Bigger Cake = Better Cake?

Okay - I was rather full of myself for finding a single link between Soupy Sales and Roy Orbison . . .
"Wow! What an impressivistic feat of 'drill-down-discography' I has performed!" Ho-hum.
As I looked into the related links to the scant Soupy Sales recording career, I had chosen not to investigate a name that was familiar to me: Jack Nitzsche. I remembered seeing his name on Neil Young albums back in the 70's.
I crowed to my challenger that I had managed to make the link with one step (three degrees). After a bit of back-and-forth Joe sent his version of the picture, which went from Soupy to Jack to Phil Spector to the Beatles to Roy.
A much richer picture by far, and so it was the path that I chose to use on the show yesterday. I mean, how could you not use a link that let you refer to The Travelling Wilburys - surely a goldmine for this sort of endeavor.

Piece of Cake

When my crackpot-heckler-friend in Philadelphia challenged me to link Soupy Sales to Roy Orbison within six degrees, I thought ‘my Christmas Goose is cooked’.
But – my face is all smiley now.
(Did I really just put the words “but” and “face” in close proximity? Not confusing to read them, but if you heard them . . . never mind.)

Did Soupy Sales sing? He mugged - he encouraged little kids to go through their parents' wallets and purses - he threw pies - but did he sing? The answer is yes, after a fashion.
I found Soupy Sales and Roy Orbison linked by the songwriter Boudleaux Bryant.
Mr. Boudleaux Bryant makes the connection between Soupy Sales and Roy Orbison just three steps. :0)
I guess that means I have time for a nap.

Here’s the connection – Boudleaux Bryant wrote “Let’s think about Living” which Soupy Sales recorded, he also wrote “Love Hurts” which was recorded by Roy Orbison.

He wrote “Bye Bye Love”, “All I Have to do is Dream”, and “Wake up, Little Susie” - among others - for the Everly Brothers.
He wrote tunes for Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys, such as “Sugar Beet” and “Congratulations Joe”.
It looks like Mr. Pee Wee King wrote some of his own songs, too. “That Cheap Look in your Eye” is my favorite. And I’ve never even heard it.

The Soupy-Sales-to-Roy-Orbison challenge was featured on the December 22 show, which had the minor theme "Boys and Girls".

Tiny . . . Eastwood

In an email to my friend Joe a couple of weeks ago I was writing about the 'concept' for the show and jokingly/offhandedly said that I could probably connect Tiny Tim to Clint Eastwood in six steps. Joe replied, "Do it."
Here we go:
Tiny Tim appeared on an album titled "Big Band Blues" in 1991.
That album also featured vocals by Jimmy Rushing.
Jimmy Rushing joined Count Basie's band in the Thirties as a vocalist.
On a 1952 Count Basie album, "Count Basie Plays the Blues", Ray Brown was the bass player.
Ray Brown also played bass on the soundtrack of the 1988 Film "Bird".
Clint Eastwood was Executive Producer of the album.
Done. And that's actually just five steps. Four?

The Tiny-Tim-to-Clint-Eastwood challenge was featured on the December 8 show with the minor theme "Cliches".

I Like Music . . .

. . . and I like to talk. So says me.
A couple of months ago I was invited - who knows why - to come down to the radio station of The Center for Community Arts. They are a grass roots organization here in Cape May - started a few years ago with arts classes for kids. There's a lot more to it, of course, but one of the things they did was start their own radio station. A volunteer named Drew Butkocy started the license application to the FCC and shepherded it through about 5 years of steps. They went on the air just over a year ago. I was invited to volunteer as a DJ. Actually, I think Ellen had something to do with all this. I said "sure". I trained with a veteran DJ for a couple of days and then signed into the schedule to play the station's jazz CDs on the air. Someone told me that if one could get an underwriter and come up with an idea for a show - well, there you'd be. So here I am. Having a blast. I'll post playlists here and if I can figure out how, I'll have some music.
Oh, if you're within 10 miles of Cape May you might be able to pick us up at 101.5 on the FM dial - WCFA.