Season 136 The "Nifty Fifties"

lelouden

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The Nifty Fifties~

*Sing me anything from the 50's :)
Moving away from the big band sound of the prior decade, music took a turn. Television influenced music to change into three minute musicals and hit songs were performed as television skits.

The Fifties are known as the “Birth of Rock and Roll” but the fifties were more than just rock 'n roll. Crooners like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Dinah Shore were all popular. There were Country Crooners like Bing Crosby, Ray Price and even Dean Martin. Many of these singers were the idols of the rockers who developed the new sound of Rock and Roll. Classic Pop, Rockabilly, Doo Wop, R&B, Blues, and Old Country dominated and defined this decade of music.

Patty Page kicked things off with what would become the biggest hit of the decade, the “Tennessee Waltz.”

*Elvis Presley was on the Top 100 more than any other artist in the 50's.

*Nearing the end of the decade we lost three great singers in a plane crash.
On February 3rd, 1959, often considered: The Day The Music Died, Rock Hall of Famers Buddy Holly (22), the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) (29), and Ritchie Valens (18) as well as the pilot Roger Peterson died when their Beechcraft Bonanza plane crashed just outside Clear Lake, Iowa, during a stormy winter night. Holly was famous for many hits including “Peggy Sue.” The Big Bopper had one big hit, “Chantilly Lace,” and Valens was best known for his hits, ” Oh, Donna”, and “La Bamba.” They should never be forgotten.

This season is wide open to any 50's genre. All I ask is that you say or write who the artist is and what year it was recorded. Please learn a new song to submit to the playlist. I will post comments on new videos only.


Guidelines For Entries

1. No videos posted before 12:01 am, Hawaii time, Sunday Sept. 21
Season closes at 11:59:59 pm, Hawaii time, on Sunday, Sept. 28

2. Ukulele front and center. Say it's for Season 136 including artist and recording date.

3. Everything newly recorded this week is an entry

4. Multi tracking is ok.

5. All video entries must be recorded this week and must be a song you've never recorded!

6. Multiple versions are ok.

There will be three playlists.

*Songs of the 50's

*Song by Elvis/50's

*Songs by Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens!

Winners will be chosen by the raffle ball cage from each playlist plus there will be bonus winners.

Prizes *1950's Ukulele Music Book and *Nostalgia Items! These items are featured in the opening video :)
*Books
*Marbles
*Jacks
*Slinky
*Daniel Boone/Davy Crocket Coon Hats Adult L and XL
 
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Next week will be my one week anniversary for joining the seasons. I have had a personal goal to not miss a season for this first year, so here is my entry for this week. There may be more:)

Remember start time isn't until 12:01 am, Hawaii time, Sunday Sept. 21 but I get to do whatever I want. Im the host!:biglaugh:

 
Dear Linda, what a wonderful anniversary for you! You have added so much to the Seasonista mix, with your lovely singing and playing, and your bold experimentation into every genre that has been proposed.

I like this theme. As a child (really a very tiny child, just weeks old), I heard these songs on the radio that my mother played as she did housework. They were usually very upbeat and had extremely simple lyrics (e.g., "Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at suppertime...")

I shall follow your week with great interest. And when are you coming east?
 
I like this theme. As a child (really a very tiny child, just weeks old), I heard these songs on the radio that my mother played as she did housework. They were usually very upbeat and had extremely simple lyrics (e.g., "Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at suppertime...")

I shall follow your week with great interest. And when are you coming east?

Thank You Ginny. I hope you will be able to find some time to participate. Like you've said there are oodles of songs that are stuck in our heads and easy.

If I was an independent traveler I would say tomorrow but I never know what tomorrow will bring:)
 
How many entries per playlist?

As many as you like:) Im going easy this time and using a raffle ball cage for random winners. Each participant will get an assigned number no matter how many entries they do. Your number will go in the cage for each playlist that you joined in on and then there will also be some bonus winners chosen.
 
I LOVE FIFTIES MUSIC. I am so in this week!
 
50s!

A dreary decade here but it saw the birth of some great music. I remember being wowed by Rock 'n' Roll but I had to into the kitchen to listen on the radio. My Dad hated it.

I'll need to check what I've already recorded. I hosted a Rock 'n' Roll week some time ago.
 
Fandabbydozy. As a fifties child this is a great theme for me. Love it.
 
Wiki says - Cash borrowed the melody for the song and many of the lyrics from Gordon Jenkins's 1953 song "Crescent City Blues".
Well if you have a listen the song is basically a direct steal of “Crescent City Blues” which I find very disappointing.
It is Keb Mo’s version that really got me wanting to do this song.
It was released as a single by Cash on December 15 1955.
 
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And for the Buddy Holly playlist here is my take of Everyday.
Again according to Wiki - "Everyday" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty, recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets on May 29, 1957 and released on September 20, 1957 as the B-side to "Peggy Sue".
 
"answer me, my love"

this song has been recorded by SO many people - frankie laine and david whitfield in 1953, nat king cole in 1954, the list goes on and on and ON from there - i first heard it in the form of barbara dickson's charming take from 1976 - that's the one that has inspired my vid here, i really love her version, it's the one that plays in my head when i think of the song, it's the one i sing in the bath - i hope it's ok with our lovely host... linda, if it's not fifties enough in spirit because of that extra seventies vibe, please just treat this as a fifties-inspired random just-for-fun vid rather than a season entry, and move briskly along!

 
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Here's one for the Richie Valens et al. playlist. I've known this song since I was a little kid in Guatemala, and it was one of the first sets of chords I ever learned, back when I first started trying to play guitar (almost 40 years ago now). This is also the debut of my brand-spanking-new 8-string tenor! I love the sounds I can get out of the octave strings.
 
I'm taking a sick day today and staying in, which means more ukin'! Here's my take on a classic by the King.

 
Another one from the King!

I'm on a bit of a roll today. Here's another shot at Elvis.

 
I don't think I've done this sweet song yet. easy chords, so this is a one take wonder.
from wiki:
The song is credited to Presley and Vera Matson because of the publishing agreement reached for the assignment of royalties (Presley had songwriting input on only a very small number of the many songs he recorded). The principal writer of the lyrics wasKen Darby (Matson's husband). The song was published by Elvis Presley Music.[SUP][1][/SUP] Darby also adapted the Civil War tune, which was in the public domain. When asked why he credited his wife as co-songwriter along with Presley, Darby responded, "Because she didn't write it either."
 
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On Tuesday morning, I am off for a week's vacation in North Sumatra, Indonesia! I love this week's theme, and will soon be adding another country to the list of places from which Seasonistas have performed!

Even though it's the world's 4th most populous nation after China, India and the USA, I can't recall us ever getting an entry from Indonesia.
 
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