The Polyester Ball

03/08/2026

Remembering actor JAMES DRURY of the 1960s TV Western “The Virginian,” The popular actor also guest starred on television shows like “Gunsmoke,” “Cheyenne,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Wagon Train,” “The Rifleman,” “Perry Mason” and “Rawhide,” before being cast as the tough foreman of the Shiloh Ranch in “The Virginian” which ran for nine seasons from 1962 to 1971.

James Drury was born on April 18, 1934, in New York City and attended acting classes at New York University. After his graduation, Drury relocated to Hollywood and won roles on several blockbuster films such as “Blackboard Jungle,” “Forbidden Planet,” “The Tender Trap,” “Love Me Tender” and “Pollyanna.”

In the biography on his website, James recalled, “There were times when we had five ‘Virginian’ episodes shooting on the same day. I would literally ride on horseback from set to set to give two lines here, three lines there, then over here to do 10 pages of script.”

NBC’s “The Virginian” aired for 249 episodes, making it the third longest-running TV Western, surpassed only by another Old West series that aired on NBC, “Bonanza,” and CBS’s “Gunsmoke” (during its last season, “The Virginian” was retitled “The Men From Shiloh”). In the book “A History of Television’s The Virginian, 1962-1971,” Drury told the author he was sad the show was canceled, and added, “I would have gone on for another 10 years.”

In the 1970s through the ‘90s, the 6’0” actor continued guest starring on TV’s “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “Alias Smith and Jones,” “Ironside,” “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.,” “The Fall Guy” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Drury also appeared in several theatrical films late in his life including “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw” (1991) and “Maverick” (1994).

Up into his 80s, James would still put on his leather vest and black cowboy hat, and travel to dozens of Western and Television conventions, festivals and autograph shows around the United States every year.

James Drury died of natural causes on April 6, 2020, at the age of 85 at his home in Houston, Texas. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music/TV/Film blogger

Photo—James Drury (standing, far left) with the cast of “The Virginian” in 1965 (Credit: National Broadcasting Company); (left inset) Drury in “The Virginian” (ca. 1965) (Credit: Bettmann); (right inset) Drury in 2019 (Credit: jamesdrury . com)p

02/04/2026

The “Day the Music Died” happened 67 years ago when three of the biggest music stars of the day — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the “Big Bopper” (real name J.P. Richardson) — were all kílléd in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. “Rock and roll” was still in its infancy when this new music genre suffered its first tragedy on February 3, 1959, which would later be immortalized in "American Pie," the No. 1 song from 1972 written and performed by Don McLean.

The three artists were on a package tour along with Dion DiMucci’s group, Dion and the Belmonts, called the Winter Dance Party, which was scheduled to play 24 Midwestern cities in as many days. But the heater on their bus broke down 10 days into the tour, causing some of the musicians to catch the flu, and even put Holly’s drummer, Carl Bunch, in the hospital for frostbite.

After their concert at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, about a week and a half into the tour, Buddy Holly decided to charter a plane from nearby Mason City to Fargo, North Dakota, just across the state line from their next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota. As a bonus, Buddy would be able to get to Moorhead early so he could do his laundry, which had been neglected since the tour began.

The Beechwood Bonanza had room for only three passengers — originally reserved for Holly and his two-piece band — and the pilot, Roger Peterson. The legend goes that Buddy's bass player, future country music star Waylon Jennings, gave up his seat to the Big Bopper, who had also become sick while traveling on their freezing bus. According to Jennings’ autobiography, Holly teased his bass player by telling him, “Well, I hope your ol’ bus freezes up,” with Waylon responding, “Well, then, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.”

There are conflicting stories as to how Ritchie Valens wound up in the third passenger seat: Holly’s guitarist Tommy Allsup claimed he had lost a coin flip to Valens in the dressing room. Dion had been silent about that night for over 50 years, but in 2010 claimed he, not Allsup, was originally slated for the third seat because he was one of the headliners. But after winning the coin toss he balked at paying the “outrageous” price of $36 for the flight — the same amount he said his parents had paid in monthly rent for the apartment where he grew up — so he gave Valens his seat. Local disc jockey Bob Hale, who was the MC for the concert, agreed it was between Allsup and Valens, but it was him, not Allsup, who had flipped the coin.

Regardless of the contradictions in the third seat story, around 12:55 a.m. on February 3rd the plane carrying Holly, Valens and Richardson took off with snow falling in very strong winds. The small aircraft traveled only a few miles before crashing in a corn field, killing all four men on impact.

The federal investigation ruled that even though the weather played a large role in the accident, the 21-year-old pilot was much too inexperienced to have been flying in such conditions. In addition, Peterson had most likely misread his altitude indicator, which was found to be different than the one he had been trained on, so he inadvertently brought the plane down instead of up.

In early 1980, a long-missing personal possession of Holly’s was discovered. The singer’s signature thick black-rimmed glasses had landed in a snow bank and weren’t discovered until that spring after the snow had melted. They were brought to the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s office, sealed in a manila envelope, and forgotten about for more than 21 years. Upon their discovery, the glasses were returned to his widow and are now currently on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in the singer’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music/TV/Film Blogger

Pictured: Mason City, Iowa newspaper clipping with pic of crash site (credit: Globe Gazette); (left to right) Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson (credit: Wikimedia Commons) (Graphics Creator: glory2glory graphiX)

02/03/2026

CHUCK NEGRON, a founding member and lead vocalist of THREE DOG NIGHT, has díed. He was 83. One of the band’s three co-lead singers, Negron passed away at his Studio City, California, home after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and recent heart failure.

In 1967, Chuck Negron joined Danny Hutton and Cory Wells to form Redwood. After a name change to Three Dog Night, the group added keyboardist Jimmy Greenspoon, guitarist Michael Allsup, bass player Joe Schermie, and drummer Floyd Sneed to the line-up.

Three Dog Night became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early '70s, selling almost 100 million records. The group released 23 albums and 21 singles that all reached the top 40 charts, including the hit songs “One”, “Easy To Be Hard”, “Eli’s Coming”, “Celebrate”, "Mama Told Me Not to Come", “Out in the Country”, “One Man Band”, “Joy to the World”, “Liar”, "An Old Fashioned Love Song", "Never Been to Spain", “Black and White”, “Pieces of April”, “Shambala” and others.

Even with much success on the charts and in concert venues, the rock and roll star lifestyle took its toll on Negron, and by the time Three Dog Night had disbanded in 1976, the Bronx, New York, native was battling a serious héroín addíctíon. The next year, Chuck was arrested for cöcaíné posséssíon and soon virtually dropped out of the music business and even ended up living on L.A.’s Skid Row for awhile.

Negron overcame his drúg addíctíons in the early 1990s and began a solo music career. The talented performer released seven solo albums including the double CD set "Chuck Negron – Live In Concert," recorded at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The tenor-voiced vocalist didn’t perform for several years during the pandemic in the early 2020s because of lung issues but rejoined the “Happy Together Tour” and traveled with a slate of other ‘60s and ‘70s artists for nearly a decade.

In his 1999 autobiography “Three Dog Nightmare” — now in its fourth edition — Chuck Negron attributed his recovery from héroín addíctíon to turning to Göd in desperation after dropping out of over 30 drúg treatment facilities. He credits the Los Angeles drúg rehab center CRI-Help and his musician friend Mike Finnigan for offering him a completely different approach — praying for The Lörd to heal him from his addíctíon.

“He (Finnigan) came to visit and told me, ‘Chuck, you have to pray and you have to ask for the acceptance of Göd’s will in your life’,” Negron described in his autobiography. “I fell asleep in the middle of a horrific withdrawal… but there is no sleep really because your body is just aching, it’s electric… ”

"[But] when I woke up, the obsession was gone,” Negron wrote. “And I knew Göd had helped me. I believe Göd came and did for me what I couldn’t do for myself and relieved me from the bo***ge of addíctíon. From that time on my faíth grew stronger and stronger. It changed my life.”

Chuck Negron is survived by his wife Ami Negron; his children Shaunti Negron Levick, Berry Oakley, Charles Negron III, Charlotte Negron and Annabelle Negron; his brother Rene (Jody) Negron; sister Denise (Janey) Negron; his 9 grandchildren, 5 nieces and 2 nephews; and his children’s mothers: Paula Servetti, Julia Negron, Robin Silna and Kate Vernon. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music/TV/Film Blogger

Pictured: Chuck Negron (center) with Three Dog Night’s Cory Wells (left) and Danny Hutton on CBS-TV’s “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” in September 1971 (credit: CBS Television); Negron in 2019 (credit: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license) (Graphics Creator: glory2glory graphiX)

01/08/2026

Remembering the "King of Rock and Roll," ELVIS PRESLEY, on the anniversary of his 91st. birthday. Born on January 8, 1935, Elvis is still regarded as one of the most popular cultural icons of the 20th century with commercial success not only in the rock/pop music genre, but in gospel and country music, as well.

According to the Guinness World Records, Elvis Presley is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with estimated worldwide sales of over one billion units of vinyl albums and singles; 8-tracks; reel-to-reel and cassette tapes; CDs; and digital downloads across multiple formats. Elvis has placed over 100 songs on the top 40 charts, earned 10 No. 1 albums, and scored 18 No. 1 singles worldwide.

Presley received 14 Grammy nominations — winning three awards for his Gospel recordings — and was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award when he was 36-years-old. Also Elvis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2007.

Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, but relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his parents when he was 13. His career in music began in 1954 when he went into Sun Records studios in Memphis to record a song for his mother.

At the recording studio he met Sun owner and producer Sam Phillips, who immediately signed the young truck driver to a contract. Phillips then hired guitarist Scotty Moore and bass player Bill Black to accompany Elvis on his Sun sessions. These early recordings would help to popularize a music genre which would be labeled later as “rockabilly,” a style described as an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm & blues.

Two years later, RCA Victor records acquired Presley’s contract in a deal arranged by his manager Colonel Tom Parker, a former concert promoter who went on to manage the singer for more than two decades. Elvis’ first RCA recording was released in January 1956, and "Heartbreak Hotel" became his first No. 1 single.

In November of that same year, Presley made his acting debut in “Love Me Tender,” the first in a series of 33 successful feature films and two performance documentaries. In 1958 Elvis was drafted into the military, but resumed his recording and acting career two years later when he would produce some of his most commercially successful work.

Much of Elvis Presley’s time spent in the 1960s was devoted to making Hollywood movies and their accompanying soundtrack albums. All of his musicals were money makers, but some of the songs featured in these films were criticized by many fans as being corny and tired.

Following a seven-year break from live performances, Elvis returned to the spotlight in the acclaimed television program "The '68 Comeback Special," which originally was broadcast during the 1968 Christmas season on NBC television. The successful TV special led to a string of highly profitable tours and an extended Las Vegas concert residency where Presley was paid $5 million over five years for 10 engagements, matching what Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were making at that time.

In 1973, Elvis' groundbreaking live concert "Aloha from Hawaii" became the very first concert to be broadcast live via satellite to a worldwide audience, reaching hundreds of millions of viewers around the globe live and later on tape delay.

Presley passed away on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. Even though his last top 10 hit, “Burning Love,” was on the charts over half a century ago, Elvis is still very popular with millions of fans around the world who continue to buy and collect his music. Also hundreds of thousands of visitors of all ages — including an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 “twentysomething“ women — visit Graceland, Presley’s home in Memphis, every year to see where “The King of Rock and Roll” lived and is now buried.

A new film about Elvis was released in 2022, and became a critical and commercial success, earning almost $300 million worldwide at the box office (with a budget of $85 million), making it the second highest-grossing music biopic of all-time behind 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the movie that depicted the life of Freddie Mercury, the frontman of the British rock band Queen. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music/TV/Film Blogger

Pictured: Elvis Presley on "The '68 Comeback Special” on the NBC television network (credit: NBC Universal); (inset) Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards meets backstage with Elvis before a 1974 concert at the Monroe (Louisiana) Civic Center (credit: Leo Honeycutt) (graphics creator: glory2glory graphiX)

01/01/2026

“SAME OLD LANG SYNE” has become a New Year’s Eve classic for the late DAN FOGELBERG (he passed away on December 16, 2007.) The Peoria, Illinois, native included this now holiday favorite on his album The Innocent Age, and released the song as a single in late 1980.

"Same Old Lang Syne" tells the story of two high school sweethearts who meet up by chance in their hometown grocery store on a snowy Christmas Eve. It concludes with a haunting soprano saxophone solo of the traditional "Auld Lang Syne" melody.

Fogelberg has said the song was autobiographical, and tells the story of how he was visiting his family back home in Peoria in the mid-1970s when he ran into his old girlfriend at a convenience store.

The single peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart several months after its original release. The popular song is still played on “Classic Hits” and “Christmas Music” radio stations during the holiday season, and is even mixed into some stations’ regular playlists at other times.

After Dan Fogelberg's déath 18 years ago from prostate cancer when he was only 56-years-old, his old girlfriend he sang about in “Same Old Lang Syne" came forward with her story.

In an interview with the Peoria Journal Star, Jill Anderson-Greulich said she and Dan had dated in high school. The couple were classmates at Woodruff High School, but after their Class of 1969 graduated the two went off to different universities. After college, Jill married and moved to Chicago while Dan relocated to Colorado to pursue his love of music.

On Christmas Eve 1975, they were both back home in Peoria, Illinois, for the holidays with their families when Anderson-Greulich went out to buy some eggnog, and Fogelberg left his parent’s home to pick up some whipping cream to make Irish coffee.

The only store in town that was open was located at the top of Peoria’s Abington Hill where they had their unlikely now-famous encounter that inspired his song “Same Old Lang Syne.” Today the Short Stop Food Mart located at 1302 East Frye Avenue is still in business in Peoria, Illinois. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music / TV / Film Blogger

The official video for “Same Old Lang Syne" performed from Live: Greetings from the West by Dan Fogelberg Listen to Dan Fogelberg: https://danfogelberg.lnk....

12/31/2025

Remembering two members of the 1960s pop band and television show THE MONKEES — MICHAEL NESMITH and DAVY JONES — who were both born on December 30th (Mike in 1942 and Davy in 1945).

Nesmith and Jones — along with Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork — were in the music group formed expressly for an NBC TV series, which had a first run of episodes from 1966 to 1968 (the shows still run in syndication today even after almost 60 years.)

A new wave of "Monkeemania" with the likes that hadn’t been seen since the group's heyday in the ‘60s hit the U.S. in early 1986 after a Monkees TV marathon was broadcast on MTV Music Television. Their renewed popularity prompted Davy, Micky and Peter to reunite for the next three years. A tour was planned (Mike refused to hit the road with his three former bandmates) to celebrate The Monkees renewed success and to promote the 20th anniversary of the band.

Also a new Monkees single was released, “That Was Then, This Is Now," that featured the vocals of Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork. The music video for the song received heavy rotation on MTV, and the single hit the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1986.

An album with new Monkees material called “Pool It!” was released on Rhino Records in 1987. After the tour wrapped up in the late ‘80s, the next Monkees concerts were put on hold until 1996 when Davy, Micky, Peter AND Michael reunited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. Another new studio project, “Justus,” was released that year, which was their first album since 1967's “Headquarters” to feature the band’s members performing on all of the instruments. This would prove to be the last time all four members of The Monkees would record together.

Davy Jones was 66-years-old when he suffered heart failure at his horse ranch in Stuart, Florida, in February 2012 (reports say Davy’s heart attack was due to atherosclerosis.) In 2019, Peter Tork passed away at the age of 77 at his home in Mansfield, Connecticut, after a decade-long battle with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare form of head and neck cancer. Mike Nesmith’s déath at age 78 came in 2021 at his home in Carmel Valley, California, and was attributed to heart failure. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music / TV / Film Blogger

Pictured: The Monkees in 1966 — (l-r) Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz (credit: Rhino Records); (inset) Nesmith and Jones in 1967 (credit: NBC TV) (graphic creator: glory2glory graphiX)

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas, my friends and followers! Blessings, Chuck

09/16/2025

THE MONKEES songwriter BOBBY HART has díed at his Los Angeles home after breaking his hip almost a year ago and going through a time of “poor health.” He was 86. Hart co-wrote several songs with his writing partner Tommy Boyce for Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith of the 1960s pop band The Monkees.

The band members also starred in an NBC television series from 1966 to 1968 about the antics of four friends in a rock and roll band. Born Robert Luke Harshman in Phoenix, Arizona, he helped write the ”(Theme from) The Monkees,” the opening credits song for the TV show, as well as was a co-writer on the group’s No. 1 hits “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Valleri,” the top 10 single “Words” and the top 20 song ”(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone.”

Hart and Tommy Boyce also co-produced the chart-topping and 10x Platinum albums “The Monkees” (1966) and ”More of The Monkees” (1967).

At the same time they were writing and producing for The Monkees, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart enjoyed a successful recording career. Boyce & Hart released three albums on A&M Records, and scored a No. 8 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968 with “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonite?,” which sold over one million copies, and was issued a Gold record award.

Hart and his musical partner also wrote the theme song for the daytime NBC TV drama “Days of Our Lives.” The soap opera began airing in 1965, and after 60 years still runs on the NBC streaming service Peacock.

During their professional partnership, Boyce & Hart wrote more than 300 songs, and placed nine singles on the charts with sales of over 42 million records. Also Bobby and Tommy appeared together on the television shows “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Flying Nun,” and wrote songs for several Columbia Pictures films including “Winter a-Go-Go” (1965), “Murderers' Row” (1966), “The Ambushers” (1967), “Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows” (1968) and “Three's a Crowd” (1969).

Tommy Boyce díed by suícíde in 1994 when he was 55-years-old after suffering a brain aneurysm and clinical depression that followed. Bobby Hart published an autobiography in 2015 called “Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem into Miracles” (SelectBooks). - Chuck Halley, Classic Music/TV/Film Blogger

Pictured: Bobby Hart with his songwriting partner and two members of The Monkees in 1975 (l-r) Micky Dolenz, Tommy Boyce, Hart and Davy Jones (credit: Andre Csillag/Shutterstock); (inset) Hart at an autobiography book signing in Brooklyn, New York, in 2015 (credit: Glenn Ballantyne via AP)

09/06/2025

MARK VOLMAN, a founding member of ‘60s pop band THE TURTLES, has died. He was 78. Volman sang harmonies with musical partner Howard Kaylan on their No. 1 hit song “Happy Together” and the top 10 singles “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “She’d Rather Be with Me” and “Elenore.”

Volman died today (Fri., Sept. 5, 2025) in Nashville after revealing a couple of years ago that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. Volman and Kaylan founded the annual “Happy Together” pop oldies concert tour in 1984, and Mark continued to perform each year up to the last show for the summer of 2025 on August 31st. in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Volman was a founding member, vocalist, and songwriter of The Turtles alongside his stage partner Howard Kaylan. After the band folded, Mark and Howard joined Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, changing their names to the pseudonyms of "Flo" (Volman) and “Eddie” (Kaylan).

Mark and Howard started The Turtles in 1965 with the band selling over 60 million records worldwide, and earning six top 10 hit singles with “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “Elenore,” “You Baby,” “She’s My Girl,” “You Showed Me,” and the chart-topping single “Happy Together.” At the height of their popularity, co-frontman Volman reportedly insured his distinctive frizzy hair for $100,000 “against fire, theft or loss due to illness.”

As the decade of the 1970s began and The Turtles’ success faded, Volman and Kaylan discovered in the terms of their record label contract they were forbidden to use the band’s name—or even their own names—if they wanted to perform outside of the group.

Mark and Howard were forced to use the stage names Flo & Eddie after they were recruited for the satirical rock band Mothers of Invention (they joined in time to appear on the soundtrack of Frank Zappa's humorous pseudo-documentary film “200 Motels”.)

After leaving Zappa’s band, Flo & Eddie wrote songs and provided voices for several animated films including “The Care Bears Movie” and “Strawberry Shortcake,” and also worked in radio broadcasting.

At the age of 45, Volman went back to school at Loyola Marymount University to study for his Bachelor's degree. In 1997, he graduated Magna cm Laude with a B.A. in Communication and Fine Arts, and was the class Valedictorian speaker. During his speech, he led his fellow graduates in a chorus of his band’s biggest hit, "Happy Together."

The kinky-haired tambourine player and backing vocalist of The Turtles eventually earned a Master's degree in Fine Arts from Loyola Marymount. Volman was hired to teach Music Business and Industry courses in the Communications department at the university, and also taught courses in the Commercial Music program at Los Angeles Valley College.

A few years later, Mark Volman became an associate professor and coordinator of Entertainment Industry Studies at Christian college Belmont University in Nashville. He also conducted music industry seminars around the country at various academic institutions and schools.

Volman and Kaylan were the founders of the annual “Happy Together” concert series that featured various ‘60s and ‘70s Oldies acts, and criss-crossed the US every summer (except during the pandemic years.) The summer of 2025 leg of the tour kicked off on May 29th in Melbourne, Florida, with the lineup of Mark Volman and Ron Dante (substituting for the retired Howard Kaylan) performing the hits of The Turtles, Jay & The Americans, Little Anthony (of Little Anthony & the Imperials), Gary Puckett (of Gary Puckett & the Union Gap), The Vogues and The Cowsills.

Volman was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, but was given a clean bill of health after undergoing treatment. For many years, the Los Angeles native conducted seminars as an Artist in Residence at the Church of God college Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. In addition, he offered Music Business and Entertainment consulting through his website “Ask Professor Flo.”

Mark Volman and his wife, Emily, were both active members of Harpeth Presbyterian Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, where they served as Youth Ministers. - Chuck Halley, Classic Music/TV/Film Blogger

Pictured: Mark Volman (second from left) and The Turtles - Howard Kaylan, Jim Pons, John Barbata and Al Nichol (ca. 1967) (credit: Alamy/Minnesota Public Radio); (inset) blogger Chuck Halley (sitting) with (l-r) Mark Volman (The Turtles), Gary Puckett (Gary Puckett & the Union Gap), Howard Kaylan (The Turtles) and Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & the Raiders) at the "Happy Together” tour at the Hard Rock Cafe in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 2013.