Kind words greeted me the other day from brother Russell Mar's son Anthony - better known to thousands of New World African Music lovers in VanCity by his vinyl-spinning club handle DJ PHYSIK. The email Anthony-boy wrote ended with the words to DJZigZag;
"I thought if anyone was able to shed light on the origin and the value of this record it might me you."
What Physik was talkin' about was revealed a few sentences earlier when he opened the missive with this fascinating story (ya gotta remember he was emailing an obsessed record collector in DJZZ).
Physik writes;
"I was going through my dad's record collection last night and came across a peculiar find. I wasn't able to find out anything online about this particular record. I was wondering if you'd be able to shed some light on it for me?
It's a 78 rpm record that was delicately packed away, and my dad had written, "This record is worth $65.00", on it. And it looks like he'd written that in the 60's or 70's.
It appears to be a test pressing and the label reads - "Jack Cullen's Record Store 10 E. Hastings".
The track on one side is "The Bells" by Billy Ward & his Dominoes and is dated Feb. 1953.
On the flipside is "Death of An Angel" by Donald Woods & his Vevi-Airs.
I thought if . . .
Thanks
Anthony aka Physik"
So....
My first "gut-rememberings" about this wonderful 1952 vinyl recording (Federal 12114) is that a pal who knew those kinda things (was it Chubby Hayes?) told me in the late '50's that he had knowledge that the record's intensity had pushed many African Americans over the edge to suicide. After listening to this Clyde McPhatter led dirge many people, who were near taking their own life already, did just that.
King / Federal record expert and collector Ari Anas tells me that it's Billy Ward voicing the spoken part and that interestingly Mr. McPhatter was promoted as Clyde Ward brother of Billy - which he wasn't.
But getting back to the origin of the Russell Mar / Jack Cullen acetate . . .
I did email Red Robinson and the Redster sez;
"Bill: I remember this recording very well. It was very controversial for it's time and Jack Cullen played the hell out of it."
I also got this typically humble reply from Big Daddy Dave McCormick;
"Hey Bill R. - I'm somewhat "honoured" to be considered an old record "expert!"
Yes, we do remember Cullen's record shop at 10 East Hastings - and for a while he and his wife did a live dj one-hour show, "Jack and Joy" from the store from noon - 1pm, back when the station was still "CKMO" - as well as his nightly "Owl Prowl" program. I recall as a teenager, timing visits to his store to watch J&J do their schtick thru a glass window. I would occasionally buy a disc or 2 from that store. That would be 1955 or '56.
And many of us remember Jack's adventures of hauling recording gear and getting himself into backstage or under-the-stage and recording concerts of big name artists when they performed in Vancouver. Sinatra, etc. Jack did have balls to pull this off.
I also recall that Jack had an acetate disc cutter in his record store and would often make copies of commercial records, and possibly sell them. Which might explain the source of your friend's acetate find of those tunes by Billy Ward & Donald Wood."
Ted Wendland - former Music Director CFMI-FM/CKNW-AM and other stations / Webmaster for radiowest.ca sez:
"Jack Cullen had a record cutter and he would often make bootleg copies of records from his collection (CKMO or CKNW library copies) for friends of fans willing to shell out a buck or two. It was almost an early K-Tel operation. But two songs for the price of one. With these songs I imagine Jack had U.S. copies that weren't released in Canada."
And the almost final word from RED ROBINSON who says to DJ Physik -
"As to value - why not take the 78 rpm of "The Bells" by Billy Ward and "Death of An Angel" by Donald Woods" to the -
RECORD COLLECTORS gathering at
THE CROATION CULTURAL CENTRE
IN THE EAST END OF VANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA
ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER, 25th
FROM 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
ADMISSION IS $3.00"
DJPHYSIK will have a booth at the Record Collectors show this Sunday so drop by and take a look at the Heart & Soul / Jack Cullen acetate of "The Bells" by BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES.
Bro' Anthony will also be selling some of the Heart & Soul Record Store collection PLUS some of his own DISCO GEMS.
WAGRadio Management
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