What a great Audio Autopsy subject. 1964 Tots of Rock. One more example of the impact the Beatles had on 7,8 and 9 year olds to find their own musical voices. By looking at and listening to the clips you presented I didn’t get the sense these kids were being dragged out by stage parents to cash in on the newest rock craze. They were talented kids and excited to perform for anyone who’ll take them seriously. I relate!! 😉
Thanks, Stephen! You're right...in the case of The Bantams, it was one instrument at a time, with another instrument being bought when they could afford one. Mike, the oldest, scored his guitar first, and Fritz had to be talked into the bass, which was easy, 'cause Paul was his favorite! His first instinct was to try and play like HE did...left-handed, but realized there was no way he could!
Mike told Fritz that he won't have to worry about playing chords; in fact, "you only have four strings, instead of six!" Jeff had to suffice himself with a set of bongos, until the family could afford a full set of drums!
I knew you'd dig this one, as we both famously had our respective life influences in seeing The Beatles on Sullivan! I'd actually been sitting on this Bantams one for months, and did all the research in late '21! Thankfully, I keep all my notes and website addresses, so it was just a matter of digging in! Thanks again, Stephen....glad you like!!
My husband Randy watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show when he was in the fifth grade. He immediately change the course of his life from wanting to be an artist wanting to be a musician. He hasn’t set down his guitar since 🎸
Music has been good to him and to me as he has written all of my show tunes. 🎶
We who were there and able all have our memorable 2/9/64 stories! If you haven't discovered the 20 articles we have about Stephen Michael Schwartz (that he wrote himself!....he left a comment here, above or below), he was 10 when he saw the Sullivan Show Beatles performances. That led him to discover the guitar, his singing voice, as well as the art of songwriting! He recorded his debut solo album in 1974 for RCA Records, and has generously shared his story with us!
Love the black background don't think anyone is doing that ..it;s very Heavy Metal No? I appreciate the research and photos. I include music in a lot of my articles, and just recently started added videos. Yes this is a page turner/magazine-like fun read. I shall return 😀.... chalk down now, hey no mess
Thanks so much, De! And, thanks for subscribing! There are a few 'Stackers parading the black background! They say it helps with battery-operated phones, etc...saving power. Thanks for appreciating the research and photos...that's what we do FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE!
Take your time in perusing the site. Lots to enjoy and dig into!
By the way, we offer TWO EXCLUSIVE BONUS GOLD PASS POSTS a month with a paid (monthly or annual) subscription! You'll receive those posts filled with content that will NOT see the light of day on FR&B, and are exclusive peeks only available to paid subscribers! Either way, great to have you here, De, and enjoy!--Brad
What a great Audio Autopsy subject. 1964 Tots of Rock. One more example of the impact the Beatles had on 7,8 and 9 year olds to find their own musical voices. By looking at and listening to the clips you presented I didn’t get the sense these kids were being dragged out by stage parents to cash in on the newest rock craze. They were talented kids and excited to perform for anyone who’ll take them seriously. I relate!! 😉
Thanks, Stephen! You're right...in the case of The Bantams, it was one instrument at a time, with another instrument being bought when they could afford one. Mike, the oldest, scored his guitar first, and Fritz had to be talked into the bass, which was easy, 'cause Paul was his favorite! His first instinct was to try and play like HE did...left-handed, but realized there was no way he could!
Mike told Fritz that he won't have to worry about playing chords; in fact, "you only have four strings, instead of six!" Jeff had to suffice himself with a set of bongos, until the family could afford a full set of drums!
I knew you'd dig this one, as we both famously had our respective life influences in seeing The Beatles on Sullivan! I'd actually been sitting on this Bantams one for months, and did all the research in late '21! Thankfully, I keep all my notes and website addresses, so it was just a matter of digging in! Thanks again, Stephen....glad you like!!
My husband Randy watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show when he was in the fifth grade. He immediately change the course of his life from wanting to be an artist wanting to be a musician. He hasn’t set down his guitar since 🎸
Music has been good to him and to me as he has written all of my show tunes. 🎶
We who were there and able all have our memorable 2/9/64 stories! If you haven't discovered the 20 articles we have about Stephen Michael Schwartz (that he wrote himself!....he left a comment here, above or below), he was 10 when he saw the Sullivan Show Beatles performances. That led him to discover the guitar, his singing voice, as well as the art of songwriting! He recorded his debut solo album in 1974 for RCA Records, and has generously shared his story with us!
All of his FR&B content is here, with most recent at the top: https://bradkyle.substack.com/t/stephen-michael-schwartz
Love the black background don't think anyone is doing that ..it;s very Heavy Metal No? I appreciate the research and photos. I include music in a lot of my articles, and just recently started added videos. Yes this is a page turner/magazine-like fun read. I shall return 😀.... chalk down now, hey no mess
Thanks so much, De! And, thanks for subscribing! There are a few 'Stackers parading the black background! They say it helps with battery-operated phones, etc...saving power. Thanks for appreciating the research and photos...that's what we do FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE!
Take your time in perusing the site. Lots to enjoy and dig into!
By the way, we offer TWO EXCLUSIVE BONUS GOLD PASS POSTS a month with a paid (monthly or annual) subscription! You'll receive those posts filled with content that will NOT see the light of day on FR&B, and are exclusive peeks only available to paid subscribers! Either way, great to have you here, De, and enjoy!--Brad