Post by Rob Durkee on May 13, 2010 23:54:59 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
Dave Fisher, a founding member and the lead singer of the early 1960's folk group the Highwaymen, died on Friday, May 7, 2010. He was 69. Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times reported that Fisher died of the rare blood disease myelofibrosis, according to Nicole Fiftal, a friend of the Fisher family.
The Highwaymen were best known for "Michael," a #1 single on the Cash Box pop chart for four weeks in August-September, 1961, and went on to become the magazine's #8 song for 1961. According to writer Fred Bronson, "Michael" was a traditional folk song sung in the 19th Century by slaves who were living on islands off the Georgia coast. Those slaves would often sing the song during boat trips to and from their work shifts in Georgia. Fisher has been credited with at least partial song-writing credit on "Michael" plus he produced it.
Sources differ as to when "Michael" was released as a single. One report claims it was released as the B side of "Santiano" in 1959. When the song became a hit in 1961, the group had already been dropped by the song's label, United Artist Records. Another report, however, said "Michael" was released as a single in January, 1961, and took off thanks to extensive airplay by DJ Dick Smith of WORC/Worcester, Massachusetts. For sure, "Michael" was the first chart-topper for United Artists. The song also topped one national Easy Listening chart.
The Highwaymen were part of the 1950's-1960's folk music scene dominated by the Weavers, the Kingston Trio, the Chad Mitchell Trio and the threesome of Peter, Paul and Mary. Fisher organized and founded the Highwaymen in the late 1950's. All the members were fraternity brothers at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Fisher, Bob Burnett, Steve Butts, Chan Daniels and Steve Trott comprised the original lineup. Gil Robbins would later join after Burnett and Trott left the group. At first, they called themselves the Clansmen, but that name didn't last long because of racial connotations. The group's manager, Ken Greengrass, came up with the name the Highwaymen when he remembered a poem by Alfred Noyes.
"Cotton Fields," the group's followup release, would become its only other Top 40 pop hit, reaching #13 in early 1962. The flip side, "The Gypsy Rover," would also chart, reaching #49. Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Beach Boys, among others, would remake "Cotton Fields."
The Highwaymen would have two other songs barely make the Cash Box pop chart in 1962. "I'm On My Way" peaked at #95. "The Bird Man," narrated by actor Burt Lancaster (who starred in the movie "The Birdman Of Alcatraz"), reached #82. The group would record eight albums but broke up around 1964. The original members had a short-lived reunion in the early 1970's. All the group members went on to successful careers in various endeavors. Butts became a college administrator, Trott was a Court Of Appeals Judge and Daniels worked at MGM records until his death in 1975 of pneumonia.
A major lawsuit was solved after the country supergroup consisting of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Krisfofferson began calling itself the Highwaymen. After the original Highwaymen filed a lawsuit in 1990, Jennings came up with a unique solution. According to writer Wesley Hart, Jennings invited the original Highwaymen to open for the country-supergroup-Highwaymen during a tour stop in Los Angeles in October, 1990. Trott, an original Highwaymen member, told the Los Angeles Times, "With a single swipe, Waylon eliminated all the usual things that go with the resolution of this kind of thing. Maybe we should turn the legal system of the U.S. over to Waylon."
"Even since then," Burnett said, "we've been singing together four or five times a year, usually at charities or conventions."
Kristofferson, meanwhile, noted, "The original Highwaymen were among those responsible for popularizing original American music. Call it folk, blues, country, whatever. Those of us who were able to walk through the doors they opened are grateful."
Dave Fisher, a founding member and the lead singer of the early 1960's folk group the Highwaymen, died on Friday, May 7, 2010. He was 69. Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times reported that Fisher died of the rare blood disease myelofibrosis, according to Nicole Fiftal, a friend of the Fisher family.
The Highwaymen were best known for "Michael," a #1 single on the Cash Box pop chart for four weeks in August-September, 1961, and went on to become the magazine's #8 song for 1961. According to writer Fred Bronson, "Michael" was a traditional folk song sung in the 19th Century by slaves who were living on islands off the Georgia coast. Those slaves would often sing the song during boat trips to and from their work shifts in Georgia. Fisher has been credited with at least partial song-writing credit on "Michael" plus he produced it.
Sources differ as to when "Michael" was released as a single. One report claims it was released as the B side of "Santiano" in 1959. When the song became a hit in 1961, the group had already been dropped by the song's label, United Artist Records. Another report, however, said "Michael" was released as a single in January, 1961, and took off thanks to extensive airplay by DJ Dick Smith of WORC/Worcester, Massachusetts. For sure, "Michael" was the first chart-topper for United Artists. The song also topped one national Easy Listening chart.
The Highwaymen were part of the 1950's-1960's folk music scene dominated by the Weavers, the Kingston Trio, the Chad Mitchell Trio and the threesome of Peter, Paul and Mary. Fisher organized and founded the Highwaymen in the late 1950's. All the members were fraternity brothers at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Fisher, Bob Burnett, Steve Butts, Chan Daniels and Steve Trott comprised the original lineup. Gil Robbins would later join after Burnett and Trott left the group. At first, they called themselves the Clansmen, but that name didn't last long because of racial connotations. The group's manager, Ken Greengrass, came up with the name the Highwaymen when he remembered a poem by Alfred Noyes.
"Cotton Fields," the group's followup release, would become its only other Top 40 pop hit, reaching #13 in early 1962. The flip side, "The Gypsy Rover," would also chart, reaching #49. Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Beach Boys, among others, would remake "Cotton Fields."
The Highwaymen would have two other songs barely make the Cash Box pop chart in 1962. "I'm On My Way" peaked at #95. "The Bird Man," narrated by actor Burt Lancaster (who starred in the movie "The Birdman Of Alcatraz"), reached #82. The group would record eight albums but broke up around 1964. The original members had a short-lived reunion in the early 1970's. All the group members went on to successful careers in various endeavors. Butts became a college administrator, Trott was a Court Of Appeals Judge and Daniels worked at MGM records until his death in 1975 of pneumonia.
A major lawsuit was solved after the country supergroup consisting of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Kris Krisfofferson began calling itself the Highwaymen. After the original Highwaymen filed a lawsuit in 1990, Jennings came up with a unique solution. According to writer Wesley Hart, Jennings invited the original Highwaymen to open for the country-supergroup-Highwaymen during a tour stop in Los Angeles in October, 1990. Trott, an original Highwaymen member, told the Los Angeles Times, "With a single swipe, Waylon eliminated all the usual things that go with the resolution of this kind of thing. Maybe we should turn the legal system of the U.S. over to Waylon."
"Even since then," Burnett said, "we've been singing together four or five times a year, usually at charities or conventions."
Kristofferson, meanwhile, noted, "The original Highwaymen were among those responsible for popularizing original American music. Call it folk, blues, country, whatever. Those of us who were able to walk through the doors they opened are grateful."
