Billy Shears, Fact or Fiction?

By Brad Gallagher:

Over the centuries there have been many stories that have been believed by the masses that have turned out to be false. Some of these stories include Chicken Little telling everyone that the sky was falling, or those who truly believed and told everyone that the world was flat and if one sailed far enough they would sail right off the edge of the earth. More currently was the famous 1938 story told on live radio by Orson Wells known as “War of The Worlds” in which thousands of listeners panicked, believing whole heartedly that the earth was under attack by aliens. Many of these stories were told by people who truly believed what they were saying, but others told these stories with the express intention of deceiving those who were listening. These were the stories that became known as hoaxes.

Modern music has had it’s fair share of these stories, or hoaxes. For example, to this day there are still many people who believe that Elvis and Jim Morrison are still alive and living in seclusion somewhere. Then of course there is the whole Milli Vanilli Lip-syncing story. True or hoax? You decide. But it is my opinion that the greatest “True or Hoax” story in rock history was that of the Beatles.

As The Story Goes: (should you choose to believe it)

Back in 1966, during a recording session for the “Sgt. Pepper” album, the band members got into a heated argument which lead to Paul McCartney leaving the session and driving off angrily in his car. There are different theories as to what happened next, 1: some people maintaining that he picked up a young female hitch hiker who, when she realized that he was Paul McCartney, threw her arms around him causing him to run off the road and crash the car killing them both. Others hold to theory 2: that he was distracted by a meter maid (the “Lovely Rita”), and didn’t notice that the light had changed and crashed the car. But whichever story was true, the result was his death. What? Paul McCartney died? Well, that is the story, should you chose to believe it.

At the time of Paul’s death, the Beatles were at the peak of their career. Their producers determined that the knowledge of his death would destroy their continued success, so they decided to cover it up. They had recently had a look-alike contest and some people believe they asked the contest winner, William Campbell, to step in to act as Paul moving forward. Still others (myself included) believed that they enlisted the help of MI6 who found a look-alike named Bill Shepherd, (his name was later changed to Billy Shears and featured in the song “With A Little Help From My Friends”). Again, whichever story was true, Paul was replaced by an imposter. “Coincidently”, it was at this same time that the Beatles stopped doing live performances and worked only in the studio. No sense having Billy Shears out there for all the world to see. Right? But as hard as the producers tried to keep Paul’s death a secret, the word got out and the rumors circulated quickly. The Beatle’s press office eventually issued a statement denying the rumors of his death, but the rumors kept going.

As the days and weeks went by, the surviving Beatles, John, George, and Ringo started feeling remorse for deceiving their fans and decided to try and subtly confirm the rumors of Paul’s death by leaving clues for their fans. Some of these clues appeared in the lyrics of their songs, while others were depicted on the artwork of their album covers.

As I mentioned before, in the song “With A Little Help From My Friends”, off the Sgt. Pepper album, which was sung by “the one and only Billy Shears”, he sings

“What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song and I’ll try not to sing out of key.”

An apparent admission that knowing he was a fake he could not sing as well as the real McCartney. Also off of the same album was the song “A Day In The Life”, which tells the story of the car crash.

“He blew his mind out in a car, he didn’t notice that the lights had changed.”

Or how about the clue in the song “Strawberry Fields Forever” where John says at the end of the song, “I buried Paul”. Of course when he was asked about it in an interview, he said that the words were actually “Cranberry Sauce”. But what does cranberry sauce have to do with strawberries after all? And then there is the back masking (where you get hidden messages if you play the album backwards) in John’s song “Revolution 9”, where he repeats the words “Number Nine, Number Nine”. When these words are played backward you hear him say “Turn me on Dead Man, Turn me on Dead Man”. And more back masking in their song “I’m So Tired”, when played backward it yields the words “Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him”.

Some of the clues they left on their album covers included the famous cross walk picture on the Abbey Road album. It is a depiction of a funeral procession. John dressed all in white is said to be a heavenly figure. Ringo, dressed all on black is said to be the undertaker, while George is said to represent the grave digger. Paul, (or Billy) in the picture is barefoot and walking out of step of the other three signifying that he is the corpse. In addition, the VW Bug in the background has a license plate that reads “LMW 281F”. LMW is said to stand for Linda McCartney Widow, and Paul would have been 28 on his next birthday “IF” he had not died. Also, the cigarette in the right hand of Paul in the picture lends to the belief that the man in the picture is an imposter since Paul was left handed.

So, if the cover of Abby Road depicts the funeral procession, the cover of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band depicts the burial. For instance, in the picture on the cover, Paul is wearing a patch that reads “OPD” or, Officially Pronounced Dead. There are also flowers growing at the gravesite in the shape of his left hand bass guitar. And the hand that is raised above Paul’s head is said to be a symbol of the blessing given by a priest before being interred.

These clues were all intended to confirm to their fans the truth of the rumors that Paul had actually died and that the man playing the role of Paul was actually an imposter, and that the producers were trying to cover it all up.

So, you ask….. Did Paul really die in a car crash? Did Billy Shears really take his place? Did the fans get the messages left by the other band members in those subtle clues? Did anyone believe, or was this all just a big hoax? Well, I don’t know for sure, but there are rumors that after being stabbed 40 times in December of 1999, George Harrison, thinking he was on his death bed, confirmed that Paul had died in that crash. Of course this admission by George is also just a rumor.

And Paul, of course over the years, has been asked on numerous occasions about this hoax, and he has emphatically denied the story of his death every time. But then, if he is actually the imposter Billy Shears, why in the world would he admit it?

So, that’s my story for today. Take a look at the clues, and you be the judge. Paul, or Billy?

And come back and see me really soon right here on As The Story Goes.

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A Love Story To Match No Others

By Brad Gallagher:

Most everyone has, at one point or another, heard the legend of King Arthur and Guinevere and the fictional realm of Camelot. Its a story of a perfect kingdom and a perfect love between the king and queen of that kingdom. A love story to match no others. Until, of course something unexpected happens. The king gets busy with his work of protecting the realm and assembling the knights of the round table, and the queen gets lonely. Then along comes the brave and handsome knight who we all know as Sir Lancelot, and the perfect love story takes a turn for the worst.

This story has been told many times in many ways over the centuries. Two of my favorite depictions of this story were the Mary Stewart novels in which she told the story in three volumes, “The Crystal Cave” (1970), “The Hollow Hills” (1973), and “The Last Enchantment” (1979). And of course, who can forget the 1967 Academy Award Winning film “Camelot”, staring Richard Harris as King Arthur, and Venessa Redgrave as Guenevere. Both tell the story of the love between King Arthur and Guenevere , and of how Guenevere and Sir Lancelot later fall in love and experienced a secret romance that all but tore the kingdom apart, and how through it all King Arthur remained committed his queen even after finding out about Guenevere and Lancelot’s relationship.

But did you know that Richard Harris was instrumental in depicting another love story? And this one was a chart topper.

As The Story Goes:

Back in 1967, the same year that Camelot was first released in theaters, a songwriter by the name of Jimmy Webb was approached by Bones Howe, the producer of the group “The Association”, and asked to write a song for them. Howe told Webb that he wanted him to write a pop song that had different movements and changes in tempos and themes, like an orchestral piece, but still a pop song. So, Jimmy accepted the challenge and went to work.

Now a couple years earlier, in 1965, Jimmy had met the love of his life. Her name was Susie Horton. At that time, Susie was working for Aetna insurance and her office was right across the street from a park. Jimmy would often meet Susie for lunch in that park and the two fell in love. It was a wonderful relationship, much like the great love affair between Arthur and Guenevere. It was yet another love story to match no others. The two spent hours in that park over the months and their relationship flourished… Until one day when it all came to an end for reasons we may never know, and the two broke up.

Jimmy was heart broken, and when he was approached by Howe two years later to write this new song he channeled all of the memories and emotions that he had experienced in that park that year with Susie. The park that Jimmy and Susie always met at was the famous “McArthur Park” in Los Angeles, and the song that he wrote for Howe was simply named after that park, “McArthur Park”. You may remember the song by it’s strange lyric:

Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don’t think that I can take it
‘Cause it took so long to bake it
And I’ll never have that recipe again
Oh, no

I know, What does that have to do with a love story? You ask.

Well, the inspiration for the song was everything Webb remembered in that park during those lunches he spent with Susie. In the song he also recalls her “Yellow cotton dress
Foaming like a wave On the ground beneath your knees”. And the “Birds, like tender babies in your hands”, and the “Old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees”. So, someone must have left a cake out in the rain at some point and it became part of his memory of a love story.

In 2014, Webb was asked about the song in an interview, and he said this: “Everything in the song was visible. There’s nothing in it that’s fabricated. The old men playing Chinese checkers by the trees, the cake that was left out in the rain, all of the things that are talked about in the song are things I actually saw. And so it’s a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park. … Back then, I was kind of like an emotional machine, like whatever was going on inside me would bubble out of the piano and onto paper.”1

When Webb presented the finished song, “McArthur Park”, to Bones Howe and The Association for their consideration, they rejected it. But ironically, the lead actor of the film “Camelot”, “Richard Harris”, loved it and asked if he could record it. And the rest is history. McArthur Park topped out at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1968, and in 1969, Webb won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. (and The Association didn’t want the song… lol)

In the years since, McArthur Park has been covered by many artists including Waylon Jennings, and of course Donna Summer who’s 1978 version reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Richard Harris went on to star in many famous films such as, “The Guns of Navarone”, “The Count if Monte Cristo”, and two of the Harry Potter film as “Albus Dumbledore. I bet you didn’t know that Dumbledore could sing, did you?

So now you know of a connection between two love stories and a man, Richard Harris, who played a part in both of them… Sort of.

So come back and see me real soon right here on As The Story Goes.

Watch Richard Harris perform McArthur Park Here: https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=565683386&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS873US873&tbm=vid&sxsrf=AM9HkKmm5EoSRnpSNEEYUDZkPdJYfAboBQ:1694795750924&q=macarthur+park+richard+harris+lyrics&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjphc2Vhq2BAxXvD0QIHVbLAFIQ8ccDegQIVBAJ&biw=1438&bih=699&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a12b829f,vid:NfXEzWW8CtQ,st:0

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[1] Fallick, Alan H. (October 8, 2014). “Jimmy Webb discusses famous lyrics in ‘MacArthur Park'”. Newsday. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.

That’s Drugs Man

By Brad Gallagher:

It is no secret that the life of a rock star includes the use of alcohol and drugs. As a mater of fact, over the years, and especially in the era of what we now refer to as the “classic rock era”, the vast majority of rock stars used and abused these substances. Several of these stars, like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Amy Winehouse abused drugs and alcohol to the point of their own demise. Others not only used, but also wrote songs about drug use, like “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton, or “That Smell” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and of course Ian Dury’s 1977 depiction of the rock and roll life in “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll”.

Over the years stories have been told about members of groups such as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, The Doors even being arrested for the use of drugs. These arrests usually took place while on tour, being as most groups would stage after show parties for some of their crew and fans, and drugs were almost always part of these parties. And today’s story is about one of those groups, The Rolling Stones, who not only wrote songs about drugs, like “Mother’s Little Helper” (about addiction to Valium), but who also made drug use a part of their image. And of course got themselves arrested on several occasions.

As The Story Goes:

The Rolling Stones were known for their substance abuse, and in many of the cities where they played, the authorities were on high alert even before the Stones arrived in town. In 1969 Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones died of a drug and alcohol overdose and became a forever member of “The 27 Club”. But it was lead guitarist Keith Richards who was probably the most prolific drug user of the group, and authorities all over the globe began to introduce themselves to him.

In 1967, after getting tips from both the FBI and MI5, the British police raided Richards’ apartment in West Sussex and arrested both he and Mick Jagger for LSD, Heroin, and Marijuana use. They were sentenced to several years in prison, but after an appeal they wound up only serving 3 days. Then in 1972 they were arrested in Boston, but fortunately for them, they had a concert scheduled for later that night, and since the Mayor of Boston was a huge fan of theirs, he got them released into his own personal custody.

Then in London in 1973, Richards’ apartment was once again raided. This time the police found marijuana, cannabis oil, heroin, syringes, pipes, and loaded guns. He claimed that all of the drugs and guns actually belonged to his tenant , and then accused the police of setting him up, and eventually all of the charges against him were dropped. Then, two years later in 1975 while driving through Fordyce Arkansas, Richards and Ron Wood were pulled over for erratic driving. The officers smelled pot, and went on to search the car. In the search they found two grams of cocaine and the arrest was on. Richards, however, claimed that the drugs belonged to their passenger Fred Sessler, and was able to get himself released when he somehow proceeded to pass a sobriety test.

Fast forward to a Rolling Stones show in Toronto Canada in February 1977. The Canadian authorities raided Richards’ hotel room and found a large quantity of heroin and arrested him for drug trafficking. He was facing seven years to life in a Canadian prison. He was released, however, two months later in April on medical grounds for addiction treatment. Apparently there was a blind woman who came forward as a character witness who said that Richards had made special arrangement that allowed her to attend his concert. He was released under the condition that he came back to perform a benefit concert for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

But of all the run-ins Keith Richards has had with the law over the years, there was one incident in the early 1980’s that was particularly memorable. As Ron Wood later recalled in an interview:

“We were doing drugs in the dressing room,” he said, “when suddenly the tour manager stuck his head around the corner and said, ‘The police are here!’ … We all panicked and threw our drugs in the toilet. And then Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland walked in.”

I guess there are “Police”, and then there are “The Police”.

So now you know. Please come back and see me next time on As The Story Goes.

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A Story About A Loser

By Brad Gallagher:

Anyone who has ever entered a competition, or played a sport, or played the lottery has at one point or another learned what it is like to win, and what it is like to lose. I know I have. Winning is a tremendous feeling which brings with it excitement and joy. Losing, on the other hand, can cause quite the opposite feeling. I have a tendency to be very competitive, so when I don’t win, I tend to temporarily lose some of my joy.

It is not only in competitions that we can lose though. We can also lose in some of the normal events of life. Like for instance, when we don’t score as high on an exam as the rest of the class, or when a coworker gets promoted before us even though we had worked there longer. However, there are times when even though we lost, we can still see the joy in the experience. And that was how it turned out for the subject of today’s story.

As The Story Goes:

Back when Tom Petty was in junior high school in Gainesville, Florida he liking a girl in his school named Cindy. Cindy was attractive and hung out with the cool kids, and at that time Tom was just a normal guy who’s group of friends were just normal guys too. And even though he had tried over and over to get her to like him, she just rejected him throughout all of junior high and high school. Then, after graduation, Tom left Gainesville to attend college.

In 1969, at the end of the spring semester, he returned home for the summer break. Once home, he connected with his old friends from school, and was invited to a party. Cindy was also at that party, and believe it or not she chose to hang out with Tom that whole night. He had always had a crush on her, but at that party he really fell in love with her. Unfortunately for him, however, when morning came she informed him that it was just for that one night. She told him that heir relationship could not go on even though she had liked him that night and had had a good time.

As the years passed, Petty tried to connect with her from time to time but she always pushed him away. Her liking him for that one night and then rejecting him from that point on scarred him for life. And it was years later as he reflected on the memories of that night that he wrote the song “Even The Losers”. It was a song written straight from his heart about his love for her and her rejection of him as heard in his lyrics:

“Baby, time meant nothing, anything seamed real

Yeah, you could kiss like fire and you made me feel

like every word you said was meant to be

No, it couldn’t have been that easy to forget about me”

And:

“Two cars parked on the overpass

Rocks hit the water like broken glass

I should have known right then it was too good to last

God, it’s such a drag when you’re livin’ in the past”

And of course:

“Baby, even the losers get luck some times

Even the losers keep a little bit of pride

They get luck some times”

You see, what he lost that night was “the the love of his life” as soon as that night ended, but he always considered himself lucky to have spent that one night with her. And…. it was also on that night that he realized, for whatever reason, that he needed to be in a rock and roll band. And the rest is history.

“Even The Losers” appeared on Petty’s 1979 album “Damn The Torpedoes” which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The song was never released as a single in the US, but in 2017 it reached #11 on the Billboard LyricFind charts. And many critics maintain that it was the best song he ever wrote. But, why don’t you be the judge of that. Now that you know the back story, click the link below to listen and decide for yourself. You can even hear the hurt that is still in his heart as he sings the words more than ten years later.

And come back and see me soon, right here on As The Story Goes.

“Even The Losers” live in 1980 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMT4AYf6Xo

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Star Fleet

By Brad Gallagher:

It all began in 2999. The earth is at peace once again since the space wars are finally over. The earth is now being protected by the “Earth Defense Force” and all is good. Until… One day when an alien battle cruiser appears, commanded by Makara, whose goal is to steel the “F-Zero-One” from the earth’s possession and deliver it to her boss, “The Imperial Master”. However, nobody on the earth is completely sure what the F-Zero-One is, or where it can be found. And I am not going to tell you because that might spoil the ending for those of you who want to watch it for yourself.

This was the premise of a television series that aired in October of 1982 in Great Brittan. The name of the series was “Star Fleet”, and a little 4 year old boy and his father watched it every Sunday morning. The show ran for 24 weeks in the UK with each episode lasting 30 minutes. So, why am I telling you this? Well..

As The Story Goes:

The little 4 year old boy was a lad named Jimmy May. He was the son of Brian May, the lead guitarist for a band who went by the name “Queen”. Of course now that I said that, you probably have one of his guitar riffs running through your head. I know I do. Maybe something from “Bohemian Rhapsody”, or “Killer Queen”? Well, as I said, Brian and Jimmy May watched the Star Fleet television show every Sunday morning. At the beginning and at the end of each episode there was a theme song that was played. And one morning Jimmy turned to his dad and asked him if he could play that song.

At that request, the wheels in Brian May’s head began turning and he got an idea. As it turns out, Queen had been on a long stretch of endless work. They had been doing tours for nine months at a time with three months of studio time in between tours. It had been a few year since they had had any down time. So they had decided to take a break, not only from their work, but also from each other.

May’s idea, which was seeded by his son’s comment, was to take the theme from the Star Fleet television show and record it in his own style. He did not want to do this with the rest of the members of Queen though, so he called his friend Edward Van Halen and asked him if he would be interested in joining him in the endeavor. Ironically, Van Halen was also taking a break during that time and Eddie agreed to join in. Also joining them were REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen who frequently played bass for Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck, and Fred Mandel who played keyboard for Alice Cooper. Together they formed the “Star Fleet Project”.

They went into “Record Plant Studios” in LA on April 21 and 22 of 1983 and recorded three songs. The first, of course, was “Star Fleet”, May’s take on the show’s theme song. The second song was called “Let Me Out”. This was a song written by May years earlier but never released on a Queen album. In this song, May and Van Halen go back and forth trading off playing guitar as compliments to each other throughout the song. And apparently it was quite high octane because Eddie played with such intent that he snapped his top guitar string during the recording. And the third song, “Blues Breaker”, was a 13 minute totally instrumental improvisation on the parts of May and Van Halen. They dedicated this song to Eric Clapton, who in 1966 had released an album with “John Mayall and the Blues Breakers” and has ever since been know as one of the Blues Breakers.

The Star Fleet Project was the one and only recording released by this group of musicians, and was dubbed by May as a mini-album. It was too short to be considered a regular album, but too long to be releases as a single. For the guitar enthusiast it was a masterpiece, and for the fan of improvisational music it was a dream come true. The album didn’t get recognized at first, but by the end of 1983 it had become the #35 album on the UK charts, and the #125 album on the US charts. The single, “Star Fleet”, topped out at #65 in the US for a brief time and then faded away.

Fast forward 40 years to 2023. On June 1, May re-released the Star Fleet Project on digital media as “The Star Fleet Sessions”, and released the CD worldwide on July 14, 2023. This release included the original three songs along with 20 other never before released songs. The 2023 release soared up the charts in Germany, Japan, Scotland, Switzerland, and the UK. So, if you missed the 1983 release, check out the 2023 version. Available worldwide.

So now you know. Please come back and see me real soon on As The Story Goes. And check out the Brian May’s video on the next line. It’s pretty cool.

Click here to see Brian May’s Star Fleet video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lC54X5Gc1Q

Click here to watch the first of the 24 episodes of the original tv show Star Fleet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST7QrlLLtLI

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A Contest Gone Wrong

By Brad Gallagher:

This is a story about a rock band named “The Golden Gate Rhythm Section”. Who, you ask? Well, I am so glad you asked that question. You see, The Golden Gate Rhythm Section was a band that was originally formed with the intention of being a back up band for some of the prominent rock groups of the early 1970’s. The original members consisted of former members of Santana, The Steve Miller Band, and Frumious Bandersnatch. They dropped the back up band concept, however, after having a successful concert in Hawaii in 1973 and decided to write and perform their own music from then on.

The only problem they had was the name they had chosen for the band. They felt that they needed a better name if they were going to be successful, but they just couldn’t decide on a good one. So….

As The Story Goes:

The Golden Gate Rhythm Section, who had developed a nice following around the San Francisco Bay area, decided to hold a contest on a local radio station with the intent of finding a new name for their band. The way the contest was set up was that anyone who wanted to could submit their idea of a name for the band, and the person who submitted the name that the band chose to adopt would get free concert tickets for life to any or all of the band’s concerts.

This plan backfired, though, because they didn’t get any usable name suggestions. The names that were submitted were all terrible names such as, The Mound Pounders and Rumpled Foreskin. Yikes…

So, their producers decided to go with a name that was suggested by John Villanueva, who was working as one of the band’s roadies at the time. And, they make up the imaginary name “Toby Pratt” and announce on the radio that he had won the contest. A perfect solution, right? Well not really. You see, there was a real person named Toby Pratt in the San Francisco Bay area, and he was a regular listener to that particular radio station. So, when he heard his name announced as the winner of the contest he came forward to collect his prize.

Now, since the band had announced on air to the whole listening area that Toby Pratt had won the contest, they couldn’t back peddle and admit what they had done, so they had no choice but to give Pratt his prize even though he had not actually come up with the name himself.

And that is how Toby Pratt received tickets for life to shows by the band that now goes by the name “Journey”.

So now you know. Go tell a friend. And come back and see me right here really soon at As The Story Goes.

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Supper’s Ready

In follow up to the last two weeks’ stories, which were written by my daughter Haley and son Jeremy, this week’s story was written by my son Madison. It is the third and final story in the series of stories guest written by my children as their Father’s Day gift to me.

Title: A Day In the Life of As the Story Goes

Author: Madison Gallagher

It’s late afternoon on a warm summer day, and I’m riding in the car with my dad. We just got done with another one of the hikes on his to-climb list, Lassen Peak. Timing was key on this particular trip, due to the long drive, so to make up time we rushed the hike. Once we got back to the car I got comfortable and settled in for the long trip back. I find myself looking out the window and daydreaming about anything and everything. There’s a lull in the radio between songs and in that moment was true peace. Then a couple of notes from the next song played and that peace flew out the window when my dad pipes in with:

“As the story goes…”

The song was ‘Heat of the Moment’ by Asia. He first called out the name of the song and then dove into the trivia bits. He told me that he had this album on cassette tape and played it so much that it burned out the tape. Despite my peace being disturbed, I drifted back off to stare out the window wondering how he could listen to an album that many times. I wonder how many times I’d have to listen to an album on my mp3 player to make the mp3 player burn out. As I ponder that life mystery the song ends and a new one fades in. This one takes him a little longer, but the inevitable still happens. First he calls out the name of the band, Genesis, and then:

“As the story goes…”

This time the song was less important than the members of the band, specifically the drummer/vocalist. It was a man known most famously in my eyes for doing the soundtrack of Disney’s blockbuster hit “Tarzan”. Phil Collins. We went back and forth about Phil (first name basis) for a while, and then he mentioned how Genesis was also where Peter Gabriel got his start. (Editor’s note: The music video for early Genesis hit, “Supper’s Ready” is wild. You get to see Peter Gabriel’s theatrics and a wide array of colors and psychedelic imagery.) It’s starting to seem like the music scene back then was just a small group of people who all just played in each others’ bands. I turn back to look out the window, knowing full well that the song is ending and another music fact is coming up soon. And seemingly as soon as the song starts he calls out “Ramble On – Zeppelin”. I figure I can play along this time and ask what fact he has about this band. “Well,” he says “As the story goes…”

**About 20 years later**

It’s a cold, dark morning on the road. The sun seems to be as sleep deprived as I am, or maybe that’s just my imagination. I think about the logistics of sending some astronauts up to the sun with a fresh pot of coffee. As I’m meticulously planning out this mission in my head, a new song came on my playlist. I glance in the backseat and my baby daughter is still snoozing away, but I know I need the practice if I’m ever going to live up to my old man. I decide to quietly start telling her a random fact about the band:

“As the story goes…”

Conclusion:

We love you, Pops! Happy Fatha’s day!

To view the video of Supper’s Ready, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVyfj7-mHqs

Thank you Madison for a great story and some wonderful memories. And thanks for keeping up the story telling tradition.

And a very special thank you to all three of my children for this wonderful Father’s day gift. I love you all. You are the best kids any father could have.

So now you know. Come back next week for a brand new story of rock and roll history right here at As The Story Goes.

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Brown Eyed Girl

In follow up to last week’s story, which was written by my daughter Haley, this week’s story was written by my son Jeremy. It is the second in the series of stories guest written by my children as their Father’s Day gift to me.

Title: Change Isn’t Always Good, But Sometimes It Is

Author: Jeremy Gallagher

Did you know that one of Van Morrison’s most beloved songs, “Brown Eyed Girl,” was originally titled “Brown Skinned Girl”? It’s true! The song was written in the mid-1960s and was inspired by Morrison’s memories of a young woman he had met while growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

At the time, Morrison was playing in a band called “Them”, and was just starting to make a name for himself in the music industry. He had already written a few songs, but “Brown Skinned Girl” was something special. The song had a catchy melody and upbeat lyrics that captured the carefree spirit of youth.

However, when Morrison brought the song to his record label, Bang Records, they were hesitant to release it with the original title. They felt that “brown skinned” might be seen as controversial or offensive, especially in the racially charged climate of the 1960s. So, Morrison reluctantly agreed to change the title to “Brown Eyed Girl” and the rest is history.

Despite the title change, “Brown Eyed Girl” went on to become one of Morrison’s most popular and enduring songs. It has been covered by countless artists over the years and remains a beloved classic to this day.

Well, my dad did know that, and he has shared that story with me every time that song came on for the last 34 years of my life. It’s amazing how music can bring people together and create lasting memories. Even now, it’s impossible for me to hear that song without thinking of my dad sharing that story as if I’d never heard it before.

This is just one of the countless connections that I’ve made with my dad over music, and I hope to create many more over the years. It’s a testament to the power of music and the way it can connect us to our past and to each other. Thanks for letting me share that story with you all!

Click here to watch the video of Brown Eyed Girl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaz1AB006-g

Thank you Jeremy for a great story. You totally rocked it, no pun intended.

So now you know. Come back next week and read the final instalment of the three stories written by my kids right here at As The Story Goes.

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Goodbye England’s Rose

I know it has been a while since my last post on “As The Story Goes”, but that is because I have spent the last few month moving. A while back my wife, Shari, and I decided to leave Oregon and take up residence in the beautiful state of Hawaii. The process was long and grueling, and quite frankly I have not had time to write. Now, however, we are moved and in the process of settling in, and I have been able to carve out time to pick up where I left off writing stories about Classic Rock and Roll.

But, as I begin to write again, I have decided to start with something a little different. You see, Father’s Day arrived a few days before we completed our move to Hawaii, and my children decided that the last thing I would need for Father’s Day is one or two more items that I would need to ship across the ocean. So, they came up with the unique idea of writing their own stories about rock and roll as guest writers. And those stories are the next three stories I will be posting. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Here is the first one:

Title: When I Was a Little Girl

Author: Haley Gallagher

In honor of Father’s Day, I would like to start this the same way my dad always used to start his stories: “When I was a little girl”… When I was a little girl, my dad would tuck me into bed and sing me to sleep every night. Some nights it would be “You are my Sunshine” and other nights it would be “Princess” by Elton John, but no matter which song he chose, I knew that it was his way of telling me just how much he loves me. We even have best friend tattoos to honor those memories. But did you know that while Elton John’s song “Princess” wasn’t about an actual princess, he did sing it as a tribute for a good friend and famous Princess at her funeral?

As the story goes:

In 1973, songwriter Bernie Taupin collaborated with Elton John to write a song inspired by the life and death of Marilyn Monroe. Monroe was the most famous entertainer of her time, though the stress of that fame played a toll on her mental health, until eventually her history of depression, anxiety and drug use resulted in her taking her own life. In the song, “Candle in the Wind” the lyrics tell the story of Monroe, the demands of fame to change, and the impacts of a life cut short.

Unfortunately, Monroe’s story is not unique. Case in point, Elton John’s good friend, the much beloved Princess Diana, also struggled with the spotlight, to the point where she tragically lost her life when the car she was riding in crashed as she was fleeing the paparazzi in 1997. When Elton John was informed by Richard Branson that many writings in the book of condolence referenced his song “Candle in the Wind”, he and Taupin decided to change the lyrics to his song in honor of Princess Diana’s life, and rename it “Goodbye England’s Rose”. After this touching tribute to say goodbye to “England’s Rose”, John released this revised single of “Candle in the Wind” on September 13, 1997, with all proceeds going towards Diana’s charities. As of 2017, this single was the best selling single in UK chart history, and as of 2020, it was the second highest-selling single of all time, following only Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” according to Guinness World Records. 

Though I may no longer be a little girl, and I’m definitely not a Hollywood princess or the beloved Princess of Wales, I will always treasure those memories of my dad singing me to sleep. Songs sung by the most amazing dad, which made me feel like the most special girl in the world.

Click here to view the Goodbye England’s Rose video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o9rLDCfO6o

Thank you Haley for this wonderful story. You are my princess and you always will be.

So now you know. Come back next week and read the next of the three stories written by my kids right here at As The Story Goes.

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The One Hit Wonder

By Brad Gallagher:

As it is true that different people hold different meanings for the term “One Hit Wonder”, it is a term that refers to a unique situation in the world of rock and roll music. Some would say that in order for a song to be considered a one hit wonder it would need to be the only song by a specific artist or group that ranked in the top 100 on the Billboard charts. Others hold out that the song would need to be the artist’s only top 40 Billboard hit. While still others say that it has nothing at all to do with the charts, and is simply defined by popularity. These folks would consider a one hit wonder to be a song that the artist became famous for, charts or no charts, as long as it was the only one of their songs that society remembers years later.

Probably one of the most well known one hit wonders was the 1969 hit, “Spirit In The Sky” by Norman Greenbaum. Even though this song reached #3 on the Billboard charts, I can’t even think of any other song that he sang. Or, how about the 1973 hit “Stuck In The Middle With You” by Steelers Wheel. It hit #13 on the Billboard charts, and even though lead singer Gerry Rafferty went on to have a very successful solo career, it was the only hit by Steelers Wheel. And of course, who can forget Tommy Tutone’s 1981 hit 867-5309/Jenny, which reached #4 on the Billboard charts.

But today I want to talk about a one hit wonder from 1974 which is often totally misinterpreted.

As The Story Goes:

Back in late 1972 in Sheffield England, Paul Carrack, Alan “Bam” King, Terry “Tex” Comer, Phil Harris, and Steve Witherington joined forces under the name “Ace Flash and the Dynamos”. Of course that name did not last very long and was soon shortened to just “Ace”. They were very popular in the local English pubs playing their unique blend of pop and funk, but didn’t really shine when it came to the record industry. And even though all of the members of Ace came from other professional rock bands, they couldn’t quite come up with a hit until they released “How Long” on their album “Five-A-Side”.

As I mentioned earlier, the song “How Long” has frequently been misinterpreted over the years. Most listeners appear to believe that composer and lead singer, Paul Carrack, was singing about a lover who was caught being unfaithful in their relationship. After all, the lyrics include “How long has this been going on”, and “But I can’t help but have my suspicions ‘Cause I ain’t quite as dumb as I seem”, and also “Oh, you said you was never intending To break up our scene this way”. And not only the listeners thought it was about an unfaithful lover, but also movie producers. The song “How Long” was used in my favorite movie of all time, “Invincible” in 2006. Also in the movie “The Brothers Solomon” in 2007, and again in “Stand Up Guys” in 2013. Always in the context of an cheating lover.

But, in actuality, Carrack wrote these lyrics after he found out that his bass player, Terry “Tex” Comer, had been moonlighting with other bands. Tex had been secretly playing with both “The Sutherland Brothers” and “Quiver”. And ironically, neither of these groups who he was moonlighting with had a hit until they joined together as “The Sutherland Brothers And Quiver” and recorded the one hit wonder “You Got Me Anyway” which peaked at #48 on the Billboard Charts in 1973.

So, for all these years rock fans around the world have assumed that the song “How Long” was a song about a cheating lover, when in fact it was about a bass player who was just trying to make a few extra bucks after hours. “How Long” peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts in 1975, and the album “Five-A-Side” reached #11 on the Billboard album charts. Not bad for a one hit wonder.

So now you can share this new found knowledge at the next party you attend. And then come back and see me really soon right here on As The Story Goes.

Check out the How Long Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_GMMLULXw

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