January Meeting Is Record Show Workday

We don’t have an official meeting in January. We will be meeting on January 23rd to prepare for our Record Show. More details are in your newsletter.

ARCA Christmas Party

There is no business meeting in December. Instead we’ll be gathering for food, fun and fellowship at our annual Christmas party on December 12th.

Specific details are in your ARCA newsletter. We hope to see everyone there!

November Meeting




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Our next meeting is November 15th. We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

October Meeting

Our next meeting is October 18th. We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

 

Birmingham area musician, Johnny Click, will be at our September meeting!

Johnny Click will speak at our next meeting on September 20th.
 
Johnny Click was born and raised in Birmingham. He started in music at a young age, first with his parents in a gospel group, the Melody Makers. He learned to play the guitar, bass and piano and soon joined Sonny Duke and the Sundowners in the late 60s. After about two years with Sonny, he formed his own band, The Johnny Click Band. Johnny’s music consisted of a mixture of rock and country. He recorded several 45s, some in Muscle Shoals and some in Birmingham and some of his music was played on WYDE. He’s opened for or played with some big names, such as the Platters and the Coasters and, in country, the Judds, Shelly West and many others. Over a period of 20 years or so, Johnny has owned three clubs on southside, the first being ‘Good Times’, then ‘Rockafellers’, then ‘Johnny Click on the Strip.’ At Rockafellers, he would have various national artists come in and perform. Over the years, many local musicians have played with Johnny, including Henry Lovoy. Johnny still plays today in a band that includes Mike Shell (The Tempos) and Boddy Delander (Crimson Tide).

We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting/Johnny presentation is at 3 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level

Annual Picnic

Instead of a normal meeting in August, we have our annual picnic. It will be at Rickwood Caverns on August 22nd. There will be plenty of food, music & fellowship. Don’t forget your swimsuits! Please consult your member newsletter for details.

Our next regular monthly meeting will be on September 20, 2014.

July Meeting

Our next meeting is July 19th.  We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

Hotel - "Half Moon Silver"

ARCA Honorary Members, Hotel, and their last Billboard Hot 100 hit, "Half Moon Silver" from 1980.  This was the title song from their second album.  With mainstream music moving more toward the 'New Wave' sound of the 80s, Hotel, with its second album, tried to get an edgier sound.  This song utilized multi-part vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Eagles. Sadly, Hotel would disband two years later, but members Marc Phillips and Tommy Calton would carry on with Split the Dark, which won an MTV Basement Tapes award in 1986 with the song "Always A Chance."

Jubal John Album

Be sure to check out this article on Jubal Dalzell (i.e. Jubal John). Jubal is an accomplished area musician and has been a member of the Alabama Record Collectors Association for several years. CLICK HERE 

June Meeting

Our next meeting is June 28th. This is one week later than normal due to the Father's day holiday.  We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m.

Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

Tempos update

I spoke to Mike Shell and he said that he and Terry are in the process of getting things together to "show and tell' at the meeting next week.  He his very much looking forward to it. Larry Cook is now only a possibility, however.  Mike is hoping Larry can make it, but can't guarantee it.  It should be a great meeting.

Special guests lined up for the May meeting

As previously announced, we will have members of the Tempos come and talk to us about the band and give us all the behind-the-scenes tid-bits and stories that are always entertaining. We even have some more good news. We had thought and announced that two members, Mike Shell and Terry Barnett, were coming, but also coming is a third member, Larry Cook, which are all of the surviving members.  The Tempos released one album, "Speaking of The Tempos."  That album has become a highly sought after and hard-to-find gem for collectors.  This should be a very informative and entertaining meeting.

We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting/program is at 3 p.m. Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

Lou Christie - Drive In Dreams

Here is a great new (2015) song from Lou Christie, "Drive In Dreams."  This was not written by Lou like most of his early hits were, but by a new friend, Gregory Scharpf of the band, Sweet Breeze.  The song was written with Christie in mind and is very nostalgic.  At 72, Lou sounds as good, if not better, than ever.  Still has that great falsetto voice.

Notepad of original lyrics to "American Pie" sold, but meaning of song still unclear

The original lyrics for Don McLean's "American Pie" (including rejected and edited lines) fetched $1.2 million at a New York auction Tuesday (April 7). The buyer remains anonymous. As for the meaning to the song, Don said in the auction catalog, "Basically, in 'American Pie' things are heading in the wrong direction. [Life] is becoming less idyllic. I don't know whether you consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song, in a sense. I thought it would be interesting as I reach age 70 to release this, so that anyone who might be interested will learn that this song was not a parlor game It was an indescribable photograph of America that I tried to capture in words and music, and then was fortunate enough through the help of others to make a successful recording." The catalog did say it was "fair to surmise" that "The King" was Elvis, "The Jester" was Bob Dylan and "Helter Skelter" refers to the Charles Manson murders.

"Made In Alabama" CD

I wanted to make everyone aware of a new CD which spotlights the rich musical heritage of Alabama.  Tony Lumpkin, who most will remember played with the Bleus, put me on to this.  It consists of mostly original material by Alabama songwriters like Eddie Hinton, Wayne Perkins, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.  All of the musicians, except one, are Alabama bred.  That one musician (not from Alabama) is 'Blue Lou' Marini, the saxophone player that most will remember from the "Blues Brothers" movies.

The killer songs are all well-produced right here in Alabama.  I urge everyone to give a listen.  For more information and song samples, go to http://www.musicmadeinalabama.com/. 

April Meeting

Our next meeting is April 19th. We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m. Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

Please remember that Mike Shell and Terry Barnett who formed the Tempos are speakers at our May meeting and not this meeting.

The Alabama Music Office visits the 2015 CD & Record Show

MARCH MEETING

Our next meeting is March 22nd. We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m. Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.

THANK YOU!

Thanks for a great show this past weekend!   Biggest crowd in years. Many, many young people showed up to search for vinyl gems. Our show is not just for the older Rock and Roll generation, but for all ages and musical tasters. Multiple international buyers came from England, Germany, Sweden and even Japan. People have emailed us to say that they were able to find records that they've been trying to find for years. ARCA's friend, R&B singer and Birmingham's own, Roscoe Robinson dropped by on Saturday to meet the folks and talk about his days in the music business. Next year's show will be March 4th and 5th, 2016 at the Bessemer Civic Center, so if you missed this one, make plans now to attend the next one. Get on our mailing list and you'll receive a post card before the show. Keep checking our facebook page or our website for future announcements and details about the show.

 

2015 Record Show

Our CD and Record Show will be held at the Bessemer Civic Center on March 6 & 7, 2015.  On Friday, the Early Bird session starts at 1 pm with an admission charge of $10. The $3 general admission hours on Friday are 4-9 pm and 9 am – 5 pm on Saturday.

All dealer space is fully reserved.  We have added a few extra tables this year to help accommodate demand, but still have a waiting list.  Please contact Joe Reddick at heyjoe1357@aol.com if you wish to be added to our waiting list or for additional dealer information.

Customers can expect the largest selection we have ever had at our current location.  Make sure you allow plenty of time to search dealer inventory.

Additional details for the show can be found in our CD & Record Show Blog.

ARCA is 35!!

Did you know that ARCA is 35 this month?  That’s right, 35!  Back, way back, in 1980, Fred Dahlke made a decision to start an organization for music lovers and collectors.  There was no such organization in the state of Alabama.  The seeds were actually sewn as much as five years earlier.  Fred had talked with other music collectors off and on.  One, in particular, was from Florida.  Fred ran into him at a thrift store looking through records.  The man told Fred that there was a music club in Florida that held record shows and such.  Fred was intrigued to say the least, so after a while, he decided to form the Alabama Record Collectors Association.  The beginnings were small.  With six others meeting in Fred’s living room, they formulated the plans of what ARCA would be.

ARCA then worked out a deal where UAB would provide a room for the monthly meetings, so beginning in March, the group left the coziness of Fred’s living room to go to the UAB campus.

During this same period, Fred had also been in negotiations with Program Director, Tom Reynolds, at WAPI about doing a weekly show to play the GOOD older music that we all grew up with.  He also reasoned that it would be a very good way to promote ARCA.  WAPI agreed to try a one-hour show beginning in March, 1980.  The show was called, “Original Gold Wax.”  Response was so great that, not only did WAPI continue the show, but they expanded it to two hours.  Fred remembers driving one day and hearing a promo on the radio announcing his three hour show.  Fred was thrilled, but also taken aback, because this was the first time he had heard of his show going to three hours.  By the way, Neil Evans had heard the show and joined ARCA the second month.  He would also join Fred on the radio show, so it became a two-man show.

The radio show certainly did help boost ARCA’s membership which exploded after the show began.  A few of those original members are still members today.

In the spring of 1982, ARCA decided to sponsor Birmingham’s very first Record Show.  It was held at the now-gone Parliament House on 20^th Street.  Fred recalls how nervous he was on the way to the show on that first day, wondering if anyone would show up.  As he approached the building, he was simply amazed at what he saw.  There was a line of people from inside the building, spilling out the front door and down the walkway.  The attendance at that show was over 1200.

The Record Show continued to grow and stayed at the Parliament House for two or three years, then moved to the F.O.P. Lodge on Greensprings Ave. where it remained for many years.  After brief stints at the Cascade Plunge and the BJCC, the show is now at its current home, the Bessemer Civic Center, where it has been for several years.

Although now gone, ARCA chapters would spring up in Huntsville and Montgomery.

Members have come and gone, but the core principles of why ARCA was started remains.  It is to help preserve recorded music and to give people a place to go to talk with others who share this love of music with regular meetings, to give them a place to go and expand their own collections be-it large or small with the CD & Record Show, plus just make new friends with people of similar interests and have fun events like the picnic, Christmas party and occasional field trips. 

You don’t have to subscribe to one particular genre of music.  Music is music, whether it’s Country, Jazz, Classical, Blues, New Age or Rock, nor is the age of the music important.  I grew up with 60’s rock, but also love Big Band music of the 30s and 40s, Southern Gospel music and music of today as well as all of the other genres listed.

At this month's meeting, we will celebrate 35 years.  Come join us.  Guests are always welcome!

 

February Meeting

Our next meeting is February 15th. We gather at 2 pm for refreshments and music conversation. The business meeting is at 3 p.m. Visitors are welcome to drop by and meet us! We’re at the Homewood Library, located at 1721 Oxmoor Road, near Homewood Park. We meet in Room 110 in the lower level.