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Ex-Tammys hope for Grammys
HERMITAGE — Back when Gretchen Wagner was 18, singing with her sister and a friend, she never imagined the music would have any staying power.
And though the singles of the Hermitage woman’s former trio, the Tammys, have yet to make her rich, or even dent the charts, Ms. Wagner is tickled by the undercurrent of interest in her group.
The trio’s soprano harmonies managed some Pittsburgh and Cleveland radio play for songs such as “Take Back Your Ring” and “Gypsy” in the ’60s, but were mostly forgotten until the group’s biggest fan, Harry Young, reissued their music in 2002 on a compact disc called “Egyptian Shumba: The Singles and Rare Recordings 1962-64.”
The Tammys’ profile continued to rise when the song “Egyptian Shumba,” a two-chord party ditty, was released in October 2005 on Rhino Records’ 120-song box set “One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds, Lost and Found.”
Some 40 years after “Egyptian Shumba” was released, reviewers and critics are hearing it for the first time.
Seattle Weekly’s Keith Harris” called the song “the real prize” on the box set. He described it as “a goofball dance track about boogying along the Nile constructed by falsetto weirdo Lou Christie around a set of voices even squeakier than his own.” The Tammys sported “squiggly harmonies and delirious yelps,” he said.
Wayne Bledsoe of the Knoxville News-Sentinel said the obscure tracks on “One Kiss” provide “some of the most-fun moments on the set.” He called “Egyptian Shumba” “insane” and said it is “filled with yelps and whoops that are nearly orgasmic.”
Jeremiah Tucker of the Joplin Globe summed up the song this way: “Catchy and Eclectic, it would blow the minds of indie-music blogs everywhere if released today.”
The publicity the box set has generated could increase if it takes home the two Grammy Awards it is nominated for: Best Historical Album and Best Boxed or Special Edition Package.
“I think it’s hilarious,” Ms. Wagner said of the Tammys appearing on a Grammy-nominated album.
“The nice thing is Harry and Lou (Christie) put a lot of work into things over the years,” she said. “For him (Young) to have this opportunity, that’s justice.”
Young is president of the Lou Christie fan club, and his admiration for the “Lightning Strikes” singer led him to the Tammys, who backed Christie on some recordings. Christie and his songwriting partner, Twyla Herbert, also wrote songs for the Tammys.
Just having a Tammys song on “One Kiss Can Lead to Another” was a point of pride for Young and Ms. Wagner.
“I was like a dream come true for me,” said Young, who believes the uniqueness of the Tammys sound still will find an audience.
Rhino is the premiere reissue label, and they did the project up right by mixing songs by girl-group legends such as the Supremes, the Chiffons, the Marvelettes and the Shangri-Las with early Dolly Parton and Carole King tunes and obscure numbers by the Cake, the Gooddes and Whyte Boots, Young said.
The box set is packaged in a mod-style hat box, and the liner notes are written like a girl’s diary, with each group getting one day.
“The cleverness of it should win, anyway,” said Ms. Wagner, the former Margaret Gretchen Owens of Oil City, who performed as Shannon Owens, a name Christie came up with.
Ms. Wagner called being mentioned with the likes of the Supremes and the Chiffons “awesome,” noting they were her musical idols. She added that The Tammys performed with the Angels and other classic groups. Young said he has heard “Egyptian Shumba” on the radio twice since the box set came out, on an independent alternative station near his home in Fenton, Mo. Interest in the CD he produced has picked up, although he can’t get a straight answer out of the record company, RPM, of England, as to whether that has translated into sales.
If the Box set wins a Grammy, “It would mean the world to me,” said Young, who provided the version of “Egyptian Shumba” that “One Kiss” producers Sheryl Farber and Gary Stewart used.
“That is as good as it gets,” he said. “It would be a major victory.”
Ms. Wagner, music and liturgy coordinator for Church of Notre Dame, Hermitage, said she’s pulling for a Grammy victory, but not for any acclaim she might derive from it. She noted that she is writing liner notes for some local groups’ recordings, and she would to be able to identify herself as a Grammy-winning singer. That might give her words more credibility in the minds of listeners.
“It gives you a little wallop for somebody else’s future,” she said.
Tammys on the Web: http://keepkey.yochanan.net/tammys.htm and www.geocities.com/williamstos/tammys.htm
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Actors visit Camelot
The magic and mysticism that abounds in the King Arthur legend has been just as prevalent in the life of a woman who has written a three-part play chronicling the history of Camelot’s famed ruler.
Youngstown native Carol Weakland said she’s been working for 12 years on the play that premiered last weekend: “The Arthurian Trilogy Part One, Arthur and Merlin: The Making of a King.” She was never able to assemble a cast to play the demanding roles or “whittle down” the lengthy script into a compact but complete show. But this year, everything came together.
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Annual senior fair is Friday in Sharon
State Rep. Mark Longietti will hold his fourth annual free Senior and Health Education Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Sharon American Legion, 1395 E. State St., Sharon.
The fair will feature farmers market coupons, free health screenings, about 50 vendors, door prizes and free information and services.
For more information, call 724-981-4655. -
Dolata carves time for local fest
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But he always makes time for the arts festival in his back yard: the Hermitage Arts Festival, which runs this weekend at Rodney White Olympic Park.
“I like it,” said Dolata, who lives in Hermitage. “It’s a local festival. It’s a nice little festival.”
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Farmers market vouchers for seniors available
Mercer County Area Agency on Aging Inc. is again offering the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to eligible Mercer County Seniors.
This program is made possible through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Distribution.
The purpose of this program is to encourage older adults to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables produced by local growers.
Eligible seniors can pick up vouchers at locations in Greenville, Grove City, Mercer, Sandy Lake/Stoneboro and the Shenango Valley . -
Victorian Weekend begins Friday evening
Step back into a gentler era during the 22nd annual Victorian Weekend Festival, planned for Friday through Sunday on the historic Mercer County Courthouse Square.
The weekend begins with “A Victorian Concert” by the Mercer Community Band at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the bandstand on the east side of the county courthouse; the warmup concert starts at 6.
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Girl Scouting gold goes to RHS grad
Lorrie Lehman, daughter of Dave and Rosemary Lehman of Reynolds and sister of Tommy, was recently awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award from Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania.
The Gold Award recognizes leadership, hard work and service to the community and for exemplifying the ideals of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Only five percent of Girl Scouts nationwide earn this recognition annually.
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Public invited to annual Farm Safety Day
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Our staff, along with event sponsor, the Agricultural Health and Rural Safety Advisory Committee, invite you and your family to attend and actively participate in a full day of safety demonstrations and open dialog on an issue which affects us all. Our goals are to make rural residents more conscience of common hazards, risky behaviors, and cultural traditions which often contribute to farm and rural accidents.
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Urban League offers outdoor movie series
It’s been decades since movies have been shown on a big screen in Farrell.
The Shenango Valley Urban League is changing that this summer, with its “Films in the Square” series, to be held Friday nights at Veterans Square.
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Fourth of July activities
There's no lack of Independence Day celebrations planned in the area.
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League levels the playing field
It might not look like a traditional baseball game at first glance, that is, the baseball game one would see in the Brookfield Community Park on summer Sundays.
Some of the players are in wheelchairs, others use walkers and canes and most are mentally challenged, but they all come out every week for the same reason: the chance to play baseball, and it’s an opportunity they might not otherwise have.
It’s called the Challengers League, a baseball league for the mentally and physically challenged. - More Community Headlines
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Actors visit Camelot
