Galaxies 'courted national fame'

The Galaxies captured their rock 'n' roll style
in this photograph which depicts, from left, Greg Winn,
Andy Abraham, Bernie Michelli and Danny Sullivan.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Ironwood-based rock 'n' roll group The Galaxies courted national fame when they issued two 45 rpm records fifty years ago.

Their first single was produced by rock star Jimmy Bowen, while the follow-up was issued by a New York City label which had recently placed two songs in the Top Ten.

The group consisted of Greg Winn, lead guitar; Danny Sullivan, lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Andy Abraham, bass; and Bernie Michelli, drums. Winn and Sullivan were classmates at St. Ambrose High School in Ironwood, Abraham hailed from nearby Hurley, Wis., and Michelli, a bit older than the others, lived with his wife in Bessemer.

The Galaxies were managed by local radio personality Dick "Nite Train" Williamson, who occasionally brought national acts to entertain in the western Upper Peninsula.


Dick "Nite Train" Williamson

It was at one of those shows that the Galaxies met Bowen, who had written the 1957 smash hit "Party Doll" with Buddy Knox.

Originally the flip-side to "Party Doll," Bowen had his own hit with "I'm Stickin' With You," which he recorded with the Rhythm Orchids.

Bowen took a shine to the Galaxies, telling them he would produce a single for them at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis.

Seeing an opportunity too good to pass up, the young musicians made the 185-mile trip to one of Minnesota's top independent recording studios, located at 2541 Nicollet Ave.

Owned by Daniel and Amos Heilicher, the company also included the Soma Records label.

Bobby Vee and the Shadows recorded "Suzie Baby," their first hit, at Kay Bank in 1959, while the hit version of "Muleskinner Blues" by the Fendermen was taped there the following year.

For their seven-inch single, the Galaxies waxed two original tunes. "If You Want To Be My Baby" was the A side and "Ad Lib" was the flip.

Singer Sullivan composed the first number, while the latter was an instrumental piece written by guitarist Winn.

Although the group only played as the Galaxies, the 45 credited "If You Want to be My Baby" to Danny and the Galaxies.

The record was issued as Darbo 1595, apparently the only sides to ever appear on the label. The songs were published by "Kooba Publishing," while Darbo was listed as a division of "Kooba Enterprises, Inc."

Although it's estimated only 300 to 500 copies of the disc were manufactured, the Galaxies were now elevated to "recording artists," separating them from ordinary garage bands.

In an advertisement in the Ironwood Daily Globe, the band was pictured under the banner "Home Town Boys Make Good!" Area residents were invited to hear the record over Radio Station WJMS-AM 590 and attend a live afternoon performance at Johnson Music Store by "the Range's first recording group."

The Darbo record earned the Galaxies a gig at the ornate Ironwood Theatre, built in 1928. The movie palace presented two complete band performances at 7 and 9 p. m. along with the thrilling 1959 motion picture "Speed Crazy," starring Brett Halsey. All seats were 75 cents, according to a newspaper advertisement.

Another "teen show" featured the Galaxies "on stage in person" along with two movies: "Frankenstein's Daughter" and "Missile to the Moon," both originally released in 1958.

The Galaxies also played plenty of teen dances. They performed at the Ironwood Memorial Building for a "rock 'n roll dance" with their manager Dick "Nite Train" Williamson acting as emcee.

On August 7, 1959 the band played at the VFW Hall in west Duluth, for a dance dubbed "Fleet Feet Fling II."

While the Galaxies were hot locally, they snagged a recording contract with Carlton Record Corp., founded in 1959. Joe Carlton's company also owned a subsidiary, the Guaranteed label.

During 1959 and 1960, Paul Evans had four hit singles on Guaranteed including the Top Tens "Seven Little Girls in the Back Seat" and "Happy-Go-Lucky-Me."

While the Carlton/Guaranteed operation was run out of New York City, the Galaxies returned to Kay Bank to cut their new songs.

This time out they taped "My Tattle Tale (I'm Gonna Tell My Mommy on You)" and "Love Has Its Ways."

The first song (and the record's A side) was penned by Sullivan and Winn, while the flip was composed by Abraham and Winn. Both tunes were published by Pambill Music.

"My tattle tale is a cute little girl, my tattle tale she puts your heart in a whirl," Sullivan sang, in a voice recalling Elvis Presley.

Winn added a guitar solo reminiscent of rockabilly legend Eddie Cochran, famous for "Summertime Blues," who had died in a car accident in England on April 17, 1960.

"Love Has Its Way" was written with lyrics, but because no one in the band could sing it to their satisfaction, the song was recorded as an instrumental.

Paired as Guaranteed 216, the platter appeared in 1961.

When the second 45 was issued, Johnson Music Store promoted the event with another ad. "The (Gogebic) Range's own Galaxies flew to New York to make this hit record and signed a record contract with Carlton Record Corp., a national and international house of record hits! We're for them, the teenagers are for them.... we all wish them well," the copy boasted.

The ad urged readers to "be the first to hear and buy this new record." The Galaxies made another in person appearance at the store where they autographed copies of the record on request.

Copies of "My Tattle Tale" were enclosed in a sleeve which asked record buyers to join the Paul Evans Fan Club, although the Galaxies had a national fan club of their own.

In a brief news story, the local daily reported that "My Tattle Tale" was in the "top 60 among records in the Milwaukee area."

The newspaper also noted the Galaxies "have been busy lately making personal appearances in Detroit and Milwaukee."

With two 45s to the credit, the Galaxies traveled to Escanaba to perform at a high school "Holiday Ball" on Dec. 29, 1961. An article in the Escanaban school newspaper noted: "The Galaxies are a nationally known orchestra from Ironwood."

While "My Tattle Tale" was pressed in greater quantities than their first single, and had the backing of the New York label, the record did not become a hit beyond Ironwood.

In the following years, the Galaxies' fame dwindled. They played a dance at the White Birch in Bessemer on June 2, 1966 and at Nora's Bar and Red Carpet Lounge in Hurley on July 28, 1967. The band performed a repeat engagement at Nora's, owned by bassist Abraham's mother, on Aug. 27 and 28, 1971.

In Sept., 2010 came the announcement that manager Dick "Nite Train" Williamson had died in a Palm Desert, Calif. hospital, following a serious fall.

The news brought mention of the Galaxies, who courted national attention five decades ago.
###

'Festival Express' recreates era

By STEVE SEYMOUR

You may have heard of "Festival Express."

The name refers to a train tour across Canada by the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and others in 1970 for a series of shows.

"Festival Express" captivated young music fans and broadened the sense of community among musicians.

The trip and resulting concerts were filmed, but went unreleased at the time.

In 2003, the production returned to public consciousness as a movie "rockumentary," complete with new interviews from many of the original participants.

This summer a talented coterie of musicians gave "Festival Express" another life as a stage show on Mackinac Island.

I wasn't lucky enough to attend any of those long-ago shows as much as I may have wanted to see some of the greatest acts in rock 'n' roll.

But I was thoroughly fascinated by the home video release when it emerged a few years ago.

So, when we heard "Festival Express" was going to recreated in concert right here in the Upper Peninsula, my wife Sue and I made plans to go.

The concert and film pay tribute to a unique trio of shows that have become as legendary in Canada as Woodstock is in the United States.

Unlike Woodstock which was held in one upstate New York location, "Festival Express" was staged in Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary over a five day period.

The musicians traveled to each city on a Canadian National Railways train chartered by promoters Ken Walker and Thor Eaton. The train allowed the acts to jam with one another and party between stops.

In fact, the partiers drank the train dry and had to make a pit-stop for more booze. They passed a hat, collected $800 and bought-out a track-side liquor store.

While the train rolled along, however, protesters gathered claiming the shows should be free, despite the modest $14 admission fee.

Still, San Francisco's Grateful Dead, The Band (all but Levon Helm born in Canada) and the legendary Janis Joplin put on unforgettable performances.

Some of the most memorable tunes included "Don't Ease Me In," Grateful Dead; "Cry Baby," Janis Joplin; and "I Shall be Released," The Band.

Fans also heard the Buddy Guy Blues Band, Flying Burrito Brothers, Sha Na Na and Ian & Sylvia. Ten Years After and Traffic appeared in Toronto only

Despite being an artistic success, "Festival Express" lost money. The planned movie was shelved after a lawsuit and the unedited film disappeared.

By 1999 the movie project was ressurected when some of the missing reels were found in the Canadian National Film Archives.

The motion picture was produced by Gavin Poolman and John Trapman and directed by Bob Smeaton.

"Festival Express" debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2003 and was distributed on DVD by New Line Home Entertainment the following year.

Critics hailed the documentary, one writer calling it "a momentous achievement in rock film archeology."

I couldn't have agreed more after I reviewed my copy the day before we headed out to Mackinac Island to see a live version of "Festival Express."

The event was staged at the historic Mission Point Theater on the island's southeast end, about a mile from our room at the Chippewa Waterfront Hotel.

Island musician Mary McGuire recruited dozens of musicians to stage "Festival Express" as part of the annual Mackinac Island Music Festival.

Last year festival musicians recreated "The Last Waltz," the Band's final performance from 1976 which featured Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young and other stars.

Among those performing in this year's tribute show were Michigan musicians the Forbes Brothers, Barbara Payton, DC Malone, Jill Jack, Billy Brandt, Richard Hulett, George Friend, Donny Sorensen, Pam Finkel, Chris Brantley and Charlie Springer.

The concert also featured Michelle Chenard, Audra Kubat, Sarana VerLin, Jack Barnwell, Matt Myers, Nino Dmytryszyn, Gary Rasmussen, Charlie "Wong" Teeny and Chordiology.

Sue and I traveled by horse-drawn taxi to the theater for the Aug. 19 event, the only time the concert was to be performed.

Although we had tickets 001 and 002, the seats weren't reserved, yet we were able to sit in the front row.

A four-piece vocal group, Chordiology started the "Festival Express" show with Sha Na Na's "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay."

The music didn't stop until the Band's signature song "The Weight" was performed as the grand finale.

The two songs were bookends in a concert filled with dynamic performances.

Billy Brandt and his band took on a number of Grateful Dead songs, while Mary McGuire performed the music of Traffic and the Forbes Brothers revived tunes originally done by The Band.

Jill Jack interpreted songs from Janis Joplin as the audience cheered and DC Malone did his best to replicate classic blues numbers in Buddy Guy's style.

At three and one-half hours in length, the concert had too many highlights to name.

All the while a psychedelic light show played on the theater's walls.

It was not a surprise that the musicians, obviously having fun, earned a standing ovation from the crowd which obviously had fun, too.

After the show Sue and I headed to the Pink Pony bar where a number of the entertainers continued performing.

Looking back on the reenactment, I realize it wasn't the same as attending "Festival Express" in 1970, but it gave me a nostalgic feeling nevertheless.

7th Blues Fest hits high note

San-Diego-based blues singer Candye Kane
performed at the Marquette Area Blues Fest on
Sept. 5.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

Four nationally-known artists-- Robert "Chick" Willis, Teeny Tucker, Candye Kane and Ronnie Baker Brooks-- grabbed the attention of fans attending the Marquette Area Blues Fest on Sept. 4 & 5.

Held at Mattson Lower Harbor Park, the 7th annual event also featured six local and regional acts as well as several thousand appreciative fans.

Despite unseasonably chilly weather, Willis and Tucker capped Saturday's performances with two hot shows, while Kane and Brooks fired up the crowd on Sunday as slightly warmer weather prevailed.

Although he has performed around the country, Willis told the crowd his Blues Fest gig was his first visit to Marquette. "I thought I was coming to Canada," he joked.

Willis made a commanding presence, clad in a white suit and cowboy hat with an orange tie and matching shoes.

"If I'd known you had this type of weather, I'd have dressed better," he told the crowd.

The blues veteran began his career touring with his cousin Chuck in the mid-1950s.

Willis played an lively set of originals and covers for the Upper Peninsula audience.

He performed a take on "I Can't Stop Loving You," kidding the audience that every "light-skinned" person should know the words. A Don Gibson composition, the song was recorded by Ray Charles.

A Georgia native, Willis added another Charles' classic, "What I'd Say," for good measure.

Willis left the stage several times to play his Fender guitar while walking through the crowd, never missing a beat as he was getting his picture taken and being patted on the back.

The 75-year-old Willis earned a standing ovation for his 90-minute set which included stellar versions of "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Rib Shack Blues Cafe."

Tucker, whose father Tommy gained fame for the 1964 pop hit "Hi-Heel Sneakers," has been performing at major blues festival since 1996.

Backed by an eight-piece band, including three back-up singers, Tucker put her stamp on "Hound Dog." Made famous by Elvis Presley, the song was originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton, one of Tucker's influences.

Then the Dayton, Ohio, native delved into the autobiographical with "Make Room for Teeny."

Oozing enthusiasm, Tucker and her band delivered a jamming version of "Built for Comfort," the blues classic written by Willie Dixon. She turned to original material for "Ain't That the Blues," a song about a blind 12-year-old foster child.

The singer referenced her father in "Daughter to the Blues" as she continued to enthrall the audience. Tucker's big sound and sultry voice made Etta James' "At Last" her own.

Fans were standing and dancing for "Poison in My Coffee," an original number about a lottery winner whose husband is trying to kill her.

She returned to the classics for a rousing version of "Whole Lotta Shaking Goin' On." Tucker explained Big Maybelle originally recorded the song two years before a version by Jerry Lee Lewis sold a million copies.

Tucker ended her set with her anthem "Keep the Blues Alive," Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" (during which she left the stage to dance with the audience) and "I'd Rather Go Blind," another salute to Etta James.

Candye Kane's inspirational live show, meanwhile, provided the back drop as she explained how music helped her beat pancreatic cancer.

Diagnosed with the disease in 2008, she has since been declared cancer free and even released a new compact disc entitled "Superhero."

Kane sang a powerful version of the title song, telling the crowd it was the first number she composed after being released from the hospital.

The San Diego-based singer was backed by her son Evan Caleb on drums, Kennan Shaw on bass and critically-acclaimed guitarist Laura Chavez.

Kane followed with a rollicking take on "White Trash Girl," telling the audience her father was in prison when she was growing up in east L. A. and that her mother taught her to shoplift to survive.

Despite her dysfunctional childhood, Kane said people can create their "own destiny with the power of words." In fact, Kane said she used her songwriting ability as a tool to help heal herself.

To drive the point home, Kane performed "Hey! Toughen Up," "Ik Hou Van Je (I Love You)" and "You Need Love."

Brimming with personality, Kane quickly developed a rapport with the audience.

She smiled her way through "200 Pounds of Fun" and claimed "I Put a Hex on You" which she wrote with Chavez, also had a positive message.

"You have to let your anger go," Kane advised.

Kane performed "Estrogen Bomb," saying she was happy being over 40 because she was "hot and cold at the same time."

A teenage mother, a former worker in the adult entertainment industry and a divorcee, Kane said everything bad which happened in her life prepared her to challenge cancer.

She played "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?" as an encore, and called to the stage again, performed "Toughest Girl Alive."

Kane said a woman about to kill herself changed her mind when she heard "Toughest Girl Alive" on the radio, the miracle being not so much that a suicide was prevented, but that the song was broadcast at all.

Headliner Ronnie Baker Brooks kicked off the festival's final set with "Born in Chicago."

A Windy City native, Brooks has become increasingly popular since he emerged with "Golddigger" in 1998.

Son of blues legend Lonnie Brooks, the guitarist and singer urged the audience to participate in some "soul clapping" for "I Just Want to Make Love to You," the classic Muddy Waters song.

Brooks followed with a ferocious version of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Crossfire," supported by Carlton Armstrong on bass and C. J. Tucker on drums.

The young guitar hero also spotlighted some of the original material from his latest CD, "The Torch."

The trio put a blues groove to "A Long Goodbye," "See You Hurt No More" and "If It Don't Make Dollars, Then I Don't Make Sense."

With Brooks leading the way, the band stretched out on "Stuck on Stupid" and "Take Me Witcha," sending the audience into a Sunday night frenzy.

While all four major acts impressed the crowd, there were other highlights:

--Marquette's Flat Broke Blues Band played a few new songs from their forthcoming CD.

--Kraig Kenning performed the Beatles' "Come Together" with help from the audience.

-- Moreland & Arbuckle used a homemade "cigar-box" guitar on some of their songs.

Whether they came from local or regional artists or the nationally-known acts, this year's Blues Fest had plenty of high points to go around.
###

Candye Kane with Fan

Lupkin show is lesson in blues

Veteran harp player Bill Lupkin gave fans a
lesson in the blues during a concert at the
Terrace Bay Inn on Aug. 27.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

If you like the harmonica, or harp as it's called in the blues, you'll really like Bill Lupkin.

A harp master, Lupkin shared his passion for the instrument during a concert at the Terrace Bay Inn on Aug. 27.

Going to a Lupkin show is entertaining, of course, but it's also a history lesson in the blues harp.

He told the audience about his encounters with many of the genre's top stars and played songs to illustrate his stories.

Born in 1947, he learned his chops backing some of Chicago's blues greats including Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.

When he made his life-changing move to the Windy City in 1969, Lupkin said he "was just a kid from Fort Wayne who wanted to play the blues."

Almost immediately, he fell in with the Aces, including Louis and Dave Myers and Fred Below, the band known for working with Little Walter Jacobs.

"I got into the thick of it right away," Lupkin told the Upper Peninsula audience.

Recalling his early days in Chicago, Lupkin played his take on Little Walter's "Juke." The tune, from 1952, became the bluesman's first and biggest solo hit, although he still worked as Muddy Waters' harp player.

Lupkin gave the instrumental standard his own brand while retaining the original's mythic appeal.

When the Aces went on a European tour, they left the young newcomer behind in favor of veteran harpist Carey Bell.

Consequently, Lupkin moved on to a job playing harp with Jimmy Rogers and Johnny Littlejohn.

Rogers was another member of Muddy Water's band enjoying a solo career, while Littlejohn played guitar for both Rogers and Howlin' Wolf.


Jimmy Rogers

Calling Rogers his "greatest inspiration and influence," Lupkin delivered his version of "Walking By Myself," Rogers' biggest song, dating from the 1950s.

Lupkin told the audience he played steady gigs with Rogers and Littlejohn at a club called Ma Bea's, located at Madison and Sacramento on Chicago's west side.

"We played every Sunday and Monday," Lupkin recalled.

Howlin' Wolf played at the nearby Big Duke's Blue Flame Lounge, and stopped by Ma Bea's one night. "Howlin' Wolf never went to see other bands play, after all he was Howlin' Wolf," Lupkin said.

"You know he's critiquing you," Lupkin said of Wolf's stop. Besides visiting, Wolf sat in with the band, Lupkin remembered.

In recognition of that night, Lupkin performed "Killing Floor," one of Wolf's greatest numbers. Originally recorded in 1966, the influential song has been covered by many artists over the years.

Lupkin acknowledged Wolf as "definitely" the King of Chicago blues, edging Muddy Waters.

Lupkin was also present when Waters joined Rogers on stage in a historic reunion.

Marking the occasion, Lupkin played a foot-stomping take on "Mannish Boy," the Waters' hit from 1955.

Still in his early 20s, Lupkin honed his harp skills as a regular in the Jimmy Rogers band, from 1969 to 1972.

Then, he traveled with Rogers to Los Angeles where the blues legend recorded a comeback album. Lupkin appeared on most of the cuts, but was uncredited on the album.

Titled "Gold Tailed Bird" the long-player contained "Live at Ma Bea's" an instrumental salute to the famed Chicago club where Rogers and Lupkin had gigged twice a week.

Released on Leon Russell's Shelter Records, the project was co-produced by Texas guitar legend Freddie King.

In his recent concert, Lupkin played Rogers' "Rock This House" as well as the original composition "Fine Little Thing," saying it was inspired by the late Chicago bluesman.

While Lupkin performed well-chosen cover songs, he also played flawless harp on his well-crafted originals, including "Cell Phone Blues" and "I'll Get Over You Someday."

His chromatic work on "Bad Luck" puts that song into your head and keeps it there.

Responding to whoops and hollers from the audience, Lupkin ended his 20-track live set with a fired-up "Got My Mojo Workin'," popularized by Muddy Waters in 1957.

Sponsored by Wendy Pepin's Blues for a Cause, profits from the concert benefited Perspectives Adult Day Care in Escanaba.

During the show Lupkin demonstrated his expertise on his Hohner harmonicas and proved to be a seasoned vocalist as well.

Lupkin's crack band was comprised of brother Steve on stand-up bass, Jeff Joswiack on guitar and Tino Cortez on drums.

Throughout the evening the audience was very receptive to Lupkin's fat-toned harp sound, augmented by precise guitar work, thumping bass and rhythmic drumming from his musical cohorts.

Certainly, Lupkin's sound reflects his decades of experience, but he has also spent years away from the music business.

In the mid 1970s, the harpist sought success in Los Angeles, but became disillusioned, returning to Indiana where he raised a family of six children.

Before and after his stint in music, Lupkin made his living making stained glass.

Since 1994, he has created and restored stained glass and mosaic works under the name William L. Lupkin Designs.

The harpist didn't cut any music as a band leader until "Live at the Hot Spot" emerged on the Blue Loon label in 1999.

That CD, credited to Bill Lupkin and the Chicago Blues Coalition, was recorded at a club in Fort Wayne. The players included regional blues favorites Billy Flynn on guitar and Barrelhouse Chuck on keyboards.

Now signed to Nick Moss's Blue Bella label, Lupkin released "Where I Come From" in 2006 and "Hard Pill to Swallow" a year later.

Both discs feature all original material and were produced by Moss, one of the hottest players on the Chicago blues scene today.

You can't fault Lupkin for bragging about playing with Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and so many others.

In the liner notes for "Hard Pill to Swallow," he says performing with the great blues players in Chicago "was a college education."

That Lupkin is willing to share those experiences in concert is fortunate for us.