoRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Foundation work for transmitter bldg at Sligo</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Ground%20digger%20machine%20and%20tower%20support%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Ground%20digger%20machine%20and%20tower%20support%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="68" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Ground digging machine at Sligo</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/horizontal%20elements%20atop%20WB%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/horizontal%20elements%20atop%20WB%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Horizontal antenna elements yet to be hoisted to the tower!</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Kemp%20Mill%20Original%20Home%20of%20WQMR%20and%20WGAYRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Kemp%20Mill%20Original%20Home%20of%20WQMR%20and%20WGAYRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">The original home of Quality Music Radio</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Main%20control%20room%20at%20Kemp%20Mill%20RoadRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Main%20control%20room%20at%20Kemp%20Mill%20RoadRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Main Studio at Kemp Mill Road</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/main%20studioRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="69" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/main%20studioRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Main studio at the World Building</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Monitor%20System%20watch%20those%20dialsRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Monitor%20System%20watch%20those%20dialsRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="70" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Monitor system</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/More%20Art%20Deco%20design%20of%20WQMR%20original%20homeRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/More%20Art%20Deco%20design%20of%20WQMR%20original%20homeRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">WQMR (with WGAY-FM) in the art-deco building with glass bricks in Wheaton</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/piece%20of%20AM%20tower%20waiting%20for%20assemblyRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/piece%20of%20AM%20tower%20waiting%20for%20assemblyRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Piece of AM tower (some assembly required)</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Production%20Room%20at%20Kemp%20Mill%20RoadRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Production%20Room%20at%20Kemp%20Mill%20RoadRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Production Room at Kemp Mill Road</td></tr>
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<tr><td height="10"></td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Production%20Room%20WB%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Production%20Room%20WB%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Backup studio/production studio World Bldg</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Radials%20for%20WQMR_RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Radials%20for%20WQMR_RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Radials for the AM tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Remote%20Control%20for%20AM%20and%20FM_RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Remote%20Control%20for%20AM%20and%20FM_RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="68" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Remote Control panel for AM and FM Xmtrs</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Ron%20and%20the%20tower%20crew%20at%20SligoRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Ron%20and%20the%20tower%20crew%20at%20SligoRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Ron and the Tower Crew</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Ron%20Crider%20Ground%20Digger%20at%20Sligo%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Ron%20Crider%20Ground%20Digger%20at%20Sligo%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Ron Crider: Digging Ground at Sligo</td></tr>
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<tr><td height="10"></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#AAAAAA" width="1"> </td><td style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px;" valign="top"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 120px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Ron%20Crider%20RCA%20BTF%2010%20E1%20Xmtr%20PanelRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Ron%20Crider%20RCA%20BTF%2010%20E1%20Xmtr%20PanelRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="69" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Tom at the RCA BTF 10 E1 WGAY-FM Xmtr</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td><td bgcolor="#AAAAAA" width="1"> </td><td style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px;" valign="top"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 120px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Stop%20Work%20Order%20story%20unknown%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="67" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Stop%20Work%20Order%20story%20unknown%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Stop work order - Wonder why?</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Ted%20Dorf%20General%20Mgr%20and%20Sales%20Mgr.jpg"><img border="0" height="68" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Ted%20Dorf%20General%20Mgr%20and%20Sales%20Mgr.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Ted Dorf, WQMR/WGAY General Mgr/Sales Mgr</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Tom%20DeBray%20and%20Homer%20Acers%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Tom%20DeBray%20and%20Homer%20Acers%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="69" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Tom DeBray and Homer Acers (after escape from DC to Florida)</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td><td bgcolor="#AAAAAA" width="1"> </td><td style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: black; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px;" valign="top"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 120px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/top%20of%20the%20tower%20WGAY%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/top%20of%20the%20tower%20WGAY%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="69" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">WGAY-FM tower - looks complete!</td></tr>
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<tr><td height="10"></td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/Tower%201%20seems%20almost%20completed%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/Tower%201%20seems%20almost%20completed%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="67" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">WGAY-FM tower with people on it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/vertical%20antenna%20element%20atop%20WB%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="69" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/vertical%20antenna%20element%20atop%20WB%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="100" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">Vertical FM Antenna Element</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/WB%20facing%20north%20tower%20incompleteRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/WB%20facing%20north%20tower%20incompleteRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="69" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">World Building North Face</td></tr>
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<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/WB%20Facing%20South%20tower%20incompleteRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/WB%20Facing%20South%20tower%20incompleteRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="68" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">World Bldg South Face</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td><td bgcolor="#AAAAAA" width="1"> </td><td style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: black; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px;" valign="top"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 120px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/WQMR%20AM%20tower%20under%20construction%20at%20SligoRC.jpg"><img border="0" height="100" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/WQMR%20AM%20tower%20under%20construction%20at%20SligoRC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="69" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">WQMR tower under construction</td></tr>
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<tr><td height="10"></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#AAAAAA" width="1"> </td><td style="border-left-color: black; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: black; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px;" valign="top"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="width: 120px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" height="142" valign="top"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/WQMR%20rises%20above%20the%20treetops%20at%20Sligo%20RC.jpg"><img border="0" height="122" hspace="12" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/photogallery/photo6578/WQMR%20rises%20above%20the%20treetops%20at%20Sligo%20RC.jpg" title="" vspace="5" width="83" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td valign="top">WQMR 1050 AM Silver Spring (Sligo Creek Golf Course)</td></tr>
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<tr><td colspan="5"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-47521625956203602002011-11-17T23:10:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:10:42.381-08:00Washington's Quality Music radio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3Siy_qHzHWP0aw9X9q53ej3l5kH7Mvrp6IaeRmVZeu3x7wj-TkH-mxsQHknep2KzKxQ0gcXTdC1J2D3hU5NmwDojJa9da4mmenyHEEA1WHN8e7Jwagb4UhWYlJNPyDXKUnU8IICyjFk/s1600/More+Art+Deco+design+of+WQMR+original+homeRC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3Siy_qHzHWP0aw9X9q53ej3l5kH7Mvrp6IaeRmVZeu3x7wj-TkH-mxsQHknep2KzKxQ0gcXTdC1J2D3hU5NmwDojJa9da4mmenyHEEA1WHN8e7Jwagb4UhWYlJNPyDXKUnU8IICyjFk/s320/More+Art+Deco+design+of+WQMR+original+homeRC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">WQMR <i>with WGAY-FM</i> - circa 1965 - KEMP MILL ROAD studio in the white art-deco building (top of the page), that brought the Washington area the Quality Music Radio sound - Tom DeBray at the controls, Tom designed the studios and equipment that were to bring the station into a new <b><i>stereo</i></b> era in the spring of 1966, the World Building, shown below. This picture is the first time I've seen the "insides" of WQMR on Kemp Mill Road, and I'm most grateful to Tom for letting us all see it. Yes, the quarter hour clusters, not back-titled then, and the WQMR themed harp played between EVERY selection which provided continuity and continual station identification. In the SOUNDS section of this site you can hear a few of the "original" circa 1960 harps. I'm not sure if the "new" harps, tape-delayed for a stereo effect, were introduced prior to the move to the World Building or if they may have been used for a time in the 1964-65 time frame.</div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">Drive down Arcola Avenue in Wheaton and you will not know where the station was in the 60's; thanks to the excellent research of Detective Bob Bell, <a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/where%20was%20wqmr.htm">here is the location detail!</a></div><hr style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed; text-align: -webkit-right;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwW0Z9zgLoQ6aEsrlVbfugxKaWJPQ6AYgWiT7c7jDuAO9FbVdfD752UqIxajf0FnKwIC05KDfxSpa_AhSd3JTi8pQrd7YJaH_j_lW-LTXUPm5bSB31na0SP-W9A7FJ5G5oryZQlsg7jQ/s1600/Tom+DeBray+WQMR+1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwW0Z9zgLoQ6aEsrlVbfugxKaWJPQ6AYgWiT7c7jDuAO9FbVdfD752UqIxajf0FnKwIC05KDfxSpa_AhSd3JTi8pQrd7YJaH_j_lW-LTXUPm5bSB31na0SP-W9A7FJ5G5oryZQlsg7jQ/s200/Tom+DeBray+WQMR+1965.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"> Starting in 1965, the station began the move to larger, modern (beautiful studio with the finest equipment) quarters at 8121 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, as seen <i>on the right</i>. I believe the "WGAY 99.5 STEREO" was a revision, somewhere in the dusty recesses of my brain I recall something like "WGAY 50,000 WATTS STEREO" but don't have a picture. Below, another shot looking northward from the DC direction, and a couple shots looking southward from the Silver Spring direction. Originally, the southbound traffic saw "WQMR 1050" on the side of the building. It was changed, late as I recall, to WGAY 1050 when the 'QMR calls were dropped for AM 1050, and eventually to just "WGAY 99.5" as the AM side was sold.</div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-3618484350757815702011-11-17T23:05:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:05:05.284-08:00Detective Bob Bell locates the ghost of WQMR once and for all -<div><div><div align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: HELTERSKELTER; font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Bright';">OK, it's <i>bothered</i> me for some time now - I could not "merge" my memories of where the art-deco 11306 Kemp Mill Road was, given how the neighborhood looks today. Bob Bell did this excellent research and it finally answers the question! I had told Bob that I thought, somehow that it was near the shopping center where Giant is today; but I really didn't know. I could kinda sorta picture in my mind that the station was there, as the building was "up front" and the fence with transmission cables back to the tower was on a sort of flat field, a few feet below street level as best I could recall. That matches up with the shopping center... and so now you can see from the ample evidence below that while 11306 Kemp Mill Road no longer exists, since the stretch it was on became Arcola, IT REALLY WAS THERE I SWEAR. So now, decades later, we know where it was, and before I leave the area in a couple of months I hope to see the "new" World Building. Now, all we need is for some wealthy person to take responsibility and put this "relaxing" music back on the air. I will do the programming, cheap. I learned a lot listening during the Ed Winton and Bob Chandler years! <i>There will be showtunes, popular standards, soundtracks, and there will be damned few covers of ROCK. I expect investors to line up at this opportunity. Perhaps this could restore the "beautiful music" format and (gasp) people might actually tune in, and stay tuned in for HOURS just because it's good music and repetition will be minimal, and spot load will be kept to a minimum through aggressively high RATES; what a novel idea; it was done, of course, 30-40 years ago - on WQMR and WGAY...</i></span><br />
<div align="center"><img height="11" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/_themes/breeze/rule_breeze.gif" width="561" /></div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bill:</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here's a news bulletin... courtesy of Judy Horowitz of the Rockville Library.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">After a great deal of research on her part, it has been determined that the location on Arcola Avenue that corresponds to the former 11306 Kemp Mill Road is <strong>1206 Arcola Avenue</strong>.</span><div> <span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1967, Montgomery County and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission approved a new "Master Plan for Four Corners-Kemp Mill and Vicinity". Improvements were slated for the section of road which was known as Kemp Mill Road running from Route 193 westward to the bend where it met Arcola Avenue.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">When they widened that stretch of road and added sidewalks, the powers-to-be renamed the entire east-west corridor as Arcola Avenue. Property owners who once had Kemp Mill Road addresses got Arcola Avenue addresses and new house numbers. The house numbers were a consecutive continuation of the original Arcola Avenue numbers which ran westward from Kemp Mill Road to Georgia Avenue.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">All of that took place in 1967- early 68 <em><strong>after</strong></em> WQMR had left the area. I don't know exactly when the broadcasters sold the property (that information could be discovered from Land Records), but<strong><em>someone </em></strong>sold the property to the shopping center developers in April of 1969. That would be consistent with my memories: I remember my high shcool classmates who lived around Kemp Mill first got jobs at the new stores in the shopping center during my senior year at Northwood, September '69 to June '70.</span></div></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">1206 Arcola Avenue is currently the site of ... (drum roll please)... the <a href="http://www.mcparkandplanning.org/parks/park_of_the_day/jan/parkday_jan11.shtm">Kemp Mill Urban Park </a>at the Kemp Mill Shopping Center.</span></div><div> </div><div><img border="0" height="263" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/where_was_wqmr1.jpg" width="356" /></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bill Halvorsen wins the history detectives prize for best recall!</span></div><div> </div><div><img border="0" height="596" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/where_was_wqmr2.jpg" width="777" /></div><div> </div><div><img border="0" height="770" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/where_was_wqmr3.gif" width="585" /></div><div> </div><div><img border="0" height="654" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/where_was_wqmr4.jpg" width="975" /></div><div> </div><div><img border="0" height="1060" src="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/images/where_was_wqmr5.jpg" width="801" /></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">The detail that "nailed" the location was data about the home of Mr. Leo Schweer. In the 1966 C&P phone directory, Schweer's home was listed at 11303 Kemp Mill Road. By 1968, Mr. Schweer's home was revised as 1203 Arcola Avenue. (The librarian did not have the 1967 phone directory to refer to.) WQMR was just across the street from 11303.</span></div></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-14843629898754718282011-11-17T23:04:00.000-08:002011-11-17T23:04:23.853-08:00WQMR/WGAY memories can be found here.This site was a tribute to Washington, DC/Silver Spring Maryland's source of "great albums of beautiful music" starting in 1960, and there was "good music" played before the station was purchased and format changed at that time, but information is hard to come by) MUSIC IN THE AIR became a Sunday show on the Connie B. Gay owned station in 1960, though it had evidently run in the 1950's, so this station had a long history of "good music." <br />
But where exactly was WQMR/WGAY on Kemp Mill Road... so much time has passed... but detective Bob Bell did this splendid research!<br />
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Celebrating a radio station that started as a personality-driven 1,000 watt daytimer, that switched to the back-to-back 'beautiful music' format, that was a HUGE success, all LOCAL talent, and provided listeners with many years of Quality Music Radio listening!<br />
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<div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">First thanks to visitors who learned of this station as well as veterans who found a few of us thought what they did on the radio was damned good. The structure was rigid, but that allowed for quarter hour segments (OK, less than 15 minutes, let's say 12 or 13 when station ID's, PSA, promotions and of course spot loads peaked).</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">There is no material I can add, and where history is concerned, there simply is no more to be found. My most sincere thanks to all who have contributed stories and pix... and music that went with the identity of the station. I can't expand into the "custom music" era - I don't know it and was not interested in it. This site was to celebrate the "2-turntable planned quarter segment pioneers" at the end of the 50's through the mid 70's, where in my humble opinion, the brilliant quality sound gave way to "custom music" which was never the same - to me - in inspiration as the Faith/Winterhalter/Shearing/Johnny Gregory/Henry Mancini and hundreds of other artists who got into the "popular music for orchestra" boom that made the "beautiful music" format possible. I could add a few emails but don't want to get into that. Emails are private unless agreed to be otherwise. </span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">It's be gratifying to hear now and then from younger listeners who remark/know that radio once meant something. MUSIC. Stations knowledgeable about the MUSIC they played - what a concept. Think of Felix Grant at WMAL - will we ever have a treasure like he gave us with his knowledge of music? I don't think so. I seem to recall the strict format (musical clusters, no DJ banter) drew negative comments in the press, such as the WaPo.</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">The station used to run promos that they received, more than anything else, letters and postcards (this was pre-social networking, ya know) with one common theme - DON'T CHANGE. They had to change, thought they did so with great care under the direction of Bob Chandler, who was also producer of some good tracks from England as the recording of music for radio stations on a request basis was really expensive. They had to do this because the originals were dying off, and there were effectively no heirs, it was a rock music world, Chandler and friends tried to make the best of that through use of the International Beautiful Music Association where geographically non-competing station could share some of the expense; and there WERE some good tracks, a lot of them done by Johnny Gregory, and for me, some very unsatisfactory tracks as well; at least they were instrumental. An ex-Bonneville employee told me that for the last two years of their orchestral rock cover stage, ONLY custom music was broadcast. Yup, fifty flavors of Muskrat Love indeed.</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">Beautiful music lives on, if you get cable Phil Stout does a tremendous job and on satellite I believe there is still a beautiful music channel programmed by Mariln Taylor on XM/Sirius. By all means if you enjoy their quality music let the corporate poopies know, as no doubt, would much rather have nothing but rock. So much easier than to devote a channel that was at one time quite mainstream and enjoyed by a loyal listening public like me.</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">It was a great time, it's long been dropped, no one I know of has picked it up for terrestrial radio (another domino block soon to fall, I think, as over the air continues to rot, and the internet both wired and wireless, and satellite devices are happy to fill the void. Analog television is gone - perhaps analog radio is not far behind.</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">I've run across some internet "stations" but can't quite say they carry on any tradition that we spoke of here, lots of pop and lots of vocals and pops. Standards and showtune derivatives aren't found, or if they are, they are "updated" formats crammed full o' vocals... Everyone who knows me knows how I feel about vocals; meant to be rarely played on this format. Once an hour or less let Vic Damone or someone belt out a tune.</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">Or, radio as we know it "over the air" can go dark; after all that might free up spectrum for iPHONES and the like.</span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: lime; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: large;">Thank you - everyone! From 1,100 miles away - Bill Halvorsen (lived the first 53 years entirely within MoCoMD).</span></b></div><div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">Memories? Do you remember the Bernie Harrison Show? How about way back in the pre-stereo days, The Secret Sound Game? I'm not sure when the feature ran, but remember never coming close to recognizing the "secret sounds." Must have been 1963 or 1964-ish. Notice in the newspaper ad (above) (for Bernie Harrison's show) WQMR was mentioned as both AM and FM, a tad misleading, FM was WGAY. This was all a long time ago, and though I'd like more details on the WQMR "flip" when CBG bought the station, the information is not easy to find and memories conflict (especially mine). Back to Bernie Harrison for a second - though this ad is from the WaPo, wasn't his newspaper column in the long-forgotten Washington Star?</div><hr style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed; text-align: -webkit-right;" /><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-family: 'Tahoma Small Cap'; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/WQMR%20Concerto%20complete.wma"><i>The Complete</i> WQMR Concerto</a> (windows media format)</span></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: large;">click to see more </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/sights.htm">SIGHTS</a></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: large;"> and hear some </span><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/sounds.htm"><span style="color: red; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-large;">SOUNDS</span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: large;">of our beloved </span><b><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: large;">WQMR</span></b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;">and WGAY (in fine print, but it was there for those who wanted static-free listening after SUNSET) ... </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;">and </span><span style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB Demi'; font-size: medium;">WMAL clips</span></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><b><span style="color: #b8d8c0; font-family: 'Agency FB'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/mike_handley.htm">We have lost one of WQMR/WGAY's voices from 1969 through the early 70's, MIKE HANDLEY, who died friday, April 10, 2009 (click this link)</a></span></b></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-family: 'Berlin Sans FB Demi'; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/1947%20pix.htm">Sherman, Set the Wayback Machine - back to 1947!</a></span></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-family: 'Tahoma Small Cap';"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/sounds.htm"><b>B</b></a><i><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/WXLNmemories.htm">ill almost remembers WXLN - Excellence In Radio</a></i></span></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;">Above to the right, WGAY in its Wheaton, Maryland post-war building (1947 I think, here pictured in the early 50's with the WGAY-mobile) that was largely untouched until the move to Silver Spring, which began in 1965... 11306 Kemp Mill Road, Wheaton, Maryland, phone WHitehall6-1050! In 1960 the WGAY calls in the picture became WQMR (WGAY was put back on the building on another angle, see the brochure picture in the "sights" link). This site is all about a radio station from long ago that existed in an entirely different environment. Radio used to be an exciting medium. Radio now is talk shows and shock jocks. I prefer to live in the past, so join me during your visit here!</div><hr style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed; text-align: -webkit-right;" /><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><i><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif'; font-size: large;">a broadband connection is required to enjoy this site</span></i></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/wqmrwgaymemories/ron_crider.htm"><i><span style="font-family: 'Microsoft Sans Serif'; font-size: large;">Project engineer Ron Crider discusses the move from Kemp Mill Road in Wheaton to The World Building in Silver Spring</span></i></a></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><span style="font-size: medium;">double-click to see the real pictures, this will open up in the photo-viewing app associated with your browser! After viewing the full-sized picture, be sure to BACK ARROW in your browser, if you click the "red X" your browser will likely close!</span></div><div align="center" style="background-color: #211443; color: #e9e8ed;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNKF16YYTxnGK5FqIBkZmlnqxpFlccX7LNRt3guI28hmh8U6d2RQJAmiejvb_5O9b0oL_86207_uqpSFLgO-QuIEViq0TrhRJ09Ssp_RCApzfruIuBHIKnve7wF83CeKdUq3seHKn3Ns/s1600/stationery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNKF16YYTxnGK5FqIBkZmlnqxpFlccX7LNRt3guI28hmh8U6d2RQJAmiejvb_5O9b0oL_86207_uqpSFLgO-QuIEViq0TrhRJ09Ssp_RCApzfruIuBHIKnve7wF83CeKdUq3seHKn3Ns/s320/stationery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Read the "important memories" link above to read some great memories from Ron to go along with the pix!</div></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-44611947408711704632011-11-16T18:33:00.000-08:002011-11-16T18:47:25.670-08:00The Melody Hour<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'High Tower Text'; font-size: x-large;"></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY67io4kMsY0TZyI_eLhpmT3lWskUoVxtj-Ild57veYrRccVKKq6w2LRn12XE_Xy-eSvcNu7STHtLKmAMhhISdSC5QZOZ4DNGkOdQfwiTuii8WZOSzOw6QVLqIJdnMqkvR2ERM5yyUhtc/s1600/buddy_clark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY67io4kMsY0TZyI_eLhpmT3lWskUoVxtj-Ild57veYrRccVKKq6w2LRn12XE_Xy-eSvcNu7STHtLKmAMhhISdSC5QZOZ4DNGkOdQfwiTuii8WZOSzOw6QVLqIJdnMqkvR2ERM5yyUhtc/s320/buddy_clark.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"The Melody Hour" was the retitled name of NBC radio's "The Carnation Contented Hour" a 30 minute musical show re-recorded by the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) without commercials. During World War II, particularly, this program was broadcast over AFRS by means of 16" electrical transcriptions or radio discs at 331⁄3 rpm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaWtMFx8y4hlEEGmSmCMls-h3IRFmS5pR0Mg4MCu01vN_3wuScI66ZWI0o1DC7Vw448wah6MmtF_pA-tj8S29tkOAPpFPi8gP8O7t7nEGugSXpxTjO648KzTZnF5k2GZkFR7YitJzoWw/s1600/BuddyClark02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaWtMFx8y4hlEEGmSmCMls-h3IRFmS5pR0Mg4MCu01vN_3wuScI66ZWI0o1DC7Vw448wah6MmtF_pA-tj8S29tkOAPpFPi8gP8O7t7nEGugSXpxTjO648KzTZnF5k2GZkFR7YitJzoWw/s320/BuddyClark02.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'High Tower Text'; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/AFRS%20Melody%20Hour.htm" style="color: #993300;">Vocalist Buddy Clark with Percy Faith and His Orchestra from the 1940's (5/2011)</a></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'High Tower Text';"></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'High Tower Text';">I'm sorry to say there has been only one person interested in this collection, of which I have probably 100 shows, so I will not post any more unless the shows are of interest, let me know if they are!</span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: 'High Tower Text';"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Clark">Buddy Clark, Wikipedia</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Buddy%20Clark&tag=ncdn&index=aps&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">BUDDY CLARK on recordings</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=ncdn&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;">THE MELODY HOUR featuring Buddy Clark, vocals and announcing, with Percy Faith and His Orchestra, broadcast over the Armed Forces Radio Network in the 1940's. Wally Antuck spent years getting these 16" transcription discs to sound their best. </span>I used to correspond with Wally from Lansing, Michigan but have not heard from him for years. This collection represents what must have been years of his work and I think a lot of us will get a kick out of them. Please email me if you wish to hear more. </div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/The%20Melody%20Hour/The%20Melody%20Hour%20173%20January_6_1947.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #173 Broadcast January 6, 1947</a><<<<click here to listen!</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Winter Wonderland (Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Oh, Lady Be Good (Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">So Would I (Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">For Sentimental Reasons (Evelyn Knight)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Tales from The Vienna Woods (Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">My O'Darling, My O'Lovely, My O'Brien (Evelyn Knight)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Swing Low (Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Just A Wearyin' For You (Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Amour, Amour, Amore (Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Stardust (fade, program end)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/The%20Melody%20Hour/The%20Melody%20Hour%20174%20January_15_1947.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #174 Broadcast January 13, 1947</a><<<<click here to listen!</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">It's A Good Day (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Flight of The Bumblebee (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">How Are Things in Glocca Mora (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Parade of The Wooden Soldiers (organist Ethel Smith)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I'll Close My Eyes (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Whole World Is Singing My Song (Buddy ClarkVocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Anda Lucia (Ethel Smith)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">More Than You Know (Buddy Clark)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">That Old Black Magic (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Minute Waltz (Percy Faith Orchestra</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/The%20Melody%20Hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20155%2009021946.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #155 Broadcast September 2, 1946</a><<<<<click here to listen!</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Valse Bluett (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Old Buttermilk Sky (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Way You Look Tonight (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Unknown Vocal (Jeanne De Jardins)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">When The Little Bird (Gerald Duranleau)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Unknown Vocal (De Jardins, Durnleau)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Where or When (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Medley: El Rancho Grande/La Comparisita/La Cucaracha (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">September Song (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Contented Hour/Valse Bluette (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/The%20Melody%20Hour/AFRS%20Melody%20Hour%20156%2009091946.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #156 Broadcast September 9, 1946</a><<<<<click here to listen!</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Peanut Vendor (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Somewhere In The Night (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">These Foolish Things (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Along With Me (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Rachmaninoff Concerto in C-minor (Arthur Whitmore-Jack Lowe)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Song Is You (Arthur Whitemore-Jack Lowe)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">It's The Talk Of The Town (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">You, So It's You (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Peanut Vendor-Fade (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/The%20Melody%20Hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20157.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #157 Broadcast September 16, 1946</a><<<<<click here to listen</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Dizzy Fingers (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">This Is Always (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Out Of My Dreams (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I'm In The Mood For Love (Kay Armen)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">This Is The Night (Kay Armen)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I've Got You Under My Skin (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">You Go To My Head (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Samba Instrumental (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Out Of My Dreams (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/the%20melody%20hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20158.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #158 Broadcast September 23, 1946</a><<<<<click here to listen</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Finicule Finicula (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">To Each His Own (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Conversation Piece (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Chopin's Fantasy Impromptu (Verily Mills, Tony Mattola, George Wright)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Tea For Two (Verily Mills, Tony Mattola, George Wright)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Where Or When (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Just One Of Those Things (Buddy Clark Vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Medley: The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Where Or When (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/the%20melody%20hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20162.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #162 Broadcast October 28, 1946</a><<<<<click here to listen</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Hora Staccato (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">This Is Always (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Laura (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">It's The Talk Of The Town (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Malaguena (Larry Adler)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Gavate in E-Minor played in C (Larry Adler)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Continental (Larry Adler)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Someone To Watch Over Me (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Fascinating Rhythm (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Peanut Vendor (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/the%20melody%20hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20163.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #163 Broadcast November 4, 1946</a><<<<<click here to listen</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Hallelujah (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I guess I Expected Too Much (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Night Was Made For Love (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">For You, For Me, For Evermore (Kay Lorraine)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Why Does It Get So Late So Early (Kay Lorraine)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I Got Lost In His Arms (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">All The Things You Are (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Bim Bam Boom (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I Got Lost In His Arms (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/the%20melody%20hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20177.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #177 Broadcast February 3, 1947</a><<<<< click here to listen</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Uncle Remus Said (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Stars in your Eyes (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Bless You (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I'll Close My Eyes (Hildegarde)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Waltz in Swingtime (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">I Haven't Got A Worry In The World (Hildegarde)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Please (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">How Are Things in Glocca Mora? (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Oodles of Noodles (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Stardust (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><hr style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333300; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;" /><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/the%20melody%20hour/afrs%20melody%20hour%20178.wma" style="color: #993300;">Program #178 Broadcast February 10, 1947</a><<<<<click here to listen</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Rosalie (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">The Touch Of Your Hand (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Oh But I Do (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Tico-Tico (Verilye Mills and Her Boys)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Snowgoose (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Liza (Mills and Her Boys)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Linda (Buddy Clark vocal)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Mexican Hat Dance (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">Stardust (Fade) (Percy Faith Orchestra)</div><div><br />
</div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-88754990051223032192011-11-15T16:26:00.000-08:002011-11-15T16:40:50.969-08:00Percy Faith Videos<strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<h2 align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><u>Broadband</u> Sound and Video - <u>WINDOWS MEDIA FORMAT</u></span></strong></h2><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Please ensure before attempting to play or download these files you are equipped with Microsoft's WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pZl62ZJ2SBeuS_JAbbgn3HC6BGJICtvE6tpnF__cRcnSuANnXny8XWD01OO-Ac7NmW8z8RPgxiueM0HapCSJDJxwNoMuTv8qR9-g5mHE8YemDtpsfCKcIO8XBKBjquphev_HfQybV_I/s1600/faith-ed-prentiss05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pZl62ZJ2SBeuS_JAbbgn3HC6BGJICtvE6tpnF__cRcnSuANnXny8XWD01OO-Ac7NmW8z8RPgxiueM0HapCSJDJxwNoMuTv8qR9-g5mHE8YemDtpsfCKcIO8XBKBjquphev_HfQybV_I/s320/faith-ed-prentiss05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div align="center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.google.com.mx/search?q=percy+faith&tbo=p&tbm=vid&source=vgc&hl=en&aq=f">Google video search</a> </span><br />
<a href="http://www.soundtrackfan.com/ezvid/videos/percy-faith.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Soundtrack Fan Video Links</span></a></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/Percy_%20Faith_%20on_%20America's_%20Greatest_%20Bands,_%20CBS_PLAYBACK_%20with_%20Goddard_%20Leiberson,_%20CBC_%20presents_%20Off_%20The_%20Record.wmv">Percy Faith: video containing the Paul Whiteman show (America's Greatest Bands), a promotional spot for Columbia Records with Percy Faith and Goddard Leiberson, and the 1966 broadcast of the Canadian Broadcasting Company program "Off The Record"</a></span></strong></div><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;"></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Note that these is one huge file, if your internet connection is fast, it should stream OK, otherwise "right click" on your Windoze desktop and "save as..." and note that since it is a huge file, and download speeds from this web host have been in doubt lately, it could take days/weeks/months, to complete. I was unable to chop it into smaller files, sorry, but I was able to "tweak" the brightness as the original files were too dark to see; the quality of everything is poor by today's standards, these films go back a long way; they were telecine converted into a VHS camera sometime long ago, and the results do not exactly yield 'hi-def' but it is invaluable material, about an hour and a half worth of enjoyment. File size is 409 MEGABYTES. <u><i>Try to watch it a little at a time in Windows Media Player. If I start getting charged for excess traffic all download the site may be disabled or shut down.</i></u></span></strong></div><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<hr /><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/Percy%20Faith%20on%20Ed%20Prentiss%20Show%20complete.wmv">Percy Faith and His Orchestra, LA studio, including Harold Chapman (engineer - "Chappie")</a></span></strong></div><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;"></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">from the Ed Prentiss Television show entitled "Music of the 60's"</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">(note: this is a 261 megabyte file; it may stream on a good broadband connection, if not right click and "save as" before trying to play)</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;">Alan Bunting, who graciously provided this film, has remastered it and added titling, offering us a rare glimpse into the past. It's the real thing - real mikes, music stands, composer-conductor-arranger (!) and that same parquet floor you see on the back of the BROADWAY BOUQUET album, 3 years or so before that album was recorded. It was originally found on 16mm film.</span></span></strong></div><hr /><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/Percy%20Faith%20some%20movie%20titles_1.wmv">Movie Trailers - some movie titles from films Faith scored</a></span></strong></div><strong><span style="color: blue;"></span><div align="center"><span style="color: blue;">I just looked at this clip. It's awful. However, after all my moves and scattering and destruction of original material which was pretty bad in the first place, I'm not sure re-recording the clip will help. Translation: VHS is awful. VHS copied to copies that are copied is beyond awful. Windows Media Encoder loses it with poor VHS noisy video. I have higher standards and will continue to experiment, but <i>poor quality VHS yields even poorer quality digital transfers.</i></span></div><hr /><div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/Percy_Faith_Wink_Martindale_Radio_1972.wma">KMPC Radio interview w/ host Wink Martindale November 5, 6, 7, 1973 Los Angeles</a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: blue;">I'm not sure that this interview is complete, there are some words truncated, but it has been a long way to get it here. I had edited it to put in stereo tracks for listening, but was criticized big-time for doing that (one comment said that I was taking the listener's valuable time...grrrrr.) so here it is UNedited from the EDITED copy and not everthing is here; many full commerical Faith tracks were played on the show, but this clip attempts to bring only fade-outs of songs, and I spent some quality time removing all my "stereo" tracks. Sadly, I'm not sure it is complete. I made a cassette copy when visiting Marilyn in 1991, and rushed to get it on open reel, but it was spread about in pieces. Just this last summer I got my 30 year old TEAC A-3300SX tape deck working so now we can all enjoy what I could get out of it! The last few minutes include Marilyn "Faith" Leonard speaking!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/WMAL_interview_1974.wma">WMAL Radio, Washington, DC Interview - Percy Faith, host Tom Gauger, spring of 1974</a></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: blue;">This was the 1-hour show that once commercials, Paul Harvey, newscasts, ID's and promos are deleted, amounts to about 19 1/2 minutes; but enjoy. I know I did, I was seated next to Percy Faith and got to ask him lots of questions during all those "breaks" (Tom had programmed many Faith tracks, it wasn't all commercials). I had edited them out, crudely, but the fast-paced engineering at WMAL didn't make that easy so it has a few boo-boos. After the large build-up at the end of the interview for "The Hill Where The Lord Hides" I decided to leave this in, and crudely spliced in the track from the then brand-new Lp "New Thing" in stereo. The interview sounds very low-fidelity because I had to set up my equipment to run unattended to record this show while I was at the studio myself, and used some horribly low speed (don't remember, but may have used 1 7/8 i.p.s. speed on an open reel Sony, but it was worth it to be able to drive to DC and not have the tape run out! Meeting Percy Faith was great, and I'll always be grateful to Tom Gauger for letting me in the studio against management rules (!) for that great hour. That picture somewhere on this site of me standing next to Percy Faith was taken outside the then-new building where WMAL had put in their new studio on Jeniffer Street in Northwest section of Washington, DC.</span></div><span style="color: blue;"><hr /><div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/PF_Firestone-1.wmv">PERCY FAITH CONDUCTS MOULIN ROUGE and MORITAT WITH THE VOICE OF FIRESTONE ORCHESTRA</a></span></div><div align="center">Next is a new contribution for 2006, captured by Bert Richard; where you might see Toscanini conducting a classical masterpiece at 2:38:15 am on a Wednesday on cable (I'm making this all up) - here you will see PERCY FAITH conduct THE VOICE OF FIRESTONE orchestra in 1958 - two selections - Georges Auric's MOULIN ROUGE, which of course you can compare to Percy's conducting with his own studio orchestra from Alan's film clip above; then MORITAT (Mack The Knife?) by Kurt Weill. Incredible shots of Percy conducting in this one. The critic in me was a little let down by the accordionist with timing and embellishment disagreements, and I don't understand some of the brass punctuations that had not appeared in the '56 version from PASSPORT TO ROMANCE - same sort of thing happened with a film clip in 1955, from the Paul Whiteman show where Percy oddly had brass punching in on SWEDISH RHAPSODY. OH well. This is such a rare opportunity to glimpse into the past; we have the wonderful recordings to celebrate but precious little video of the orchestra, so thanks to Bert Richard, here's a bit more!</div></span><span style="color: black;"><div align="center">Notes on video play: These files are in <i>Windows Media format</i> and are <u>huge</u>. This is no big deal for a broadband connection but will take quite a while to download and begin playing in a dial-up connection. My suggestion, right click on the above links and "save as" to capture the entire file and play it later offline if you are using dialup; read several chapters of a large book, do the laundry, cut the grass. If you have call waiting cancel it (prefix your call with *70 in most areas) and during the tremendous downloads, no one will be able to call you (they'll of course get a busy signal). After great expanses of time the file should be captured on your PC. As with the musical selection below, your Windows Media Player associations must be set up correctly. Browse Microsoft's site for instructions. I cannot provide this file in any other format and without huge sacrifices in quality.</div></span></strong><br />
<hr /><div align="center"><strong><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/perpetual_notion.wma"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: large;">Click to hear PERCY FAITH and His Orchestra play </span><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: large;">PERPETUAL NOTION</span></a><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: large;">, </span><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">a stunning Faith original from 1949, in </span><span style="color: blue; font-size: medium;">Windows Media format</span><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">. It is optimized for 64 kbps, too fast for dialup connections; if you can't "buffer and play" try right clicking on the link and use "save target as" to capture the .wma file for use with your Windows Media Player.</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">PLEASE DON'T FORGET; These videos and audio clips are for </span><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;">HISTORICAL</span><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"> purposes. Do me a favor and enjoy them but they are not for reposting on other sites.</span></strong></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-83747070443162060782011-11-14T12:44:00.000-08:002011-11-14T12:49:43.842-08:00Gene Lees Interview and Faith discussion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoerYR3oS69MlIsRuO1IYByIIOr7DPlRFjsuIeoQai_38N_Rfvfc-Q4AajRa0nGQOnmZZ0TN_aeExXXJBeLWisSavYAaoHvvPd4n35_cqvSms85PhjHFVWeixue4apg1R9TE8woa1JIc/s1600/Gene+Lees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoerYR3oS69MlIsRuO1IYByIIOr7DPlRFjsuIeoQai_38N_Rfvfc-Q4AajRa0nGQOnmZZ0TN_aeExXXJBeLWisSavYAaoHvvPd4n35_cqvSms85PhjHFVWeixue4apg1R9TE8woa1JIc/s200/Gene+Lees.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>Frederick Eugene John "Gene" Lees (February 8, 1928 – April 22, 2010 was a Canadian music critic, biographer, lyricist, and former journalist. Lees worked as a newspaper journalist in his native Canada before moving to the United States where he was a music critic and lyricist. His lyrics for Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado" (released as "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars"), have been recorded by such notable singers as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Queen Latifah, and Diana Krall. Lees married Janet, his wife, in 1971. This Percy Faith discussion is reproduced with permission.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Lees">Wikipedia</a><br />
<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/faith_lees.wma" style="color: #993300;">Part of an interview with GENE LEES (added 5/2011)*</a></span></span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-9779793054437340872011-11-14T12:37:00.000-08:002011-11-14T12:37:56.970-08:00THE ARRANGERS, BBC Radio 2 memories of PERCY FAITH<div style="background-color: #ffffcc; background-image: url(http://www.percyfaithpages.org/_themes/sandston/stonbk.jpg); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMx3xlwUtk9P2xTvkJYlPKAh6bnbqbrE_Pq66JwV2sf-VxUCY5sIBHfH1HEPkAeJOs0_q4bWlSsMtlj4lGpZn1-y4LusOaIL9uixd1UtFjvhkNOwftT91EL_g6_osOyUmTmBUCFw0w4Q/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMx3xlwUtk9P2xTvkJYlPKAh6bnbqbrE_Pq66JwV2sf-VxUCY5sIBHfH1HEPkAeJOs0_q4bWlSsMtlj4lGpZn1-y4LusOaIL9uixd1UtFjvhkNOwftT91EL_g6_osOyUmTmBUCFw0w4Q/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">BBC Radio 2 from August, 2000: THE ARRANGERS, this show featured memories of PERCY FAITH</span></b></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><b>This radio program was a great tribute to Percy Faith, and through many transcontinental telephone calls, I think you'll agree that it is a very fine half-hour.</b></div><div align="center"><b>The producer of the series, "The Arrangers," contacted me (!) and Alan Bunting (BBC producer Lynsey Moyes). Lynsey attempted to secure "studio time" so that I could be interviewed, but for the betterment of the show, the arrangement could not be made. More specifically I refused to go into downtown Washington, DC and my voice<i>should never ever be heard on the radio.</i> Fortunately my great friend Alan Bunting of Scotland did a splendid job with his contribution of excellent conversation and knowledge with the show's host. Alan brought with him some of Percy Faith talking on tape from material I had provided centuries ago (more or less) and this was very effectively included. The part that I'm most proud of is that I was asked if I could provide some material for the program. I burned up the phone lines to Encino, California and Marilyn Leonard agreed to be on the show! Next I called Mitch Miller in New York, and he agreed to participate in this tribute as well! The BBC dispatched interviewers armed with recording equipment to Marilyn's home as well as that of Mitch Miller, and the result is a wonderful tribute.</b></div><div align="center"><b>Alan provided some "local flavor" with a local radio news broadcast (in case you think I linked to the wrong item, which is very easy to do as broken as my old Frontpage editor software is... after the news and a BBC Radio 2 station ID we get right to the program.</b></div><div align="center"><b>This should stream on most ISDN and definitely cable connections, but if not, right-click and "save as" - it's about 30 megabytes, and then enjoy. Click below to hear this most interesting program.</b></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/BBC%20Radio%202%20THE%20ARRANGERS%20Percy%20Faith.wma" style="color: #993300;">BBC Radio 2 THE ARRANGERS - Percy Faith</a></b></span></div></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-3776102949659629532011-11-11T18:05:00.000-08:002011-11-11T18:35:18.288-08:00Faith Career Notes<strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJQ_HdVneRjaNtQ9uReIDvJ9i6zdXuweMJc8mE2wwRTIiKliIqNv2n9JUneZtfnn-lS7GFCbnQq4ecOGQurtaRsc0y6DYoQc8_D57Fw-grAYEzWj_KLqZgloKxYKkqbatE5UhOGGhDEA/s1600/percy_faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJQ_HdVneRjaNtQ9uReIDvJ9i6zdXuweMJc8mE2wwRTIiKliIqNv2n9JUneZtfnn-lS7GFCbnQq4ecOGQurtaRsc0y6DYoQc8_D57Fw-grAYEzWj_KLqZgloKxYKkqbatE5UhOGGhDEA/s320/percy_faith.jpg" width="287" /></a></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;">His orchestra heard "on the air" in Canada and the United States, since the 1930's, Mr. Faith brought us his unique sound, rich arrangements featuring his favorite section of the orchestra - the strings, that carried the Faith signature sound of rich countermelodies and harmonic developments across sections of the orchestra. Pictured above, Percy at the piano in the living room of his Encino home in 1966, "California 1966" in his own writing (this is an original picture from the family collection That Faith recorded 45 albums is a head-scratcher, Faith recorded closer to 90 albums, and that does not include the many "random track collection" albums that could no doubt double that number worldwide. I believe this error began with a press release, I still have a copy somewhere. The Collectables series of CD's now available cover Percy's entire Columbia career. There are CD's available that go back to the "pre-Columbia" days of Decca, Majestic, and RCA, <a href="http://www.pelstream.co.uk/" style="color: #993300;">please see Alan Bunting's website for details.</a></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong><br />
<div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><em>PERCY FAITH: COMPOSER-CONDUCTOR-ARRANGER</em></span></u></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><strong><span style="color: #0000a0; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0000a0; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Percy Faith had a tremendous career, doing just what he wanted to do, creating albums of beautiful music. Actually that's the second half of his career, the first was "on the air" bringing his unique orchestral style to radio. Few are aware he did much outside of SUMMER PLACE, DELICADO or MOULIN ROUGE - but view these pages and you'll realize that he recorded over a thousand arrangements with a style that could never be duplicated. After all these years, we are rewarded with our treasured albums being available in the "best possible" sound of the compact disc; see below! There are several great CD reissues by Taragon and Collectables, and manufacturing remains with Sony (Taragon does its own remastering), so the quality is superb. It is a great tribute to PERCY FAITH that his music still delights listeners in the year 2000 and beyond. Millions of thanks go to Good Music, Collectables, and Taragon for bringing Faith's music to us in the window-on-sound CD format.</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></strong></div>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-21080265565063256512011-11-11T01:56:00.000-08:002011-11-11T01:56:57.545-08:00MITCH MILLER 1911-2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gOw_jzdECH7xd3p5c8-LrrEr7Hot06BhfF8GgEODqDokus_KbAmj1aVOa40Pb_Cq3z_oqLOh3F1vj9H1FRqaKCWyWh2BR0bmuIjjKXvF7k9wevq-ZAoFH30ORii9LII2JJsDhNDEhLs/s1600/MitchMiller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gOw_jzdECH7xd3p5c8-LrrEr7Hot06BhfF8GgEODqDokus_KbAmj1aVOa40Pb_Cq3z_oqLOh3F1vj9H1FRqaKCWyWh2BR0bmuIjjKXvF7k9wevq-ZAoFH30ORii9LII2JJsDhNDEhLs/s320/MitchMiller.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>8/2/2010: on July 31, we have lost Mitch Miller - performing musician, arranger, conductor, oboist, and the man who hired Percy Faith into Columbia Records in 1950. Mitch Miller was 99 years old. Mitch hired the famous vocalists, and assigned various arrangers who worked for him (and he arranged music as well) to launch their careers. Such "youngsters" as Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, and many others saw huge careers that were launched by contracts with Columbia and Mitch; and often through the orchestral magic of Percy Faith! This was a good deal for Percy, as he really wanted to record instrumentally and not be involved with vocalists; so for the duration of the 1950's Faith had a deal with Columbia and Mitch, that he'd record for the "youngsters" - and in turn he could record orchestral albums under his own name... and he did just that! I don't have a link but the New York Times website has an excellent article about Mr. Miller - wow - he used to work with George Gershwin!!!<br />
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I was honored to talk to Mitch on the phone a few times in the 1990's and again for the BBC Radio 2 program "The Arrangers" where he gladly agreed to participate in the show (they sent interviewers with recording equipment to his home). He was rather sad that his music had been forgotten but I think I encouraged him a bit when I started listing some of his Lp's that had been digitally remastered for CD reissue. I know that he was very pleased when two of his own albums, along with the two albums he recorded with Percy Faith, were reissued intact.<br />
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On a mid- 50's Lp "Columbia House Party" Mitch on the oboe, and Percy at the piano, perform the Faith original "Manon" - quite a treat. This was a different, but great era from which we continue to enjoy the performances. These were the days when "management" at Columbia were musicians as well. Here it is, uncompressed .wav format from the "Columbia House Party" album circa 1955; you'll hear a young Percy Faith as well as a young Mitch Miller as well as the party in the background. This is an opportunity to hear Faith on the piano, his own composition, and Mitch on the oboe for what was almost a bonus track for Music Until Midnight. Right click to save to your computer, I doubt if it will stream, then enjoy.<br />
<a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/MANON%20Percy%20Faith%20and%20Mitch%20Miller.wav">http://www.percyfaithpages.org/music_and_video/MANON%20Percy%20Faith%20and%20Mitch%20Miller.wav</a>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-65302859428937409902011-11-11T01:43:00.000-08:002011-11-11T01:58:34.063-08:00Canadian Songwriter's Hall of FamePercy Faith's song "My Heart Cries For You" gets Inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.<br />
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by Rick Gleitsman, grandson of Percy Faith<br />
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Sorry the quality is so lousy, it was shot on my still camera, and it ends abruptly as I was asked to stand up. It's cute to hear my 88 year old Great Aunt, Percy's sister, sitting next to me say "That's my Brother". :)<br />
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Anyway, it is on youtube titled: Movie #1 Recut by RgpropsEnjoy!!! (Gosh I hope this works)!!! Enjoy!!!<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/YeGlzGniI0E">on You Tube</a><br />
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<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YeGlzGniI0E?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YeGlzGniI0E?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br />
----Rick Gleitsman<br />
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FOR BUSINESS QUESTIONS REGARDING THE MUSIC/RIGHTS/USAGE of Percy Faith and his orchestra, please contact:<br />
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RICK GLEITSMAN, PercyFaithMusic@gmail.comRobert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-41958881588751652682011-11-08T17:17:00.000-08:002011-11-08T17:17:34.395-08:00Tour of Percy Faith's neighborhood and home<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Video of Bill Halvorsen's trip to meet Percy Faith's wife Dolly and daughter Marilyn in May of 1991...</span><br />
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<object height="315" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PFm3EkbI0Bg?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PFm3EkbI0Bg?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-76659152460758319152011-11-06T04:57:00.000-08:002011-11-06T05:06:28.589-08:00Meet Nick Perito<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQj5YvPWflnR5i6GoP8_OKY3kbIYHYZVh_15N5Hbo_OAQVXckQILKfNbuKXSo2co1nPc4FrKmWUPfZyFkNFkFwykgIZnIQMQyqhncISG3m-F4zJECwk4nvrQUc5SwPoOW4crkOIEhQp0E/s1600/nick_perito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQj5YvPWflnR5i6GoP8_OKY3kbIYHYZVh_15N5Hbo_OAQVXckQILKfNbuKXSo2co1nPc4FrKmWUPfZyFkNFkFwykgIZnIQMQyqhncISG3m-F4zJECwk4nvrQUc5SwPoOW4crkOIEhQp0E/s320/nick_perito.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>Born in Denver, Perito's start in music was at an early age, when he received an accordion as a gift from his parents. Both his uncle and brother encouraged his learning by gifts of sheet music; as he mastered one song, he would then be given a new one as an incentive. Perito started performing at parties at a young age and received a scholarship to the Lamont School of Music, studying at the University of Denver. Was conductor, arranger, director or producer with Percy Faith at the Capitol LA Studios conducting Percy Faith's Music for a JVC Series in 1994.<br />
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<LI><a href="http://www.percyfaithpages.org/">Listen Links at The Percy Faith Pages</a> <br />
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<LI><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Perito">Wikipedia</a>Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7399886177249884298.post-1410612899590819002011-11-05T11:14:00.000-07:002011-11-10T15:12:21.741-08:00How Bill met Percy's daughter MarilynWhen I visited Marilyn in May, 1991, I told her - with all sincerity - that the trip to Encino - was almost certainly greatest event in my life; it was a very generous gift for a "mere fan" to visit the daughter and widow and home of the quiet grandfather they called "Poppy" (Percy Faith) I'm going to now bore you just a bit with details of my trip so that you'll know why I feel this way. Marilyn and I took turns that week taking pictures of Percy's fabulous collection of awards, photo albums connected with his recording orchestra and the early "radio days."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHghmR0M0s0KxEwB84Nc-97JSHHgSC_dJDHSGVVVmjL6plYfhpmN_zopa6Ca-Q-4q-B_knIKmJ41ZFsY6mm8S2_h08wJM2vZbJ5TMM6J17QxWDKwqMVMaBwYI06ud0zjASRIF618uoN30/s1600/Marilyn_and_Dolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHghmR0M0s0KxEwB84Nc-97JSHHgSC_dJDHSGVVVmjL6plYfhpmN_zopa6Ca-Q-4q-B_knIKmJ41ZFsY6mm8S2_h08wJM2vZbJ5TMM6J17QxWDKwqMVMaBwYI06ud0zjASRIF618uoN30/s320/Marilyn_and_Dolly.jpg" title="Marilyn and Dolly" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I was a big fan of Percy Faith's music (obviously) but was always frustrated with the one-dimensional liner notes on the back of his albums (let me clarify that - there were some terrific liner notes written by the late Irving Townsend, who also produced most of Percy's 1960's albums... but at the same time many albums had no liner notes at all or just a few non-informative paragraphs). I lived in the suburbs of Washington, DC and had never heard of a concert given by Percy Faith though I believe he guest conducted at the Hollywood Bowl several times. I had asked Percy about the lack of mention of a producer in the 50's and he replied that work on his albums were pretty much a one-man job - his own - but that technically the CL 500 series was produced by Mitch Miller (his boss!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fZd8mP-2jw2tl4ZBaqnYq_KldWNz4cFzUE1cu6iyumZ_FkntRRWHEO8xt0OsjQWOeoXcmwciQtd00EpOBxjunavaGGbprNu5pXk4TmoYslpi3zMz3-_1_vR2shYU4PgrumdRYyUTN2M/s1600/marilyn_leonard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fZd8mP-2jw2tl4ZBaqnYq_KldWNz4cFzUE1cu6iyumZ_FkntRRWHEO8xt0OsjQWOeoXcmwciQtd00EpOBxjunavaGGbprNu5pXk4TmoYslpi3zMz3-_1_vR2shYU4PgrumdRYyUTN2M/s320/marilyn_leonard2.jpg" title="Marilyn Faith Leonard" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I believe it was early in the spring of 1974, when I first had hopes of learning more about Percy Faith, when I made contact with Percy's son Peter. Peter was most gracious and planned to send me everything he could about his dad. Peter ran a very successful artist's talent agency, the Peter Faith Agency, which brought talented composer-arranger-conductors together with the movie makers of Hollywood. After several months had passed, I found out by calling the agency that Peter had died, in August of 1974. I did not want to bother the Faith family with my "fan" questions, this was not the time, knowing that Peter had died and that Percy was suffering from cancer; I did try to contact Peter's widow but she would not accept my phone calls, and after many attempts, a receptionist told me flatly "she doesn't know anything about Percy Faith." So much for that! Still, I got to meet Percy Faith at the radio interview in March of 1974, and then spoke to him briefly in March of 1975 when he returned once again to guest conduct the Air Force Concert Band.<br />
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During the years I have had remarkable conversations and correspondence with other Faith aficionados from all over the world, even visitors from Germany and Japan! I knew that Percy had a daughter named Marilyn but that's all I knew, and had absolutely no idea or hope of calling her, I didn't have her phone number or address. Then some remarkable coincidences came together - a young software developer, Charles Medley, in Washington, DC knew a software developer in Los Angeles who also played keyboard instruments (be they mechanical or electronic) and he told my friend in Washington that he was going to Japan for six weeks. This was many years after Percy's death, in 1990. So my friend in Washington, DC asked this musician, John Eidsvoog, then of Codehead Software, "would this happen to be for the Percy Faith Orchestra tour in Japan? The answer was yes! My friend told his developer/musician friend in LA that he knew of it through me (I was a big enthusiast of this 16-bit computer (Atari ST) and that I was a big fan of the late Percy Faith, and suddenly in the mail a VHS tape (remember those?) arrived from Japan - from my friend and correspondent, the late Yukio Tanase - before the concert tour had ended - of orchestra members and the people who went to Japan with them - including Percy's own daughter, Marilyn. We didn't have the internet and Japan was a long, long way from the United States - so to suddenly hear Marilyn talking about me at a far-away table at a restaurant in Japan was a thrill. About two months after the Faith concert tour ended, my phone rang - it was Marilyn Leonard! We talked for about 4 hours initially, and again and again on many occasions 4-5 hour conversations were the norm, and it was a fascinating learning experience; she was delightful; and it was great fun because we'd have so many subjects to cover, we'd get stacked up with 4 or 5 subjects that we wanted to talk about, and somehow we got to all of them! Finally one day she called and said "so when are you coming out here to visit?" Wow. She said that we could go through her dad's office, which Dolly had left pretty much intact - same electronic equipment, records, awards, scrapbooks, which told the story of his great career, that began on-the-air on several Canadian radio shows.<br />
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In May of 1991 I boarded an airplane for my first cross-country flight; I had never been to the West Coast at all. It was a long but visually fascinating flight. When I got inside the terminal, even though we had never met, I knew this lovely lady waiting at the gate had to be Marilyn and we hugged and got out of that crazy-busy airport. Our first stop was the cemetery, not far from the airport, to see the graves of Percy and Peter. During this drive, a Los Angeles radio station played "Tenderly" with Rosemary Clooney on the car radio - and the announcer (Johnny Magnus? I never wrote his name down) backtitled the selection as "Rosemary Clooney with the fabulous Percy Faith orchestra." Wow. We visited the gravesites, then headed for Marilyn's condominium apartment. She had all of her dad's records - many were worn and scratched, and I know she was thrilled, as we all were, years later when they were remastered digitally and reissued on CD's. The next thing Marilyn did was to play "Perpetual Notion." She asked if I had ever heard it - and I had not. It was wonderful! She explained that it was only available on the Extended Play set of the RCA "Soft Lights and Sweet Music" series (LPM 1010) but had not been included on the Lp, only on the EP set.<br />
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Marilyn had a very nice collection of pictures and memorabilia from her dad, and it was great fun going through this. Then for the next week, we'd head to the Faith home on Valley Meadow Drive, where I was permitted to literally go through Percy's office, records, and tapes. During the last year of his life, he had spent many hours putting all of his albums on BASF cassette tapes; he felt cassettes might be around much longer than long playing albums. Sadly the tapes had dried out and went to pieces when we played them. Evidently they were the "long length" (T-160?) tapes which were terribly thin, and in the years passing by, were never played and the backing just fell apart. I felt terrible about this, but that's just how it was, and even at home I had experienced excessive shedding of oxide from BASF open reels before I switched to Maxell. We did find several open reel tapes but once again, the dry climate or years of non-use took their toll. Percy had three or four Sony open reel decks - and they all failed - mechanically - when I tried to engage "play" - evidently the rubber pulley that drove the capstan and take-up reel flew into pieces. I did take a couple of them apart to find my suspicions confirmed; the rubber pulley had flown into tiny pieces. One of the machines was a 3-motor design, but it had electronic and relay control problems. Marilyn found a 5th open reel machine that had belonged to her late husband, bandsinger Jack Leonard, and it still worked! I was, therefore, able to get some treasures on tape. Two examples that come to mind, the 3-day radio interview Percy did with Wink Martindale, and perhaps the most obscure PF record of obscure PF records, "Blubber Boy, the Walrus" (children's record). I found that Percy had recorded 3 songs with Frank Sinatra, the last was "Why Try To Change Me Now?" which is quite good. At some point Frank Sinatra had a keychain made with the three songtitles and sent it to Marilyn. I got the idea that as a teenager she listened to a lot of "Frankie's" records!<br />
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Marilyn took me into Los Angeles to find a "copy shop" and we brought home a full-size Xerox machine (might have been another brand, I can't remember). At any rate the intention was to copy Percy's own listings of his music; that was successful; but we badly wanted to copy his scrapbooks and that was not to be - the scrapbooks were fragile and the copying machine was of the "moving carriage" type. So the scrapbooks did not get copied. I did manage to copy Percy's own listing of his arrangements and compositions.<br />
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Marilyn was always gracious and treated me to a wonderful week. Dolly (Percy's widow) was visiting a relative and didn't come home until Wednesday night that week so I didn't meet her until early Thursday morning. That night she took Marilyn and I to a wonderful dinner. I got to play a few notes on Percy's piano, I don't remember the brand but it had real ivory keys. I remember Marilyn told me the first things Percy had living in NYC - his wife, his piano, and I believe a chandelier and a bed, and very little else!<br />
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Percy's scrapbooks were fascinating. He put in notes at times, and at times just let the newspaper clippings or concert programs tell the story. He was amused at the way the newspapers very often thoroughly mangled the spelling of his name and in one case even had the wrong picture above his correctly spelled name! It was very apparent to me in reading through this material that literally one-half of his career was "on the air" mostly in Canada, when radio stations and networks had orchestras! He was delighted to be named Popular Music Director of Columbia Records in 1950, working for Mitch Miller. He had the freedom to have an orchestra of literally any size (he liked lots of strings, of course) but Mitch made it a part of the contract that Percy work with "the youngsters" - vocalists - backing them with the orchestra. Percy did not enjoy vocals or working with vocalists, Marilyn told me quite frankly. It made his recorded legacy priceless that he felt this way, and eventually by about 1961, didn't have to have anything to do with vocals or vocalists unless he wanted to. He had developed the wordless female chorus (vocalise) during his radio days and used them now and then as an instrument in the orchestra, nothing more, nothing less. I have an EP entitled "Magic Voices" that featured tracks that used them heavily; they even sang a few words. Through the recording years Percy used the small female wordless chorus as a voice of the orchestra; he also recorded many tracks in the 1950's with a mixed-choral part, but I was told by Marilyn that he did NOT arrange these vocals, rather they were arranged by Ray Charles of the Columbia "Ray Charles Singers."<br />
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When I got to the last scrapbook I started into tears as "Disco Party" had some entries in it, but by Dolly, not Percy; and Summer Place '76 was mentioned but the entries largely incomplete. It was a sudden ending for a long and rich career, now I was reliving those difficult moments, when I realized that I had lost my favorite musician many years before, a kind man who, famous as he was, had no discernable EGO; Doris Day put it best when she did a brief telephone interview with ABC radio in the early hours of the morning after Percy died, when she said "...as beautiful as his arrangements were, that's how kind he was."<br />
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Marilyn cooked out on the barbecue at her mother's house a few times, and I really enjoyed barbecued hamburgers with all the fixings. As you can see from the pictures on the patio, the Faith home had a beautiful view and at one of the corners you could see the smoggy Los Angeles. The weather - every day was, and I can still hear Marilyn laughing about this, "cool, warm breezes, sunny" and that must have been a factor in Percy's move to California! <br />
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Marilyn asked me about mid-way through the week, "Don't you want to see LA?" "Nope, I came out here to learn about your father's career." She also asked me "Don't you want to know more personal information about the family?" I already knew it was a large family but never got to meet her children. Again, I said that I was having a blast having my Percy Faith questions answered by long talks with her and the material I was reading, listening to his recordings, and that took up all of our time. It didn't seem to me that personal information about her family was any of my business!!!<br />
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When I returned home, Marilyn and I kept in touch frequently through the years. She was always caring, asking about me (!) and how my own mother and brother were doing; and we went through many hours of telephone time discussing the Good Music CD's (first licensing out of Percy's catalogue and Columbia/Sony referred them to ME for information as all their personnel were "rock and roll" by that time). We spent many hours discussing messages that came to me from my web site, the Taragon and Collectables CD's, and zillions of other items. She had a great sense of humor and we both agreed that the "7 deadly words" (that you can't use on the radio, as George Carlin found out) were sometimes the ONLY way to convey things. She taught me a couple of wonderful "getting old" things to account for poor memory - the CRAFT Club (Can't Remember A F***ing Thing) and CRS disease - (Can't Remember S**t). I laughed and greatly enjoyed the great sense of humor she had. She said she got this from her father; she was very much in awe of her father, and a great fan of his music. Her knowledge of popular music for both orchestra and for vocalists was amazing; she didn't suffer the distaste that I have for (ulp) vocals, so she knew well the vocalists of her time. In fact I can remember one of the "just kidding" titles Percy had named one of his own albums; it was a tribute to his great sense of humor, however I can't repeat it.<br />
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Many times, there were some difficult decisions to be made, and I was honored to get calls from Marilyn to help her decide on some things; she agonized over many decisions, and I helped her respond to some correspondence, she'd get a bit of writer's block and I'd try to get her started; but most of all she wanted to do the very best things she could for her father's memory. One great thing that happened in the early part of the first decade of the new century, was a radio show honoring her father along with several other arrangers on BBC2 in England. They devoted a segment to Percy Faith, and to my great delight Marilyn agreed to do some recording sessions with BBC2 announcers in her home. Producer Lynsey Moyes had contacted me by phone to see if I could participate in this tribute but studio arrangements could not be made, and to my great delight Marilyn responded to my phone call that SHE would welcome the BBC interviewers into her home! I also phoned Mitch Miller in New York and he agreed to participate and gave some interviews at his home. I was very delighted to bring Marilyn and Mitch to the program. The show is now on this web site.<br />
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I miss Marilyn, she's one of those people who really inspired me over the years and who am I? Just a fan - of wonderful music her father recorded, and I was very honored and delighted to know her over the years. For her to let a fan visit her and her mom in Encino was a once-in-a-lifetime dream event for me. It was sad to realize how long Percy had been gone, but it was priceless to visit with Marilyn, who knew every album, every track, and had stories to share about most of them. One last thing, many years ago, perhaps 2002 or so we began talking about a book she wanted to write about her father's career. We used to joke that perhaps it would never sell, but sadly the book was never written either. I was going to return to Los Angeles to visit for an extended time when I retired in 2005 but my mother became very ill so I found myself in Kansas. My mother died in January 2008 and about three months after I lost my mother, I contacted Marilyn about visiting, laptop computer in hand, to help her with the book, and finally with great difficulty she told me why this would never happen, that she had been stricken with cancer, and that it wasn't possible. It was difficult for her to tell me and difficult for me to hear this. She used to joke about the book, "my father never shot anyone, never even divorced his wife, none of that stuff, he just had a rewarding life in the recording studio - and I don't know if such a book could sell." This adds to the sadness of losing Marilyn, now we'll never have the story of her father, as told by his #1 fan, his daughter! With beauty, the tremendous catalog of music Percy Faith left us, goes a lot of sadness as well, and if it sold only 3 copies it would have been a wonderful story. I miss Marilyn very much and am quite certain that everyone she befriended is shattered by the loss of a wonderful bright, caring, enthusiastic friend.<br />
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- Bill Halvorsen, March 2010Robert Alan Campbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14800611733569959224noreply@blogger.com0