Record stores get their day

It wasn't exactly at the top of the front page, but last Saturday (April 19) was National Record Store Day.

You'd think such news would be on everybody's lips, but I didn't even find out about the celebration until Andrew Jones of Gladstone called to tell me about it.

That record stores have existed for decades without being recognized with their own day seems like an incredible oversight, I know.

So, a few folks got together to correct this blunder, including the Alliance of Independent Media Stores, Coalition of Independent Music Stores, Music Monitor Network, Newbury Comics and Value Music Group of Indie Stores.

Besides those behind-the-scenes groups, some people you've actually heard of, like Paul McCartney and the heavy metal band Metallica, supported the day as well.

Metallica backed the observance by showing up for a rare in-store appearance at Rasputin Music, just outside San Francisco. Coincidenially, the group's first two albums were re-released on 180 gram vinyl earlier in the week.

McCartney, meanwhile, saluted independent record shops with the following statement:. "There's nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in L. A., I realized what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I'm more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!"

The former Beatle may have been lavish in his praise, but I have to say I've always loved purveyors of vinyl.

Growing up in a small community, I bought my first LPs and 45s from "record departments" inside larger stores.

But as the Baby Boom generation grew up, "mom and pop" independent record stores proliferated around the country. Each store was different, quite unlike the "cookie cutter" chain stores of today.

Those small independent music retailers made their own decisions and stocked the product they thought would appeal to their customers the most.

Independent shops were a unique combination of the owner's personality and the music culture evolving in society at large.

Stores in many communities became havens for young people indulging in the anti-establishment youth culture of the 1960s and early 1970s.

In fact, upon graduating from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant in 1973, I had owning a record store as one of my goals, although it wouldn't happen for a dozen years.

It was especially fun discovering new shops whenever I traveled. The first thing I'd do at a new destination is check out the record stores any particular city had to offer.

Many people remember Teletronics, the Marquette store owned by Dick Wagner which catered to the community and students at Northern Michigan University. Other stores drawing my attention were Pipe Dreams in Green Bay, Mad City in Madison and the many cool shops located across from the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing. As you might expect, many of my favorites were in Mt. Pleasant, like the Log Cabin Record Shop, Mountain City and Boogie Records.

By 1985, after collecting vinyl since my teenage years, my wife Sue and I finally decided to open our own shop. The Record Rack has been keeping us busy now for almost a quarter century.

About the time we opened, compact discs appeared in the marketplace, breathing new life into record stores, but also increasing competition as more retailers joined the fray.

The compact disc soon became a loss leader at many discounters, meaning the price a customer paid could be less the wholesale cost. Stores managers saw new releases as a way to attract customers and hoped to turn a profit by adding high mark-up accessories to each sale.

In the late 1990s, the compact disc began a steady decline when customers completed upgrading their collections to CD. In addition, digital downloading of music began to hurt sales at brick and mortar stores. The compact disc was labeled a "tired format."

Many small retailers adapted to the CD's decline by adding movies and video games to their racks. A change in direction was nothing new for stores which had witnessed numerous format changes over the years as eight-track tapes, cassettes and LP's came and went.

Despite the high risk competition, many independent stores have continued to survive and thrive by doing what they always did: stocking a selection tailored to the local market and backing it with knowledgeable personal service offered by staff members who were enthusiastic and passionate about music.

Still, the deck has become increasingly stacked against the traditional music store. The internet brought international competition to everyone's doorstep. Distributors increasingly don't want to deal with the small orders many independent stores place each week. One giant discount chain, located in nearly every community, can now dictate to record labels what they'll pay for the product they buy, not the other way around.

In the last 50 years, record stores have seen good times and bad times. But, they've always played an integral part in their communities in so many ways: musically, culturally, socially and economically.

Actually, I'm glad record stores finally have their own day. I still love 'em.

How to write a music column

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Have you ever wondered how to write a music column?

For me, it takes some modern technology and the assistance of many people.

My laptop computer has been a godsend because it stores the email, photographs, and other documents necessary to complete this column every week.

Email has been especially useful because it allows me to communicate with people around the country without having to make long distance phone calls or resort to writing letters, dropping them in the mail, then waiting for a reply. Sometimes email is answered almost immediately, if the other person happens to be at their computer at the time.

I receive some interesting emails, too.

Last week Richard C. Robinson, an instructor in the department of communications at the University of Tennessee in Martin contacted me. Conducting research for his Ph.D. dissertation in mass communication and media arts, he saw a story I had written about a pioneering late-night rock 'n' roll radio program I remembered from my youth called "Beaker Street." My article, posted on the internet, was one of the first to spotlight the show which broke radio programming rules to the delight of millions of fans, beginning in the mid- 1960s. A DJ known as "Doc Holiday" who operates a website about the KAAY program, offered a link to my story, which contained the reminiscences of a few people who fondly remembered the show.

My story, dated Oct. 4, 2007, was titled simply "'Beaker Street' swayed listeners."

The title of Robinson's dissertation, however, is slightly more elaborate: "KAAY's 'Beaker Street,' 1966-1974: Late Nights of Underground Radio Programming from Little Rock to the Western Hemisphere, on the Airwaves of the Nighttime Voice of Arkansas." I can't wait to read the dissertation that goes along with that descriptive heading.

Another email I received about the same time came from Chris Claflin, who grew up in Algoma, Wis., a community located on Lake Michigan between Sturgeon Bay and Milwaukee. He was hoping I could identify a song he heard between 1966-1968 which he hasn't been able to get out of his head since.

"It was a bit of a novelty record, and the lyrics listed many of the towns along the Lake Michigan shoreline, on the Wisconsin side. The song had a distinctly twangy/folk/bluegrass sound, and featured a solo singer and his guitar, with a light rhythm backing," Claflin recalled.

Claflin remembered that the refrain went: "Up along the shoreline, you hear them lonesome sounds..." Unfortunately I wasn't familiar with the song, but I referred Claflin to someone I thought might know, Gary E. Myers. Myers has researched the Wisconsin pop/rock music scene of the 1950s and 1960s for decades. Not only that, but he's published two books on the subject, "Do You Hear that Beat?" and "On that Wisconsin Beat." Hopefully, he'll help the frustrated radio listener in his quest to pin down the obscure tune.

My emails have yielded some unexpected results as well.

Last month former Escanaba resident Al Gossan emailed me a color photo of his band, 3 Days and a Night, performing at a 1968 Battle of the Bands contest at the Upper Peninsula State Fair. The photo showed Kim Erickson, organ; Al Gossan, drums; Dick Peterson, lead guitar; and Tim Mulvaney, bass. Five bands performed during the competition, and 3 Days and a Night was the only band for which I didn't have a photo.

Gossan asked me for bandmate Erickson's email address, which I just happened to have, since I've built up a collection of contacts in the years I've been writing about the Upper Peninsula music scene. The former band members have now re-established contact with each other. "Because of you, our band is re-connecting and we're trying to have a picnic reunion sometime during July when I'm in Escanaba," Gossan told me.

Upstairs to the Left

Erickson's name came up again when Mick VanEffen of Escanaba recently brought me an old band poster he had been saving for decades. The 17 x 22 inch poster pictured VanEffen's group, Upstairs to the Left, which had played a Valentine's dance at the Escanaba High School commons on Friday, Feb. 13, 1970. Besides VanEffen, members of Upstairs to the Left included Dick Peterson, Dennis Combs, Kim Erickson and Dave Berndt.

It turns out plenty of people are willing and eager to preserve U. P. music history. With the help of many people, I've gathered enough information to put together 143 weekly columns, so far. If you haven't been reading them from the very beginning, the entire series is available at rocknrollgraffiti.com. Because of unlimited space on the internet, the web version of the stories often contain additional photos, and are updated when new information becomes available.

Music from many of the bands I've profiled is also available. In fact, the U. P. jukebox category allows you to listen to 88 songs performed by 30 different northern Michigan performers. Most of music originated from hard to find 1960s era 45 rpm singles issued by musicians who hoped their record would propel them into the big time.

I've discovered many people are also interested in reading about the U. P. music scene, both past and present.

My wife Sue, webmaster at rocknrollgraffiti.com, has been tracking visits through Google Analytics, which gives detailed statistics about how visitors find your site, how long they stay and their geographical location.

We just started gathering information on March 13 and in the first month, the site has received 2,567 hits from 65 countries. People from every state, except Wyoming, have visited, as well.

Escanaba has been responsible for the most visits- 230, as you might expect, but people from 711 U. S. cities have stopped by the site. I don't know why, but Brooklyn, New York, is in second place with 130 visits, averaging almost six minutes each. Appleton, Wis. is third and Los Angeles is fourth in the number of visitors.

Google has calculated that the top drawing post concerns the rock band the Excels, followed by a story I did last summer about the Goose Lake Music Festival, Michigan's version of Woodstock. Until my piece, very little information was available on the internet, although it's estimated that 200,000 people attended the event held near Jackson in 1970.

So, there you have it. With the help of Google, my laptop computer, email, and some great readers, before you know it, I've written another music column.

The Tongue band favored U. P.

Escanaba native Jim "Smiley" Lewis,
right, was rhythm guitarist in
The Tongue band in 1968.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Although it was based in the college town of Menomonie, Wis., the Tongue band owed a debt to the Upper Peninsula.

The band frequently toured the U. P. over a ten-year period and even featured Escanaba resident Jim "Smiley" Lewis as a member for a time.

Founded in 1967 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout by singer/ guitarist Paul Rabbitt and bass player Bob "Hippie" Collins, the group was originally known as the Tennis Shoe Tongue Band.

Lewis, a well-known local musician who died in 2005, joined the group in 1968, intrigued by their shared interest in the blues. "He played rhythm guitar and sang vocals for about a year before moving on," Rabbitt told me last summer.

At the time, Rabbitt, who lives in California, was unaware that Lewis had passed away. "This is the first I have heard of the death of my brother Jim Lewis. I am saddened," he stated.

Lewis had moved to Wisconsin to join the Tennis Shoe Tongue Band, which quickly became student body favorites for its blues-based hard rock sound and ferocious live shows which the group took on the road around the midwest.

"Those were free and easy days for the Tongue and Escanaba was a big part of the early life of the band," Rabbitt remembered. The band worked extensively with Escanaba promoter Gene Smiltneck for Michigan gigs as well as booking jobs with former Escanaba residents Bill Stein and Bob Streit.

Rabbitt recalled playing teen dances here which were sponsored by Smiltneck through Bands Unlimited at the Teamsters Hall located at 1st Ave. So. and 9th St. "We would often travel for weeks in the area. We would slip over to Iron Mountain for gigs and dip down to Eagle River, Wis.," Rabbitt added.

"The Tongue was lucky as our audiences accepted our original material even though we did not have top 40 radio airplay," Rabbitt said.

Tongue LP cover

By 1970, the band, which included Rabbitt, Collins, keyboardist Mick Larson and drummer Dick Weber, released an LP recorded at Scott Sound Studios in Eau Claire, Wis. "Keep On Truckin' With Tongue," spotlighted the group's own material and included a few cover tunes for good measure.

The title track was the Tongue's take on a traditional song arranged and recorded by British folk singer Donovan Leitch in 1965. The group took this bare-bones tune, added the Tongue formula, and turned it into a show favorite. With lyrics such as "Keep on truckin' mama, truckin' them blues away" and "you've got great big legs and pretty little feet," fans were quick to sing and dance along.

Despite the fact the Grateful Dead also recorded another tune called "Keep On Truckin'," the Tongue paid tribute to their psychedelic heroes from San Francisco by recording "Morning Dew," from the Dead's first album. Although strongly associated with singer Jerry Garcia, "Morning Dew" was actually written by Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson in 1962.

Showing their sense of humor, the Tongue even added a brief "hillbilly" version of a novelty song made famous by Arthur Godfrey and the Too Fat Trio in 1948 called "Slap Her Down Again, Paw." While no band in these politically correct times would likely include this song (about a girl dating against the wishes of her family) on an album, the song first appeared when attitudes were different than today.

Other tracks on the album were composed by Rabbitt or co-written with Collins or Larson, while one was a group composition.

The LP and a 45 rpm single of "Keep On Truckin'," issued on the band's own Hemisphere label, focused attention on the Tongue. "We traveled throughout the 20 states in the middle of the U. S. with regular stops in Oklahoma, Colorado and California," Rabbitt noted.

Tongue live

Tongue toured extensively with another Wisconsin band, Soup, and opened shows for many headliners on the midwest concert circuit. Tongue toured with the Cleveland-based rock band James Gang, featuring Joe Walsh, and played with Chuck Berry, Cheap Trick, Michigan's own Ted Nugent and Alice Cooper.

In 1972, Rabbitt and Larson moved the band to Milwaukee where they were joined by bassist Rick Clark and drummer Ted Mueller.

Tongue returned to Escanaba even as the 1970s wore on. They performed at the Nite Hawk bar when it was owned by Gene Smiltneck, one of their booking agents in the early days.

Rabbitt and Collins even tell the story of the Tongue appearing in Crystal Falls, where they were confused with another group. Fans in the isolated U. P. town mistook Tongue for the British power trio Cream, which included famed rockers Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

After gigging around the midwest for a decade, the Tongue called it quits in 1976.

Interest in the band was renewed when their album was issued on compact disc and re-released on LP in 2000 by the European label Gear Fab Records. Three bonus tracks were included.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2001, the group reunited for a homecoming concert at the University of Wisconsin- Stout campus, sponsored by the Alumni Association. Following their first gig in 25 years, members of Tongue went their separate ways but remained active musically.


Tongue reunited: from left, Bob Collins, Dick Weber,
Mick Larson and Paul Rabbitt.

Unfortunately, the band lost a member when Mick Larson passed away on Aug. 13, 2004.

Additional concerts seem unlikely, but fans can still dust off their old records and "Keep On Truckin' With Tongue."

Photo gallery
Tongue with Jim Lewis

Excels' Clark Sullivan kept recording

Clark Sullivan

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Influential record producer Ollie McLaughlin saw promise in Upper Peninsula rock band the Excels and their lead singer, Clark Sullivan.

After producing five singles for the Excels from 1965-68, McLaughlin continued to record Sullivan as a solo artist.

A student at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Sullivan, who grew up in Republic, graduated with a teaching degree in the spring of 1968. Shortly after, the Excels also "graduated," moving from recording in Detroit, to New York City for their newest single, "California On My Mind" and "Arrival of Mary."

The songs were recorded at Atlantic Studios with some overdubbing at the Hit Factory, Sullivan told me. It was quite an experience for a group of young men from Michigan. "It would not be uncommon for any major star at the moment to walk in and listen to your session," Sullivan remembered.

The recording sessions, publicity photographs and advertising for their record were paid for by McLaughlin and Atlantic Records, a major label in the recording industry.

As the new single, on McLaughlin's Carla label, was being promoted, Sullivan took a job teaching American history and art at Beecher High School, near Flint. He still travelled to gigs booked by the Excels, but soon grew weary of the schedule. Consequently, he and the group parted ways at the end of 1968.

Sullivan, however, found time to continue writing and recording with McLaughlin. "This did not negate all the travel, however, as the recordings that I did with Ollie during this time were recorded in New York. I would leave school in the afternoon, travel to New York, record until 1 or 2 in the morning, fly back and start teaching at 8 a. m. I was thankful that this wasn't every week," Sullivan said.

In 1969 and 1970, Sullivan recorded songs for three 45 rpm singles, all produced by McLaughlin.

Appearing on the Romac label, "Let Me See Those Lights Again" and "I Can't Get Away With It" were put on tape in the spring of 1969. The songs were written by Sullivan and Jack Strongman, a friend of the singer from Ishpeming.

The pair also composed "Feel Like Trying" which was recorded in late 1969. The track was coupled with "Leave Me Alone," credited to Bobby Lane, when it was released as a single on the Enterprise label.

"I had the opportunity to go with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (famous 1960s songwriting team) when I was recording 'Feel Like Trying' in New York, but I would have never left Ollie under any circumstances. There was no better individual on this planet than Ollie.

"It was always a surprise to answer the phone with Ollie saying,'someone would like to talk to you,' and on would come Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals or Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, giving you a little pep talk. He was always doing things like that to light a fire in you."

"Feel Like Trying," along with tracks by British star Lulu and the Cufflinks, was listed as "hit bound" for the week of Jan. 9, 1970 by WTAC in Flint, a popular Top 40 radio station of the 1960s and 1970s.

Although the song, clocking in at 3:55, wasn't a hit, it did lead to Sullivan's next record.

"When I was recording 'Feel Like Trying,' Lou Christie came into the studio and offered one of his compositions to me," Sullivan said. Christie was well-known for his number one hit, "Lightnin' Strikes," but had also scored a Top Ten with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine," in 1969. "It was a nice tune, but sung in Christie's falsetto range, was far beyond my capabilities," Sullivan recalled.

"I did, however, get a tune to record when Larry Weiss, who I had met at a previous session, sent me one of his songs."

Weiss, who would later gain recognition as the writer of Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy," gave Sullivan a tune called "Reaching for a Rainbow." The song was issued commercially in Sept., 1970, with "Leave Me Alone" making another appearance as the flipside.

The tracks were issued on the Enterprise label which was distributed by fabled Stax Records, the Memphis company which had released records by Otis Redding and Sam and Dave.

As Sullivan was working to establish himself as a solo artist, he appeared at a number of "record hops" in Detroit with other artists who had records out at the time.

Early in the 1970s, Sullivan and some of his old bandmates from the Excels got together and discovered their musical spark was still intact. Before long Sullivan found himself in a band with guitarist Howard Ylinen, bassist Ed Rogers and drummer Garry Stockero, all U. P. natives and veterans of the Excels.


Liberty included drummer Garry Stockero and from left, Ed Rogers, Howard Ylinen and Clark Sullivan

The new group was named Liberty. Very popular, the band played together until 1982, performing mostly downstate but also doing two week gigs at the Four Seasons in Marquette each summer.

They travelled to the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Ala., used by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and the Staples Singers, to record a single, "Girl You Better Wake Up." The track, written by Sullivan, was released on the BASF label in 1973, with an instrumental version of the song appearing as the record's b side. The elaborate recording, featuring a horn section arranged by Ylinen, was produced by Sullivan's long-time associate, Ollie McLaughlin.


Ernie Harwell, left; and Clark Sullivan

During this time, Sullivan also "teamed-up" with Ernie Harwell, the beloved broadcaster known for doing the play by play for the Detroit Tigers for 42 seasons.

The two wrote songs, combining Harwell's lyrics with Sullivan's music. "We wrote off and on for close to 20 years. We never had anything that was recorded, except for some of the things I recorded which are still in the can, " Sullivan said. United Airlines and General Motors expressed interest in a couple of their compositions for use in commercials, Sullivan noted. "They got the dubs, but never used them."

During his tenure with McLaughlin, Sullivan had ten songs issued as a member of the Excels, five as a solo artist and another as vocalist for Liberty.

However, even more material remains unreleased. Sullivan counted ten Excels songs, six solo tracks, and eight tunes cut by Liberty, which are still "in the can." McLaughlin died in 1984, "so where the masters are is anyone's guess," Sullivan said.

Sullivan, who plays guitar just about every day and occasionally writes a song or two, still spends considerable time in the Upper Peninsula every year at the family's cabin on the Peshekee River.

Reflecting on his musical career, Sullivan, now retired from teaching and living in the lower Michigan community of Swartz Creek, said he wouldn't change anything.

"I don't put any blame for not getting a hit record on Atlantic, Ollie, Stax or any other company or individual we dealt with. We had a golden opportunity and we are thankful for that. It all boils down to material. If it doesn't sell, it just doesn't sell."