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1.
Feature
Story
/ Jerry Wallace
Dies May 5th
2008 - by Pete
Allman of
TVInews
Celebrity Scene
news. Singer's
biggest hit was
'Primrose
Lane"
"
Jerry'
Wallace's
passing on May
5, 2008, was a
surprise," says
Troy and Josie
Cory. Not only
was he a great
friend, but he
was an
outstanding
singer and
record producer
who knew "a
good song when
he heard it,
and knew where
to go with
it."
I
first met Jerry
in the early
60s when he was
part of a
comedy team. We
started a
working
relationship
with Jerry in
1967, while
conducting our
studio
enterprises. At
that time he
shared his life
with Reba in
Burbank. Many
musical
evenings were
spent at our
Hollywood Hills
home, when
Jerry brought
his musician
friends like,
Freddie Hart,
Ray Peterson,
the 'Queen
Mother of
Nashville,' Mae
Axton, Stuart
Hamlin, Chill
Wills, and Hoyt
Axton. It was
during that
time Jerry
became the
co-producer of
the Country
Hall of Fame LP
record album,
and helped in
the choosing of
the group of
country stars
selected as
"Hall of Fame"
honoraries.
Country
Music Hall of
Fame and
Museum
The
original
Country Music
Hall of Fame
and Museum
opened on Music
Row (Music
Square East and
Division
Street) on
April 1, 1967.
The LP record
album was
produced and
released to
help honor
those artists
pictured on
front.
On
behalf of the
Country Music
Association, it
was Martin
Gilbert, Jerry
and Troy who
selected both
the Nashville
recordings on
the album,
which included,
non-Nashvillians:
Lefty Frizzell,
Tex Ritter, and
Merle
Travis.
As Jerry
put it, "to add
variety to the
25
all-Nashville
related group
of singers."
Jerry along
with Bob Wills
and the Texas
Playboys songs
were not
included on the
album, which
was one of the
reasons why
each track was
edited to add a
couple of
non-Nashville
country
artists.
Jerry's
big hits in the
60s
were,"Primrose
Lane" was a top
five
million-seller,
"There She
Goes," -
"Shutters And
Boards" - "In
The Misty
Moonlight" -
"Life's Gone
And Slipped
Away" all Top
20 singles.
Troy's
mediocre
Specialty
Records and
Mercury Records
chart hits in
the 60s,
included:
"Little Pink
Toe," "Just One
More Chance,"
and "Suzy
McGregor."
Jerry's music
producer, Joe
Johnson, the
owner of
Challenge
Records, died
of the results
from a fall
from a 7 story
Nashville
building.
Operations
of the museum
came to include
educational
programs, the
CMF Press and
CMF Records,
the Country
Music
Foundation
Library (1968),
and the
historic sites
RCA Studio B
(1977) and
Hatch Show
Print (1986).
The Music Row
location of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame
and Museum was
closed December
31, 2000. BMI
now occupies
the site.
The
Cory's are
filled with
sadness for the
reasons they
didn't try
harder to
reconnect with
Jerry. He
always felt
bad, along with
myself, about
having been
left out of the
Nashville's
country artist
scene. (During
the December
2008 Country
Music Awards
from Nashville,
no mention of
Jerry's
contributions).
Hard to figure
that one out.
We lost track
of Jerry in the
mid 80s.
Nevertheless,
he always
turned up
periodically in
conversations
around our home
and of course,
playing his
records always
brought back
many good of
memories.
In 1961,
the CMA
announced the
creation of the
Country Music
Hall of Fame.
The first three
inductees,
Jimmie Rodgers,
Fred Rose and
Hank Williams,
were announced
at a CMA
banquet in
November of
said year.
Bronze plaques,
with the facial
likeness and a
thumbnail
biography of
each new member
were cast in
bas relief.
They were
unveiled at the
Grand Ole Opry
by Ernest Tubb.
These plaques,
and those for
subsequent Hall
of Fame
inductees, were
displayed in
the Tennessee
State Museum in
Nashville until
1967.
Jerry
was a big help
to me at the
time when I was
promoting my
Nashville
single, "I Put
your Picture
Back in my
Wallet." We hit
all the radio
stations in
town while he
tried to show
me how to pluck
a record. An
introduction by
Jerry meant a
guaranteed sure
"play with his
DJ
buddies."
His
favorite stage
costume was
"his fancy
Nudie suit,"for
his
performances.
One time as we
came out of a
club, someone
had stolen all
his expensive
Nudie suit. I
couldn't help
but break out
in the wildest
laughter, which
Jerry did not
seem to
appreciate.
Well, it was
all in
jest.
We spent
many times
together, --
dinners at our
respective
homes, trips to
the racetracks,
joining Jerry
as he made his
rounds at
various night
clubs and radio
stations.
Jerry
would often
stop by our
Pasadena home
on his way to
Santa Anita.
Wild Turkey was
his favorite
drink . . . so
... before
heading out to
the Santa Anita
racetracks. I
remember we'd
discussed doing
a show from the
house, "kind of
in the style of
a Guest House
show" we did at
KTLA and Warner
Bros., where we
would have
entertainers
and singers
come by for a
chat. An early
vision of the
reality shows
so popular
now.
We were
there when
Jerry cut his
"To Get To You"
album." Some
time after I
'stole' one of
the songs from
his album and
recorded the
tune "To Get To
You." Jerry
didn't mind -
we were music
pals.
We
shared his joy
when he came by
our house the
day his son was
born at St.
Joseph's
Hospital in
Burbank.
Like so
many times in
life our ways
parted and we
will forever be
saddened that
in later years
we missed the
opportunity to
spend some
reminiscing
times together.
In our hearts
he will always
remain a
'giant' among
singers. Thanks
for the
Memories Jerry.
Thanks Jerry
for your
musical gifts.
Troy &
Josie Cory
02.
DISCOGRAPHY
TIMELINE
/
Jerry
Wallace,
recording
artist, record
producer
Among his
more than 45
chart successes
on both the pop
and country
music Hit
Parade was:
1958
- "How The Time
Flies" a pop
release on the
Gene
Autry-owned
Challenge
label, landed
in the top
ten of
Hit Parade
1959
- "Primrose
Lane" was a top
five
million-seller
1960
- "There She
Goes"
1962
- "Shutters And
Boards"
1964
- "In The Misty
Moonlight" a
Top 20
single
1965
- "Life's Gone
And Slipped
Away"
1967
- "This One's
On The House"
co-producer,
single for Troy
Cory
1967
- "Moved To the
Hills"
co-producer,
single for Troy
Cory
1967
- " I Put your
Picture Back in
My Wallet"
co-producer,
single for Troy
Cory
1968
- "Sweet Child
of
Sunshine"
1968
- "Country
Music Hall of
Fame" Album,
co-producer
with (Troy
Cory, Martin
Gilbert)
1972
- "If You Leave
Me Tonight I'll
Cry" his #1
country hit
1972
- "Do You Know
What It's Like
To Be
Lonesome"
1972
- To Get To
You"
1972
- Jerry
Wallace's "To
Get To You" was
nominated as
"Single of the
Year." It
stayed on the
Hit Parade for
22 consecutive
weeks.
1973
- "Doc Cory
Prescribes City
Music" Producer
of Album - Troy
Cory
1973
- "Easy
Lovin"
co-producer,
Album for Troy
Cory
1973
- "Do You Know
What It's Like
To Be Lonesome"
peaked at #
2.
1973
- "Don't
Give Up On Me"
His streak of
country hits
continued with
a #3
success,
1974
- "My Wife's
House" Top Ten
.
Continued
03
About Jerry
/
May 12,
2008
/
TVInews
-- Jerry
Wallace, 79,
the
smooth-voiced
pop and country
singer who
scored his
first two hits
in the late
1950s with "How
the Time Flies"
and "Primrose
Lane," died
Monday night of
congestive
heart failure
at his home in
Victorville,
one of his
three sons,
Jerry Wallace
Jr., said.
Jerry
Wallace was
born in
Guildford,
Missouri on
December 15,
1928, the son
of a grocer,
and grew up in
Glendale,
Arizona.
Jerry's father
traded a crate
of eggs for
Jerry's first
guitar as a
14th birthday
present.
Wallace served
in the Navy
during World
War Two and
later moved to
Hollywood in
the late 1940s.
His marriage to
Loralei in 1956
ended in
divorce.
Considered
a pop act
during the late
'50s with a
pair of huge
hits, Jerry
Wallace
successfully
migrated to the
country field
during the '60s
and '70s.
Wallace began
recording in
1951 and burst
onto the pop
charts in 1958
on the
Challenge label
with "How the
Time Flies" and
the even bigger
"Primrose
Lane," written
by Wayne
Shanklin, a
year later.
Primrose Lane
was also used
as the theme
song for a
television
series starring
Henry Fonda,
titled "The
Smith
Family.
Gene
Kennedy, owner
of
Tennessee-based
Door Knob
Records which
released
several of
Wallace's
records in the
late 1970s,
said "Primrose
Lane" sold more
than a million
copies and was
Wallace's
biggest-selling
record. "He was
a great
singer,"
Kennedy said.
"One of the
best in the
business."
Wallace's focus
became more
country-oriented
with "Shutters
and Boards" and
"In the Misty
Moonlight" in
1963-64, and he
made a
full-fledged
turn in 1965
after switching
to the Mercury
label.
A
move to Liberty
in 1968 didn't
pay off, but in
1972, soon
after he began
recording for
Decca, "If You
Leave Me
Tonight I'll
Cry" topped the
country charts
(as did the LP
To Get to You).
During the next
year, 1973, "Do
You Know What
It's Like to Be
Lonesome" and
"Don't Give Up
on Me" both
reached the Top
Five, but
Wallace only
managed one
more Top Ten,
1974's "My
Wife's House"
(for MCA). He
charted
continually
until the end
of the decade,
though, while
recording for
MGM, 4 Star,
BMA, and Door
Knob.
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After
those first
hits in the
late '50s, and
60s, chart
success was
elusive but
Wallace had a
comeback in the
early '70s.
Jerry also
composed music
for film and
television, and
appeared in
films including
"Flipper's New
Adventure" and
"Goodbye
Charlie." He
also worked on
music for other
television
shows,
including
"Daniel Boone"
and "Hec
Ramsey."
CENTER
PAGE
/ 1970s to
2008
As
Wallace's
career was
resuscitated
during the
early 1970s, he
netted Top 5
hits. His
biggest came
with "If You
Leave Me
Tonight I'll
Cry," which
first appeared
in an episode
of Rod
Serling's Night
Gallery in
January 1972.
Jerry got the
chance to
record it
primarily
because he
sounded similar
to Nat "King"
Cole, who the
producers
wanted to
emulate with
the song.
Viewers were
intrigued by
the tune and
prodded its
release as a
single. It
became a number
one single.
According
to the Hit
Parade Hall of
Fame Web site,
Wallace scored
more than 45
chart successes
on both the pop
and country
music hit
parades.
In
1972, he
was nominated
for the Country
Music Assn.
Award as male
vocalist of the
year and his
"To Get To You"
was nominated
as Single of
the Year. It
stayed on the
Hit Parade for
22 consecutive
weeks.
He
retired from
music soon
after. A
few of his
songs turned up
in TV shows and
commercials. He
even recorded a
theme song for
a Japanese
cologne called
"Mandom."
Wallace
effectively
retired
from
show business
in the
late 1970s and
stopped
recording and
also performing
too, with the
exception of
some low-key
concerts for
Victorville
veterans
that he
performed only
occasionally.
Funeral
services for
singer Jerry
Wallace, were
held Friday,
May 9, 2008, in
Corona,
California,
where he was
honored by
family and
friends.
Jerry
Wallace Jr.,
44, said his
father was
passionate
about horse
racing and
would often
watch the races
at Hollywood
Park in
Inglewood. The
son shared his
dad's
enthusiasm and
went on to
become a horse
trainer.
"He
always had a
great time,"
Wallace Jr.
said. "He told
me a few weeks
before he died
not to cry for
him. He had a
great life."
He had
lived in
Victorville for
the last
fifteen
years.
Wallace
is survived by
four children,
two
grandchildren
and his
ex-wife, Reva
Stone.
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