1958: A day for which Jerry Lee Lewis would probably want a “do-over.” It was on this day that Lewis arrived in London and introduced his new bride to the press. The press did some digging and found out: 
We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!
Every week, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” a deep dive into the hidden history of rock & roll, the stories behind the artists and songs that changed the world. Join host, “Boomtown Bill” Cross each Wednesday at 7 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcast on Saturday at noon (Eastern).
Join us this Saturday as we disxover seldom-heard rock songs from the Beach Boys, ELO, the Who & more in our "Lost & Found Department!"
If you’re looking for a fantasy film that’s well off the beaten path, give Night Tide (1961) a view. Often marketed as a “horror” film (its original distributor was American International, the same people who gave you all those Vincent Price – Edgar Allen Poe adaptations), this little gem is nothing of the sort. It’s a haunting, dream-like study of love and obsession.
Filmed in black & white and starring Dennis Hopper in his first major role, the story involves a sailor who has taken to hanging around a seedy amusement pier in southern California during his summer shore leave. There he meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman, played by Laura Lawson, who makes her living as a mermaid in one of the pier’s sideshow attractions.
But as Hopper gets to know the woman, he discovers that she believes she really may be an actual mermaid, a descendant of the mythological sirens who lured men to their destruction. She has a father figure of sorts, an old sailor who owns the mermaid attraction and she’s also haunted by a very mysterious older woman, who may or may not be another of the fabled sirens.
As the movie progresses, Hopper definitely seems to be in some sort of danger, but he can’t stay away from Lawson, who previous suitors have all come to a bad end.
The film was one of the first independent productions shot in America. Written and directed by Curtis Huntington, the script was purchased by Roger Corman (director of the aforementioned Price-Poe classics) in 1956, but didn’t go in front of the cameras until 1960. The film did make Time Magazine’s Ten Best list in 1961 but couldn’t initially solve distribution problems caused by Huntington’s use of a non-union crew.
Night Tide finally received a wide release in 1963, but failed to generate much cash at the box office. That was probably because the garish marketing campaign set viewers up for a gory horror fest and not the ultra-atmospheric, moody fantasy the film actually is. Once seen, it is not easily forgotten.
Writer/director Huntington went on to a fairly successful career as a TV director, handling episodes of Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, Dynasty, Baretta and others.
The film itself was designated for preservation by the Motion Picture Academy (the Oscars folks) in 2007. It’s widely available on DVD and Blu-Ray and, in our opinion, well-worth seeing.
Simplicity in itself, graham cracker, slab of chocolate, and a marshmallow: Toast lightly (usually over a campfire or grill) and enjoy! But who had the bright idea to combine these elements into a tasty treat and who came up with the name?
Alas, no one knows because s’mores have been around for over 100 years. As far back as we can trace it, there is a recipe for this confection, then known as a graham cracker sandwich in a Campfire Marshmallow cookbook from the early 1920s, but the cookbook doesn’t claim it to be an original recipe, meaning it had probably been around for a few years before.
It appears with the name “Some Mores” in a 1927 book, Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. By 1938, scouting books for both Boy and Girl Scouts had shortened the name to “s’mores.” But this confection really didn’t take off until the Baby Boomers reached scouting age in the 1950s. Scores of scouts, plus an explosion in summer camps for kids during those years resulted in the simple recipe for s’mores coming home to backyard barbecues across the U.S. and Canada.
Recipes for s’mores crossed over to mainstream cookbooks when Betty Crocker first included the recipe in their 1957 edition. This treat remained a homemade confection until Hershey’s introduced their S’more candy bar in 2003. But can you really compare any store-bought s’more to the glorious sticky, sweet experience of toasting your own?
BTW - mark your calendars because August 10th is National S’mores Day!
Of all the songs Janis Joplin recorded in her brief, but spectacular career, one of the best-known and most fondly remembered is “Mercedes Benz.”
Few remember now that Janis was also interested in poetry and often attended poetry readings. Her tongue-in-cheek paean to consumerism began as a quick poetry jam between her and songwriter Bob Neuwirth in a bar in Port Chester, NY. They built their short poem around a line written by poet Mike McClure.
About an hour after the poem was completed, she performed it live during her show that night at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, inventing an acapella melody on the spot.
It was promptly forgotten until she had finished recording her second solo album, “Pearl.” With the pressure of the major session work behind her, Joplin stepped to a microphone while the tapes were still rolling and announced she was about to sing “a song of great social and political import.”
She quickly ran through her little “Mercedes Benz” performance. One take. She also recorded a quick birthday message to John Lennon that included her rendition of Roy Rogers’ theme song, “Happy Trails.” Those would be the last two songs she ever recorded.
Only three days later, she would be dead of a drug overdose.
When Columbia released “Pearl” posthumously, producer Paul A. Rothchild decided to include “Mercedes Benz.”
The song quickly caught the fancy of FM deejays. Radio listeners also fell in love with the tune.
Today it has been covered by more than 30 other recording acts.
(And yes, we know the car in the photo is a Porsche! It belonged to Janis. She did not own a Mercedes-Benz.")
As we age, most of us are aware that our vision ages right with us, making nighttime driving a bit more challenging than when we were young. The experts say there are a few easy ways to “lighten” the load of driving after dark.
1.) Reset the illumination levels of your dashboard and any in-car screens – You should lower these levels. The brighter the interior of your car, the harder it will be to see things outside your car.
2.) Keep your windshield and your headlights clean – Yeah, we know that should be obvious, but it should be mentioned.
3.) Don’t shut off the caffeine too early – The number of crashes that involve drowsy drivers is alarming, so maybe have that after-dinner cup of coffee after all.
4.) Put the brights on almost always – Except, of course, when there’s on-coming traffic. The more of the road you can see, the safer you’ll be.
If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, you can check out its safety ratings here at iihs.org/ratings. Be safe out there. We need all the listeners we can get!