The first publication dedicated to songs written and composed by Ian over the last 40 years, starting with his 1965 smash hit, You Turn Me On. the book includes his many styles ranging from Nashville country numbers (Hands) and British comedy songs (Wurzel Fudge, written for Benny Hill) to personal ballads Old Friends, and his latest batch of songs-from waltz to rumba - reflecting his life as an expatriate Englishman living in Southern California.Ian plays piano, accordion and ukulele as well as singing. the book provides top line melodies plus chord symbols for keyboard, guitar and ukulele.The audio download is a treasure trove of commercial recordings of all the songs, including releases on Capitol Records and Warner Bros. Records. Other vocals are by Debbie Dawn, Corky Mayberry, and Regina Whitcomb. There's also a full description of how these songs came to be written, as well as an essay about Ian's famous uncle who wrote such evergreens as Lady of Spain and Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing. This book takes the player inside the eclectic musical world of this Renaissance Man who has risen from Teen Idol to Grammy Award winner, respected musicologist and author.
(Limelight). In 1965, Ian Whitcomb's novelty rocker "You Turn Me On" was number eight on the national charts, along with entries from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys. In 1966 he was nowheresville a certified rock 'n' roll flash in the pan. It is, then, with a survivor's humor that he tells both his and rock's story from its beginnings in the late fifties to 1969, the year of Woodstock and psychedelic dreams of universal peace and love. Here is the saga of the British Invasion, the genesis of folk rock, the blooming of Flower Power, the Summer of Love and the inner workings of the pop music biz, brought to life by a true insider who is also an uninhibitedly acute observer.
Ian Whitcomb, One Hit Wonder British Invader of the 1960s and teen heart-throb, never went home. Instead he tried to settle down in Los Angeles County where, over the years, he produced a Grammy-winning CD, wrote songs for movies, auditioned for butler roles in TV commercials, had and lost dogs, married successfully, and continued to play his ukulele as the ship went down. Now the entire soap opera (1996--2008), roped together in hard copy with appropriate photos, can be relished as a roller coaster of self-pity, vaunting and failed ambition, jealousy, bathos and pathos, culminating in a Big Dream. In other words, this is a comedy book. Mainline Show Biz may have passed Whitcomb by but here in these precious pages he creates his own world of heroes and villains with himself as King in order to get sweet revenge through the twisted lingo of his India rubber sword.
First published in 1972, Ian Whitcomb's After the Ball is an exuberant account of the origins and explosion of popular music, informed by the author's store of experience in the field as a pop sensation of The Sixties. 'Brash, learned, funny and perspicacious.... The author of this free-wheeling, diverting history was a student at Trinity College, Dublin, when he created a rock hit 'You Turn Me On,' and experienced a brief, bewildering season as a touring rock celebrity. This book... is his effort to explain that experience to himself, and, well-educated man that he is, he goes all the way back to the first pop bestseller (in sheet music, of course), 'After The Ball,' and all the way forward to the 1960s.' New Yorker 'One of the best books on popular music to come along in the last few years.... Whitcomb's own involvement with music constantly surfaces to make the book both revealing and highly enjoyable.' Seattle Times
In this wonderful collection Ian Whitcomb shows how to handle the uke in such a romantic way that the gently murmuring strums emerge to act as a sweet stream of accompaniment upon which one's vocals can float along smoothly and pleasingly. All of the classic ballads included in this book were originally published before the ukulele established itself as an instrument to be taken seriously by the pop industry, before it became the 1920's equivalent of the rock guitar. the music on the companion compact disc is performed by Ian Whitcomb and his various bands and orchestras. the music is written in standard notation with chord symbols and fretboard diagrams for soprano or tenor uke in standard (G-C-E-A) tuning. Lyrics are also included.
This collection for ukulele brings back many favorite songs and ballads from the Roaring Twenties, plus several songs taken from the notebooks of Al Brown, an itinerant performer active in the period. These songs were featured in the motion pictures the Cat's Meow and Last Call. the music is presented in lead sheet form with melody lines, chord symbols, and lyrics. Photos and artwork from the 1920s enhance the presentation. the music on the companion CD is performed by Ian Whitcomb with his various bands and orchestras.
A wonderful tribute to the ukulele and its leading advocates, past and present.Contains seventeen classics and eight new tunes as well as an in-depth historical essay illustrated with original sheet music covers. Classic selections include: Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula; Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go with Friday on Saturday Night?; All That I Ask of You Is Love; They're Wearing 'Em Higher in Hawaii; Sierra Sue; Any Time; Pasadena; Somebody Stole My Gal; Blue; and more. All tunes are shown with complete lyrics and chord diagrams. Includes a select discography of audio's featuring ukulele artists and a list of uke web sites. Most of the songs heard in the feature film Stanley's Gig (2000) starring Faye Dunaway can be found in this book. Includes access toonline audio
Following in the wake of his successful book and CD entitled the Titanic Songbook, Ian Whitcomb has compiled this collection of 20 music hall songs of the type that may have entertained the Titanic's steerage passengers on their fateful voyage of April, 1912. This book is sure to appeal to singers, pianist, and historians alike. It features historical essays and anecdotes plus period photographs, vintage sheet music covers, and a picture gallery entitled Idols of the Halls.
This little songbook is a celebration of the spirit for use by ukulele entertainers and everybody else who wants to feel better in these often sad times of ours. There are no hymns or songs of praise as in a church, but the function is pretty much the same: the use of song to raise you out of yourself and onto another plateau where all is merry and bright. an alternative medicine to pills and the like. I want you to use these songs like friendly weapons. Wield them gaily at gatherings-parties, concerts, restaurants, business meetings, railway stations, airports, political demonstrations. You'll spread happiness, contentment and peace wherever you sing them. If we only had an army of ukesters singing these numbers we could march into any troubles part of the globe and within moments every belligerent would lay down their arms and surrender. Soon all would be joining in the fun. Pull out your ukuleles and follow the dancing print. If you want to hear my version on record then download and play along.
Presents authentic period music, ranging from classical to ragtime, as performed on the fateful voyage of the Titanic on April 14, 1912. Ian Whitcomb- one-time rock star, now a renowned music historian and a specialist in the performance of ragtime and Tin Pan Alley songs- assembled this outstanding collection of authentic music played aboard the Titanic. the book features historical essays and anecdotes, facsimiles of the original sheet music covers, and even photos of the members of the ship's orchestra. This book is a musical/historical tour de force, sure to appeal to singers, pianists, and amateur historians alike.
The first publication dedicated to songs written and composed by Ian over the last 40 years, starting with his 1965 smash hit, You Turn Me On. the book includes his many styles ranging from Nashville country numbers (Hands) and British comedy songs (Wurzel Fudge, written for Benny Hill) to personal ballads Old Friends, and his latest batch of songs-from waltz to rumba - reflecting his life as an expatriate Englishman living in Southern California.Ian plays piano, accordion and ukulele as well as singing. the book provides top line melodies plus chord symbols for keyboard, guitar and ukulele.The audio download is a treasure trove of commercial recordings of all the songs, including releases on Capitol Records and Warner Bros. Records. Other vocals are by Debbie Dawn, Corky Mayberry, and Regina Whitcomb. There's also a full description of how these songs came to be written, as well as an essay about Ian's famous uncle who wrote such evergreens as Lady of Spain and Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing. This book takes the player inside the eclectic musical world of this Renaissance Man who has risen from Teen Idol to Grammy Award winner, respected musicologist and author.
The author of What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? chronicles the spectacular chart-topping success of Bill Haley's hit record "Rock Around the Clock," focusing particular attention on the cultural setting that surrounded the birth of rock music in 1955. Original.
Featuring an Introduction by Harry "K.C". Casey--of K.C. and the Sunshine Band--this spirited chronicle of the disco subculture features outrageous photos of the trailblazers of the movement. 200 photos.
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