The campaign to bring back MusicAmerica to radio station WGBH continues in 1997, and recent news tells us that, ultimately, our protest can succeed. Our last newsletter was in January, and this issue reports developments since then.
In this edition of the newsletter, we highlight:
Boston radio personality Jess Cain will join us on Sunday evening, June 22 at 7:30 P.M. at the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington for the fifth gala event to benefit the Save MusicAmerica Trust. This time we’ll Return to the 1940’s with two great groups: Bob Bachelder’s 15-piece Totem Pole Orchestra and Rhode Island’s For Sentimental Reasons.
Bob Bachelder’s Totem Pole Orchestra has a long and celebrated history. Back in the 50’s and 60’s they played at all the New England colleges and ballrooms. They rose to national prominence when their hit record, TV Rhumba, a medley of television themes, reached the Top Ten in magazine polls. In 1956, they became the house band at the Totem Pole Ballroom where they remained for nine years, until the ballroom closed. The present band is a fifteen piece ensemble built around many of the original members, including vocalist Nancy Carr. Their musical offerings are bursting with nostalgia, featuring the styles of Miller, Basie, Ellington, and Goodman, plus many of their own arrangements from the earlier years. "Totem Pole" has appeared on Channels 2, 4 and the Jerry Lewis Telethon, and is featured on the PBS video, Boston: the Way It Was, often seen on public TV channels 2, 11, and 44.
For Sentimental Reasons is six singers backed by piano, bass, and drums who recreate a live Armed Services radio broadcast circa 1944. The program includes the great songs of the era, complete with nostalgic commercials and celebrity appearances (yes, we are expecting the Andrews Sisters). For Sentimental Reasons performs in period dress, jewelry, and, of course, the hairstyles. They have performed up and down the East Coast and have been seen locally at the Boston Flower Show, private and corporate events. This, however will be their first public stage performance in Boston.
As always, MusicAmericans have first crack at ordering tickets to this event. Tickets are priced at $25, $20, and $15. To order by telephone using a VISA or MasterCard, call (617) 259-0250. Orders with a check can be sent to Concert Tickets, Save MusicAmerica Trust, P.O. Box 657, Lincoln, MA 01773 (this address is for ticket orders only). Please add $1.00 to each order to cover mailing costs. Our concerts are sell-outs, so it is especially important to order tickets, now, before we publicize the event to the general public.
The Museum of Our National Heritage is located at 33 Marrett Road (at the intersection with Massachusetts Avenue). Coming from north or south? Take Route 128/I-95 to Exit 30A (Marrett Road/Route 2A) and drive east just 3 miles. Parking is easy and free.
Last fall, we received a letter from WGBH’s Director of Marketing and Development which took issue with our periodic newsletter updates on the station’s on-air fundraising. Since then, we have spent many months attempting to meet with management to reconcile the data that we receive against their unproven assertions.
While we continue to talk with senior executives at ’GBH, management has been completely unwilling to show us any detailed fundraising data. Instead they offered a telephone conference call—which took place just days ago—to explain why they’re right and we’re wrong.
The station claims that since September, its on-air fundraising has
raised $351,000, vs. a goal of $319,000 (and $250,000 for the prior year).
Sounds pretty good, huh? Well, here’s the data we have from
February:
Until the station sits down to talk seriously about these numbers, we can only assume that their books have been cooked. We have offered to disclose the detailed data we have (not the sources, of course), if and when they show us their statistics. What is the station afraid of? (Oh, and of course, letting us take a look at its audience data is also out of the question, too!) For a public station, why are there so many secrets?
Cambridge resident, MusicAmerica fan, and MusicAmerica Trust Trustee Robert B. Parker is the author of the best-selling "Spenser" novels (they inspired the 1980’s TV program, Spenser for Hire). When we asked Parker if he could use his writing skills to help with the campaign, we expected a letter to the editor of the Globe—or maybe a brief article. Well Globe readers (and us, too) got a real surprise when they turned to the first page of the Living|Arts section on Tuesday, April 8. Richard Dyer’s review of Small Vices, the latest Spenser book, began with the following headline and opening paragraph. Across America, millions of readers now know this story!
Spenser takes bullets, takes on academia, VIPs (and 'GBH)"Robert B. Parker's Spenser is back, tougher and more vulnerable than ever. He's smart, he has a heart of gold, and worries about the things that matter. On his way to an unscheduled appointment with a bad guy, he is unhappy because there's nothing to listen to on the car radio. 'My favorite, MusicAmerica, had been taken off the local public radio station by the airheads who run it.' Take that, WGBH; there's another name on the petition, and not one to trifle with."
Many MusicAmericans have been confused over the distinction between Listeners for MusicAmerica and the Save MusicAmerica Trust—the two organizations dedicated to restoring MusicAmerica on WGBH. Frankly, we sometimes got confused, too! So this Spring, the founding leaders of both organizations (John Brady for the Listeners and Carp Ferrari for the Trust) agreed to merge the two groups.
Contributions to the Trust are tax-deductible and it can mail at the attractive, non-profit, rates offered by the postal service. So, it made obvious sense to let the Trust become the "surviving" organization. John Brady, now a Trustee, continues to help guide the movement that he founded.
John Brady will continue to monitor the Listeners hotline (that number continues to get regional exposure from the bumper stickers on our cars), but, from this point forward, the Trust’s telephone number, 508-655-4995, will become the new hotline. Please note this number. The number to call for tickets to Trust benefit events, however, continues to be 617-259-0250.
Since our last newsletter, the Save MusicAmerica Trust held its fourth benefit concert at Lexington’s Museum of Our National Heritage. On February 23, The Great American Songbook IV featured less jazz and more cabaret—the latter, an important staple of MusicAmerica’s eclectic programming. With the cabaret focus, we greatly broadened the audience for our benefits and made many new friends.
Our headliner was Broadway theatre and supper club legend Julie Wilson, who traveled from New York to host, to perform, but, most important, to lend her spoken words to this cause. Just two days after our gig, Julie opened at the famed Oak Room in the Algonquin Hotel for a five week engagement. Stephen Holden’s New York Times review cited her "matchless dramatic versatility."
Joining Julie on stage was New York musical theater actor and cabaret singer Phillip Officer, The Jazz Pops Ensemble (Fred Buda, Mark Henry, Mike Monaghan, and Bob Winter—all of the Boston Pops) and Boston cabaret singer Belle Linda Halpern, accompanied by Ron Roy on piano. Thanks to each performer for donating his/her talent for these events.
Winthrop Cable videotaped the last three benefit concerts, and we are offering these programs (along with Lexington Cable’s tape of The Great American Songbook I) to cable systems in eastern Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
If you have suggestions or comments on our series of benefit concerts, please call the ticket/information line, 617-259-0250.
Calls to the hotline and conversations with supporters at our last benefit confirm that the Jazz Songbook (Ron Della Chiesa’s Friday night show on ’GBH) and the Saturday night version of MusicAmerica on WPLM do not meet MusicAmericans’ needs:
So, once again, we remind all MusicAmericans to make two important calls to tell WGBH that the program is still missed and that we demand its return:
As always, because the campaign to bring back MusicAmerica is a grassroots movement, please call our hotline, 508-655-4995 and tell us how you want us to continue our efforts.
Readers who attended TGAS IV featuring Julie Wilson know that the Save MusicAmerica Trust planned its fifth event for a Sunday in May. We had lined up the Winiker Orchestra, but Bill Winiker’s back surgery, in April, forced us to cancel the date (he’s fine, now). Bo and Bill Winiker were busy on June 22, but they introduced us to Bob Bachelder. We are, however, working with the Winikers to plan a fall event that may depart a bit from the TGAS series at the Museum of Our National Heritage.
MusicAmerica listeners know that Chan’s in Woonsocket (RI) is one of the region’s premier spots for live jazz. Many of our local musicians perform there regularly—Carol Sloane was there for on May 9 and 10. So when John Chan put us in touch with For Sentimental Reasons, we knew that we were being introduced to an exceptional group. For Sentimental Reasons will be at Chan’s in both May and June. If you’d like to know more about Chan’s schedule, call the restaurant at 401-765-1900.
Since our last newsletter, we want to thank the following supporters for donations to Listeners for MusicAmerica:
John Catallozzi, Holly Chin, Robert Collini, Barbara Hale Davis, Raymond DeCesare, Iris DeLuca, Joan Durant, Lawrence & Betty Fuchs, Theodore Gilbert, Pamela P. Herrick, Janice & Arthur Johnson, Ann Clare & James X. Kenneally, Janet Kinasewich, Carol Kort, Frances Larrabee Low, Jeanne & Paul McGerigle, Joanne O. Miller, Francis Mooney, Rodger & Lee Morphett, Verona Peters, Nanci Pfeiffer-Hancock, James G. Simmons, Christine A. Sykes, Susan & Mark Tilden, and George Wasserman.
Many MusicAmericans have withheld support from WGBH, and we hope that these contributors will consider the Save MusicAmerica Trust as an alternative depository for these funds. Contributions to the Trust are tax-deductible and, remember, you may specify an alternate beneficiary. To date, the Save MusicAmerica Trust has raised more than $50,000 from individual contributions and its benefit concerts. The Trust’s funds are held in escrow for WGBH radio at U.S. Trust, a major Boston bank.
Our labor is all-volunteer, but it costs about $700 to print and mail this
newsletter. Your contributions cover this, as well as other modest expenses
we incur for telephone, fax, and miscellaneous printing. So, while you think
of it, please:
The Save MusicAmerica Trust thanks the following performers, for donating their talents for our benefit concerts:
Lin Biviano, Jim Bossy, Paul Broadnax, Fred Buda, Donna Byrne, Artie Cabral, Michael Calmès, Dave Chapman, Chris Counelis, Dave Didricksen, Gerrry Gagnon, Jeff Galindo, Valentin Gregor, Kenny Hadley, Kevin Haines, Belle Linda Halpern, Doug Hammer, Mark Henry, Josh Hilberman, Leonard Hochman, Jeff Hoyt, Dick Johnson, Gary Johnson, Tim Kelly, Steve Marvin, Stan McDonald, Dave McKenna, Cercie Miller, Mike Monaghan, Paul Monat, Joe Mulholland, George Murphy, Phillip Officer, Carol O'Shaugnessy, Cal Owen, Lynne Jackson & Mike Palter, Rebecca Parris, Dennis Perriccio, Ross Petot, Marc Phaneuf, Jim Porcella, Ken Reid, Ron Roy, Gray Sargent, Paul Schmeling, Carol Sloane, Didi Stewart, Frank Stuart, Bronek Suchanek, Dane Vannatter, Jerry Vejmola, Dan Walker, Mark White, Julie Wilson, Bob Winter, Marshall Wood, and Ron Zack.
As one way of thanking these people for their help, the Save MusicAmerica Trustees voted to make our mailing list available to the above musicians, but only for the purpose of promoting their own live performances or CDs. The Trustees are sensitive to protecting members from unwanted junk mail, but we also believe that most members care about these performers and are eager to receive news from them. Any MusicAmerican who does not wish to receive mailings from the above performers should please let us know by calling or writing.
The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) is dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment. Two performers at February’s Great American Songbook IV benefit received prestigious MAC awards in 1997: Julie Wilson, for Major Female Vocalist; Phillip Officer, for Major Male Vocalist. The Trust also reports with pride, that Dane Vannatter, a strong supporter of our cause who appeared at TGAS II, received a 1997 MAC nomination for best Male Jazz/R&B Vocalist