Triad Media with Frank Beacham

12/25/2023

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Frank on December 12th. He was embraced by family and lifelong friends in his final moments.

On this day, December 25, a day synonymous with love, we reflect on the love Frank shared with many. His expressions of love were woven into the words and stories he so beautifully crafted.

We deeply appreciate the heartfelt words of sympathy and support shared privately by many. Frank's page will be monitored periodically in remembrance of the love and memories he left behind.

The Beacham Family

Frank Beacham
New York, New York

Frank Beacham Jr, age 75, passed away on December 12, 2023, in Manhattan, New York, following complications from a medical procedure. He departed peacefully, surrounded by friends and family.

Born on April 1, 1948, to Frank Shirley and Peggy (Brown) Beacham, Frank spent his formative years in Honea Path, SC, and graduated from Honea Path High School in 1966. Subsequently, he pursued higher education at the University of South Carolina, earning a degree in journalism. Frank is survived by his brother, Dan Beacham (Mary) of Honea Path, SC, niece Rebecca Fulk (Keith) of Honea Path, SC, and nephew Frank B. Beacham (Stephanie) of Clemson, SC.

A lifelong journalist, Frank embarked on his career at WHPB radio in Belton, SC, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey. He went on to work with Senator Richard Byrd of West Virginia and contributed to WIS TV, the Miami Herald, and the Washington Post. Frank's journalistic prowess extended to covering pivotal events for NBC, including the 1968 Democratic convention riots, the 1980 Winter Olympics, and several Super Bowls. His written narratives delved into significant historical events, such as the Southern Textile Labor Strikes in the 1930s, the Orangeburg Massacre, and the story of Charlie's Place. Additionally, Frank took great pride in his work as a playwright and movie producer, solidifying his legacy as a true storyteller.

A memorial service to celebrate Frank's remarkable life will be held at a later date, allowing friends and family to come together and honor his memory.

07/07/2021

Triad Media with Frank Beacham has ended. We have switched back to Frank Beacham for daily Facebook posts. All new posts will be on our personal page (http://www.facebook.com/frankbeacham) or our web site at www.beachamjournal.com

Musings on music, culture, technology and history.

07/06/2021

Marlene Dietrich, New York, 1942

Photo by Horst P. Horst

07/06/2021

Bill Haley was born 96 years ago today

07/06/2021

Bill Haley was born 96 years ago today.

One of America’s first rock and roll musicians, Haley is credited by many with first popularizing rock in the early 1950s with his group, Bill Haley & His Comets.

The group, inspired by Halley's Comet, had million-selling hits such as “Rock Around the Clock,” “See You Later, Alligator,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” “Skinny Minnie” and “Razzle Dazzle.” He has sold over 25 million records worldwide.

Born in Highland Park, Michigan as William John Clifton Haley, Haley’s father moved the family to Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, near Chester, when Bill was seven years old. This was due to the effects of the Great Depression on the Detroit area.

Haley's father, William Albert Haley, was from Kentucky and played the banjo and mandolin. His mother, Maude Green, originally from Ulverston in England, was a technically accomplished keyboardist with classical training. Haley said when he made a simulated guitar out of cardboard, his parents bought him a real one.

The anonymous sleeve notes accompanying the 1956 Decca album, "Rock Around The Clock," describe Haley's early life and career: "Bill got his first professional job at the age of 13, playing and entertaining at an auction for the fee of one dollar a night. Very soon after this he formed a group of equally enthusiastic youngsters and managed to get quite a few local bookings for his band."

Haley left home at 15 in 1940 with his guitar and little else. The next few years were hard and poverty stricken, but full of useful experiences. Apart from learning how to exist on one meal a day and other artistic exercises, he worked at an open-air park show, sang and yodeled with any band that would have him and worked with a traveling medicine show.

For six years, Haley was a musical director of WPWA, a radio station in Chester, Pennsylvania. He led his own band all through this period. It was then known as Bill Haley's Saddlemen, indicating their definite leaning toward the tough Western style. They continued playing in clubs as well as over the radio around Philadelphia, and in 1951 made their first recordings.

During the Labor Day weekend in 1952, The Saddlemen were renamed Bill Haley with Haley's Comets (inspired by a popular mispronunciation of Halley's Comet).

In 1953, Haley's recording of "Crazy Man, Crazy" (co-written by Haley and his bass player, Marshall Lytle, although Lytle would not receive credit until 2001) became the first rock and roll song to hit the American charts, peaking at #15 on Billboard and #11 on Cash Box. Soon after, the band's name was revised to Bill Haley & His Comets.

In 1953, a song called "Rock Around the Clock" was written for Haley. He was unable to record it until April 12, 1954. Initially, it was relatively unsuccessful, staying at the charts for only one week, but Haley soon scored a major worldwide hit with a cover version of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll," which went on to sell a million copies and became the first ever rock 'n' roll song to enter British singles charts in December, 1954.

Haley retained elements of the original, but threw some country music aspects into the song (specifically, Western Swing) and cleaned up the lyrics. Haley and his band were important in launching the music known as "rock and roll" to a wider, mostly white audience after a period of it being considered an underground genre.

When "Rock Around the Clock" appeared behind the opening credits of the 1955 film, Blackboard Jungle, starring Glenn Ford, it soared to the top of the American Billboard chart for eight weeks. The single is commonly used as a convenient line of demarcation between the "rock era" and the music industry that preceded it.

The song for the film was chosen from the collection of young Peter Ford, the son of Glenn Ford and dancer Eleanor Powell. The producers were looking for a song to represent the type of music the youth of 1955 was listening to, and the elder Ford borrowed several records from his son's collection, one of which was Haley's "Rock Around the Clock." This was the song chosen.

Billboard separated its statistical tabulations into 1890-1954 and 1955–present. After the record rose to #1, Haley was quickly given the title "Father of Rock and Roll," by the media and by teenagers that had come to embrace the new style of music.

With the song's success, the age of rock music began overnight and instantly ended the dominance of the jazz and pop standards performed by Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Perry Como and Bing Crosby.

Success came at somewhat of a price as the new music confused and horrified most people over the age of 30, leading to Cold War-fueled suspicion that rock-and-roll was part of a communist plot to corrupt the minds of American teenagers.

FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover attempted to dig up incriminating material on Haley, who took to carrying a gun with him on tours for his own safety. A self-admitted alcoholic, Haley fought a battle with alcohol into the 1970s. Nonetheless, he and his band continued to be a popular touring act, benefiting from a 50s nostalgia movement that began in the late 60s and the signing of a lucrative record deal with the European Sonet Records label.

After performing for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance in 1979, Haley made his final performances in South Africa in May and June, 1980. Prior to the South African tour, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. A planned tour of Germany in the fall of 1980 was canceled. He died at age 55 early in the morning of February 9, 1981.

There is a dispute over whether he had a brain tumor or not. Haley's death certificate listed "Natural causes: Most likely heart attack" as the immediate cause of death. The next lines, “Due to, or as a consequence of" were blank.

Here, Haley and the Comets perform “Rock Around the Clock” in 1956

The DVD "The Legends of Rock & Roll"states this clip is from the Ted Steel show WOR-TV, New York (1955).Apparently, it is from Washington Square, a show host...

07/06/2021

Louis Armstrong died 50 years ago today

Here is Armstrong on a European tour, 1955

Photo from Associated Press

07/06/2021

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, died in New York City 50 years ago today at the age of 69.

A world-renowned jazz trumpeter and vocalist, he pioneered jazz improvisation and the style known as swing.

Born in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, in 1901, Louis Daniel Armstrong grew up in poverty and from a young age was interested in music. In 1912, he was incarcerated in the Colored Waif's Home for Boys, allegedly for firing a gun into the air on New Year's Eve. While there, he played cornet in the home's band.

Upon his release, he dedicated himself to becoming a professional musician and soon was mastering local jazz styles on the cornet. He attracted the attention of the cornetist, Joe "King" Oliver, who acted as a mentor to Armstrong. When Oliver moved to Chicago in 1919, Armstrong took Oliver’s place in trombonist Kid Ory's band, a leading group in New Orleans at the time.

He later teamed up with pianist, Fate Marable, and performed on riverboats that traveled the Mississippi.

In 1922, King Oliver invited Armstrong to Chicago to play second cornet in his Creole Jazz Band, and Armstrong made his first recordings with Oliver the following year. In 1924, he moved to New York City and demonstrated his emerging improvisational style in the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.

In 1925, Armstrong returned to Chicago and formed his own band — the Hot Five — which included Kid Ory, clarinetist Johnny Dodds and pianist, Lil' Hardin, Armstrong's second wife. This band, which later grew into the Hot Seven, recorded some of the seminal pieces in the history of jazz, including "Savoy Blues," "Potato Head Blues" and "West End Blues."

In these recordings, Armstrong abandoned the collective improvisation of New Orleans-style jazz and placed the emphasis on individual soloists. He switched from cornet to trumpet during this time and played the latter with unprecedented virtuosity and range.

In the 1926 recording "Heebie Jeebies," he popularized "s**t singing," a style in which jazz vocalists sing musical lines of nonsensical syllables in emulation of instrumental improvisation. His joyous voice — both coarse and exuberant — was one of the most distinctive in popular music.

In 1929, Armstrong returned to New York City and made his first Broadway appearance. His recordings, many of which were jazz interpretations of popular songs, were international hits, and he toured the United States and Europe with his big band.

Armstrong’s music had a major effect on the swing and big band sound that dominated popular music in the 1930s and '40s. He appeared regularly on radio and in American films, including Pennies from Heaven (1936), Cabin in the Sky (1943) and New Orleans (1947). In 1947, he formed a smaller ensemble, the All-Stars, which he led until 1968.

Louis Armstrong had many nicknames, including Satchmo, short for "Satchelmouth," "Dippermouth" and "Pops." Because he spread jazz around the world through his extensive travels and hit songs, many called him "Ambassador Satch."

Although in declining health in his later years, he continued to perform until his death on July 6, 1971.

Here, Armstrong performs “What a Wonderful World” in 1967

07/06/2021

07/06/2021

The winner is crowned “Miss Atomic Bomb” of 1950

07/06/2021

Jeannie Seely is 81 years old today.

A country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star, Seely is best known for her hit, "Don't Touch Me." She has produced numerous country hits, from the 60s into the mid-70s, including duets with Jack Greene such as 1969's "I Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You."

Seely has befriended many country singers, including Jan Howard and Dottie West.

Born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Seely was the youngest of four children. Growing up with her siblings and parents, the family lived in a two-story farmhouse, which still exists today in her hometown.

Seely’s musical influences partially came from her parents, Leo and Irene. Leo played the banjo on the weekends and also called local square dances. Irene sang with her daughter every Saturday morning while they baked bread together.

Seely started listening to the weekly broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry at age 11. By the time she was 16, Seely appeared on a television station, WICU, in Erie, Pennsylvania.

While in high school, she was an honors student and was also a cheerleader. After she graduated high school in 1958, Seely worked in her hometown's bank. She also took night courses at America's Institute of Banking.

At age 21, Seely packed up everything she owned and moved to California. She first started working at a Beverly Hills bank, but left after a year and worked for half the money as a secretary at Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood.

Seely also worked for Four Star Records, a record company Patsy Cline once recorded for, where she began her career as a songwriter. The R&B artist, Irma Thomas, recorded one of her songs — "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is." It became a big hit.

Seely also appeared as a regular act on the program, Hollywood Jamboree with Glen Campbell, who was a rising country music star at the time. Finally, Seely got a recording contract of her own from Challenge Records.

Songwriter Hank Cochran was impressed with Seely's talents and thought she should move to Nashville to pursue a career in country music, but Seely didn't think she was ready yet.

Upon the encouragement of country singer, Dottie West, who also recorded one of her songs, she finally took Cochran's advice in 1965 and moved to Nashville. Upon arriving, she was hired to fill in for Norma Jean on Porter Wagoner's road show and television series.

Seely was also looking for a record label. She was initially turned down by every record label in town. However, Monument Records offered Seely a recording contract in early 1966. One of the first songs recorded was her husband's self-penned, "Don't Touch Me." The song was then released and in turn brought Seely her first major success on the country singles chart.

The song peaked at the #2 position on the Billboard Country charts and stayed there for three weeks, however on all the other major country charts (Cashbox, Record World), the song hit #1. It remained on the charts for over five months. The song even climbed into the lower regions of the pop singles charts, peaking at #85.

Because of the success of "Don't Touch Me," Seely was invited to perform on the Grand Ole Opry that June. She also won Billboard's, Cashbox's and Record World's "Most Promising Female Artist Award."

In September, 1967 Seely joined the Grand Ole Opry, a lifelong dream of hers, where today she still remains a member.

Here, Seely performs “Don’t Touch Me”

07/06/2021

Gene Chandler is 84 years old today

07/06/2021

Gene Chandler is 84 years old today.

Known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke," Chandler is a R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive, and one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene.

Best known for his million-selling hits "Duke Of Earl" and "Groovy Situation," and his associations with the Dukays, the Impressions and Curtis Mayfield, Chandler is one of the few artists to chart hit records during the doo-wop, rhythm and blues, soul and disco eras. He had forty pop and R&B chart hits between 1961 and 1986.

Chandler attended Englewood High School on Chicago's south side. He began performing in the early 1950s with the Gaytones. In 1957, he joined a doo-wop group, The Dukays, with James Lowe, Shirley Jones, Earl Edwards and Ben Broyles, soon becoming their lead singer.

After his draft into the U.S. Army, he returned to Chicago in 1960 and rejoined the Dukays. The Dukays were offered a recording contract by Nat Records and recorded “The Girl Is a Devil in 1961 with producers Carl Davis and Bill "Bunky" Sheppard. This recording was followed with a session in August, 1961 with four sides — most notably "Nite Owl" and "Duke of Earl."

Nat Records chose to release "Nite Owl" and it became a sizable R&B hit at the end of 1961. Meanwhile, Davis and Sheppard shopped the "Duke of Earl" recording to Vee-Jay Records, which picked it. However, it was released by a solo artist, Eugene Dixon, who was renamed "Gene Chandler." "Duke of Earl" sold a million copies in just over one month.

After spending three weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts, Chandler purchased a cape, a monocle, a top hat and a cane and became "The Duke of Earl." He can be seen in the full “Duke” outfit singing "The Duke of Earl" in the movie, Don't Knock the Twist 1962, starring Chubby Checker.

His concerts became popular and he performed encores, usually "Rainbow '65," one of his collaborations with Curtis Mayfield.

Chandler still performs in Chicago, Las Vegas and elsewhere in the United States.

Here, Gene Chandler performs “Duke of Earl”

The most finest R'nB singer maybe