R.I.P.

Iconic crooner, Frankie Laine passed away on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at the age of 93. His death has been blamed on complications from a recent hip replacement surgery. Laine’s career took off at the tail end of 1946, when Mercury Records released “That’s My Desire”. This song would become a must for 1950s vocal groups to know and master. Versions by Hadda Brooks, Dion and The Belmonts, The Channels and The Flamingos still sound great today, as does Frankie Laine’s. He had several number one records in the late 40s, into the 1950s, including “Mule Train” and “The Cry Of The Wild Goose”. He left Mercury for Mitch Miller and Columbia Records. “The Moonlight Gambler”, “Hey Joe”, “Jezebel” and other great hits would follow.

Laine had a voice that was so versatile, he could sing ballads, jazz, R&B; and pop. He sang with such power and passion, that I would place him right next to Johnny Ray and Elvis Presley as a singer and entertainer. Even though he had largely been retired and inactive since the mid 1980s, his loss in the music world will most surely be felt.

Yes, he was 93, but it’s still very sad to see another great star of the 1950s pass on. Frankie’s up in heaven now chasing “That Lucky Ol’ Sun”, while the rest of us are left down here with just his memory and his records to enjoy.

-Matt The Cat

The last couple of years have not been good ones for fans of Doo Wop music. We’ve lost some of its founding fathers in recent years. Today, we lost another with the passing of Thornton James “Pookie” Hudson of the Spaniels. Pookie and the group were the first artist to be recorded and released on the then new Vee-Jay label back in 1953 with “Baby It’s You”. Their classic “Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite” followed a few months later. The group formed in Gary, Indiana in 1952. Other Spaniels classic include, “You Gave Me Peace Of Mind”, “People Will Say We’re In Love”, “You Painted Pictures”, “Everybody’s Laughing” and their up-tempo rendition of “Stormy Weather”.

I had a great honor of interviewing Pookie for two hours on July 14, 2006 at the XM studios in Washington, DC. Pookie lived just north of DC. He was a tall man and had an incredible presence. He had been sick with cancer for a long time, but when I met him, he had beaten the horrible disease. He looked strong and was determined to keep on singing and performing. A few months ago, the cancer came back and attacked his liver. We never heard from Pookie again. I know I speak for all the Night Prowlers when I say that Pookie Hudson will be greatly missed, but his music, memory and legend will live on, as long as there’s a Night Prowl Show.

Goodnite, Pookie, Goodnite!

-MTC