I was rooting around with the remote last night and stumbled into yet another great music documentary on a PBS station. I didn't think there were any significant artists from the early rock era I didn't at least know by name. Charlie Gracie (Graci) was born in Philadelphia in 1936. His dad encouraged him to play guitar, and he began winning talent contests in his early teens. In 1956 he was the first artist to sign with the fledgling home town Cameo label. He played the Brooklyn Paramount as part of an Alan Freed show, and appeared on Ed Sullivan and in the 1957 film Jamboree, which also featured Chuck Berry. His song Butterfly hit #5 on the Billboard charts, selling three million copies, ensuring the label's financial health. His follow up, Fabulous, hit #16. Two others cracked the Top 100. Cameo went on to issue hit records by Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, the Dovells, the Orlons and Dee Dee Sharp. Gracie sued the company for unpaid royalties, which hurt his career, as powerful forces prevented his subsequent work from getting radio play. He was undaunted, playing small venues, which he does to this day. He is loved in England and is a member of the British Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. He was the second Yank to bring rock n roll to the UK. He toured with, among others, Eddie Cochran (Summertime Blues, Come on, Everybody), who became a great friend and who, tragically, was killed in an accident at the age of 21. In viewing the piece, I was taken by Gracie's positive attitude, which he attributes to his family. He does not appear to harbor any bitterness. He has been married to the same woman for almost 50 years. In 2011 Al Kooper produced a new Gracie CD, For the Love of Charlie, which features guest appearances by Graham Nash, Peter Noone and others. Unfortunately, there are no clips from the doc on youtube, but an enterprising chap did record Gracie in concert banging out Boogie Woogie on his Guild guitar, the same he has been using throughout his career. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqqqLtaerl4&feature=related And here's a pic of the artist as a young man:
It was a quiet day at the floating book shop. I left with about 35 more books than when I'd arrived, courtesy of two donations. My car is crammed. It's beyond ridiculous. My thanks to the young man who purchased the pictorial on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the woman who bought the VHS of River Dance.
Visit Vic’s sites:
Vic’s Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic’s Website: http://membershttp://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic’s Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic’s 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic’s 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic’s Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f