Plank Road's Regular Events
in conjunction with 2WS
NOTE:
As most of you know, the Covid-19 crisis has
severely curtailed our usual activities and events. Until
further notice all our regular "in person" Saturday sing-arounds, Country/Western sing-around and monthly BYOS sessions held at Two Way Street are cancelled.
But wait! There are efforts underway to host a "virtual" get together online. Get your phones,
tablets and computers ready. We will send out info as soon as it becomes available.
String Band practice, Barn Dances and Friday night
concerts at 2WS are also cancelled until further notice. Please check our web site or Facebook page to see when regular events resume. For now,
all public events are temporarily cancelled.
Sing-Around
1st & 3rd Sat. | 2-4 pm
Vocal instrumental jam and sing-along with songbooks and leader.
Country and Western
Sing-Around
4th Sat. | 2-4 pm
Sing along with your favorite C&W songs.
2nd Tuesday Song Circle -- BYOS!
Two Way Street Coffee House
2nd Tues. | 7-9 pm
A monthly opportunity for musicians to perform songs for each other, within a song circle.
Bring Your Own Song!
Plank Road String Band Practice
630-620-0688
2nd Sat. | 2:00-4:00 pm
An old-time string band practice for intermediate/advanced players.
from Sept to April
Last Thursday Open Mike
Last Thurs. of every month | 7-9:30 pm
A monthly unplugged open mike for high school and college age students only.
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Please read this note from our friends at 2WS
Help the Musicians: Keep the Music, and Their Incomes, Flowing
During these
difficult times, know that Two Way Street Coffee House has the interests of musicians at heart. We are committed to helping the musicians whose acts we have had to cancel and hope that
you will continue to support them and others in the folk music community whose income has plummeted.
There are
many ways to help. Musicians are hosting online live showcases, reaching out through performances to which the public can make donations, and selling CDs online.
Just Google
the names of your favorite musicians to see if they are hosting online performances and learn how you can help them financially.
Also,
"Undiscovered Music" is an online site that has a list of upcoming live acoustic concerts, with ways to donate to the acts: undiscoveredmusic.net/streamed.
Please
consider a donation to the American Federation of Musicians. We recently received this information from noted folksinger Joe Jencks:
The
American Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 1000, has been my local for 20+ years. Chartered specifically to serve the independent touring artists in the Folk and Americana/Roots
communities, AFL Local 1000 has been a stalwart ally of the working road musicians for nearly 30 years. We have an Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) that helps provide for our members in times
of need. 100% of all donations to the AFM Local 1000 ERF will go to working musicians in need, during this time of uncertainty. Please consider a donation of any size to AFM Local 1000's
Emergency Relief Fund. Representing over 500 musical artists throughout the US and Canada, I guarantee some of your favorite touring musicians are members! To contribute,
visit: www.local1000.org/product/emergency-relief-fund.
The folks at
FARM (Folk Alliance Region Midwest) posted these resources for emergency funding for artists and event producers on their websites:
Please feel
free to post info on the Two Way Street Coffee House Facebook page when you learn of additional ways to donate to musicians, upcoming online concerts, online open mics and sing-alongs,
and any other pertinent information that will help us get through these times in fellowship and song.
Watch for
further Two Way Street announcements on our website, www.twowaystreet.org, on our Facebook page, and through email
blasts.
Thank you for your continuing
support,
Two Way Street Coffee House
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Saturday, April 18
CANCELLED
Come and enjoy a fun-filled evening of music and dancing for the entire family!
NOTE: Barn Dances have been cancelled
until further notice. Please check our website and Facebook page for updates.
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Plank Road Annual Meeting
A little snow on the ground,
but overall, the weather cooperated this year -- and our usual enthusiastic crowd gathered on January 26 for the Annual Plank Road Membership Meeting at the Log Cabin in
Lombard.
Once again, our meeting was
held on Sunday afternoon instead of Saturday evening -- which our members seem to prefer. There was plenty of conversation, food and music -- and, as always, the sing-around
was led by George Mattson, who made sure everyone had a chance to choose a song.
The Annual Meeting is
primarily an event for members to enjoy music and celebrate another big year at PRFMS. It's also a time to renew annual memberships -- and perhaps pick up some Plank Road branded
merchandise. During the break, president Bob O'Hanlon reported our organization is healthy, both financially and in number of members - and that he and all of last
year's board members have agreed to serve another year.
Special thanks to our
volunteers who provided food, helped with set-up and clean-up, and to Jim Gilroy for coordinating the event with the Lombard Park District.
Here are some photo memories . .
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Standing room only . . .
Bluegrass sing-around with Eric Lambert
It was another "jam-packed jam" on February 29 as Eric Lambert hosted a bluegrass sing-around at Two Way Street Coffee House. This was the second Fifth Saturday event that Eric has led
-- and it was a full house with standing room only -- literally. In fact, some late arrivals decided it was too crowded and opted not to
stay.
Five Saturdays in one month are rare events --
occurring just a few times a year. Eric has graciously offered to conduct bluegrass sing-arounds on fifth Saturdays when he's available, in coordination with Two Way Street Coffee House and
Plank Road.
May 30 is the next fifth Saturday. Eric has tentatively agreed to host the Bluegrass Sing-around on that date. However, due to current health concerns, be sure to
check plankroad.org, twowaystreet.org, or the Plank Road Facebook page to
confirm.
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Felice & Boudleaux Bryant
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"Hey Joe,"
"All I Have to Do is Dream" about "Rocky Top."
This
legendary songwriting couple wrote thousands of songs for country, bluegrass, pop and rock artists.
By Andy Malkewicz
 Wow! 3
great songs. And plenty more from where those came! One of the most productive married songwriting couples, rivaling Carole
King & Gerry Goffin, and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil.
This couple met in the summer of
1945. It was love at first sight, and he was literally the man of her dreams. Within a week, they had partnered. She was 19, and he was 25. They were married no later than September of that year. Felice (Matilda Scaduto - Aug 7, 1925 - Apr 22, 2003), and Boudleaux Bryant (Feb 13,
1920 - Jun 25, 1987) became hit-makers starting in 1949.
He was the son of a well-to-do
small town lawyer in Georgia. He studied violin from an early age, becoming an accomplished performer in the Atlantic Philharmonic at the age of 17 (1937). She grew up in a working class
Italian family in Milwaukee, singing Italian folk songs, and doing various ethnic activities. She performed in various musical venues from an early age through to WWII. They met in a
Milwaukee hotel where she was an elevator operator, and he was playing in a small time jazz group. She said she saw his face in a dream when she was only 6 years old.
Lots of early
rejections -- then Nashville ...
They struggled financially in the
early years, and became song-writing partners. She suggested that their songs were better than many of the songs they were hearing, and he started using his contacts. They sent stuff out,
and had it returned unopened. Arthur Godfrey showed an interest in a song, "Country Boy" but wanted half of the songwriting credit, and publishing rights, which they
rejected.
Boudleaux had a friend who he
discovered had a connection to Fred Rose (Head of Acuff-Rose publishing) who was currently guiding the career of new upstart Hank Williams. Fred invited them to meet in Nashville, showed an
interest in "Country Boy," and offered them a contract which they accepted. The song ended up with Little Jimmy Dickens, a newcomer to the Grand Ole Opry, and hit #7 in 1949 on the country
charts.
Their life got better, and they
kept producing hit songs. Little Jimmy Dickens had hits of several more of their songs; Carl Smith had a big country hit of "Hey Joe" in 1952, and later was a
million seller when Frankie Laine covered it in 1953. Also in 1952, Red Foley took "Midnight" to #1. In 1956 "Willie Can" was on the British pop charts, and
later on the U.S. country, and pop charts by Sue Thompson.
The Bryants and
the Everly Brothers make history.
In 1957, the Bryants were driving
out to a house they were building outside of Nashville. Boudleaux mentioned to Felice an idea for a song, targeting the duo of Johnnie & Jack. They had the song finished by the time they
got there. The duo did not need a song at the time, and the song was rejected a few more times. The song came to Cadence's Archie Bleyer who was leading the company's new country corner
operation. He assigned "Bye Bye Love" to the Everly Brothers. The record had no fiddle or steel guitar, but featured Hank Garland, and Chet Atkins on guitar.
Cadence wasn't sure whether to
promote it in the pop, or country market, so it went both ways. The song debuted on the Billboard country singles chart on May 13, 1957. Two weeks later it appeared on the pop
charts. On June 24th, it went to #1 on the country chart, and stayed there for 7 weeks. It went to #2 on the pop chart, and stayed there for 4 weeks. Webb Pierce's honky tonk version made it
to #7 on the country chart during the same period. The Everly Brothers went on to take "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have to do is Dream" to #1 on the
pop and country charts. The brothers became teen idols to screaming girls at their concerts and TV appearances, and went on to record 29 Bryant songs, of which 12 were hits.
But the Bryant's hits kept
coming. Buddy Holly with "Raining In My Heart," Bob Luman with "Let's Think About Livin'," "Love Hurts" for Roy
Orbison, "Mexico" for Bob Moore, and so on. In 1976, Nazareth took their rock version of "Love Hurts" to #6, which still can be heard in commercials, rock, and oldies
stations. In all the Bryants wrote between 3000 and 6000 songs, of which approximately 1500 were recorded. Their song, "Rocky Top" written in December, 1967 became the state
song of Tennessee in 1982, and the University of Tennessee's official fight song.
The Bryants were inducted into
the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986, and both the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1991. Many of their songs
are sung to this day, including "Rocky Top" being one of the favorites at Plank Road's Two Way Street sing-arounds.
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Kenny Rogers
 Longtime star of
country music, Kenny Rogers, died March 20. He was 81. Known for hits such as "The Gambler," "Lady," "Islands in
the Stream," and "Lucille," Rogers had 24 No. 1 hits and was the winner of many awards.
Born in Houston, Rogers was
raised in public housing along with seven siblings. He had his first gold single at age 20 and later joined a jazz group as a standup bass player. His breakthrough came in 1966, when
he was asked to join the New Christy Minstrels folk group. The band reformed as First Edition and scored a pop hit with the psychedelic song, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition
My Condition Was In)."
After the group disbanded in
1974, Rogers pursued a solo career and his 1977 hit "Lucille" crossed over to the pop charts and earned the crooner his first Grammy. "The Gambler" came out in 1978, and became
Rogers' signature song -- which he later developed into a TV series.
One of his biggest hits was
"Lady," written by Lionel Richie, a chart topper for six weeks in 1980. Over the years Rogers collaborated with several female duet partners, most notably, Dolly Parton. The two were paired at the suggestion of the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb, who wrote "Islands in the
Stream."
Bob Shane
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Bob Shane, center, with original
Kingston Trio
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Bob Shane, the last surviving original member of the Kingston Trio, whose smooth harmonies helped transform folk music
from a dusty niche genre into a dominant brand of pop music in the 1950s and '60s, died January 26 at age 85.
Shane, whose whiskey baritone was the group's most identifiable voice on hits like "Tom Dooley" and "Scotch and Soda,"
sang lead on most of the Kingston Trio's songs.
He didn't just outlast the other original members (Dave
Guard, who died in 1991, and Nick Reynolds, who died in 2008), he also eventually took ownership
of the group's name and devoted his life to various incarnations of the trio, from its founding in 1957 to 2004, when a heart attack forced him to stop touring.
Along the way, the trio spearheaded a reinvention of folk as a youthful mass-media
phenomenon. At its peak, in 1959, the group put four albums in the Top 10 at the same time.
Jack Scott
 Jack Scott (born Giovanni Domenico Scafone Jr.) died December 12, 2019 at the age of 83. He was
a Canadian-American singer and songwriter - an "Italian hillbilly" who worshipped Hank
Williams.
At 18 he formed his first band and went solo in 1957. A year later he
had a double-sided national hit with "My True Love" and "Leroy" (a song about a friend who was always getting thrown in jail). The record sold over one million copies, and was soon
followed by a string of hits, including "With Your Love," "Goodbye Baby," "The Way I Walk," "What In The World's Come Over You" and "Burning Bridges."
Scott wrote most of his songs and played lead guitar. It's been said
that with the exception of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, no white rock & roller of the time ever developed a finer voice with a
better range than Jack Scott, or cut a more convincing body of work in rockabilly, rock and roll, country-soul, gospel or blues.
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NOTE: Due to the current health crisis, most events at the following venues are cancelled. Check their web sites for
details.
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Soon the sun shall
rise again (hopefully in the east). Let us not forget our friends when once again we can........
Get Out of Your House -- Go Hear Some Music!
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 Two Way Street Coffee House
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 Maple Street Chapel Folk
Concerts
If you are near Lombard, please visit the Maple Street Chapel Folk
Concerts website to see a current listing of upcoming performers.
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If you are near Hinsdale, please visit the Acoustic Renaissance website for a list of upcoming performers.
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For those of you closer to the Wheaton area, please visit the Acorn Coffeehouse located in the Burning Bush Art Gallery at:
216 N. Main St
Wheaton
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 Tobias Music concerts
Every once in awhile, our friends at Tobias host music in their new(ish) music room
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Did you know that many of our local libraries also host occasional music events throughout the year?
Harpeth Rising, Mark Dvorak, Chris Vallilo, and Lonesome Eagle all have been featured at several of our libraries in the past years.
Lisle Library's Friends of Lisle Library Concerts
are offered on a regular basis. You can check their calendar at:
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The Brashler Barn
Located at 17560 S. Gougar Road, Lockport, IL 60441
Friends and Family Venue - Not a Public Business
No smoking, no alcohol, no
pets, no children under 14
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A Special Thanks to our Membership Contributors!!
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Sustaining Member
Supporting Members ($50 - $199)
- Dan and Mary Anderson
- Bill and Mary Boylan
- Tony Janacek
- Paul Klonowski
- Dottie and Gerry Lee
- Bill and Sandhya Matthews
- George Mattson
- Gregg and Elizabeth Morton
- Bud O'Connor
- Joe and Pam Schumacher
- Jen & James Shilt
- Carol and Fred Spanuello
- Gary Steffenson
- John Wolaver
If you would like to become a member or just need to renew, here is a link to the renewal form that you can
print and mail.
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Top 10 Folk Albums of 2019
Once again from Paste Magazine, we have a list of
new folk albums to present
1. Anna Tivel: The Question
2. Bedouine: Bird Songs of a Killjoy
3. Big Thief: U.F.O.F.
4. Florist: Emily Alone
5.
Lula Wiles: What Will We Do
6. Mandolin Orange: Tides of a Teardrop
7. Molly Tuttle: When You're Ready
8. Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi: there is no Other
9. Tim O'Brien:
Tim O'Brien Band
10. William Tyler: Goes West
If you have come across some new or little known artists that you think others might enjoy, please drop us a line.
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Bob O'Hanlon - President
(630) 325-7764
Bill Lemos - VP, Secretary
2020 Board Members
- Dave Humphreys
- Kristen Fuller
- Jennifer Shilt
- Jim Gilroy
- Dottie Lee
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QuarterNotes Contributors
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Stephen Davis
Bob O'Hanlon
Bill Lemos
and thanks to the folks who took and shared their photos!!!
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President's Message
April, 2020
Well, I certainly
have plenty of time on my hands these days. Mimi and I are staying home and following all the suggestions for staying healthy. I am not accustomed to so much idle time, but
am learning to adjust. I play my guitar every day and I'm trying to learn new songs and try new chords, etc.
I also have taken
the time to reflect on the Plank Road Folk Music Society. This is our 35th year for our great organization! As I said at our annual meeting at the log cabin
in January, we are not just alive, but thriving. We gain new members constantly, and try to continue to offer activities our members want. As a result, our events are well
attended and it seems that people are enjoying themselves more and more. It is gratifying as President (in my 12thyear) to see our programs succeed and our members
happy.
Unfortunately, we
are in a temporary holding pattern, due to the health crisis. We will continue to use our best judgement about when it is safe for us to get together again, and will err on
the side of caution. I miss seeing you all and interacting. Hopefully, it will be over soon and we can resume our activities. In the meantime, stay healthy and watch our
website for any new developments.
Bob O'Hanlon
President
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| Your Favorite Folk Albums |
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Readers reveal their favorite folk music albums
We should have known this would not be easy . . .
Too many choices, so little time. And not enough space in this newsletter. Last issue we asked you what folk albums were your favorites -- the albums you never get tired of listening to . . . the ones that had the
greatest influence on your music . . . or maybe the album that convinced you to buy your first guitar.
Here are your responses:
Bob O'Hanlon
- From the "hungry i" (1958) - Kingston
Trio
- John Prine (1971) - John Prine
- At Folsom Prison (1968) - Johnny Cash
"I owned 7 of the 9 albums pictured in the last issue.
The most influential for me was the Kingston Trio, as that is when I began playing guitar (in college), and the majority of my limited repertoire was Kingston Trio songs. Next most
influential was the John
Prine album, as I had become a huge
Steve Goodman and Prine fan and added their songs to my list. I loved the Trio album (Hungry I), Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison concert along with some early Rock 'n Roll.
But the Kingston Trio was my first inspiration."
________________________________
Hank Vandernaald
Don Quixote (1972) - Gordon Lightfoot
"I'm afraid that was as folksie as I was."
____________________________
Fred Spanuello
- My Griffon is Gone (1969) - Hoyt Axton
- A Rusty Old Halo (1979) - Hoyt Axton
- Less Than the Song (1972) - Hoyt Axton
- Free Sailin' (1978) - Hoyt Axton
- Introducing the Beau Brummels (1965) -
Beau Brummels
- Beau Brummels Vol. 2 (1965) - Beau Brummels
- Beau Brummels '66 (1966) - Beau
Brummels
- Triangle (1967) - Beau
Brummels
"Just a few of my favorite folk albums, cheerfully submitted by Lefty Fred, starting at the beginning. I knew the Beatles would be a flash in the pan so I went with the Beau Brummels."
______________________________
Rich Ingle
- Blood on the Tracks (1975) - Bob Dylan.
- Love Stories (1988) - Michael Smith. (Or CD version containing first two Flying Fish releases.)
- Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966) - Simon & Garfunkel. (Bridge Over Troubled Water would be here but I can hardly consider
it folk, great as it is.)
- Songs of Love and Hate (1971) - Leonard Cohen
- The Missing Years (1991) - John Prine
"I've always had a problem with a list like this
because it always comes down to defining what is and isn't "folk music." Purists think the only true folk songs come from England and no one wrote them, others think Neil Young is a
folk singer. Even singer/songwriter stuff from the mid-60's (Dylan, Donovan, John Phillips) is considered by some as folk music. So where do you draw the line?
Is Freewheelin' folk and Blonde On Blonde not? I give up trying but above is my list of top
five favorite acoustic-oriented albums which some might consider folk - but we really know better."
_________________________________
Andy Malkewicz
- New Frontier (1973) - Kingston Trio
- The Highwaymen (1960) - The Highway Men
- At The Bitter End (1962) - Chad Mitchell Trio
- String Along (1960) - Kingston Trio
- Play One More (1966) - Ian & Sylvia
"So, I whittled my folk favorites/most influential (to me) and came up with 13 albums. TOO Many!
So, upon further inspection, came up with 5 albums with songs I like and play the most and was kind of surprised with the result."
_______________________________
Bill Lemos
- From the "hungry i" (1958) - Kingston
Trio
- John Prine (1971) - John Prine
- Trio (1987) - Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton
and Emmylou Harris
- The Best Of... (1968) - Jim
Kweskin & The Jug Band
- Free Wheelin' (1963) - Bob
Dylan
- At The Gate Of Horn (1957)
- Odetta
- In The Wind (1963) - Peter, Paul &
Mary
- California Bloodlines (1969) - John
Stewart
- Hard Travelin' (1963)
- Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs
- Josh White Stories - Vol. 1 (1956) - Josh White
- The Fantastic Expedition (1968) - Dillard
& Clark
Plus a lot of the
biggies back in the day, like Ian & Sylvia, Joan Baez, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Hoyt Axton, etc. More recent
albums? No Lie (2011) - Sanctified Grumblers
and On The Move (2014) - Filisko & Noden.
"OK, this was a challenge. Being very old (although not quite as old as Bob), the most influential albums of my "folkie" life, by far, were the first 6
or 7 Kingston Trio albums by the original members. If I had to choose one, it would be their first live album, From the hungry i. As a clueless teenager, their version of
"They Call The Wind Mariah" changed my life. More or less."
________________________________
Vicki Ingle
Folk:
- Somebody Else's Troubles (1972) - Steve
Goodman
Country:
- Songs of the Brazos Valley (1956) - Hank Thompson
- 24 of Hank Williams Greatest Hits (1970) - Hank Williams
- Anytime (1956) - Eddy Arnold
- The River & The Thread (2014) - Rosanne Cash (Album won 3 Grammy Awards in 2015)
Blues:
- Rockin' with Reed (1959) - Jimmy Reed
- Today! (1966) - Mississippi John Hurt
- Somebody Keeps Callin' Me (1973) - Fred McDowell
- King of the Delta Blues (1961) - Robert Johnson
- The Real Folk Blues (1966) - Muddy Waters
- Bonnie Raitt (1971) - Bonnie Raitt
"I was so happy to see that blues and country albums were included in the listing of influential albums -- and that comments were encouraged. I know I am
giving you waaay too many, but got caught up in good memories! I tried to list each category with the most important one on top."
______________________________
Stephen Davis
- Fifth Dimension (5D) (1966) - The
Byrds
- Child
Ballads (2013) - Anais Mitchell/Jefferson
Hamer
"My mother was a Tom Paxton fan. I appear to have inherited that. I also
remember a Chad Mitchell Trio record. One of my earliest musical
memories is hearing "Tom Dooley" by the Kingston Trio on the radio; had to be a few years after it was a hit. There probably was one Peter, Paul and Mary album. Then at some point, I began choosing the radio station -- there was a great "underground" FM station in Philadelphia that played all sorts of music.
At the moment, I am
listening to some old Tim Buckley songs; several people have sung his "Morning Glory" song. Phil
Ochs is also a favorite. I first heard "Wild Mountain Thyme/ Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?" on The Byrds album 5D. And of
course, Arlo Guthrie and John Sebastian.
More modern favorites? Milk Carton Kids, LJ Booth, Kathy Mattea, Brother Sun ...and countless others."
______________________________
Carol Spanuello
- Tapestry (1975) - Carole
King
"Being the youngest in the
family I was exposed to several genres of music. I think my favorites are
folk, classic country and bluegrass. I'm really not a collector of albums."
NOTE: Carol mentioned one album, but provided an extensive list of artists who
influenced her. While too long to list here, they included dozens of artists, including Melanie, Peter Paul & Mary, The Eagles, The Dillards, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Doc Watson, Teea
Goans, Rosanne Cash, Janis Ian, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, and many more.
_________________________________
George Mattson
- Blood on the Tracks (1975) - Bob Dylan
- Songs from the Mountain (1998) - Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien & John Herrmann
- Docabilly (1995) - Doc Watson
- With Ian Guenther (1971) - Fraser & Debolt
- Revival (1996) - Gillian Welch
- Feed Your Babies Onions (1994) - The Highwoods String Band
- Greatest Hits (1990) - Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band - Compilation of songs from the 60s.
- John Prine (1971) - John Prine
- Blue (1971) - Joni Mitchell
- Dancer with Bruised Knees (1977) - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
- The Library of Congress Recordings (1933-42) - Leadbelly
- High, Wide & Handsome (2009) - Loudon Wainwright III
- Love Stories (1992) - Michael Smith
- Peter, Paul and Mary (1962) - Peter, Paul & Mary
- Twisted Laurel (1976) - The Red Clay Ramblers
- The Roches (1979) - The Roches
- Parcel of Rogues (1973) - Steeleye Span
- Steve Goodman (1972) - Steve Goodman
- Boys Want Sex in the Morning (1986) - Uncle Bonsai
- The Asch Recordings (1999) - Woody Guthrie
"Another one of your damn
impossible questions !#@$%! I spent 90 minutes going thru my database and
I'm sure I've left many out. (@#^#$) I've limited myself to one album per artist. (Not right! *%$@&) Above is my short list."
_________________________
Whew! That's a lot to take
in. Interesting that two albums appeared on three lists: Dylan's Blood On The Tracks and Prine's first album, John Prine. Two albums also
appeared twice: The Kingston Trio's From the "hungry i" and Love Stories by Michael Smith. Thanks to everyone who responded!
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With a Little Help From our Friends!
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Plank Road Celebrates 35 Years!
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Wow, time flies! It seems like only five years ago we were celebrating Plank Road's 30th anniversary. Oh, wait . . . it was five years ago. So, what was going on back in 1985? Here's a
brief refresher:
- CDs were
introduced - and cassette tapes began to fade away.
- Wreckage of the
Titanic located.
- The first .com
was registered, and the first version of Windows (1.0) was released.
- Pop artists
raise millions in aid with "We Are The World."
- Postage stamps
cost 22 cents.
- Average price
for a new car $9,000.
- Michael Jordan
named NBA's "Rookie of the Year."
- Ricky Nelson
dies in plane crash.
- If you like 80s
music, 1985 had some great singles.
- "Amadeus" won
Best Picture.
- And the
Plank Road Folk Music Society was formed!
Thirty-five great
years and still going strong! (Now, if we can just get past this coronavirus thing . . . )
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Andy's Music Trivia Quiz:
Answers to previous Quiz:
A1. "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" was written in 1896. How is this song associated with Teddy Roosevelt?
Actually, it was written in 1886 (by Theodore Metz). It became a favorite during the Spanish-American War when it was
rewritten with acceptable lyrics by Joe Hayden, and was adopted as Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders anthem, while in Cuba. Jelly Roll Morton recalls it as one of the jazz favorites
in New Orleans, and was recorded by Bessie Smith in 1927.
A2. Since we're on the subject of Roosevelt, What famous icon was named in his honor? What is the story
behind it, and what famous song was written using the icon name?
Roosevelt was on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi, but unlike other hunters in the group, had not located a single bear. His
assistants, cornered and tied a black bear to a willow tree, summoned him, and suggested that he shoot it. Thinking this very unsportsmanlike, Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear.
The news of the event spread quickly through newspaper articles across the country, recounting how big game hunter Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear.
In response to the event, a political cartoonist, lightheartedly satirized the president's refusal to shoot the bear. A
Brooklyn candy shop owner, whose wife Rosa made stuffed animals, created and dedicated a stuffed toy bear to the president calling it the "Teddy Bear." It became popular quickly,
requiring mass production, and resulted in the creation of the Ideal Toy Company.
The song I had in mind was Elvis' "Teddy Bear", but "Teddy Bear's Picnic" is an even better answer.
A3. What famous 50's-60's solo artist was a member of the musical group the Tokens before they had any big
hit?
Neil Sedaka was a member of the Linc-Tones while in high school. He went off on his own, and the Linc-Tones renamed themselves
the Tokens, and had a huge hit with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," and several other good hits.
A4. The Ides of March group was initially formed by Jim Peterik and some friends as the Shon-Dells (not Tommy
James) in 1964. What was their most famous song, and the story behind it. What was their first hit?
Their first hit, "You Wouldn't Listen," made it to #5 on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey, and #73 on Billboard in 1966. The story
behind "Vehicle" (most famous song), is that when Jim Peterik's girlfriend Karen broke up with him, he wanted to keep her, so he offered to drive her everywhere, to be her vehicle.
It worked, as they did get back together and have now been married for over 40 years.
A5. Why did the Shadows of Knight version of "Gloria" make it big in the US, and not the original British
version? Who was the lead singer on the British version?
Them's (Van Morrison) original in the middle talking part of the song was considered too risqué to be aired by many stations.
The Shadows of Knight were the first group to get back to WLS with acceptable words.
Bill Matthews got everything except "You
Wouldn't Listen" correct. Diane Mastney only answered the Ides of March question, but nailed it.
NEW Trivia Quiz:
Q1. What 1960's hit is named after a foreign city with only one word?
Q2. What famous singer/songwriter was an inmate sitting in the first row, when Johnny Cash performed there?
He credits Johnny with turning his life around.
Q3. Who wrote the song "Ghostbusters?"
Q5. Felice & Boudleaux Bryant had a son who held a big position in the music industry. Which
son, and what position?
Q6. KWTO, a small (5K watts) Springfield MO radio station started what program that had a 6-year run on
network prime time TV?
Q7. Why is "Bye Bye Love" NOT a 3 chord song?
Q8. What did Boudleaux Bryant and Chet Atkins disagree about?
Keep those responses coming in to
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You've been to the Two Way Street Coffee House. Have you ever looked at the folks behind the counter and
said, "I know how to make coffee! I'll betcha I could do that!"
All you have to do is contact Tim Kendall.
Timothy Kendall
Director
Two Way Street Coffee House
cell 630-699-2974
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Do you have ideas for future articles? Things you'd like to see in the newsletter? Ways we can make it more enjoyable and relevant to Plank Road
members? Here's your chance to be "note-worthy." Just send us an email with your comments
about QuarterNotes. We welcome your input!
We may
publish some of your comments and always appreciate ideas. (Think of it as sort of a "letters to the editor.")
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It's all about
Plank Road pride!
You say you already have a Plank Road t-shirt? Not to mention a tote bag or sport bottle? But you know your
collection isn't complete until you have at least one of everything with a Plank Road logo!
So here's the list. Start checking 'em off! ✔
☐ Hats $15
☐ T-Shirts $15
☐ Tote Bags $3
☐ Sport Bottles $5
☐ Guitar Case Stickers $1
Items are available at many Plank Road events, or you can contact Bill Lemos directly at lemos.bill@comcast.net.
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Promote yourself!
New lower advertising rates for
members
If you're a current advertiser in this newsletter, or think you might want to advertise, we have good
news! Our new ad policy makes it easier (and more economical) to promote your gigs or other music-related endeavors.
Paid members of Plank Road can submit an ad that will run for the full year (4 quarterly issues) for only
$50. Your ad can be a basic line listing which can be hyper-linked to your external website, or a complete ad with graphics. (For these ads, you'll need to submit an image file. See Mark
Dvorak's ad for reference.)
Artwork must be submitted 3 weeks prior
to our "publish" date. For the Spring 2020 issue, the deadline is June 8, 2020.
- Plank Road members only.
- $50 annually (4 newsletters). Previously $200 - save $150!
- Ads must be related to folk or acoustic music.
For complete details, including specs for image files, please contact Stephen at:
plankroadfolk@hotmail.com.
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