* Eddie Fontaine *
Howdy, rockabilly fans! I think we're finally approaching the end of our long, hot summer! Are y'all holding up through the continued summer heat? I hope you haven't let this stifling weather keep you from listening to some good old rockin' music and kicking up a leg to it,
* courtesy of Yahoo images *
Today's question is...how many of us remember Eddie Fontaine? Photo above! Isn't he a good lookin' man? I hear tell he not only had a fabulous singing voice, but he wooed many of the ladies with his acting abilities as well. Early in his career, Eddie had changed his last name from Reardon to "Fontaine", which didn't set too well with his Irish father. Eddie told his dad that "Fontaine" is a 'slicker' name! Lol! Eddie didn't let on about his age either. He swore he was born in 1937, when he was actually born in 1927! But, he was sooo handsome, who knew...and, who cared about his age?
Eddie grew up in Rockaway Beach, New York, with the early 1950's finding him singing in bars, and, passing the hat around, where he was discovered. It turns out that Mr. Fontaine was one of Alan Freed's first entertainers on the Rock and Roll docket in the mid 1950's. He was bellying up to the stage with the likes of "The Clovers", "LaVern Baker", and "The Penguins".
* The Penguins *
* LaVern Baker *
Fontaine is on the Legends list in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, however, he was not an inductee, and is noted to be one of the most underrated singers of all time.
Eddie claimed he wrote the following song, however, it didn't attract much interest once he presented the demo. Somehow, without his knowledge, Fontaine's original cut was sold to Chess Records and credited to 3 other writers. The song was a hit in Europe, it was even recorded by the Beatles, but it took 20 years to collect any royalties on this song! The song did peak at #64 on the Billboard's Hot 100. "Nothin Shakin'" has been recorded by various other artists, but I prefer Eddie's cut!
"Nothin Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees )
Eddie Fontaine 1958
* So what do you think? Not a bad song. And, aside from the Beatles, this song was recorded by The Mersey Beggars, Dr. Feelgood, The Shakers, and Royal Rockers!
***
In the early 1960's, Eddie made his way to Hollywood, California where he pursued an acting career. With his musical career on temporary hold, Fontaine landed a part as a singing GI in The Gallant Men series. Rumor had it that Eddie, who played a womanizer, PFC Pete D'Angelo, was the only cast member with charisma.
Well, I didn't watch the series, and I had no knowledge of him at that time, but I have seen a lot of good reviews on the series.
* Eddie Fontaine * "The Gallant Men"
* Fontaine and Sharon Hugueny *
"The Gallant Men"
****
Prior to Eddie Fontaine's stint with "The Gallant Men" series, he appeared in the 1957 movie, "The Girl Can't Help It!" Eddie is one of the performers along with Eddie Cochran, Fats Domino and Little Richard in this zany comedy with Jayne Mansfield.
* If you have just a little over a minute, I would like to present a short video from
"The Girl Can't Help It", featuring Eddie Fontaine's "Cool It Baby".
* courtesy of Youtube
* This movie didn't receive rave reviews from the critics, but moviegoers seemed to appreciate the musical aspect, colorful comedy, and, of course, Ms. Jayne Mansfield! *
Eddie did have a few bouts with the law in his day...well, maybe more than a few! The big one was a murder for hire trial in 1984, accusing Eddie of attempting to hire a country music singer to run his ex-wife off the road, with intentions of ending her life. Well, evidently Fontaine had two prior convictions of child molestation and grand larceny, however, since Eddie did not testify on his own behalf, the jury did not learn of these convictions, and he served 4 years in a California prison. He appealed his conviction and won.
***
Of his acting career, Eddie Fontaine was noted as being one of the most electrifying character actors of the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. To name just a few shows, he appeared in Baretta, Quincy, M.E., Happy Days, Rockford Files and Kojak. Well, I'll be!!! I faithfully watched several of these programs, and even though I recognize his face, I just didn't pick up on who he was!
* Happy Days * Henry Winkler as "The Fonz" and Eddie Fontaine as Fonzie's dad, Vito *
December 19, 1978
* Above is Eddie and James Garner in an episode of "Rockford Files"
October 20, 1978
****
* OH MY GOODNESS *
It's Eddie Fontaine (how did you know?) Gorilla Sergeant
Planet of The Apes TV Series, Episode 1 * The Gladiators
September 20, 1974
In 1954, After serving time in the U.S. Navy, Eddie signed with RCA as a vocalist. Labels Eddie had signed with include X, VIK, and 1956 Decca. VIK was a subsidiary of RCA, and X was just sort of a 'no name' label, that eventually featured cover records of R&B artists like Eddie Fontaine and also Louis Jordan. The Vik label was closed in November of 1958 and, while some artists had their contracts transferred to the parent company, others left to join other labels.
Sooo...how about another song? I listened to some of Eddie Fontaine's work, and my favorite song is "On Bended Knee". I think it was released in 1955.
* Texas Rain * photo by Suzanne
Thank you so much, dear readers, and rockabilly fans for coming by! I hope you enjoyed today's post, as much as I enjoyed writing it!
There are so many to thank:
musicminder.com
musicstack.com
www.rockabilly.nl
www.discogs.com
planetoftheapes.wikia.com
Thank you also:
Wikipedia
Youtube
Yahoo Images
Please stop in if you have time, and let me know if you enjoyed my post. Or, if you're too shy, like me, lol...just step in and say hello!
Have a wonderful weekend! See you next time!
Be kind, and smile. Give love, and you will get love! 💕
* courtesy of Yahoo images *
Today's question is...how many of us remember Eddie Fontaine? Photo above! Isn't he a good lookin' man? I hear tell he not only had a fabulous singing voice, but he wooed many of the ladies with his acting abilities as well. Early in his career, Eddie had changed his last name from Reardon to "Fontaine", which didn't set too well with his Irish father. Eddie told his dad that "Fontaine" is a 'slicker' name! Lol! Eddie didn't let on about his age either. He swore he was born in 1937, when he was actually born in 1927! But, he was sooo handsome, who knew...and, who cared about his age?
Eddie grew up in Rockaway Beach, New York, with the early 1950's finding him singing in bars, and, passing the hat around, where he was discovered. It turns out that Mr. Fontaine was one of Alan Freed's first entertainers on the Rock and Roll docket in the mid 1950's. He was bellying up to the stage with the likes of "The Clovers", "LaVern Baker", and "The Penguins".
* The Penguins *
* LaVern Baker *
Fontaine is on the Legends list in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, however, he was not an inductee, and is noted to be one of the most underrated singers of all time.
Eddie claimed he wrote the following song, however, it didn't attract much interest once he presented the demo. Somehow, without his knowledge, Fontaine's original cut was sold to Chess Records and credited to 3 other writers. The song was a hit in Europe, it was even recorded by the Beatles, but it took 20 years to collect any royalties on this song! The song did peak at #64 on the Billboard's Hot 100. "Nothin Shakin'" has been recorded by various other artists, but I prefer Eddie's cut!
"Nothin Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees )
Eddie Fontaine 1958
* So what do you think? Not a bad song. And, aside from the Beatles, this song was recorded by The Mersey Beggars, Dr. Feelgood, The Shakers, and Royal Rockers!
***
In the early 1960's, Eddie made his way to Hollywood, California where he pursued an acting career. With his musical career on temporary hold, Fontaine landed a part as a singing GI in The Gallant Men series. Rumor had it that Eddie, who played a womanizer, PFC Pete D'Angelo, was the only cast member with charisma.
Well, I didn't watch the series, and I had no knowledge of him at that time, but I have seen a lot of good reviews on the series.
* Eddie Fontaine * "The Gallant Men"
* Fontaine and Sharon Hugueny *
"The Gallant Men"
****
Prior to Eddie Fontaine's stint with "The Gallant Men" series, he appeared in the 1957 movie, "The Girl Can't Help It!" Eddie is one of the performers along with Eddie Cochran, Fats Domino and Little Richard in this zany comedy with Jayne Mansfield.
* If you have just a little over a minute, I would like to present a short video from
"The Girl Can't Help It", featuring Eddie Fontaine's "Cool It Baby".
* courtesy of Youtube
Eddie did have a few bouts with the law in his day...well, maybe more than a few! The big one was a murder for hire trial in 1984, accusing Eddie of attempting to hire a country music singer to run his ex-wife off the road, with intentions of ending her life. Well, evidently Fontaine had two prior convictions of child molestation and grand larceny, however, since Eddie did not testify on his own behalf, the jury did not learn of these convictions, and he served 4 years in a California prison. He appealed his conviction and won.
***
Of his acting career, Eddie Fontaine was noted as being one of the most electrifying character actors of the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. To name just a few shows, he appeared in Baretta, Quincy, M.E., Happy Days, Rockford Files and Kojak. Well, I'll be!!! I faithfully watched several of these programs, and even though I recognize his face, I just didn't pick up on who he was!
* Happy Days * Henry Winkler as "The Fonz" and Eddie Fontaine as Fonzie's dad, Vito *
December 19, 1978
* Above is Eddie and James Garner in an episode of "Rockford Files"
October 20, 1978
****
* OH MY GOODNESS *
It's Eddie Fontaine (how did you know?) Gorilla Sergeant
Planet of The Apes TV Series, Episode 1 * The Gladiators
September 20, 1974
In 1954, After serving time in the U.S. Navy, Eddie signed with RCA as a vocalist. Labels Eddie had signed with include X, VIK, and 1956 Decca. VIK was a subsidiary of RCA, and X was just sort of a 'no name' label, that eventually featured cover records of R&B artists like Eddie Fontaine and also Louis Jordan. The Vik label was closed in November of 1958 and, while some artists had their contracts transferred to the parent company, others left to join other labels.
Sooo...how about another song? I listened to some of Eddie Fontaine's work, and my favorite song is "On Bended Knee". I think it was released in 1955.
* from Youtube *
Wasn't this one just the best! Eddie was a crooner, and, owned this song. Ahhh...I can picture myself with a tall, handsome guy dancing to Eddie's cool, and sometimes gravelly voice!
* courtesy of Yahoo Images *
* Eddie Fontaine remained active throughout the 1980's. I believe his last appearance was in 1991 on the series "Sisters" . Mr. Fontaine died of throat cancer in 1992. He was 65 years old.
I have really enjoyed listening to Eddie's music while writing this post. Mr. Fontaine was a versatile character, who hopscotched through a career filled with hard work, and exciting people. He was indeed an electrifying and talented artist!
*** Well, gotta go for now. It's raining cats and dogs this morning in the Lone Star state! And, as most of you will agree...the rain is much needed!
Thank you so much, dear readers, and rockabilly fans for coming by! I hope you enjoyed today's post, as much as I enjoyed writing it!
There are so many to thank:
musicminder.com
musicstack.com
www.rockabilly.nl
www.discogs.com
planetoftheapes.wikia.com
Thank you also:
Wikipedia
Youtube
Yahoo Images
Please stop in if you have time, and let me know if you enjoyed my post. Or, if you're too shy, like me, lol...just step in and say hello!
Have a wonderful weekend! See you next time!
Be kind, and smile. Give love, and you will get love! 💕
Hi, Suzanne!
ReplyDeleteIt is a delightful surprise to find another edition of Rock A Billy Rock, dear friend.
I am familiar with Eddie Fontaine because I have one or two of his songs coming up in a series on my own on SPMM, but the tunes you posted are all new to me. I agree that Eddie was a fine and terribly underrated singer and should have been a major star.
1957 and 1958 were especially great years for rockabilly, and Eddie's single "Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees)" is fantastic. The lyrics remind me of country songstress Sue Thompson's single "Paper Tiger," a hit at the end of 1964, specifically this line:
Paper tiger, paper tiger, you're just a flutterin' in the tree
Ain't shakin' no one but the leaves
I wonder if the man who wrote "Paper Tiger," Carolina tunesmith John D. Loudermilk, drew inspiration for those lyrics from Eddie Fontaine's song. By the way, Sue Thompson is another artist who passed for much younger than she actually was. Sue was already age 36 late in 1961 when she charted her first single "Sad Movies (Make My Cry)," but her singing style, youthful appearance and little girl voice made her seem much younger and allowed her to appeal to Baby Boomers who by then were making their presence felt as major consumers of popular music. Incredibly, Sue Thompson is now age 93!
Along with the voice, Eddie F. had the good looks to become a movie star. It's a shame he didn't exactly become a household name. I don't remember watching The Gallant Men. By the time he appeared as Fonzie's dad on Happy Days I had lost interest in that series. I didn't watch The Rockford Files, nor did I watch the Planet of the Apes TV series. That leaves the musical film The Girl Can't Help It which I know I must have seen somewhere along the line. I enjoyed Eddie's performance of "Cool It Baby" in that clip from the movie. Eddie had star potential, no shortage of talent, only a shortage of luck, it seems.
I immediately recognized "X" - one of the labels that released Eddie's records - as the label that released the first Beach Boys single "Surfin'" in December 1961.
This is the first time I heard Eddie's next song "On Bended Knee" and I love it. How about that diction... the way he adds an extra syllable at the end of a word for added impact? That reminds me of the way Jerry Lee Lewis pronounced "Breath-uh-luss." Eddie Fontaine should have been a superstar and yet he had only that one charted record. "On Bended Knee," a sensational recording, failed to chart!
I am sad to learn that Eddie Fontaine died young, younger than you and I are now. What a shame!
Give love and you will get love, Suzanne. You are very wise and a wonderful, inspiring friend! I had a great time listening to the vocal styling of the talented Eddie Fontaine today. Thank you! Stay dry and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Hi Shady, It is a shame that I didn't realize Eddie Fontaine's talents sooner. I did watch Happy Days, but like you, I lost interest without ever realizing that Fonzie's dad would make an appearance. And, I didn't get interested in Rockford Files until it went in to syndication. I don't remember "The Gallant Men" series, but probably wouldn't have watched it anyway. In the early 60's, I was in the bedroom listening to the rock and roll hits with my sister on our record player.
ReplyDeleteEddie recorded a lot of songs, and I didn't listen to all of them, but I really liked "On Bended Knee". I couldn't find the right word for the delivery of the song, but I think you did, Shady...diction! And, I know what you mean about the Jerry Lee Lewis "Breath-uh-luss".
Eddie Fontaine should have been a star, he even had a great stage presence. And, I was a little confused about the record labels. The 'X' label was sort of a standby at first, without a real name. They decided then, to leave it as X. I do think Eddie got a bad shake, and maybe he wasn't forceful enough, not enough confidence, or just didn't care to be too well known. But, I'm glad I look into his journey!
Thank you so much for coming by, Shady and leaving your great comment! I'm glad to know of your knowledge of Mr. Fontaine, and look forward to hearing your song choices.
We're enjoying temps in the low 70's, but it is still a bit muggy. Have a restful and cool weekend, dear friend!
Hello, I vaguely remember Eddie Fontaine, not the music but from the TV shows. He died young, it seems many singers and famous people die young. It is sad 65 is not too far away for me. I enjoyed the music and photos, thanks for sharing this post. Enjoy your day and new week ahead. PS, thanks for the comment on my blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen. Like you I vaguely remember Eddie Fontaine, and I do remember his visit as Fonzie's dad, but didn't realize who he was! So many famous entertainers do die young. I think they try to live their best too fast. Thank you for coming by and leaving your comment. I do hope you had a great Birthday!
DeleteMy dad, John Costa, was in the Navy with Eddie Fontaine. He used to visit us in Baltimore, MD when I was a child, maybe nine or ten. I remember him very well as a handsome and charming man with a guitar. I was not aware that he became moderately famous as an actor. He was always down on his luck when he came to visit us. I know my mom always got mad when my Dad gave Eddie money. This would have been in the 1950's.
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy. I love hearing from anyone who knew entertainers from the late 1950's and 1960's. You're right...Eddie was so handsome, and I had to laugh about him being in the "Planet of the Apes" series! He was so good looking, but I know he would accept roles of any kind...it's what kept him going.
DeleteThank you so much for coming by and leaving your comment. I enjoyed reading about your experience with Eddie Fontaine.
Hi Suzanne, I am a rock-a-billy fan but this question is about a novelty tune from the late 50s (1958). The title is "Ambrose" by Linda Laurie. It can be heard on YouTube and was charted on Billboard back then. I am trying to find out who played the piano accompaniment to her lyrics. Does anyone have any ideas as to how I might find this out? Linda has since passed away so I can't ask her.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lars Holland
Hi Lars, and welcome to my Rockabilly blog. You sparked my interest in the "Ambrose" recording, so I did a bit of research. I regret to say that I was unable to find out who accompanied Linda's record on the piano. The closest I came was to Brydan Music, however, I wasn't able to gain information from that either. I asked my blogmate and friend Shady Del Knight from "Shady's Place" to help, and he couldn't find anything, other than to think that it was possibly a session musician.
DeleteI hope you are able to find this musician, and I will let you know if I happen to find the answer. Again, thank you for coming by. Have a great week!
Hi again Suzanne,
DeleteSo sweet of you to do some research on this tune from way back when. The accompaniment was of a jazz nature and it intrigued me, being a piano player, so I checked out the website, Jazz Wax because there was an article from 2015 that discussed songs on the "Glory" record label that had information on Linda Laurie (https://www.jazzwax.com/2015/07/30/). If you go to that site, scroll down towards the bottom and you will see the information on Linda (Gertz) Laurie.
You are probably much too young to remember the old TV game show "To Tell the Truth" but Linda appeared on that show where the celebrity panel tried to guess which one of the three contestants was the real Linda Laurie who wrote and did the tune "Ambrose." If you happened to listen to the tune on YouTube you would have thought that the male sounding voice of Ambrose had to be a guy, but she proved on that show that it was actually her voice. You can view that episode on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bQqsoMvQ0&frags=pl%2Cwn or just search TO TELL THE TRUTH - Linda Laurie, Ambrose Part 5.
After reading the JazzWax article, I thought it might have been the great jazz piano player Bill Evans because of the comments discussed and the jazz licks in the background piano. I even contacted Bill's son Evan Evans who has a music website of his own. Like Linda, Bill has also passed away so I can't asked him either.
Thanks again for your attempts to help me discover the mystery accompanist on that tune.
Lars ☺️
I don't seen to find anything here about him being convicted of Child Molestation and Grand Larceny.
ReplyDeleteWhy not?
Hello Anonymous. Thank you for your inquiry. In my paragraph just below the video of Eddie's performance in the movie "The Girl Can't Help It", I discuss Eddie's infractions with the law, specifically, child molestation and grand larceny convictions. Below is my paragraph discussing the issues.
DeleteEddie did have a few bouts with the law in his day...well, maybe more than a few! The big one was a murder for hire trial in 1984, accusing Eddie of attempting to hire a country music singer to run his ex-wife off the road, with intentions of ending her life. Well, evidently Fontaine had two prior convictions of child molestation and grand larceny, however, since Eddie did not testify on his own behalf, the jury did not learn of these convictions, and he served 4 years in a California prison. He appealed his conviction and won.
Thank you so much for coming by. Take care and have a great week!