Latest news with #AmericanBandstand
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Connie Francis Says ‘Pretty Little Baby' Going Viral ‘Gives Me a New Lease on Life'
If not for TikTok, Connie Francis' 1962 tinkly organ bop 'Pretty Little Baby' may have been forever obscure. It was never a hit, and Francis, reached by phone at her Parkland, Fla., home, barely remembers recording it. 'I had to listen to it to identify it,' admits the 87-year-old pop legend, who became the first woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo act in July 1960 with 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool,' one of her three Hot 100 No. 1s. 'Then, of course, I recognized the fact that I had done it in seven languages.' More from Billboard Here Are Connie Francis' Biggest Billboard Hits Saweetie Locks in Debut Australian Tour Dates French Police Recover Bust From Jim Morrison's Grave, 37 Years After It Was Stolen A friend recently informed Francis that 'Pretty Little Baby' had turned up on TikTok as a 'viral hit,' an upbeat soundtrack for people (including Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian) showing off babies, puppies, kittens and — befitting the lyric 'you can ask the flowers' — flowers. Francis responded: 'What's that?' In a sense, TikTok is just a technological update of American Bandstand in the '60s, when Dick Clark's TV countdown regularly drew 8 million viewers and automatically turned songs into hits. 'Without Dick Clark, there would have been no Connie Francis,' Francis says. 'Pretty Little Baby' was one of 40 songs Francis recorded during several recording sessions over four days in August 1961, according to her 2017 autobiography Among My Souvenirs: The Real Story Vol. 1. The track landed on her Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love & Other Hits album. On April 10, 'Pretty Little Baby' was streaming 17,000 times per week in the U.S.; a month later, it was streaming 2.4 million times, an increase of more than 7,000%. The track has 10 billion TikTok views, hitting No. 1 on the app's Viral 50 and Top 50 charts, and recently crossed over to streaming success, with 14 million global streams, landing at No. 67 on Spotify's Global Top 100. Francis' label, Universal Music, recently reissued the versions Francis had sung in Swedish, Japanese and other languages in 1962, when her label, MGM, hoped to score hits in regions outside the U.S. Francis, who told Facebook followers in March she is awaiting stem cell therapy to treat a 'troublesome painful hip,' discussed 'Pretty Little Baby,' 'Who's Sorry Now,' Just In Time (the hit Broadway musical about her late onetime boyfriend Bobby Darin) and the domineering nature of her late Svengali father, George Franconero Sr. Of her newfound virality, she tells Billboard: 'I'm getting calls from everywhere: 'You're a TikTok phenomenon.'' Did the memory of recording 'Pretty Little Baby' come back to you when you recently listened to the song? Yes. I remembered after I heard it. It's just a blessing to know that kindergarten kids know me and my music now. It's really thrilling. That song was on . Phil Spector co-wrote the title track. Yes, it was Phil Spector's first top 10 record. What do you remember about working with him? I didn't work with him on it. He wasn't even at the session. Since you posted 'What's that?' on Facebook, have you learned about viral hits and TikTok? Yes. [Laughs.] Now I know. Have you seen in which Gracie Lawrence plays you on stage? I'm planning on going to see it. Lawrence told an that the most difficult song of yours to sing is 'Who's Sorry Now,' from 1958. She said: 'The balance of singing emotionally, going through the heartbreak she experiences every night, while also wanting to deliver a pitch-perfect performance is a really challenging task. It's one I assume Connie herself was navigating while performing the song as well at the pinnacle of her career, and she's just been put through the ringer emotionally behind the scenes. I think about that a lot.' Does that resonate with you? Yes. It does resonate with me. How did you get through that emotion when recording it? I didn't want to record the song. My father insisted that I record 'Who's Sorry Now.' I did three other songs at the session first, in the hopes of not being able to get to 'Who's Sorry Now' in the four-hour time allotted to me. I had 16 minutes left in the session and I said, 'That's a wrap, fellas, there's no time for 'Who's Sorry Now.'' My father said, 'If I have to nail you to that microphone, you're going to do at least one take of 'Who's Sorry Now.'' So that's what I did — one take of 'Who's Sorry Now.' And I didn't try to imitate anybody else, as I always had on my recordings. By the time I was 14, I did demonstration records, and a publisher would say, 'Connie, give us some of that great Patti Page sound, give me some of that great Kay Starr sound, give me some of that great Teresa Brewer sound.' I didn't have a style of my own yet. But on 'Who's Sorry Now,' I was so turned off on the song that I didn't try to imitate anybody else. I just sounded like myself for the first time. And it was a hit. So not only was that a breakthrough on the charts, it was a breakthrough for you creatively. Yes, it was. You described in your book the 'arduous work' to drive between radio stations and record hops in different cities, 'from one dreary, depressing $3 or $4 a day hotel room to the next.' When did that dreary, depressing part of your career come to an end? It came to an end with 'Who's Sorry Now.' I didn't have to worry about staying in $4-a-night hotels. You wrote in your book: 'Bobby wasn't merely a person, he was an experience.' If an actor and actress were to reach out for suggestions on how to play both you and Mr. Darin, what advice would you give them? Well, Bobby was very cool. And I was very naive. When he said, 'I dig,' I said, 'You do? For what sort of company? Oil?' What plans do you have to promote 'Pretty Little Baby'? Interviews? Appearances? I don't feel like going on the road. TV shows? Yes, I'll do TV. What do you miss about the music business? I miss the stage. Is there ever an opportunity for you to perform again? Those days are over. That ship has sailed. For health reasons? Or too difficult logistically? For a variety of reasons. It's too much work. Anything else you want to say to your new 'Pretty Little Baby' fans? I want to thank everybody. It gives me a new lease on life. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gail Houston's ‘Songs From The Soul' cancelled
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – An afternoon of jazz, gospel, blues, and brunch has been postponed. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Gail Houston has decided to postpone her 'Songs From The Soul' performance at Kilmer Mansion. The event was originally scheduled for May 10. She plans to hold it at a later date. 'Songs From The Soul' will celebrate the launch of Houston's new business, Morsecode Edutainment. Last year, she started working with Binghamton University's Small Business Development Center to create the business, which combines education and entertainment through dynamic performances and interactive events. Houston was an accomplished recording artist in the 1960's who founded the girl group The Percells. The group performed at the legendary Apollo Theatre and on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show. For more, visit Gail Houston's 'Songs From The Soul' cancelled Accused Delaware County drug dealer facing felony charges Mets top prospect to start rehab stint in Binghamton Binghamton psychic guilty of defrauding lovesick victim Canisteo police chief resigns, pleads guilty, after joint investigation into timekeeping fraud Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gail Houston's ‘Songs From the Soul' at the Kilmer Mansion
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – A longtime soul, jazz, and pop singer is celebrating the launch of her new business by sharing her talents with the community. Gail Houston is presenting 'Songs From The Soul' on Sunday May 10th at the Kilmer Mansion in Binghamton. Houston was an accomplished recording artist in the 1960's who founded the girl group The Percells and performed at the legendary Apollo Theatre and on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV show. Last year, she started working with Binghamton University's Small Business Development Center to create a business that combines education and entertainment. Houston says Morsecode Edutainment's mission is to inspire and educate through dynamic performances and interactive events. 'I'm looking for people to experience things outside of their normal things, to blend and to come together for one purpose, and that is to have some fun,' Houston said. The gospel, blues, and jazz brunch takes place from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 10th at the Kilmer Mansion. Houston will be accompanied by keyboardist Mike Melnyk as well as a bassist and a violinist. There will also be a brunch spread. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Bay Area power-pop greats the Rubinoos hold weekly residency at the Make-Out Room
Veteran Bay Area power-pop band the Rubinoos play a month of Monday shows in March with a special residency at the Make-Out Room in the Mission District. Founded in 1970 by then teenagers Jon Rubin and Tommy Dunbar to play a dance at their Berkeley high school, the quartet covered rock oldies by Chubby Checker, Bill Haley and the Comets, the Dovells and the Troggs for that first performance under the name Jon Rubin and the Rubinoos. It wasn't until the following year that Rubin and Dunbar reformed the band with Donn Spindt on drums and Tom Carpender on bass as the Rubinoos and changed their focus to original songs written by Dunbar with Rubin and others that nodded heavily to early rock and roll and the tight songcraft of the Raspberries and the Beatles. Mentored by Dunbar's older brother Robbie and his established power-pop group Earth Quake (who the Rubinoos frequently opened for at local shows), the band would end up working with the independent imprint Beserkley Records founded by Earth Quake and their management. The band made its recorded debut in 1975 with a cover of the DeFranco Family's hit "Gorilla," that was released as a single and included on the Beserkley Chartbusters power-pop compilation alongside songs by Earth Quake, Greg Kihn and Jonathan Richman, two of which featured the Rubinoos as his backing band. The label released the band's eponymous debut album in 1977 with the Rubinoos scoring a hit with a cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells' song "I Think We're Alone Now" that made the Billboard charts and earned the quartet appearances on "American Bandstand," British television show "So It Goes" and "Rolling Stone Magazine: The 10th Anniversary" television special. While they would support Elvis Costello on a string of U.S. dates, the group's 1979 sophomore effort Back to the Drawing Board! did not have the same commercial impact, despite boasting the minor hit "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" that performed better in England and Europe than the States. Dunbar and Rubin would later sue Avril Levigne and her producer Dr. Luke for copyright infringement due to the similarities between the tune and in her 2007 song "Girlfriend" (an undisclosed settlement was reached between the parties). The duo recorded demos for an abortive third album with a new line-up featuring bassist Al Chan, but the quartet dissolved when Dunbar and Rubin ended up moving to Los Angeles and signing with Warner Bros. for the Todd Rundgren-produced mini LP Party of Two. After scoring another hit with the title song to the comedy Revenge of the Nerds, the Rubinoos would go on hiatus. During the initial downtime, the musicians focused on other projects with Dunbar, Spindt, Chan forming the group Vox Pop with Psychotic Pineapple bassist John Seabury (and Chan switching from bass to guitar), while Rubin joined the a cappella doo-wop group the Mighty Echoes. The release of a couple Rubinoos compilations in the '90s rekindled interest in the band, leading a reunion to produce the acclaimed new album Paleophonic in 1999 and an appearance at the International Pop Overthrow Festival in Los Angeles, their first live performance in seven years. Since then, the quartet of Rubin, Dunbar, Spindt and Chan has maintained a steady stream of new recordings and international touring in addition to live and archival releases. In 2018, the Rubinoos signed to Yep Rock Records for the purpose of releasing both new material -- From Home in 2019 was produced by noted SF songwriter and fan Chuck Prophet -- and reissues of the band's first two albums and the previously unavailable live session The CBS Tapes that was recorded at a Folsom Street studio in 1976. For this Gibbsmo Presents residency at the Make-Out Room in San Francisco's Mission District, the band will play four consecutive Monday nights in March playing two sets per evening with varied setlists and special surprise guests to encourage repeat attendance. The opening night on March 3 will feature support from SF pop band the Telephone Numbers, and local favorites Chime School will open the night on St. Patrick's Day. The other two shows (March 10 and 24) will just feature the Rubinoos and no support band.
