Fact #188004
When:
Short story:
Yet another Dick Clark Cara van of Stars package tour sets off across the USA, with acts including Gene Pitney, Paul And Paula, Lou Christie, Johnny Tillotson, The Crystals, The Dovells, Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans, Big Dee Irwin and Ruby And The Romantics.
Full article:
Gene Pitney : When people ask me what I would've done differently, it would've been to eliminate almost all those tours. They were very, very good for promotion, but as far as learning your craft, they didn't do you any good whatsoever. You could've used a cardboard cutout. If I was headlining and closing a show, I never sang more than four songs. There was no burden on your shoulders to be a performer and to carry an audience, to lift a show, to pace a show.
Dick was an excellent businessman. As a matter of fact, I remember when he was really concerned about the fact that William Morris was taking 15% of the gross on those tours. He didn't feel that was the way it should be. As a result, he stole away their top agent, and was putting things out himself, without going through an agency. The only thing people don't look at when they look at those salaries, which were very, very low, was the fee at the door. That has to be taken into consideration. I mean, there were tickets for 75 cents admission, as opposed to an $18 ticket now.
(Source : interview with Gary James at www.classicbands.com)
Dee Dee Kennibrew [The Crystals] : It was almost like advertising for your new record because you went all across the country. So, if they didn't know your record before, they got to hear it and know you and see you and that was a promotion for your song.
(Source : interview with Gary James at www.classicbands.com)
Barbara Lewis : I went on more than one tour. The venues didn't have air conditioning and there used to be a lot of fainting because of the heat. In one southern state, the blacks were on one side and the whites on another and we all had to perform facing the curtain, our backs to the audience. We could not look left or right when we performed. That was so strange.
The bus kept breaking down. Gene Pitney used to sleep up with the luggage because he was so small. There was a lot of promiscuity on the bus. All of those stories about how wild entertainers are were actually true! I came from the country and didn't even know what a joint looked like until I got on that tour. It was a total culture shock. I did bond with Patti LaBelle And the Bluebelles. I think I got along best with them because they weren't wild and had adult supervision. They were like the kids I went to school with.
Source : http://blogs.myspace.com/jimbagley
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Dick was an excellent businessman. As a matter of fact, I remember when he was really concerned about the fact that William Morris was taking 15% of the gross on those tours. He didn't feel that was the way it should be. As a result, he stole away their top agent, and was putting things out himself, without going through an agency. The only thing people don't look at when they look at those salaries, which were very, very low, was the fee at the door. That has to be taken into consideration. I mean, there were tickets for 75 cents admission, as opposed to an $18 ticket now.
(Source : interview with Gary James at www.classicbands.com)
Dee Dee Kennibrew [The Crystals] : It was almost like advertising for your new record because you went all across the country. So, if they didn't know your record before, they got to hear it and know you and see you and that was a promotion for your song.
(Source : interview with Gary James at www.classicbands.com)
Barbara Lewis : I went on more than one tour. The venues didn't have air conditioning and there used to be a lot of fainting because of the heat. In one southern state, the blacks were on one side and the whites on another and we all had to perform facing the curtain, our backs to the audience. We could not look left or right when we performed. That was so strange.
The bus kept breaking down. Gene Pitney used to sleep up with the luggage because he was so small. There was a lot of promiscuity on the bus. All of those stories about how wild entertainers are were actually true! I came from the country and didn't even know what a joint looked like until I got on that tour. It was a total culture shock. I did bond with Patti LaBelle And the Bluebelles. I think I got along best with them because they weren't wild and had adult supervision. They were like the kids I went to school with.
Source : http://blogs.myspace.com/jimbagley