He has to have been older than 65!
He was a bit of a teen prodigy.
I'm ripping a collection of Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan, described on the CD sticker as "Like Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood on acid." Which is ridiculous because anything Lee Hazelwood did sounds like he did it on acid.
Anyway, Misty and Jack had a big country/pop novelty hit around 1970 called "Tennessee Bird Walk" with loopy lyrics and slick, groovy production.
Jack shares the advice from a veteran show biz producer that changed their careers, when they were struggling as country lounge singers.
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I asked [Dick Gillespie] one night why we weren't getting anywhere. We were good musicians, I said, we sang well, looked okay, and made nice records. Why didn't he see that and help us?
His answer hurt our feelings and saved our life.
He said: You have nothing to sell. Nobody is interested in the things you mentioned. People won't walk across the street to see a good-looking musician, but they'll stop for an auto accident.
More importantly, he said: go home and develop an unusual style, costume yourselves to attract attention, change your name if necessary. Try singing different ways until the style is pronounced. Style is more important than good singing. Good singers back up artists with style. Change your attitude. Go for stage presence. Be whoever you want to be, but be unique.
Then he added, but, you can't do this here in the town where they know you. They won't accept it. Go to a new place and walk in the door in your new way, no matter how self-consicous you feel, and they will think you were born that way.
Misty changed her name from Mary Blanchard, and we dressed pretty wild, worked up a lot of new material and attitude, went to Key West and tried it out. We thought we'd be laughed at, but they not only accepted us, they packed the place to see and hear us. We had a recording contract within two weeks, and a Billboard Pick within a couple of months.
We found out that the roles we were playing were more real than grinding out dinner music in a suit and gown.
******
Heh. I kind of love Dick Gillespie's hardcore, cynical, show biz insider advice.