Post by Rob Durkee on Jun 7, 2013 0:23:48 GMT -5
The multi-talented Don Bowman highlights a list of five performers who've passed away in recent days. Bowman died Wednesday (June 5, 2013) at a nursing home in Forsyth, Missouri. He was 75. Among Bowman's accomplishments were as the first host of "American Country Countdown" when the show began in 1973; a substitute host for Casey Kasem on "American Top 40"; a country music hit performer; a songwriter; and a comedian. Special thanks to AT40 friend/historian Pete Battistini for tipping me off on Bowman's passing. More on Don Bowman later, but first, the others who've entered entertainment heaven...
* -- Joey Covington, the former drummer for the groups the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, died Tuesday (June 4, 2013) in a car crash near Palm Springs, California. According to Oldiesmusic.com, he was 67. Covington also co-wrote "With Your Love," the 1976 hit by the Jefferson Starship.
* -- Cornelius "Niki" Harp, the former lead singer for the group the Marcels, passed away on Wednesday (June 5, 2013). His age and cause of death were unknown as presstime. The Marcels were famous for taking their doo-wop sound and using it to turn old standards into remake hits. Their breakthrough hit, "Blue Moon," shot to #1 in 1961. The Marcels also had remake hits with "Summertime," "Heartaches" and "My Melancholy Baby."
* -- Marshall Sewell, the co-founder and bass singer for the Edsels, has also died. His age, cause of death and date of death are unknown. The Edsels were a one-hit wonder group from Campbell, Ohio. They originally recorded "Rama Lama Ding Dong" in 1958, but the song took three years to become a hit, reaching #21 on the Cash Box chart in the summer of 1961. Ironically, "Rama Lama Ding Dong" became a hit in part due to the success of the Marcels' hit, "Blue Moon."
* -- Esther Williams, a superstar swimmer and actress, died in her sleep in her Los Angeles area home on Thursday, June 6, 2013. She was 91. Williams starred in 27 movies, mostly from 1942 to 1963. Her movies won't ring a bell with most of you but the men she co-starred with will. They included Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, Ricardo Montalban and Fernando Lamas. Williams was a USA freestyle and breastroke swimming champion by her late teens. One of her big breaks was starring with another Olympic swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller (yes, the most famous Tarzan star), in "The San Francisco Aquacade Review." She described it in her autobiography as "a Broadway musical in swimsuits." After retiring from movies, her name was attached to swimsuit wear and swimming pools.
Don Bowman warmed up his becoming the first "American Country Countdown" host by filling in for Casey Kasem on the June 16, 1973 "American Top 40" show, when "My Love" was #1. After playing that Paul McCartney and Wings song, Bowman gained fame (or, infamy if you prefer) for poking fun at Casey's famous signoff slogan...and getting away with it. In closing, Bowman said, "Till then--and Casey, if you're listening, keep your feet on the ground--and don't step on any stars." Casey never heard what Bowman said until many years later. "I wasn't around," Casey explained. "If I'd known about it, I'd've asked Don not to use it."
Don and Casey had been radiio friends for many years. They were DJ's together at KEWB in San Francisco, for instance. During his five-year stint as ACC host, Bowman helped introduce the world to a performer who'd previously been known for writing songs like "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison), "Crazy" (Patsy Cline) and "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Jimmy Elledge/Elvis Presley). "Sometimes, we'd play an extra," Bowman recalled, "And I wanted to play a song called 'Half A Man.' They (ACC staff) listened to it, and everybody just fell out of their seats. I said, 'This guy's going to be a superstar' and Casey said, "Don, the guy can't sing."
The "guy" was Willie Nelson. "About a year later," Bowman added, "Casey's playing 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain' (on AT40) and bowing to me every time I'd walk in. He'd say, 'Sorry about the Willie Nelson thing'."
In his later years, Bowman was the opening act comedian for Moe Bandy in Branson, Missouri. He began as a DJ in Lubbock in the 1950's and he broke the 1958 #1 hit, "Tom Dooley" by the Kingston Trio. At one of his Lubbock stations, he met a fellow radio friend who became a country superstar singer (Waylon Jennings). Don Bowman also wrote "Wildwood Weed," a 1974 hit for Jim Stafford. He started writing that song in 1963, the year before he broke onto the country chart with half a dozen hits. According to Joel Whitburn's Record Research, all his country chart hits were of the novelty kind. The title of his first country hit was Bowman's way of thanking the man who discovered him. The title of the song was "Chet Atkins, Make Me A Star."
* -- Joey Covington, the former drummer for the groups the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, died Tuesday (June 4, 2013) in a car crash near Palm Springs, California. According to Oldiesmusic.com, he was 67. Covington also co-wrote "With Your Love," the 1976 hit by the Jefferson Starship.
* -- Cornelius "Niki" Harp, the former lead singer for the group the Marcels, passed away on Wednesday (June 5, 2013). His age and cause of death were unknown as presstime. The Marcels were famous for taking their doo-wop sound and using it to turn old standards into remake hits. Their breakthrough hit, "Blue Moon," shot to #1 in 1961. The Marcels also had remake hits with "Summertime," "Heartaches" and "My Melancholy Baby."
* -- Marshall Sewell, the co-founder and bass singer for the Edsels, has also died. His age, cause of death and date of death are unknown. The Edsels were a one-hit wonder group from Campbell, Ohio. They originally recorded "Rama Lama Ding Dong" in 1958, but the song took three years to become a hit, reaching #21 on the Cash Box chart in the summer of 1961. Ironically, "Rama Lama Ding Dong" became a hit in part due to the success of the Marcels' hit, "Blue Moon."
* -- Esther Williams, a superstar swimmer and actress, died in her sleep in her Los Angeles area home on Thursday, June 6, 2013. She was 91. Williams starred in 27 movies, mostly from 1942 to 1963. Her movies won't ring a bell with most of you but the men she co-starred with will. They included Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra, Ricardo Montalban and Fernando Lamas. Williams was a USA freestyle and breastroke swimming champion by her late teens. One of her big breaks was starring with another Olympic swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller (yes, the most famous Tarzan star), in "The San Francisco Aquacade Review." She described it in her autobiography as "a Broadway musical in swimsuits." After retiring from movies, her name was attached to swimsuit wear and swimming pools.
Don Bowman warmed up his becoming the first "American Country Countdown" host by filling in for Casey Kasem on the June 16, 1973 "American Top 40" show, when "My Love" was #1. After playing that Paul McCartney and Wings song, Bowman gained fame (or, infamy if you prefer) for poking fun at Casey's famous signoff slogan...and getting away with it. In closing, Bowman said, "Till then--and Casey, if you're listening, keep your feet on the ground--and don't step on any stars." Casey never heard what Bowman said until many years later. "I wasn't around," Casey explained. "If I'd known about it, I'd've asked Don not to use it."
Don and Casey had been radiio friends for many years. They were DJ's together at KEWB in San Francisco, for instance. During his five-year stint as ACC host, Bowman helped introduce the world to a performer who'd previously been known for writing songs like "Pretty Paper" (Roy Orbison), "Crazy" (Patsy Cline) and "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Jimmy Elledge/Elvis Presley). "Sometimes, we'd play an extra," Bowman recalled, "And I wanted to play a song called 'Half A Man.' They (ACC staff) listened to it, and everybody just fell out of their seats. I said, 'This guy's going to be a superstar' and Casey said, "Don, the guy can't sing."
The "guy" was Willie Nelson. "About a year later," Bowman added, "Casey's playing 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain' (on AT40) and bowing to me every time I'd walk in. He'd say, 'Sorry about the Willie Nelson thing'."
In his later years, Bowman was the opening act comedian for Moe Bandy in Branson, Missouri. He began as a DJ in Lubbock in the 1950's and he broke the 1958 #1 hit, "Tom Dooley" by the Kingston Trio. At one of his Lubbock stations, he met a fellow radio friend who became a country superstar singer (Waylon Jennings). Don Bowman also wrote "Wildwood Weed," a 1974 hit for Jim Stafford. He started writing that song in 1963, the year before he broke onto the country chart with half a dozen hits. According to Joel Whitburn's Record Research, all his country chart hits were of the novelty kind. The title of his first country hit was Bowman's way of thanking the man who discovered him. The title of the song was "Chet Atkins, Make Me A Star."
