Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter

In the July Newsletter I made reference to Eddie Money and the song "Baby Hold On" from 1978.

Eddie Money died earlier this month and I wanted to share a story about his song "Take Me Home Tonight." The song was in part a tribute to the Ronettes, the 1960s New York City girl group responsible for the 1963 hit "Be My Baby." However, tracking down Ronnie Spector to sing on the track was tougher than first imagined.

"I could hear clinking and clanking in the background," Money told The Hippo in 2015, referring to a conversation with her on the phone. "I said, Ronnie, what are you doing"? She said, "I’m doing the dishes, and I gotta change the kids’ bedding. I’m not really in the business anymore, Eddie." Eventually, Money was able to convince her to come down to the studio to recreate her iconic "Be My Baby" vocal part for the song.

Success came quickly with the release of his self-titled debut album in 1977, which features two of his most iconic songs, "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Baby Hold On," my personal favorite.

Eddie Money really did have 2 tickets to paradise when he eloped 30 years ago with his wife, Laurie, but the rock star managed to fulfill a lifelong dream to exchange vows back on February 7th, before he passed away.

The timing was perfect because after Money was diagnosed with esophageal cancer last fall, three months after he and his wife exchanged vows, Eddie would also need to undergo a heart valve procedure.

Sadly, complications associated with his heart valve procedure led to his death on September 13, 2019. Eddie Money was 70.

I've always been fascinated with trains, especially train songs like "Mystery Train,"
  "City of New Orleans," and "Orange Blossom Special." I grew up living near railroad tracks.

The tracks were about 150 yards from our house and served a purpose for the times.

Trains provided me and my buddies with entertainment as we would sit on the railroad tracks and watch the drive-in movies located, of course, next to the tracks. Sitting on the tracks atop a single car underpass provided us with a great view of the movies for free. A slow moving freight train provided transportation from near our house to the railroad switch yards about two miles away.

As I got older the railroad tracks were my personal walking path to my girlfriend's house who actually lived closer to the train noise, separated only by a side street.

While many kids today sit at home and play with their Xbox, cell phones and computers, me and my buddies played sand lot baseball, and rode freight trains for fun.

Imagine the times...no drivers license, no cell phones, and no computers...but we had great friends to hang out with. Who said you couldn't have fun growing up in the 50s?  Read my train story about the Orange Blossom Special. (opens in new window)

It was 1961 and Charlie McCoy was a little known session player on a few  recordings and demos.

A few years earlier he had failed to impress Chet Atkins when he played and sang Johnny B. Goode. Chet Atkins later heard McCoy playing harmonica on a demo song that Chet wanted to publish with the Nashville musicians, the Anita Kerr Singers, and a little known twenty-year-old, Ann-Margaret.

He contacted Music publisher, Jim Denny and said, "Whoever played that harmonica on the demo, I want that person; and I want them to play exactly what they played on that demo."

At the end of the session, the bass player, Bob Moore, came over to Charlie and said, "You free Friday"? "And Charlie laughed and responded, "I was free the rest of my life.” And Bob said. "You come back here on Friday. I’m doing a session with Roy Orbison."

And we recorded a "b" side record called "Candy Man," and when it hit the radio, my phone started ringing. The "A" side was the song, "Crying" that reached #2 on the billboard top 100. Now you know Charlie McCoy was the harmonica player on Roy Orbison's Candy Man.

Want to build an empire? Try a model railroad. If you get as excited about railroads as Greg does, you are already a model railroader at heart.

What I learned on Greg's site is that model railroading is a creative hobby....There's the artistic side, the electronics side, the woodworking side of it....and it's relaxing. So you might as well go ahead and build one. It's not hard to do.  You just need to know the right techniques. 

Greg's website will show you how to do it....for free. Everything you need to know is right on his site...from designing, planning, laying track, building scenery and structures, wiring and operating trains and lots of special effects that make it even more fun and exciting than you ever thought possible.

Railroads are about America. They tell us about the history of our country, about how we grew and thrived and about how all of us were brought together from New York to California and Alaska. If you are a model railroader or would like to learn more, visit Building Your Model Railroad and let my friend Greg Warth be your guide. (opens in new window)