Friday, November 27, 2009

Wayne Logiudice and Kommotion , Wayne Cochran & the CC Riders, Ronnie Milsap & The G’s and other stars of the Heeey Baby Days play the Apollo Theatre

We have been researching various articles and news clips that were published by Jet Magazine during the Hey Baby Days of Beach Music. We have been particularly interested in Wayne Logiudice and the all-star band from Atlanta, Kommotion. We know ALL the great R&B stars played R&B’s most famous stage but when blue-eyed soul brothers performed there, it brought attention.

From Jet Magazine February 3,1966 New York Beat page 63

“A blond, 20 year old singer from Atlanta, Wayne Logiudice was described as winning away some of singer James Brown’s followers during a recent appearance at the Apollo Theatre. He was discovered by C.B. Atkins at Atlanta’s Royal Peacock Club.”

http://books.google.com/books?id=frkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

note: we understand that there exists a photo of Wayne on stage at the Apollo but have yet to locate it in the Jet Magazine archives. The caption for the photo is “Who Is Wayne Logiudice?” (This may have been in form of an ad produced by C.B. Atkins or New York booking agent, Joe Glazer) Help us if you can by viewing the archives that are free to view through Google. There is another photo somewhere of Kommotion backstage at the Apollo that includes band members Rick Bear and Emory Gordy Jr. We would love to have the links available here:

_____________________________________________________________________


The Jet Magazine archives are loaded with information about the great R&B stars of the Heeey Baby Days, At the end of the entertainment section is New York Beat, which generally list the various R&B, acts playing in New York that week. The Jet Magazine is one of the foremost magazines covering the R & B scene and in the 60s; the royalty of Beach Music graced its pages.


From Jet Magazine March 3, 1966 New York Beat page 64


“At the Apollo Theatre for the week is WWKL deejay Rocky G, producer of the show which includes the Marvelettes, Wayne Cochran and the fabulous C.C. Riders, Dee Dee Sharp, the Superiors, the Exciters, Jackie Lee, Deon Jackson, Darrow Fletcher, Ronnie Milsap and the G’s.”


http://books.google.com/books?id=c7kDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false



Note: Georgia blue-eyed soul brothers Wayne Cochran & C.C. Riders and Ronnie Milsap & The G’s (What does the G stand for?)


From Jet Magazine May 12, 1966 New York Beat page

“The Apollo Theatre is kicking off a new show with deejay Rocky G. in charge featuring the Marvelettes and Billy Stewart, The Spinners, Percy Sledge, Wayne Logiudice, James Carr, The Van Dykes, The Devons, Lou Lawton, Robert Parker also Rueben Phillips and his band will be on hand.



http://books.google.com/books?id=5LkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false


As we locate more interesting tid bits from Jet Magazine, we will post here:


Also, I have discovered that comments made to the blog do not come directly to me and the only way I know that a comment has been made to a particular posting is to review each posting. I am sure that there is a way to change this but my blogging skills still have a lot to be desired therefore for those out there that are just now getting a reply to a comment made some time ago, my apology.

Recent interesting emails from others:

Regarding Wayne Logiudice:




Hey Greg...

I've signed up to follow your blog after stumbling across it while googling my ol' buddy Wayne Logiudice, who I have known since he was 14 or 15 years old. I was the "older woman" in his life. I spoke with Wayne today after emailing his sister-in-law who's email address I found on your blog.

Wayne and I go back to 1960 when I met him in Piedmont Park.
I posted a couple of comments on your blog. I was very involved in
the whole music scene in Atlanta in the late 50's and throughout the 60's. I wrote song lyrics, and actually had several of my songs recorded.

I was involved both in the R&B scene and the folk music scene in
sort of an overlapping period of such incredible music that it's still
the all time favorite period of my life. Such stories I could tell you!

Between the R&B scene in the black clubs like the Royal Peacock and the Wallhaji Ballroom, and the whole folk scene on the Strip in
the mid to late 60's I've met more musicians than most people I know. I want a copy of your book so bad I can almost taste it! Is it still possible to get one?
Thank you,

Donna Overall

Donna

I can come up with a book for you. I am very interested in your input regarding the Atlanta scene since it was not covered as complete as it should have been in the book. I wish we had known as much about Wayne as I do now . We were lucky to have some last minute input that indicated that Wayne was indeed among the elite of the blue-eyed soul brothers...it is really sad that he never got a break out record that could have made him a household name... but the book does not necessarily focus on household names but rather stars of the stage... those who could get the crowd into the show which Wayne and the Kommotion obviously did well so please share what you can about the band. I need your address to mail book. (it will be slightly used; the only new books in the original shrink wrap if any can be found in random Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million stores)

Regards

Greg Haynes

P.S. Please promise me that you will not eat the book; It is a good book and won an award for books in popular culture in 2007 but as part of a diet, I do not recommend !



Hi Greg!

Wayne's going to call me about 10 pm EST tonight and we're going to catch up on about 40 years. I've seen Wayne perform any number of times, but I also got involved in the whole Atlanta folk music scene about the same time, which sort of took over my life. I do remember seeing Ike and Tina Turner playing Knotty Pines when she was about 19 or 20 years old. I used to go to all the shows at the old Georgia Terrace Hotel in the Biltmore Ballroom. Saw Jimmie Reed, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, etc. What a time for music! Saw Sam Cook, Ruth Brown, LaVerne Baker, Ray Charles, the Midnighters, The Five Royals, Little Richard, Hack Ballard and the Midnighters, etc. at the Royal Peacock and the Wallahaji Ballroom. Sometimes my date and I would be the only white people in the whole place.

I have never in my life seen anybody perform like Wayne. He was just totally amazing. The first time I ever saw him do the splits in his tight pants, I thought I would die! Most of my interaction with Wayne was actually before he made it fairly big on the music scene.

I'm going to pick his brains when we reminisce tonight. I actually found a couple of mp3 clips of Ow! Boogaloo and whatever the flip side was. There's a copy of the Phillips recording in mint condition selling for $200 on eBay right now, but I can't put out that kind of money.

Wayne did indicate that he, Rick Bear, and some of the others were talking about getting together in Athens and doing some recording at some point. I'm going to see Glenn Philips tomorrow night. He was the guitarist for the Hampton Grease Band. I haven't seen him since the 60's. Got a nice note from him telling me how to contact Jerry Fields, who was the Grease Band's original drummer and a buddy of mine in the 70's.

I will send you a PDF file of my memories of the late 50's through the 60's if I can find it. I need to put Wayne in it first. I had forgotten about him. I fell down the steps and cracked my head open recently and since then I've been having flashbacks to the 60's! That's when I started searching for Wayne. I didn't know how to spell his name, but when I found the reference on your site, I knew it was him. I'm attaching the mp3 excerpts from Wayne's record that I found today. I'm gonna find out from him if he's got any copies of his own record. I hope so because I'd love to have it.

My neighbor Lisa Coston wrote to you also. She's in her 40's and a real fan of that whole era and just about flipped when she found out that I knew some of these people and that I once played kissyface with Mac Davis in the back seat of a 57 Chevy. We will not speak of what a wild chile I was back then. But hey, I survived the 60's and 70's!

Maybe you can do an updated version of the book at some point.

What do I owe you for the book?

Donna Overall

Donna

You have already paid for it with your emails which I plan to post. I really want to do a story about Wayne who I consider the lost blue-eyed soul brother. He and the Kommotion deserve a legacy. Hey Baby Days is strictly a 60s project.

Regards

Greg


Greg,

Lisa said she hasn't written to you yet, but plans to. She loves music history and wants to start her own music blog. She's a writer and keeps wanting to interview me for an article on the 60's. She said she would kill to have been around during that period of time. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get everything in sequence. Some of it all runs together because like most of us back then, ( note: I know what you mean). My mother would have died if she knew where I was spending my time.



Donna





Regarding the Candymen:


Hi Greg,

Shawn Nagy of SuperOldies.com here in Duluth, MN, a friend of the surviving Candymen members. I had unearthed some video footage and sent it to them a few years back and now have been contacted to do liner notes for a legit Candymen CD release due out in February from the Darby Pop label.

If for some unknown reason you should EVER want to part with your Candymen photo, please write me...it would be an absolutely cherished possession in my collection as well. A true rarity!

Keep rockin' - thanks for your time,

Shawn
www.superoldies.com


Shawn

About 50 percent of my memorabilia from those glory days got away including the IOU ( A free show ) from Wilbur Walton. Thankfully I was able to hold on to signed albums by the Tams and Swingin' Medallions. The promo photo signed by ALL

The Candymen is as cherished as the above. I am very happy to get your email about the CD release as it makes me happy to see a great band like the Candymen get its due. If you read my book you know what I think about them. Stay in touch and when I kick the bucket, contact my estate and you can probably get it for a song, one by the Candymen no doubt.

Thanks to Robert Nix I have gone through my life thinking I was a "Good Egg" whether that is the case or not.

Happy thanksgiving to you

Regards

Greg

P.S. Very sorry to hear about Robert Nix’s illness; we’ll pray for him.

No comments: