Interview avec Doug Dickens

Ca faisait un petit moment que j'étais pas venu sur le forum...
Pour me faire pardonner, j'ai décidé de publier cette petite "interview-mail" que j'ai faites ave cet obscur des 50's.
Nous allons donc désobscuriser cet obscur monsieur, ma fois bien sympathique.
Tout d'abord "Raw Deal" enregistré avec les Fireballs de Billy Eldridge, de Fort Pierce, en Floride. Ce dernier est au chant sur ce morceau pendant le refrain d'ailleurs !



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Dear Doug,
>
> Good Morning,
>
> My name is Dorian CARNIEL, I am a seventeen-years-old-french-fan of
> your music. Today I send you this message to ask some question about
> the song "Raw Deal" and "Lucy's Graveside". I hope to not disturb you,
> I hope also to not be impolite.
>
> I send you a photo. Is it the great Fireballs ? Are you on the photo ?
> Billy Eldridge too ? Have you some informations on the picture ?
>
> I play guitar and I sing a little bit, but i'm not really good in
> English... If I find the tabs of the song with my ears, I cannot do
> the same thing for the lyrics... It is possible, if you find the time,
> to send me the lyrics of the song, please ?
>
> Where I can listen the song "Lucy's Graveside" ? I never find the song
> on internet...
>
> Can you tell me more about the recording session with the fireballs ?
>
> Thank you very much !
>
> Sincerely yours,
>
> Dorian CARNIEL
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Hello Dorian,

Thank you for writing. Your English is as good as the English of some of
my American friends.

I am now 81 and those two songs were recorded in the late 1950's. They
are so far in my past that I must find the lyrics in my memory or copy
them from the recording on the Internet.

I don't have a copy of the record. I never knew that it was available
until I found it on the Internet. I was greatly surprised!

Yes, the picture is the Fort Pierce Fireballs. I was a radio announcer
and Disk Jockey in the city of Fort Pierce, Florida, at that time so I'm
not in the picture.

Billy Eldridge is the largest man in the picture. He is holding a guitar
and standing behind the drummer. The last time I heard of Billy he was a
policeman in Fort Pierce, Florida, which is many miles to the south of
my present home in Franklin, Kentucky.

I'll try to find "Lucy's Graveside" on the Internet and if I locate it,
I'll send you the address. Finding or remembering all the lyrics might
take me some time but I'll try to do it for you.

Here is an address for you:   http://www.imhdd.ms11.net

Open that Web page and near the top you will see a picture of the
"Dang-Its"  Country Music group. The musician named "Pete" is my wife's
brother-in-law. Pete plays the large Bass instrument. They live way up
north of me in Wisconsin. The band members are all accomplished musicians.

Thank you very much for writing.
Have a good day,
Doug Dickens.
Franklin, Kentucky

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Dear Doug


I have read some parts of your biography, it's very interesting ! When I think to the life I have ! My life is quite bored !

But only 4 line treat about your musical career !

Have you heard again Raw Deal ?

Do you remember the others members of the band ?

Do you remember the session when you record the song ?

Have you play some lives with the fireballs ?


I know it's far away but try to remember, please !
If a new memory comeback about the fireballs, send me a mail


Good evening ! (for me it's 22.06 pm)


Dorian

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Hi Dorian,
My primary career was a Radio Broadcaster for 30 years and then an electronics engineer for several years.

I played clarinet in the 3rd Division Army Band when I was 17 in 1949 - 1950.

I only had one session with the Fireballs and that was to record the 45 RPM record in 1958.

Years later in the mid-1970's, I was Program Director at WSIX Radio in Nashville, Tennessee, and Billy Eldridge called me and invited me to visit with him and another old Fireball, Gary Stewart. They were in Nashville to do some recording. We had lunch and discussed the old times in Fort Pierce.

Gary Stewart the vocalist, is dead. You can read about him at the following address::   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Stewart_(singer)        Also if you search for Gary Stewart you can learn more about him.


It was a sad ending to a rising career.


I don't remember any other of the Fireballs except Mr. Vulgamore, the owner of Vulco records at that time.


I never knew the Raw Deal 45 RPM existed after 1958 until I found it on the Internet in about 2008. I was absolutely shocked that it was for sale and being played in Europe!!.


You probably know as much or more about the record than I know, ha ha.


Thank you for writing and being patient for answers.
From your old friend in the USA,
Doug Dickens
Franklin, Kentucky

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Et voilà ! En bonus, voici les paroles de Raw Deal ! Merci à Chantale pour les avoir transcrites...

I ain't so very hard to please
As long as I'm livin' this life of ease
'Cause when I go to work, ain't got no choice
you can hear me yelling at the top of my voice

Raw deal

This just ain't right, I gotta work tonight

Now me and this gal we had a date last night
We were sitting in her room without a trace of light
Just when I'm fixing to give her a little kiss,
Her 'pa turned on the light, yelling something like this

Raw deal

This just ain't right turnin' on that light

Raw deal

Drive my car like a gentleman likes
I don't run stop signs nor the portion line
third gear I put on a little speed
a motorcycle cop says "pull over here"
this just ain't right ... tonight

Raw deal

I was standing on a corner talkin' to a girl
Along comes a man says listen to me pal
This is my wife man, you'd better run
I got a razor in my pocket and bullets in my gun
This just ain't a ride to scare

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Maintenant un lien où écouter la face A, j'ai nomme "Lucy's Graveside" (Note : Cliquez sur Pop-up !)

http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/43762

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Voilà ! Si j'ai oublié des trucs, je posterai un nouveau message !
Ah, et si vous voulez son adresse mail, envoyez-moi un message privé.
Je peux aussi vous aider pour les tabs aussi...

Voici la photo dont je parle dans le premier message

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/68714784/Billy+Eldridge+With+The+Fireballs+1fireballs.jpg

génial

Un très beau travail Dorian, je te félicite ! Je t'engage  


Toujours amusé, quand les américains sont surpris qu'on écoute ce genre de musique !