Gloria Stavers!

Brian Epstein obituary by Gloria Stavers

On this date in 1967, Brian Epstein died in his London home of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.  Epstein was the manager of The Beatles from their Cavern Club days until his death, guiding every aspect of their careers. He was responsible for convincing George Martin to sign the Beatles to their first recording contract, and for helping them develop their professionalism and style.  In 1964, Epstein orchestrated the group's three consecutive Sunday appearances on the Ed Sullivan show, a milestone in pop culture history.

David Cassidy at Mohegan Sun

David Cassidy in 16 magazine (May 1972)

Once in a blue moon, the right combination of talent, looks, and opportunity collide to produce a pop superstar of the magnitude of David Cassidy.  Equally adept at music, acting, and live performance, his brass ring came in 1969 when he was cast in "The Partridge Family" television show and parlayed its five-year success into solo super-stardom. David's reign as a teen idol was accompanied by many record-breaking accomplishments, and he reportedly holds the record for the largest fan club membership in history.  Those fans now have the pleasure of seeing David perform in more intimate settings than when he was selling out Madison Square Garden, the Astrodome and Wembley Stadium. By all appearances their loyalty has not waned, as the line for the 8pm show began forming well before noon. A rush to the foot of the stage came at the show's introduction, as fans abandoned their tables, their valuables, and some their dates for closer proximity to their fave.  Cassidy opened with "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat," and then strapped on his electric guitar for "Hush," reminiscing about being an 18 year old mail room clerk in 1968, looking for a break and listening to the Deep Purple hit.  Like The Monkees, The Partridge Family were gifted with songs written by some of the top tune-smiths of the day, including Rupert Holmes ("Echo Valley 2-6809") and the legendary Gerry Goffin ("I'll Meet You Halfway".)  David remembered fondly some of the opportunities his stardom brought, such as a 1974 visit from John Lennon during which the two sang and played into the wee hours.  Inspired at age 13 by the Beatles to pursue music, his version of  "In My Life" was one of the evening's highlights.   The hits kept coming with "I Woke Up In Love This Morning," "Summer Days," "Point Me In The Direction of Albuquerque," and a revamped version of the #6 hit "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted Like Me" (sans the original's "spoken word" interlude,) which David said he has only performed 3 or 4 times in the last 20 years.  The band was generously given time to shine. Guitarist Ryan Bull let loose with a blazing solo, and musical director Frank Fabio kept everything grounded on bass.  Producer/re-mixer/composer Craig J gave an amazingly inventive, jazzy version of "On Broadway," and drummer/percussionist Teri Cote sang the Pretender's "Brass in Pocket" while David took over for her on drums.  Cassidy's vocal quality is surprisingly unchanged, and was especially strong on a soulful "Ain't No Sunshine" and a sexy/bluesy version of "Come On Get Happy" (honestly, it worked!)  Known for being conflicted about his Partridge Family days, he seems to have found a way to celebrate that era without being stuck in it.  He's pulled those hits into the present with more current arrangements, giving them a new energy.  He engaged the audience throughout the show, recognizing the loyalty of his fans, and seemed genuinely grateful for his continued ability to entertain. He closed with the #1 worldwide mega-hit "I Think I Love You."  On this night, David Cassidy rolled up his sleeves and came to play.

Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977)

  Gloria with Elvis on the "Kid Gallahad" set in 1962

Happy Birthday David Crosby!

 

 

 
 
  

Gloria Stavers read your letters!

Did you write a letter to "You're Telling Me!"?  Was it published?

Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone at Mohegan Sun

16 pic of "Herman" at home with his GeeGee awards

 

If there were a crown for the "16 Fave Who Never Ages," Peter Noone would be the undisputed king (sorry, Donny Osmond!)  Granted, he was the youngest of the British Invasion army, but his youthful looks and energy are nonetheless remarkable 46 years later.  "Herman" was one of the top faves in 16 magazine history, and it was the rare 60's issue that didn't feature color pinups, contests, and pages of "pix" and "fax" about him.

It's been a couple of years since I last saw Peter Noone in concert, and he is singing (and looking) even better these days.  Fans lined up for hours for Friday night's two shows (I attended the second,) and were rewarded with a rapid-fire mix of hits from Herman's Hermits including their first hit "I'm Into Something Good," #1 record "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," the gorgeous "No Milk Today," "Listen People," "Silhouettes" and many more.  As if singing 15 or so hits of his own were not enough, he and the Hermits also delivered half a dozen high energy British Invasion hits including "Glad All Over," "Doo Wah Diddy" "I'm Telling You Now," and "I Saw Her Standing There."  Peter charmed the audience (including the overflow crowd outside in the casino area) with his "cheeky" humor, including impersonations of Tom Jones, Johnny Cash and fellow teen idol Davy Jones.  After a rousing, audience-assisted version of #1 hit "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am", he closed with another smash, "There's a Kind of Hush," which was definitely not the reception he received as the audience was singing, dancing and cheering from beginning to end.

16 magazine Faves at Rock Con!

Some of your 16 faves were featured guests at the National Rock Convention ("Rock Con") at the Meadowlands Sheraton held the weekend of July 30th.  I had the honor of meeting Phil "Fang" Volk, original member of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Billy Hinsche of Dino, Desi and Billy, Gene Cornish of the Young Rascals, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Al Jardine of the Beach Boys, Hilton Valentine of the Animals, Tommy James, TV host and 16 columnist Clay Cole, LaLa Brooks of the Crystals, actor and activist Paul Petersen, and hitmakers Andy Kim and Ron Dante among others.  During the day fans had the chance to chat with their faves, buy merchandise, and get autographs and photos.  The nightly concert featured hit after hit delivered by an all-star cast jamming on one another's songs (I'm told there are some great You Tube videos if you want to look for them.)  It was a rare opportunity to see so many greats at one time, and it was fun to see how much they enjoyed meeting fans and "catching up" with fellow artists.

 

Lenny Bruce obituary by Gloria Stavers

On this date in 1966, revolutionary standup comic Lenny Bruce died in Los Angeles of a morphine overdose.  Bruce was voted the #3 Greatest Standup of All Time by Comedy Central, and he is also remembered for his battles to uphold his First Ammendment rights.  Lenny Bruce was a close friend of Gloria's, and she paid tribute to him in the November '66 issue of 16.

Gloria Stavers and Rolleiflex

Gloria Stavers used a Rolleiflex camera for all of 16 magazine's exclusive photo shoots.  I don't know what model she used, but this one, the Tele Rollei, was sold from 1959-1974 and was one of the more successful models that Rolleiflex produced.