Sonny and Cher, Angels and a Wild Thing...

Sonny & Cher
Over many years of working in and around music I've discovered one truth and that is self evident to the industry. That is that musicians and other showbiz people are basically like everyone else. Some are enjoyable folks and fun to be around and some...well they aren't so fun to be around. They have families and bills and egos and addictions...

Back in the 80's I was on staff at a morning television show in Hollywood. Sonny Bono was on the show that day and I had been sitting outside when he left the studio. I shared a pristine copy of his solo album which suffered from poor sales mainly because it was supposed to be a 60's drug induced trip only Sonny didn't take drugs so the musical images didn't quite gel. Sonny signed my album and we talked for a while. He joked that I had one of the only copies...At the time Sonny had gone into politics but he still held a passion for music. When I asked what he'd been up to musically you could see the sparkle in his eyes. They lit up as he described a home studio he was building. He'd been writing songs as well. As a talented Producer and song-writer he'd guided Sonny & Cher in the studio in the early days and Produced some of their hits that still stand-up today though Sonny never received the accolades he deserved from the industry for all his achievements. We exchanged information and I offered to help out with his new studio before we parted...Shortly thereafter Sonny Bono was killed in a tragic skiing accident.

Angel of the Morning
A little over a year ago I met singer songwriter named Chip Taylor following a show at McCabes in Los Angeles. Chip is most often referred to as the guy who wrote "Wild Thing" which in and of itself is quite an accomplishment but he's actually written quite a few other hit songs for quite a few artists as well as having nurtured a solo career himself over the years. Recently, after being ejected from all the major casinos in Atlantic City, because he won too often, Chip came back to music following a several year hiatus. I caught up with him again recently at another show, where he included another hit he'd written; "Angel of the Morning" in the set. Originally a hit for Merilee Rush in the 60's, Juice Newton later charted with her cross-over version in the 70's and artist Shaggy hit the charts with a club version in the early 80's.

A few months ago Fires of August country artist Gary Lee Michael played Cricket Arena in Charlotte North Carolina opening for Juice Newton. It was the first show in 17 years for the former Billboard and Cashbox charting country artist. Gary appeared with an 8 piece band, holding the hometown audience in his hand throughout his set. I couldn't help feeling a strange connection having met the composer of "Angel of the Morning" and then seeing it performed by one of the charting artists...It shows how inner connected the music industry really is...Would have really blown my mind had our artist chosen to perform that very same song. I might have taken it as a sign, being an "angelic" song soliloquy and all. It was probably best he didn't cause we barely had time to fit his strongest material into the stage time alloted.
-Nick Danger