Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter
(VIP Club)

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The golden age of vinyl records and all things retro are the highlights of my Newsletter. Writing stories about our vinyl record memories with added content from my collection is another way of sharing memories and keeping the oldies alive.

I do hope that you enjoy these little stories I write. They are short, they will not win any prizes for literature, but it’s all about the music and our vinyl record memories.

We wish you lots of fun on this journey to the time of Drive-In Movies, Pizza Parlors, Malt Shops, and those memorable Friday & Saturday night school dances. 

Issue #134, July, 2024

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In This Issue:

• Showtime...A Return Visit To The Country Doo Wop Show.

• Spotlight Song of The Month - Doo-Wop Classic From 1961.
  

• Kenny Rogers Vinyl LP Album Collection Series.

• "I Go To Pieces" - The Song Del Shannon Regretted.

• For All The Nostalgia Lovers - A Warm Relic From A Bygone Era.

• Celebrating National Friendship Day.

• You Might Also Like These Vinyl Record Memories.
  

• What's Next?

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Vinyl Record Memories and
The Original Country Doo Wop Show.

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Take a trip down memory lane with with the original classic oldies show - Monday thru Saturday from 1pm to 3pm, all times Pacific, on KNCP Newberry Mix 107.3 FM.  Ned Ward turns music into memories playing yesterday's country favorites and the classic hits of the 50's and 60's Doo Wop style.

Country Doo Wop Spotlight Song of The Month.
Tonight (Could Be The Night)

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A Country Doo-Wop return visit with Ned and his producer, Mr. Barney, for another on air oldies song review. Ned's song choice this month is another one of my favorite classic Doo-Wop hits  titled, Tonight (Could Be The Night) by The Velvets, and a great pick for the Country Doo Wop Spotlight song of the month.

A time when song lyrics were creative but also simple, this one made popular in 1961 by The Velvets vocal group. A street corner classic that will add a few Doo-Wops to your music vocabulary.

After our on air song review I decided to add this great video as our Spotlight Song of The Month by this talented group, The Velvets.

While singing their Super Doo-Wop classic, "Tonight (Could Be The Night)" The Velvets can be heard chanting "doo-wop" behind lead singer Virgil Johnson, who also wrote the song. This was one of the first uses of the phrase in a song.

Not the very first but certainly the most memorable as the sound was highly polished and the backing included stringed instruments. The song tells of a guy trying to get his nerve up to ask his girl to marry him, hence the title, "Tonight (Could be the night).

I think this song should be the first one played at any Oldies or Classic event. I enjoy the song that much, and look at all the fun everyone is having behind the group.

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The Kenny Rogers Album Collection Series.
("Share Your Love" Framed Album Cover Art)

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Share You Love LP was released in 1981 and sold nine million copies worldwide. It was produced by Lionel Richie and was Rogers' first with Liberty Records.

The album reached No. 1 on the country charts and No. 6 on the pop charts, reaching platinum and double-platinum status in the US and Canada, respectively.

The single, "Through The Years", returned Rogers to the very top by putting him at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts once again.

This is another Kenny Rogers album I purchased in a group of seven from a private individual many years back. I have displayed The Kenny Rogers Album Collection Series over the past several months. Both the record and LP cover are in like new condition.

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Forgotten Oldies Classics.

You may know them, you may not, but let's take a trip down memory lane together with Del Shannon and a song he regretted not releasing, and Charley Pride with a warm relic of a bygone era.

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The Song Del Shannon Regretted.

One of the best and most original rockers of the early '60s, Del Shannon was also one of the least typical. Although classified at times as a teen idol, he favored brooding themes of abandonment, loss, and rejection.

In 1965 Shannon wrote a hit song for Peter and Gordon titled, "I Go To Pieces" for a top ten hit and said he always regretted not releasing the song himself at the time.

The song tells a tale of a relationship gone bad and how the main character of the song falls to pieces every time he sees his ex-girlfriend. Enjoy...I think you will love this Del Shannon version.

For All The Nostalgia Lovers
A Warm Relic of A Bygone Era

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As the video plays take your time, listen to the words, and see if you might fit in somewhere during this wonderful time in history. And if you are younger, and missed those fabulous fifties and sixties, sit back and picture yourself with your girlfriend enjoying burgers and fries and drive-in movies on moonlit nights.

Celebrating National Friendship Day.

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National Friendship Day, which falls on the first Sunday in August, was created in the 1930s — first as a “holiday” created by Hallmark Cards, then made official by Congress in 1935 — as a way to celebrate existing friendships and encourage the growth of new ones.

This special day is an ideal time to connect with your closest friends or reconnect with treasured friends from the past who may have grown distant. Enjoy this Andrew Gold classic song, "Thank You For Being A Friend," a perfect song for this special day.

You might also like these stories...

• The song "Dream" reminds us of those glamorous movie stars of the '40s, '50s, and early '60s, a song everyone should have in their music collection. Come Dream with me...
  

• Send Me Down To Tucson, one of the all time classic country cheating songs that finds the singer having a torrid affair with a lover in another city and state. Read more...
  

• It's not often we have the pleasure of hearing a cover song outshine the original, but this song sure comes close. Read more...
  

I hope you find time to visit more great stories about growing up in the 50s, 60s and 70s. You can start here.... 

What's Next?

Kris Kristofferson and The Highwaymen - Help Me Make It Through The Night...Kris wrote the song and Sammi Smith took it to number one but you gotta love this live version by The Highwaymen...

Pure Prairie League Framed Album Cover Art, "If The Shoe Fits." Their ongoing album mascot was a rootin' tootin' saloon-patronizing cowboy character named Luke who was originally painted by Norman Rockwell.

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