Features

Submitted by Don Graham

Sometimes you know a show is going to rock from it’s opening seconds and that’s what happens with 'Backbeat - The Birth of the Beatles' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto this week. Superbly directed by David Leveaux, the pounding of the bass drum and tom toms of the opening set the tone for the sounds of the show. This ain’t gonna be your grandma’s tea party!

This is the story of how a bunch of lads from Liverpool, then a five piece group, would become the Beatles, the most influential musical group in history. The Quarrymen / Silver Beatles of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe are at the heart of this tale of the hardscrabble days in Hamburg. This is where the lads turned their rough and ready skiffle sound into the highly polished rock ‘n’ roll band that rocked the world.

The play starts with John giving Stuart a bass guitar that he’d picked up for 50 quid, so Stuart could join The Quarrymen. Stuart explains that he can’t play it but John convinces him "he can learn.”

"It only has four strings, not six like a guitar!” Sutcliffe agrees and the journey begins as the quintet head out for Hamburg, Germany.

By Don Graham

For a kid from the Great White North in the sixties, California was just a name on the map, a place where the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Lords of Flatbush had deserted New York for. And “Surf ‘was the name of a popular laundry detergent.

Then along came the Wilson brothers, Brian, Carl and Dennis with their cousin Mike Love and good friend Al Jardine, all from Hawthorne, California, singing songs about waves, surfing and California sun. Suddenly my bedroom with my stereophonic, hi-fidelity  record player blasting out these hot new sounds, was sunny, hot and filled with beach sounds, even in the middle of February at 15 below zero (F), and snow up to the second story window.

The Beach Boys quickly became known as “America’s Band” and Brian Wilson’s songwriting style and love of harmony soon became the signature of the California sound of surfing,cars and high school romance. Brian was a big fan of the Four Freshman and at 16 was teaching his brothers the intricate harmonies that would help define The Beach Boys sound. What the Everly Brothers did for two part harmony, the brothers and Al and Mike did for five part harmonies. They are the watermark for harmony parts for all vocal groups today. As the Everlys influenced the Beatles so did the Beach Boys influence a generation of it’s own.

As COO and Editor in Chief of Cashbox Canada, I want to say how grateful we are for the support that has been shown to us for these last few years.

As Canadian as it is, Cashbox Canada was formed in June while shopping at Canadian Tire. Bill Delingat and I bumped into each other, and spoke with Bruce Elrod on a cell phone, who made us an offer to become shareholders in the U.S. company of Cashbox Magazine, and own the Canadian version outright – Cashbox Canada. The deal was done right there in the patio section of Canadian Tire – you can’t get anymore Canadian than that can you?

It has not been an easy task to survive in this notoriously difficult music business. We have had some writers come and go, watched many great artists pass away, tried to stay out of the political arenas and did our best to attend all invitations to see live music across this incredibly talented country.

We have participated in Canadian Music Week, been to MIDEM in France, promoted ourselves in Nashville, and supported the CMAO, CCMA’s, CIRPA, FACTOR, and many other industry channels that make our Canadian music world work. In the last few years we renewed old friendships in the industry, and developed new ones that are appreciated and cherished along with the old school contacts we found again.

Submitted by: Sandy Graham

The name Cashbox has a history – and that involves the Jukebox. Decades ago, when the jukeboxes were in every restaurant and bar wherever music was played. The money was collected on a weekly basis by a company who would then empty the  Cash Box located inside the Jukebox, and the number of plays were calculated inside the machine. These spins were then reported to record stores and radio stations who used this as guidance to what the public would like to hear and purchase. This is how Cashbox Magazine developed the Cashbox Charts. Did you know that Cashbox Magazine invented the bullet? (That was the highlight that signified the hottest songs)  We asked our industry friends, artists and readers to tell us what their favourite summer song and it was met with great enthusiasm and we thank you for that! From Beatles to Beach Boys, our virtual jukebox man, Lee Verbony, has assembled the Cashbox Canada Summer Songs for you to enjoy! Log on to www.tropicalglen.com and crank it up!

We wanted to share some of the submissions and comments we have received with these song choices. Happy Canada Day!

BOYS OF SUMMER..DON HENLEY Incredible guitar theme by Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Henley nails the lyrics. Feels like a hot summer night with windows down driving down the PCH.....watching the waves crash into the shore. 
KEVIN MONTGOMERY NASHVILLE SINGER/SONGWRITER/ADVENTURER