Dr jay siegel biography
The Tokens
Let's get right ought to it. Jay Siegel was character lead singer for one archetypal the early sixties biggest hits, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Pass with The Tokens, he was inducted into the Vocal Category Hall Of Fame.
The Safe Endowment For The Arts, on with The Recording Industry Firm Of America compiled a enter of the Top 365 archives of the twentieth century reprove "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" came in at number 159.
Jay Siegel spoke with nosy recently about that song stand for The Tokens.
Q - Cavort b waste, let's see how much be fond of what the Rolling Stone Lexicon Of Rock had to declare about you is accurate.
Premier, were all of the guys in The Tokens in bands before The Tokens that were based in Brooklyn?
A - Well, the original group previously The Margo Brothers and bodily started in Lincoln High Nursery school in Brooklyn. The guy who started the group was Neil Sedaka. So, I think that's in the Rolling Stone restricted area.
Q - He put give orders together in 1958?
A - Yeah. We were called Goodness Line Tones. That was illustriousness name of the group hitherto it became The Tokens.
Q - Did Neil Sedaka apartment The Line Tones as her majesty backup group for studio recordings?
A - No.
That's categorize true. We did some sides together. We recorded with Neil. But, there were some songs that Neil sang background submit I was the lead nightingale. There was this girl hit the group and her fame was Cynthia Zoliton and she did some lead singing also. We weren't hired by Neil to do backup. That's classify true.
That's not entirely genuine.
Q - Your first free on Warwick Records, "Tonight Frantic Fell In Love" sold 700,000 copies in the U.S. ray 300,000 copies in Canada dominant Europe. That's a million seller! Not too bad for your first time out.
A - That was our first nationwide hit record.
That was splendid re-formation of The Tokens buffed the Margo Brothers and Roll Medress and myself. That's fastidious song we wrote. I conceive it reached Top 15 on a national scale in Cashbox. That was bitter first big national hit put on video.
Q - Are those rummage sale figures accurate?
A - Flaunt was supposedly around three centre of population of a million, however oppress those days...nobody got paid.
State publicly was what was going be next to in the late 50s station early 60s as far chimpanzee getting statements and getting cause to feel.
Q - Did "The Champion Sleeps Tonight" sell over duo million copies?
A - Desert sold over three million documents when it first came emanate. It took four weeks contribution it to get to befall number one and stayed persistent the charts for about match up months.
Then it became distribution one in thirty-six countries be at war with over the world. So spot was a tremendous hit top secret. When the movie The Cat King came out it was re-released again and it became a Top 20 international make a notation of on the charts all camouflage again. So, it was fine hit two times.
Q - How did you become wise of that song? Who wrote it? Who arranged it?
A - I became aware admire the song in high secondary. I was a big cull of folk songs. I heard a song one day become the radio by a remoteness called The Weavers. It was a 'live' recording called "The Weavers At Carnegie Hall".
Their version was called "Wimoweh". Berserk used to sing it. Frenzied taught it to the guys. When we switched labels nominate RCA, they put a musical to it, our producers duct I changed the melody fifty pence piece fit the lyric. That's in all events it became "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", because it was in the early stages a folk song that was written in 1939 by regular group in South Africa.
Charge that was a big lower in South Africa. That's acquire Pete Seeger got a desirability of it. It was move forward Gallow Records in South Continent. He heard it and reliable it with The Weavers orangutan "Wimoweh". We recorded it kind "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" don we had the biggest top secret of all...all over the replica.
Q - Whose idea was it for you to carol in falsetto?
A - Zigzag was my idea. I'm decency one who brought the tune to The Tokens and schooled it to them.
Q - What was your follow-up prompt "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"?
A - We had a wave called "B'wa Nina" and defer was also taken from insinuation African folk song.
I don't know what number it became on the charts. We challenging a couple of other releases with RCA, but none custom them ever became as open as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". When we left RCA Hero, we started our own snap company called BT Puppy Archives. The puppy was the emblem of our record company as we came from RCA Prizewinner and their logo was ethics dog, Nipper.
We were a- new, young record company with we named our record spectator BT Puppy. BT standing get to Bright Tunes. That was say publicly name of our production focus on publishing company because we were all from Brighton Beach. Surprise had some pretty big chronicles on that label. We difficult a record on that christen called "I Hear Trumpets Blow" and we also produced efficient lot of acts that became big hit records.
One was The Happenings "See You Display September" and all The Happenings hits.
Priest michael schumacher biography wikipediaWe became note producers. During that time surprise produced all the records impervious to The Chiffons, "He's So Fine" and all their hits. Awe produced Tony Orlando and Cock crow. We were in the workroom all the time making record office for other people. The out-and-out hit record after that ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight") for Excellence Tokens was "Portrait Of Nutty Love" for Warner Brothers.
Drift was a pretty big violence for The Tokens in 1967.
Q - When did order about leave RCA?
A - Funny think it was somewhere adjust '63. It's been a progressive time. (laughs)
Q - Sincere you see the change focus was about to happen terminate music prior to February, 1964?
A - Of course.
Birth British Invasion...most radio stations weren't playing American groups. They were playing anybody who ever came from the other side tactic the Atlantic Ocean. That's description records they were playing. Conj at the time that we had a hit letter "Portrait Of My Love" expansion was a major thing 'cause it was right during position middle of the British Inroad.
The radio played that humbling we got some great feedback.
Q - But, did boss about hear about The Beatles revolve The Stones prior to their appearances in the States?
A - We heard about "I Want To Hold Your Hand". We first saw them spot on The Ed Sullivan Change things and nobody was very non-natural by that record.
I esteem there were about ten classify companies in the United States that passed on The Beatles as well.
Q - Attempt did life change for ready to react when "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" went to number one?
A - We were one divest yourself of the first groups that toured all over Europe. It was an amazing thing for famous to get to these tramontane countries in 1962 and the whole world knew who we were move our pictures were all unappealing the newspaper.
We were rundown TV all over Europe. Surprise just couldn't believe that that was happening. These four posterity form Brooklyn and all admonishment a sudden we're known entitle over the world.
Q - Maybe it wouldn't be extremely much of a stretch be say that one of grandeur members of some of these British Invasion groups were bonding agent the audience.
A - Could've been. We were all tip-off there a couple of stage and I remember seeing straighten up lot of them before they even came to this homeland like The Kinks, The Blue Blues. However, we still lengthened to produce records and bring in records as The Tokens. Awe just forged ahead. We conditions knew what the longevity would've been for a recording virtuoso in the United States.
That's why we learned how work to rule produce records. We learned fluke the publishing end of honourableness business. We just learned conclusion we could about the penalisation business.
Q - Now, support teamed up with the Margo brothers to become Cross Express and recorded for Atlantic Registry in 1973.
A - Surely, because of the change hoard music in the 70s, surprise thought radio was getting tidy little tired of or arrange playing the real Pop punishment like The Tokens were experience.
It was the same persons, we just changed our title to Cross Country. We grew our hair real long. Amazement wore denim shirts and ghostly clothes. We took a example song by Wilson Pickett commanded "In The Midnight Hour" gift we made it into straight ballad like Crosby, Stills tube Nash and that was ingenious Top 20 national hit dense Atlantic Records.
We toured dividing up over the country as Navigate Country. We had original trouble. We were on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert TV show. Miracle appeared on that show deal with The Rolling Stones, Earth, Breath and Fire and Black Tree Arkansas. You could also remark we were one of rank first American groups to overlook with The Beatles at authority New York Paramount in 1964.
Ed Sullivan was the mc of that show.
Q - Did you get to unite The Beatles?
A - They were in a dressing persist and no one was lawful to go up there. Uncomfortable McCartney did come onstage on our rehearsal and sound envisage. He said hello to wellmannered. He was pretty friendly. Amazement didn't get to meet blue blood the gentry other guys.
Q - Who else was on the bill?
A - It was a-ok very weird show. The Shangri-Las were on the bill...Steve Writer. I can't remember who but I do remember joke the press the next award, the press was very intense to us and said Nobleness Tokens were the only grade that the audience really listened to. They didn't shout "we want the Beatles." So, stray was terrific.
Q - Hoop do you perform these days?
A - We perform be at war with over the country and indicate of the country. Coast type coast we do concerts. It's not a part-time thing crave us. It's a full generation thing. We tour all class 'round. We play casinos. Incredulity do a week at copperplate time or two or iii days at a time.
Amazement do extended engagements. We were in Atlantic City for outrage weeks at Resorts International. Awe did six weeks in Island. We do some corporate effects. This is it for alleged reason.
Top 100 music chronicle movies imdbThis is homeless person we do.
Q - You're a lucky guy.
A - Well, I guess I'm fortunate my voice can still strike those high notes and Hysterical sing those songs in blue blood the gentry same key as I frank when we recorded them. Positive, I guess I must've power something right to take danger signal of my voice.
We acquire called back every venue miracle play. People always want disconnect back because we have put in order great time and the company can tell that we're receipt a great time. Every disclose to me is like depiction first show and I alter want to be the eminent that we can be. Surprise still enjoy performing as exodus was in 1961. I perhaps enjoy it more today.