Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter

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The golden age of vinyl records and all things retro are the highlights of our Newsletter. Writing stories about our vinyl record memories with content from my collection is our way of sharing memories and keeping the oldies alive.  We wish you lots of fun on this journey to the time of Drive-In Movies, Pizza Parlors, Malt Shops, and street cruising in your cool ride on those warm summer nights.

Issue #148, September, 2025

Ins This Issue:

• Betcha Didn't Know!  

• Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress - Out Favorite FBI Agent.

• How To Lose Your Wife Behind Those Swinging Doors.

• Moments In Time - Our Personal Time Machine To Youth And Innocence.

• Meet Wes Klee - Your Ride Deserves More Than Just A Photo!

• Framed Album Cover Art of The Month.

• Only You - The Platters 1960 Classic.

• Ned Ward's Oldies Show - Return Visit With An Oldies Classic Review.

• Pat's Country Classics - Country Music Oldies We Grew Up With.

• What's Next?

How Many Songs Have Been Recorded? 

Betcha Didn't Know! According to musicianwave.com, it is estimated that there are roughly between 97 to 230 million songs in the world, although no one can know the exact number. Spotify has more than 100 million songs and adds 60,000 new songs every day, while Gracenote had roughly 200 million songs registered up until 2018. With access to music production becoming far easier, the number of songs created each year is rising quickly. There is no definitive answer to this question, as the number of songs is ever-growing and constantly changing. 

Long Cool Woman -  A Song About Crime, Passion, and Temptation.

“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” is about an FBI agent who gets swept up in a crime bust but becomes distracted by a mysterious woman. In her tall elegance, she commands the scene, drawing the narrator—and the listeners—into a tantalizing dance.  

It serves as a reminder that music has the power to transcend time and connect people from different generations. In this song, the woman represents temptation. She pulls him away from his mission and becomes the thing he fixates on. Its narrative of crime, love, and rebellion, coupled with its infectious sound, has solidified its place in music history.

Read the rest of the story here...

How To Lose Your Wife Behind Those Swinging Doors.

"What's Made Milwaukee Famous" is a reference to a famous beer slogan and features a #2 song from 1968 by the one and only, Jerry Lee Lewis. The song was released off the Album "Another Place, Another Time." The album was also a big hit and charted in at #3.

The song is about a man, who's wife begs him not to go  to the bar. He goes anyway and every time he starts to leave, another song is played and someone buys another round.

She told him "Love and happiness can't live behind those swinging doors" and when he returns home she's gone.

It all came down to the title of the song, What Made Milwaukee Famous (Schlitz Beer) made a Loser out of him.

Moments In Time - Our Personal Time Machine to Youth and Innocence.

Those of us who grew up during the 50s and early 60s remember the musical good times our parents referred to as the Swing Era (also frequently referred to as the "big band era") from the 30s and 40s.

In the early 50s a new phase of music called Rock-n-roll was discovered and everyone was suddenly "All Shook Up." However, Doo wop was already on the scene with various groups serenading under the streetlights for all to see----and hear. And what a magnificent sound it was.

Doo wop, developed in the 1940s, is music from the founding fathers achieving mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 60s with R&B vocal harmony such as Cleve Duncan and the Penguins bringing back those memories of their anthem, "Earth Angel." This 1954 classic was one of the very first of the true ultra-romantic ballads that struck the nerve of teens all across America. 

You had some up-tempo dance records like the Silhouettes "Get A Job," the "Solitaires" "Walking the Dog" and the Del Vikings' "Come Go With Me," all from the mid 50s. At the other end of the spectrum I remember my first girl friend and dancing to Hal Miller and The Rays serenading about two "Silhouettes" on the shade.

And how about Pookie Hudson and the Spaniels saying "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" at three o'clock in the morning; the Mello-Kings crooning "Tonite, Tonite"; and of course, the great Fred Parris along with the Five Satins singing the all time number one doo wop anthem from 1956, "In The Still of The Nite." Every time I hear a doo wop record, I'm brought instantly back to those moments in time.

In 2014 I was fortunate to spend a few of those moments in time talking via phone to Vinny Mazzetta, the saxophone player on that original 1956 song.  Tom Sokira, the audio engineer and co-producer on the song contacted me in late 2018 with the sad news of Vinny's passing.

Several months earlier Tom was kind enough to share information with me about that great song, "In The Still of The Night." The Doo Wop artists and groups are slowly fading into the sunset but their music and our memories will live on.

Meet Wes Klee - Your Ride, Your Passion, Your Masterpiece.

Wes Klee says he has art and octane in his bloodline.

Growing up in an artistic family, with his father as a professional traditional artist in the classic car space, Wes has been around classic cars and hot rods his whole life.

When you work with Wes, you're partnering with an artist who treats each project as a chance to create something exceptional. His decade of experience means he has the skills to bring your vision to life, while  his passion ensures he will pour his heart into making it extraordinary. I can verify this as he did some work for me and the result is the cool '33 Ford Coupe you see pictured below. 

The Cool '33 Ford below is a prime example of some art work Wes completed for a family member who owns this classic Hot Rod. This is a 16x24 Framed Canvas print and one of his first projects with the painted background. I was excited to work with Wes on this project as he was adding more features to his artistic collection and I wanted to do something different for a special family member. It came out great and the family member was beyond words when he received his custom art work from Wes Klee Designs.  Wes is fine tuning his website but taking orders and ready to do your special car, truck, or hot rod. For more information visit Wes Klee Designs here. 

1960 Framed Album Cover Art Of The Month.

This original Platters Vinyl Record LP was purchased new and remains in my collection to this day. The album itself is in very good to excellent condition,  as is the vinyl LP record cover.  

The Platters occupy a unique position in the music of the 1950s, bridging the gap between early '50s doo-wop and black R&B groups, the traditional Tin Pan Alley pop world, and the rock-'n'-roll explosion.

The Platters' fortunes boil down to one man: their mentor, manager, producer, songwriter, and vocal coach, Buck Ram. Under his guidance, Ram took a standard doo wop vocal group and turned them into stars --- one of the most enduring and lucrative groups of all time. 

"Only You" (and you alone) - The Platters 1955 Classic.

Buck Ram managed to sign The Platters to a major deal with Mercury Records, and it was then that the trendsetting group recorded Only You (and You Alone) on April 26, 1955, launching them onto the national stage.

Zola Taylor turned seventeen one month prior to the release of "Only You." The Platters would churn out hit after hit during the 1950s, bridging the gap between more traditional vocal-group styles and the popular R&B grooves of the early '50s.

Ned Ward's Oldies Show - Spotlight Song of The Month!

A Vinyl Record Memories return visit with Ned and his producer, Mr. Barney, for another on air oldies song review.This month's visit provided an added song review as Ned checked out our Travis Tritt cover and storyline on The Platters original 1955 song titled, "Only You." Neither Ned nor I heard the song prior, so Ned believed this would be a good topic for his show as he did have the original by The Platters, and we could talk about both. And so we did.

I informed Ned a newsletter subscriber brought the song to my attention about a month ago and I decided to write a page and storyline about the song. If anyone has not heard this great cover song you can view the Travis Tritt Cover here... 

The "Platters" were the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that kicked-off an oldies revival in the early to mid 1970s: "Only You (and You Alone)," "The Great Pretender," and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." The Platters clip below is from the 1956 movie, "Rock Around The Clock."

This is a clip from that original movie with The Platters singing their hit song, Only You...

Visit Ned Ward's Oldies Show - New Show, New Times.

Each month, we showcase one of our favorite oldies radio programs, Ned Ward's Oldies Show. Ned airs his show from out Oregon way, and if you tune in, you might hear Ned talk a little about Vinyl Record Memories.com. Ned plays all your favorite oldies from the Golden Age of Vinyl Records and beyond.

Listen to Ned Ward's Oldies Show, Saturday and Sunday from Noon to 3pm, all times Pacific. DJ Ned Ward turns music into memories playing yesterday's Classic Hits from the 40's thru the 90's on the new and exciting KNCP Newberry Mix 107.3 FM

Pat's Country Classics - A Popular Country Oldies Show.

Veteran radio personality, Pat Appleson, considers himself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with talent as diverse as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Tom T. Hall, Ray Stevens, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Larry Gatlin, Roger Miller, Tanya Tucker, Bill Anderson, Charlie Pride, Mac Davis, and many others. Pat's show, "Pat's Country Classics," is on every Sunday from 9pm-Midnight EST. 

What's Next?

Another original Framed Album Cover Art and story from our collection.

How much would you pay for a really good vinyl record? New reissues go for around $20-30 dollars. Read how Tom Port gets up to $1,000.00 for a single copy of a vinyl record.

I hope you find time to visit more great stories about growing up in the 50s, 60s and 70s. You can start here....