You know, it is so great when you encounter one of the pioneers in the music business, a guy whose name you have heard many times with admiration and awe, and he turns out to be a terrific guy, and you have connections with him you did not even know about.

This happened to me today, April 9, in Lancaster, PA when I met Charlie Gracie, a true legend in the rock and rockabilly field, and who is billed, quite accurately, as the first rock'n'roll performer from  the city of Philadelphia. Before Frankie Avalon, before Fabian Forte, before Bobby Rydell, there was Charlie Gracie. Charlie is perhaps best known for his hits, " Butterfly" and "Fabulous," on the Cameo label. His hits basically bankrolled Cameo-Parkway for a number of years while they increased their stable of performers. Andy Williams did a cover of " Butterfly" which put him on the road to stardom, and awhile back, Sir Paul McCartney did a cover of " Fabulous." George Harrison loved Charlie's guitar playing. Charlie was appearing at the Pennsylvania Music Expo in Lancaster, and I decided I wanted to meet him and get my photo with him. What a nice man, and his wife Joan and his son and daughter-in-law were great too! You can read all about Charlie at www.charliegracie.com. Meantime, here's my photo with Charlie. He is going to be 70 this year. I should look so good!

 

Thanks, Charlie! It was great to meet you! Here's hoping to see you in Green Bay in may 2007!

Our erstwhile webmaster, who is now living in Santa Monica working on a movie, is in the process of updating the Starfires webpage. He is a very busy guy, so we probably will be getting a webmaster closer to home. check out www.starfiresforever.com.

The other exciting news is that our lead vocalist, Eddie Day, ne' Edwin Pashinski, is running for the state legislature. Check out his website at www.eddiedaypashinski.com. You folks in Pennsylvania's 121st district had better get out and support this guy. He is one of your own, born and bred in NE PA!

....And when it does, hopefully I  will be ready for my long drive. There is really not that much to get ready; just make sure I have enough clothes, the car is in good shape ( no reason to think otherwise), and I got my guitar.

My destination is Memphis, Tennessee, about a two-day drive or so, for the Ponderosa Stomp, a three-day celebration of rock'n'roll, rockabilly, and general carryings-on, at the Gibson Guitar factory in Memphis. This conclave is usually held in New Orleans, which is really not an option this year, but it's being done for the benefit of relief efforts in New Orleans. I am going to be hanging out with some of my bestest buddies in the whole world, rooming with one of them, and listening to, watching, and meeting some of the greats of this unique music form. And a bunch of us will probably get together off in a corner somewhere to play a little bit. It's going to be wild. Lest you think that " the old guys" can't rock no more, let me tell you otherwise. These guys can put it all together, amaze you onstage, and they don't have to trash a hotel room to show you their soul. Stay tuned!!

Keep two dear unnamed friends in prayer They are both in crisis, but for entirely different reasons. Sometimes it takes situations like these for you to really count your blessings, then hang onto them real tight!

I just found this on the WinXP News site by Deb Shinder, and I liked it a lot.

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Cherokee Proverb

Check out this link ( hopefully it will link)

http://www.bluesuedenews.com/

 

This is the on-line link to a print publication by Marc Bristol out in the state of Washington. Excellent magazine, with great articles and interviews. Good reviews of CDs by well-knowns, little-knowns, and unknowns. I met Marc last April in Green Bay ( almost a year ago!!). Really a nice guy, very dedicated to the success of his magazine.

 

Yes, this CD is by the same guy!

Here are some photos taken at the WJTL studio New Years Eve.

 

Here I am with Lisa Landis, morning co-host and creator of that wonderful kid's show, " The Kid's Cookie Break," Saturday mornings on WJTL. An incredibly nice lady, a good friend, and her son is very handsome!

 

 

One of my best buddies, Radio Friend Phil Smith; a gentleman, scholar, and architecture maven, who holds forth on WJTL 6-11 M-F. We have such fun together. We can always make each other laugh. And his daughter is very cute. P.S. I did not know my tie was unhooked!

 

Lisa and Phil: two total professionals who work so well together and enjoy each other's company while they spend eight hours together on the radio. I had the best time being with them.  As you might have guessed, :Lisa got a digital camera for Christmas!

 

 

Greetings, WJTL Listeners! Here’s what Phil and Lisa are having for dinner!

 

Swedish Pot Roast  (Published in Presto Pressure Cooker and Canner Instructions and Recipes)Copyright 1979 by Johnson Printing Company

 

This dish can be prepared in either a pressure cooker or slow cooker. If slow cooker is used, brown the meat in a separate pan, then  add all ingredients and cook in slow cooker for 10-12 hours.

 

3 lbs beef pot roast, chuck or brisket

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 tbl cooking oil

2 onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, diced

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup red wine or vinegar

1 cup water

4 bay leaves

 

Combine nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper; rub into meat. Heat cooker, add oil and brown meat well on all sides.  Add onion, garlic, brown sugar dissolved in wine, water and bay leaves. Close cover securely. Place pressure regular on vent pipe and cook 35-40 minutes with pressure regulator rocking slowly. Let pressure drop of its own accord.

 

4-6 servings

 

I served extra-wide noodles with poppy seeds on rather than mashed potatoes, since the gravy is a bit sweet ( think gingersnap gravy) and noodles would go better with it.

 

The peas have some dried mint and a little bit of garlic, with some butter or margarine ( I am using light butter tonight.) Enjoy!

It's fixed. a repairguy really went to bat for us and fixed our furnace today. It is warm again!

I am cold. This is, to say the least, a very unusual situation, because I am in my home. There is no heat except for our fireplace in the family room and a small disc furnace in the master bathroom.  I am upstairs right now, so I get the benefit of neither. Our furnace is broken, it cannot be fixed for at least a week, and there is no help for it. We had a blower replaced, it was put in wrong, and this caused the entire mechanism of our geothermal system to be damaged beyond repair. It all must be replaced, of course paid for by the repair facility.. It is a special order item, very expensive, and all distributors are closed until Tuesday. The last time the company ordered a blower from its distributor, it took more than a week. No one else can supply these parts, so we must wait. We must remain here, not only because of our three cats, who will do fine, but because this is our home and all we need is here. My wife works all week, overnight both Tuesday and Friday. I work Tuesday through Friday, a relief for a co-worker who was injured in a head-on collision which was not her fault, so I cannot call off. I AM the substitute. So I cannot be here Tuesday through Friday, even if the parts would become available. I know this situation is not forever, and we will once again have heat once the parts become available, but  it really gives one pause. There are those who are in a situation with no heat or some other difficult situation, where the remedy is not so much at hand. We can survive by bundling up, and, of course, leaving for periods of time. Others cannot. We have wood. Others do not. We have electricity. Others do not.

Take a lesson, John.