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We conclude our four part Hall of Fame spotlight on Frank Sinatra's career with more little known details about the man and his music. In this installment, you'll hear about the post-Columbia Records days when he was no longer in demand. He had no hits and no record contract -- that is, until Capitol Records came calling and everything changed.
You'll learn what it meant for a songwriter to have one of their songs recorded by Frank and why Sinatra...
2) Percy Faith
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Though his work was often classified as just "arrangements," Percy Faith's work went well beyond that and could be more accurately described as "recompositions." He got his start as a child studying piano and eventually made his mark as an instrumental stylist, importing elements of jazz and rock into mood music.
In a conversation with host Wink Martindale, Faith discusses the work it takes to find and keep fans, his lengthy music career and his...
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Rosemary Clooney grew up singing with her sister at family gatherings and in her senior year of high school they were hired to sing at the local radio station. She soared to fame in the 1950s with the novelty song "Come On-a My House" and continued to release a number of other pop and jazz hits. In 1973, Clooney sat down with Wink Martindale to provide an intimate look at her early personal life and legendary musical career. Beyond her work as just...
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The second part of our Hall of Fame spotlight on Rodgers and Hammerstein details the phenomenal success Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had as partners after joining forces in 1943. Throughout their long career in theater, the pair helped to start the careers of many now famous singers, dancers and musicians.
Narrator Wink Martindale interviewed the duo, who shared many details of their professional life. Hammerstein reveals his approach...
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Billy Eckstine didn't consider singing a potential profession until he earned $5 as second prize in an amateur competition. He was bit by the showbiz bug after working as an MC and singer in his hometown of Pittsburgh while on summer break from college. He decided not to return to college and eventually began working in clubs throughout Buffalo, New York; Detroit and Chicago. Eckstine sat down with Wink Martindale for an interview in May of 1973....
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Jo Stafford and Paul Weston both had successful careers in their own rights, but also enjoyed success as a duo and earning a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 1961. The pair sat down with host Wink Martindale to discuss their successful careers, musical work and personal lives. Stafford performed as lead singer of The Pied Pipers and performed back-up vocals for Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and went on to perform as a solo artist. Weston's career...
7) Neil Sedaka
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Neil Sedaka had more than a dozen hits from 1958 to 1963, but his career slumped with the arrival of the British Invasion. In 1974 he found his way back to the charts with "Laughter in the Rain." In March of that year, Wink Martindale sat with Sedaka to discuss his early career and his thrilling comeback. Sedaka recounts his early life as a child receiving classical music training and secretly writing pop songs, despite his sister telling him to stick...
8) Brenda Lee
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Brenda Lee's astoundingly successful career began at the early age of three, when she won a singing contest. At the age of 15 her career was well underway, drawing comparisons to the legendary Judy Garland and accumulating fans all over the world. She is perhaps best known for her 1960s single, "I'm Sorry," which she recorded at the age of just 14. Lee sat down with host Wink Martindale to discuss her captivating musical career. She speaks about her...
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Our third and final installment of a three part exploration of the career of Elvis Presley takes a look at the final years for the legendary singer who we first became aware of in 1954 when he released his first single "That's Alright Mama" on Sun Records. That first single marked the beginning of an astonishing career during which he rose to become the most famous rock and roll star in the world.
Friends and associates share their memories of the...
10) Mac Davis
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It took 12 years for Mac Davis to find success in the music industry, first as a songwriter and later as a singer. Davis originally spent years working, going to college part time and writing his own music. He later dropped out of college and pursued work in the music industry doing radio and sales promotions, all the while cutting bathroom demos while on the road for work. About five years later, Davis was transferred to the West coast where he finally...
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Lawrence Welk left home at the age of 21 and spent two years trying to get a job with bands with little success. Though his career got off to a rocky start, Welk would go on to become a renowned musician, bandleader and television personality. In Part 1 we hear about Welk's earliest days of his life and career. In a conversation with Wink Martindale in 1973, he reflects on the beginning of his career and journey to success while sharing intimate details...
12) Joni James
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Despite her phenomenal success as a singer, Joni James initially had dreams of dancing. While she continued to receive scholarships and praise for her vocal performances, dancing was what she wanted to pursue and she continued to pay for lessons. When faced with the decision of going to school or pursuing her career, on the advice of a producer that "youth was the most urgent thing in show business," she dove headfirst into singing. She went on to...
13) Glen Campbell
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Glen Campbell's career extended throughout song and screen as he worked in television, film and as a songwriter and performer. He achieved moderate success early on as a country artist and made history in 1967 winning four Grammys in both the pop and country categories.
Campbell found crossover success with "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Southern Nights" in the mid-70s. Wink Martindale takes listeners on a journey through Campbell's fruitful career with...
14) Vic Damone
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Vic Damone quit school as a teenager to work at the Paramount Theater to help support his family after his father was injured. During this time he was exposed to a host of accomplished singers both on the stage and behind the scenes. While operating the backstage elevator for Perry Como, Damone asked if he could sing for him to see if he had any talent. He stopped the elevator between floors and after he finished, Como told him he should keep it up....
15) Kenny Rogers
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When Kenny Rogers started singing in high school, he went through numerous gimmicks and phases trying to find a way to make his voice identifiable. Audiences didn't respond to what he was doing, and on the advice of a friend, he dropped the gimmicks and started to embrace his own sound. Many awards, hit songs and decades later, and there is no doubt of his gift for storytelling and distinctive sound. In an interview with host Wink Martindale, Rogers...
16) Bobby Vinton
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Bobby Vinton, "The Most Successful Unknown," says he never wanted to be a musician; he wanted to be a football player instead. In fact, his parents would bribe him 25 cents an hour just to get him to practice his clarinet. Vinton sat down with Wink Martindale in 1973 to discuss his success with "Blue on Blue" and the story behind "Roses are Red." He says writing songs is difficult and he isn't sure who is buying his albums. Vinton also discusses putting...
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Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces to create the most consistently successful partnership in the American theater. Included among the seemingly endless list of their work are legendary works such as Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King & I, The Sound of Music and many more.
In the first part of this two-part series exploring their groundbreaking career, Wink Martindale speaks with the duo to explore the early days of their partnership....
18) Carly Simon
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While some would contend that Carly Simon's wealthy background gave her a leg up, her talent and skill as a musician make it clear that she earned every bit of her current and future success on her own. Her first break came while she was on vacation. She and her sister Lucy took a trip to Cape Cod and tried to get a job performing in a summer resort. As luck would have it the previous performer had left, so they started singing there with a repertoire...
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Herb Alpert's career began under the name Dore Alpert. When his first few releases with RCA Records failed to gain traction, he was dropped from the label. That's when Alpert joined forces with his friend Jerry Moss to form an independent label.
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass grew to great success by the mid-sixties with pre-orders for their album numbering in the millions. Host Wink Martindale sat down with Alpert and takes listeners on an exciting...
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In 1973, Captain & Tennille wrote and cut a record completely at their own expense. The product of that recording session, "The Way I Want to Touch You," proved to be a regional hit and was the first step in their fascinating journey to major label success.
The couple sat down with host Wink Martindale just as their first hit was climbing the charts. In this captivating interview, they discuss how they got started in music, the creation of their...
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