Archive for November 17th, 2006

Miss Rhythm, RUTH BROWN has died.

She was an incredible talent and an amazing hitmaker during the 1950s. She kept recording and performing right up to her death, which was today in Las Vegas. Tonight, The Night Prowl Show on the 50s on 5 looks back on her incredible career. They called Atlantic Records “The house that Ruth built” because she had so many hits for the label back in its heyday, the 1950s. Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun reminisces about how he came to sign Ruth to his label.

The 50s on 5’s Tribute To Ruth Brown
Friday Night 7-11pm EST

RUTH BROWN
1928 – 2006

ANDREW SOLT, the producer of the new 3 DVD collection; “Elvis! The Ed Sullivan Show” joins me live on The Night Prowl Show to discuss this project. Andrew is best known for his documentary, “The History Of Rock n’ Roll”. These new DVDs are amazing. They present, in their entirety, the three hour episodes in which Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. The shows run as they did when they were originally aired over 50 years ago. Even the original commercials are left in. Get the ‘story behind the story’ on this project from its producer, Andrew Solt.

-MTC

For the FIRST TIME in 50 Years!

HARLEM presents LIVE vintage performances by the top rhythm and blues acts of 1956 as performed on Alan Freed’s Rock N’ Roll Dance Party Radio show.

Alan Freed was the most important and influential DJ of the 1950s by exposing a mass white audience to the as-yet undiscovered sounds of rhythm and blues. In 1956, Freed hosted a summer replacement series over CBS Radio called The Rock and Roll Dance Party. Each week, he’d feature the top R&B; groups, backed by Count Basie’s orchestra and Sam “The Man” Taylor. Joe Williams even sang with the band on some of the shows. For the first time in 50 years, these performances will air on national radio as HARLEM dedicates a solid hour to these wonderful, forgotten live gems. Live recordings are very rare from the 1950s, so this week’s HARLEM is quite a milestone.

HARLEM airs on the 50s on 5:
Monday 11/20 @ 1pm over NYC
Tuesday 11/21 @ 9pm over LA – Midnight over Newark
Friday 11/24 @ 6pm over Boston (where a 1957 rock n’ roll show put on by Freed caused a riot)
Sunday 11/26 @ 11am over Atlanta