D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities

08/03/2024

This is “Mistakes and I” off the album “Mistakes of Memory”. I’m so proud of this song and this album. Darrell Nutt Signature Drums engineered and co-produced with me. I use the word “vizard”.

Joseph Irizarry did this incredible artwork.

Every time I listen to what we did I want to do it all again.

from the album Mistakes of Memory

07/24/2024

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes. Everyone is very nice. I hope I didn’t miss yours. I know I probably did.

Nothing changes when you reach these milestones. You don’t become slower or smarter or anything. You just keep going.

You just keep going.

07/01/2024

https://themayorofestespark.bandcamp.com/community

Everyone please go to my Bandcamp and comment about these three monumental achievements in music. At least to me they are. Seriously you should listen and comment and maybe even buy something!!

Join Gilbert Neal's community to access exclusive messages from the artist and comments from fans. You'll also be the first to know when they release new music and merch.

04/30/2024

What do Patsy Powell and the Goodtimers and Bjorn from Abba have in common? Why, they both took on that wonderful song by Jimmy Webb, "Wichita Lineman" except Patsy spelled it "Wicheta". Bob Dylan once called "Wichita Lineman" the greatest song he had ever heard, although he said that to many other songs, I imagine.

I'll be featuring this song as well as "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears this Saturday at 6 on the WHUP Spring Fund-A-Thon!


WHUP

The Fund-A-Thon will be in full swing from April 29 through May 5. Please consider helping us move into this next phase of our evolution by making a contribution at whupfm.org, or you can mail a check to WHUP, 117 W. King St., Hillsborough, NC 27278. Two great ways to make a difference are to become a WHUP member at the $120 level or make a recurring monthly donation. And please, spread the word to your friends and family about our Spring Fundraiser.

Thank you for your steadfast support of WHUP. The path ahead promises to be an exciting and rewarding one for all of us, and we couldn’t do it without you.

04/25/2024

Mike Pinder was my favorite member of The Moody Blues. One of those writers and singers that always got to me. His stuff was always the best on those 7 original records. I am sad at his passing.

04/15/2024

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03/08/2024

I'm doing things...

03/03/2024

Last night’s “D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities” can be heard here. https://whupfm.org/episode/d-sides-orphans-oddities-3-2-24/

10 Daniel Boone Park-themed songs from the album “The Ballads of Daniel Boone”, sold at the Daniel Boone Village in Hillsborough, NC some time around 1972-73. Many more of these albums were created for local theme parks in the south and this was one. A rarity in a way. The songs are short and good in a way.

Aura Urziceanu - Baby I’m a Want You (1974)
Carol Kaye - Slick Cat (1971)
Dennis Wilson - River Song (solo and Beach Boys versions) (1977)
Gene Pitney - Cellophane Zoo (1967)
The Implicits - Give Me Justice (1965) An early band of Tom Johnston, later of the Doobie Brothers
Patti Seymour - The Silencers (1966) (Mcck Davis/ Elmer Bernstien) The theme for the Dean Martin James Bond “homage” Matt Helm.
Penny Goodwin - Lady Day and John Coltrane (1974)
The Implicits - She’s Alright (1965)
New Formula - HareKrishna (1969)
The Supremes - You Can’t Do That (1964)
Nino Tempo and April Stevens - Who Turn Me On? (1974)
Doobie Brothers - Disciple (1972)

Expires 03/16/24

02/29/2024

Once upon a time, our own Hillsborough had a theme park of its own: Daniel Boone Village.

JS Braun - "Standing in various iterations since the 1960s under the ownership of the Freeland family, Hillsborough’s Daniel Boone Village was once a bustling roadside attraction theme park nicknamed “Tweetsie East” – a rival of Western North Carolina’s Tweetsie Railroad. It featured a wax museum, motel, cafeteria, zoo, ice rink, and a functioning, full-sized train. There was also a large amphitheater that hosted household-name celebrities like Loretta Lynn and Jerry Lee Lewis. As the land was handed down through generations, it grew distant from its heyday and faded into near obsolescence. In more recent years, the land has been repurposed as an antique mall, a trailer park, and a home to multiple businesses and groups including a balloon and party supply shop, restaurants, a dance studio, multiple outdoor gear stores, etc."

I taught my sons to drive on those wide swaths of cracked pavement. I bought yearly birthday balloons at "Balloons Over Orange" where I talked to the owner about an entire record album dedicated to the place, recorded in the early '70s (I think) by her father, the owner.

She showed me the album and I asked if I could borrow it for my radio show. She said she couldn't bear to lend it to someone she hardly knew, so I sulked for maybe 15 years. But then Tony of Volume Hillsborough showed me a copy that I COULD borrow! And guess what, you lucky so-and-so: I'm going to feature it on "D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities" this Saturday at 6 on WHUPfm.org. Yeah. So if you're a fan of or or please tune in.

As I left Volume with the album in hand, I was accosted by the guy who actually drove the Zamboni at DBV! He told me the story of how boxes and boxes of the album were poorly stored in the rink itself, and how the good, playable copies were rescued before DBV was destroyed. Hillsborough NC Community Info Hillsborough, North Carolina

02/28/2024

In 1977, Shelby Singleton faced a conundrum as the owner and proprietor of the famed Sun Records catalog. Despite his ownership, he lacked the rights to Elvis Presley's iconic Sun recordings. Determined to capitalize on Presley's legacy following his…unceremonious passing, Singleton devised a cunning plan: disguise a talented sound-alike and ignite speculation!

Swiftly, Singleton curated previously released 1961-era tracks by Jerry Lee Lewis, a catalog he did possess, and enlisted the masked performer known as Orion to deliver his best Elvis impersonation. Were these supposed duets newfound treasures? Could they be the elusive gems in the Elvis discography? The album "Duets" (1978) emerged, inviting listeners to gamble with their wallets for a chance at musical intrigue.

Gilbert Neal, host of “D-Sides, Orphans, and Oddities” on WHUP 104.7 FM in Hillsborough (https://whupfm.org/show/d-sides-orphans-oddities/), will lead an exploration into this musical mystery on Saturday, April 6, at Visart Video in Charlotte, NC. Expect captivating sound bites, historical context, and perhaps a few rock and roll anecdotes. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to delve into the intriguing story of "Orion" through a compelling and fun documentary from 2015 called “Orion: The Man Who Would Be King”. Indeed, the world of rock and roll was/is a labyrinth of intrigue and deception!