The Four Lads Book

                               The Four Lads Book by ...  me!

                               available at   

                          www.TheFourLadsBook.com

What has your Nostalgic Rambler been up to lately? I have been writing and researching a book about one of my favorite 1950s groups The Four Lads.

The Four Lads were powerhouse singers of the 1950s with such hits as "Standing on the Corner," "Who Needs You?," "Istanbul," and "Moments to Remember."  Since discovering their records in my grandpa's record cabinet as a child, I have always enjoyed their music. Frank Busseri, Jimmie Arnold, Bernie Toorish and Connie Codarini. The Four Lads.

Writing this book was an interesting experience. I run The Four Lads Appreciation Society on Facebook and many of The Four Lads family members have found us there since the official Four Lads facebook page is no longer maintained and their official webpage has vanished. The Lads fans and family were generous with sharing their time, pictures and memories for the book. One lady donated her daughter's huge 1950s scrapbook of Four Lads pictures and clippings. All the original newsletters are reproduced in the book. They are a treasure trove of material that would have been lost to time if not saved for posterity in my new book.

Connie Codarini's son David Comden was my editor and cheerleader. I was very honored that Kathy Lennon of the famous Lennon Sisters agreed to write the intro to the book. The Four Lads personal stories are included as well. The most intriguing true tale is how singer Bernie Toorish met his daughter Debi for the first time when she was in her sixties. Also included are profiles on most of the "replacement" lads. As the original four retired from the group, other singers kept the music alive into the decades following their 1950s heyday.

The publishing world isn't easy to navigate. I actually had a signed contract to have the book published by Bear Manor Media. Since they specialize in nostalgic type material, I was really looking forward to seeing my manuscript come to life through them. One of my goals was to get this book out before the last of the living original Four Lads Bernie Toorish left us. He was in ill health for quite a while. Bear Manor was unable to get the book out in the time promised. Rather than delay another six months or more, I decided to self publish in the hopes that Bernie would see the book. Unfortunately he passed away in December of 2025.

The book is finished now. The maze of setting up the publishing and webpage is about done. This is a labor of love and it has cost a small fortune to bring "The Four Lads Book" to life. I am proud of what I and the members of the Four Lads Appreciation Society have accomplished. It is my hope that you will help get the word out so that the legacy of The Four Lads and their contribution to Canadian and American popular music will be remembered.

The book's website is www.TheFourLadsBook.com 

Music For Dining

Back in 1985 I was a television intern at Metrovision of Oakland County. This was a cable TV outfit in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the city my grandparents lived in.

The cable station had a "community access" TV channel where folks from the community could come in and produce whatever they wanted to for airing on the station.

Most of the shows were talking heads and could have been better suited for radio! I remember there were some really interesting shows on there...one was called "The Shores of Your Mind" and was hosted by a psychic! There was also a popular local cooking show with a lady named Judy Antishin.

I thought it would be fun to put together a music show, so we re-created the record album of the 1950's "Music for Dining" as our starting point.

Judy Grosse, a Metrovision employee, was my co-host. As you can see here, the set was quite elaborate and we hauled stuff from home to make it happen. Even my outfit was made to look like something worn by a man in the 1950s. We picked 1950s sounding Hollywood names. I was John Linden and Judy was Joan Hudson.

As a guest we had Judy Antishin from the Metrovision cooking show "Cooking With Class" serve our food.

Lark Samouelian sang a couple of songs on a cool furniture hauled in from my grandparent's house! She was the director of an organization affiliated with local tv cable access promotion.

 And Tom Scurto (a local talent) sang a song to a picture of a beautiful lady (actually my mom's 1950s high school picture!)

Watching this now over 30 years later it is still as corny and fun as ever. The show won as best musical show of the year, which probably isn't much of a win as there weren't all that many musical shows on there to begin with.

Anyhow, if you want to turn the clock back and see me when I was 21years old, this classic gem is now on Youtube. Here's the link. 

Vic Damone: Singing Was The Easy Part

 As you probably know by now I'm a sucker for biographies on famous singers and just when I thought I probably read them all, here comes another one! Vic Damone is a pretty underrated singer today. In his heyday he was starring in his own television show and guesting on everyone else's. It looks like he has long since retired, although he does have a web presence. I think he even lives in Florida, like me --and his old buddy Perry Como did. (Can I come over for a visit Mr. Damone?!)

 The company he hung out with makes for a very fascinating read in his bio entitled "Singing Was The Easy Part." He stopped on elevator and auditioned for Perry Como (he named his son Perry after Como) . Frank Sinatra saved his life. He dated Jack Benny's daughter Joan. From his many marriages to his embracing of the Baha'i religion, the book is full of twists and turns and interesting anecdotes. The famed interviewer Larry King calls Vic a National Treasure. Larry says he wishes he could be Vic Damone...and as a crooner wannabe myself, I wish I could belt it out like he does!

 The Nostalgic Rambler recommends this book as well as the above CD for a good representation of his work.

Here are a few great Vic Damone clips for you. "On The Street Where You Live" and "Gigi" are signature tunes. Here are a few tv appearances: with Andy Williams and Bobby Darin (can you watch it without a smile on your face? Wow!) or here with Judy Garland and songs from West Side Story.

Sheet Music brings to life long lost songs

   I hope you have a chance to listen in to my internet radio show. It's on weekly, Saturdays at 1pm with a repeat Sunday at 1pm EST on www.TheGeneMartinShow.com.

  Recently a good friend of mine, Jo, sent me a whole bunch of old sheet music. I am a pack rat when it comes to collecting records, but I don't really have that much sheet music. If I could play the piano better than I can, then maybe I would have more sheet music!

There were many songs that were "old friends" in this stack of music that I got from Jo. Songs like "Because of You", "The Loveliest Night of the Year" and "My Truly Truly Fair" are at the top of my list for playing on the piano.

Some of the music is simply hilarious or hopelessly out of date, even for "The Nostalgic Rambler"!  I have included a few of those covers here and will offer some examples of these long forgotten songs!

"Put Your Shoes On, Lucy"
Got an invitation to visit in Manhattan with my high fallutin' kin,
Ordered from the catalog some fancy clothes,
Looked so stylish from my head to toes,
Saw ev'ry sight and I even did some flirtin'
Did all right til my feet took to hurtin',
So I slipped off my shoes when I thought they couldn't see,
But they must a 'cause this is what they always sang to me.
Put your shoes on, Lucy...

"Quicksilver" (Bing Crosby sang this?!)
Seems like I am having trouble with you
And I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Seems like you're fickle as can be,
And your fickle ways got me up a tree.
You're as hard to hold as quicksilver,
                                                                when you kiss and run away....

"Candy Kisses"
Candy Kisses wrapped in paper
mean more to you than any of mine.
Candy Kisses wrapped in paper,
you'd rather have them any old time....

"Poison Love"
All your poison love has stained the life blood in my heart and soul dear,
And I know my life will never be the same....

Thanks Jo for this great collection of music, both familiar and not so well known...It's a lotta fun to be at the piano with these songs...........