LEROY VAN DYKE SHOW RARE ORIGINAL '65 DJ STEREO LP

LEROY VAN DYKE THE LEROY VAN DYKE SHOW LPCategory / Style / Moods: Country * Traditional Country * Country-Pop * Nashville Sound/ Countrypolitan Instruments * Songwriter * Vocals24.77 / 2007-12-02 S asocc1965 WARNER BROS. US WS 1618 LPTITLE: THE LEROY VAN DYKE SHOWARTIST: LEROY VAN DYKECONDITIONCOVER: VG OR BETTERVINYL: VG++ TO NEAR MINTClick here for info on grading and abbreviationsRARE ORIGINAL PRESS GOLD LABEL STEREO WITH PROMO STICKERClick the pix for a better view TRACKS: Disc: 1 1.Medley: It's Good To Be Alive, I Know a Place, Big Wide Wonderful World/Tennessee Waltz/Medley: Any Time, Oh Lonesome Me, King of the Road/Medley: Your Cheatin' Heart, Jambalaya, Stay With Me/Good Life/Just a State of Mind/Ol' Man Mose/RepriseReview by Greg Adams Leroy Van Dyke had few substantial hits after his 1961 smash "Walk on By," which is probably why he felt the need to reinvent himself in the late '60s. The Leroy Van Dyke Show is a studio album that strives to convey the feel of Van Dyke's nightclub show, complete with spoken introductions and a theme that is reprised at the end of the "concert." Van Dyke described the sound of this album as "city-style country music" for people who like pop versions of country songs without realizing their origins, and his show was accordingly tailored to suit nightclub audiences who had little appreciation for rural or working class music. Consequently, the program includes pure pop songs like "Stay With Me" (a minor hit for Frank Sinatra) and Petula Clark's "I Know a Place," while the country songs are turned into Cheez Whiz with Van Dyke's heretofore unimaginable lounge-style vocal antics. The album's intro, "Big, Wide Wonderful World of Country Music," was ostensibly conceived to promote the genre but sounds like an advertising jingle. Despite a few moments of unintended hilarity, The Leroy Van Dyke Show is a painful stylistic experiment that must have worked better live than on record. Biography by Sandra Brennan & James Manheim Singer/songwriter Leroy Van Dyke was best known for penning the country novelty standard "The producteer" and the country-pop smash "Walk on By," his biggest hit. Born in Missouri, Van Dyke originally wanted to be a farmer. He earned a degree in agriculture and journalism at the University of Missouri, where he first began playing guitar. His uncle had been an producteer, and Van Dyke himself studied livestock producteering and worked as an producteer for a time. Following graduation, Van Dyke worked as a newspaper reporter. Sent to Korea during the Korean War, he began performing for his peers and wrote "The producteer," which recalled Van Dyke's uncle and was dedicated to his cousin. The song contains passages of actual product calls. Following military service, Van Dyke returned to journalism in Chicago but kept up his performing career, appearing on Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee television show. In 1956, he entered a talent contest on Chicago radio station WGN, performing "The producteer." DJ Buddy Black signed up as Van Dyke's manager and slipped in a document giving himself co-writing credits and half the royalties for the song. Released as a single on the Dot label, the song hit the pop charts in late 1956 and appeared on the country charts in early 1957, where it climbed to the Top Ten. In 1961, Van Dyke went to Nashville and signed with Mercury. One of his early releases on the label was "Walk on By," which went right to the top of the country charts and remained there for 19 weeks; it also crossed over to the Top Five on the pop charts. Van Dyke contributed his distinctive smooth tenor to what became one of country music's quintessential cheating songs, a fast two-step number with a certain sly veneer of sophistication. "Walk on By," which gained a Grammy nomination for Van Dyke, was followed up with another major crossover hit, "If a Woman Answers (Hang Up the Phone)," and the Top 40 "Black Cloud." In 1962, Van Dyke began appearing on the Grand Ole Opry. His next few Mercury releases gained only middling success, and in 1965 he signed to Warner Brothers and had Top 40 success with "Roses From a Stranger." In 1967, Van Dyke appeared in the film What Am I buy?. He recorded throughout the decade but hit the charts only with "Louisville" in 1968. Nevertheless, he remained a strong draw in Las Vegas (where he was among the first country performers to package and deliver his own self-contained show) and other upscale concert locales; as a performer Van Dyke mastered the art of combining a rural persona with countrypolitan sheen; he offered what he called "city-style country music" on the album The Leroy Van Dyke Show. This exquisite piece of retro music history is a vinyl sound recording (not a CD). Please visit the A Sound Deal store for similar items and information on grading and shipping. Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Combine Items to Save $$$! Click here to check the store for more!©A Sound Deal