BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION, AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP MONTHLY MEETING THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14th, 2016
2:00 PM HOMEWOOD LIBRARY – 1721 OXMOOR ROAD 35209
NEXT MEETING SUNDAY, MARCH 13th, 2016 THE SECOND SUNDAY
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
This month’s meeting will be a very special meeting and one like we’ve never done before that I can remember. We’ll be having 2 guest speakers. And they both have quite a story to tell. First off we have a local performer, Fletcher “Sputnick” Sheppard. Sputnick is a drummer who currently performs with various groups and is usually doing a gig every weekend. Those of you who have gone to Gip’s Place may have caught his act there. He also is quite a dancer. He has performed with James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and the Pointer Sisters in his career. For those collectors out there, Sputnick is the younger brother of the Sheppard Brothers who recorded some songs out of the Atlanta, GA area. Be sure to be at the meeting and hear Sputnick tell the story of how his older brothers would bring him on stage sometimes, in a suitcase. You’ll have to be there to hear the whole story.
Our next speaker is another drummer who also has a resume that is very impressive. Roger Clark, currently playing drums for Travis Wammack’s Snakeman Band, has been playing percussions for 44 years. He has accompanied and appeared with the likes of the Doobie Brothers, Chuck Berry, Journey, The Steve Miller Band, and Steely Dan. He has been a studio musician in Muscle Shoals, Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, San Fran, and London, England. He has played on over 30 gold and platinum singles and LP’s with acts such as Alabama, Paul Anka, Clarence Carter, America, Roy Clark, Little Anthony, and the list goes on and on. Roger is also a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Be sure to come Sunday and meet both these very special guys. BRC is very fortunate to have contacts with musicians the likes of these.
And, Todd, don’t forget, it’s your month to bring the snacks and refreshments. Next month it will be Carol’s turn. Thanks.
I hear that a monthly meeting coming soon is scheduled to be a BRC member presentation. Instrumentals. And I bet there will some you have never heard. The guy knows his instrumentals. More info next time.
WHO DAT ?
I went out with some of the BRC gang the other night foe supper and to hear the Travis Wammack Snakeman Band and on the way home we were talking about music, imagine that, and the covering of American music by the Brits came up and one of the songs brought up was ‘Mr. Moonlight’. We starting piecing together who did the song originally. I think it was ‘Piano Red’, maybe somebody Perryman, could have been Dr. Feelgood. So I came home and did some research and made sure we had the right info on the artist. Guess what. That is correct. Willie Lee Perryman, aka, Piano Red, aka, Dr Feelgood is the man.
Perryman was born in Hampton, Georgia on Oct 19, 1911. His parents were sharecroppers and would soon move to Atlanta so the father could work in a factory. Willie was an albino African American as was an older brother, Rufus. Their mother bought them a piano and both learned to play by ear . Both had poor vision which was an effect of albinism and could not take formal piano lessons. His brother Rufus is the blues pianist, Speckled Red.
Perryman’s influence was probably the Fats Waller records his mother would bring home and possibly the local blues pianists who played in the local clubs and ‘rent’ parties in the neighborhood. By the early 1930’s he was doing the ‘rent’ parties and playing in the blues clubs in Alabama and Georgia. He would play in some white clubs performing his pop standards and then after closing at midnight he would go over to the black clubs and play his blues set. It was in 1936 he began being billed as Piano Red. In 1950 he recorded ‘Rockin’ With Red’ and ‘Red’s Boogie’ at WGST radio studio in Atlanta for RCA Victor. Both charted on the Billboard R&B charts, number 3 and 5 respectively. It was while working as a DJ at WGST and WAOK in Atlanta that he changed the name of his show from ‘The Piano Red Show’ to the Dr. Feelgood Show’.
In 1961 he signed with Okeh Records and released several hits, including ‘Doctor Feelgood, using the name Dr. Feelgood and The Interns. The flip side of ‘Doctor Feelgood’ was a song covered by the British band, The Merseybeats and later The Beatles. That song was ‘Mr. Moonlight’. And don’t forget his 1962 hit, ‘Right String But The Wrong Yo-Yo’, which was a # 10 hit on the R&B charts in 1951. He would go to become popular at the Underground Atlanta and be a pat of several European tours before dying of cancer in 1985. Check out the music section below for some of Perryman’s music. So, who dat? Dat who.
UPCOMING MUSICAL EVENTS
Friday, February 19 – Lyle Lovett and Vince Gill. Alabama Theatre. 7:30 PM. $49, $59, $69. 1817 3rd Ave North. Birmingham, AL 35203. 205-252-2262.
Sunday, March 6 – Merle Haggard. Iron City. 8 PM. Ticket prices starting at $ 57.50. 513 22nd Street South. Birmingham, AL 35233. 205-202-5483.
Friday, April 1 – Mac McAnally. Workplay. 8 PM. $20. 500 23rd Street South. Birmingham, AL 35233. 205-879-4773 for ticket info.
Friday, April 8. Alabama Symphony Orchestra presents The Who’s “Tommy”. Alabama Theatre. 8 PM. $25-60. 500 23rd Street South. Birmingham, AL 35203. 205-252-2262.
Tuesday, April 19 – Jimmy Buffett. Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. 8 PM. Ticket prices starting at $79. 1000 Amphitheatre Road. Pelham, AL 35124. 1-866-459-2035 for ticket info.
Friday, April 29 – Delbert McClinton. Workplay 8 PM. $40. 500 23rd Street South. Birmingham, AL 35233. 205-879-4773 for ticket info.
And don’t miss:
Alabama Record Collectors Association (ARCA) – Friday & Saturday, March 4-5. Hours: Friday 4PM – 9PM with early bird special beginning at 1PM. Saturday 9 Am – 5 PM. $3 / $10 for Friday early bird. Bessemer Civic Center. 1130 9th Ave SW Bessemer, AL 35022. AlaRecordCA@gmail.com
And if Friday and Saturday isn’t enough for you then the next day, Sunday, March 6 drive to the Chattanooga Record Show. East Ridge Community Center. 1517 Tombras Ave, East Ridge TN 37412. $2. 10 AM – 4 PM (EST) 704-996-9945.
We are just 6 months away from our record show and another fantastic Hall of Fame class. As we begin the preparations, be sure to volunteer for one of the committees. More info on those next month.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS…..
From February 13, 1960, here is the WIBG Radio 99 Top 50 survey, here is the top 10:
- When or When – Dion & The Belmonts
- Lonely Blue Boy – Conway Twitty
- Handyman – Jimmy Jones
- What In The World – Jack Scott
- Let It Be Me – Everly Brothers
- He’ll Have To Go – Jim Reeves
- Teen Angel – Mark Dinning
- Summer Place – Percy Faith
- Down By The Station – 4 Preps
- Beyond The Sea – Bobby Darin
You can see that during those days the variety of music played on a radio station was quite diverse. Pop, country, easy listening, and teen rock were part of this top 10. I guess that makes our generation more cultured than today’s.
BRC RADIO – HEART AND SOUL OF ROCK AND ROLL
Don’t forget to check out the radio shows the club offers on our website. We now have 76 shows with over 1200 different songs. Check it out at http://www.birminghamrecord.com/brc/ – And we accept requests and show ideas as well. Let us know at ray@rockingray.com Tell a friend!
HEY! HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE?
Piano Red, aka Dr Feelgood
See ya,
Charlie