William Price King meets some Legends – Sir Tom Jones – 1960s – Las Vegas, Elvis Presley and Delilah

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to part two of the life and music of Sir Tom Jones. It is now the mid-sixties and the charismatic star has a growing legion of fans who loved his voice and dynamic performances. As the music scene began to evolve however, Tom Jones was going to have to evolve with it to maintain his popularity. I will now hand you over to William Price King to take us through the rest of the 1960s.

After performing on the “Ed Sullivan Show” in 1965, Jones dropped by Colony Records in New York and asked if they had any works by Jerry Lee Lewis. He was given the new country album on which he discovered and recorded the song “Green, Green Grass of Home.” The song reached #1 in the UK, staying there for seven weeks. The song also reached # 1 and on Billboard’s pop chart and #12 on the easy listening chart.

It was now 1966 and the music scene was changing with groups taking center stage. Tom Jones found that his popularity was not quite as buoyant as it had been, and his manager Gordon Mills, moved his star towards a new and more mature audience as a crooner.

With the success of “Green, Green Grass of Home” behind him, his career resumed its upward momentum and Tom Jones topped the charts again in the UK, remaining there for much of the next ten years.

In 1967 Tom Jones began his first residency in Las Vegas at the world famous Flamingo. His signature dress code of tight trousers and shirts opened almost to the waist were a huge draw for his adoring female fans of all ages. He began to record less and focus on his club act, and things could get a little rowdy at the Caesar’s Palace with enthusiastic audience participation in the form of projectile female underwear and hotel door keys.

Away from the fans, Tom Jones found time to enjoy his friendship with Elvis Presley, begun in 1965 on the set of ‘Paradise, Hawaiian Style. They spent a great deal of time in each other’s company, and would duet together in Elvis Presley’s private suite, remaining firm friends until his death in 1977.

“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” penned by Lonnie Donegan and Jimmy Currie, was first released by Donegan as a single in 1962. Donegan asked Jones to record the song, saying that he would “sing the pants off it.” Jones accepted the offer and his cover of the song reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1967. Less successful in the US, the song was reissued in the US in 1969 and peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The singles that Tom Jones did take time away from Las Vegas to record, all did well, and with a growing fan base unable to travel to his club performances, it was important to keep his music in the charts.

The song “Detroit City” is a working man’s complaint which describes the alienation felt by many rural southerners in the mid North. Written by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis and recorded by Bobby Bare in 1963, this song won a Grammy Award for the Best Country & Western Recording for that year. Tom Jones’ cover of this song in 1967 is very strong and plaintive and features Bare’s spoken recitation. Jones’ version of “Detroit City” earned him a place in the UK Top 10.

From 1969 to 1971, Jones starred in his own TV show, “This Is Tom Jones,” which was based in America and aired in both the U.S. and Great Britain. As a result of the show, Jones was nominated in 1969 for a Golden Globe for “best actor.” From 1980 to 1981, he had a second television variety show, “Tom Jones,”that was produced in Vancouver, Canada, and lasted for 24 episodes.

Jones appeared on 31 December 1969, on the BBC’s review of the 1960s music scene, “Pop Go The Sixties,” performing “Delilah.” In 1970, Jones teamed up with Raquel Welch and Producer/Choreographer David Winters of Winters-Rosen Productions for the television special “Raquel!” The multimillion-dollar television song and dance extravaganza was filmed around the world and included production numbers of classic songs from the era, lavish costumes, and guest performances from Jones, John Wayne, and Bob Hope.

“Delilah” had been recorded by Tom Jones in 1968 as a soulful rock-and-roll piece featuring a big-band accompaniment set to a flamenco rhythm, with music by Les Reed and lyrics by Barry and Sylvan Mason. Reed and Mason received the 1968 Ivor Novello award for “Best Song Musically and Lyrically” for this piece. “Delilah” became a #1 hit in several countries around the world, reaching #2 in the UK and was the sixth best selling single of that year.

Buy Tom Jones Music: https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Jones/e/B000APJ7YA

You can buy Tom Jones’ autobiography: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Memoir-Sir-Tom-Jones/dp/0718180682/

You can keep up with news and performances: http://www.tomjones.com/news/

Additional material: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jones_(singer)

About William Price King

William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.

His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.

His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

Connect to William

Website – http://www.williampriceking.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPriceKing
Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – http://cave-wilson.com/
ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/william-price-king/id788678484

You can find all of William’s posts on Jazz, Classical and Contemporary artists in this link: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

Next week some more great music through the 1970s. I hope you will join us again and your feedback is always gratefully received.

Smorgasbord Round Weekly Round Up – Sir Tom Jones, King Arthur, Brussel Sprouts and Author Media Training

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the weekly round up where I share my posts from the week and also those of my guests. Those guests are providing a much valued different perspective on topics that I might not cover normally and I thank them so much for their work and time that they spend creating their posts.

Also news of some new ways to promote your books and blog this week and tomorrow the start of the new Sunday Interview show… The Ultimate Bucket List and to show you how it will look… our foodie guest writer Carol Taylor volunteered to be the first ~~victim~~ guest……going out just after midnight.

Resident musical director – William Price King is back with a new music series… the every youthful and dynamic Sir Tom Jones, and this week in the early years, William shares some of his early influences and hits.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/william-price-king-meets-some-legends-sir-tom-jones-the-early-years/

Paul Andruss tackles the legend of King Arthur this week which is not an easy thing to do. As you will read, Arthur has been a pawn in other Kings and Emperor’s claims to their position and there might have been a few pretenders along the way too.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/writer-in-residence-arthur-king-or-pawn-by-paul-andruss/

Julie Lawford has been with us over the summer with some excellent posts on lifestyle and weight loss and I hope that in the future she will find time to donate some of her archived posts again. This week Julie shares some useful links to healthy living sites and some videos that are worth watching.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/smorgasbord-health-2017-guest-writer-julie-lawford-dietary-heresy-or-new-wisdom-functional-medicine-sugar-fat-carbs-cholesterol/

Carol Taylor has been adding her special blend of spices and love of fresh produce to the foods that I have showcased in the past as being particularly healthy.. Sally and Carol’s Cook from Scratch is going from strength to strength and we are grateful for you likes, shares and comments. This week the little powerhouse of nutrition… Brussel sprouts.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/smorgasbord-health-2017-cook-from-scratch-with-sally-and-carol-taylor-brussel-sprouts/

And in the new series of Posts from your Archives, Pete Johnson from Beetley Pete starts a four week series on posts from his stash. In this post you will also find out how you can participate by giving posts that you would like to share with a new audience a showcase. Look forward to hearing from you.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/new-series-posts-from-your-archives-guest-pete-johnson-with-going-to-the-pictures/

Milestones along the Way by Geoff Cronin

Last weekend we came to the end of my late father-in-law Geoff’s books with the love story of how Geoff and Joan, his wife of 50 years met. All his stories are in the directory for you to revisit. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/books-by-geoff-cronin/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/10/milestones-along-the-way-how-i-met-her-by-geoff-cronin/

Odd Jobs and Characters – Public House Landlady my host Chris the Story Reading Ape.

This week some challenges in my role as landlady of a pub in Cowes on the Isle of Wight with rather over the top customers courtesy of the ‘booze cruises’ on Saturday nights – Read all about it: https://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/2017/09/11/reserved-for-sally-cronin/

New Series – Media Training for Authors.

I have been an Indie author for 20 years and without a massive budget behind me to get noticed, I had to push open a few doors myself. For most of it is very hard to self-promote, even for someone like myself, who have a background in public speaking at conferences and major events.

We have a tendency to think global with our marketing because we have access to the world via the Internet. But I have always sold more books, especially print books by creating a market in my local environment. When I first began marketing my books there was no Amazon, worldwide web or global readership to the same extent and we relied on local media picking up the story. This sometimes led to nationals then taking an interest. That is how it worked with my first book Size Matters and I enjoyed both local and national coverage. The same applied to my family health book – Just Food for Health that sold well at book fairs, health events and summer fetes.

Most authors that I speak to are seeking international recognition for their work and to become a bestseller. But, there is no harm in getting some much needed experience locally first, before stepping onto the worldwide stage. One reason being, that most national radio stations and media, will be looking to interview authors who have had some experience of being behind a microphone or in front of a camera. I have adapted my media training course to focus on authors and book marketing.

Here are the first two posts with more tomorrow and next weekend.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/media-training-for-authors-introduction-dont-be-shy/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/16/media-training-for-authors-getting-a-foot-in-the-door-press-releases-and-door-knocking-2/

Book Promotions

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-update-sue-coletta-j-e-spina-and-c-s-boyack/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-update-dan-alatorre-and-various-authors-john-nicholl-and-lucinda-e-clarke/

Air Your Reviews – share your most recent rave review with everyone..

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/smorgasbord-book-promotion-air-your-reviews-jena-c-henry-chuck-jackson-and-deborah-jay/

Thomas the Rhymer Paul Andruss

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/smorgasbord-book-promotion-air-your-reviews-paul-andruss-d-wallace-peach-and-christina-steinner/

Blog Promotions – The Blogger Daily now on hold for next week (writing break)

Smorgasbord Blogger Daily

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-monday-11th-september-2017-patrick-dykie-terri-webster-schrandt-van-by-the-river-annette-rochelle-aben-robbie-cheadle-and-traci-kenworth/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-tuesday-12th-september-2017-d-g-kaye-sue-vincents-c-skillman-alethea-kehas-and-gary-loggins/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-wednesday-september-13th-2017-madelyn-griffith-haynie-janice-spina-and-the-non-smoking-lady-bug/

Smorgasbord Health 2017

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/smorgasbord-health-2017-a-z-of-common-conditions-chicken-pox-and-shingles-a-double-act/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/smorgasbord-health-2017-the-soda-stream-worth-125-billion-dollars-a-year-at-the-cost-of-your-health-2/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/smorgasbord-health-2017-rewind-food-safety-toxoplasma-gondii-cats-and-other-carriers/

Smorgasbord Pet Health

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/smorgasbord-pet-health-allergies-fleas-and-benefits-of-raw-food-diest-for-dogs-and-cats/

Humour

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/smorgasbord-laughter-academy-lifes-great-truths-and-some-snippets/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/the-afternoon-video-rewind-the-most-graceful-dog-dancing-i-have-seen/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/13/afternoon-video-rewind-you-can-lead-a-dog-to-water-bath-time/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/afternoon-video-rewind-cats-vs-flip-flops-shared-by-n-a-granger/

Personal Stuff

I underwent a procedure this week that was long overdue.. the process prompted a poem!

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/12/smorgasbord-poetry-farewell-to-colourful-friends-by-sally-cronin-2/

Thank you very much for dropping in this week and as always very grateful to see you and get your feedback. Enjoy the rest of the weekend… thanks Sally.

William Price King meets some legends – Sir Tom Jones – The Early Years

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Sir Thomas John Woodward – Tom Jones has enjoyed a stunning career spanning six decades that has been embellished with a colourful personal life as well as some highs and lows as he navigated the changing trends within the music industry. To achieve this Tom Jones has successfully and consistently produced great music across several genres including pop, rock, R&B, Broadway, country, soul and gospel. He has sold over 100 million records with 36 Top 40 hits in the UK and 19 in the US. His top hits include It’s Not Unusual, What’s New Pussycat, Delilah, Green, Green Grass of Home, She’s a Lady, Kiss and Sex Bomb.

He has also received a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966, two Brit Awards for Best British Male singer in 2000 and Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2003. He was awarded the OBE in 1999 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music in 2006.

I am going to hand you over to William now to take us through the early years.

Thomas John Woodward, who would one day take the stages of the world by storm, was born in 1940 in Pontypridd, South Wales.. His parents were Thomas and Freda Woodward and his father was a miner. Thomas attended both primary and secondary school in Pontypridd, but having dyslexia, he found it a challenge. However, he did find enjoyment in listening to the BBC radio and its mix of American Blues, R&B and rock. At the time Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley were hitting the charts and their style influenced Thomas’s singing in his early career.

As you can see from this live performance of Elvis Presley there are clearly element of style and charisma that carried over into Tom Jones’ early performances. It was not long however before Tom Jones had developed a style that was uniquely his own.

Singing was something that the Welsh Valley towns have always excelled at and Thomas was a natural. He had a powerful voice and apparently was often told off in choir practice at school for drowning out the other singers in School assembly. It was not long before he was singing at family gatherings, weddings and even for his mother’s Women’s Guild meetings. Unfortunately at age 12 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was confined to bed for two years as he recovered. This was tough for any young boy, particularly one who was beginning to enjoy the limelight with his singing. However, he spent his time listening to music and drawing.

Perhaps it was this two years away from school, and a desire to catch up with his life, that led to some tearaway years. Eventually he left school at 16, getting married that year to his girlfriend Linda and becoming a father shortly afterwards. Tom was working in a paper mill at nights to support his new family, but it meant that he could spend little time on his first love, singing. In the end the singing won and Tom gave up his job at the mill.

In 1963 at the age of 23, Tom became lead singer for Tommy Scott and the Senators, a local group whose former frontman had a preference for ballads. When he failed to turn up one night, the band leader Vernon Hopkins offered Tom a crate of beer to perform with them at the local YMCA. That one off appearance lit the fuse of what has been, and continues to be a glittering, roller coaster ride that has been Tom’s career. He did experiment with playing guitar and the drums, but his real talent lay in his rich, upbeat baritone voice that is so suited to the blues and R&B songs of the day.

The group had a great local following in South Wales, but there was a limit to their exposure in the area. There were some attempts to interest record labels, and they were even talent spotted by a Decca producer who saw them perform; however this led to nothing. But, Tom’s luck was about to change one night, when the Tommy Scott and the Senators were performing at the Top Hat club in Cwmtillery in Gwent, Wales. A London based talent manager from London, Gordon Mills, who originated from South Wales, spotted Tom and persuaded him to let him manage his career. He took him to London and to take advantage of the Academy Award-winning film Tom Jones of 1963, he changed Tom’s name.

Decca Records signed Tom Jones and his first single was released, but to a lukewarm reception by the radio stations.

Tom Jones’ first single was a cover of “Chills and Fever,” originally recorded by Ronnie Love who managed to make it to #15 on the R&B charts and #72 on the Pop charts in 1960. Jones recorded this single on Decca Records and the result was a go-go stomping version with background girls and sharp horns. Critics thought the song was too over produced. The song failed to chart after it was released in late 1964.

The same could not be said for his follow up release “It’s Not Unusual” which was written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills. This was the second Decca single Jones released, reaching number one in the UK in 1965, and peaking at #10 in the US. The BBC initially refused to play the song because of Jones’ sexy image, but it got overwhelming airplay on the UK pirate station, Radio Caroline. Jones performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show in the US on 2 May 1965.

This success was swiftly followed up by Gordon Mills who secured a number of film theme songs for Tom to record including what would become a Tom Jones classic.

“What’s New Pussycat” was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David as the title track for the 1965 American comedy directed by Clive Donner and with his first screenplay, Woody Allen. The film starred Peter Sellers, Peter O’Toole,, Romy Schneider, Capucine, Paula Prentiss and Ursula Andress. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1966 but lost out to “The Shadow Of Your Smile” from the film The Sandpiper.

“What’s New Pussycat” peaked at #11 in the UK charts and #3 in the US.

“Thunderball” was the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name . It was composed by John Barry and Don Black. It became Jones’ third Top 40 hit in America, and has been part of his Las Vegas show ever since.

On being offered the chance to record this song, Jones said: “I was thrilled to bits when they asked me to do ‘Thunderball.’ I thought, ‘Oh my God, a song for a James Bond film.‘ The most memorable thing about the session was hitting that note at the end. John told me to hold on to this very high note for as long as possible. I hit it but I had to hold on to the wall of the sound booth to steady myself in case I fell down. Thank God, I didn’t. I knocked off the recording pretty quickly. I think John and I became very good friends, simply because he didn’t have to spend long on my part.”

Tom Jones was now one of the leading artists that had invaded the American music scene and it was confirmed with the Grammy Award for Best New Artist for 1966.

And to crown his achievements in Hollywood; a meeting with his childhood idol, Elvis Presley.

Buy Tom Jones Music: https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Jones/e/B000APJ7YA

You can buy Tom Jones’ autobiography: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Memoir-Sir-Tom-Jones/dp/0718180682/

You can keep up with news and performances: http://www.tomjones.com/news/

Additional material: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jones_(singer)

About William Price King

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

Connect to William

Smorgasbord Weekly Round Up – Party Guest Playlist, Honey, and Tony Bennett

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the weekly round up which you may be surprised to discover is shorter and sweeter this week.. My sister is over for the weekend so we are gallivanting about the place. Yesterday was a beautiful day but it did not last long… still one out of three ain’t bad.

Thank you to everyone who popped in, liked, shared and most of all commented.. do love having a chat.

My thanks too for the contributions to the blog and I am so lucky to have such talented people sharing their work here.. Look out for a couple more in the next few weeks.

On with the show which included day three of the End of Summer Party and then several posts featuring the music requests of the guest.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/28/smorgasbord-end-of-summer-party-one-last-fling-with-fantastic-writers-music-and-more-free-books-from-susan-toy/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/smorgasbord-end-of-party-playlist-requests-from-pamela-wight-jemima-pett-noelle-granger-judy-martin-john-howell-carmen-stefanescu-lucinda-clarke-bette-stevens-and-darlene-foster/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/smorgasbord-end-of-party-playlist-ritu-bhathal-victoria-zigler-beetly-pete-patricia-salamone-and-marsha-ingrao/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/smorgasbord-end-of-summer-play-list-jacquie-biggar-christy-birmingham-traci-kenworth-natalie-ducey-and-micki-peluso/

And to bring the party to a close… Paul Andruss was tipped out the door with some final words…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/28/writer-in-residence-and-to-bring-the-party-to-a-close-home-thoughts-from-abroad-by-paul-andruss-2/

William Price King meets the Legends.. – Happy 90th Birthday Tony Bennett.

William will be back in two weeks after his summer break with a new series.. the wonderful and hip swivelling Sir Tom Jones.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/smorgasbord-summer-jazz-2017-william-price-king-meets-tony-bennett-happy-90th-birthday/

Milestones along the Way by Geoff Cronin

Two more stories from my later father-in-law from Waterford through the decades. The first is the whirlwind romance of his American great uncle of 80 and his new wife of 29. The second is all about bringing home the bacon.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/milestones-along-the-way-the-american-connection-by-geoff-cronin/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/03/milestones-along-the-way-bacon-by-geoff-cronin/

Writer in Residence – The Dancing Floor of Glastonbury by Paul Andruss

Thomas the Rhymer Paul Andruss

In June this year thousands descended on Glastonbury in Somerset for a music festival.. As always, images in the media show that there is a certain amount of licence to partake in various shenanigans during the days and nights of the festival.. but there is nothing new in history.. And who knows what ancients stand on Glastonbury Tor looking down on the festival site, laughing at the amateurs emulating a much more fascinating and sometimes deadly time in history.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/writer-in-residence-the-dancing-floor-of-glastonbury-tor-by-paul-andruss/

I also featured a reblog of Paul’s post on Fantastic Creatures.. this week The Thylacene (Tasmanian Tiger)

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/smorgasbord-reblog-fantastic-beasts-four-the-thylacine-tasmanian-tiger-by-paul-andruss/

Guest writer – One foot in front of the other by Julie Lawford

Time for another of Julie Lawford’s inspiring posts on lifestyle and weightloss and this week a look at walking. Something most of us do automatically from about the age of 18 months to two years and continue to do so until we die. There are times when we push ourselves physically to lose weight and that is incredibly hard to sustain day after day.. But walking briskly every day is less of a punishment and more a pleasure… as you will discover from Julie today.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/smorgasbord-guest-post-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-walking-by-julie-lawford/

Smorgasbord health – Sally and Carol’s Cook From Scratch – Honey with Carol Taylor

This week we shared the many health benefits of honey with some delicious recipes from Carol to encourage us all to include in our diet.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/smorgasbord-health-2017-cook-from-scratch-with-sally-and-carol-honey-nectar-of-the-gods/

This week I also explored the health benefits of coconut water and oil.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/smorgasbord-health-2017-food-in-the-news-coconut-oil-50-best-uses-by-charlie-pulsipher-of-sun-warrior/

Pet Health are you breaking the law by not keeping your pet restrained in the car.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/smorgasbord-pet-health-cars-and-dogs-are-you-breaking-uk-driving-laws/

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-new-on-the-shelves-condemned-by-fate-the-ambition-destiny-series-by-v-l-mcbeath/

Cafe and bookstore Author Update

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-update-phillip-t-stephens-susan-m-toy-lyn-horner/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-update-carmen-stefanescu-and-tobias-wade/

Smorgasbord Air Your Reviews

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/smorgasbord-book-promotion-air-your-reviews-ritu-bhathal-colleen-chesebro-mae-clair/

Laughter Academy and Afternoon video

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/smorgasbord-laughter-academy-one-liners-to-ponder-part-three-2/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/the-afternoon-video-paws-in-the-cookie-jar/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/smorgasbord-laughter-academy-one-liners-to-ponder-part-four/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/smorgasbord-laughter-academy-a-dip-into-the-archives-dogs-cats-and-parrots/

Weekly Image and Haiku

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/smorgasbord-poetry-weekly-image-and-haiku-i-still-see-you/

Smorgasbord Reblogs

John Howell hosted the next episode of my true encounters in Odd Jobs and Characters that later was fictionalised into my novel Just an Odd Job Girl.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/smorgasbord-reblog-odd-jobs-and-characters-the-steak-house-hosted-by-john-w-howell/

Colleen Chesebro kindly hosted my post on my encounters with my guardian angel.. according to a Gypsy… a magnificent African Warrior in full regalia.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/smorgasbord-reblog-colleen-chesebro-my-host-for-my-guardian-angel-by-sally-cronin/

That is it for this week.. thank you again for all your support and I hope that you will join me again this coming week.

Stay tuned for the new series of The Sunday Show where bloggers and authors can showcase their work…as always a new theme…..

Enjoy the rest of the weekend…

Smorgasbord End of Party Playlist – Ritu Bhathal, Victoria Zigler, Beetly Pete, Patricia Salamone and Marsha Ingrao

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

I was so pleased with the response to the party and those who took part in the quiz and left their links. I did manage to feature some of the requests but there was simply not enough time to include everyone… So… I will be sharing those guests and their links and music choices in the Blogger Daily slot for the rest of the week.

Here was the Quiz…

Which is your favourite recording artist or band
Pizza or Pasta
Favourite Film
Person you would most like to meet Dead or Alive

Yesterday I featured a pasta dish for those of you who selected it as your preference.

Today… a recipe for pizza – from Simon Brookes of the Clay Oven blog here on WordPress.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that pizza cooked in a fiercely hot clay oven is the best you will ever taste. Why are they better than pizzas cooked in the gas or electric oven in your home? It’s all about the heat! The oven in your home will reach a maximum temperature of around 250° C. A clay oven, fired for a few hours, will reach temperatures well in excess of 400° C and it’s this furnace-like heat that turns a thin circle of dough, topped with oil, meats and cheese, into an absolute gourmet treat! Pizzas cooked in a clay oven take no longer than 2 minutes to cook. They have thin, crisp and slightly charred bases while the toppings remain delicious and full of flavour. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is! so lets get on with the main thrust of this post which, if you haven’t guessed already, is about making pizzas in a clay oven.

I interviewed Simon Brookes on radio back in 2009 as he is an Associate Dean at Portsmouth University..You will find details on building and using Clay Ovens on his blog.

You will find the ingredients for the dough and the toppings over on the blog.. https://clayoven.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/the-best-pizza-ever/

Now time to share some of the guests to the party with their favourite music. I will try and find a track from the artist on Youtube, and I will add any book links and some social media and if you are not already following them, then this is your chance.

Ritu Bhathal

Favourite recording artist: so many!!! But I’ll choose Sade for today…!
Pizza or Pasta: Pasta. Without a doubt!
Favourite film : No question – The Jungle Book (animated)
Person I’d most like to meet dead or alive: I always find this hard to answer but usually my mind goes to my grandparents who I never really got to know!

Ritu is a poet and you can find her debut collection, read the reviews and buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ritu-Bhathal/e/B01H5F3KE0

Blog: https://butismileanyway.wordpress.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/butismileanyway
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhantomGiggler

And here is Sade with Smooth Operator and you can buy her music here: https://www.amazon.com/Sade/e/B000APXHPK

Victoria Zigler

Discover all of Victoria’s books and read the reviews: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victoria-Zigler/e/B00BHS9DQ6

◾ Which is your favourite recording artist or band? Boyzone.
◾ Pizza or Pasta? Pizza.
◾ Favourite Film? Practical Magic.
◾ Person you would most like to meet Dead or Alive? Don’t know; there are several, so I’m not sure who to pick.

Website: http://www.zigler.co.uk
Blog: http://ziglernews.blogspot.co.uk
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/toriz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaZigler

And here for Tori is some Boyzone and I have chosen one of my favourites: Picture of You... and you can buy their music: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boyzone/e/B000ARC7K4

Next to share his music choice is Pete Johnson of Beetley Pete who shares stories of his home in Norfolk and his dog Ollie. He also writes articles on travel, music, film and posts lots of photographs.. Pete is also a prolific short story writer and has written posts for other blogs. Please head over and check his archives.

1) Tough choice. Overall, Steely Dan.
2) Pasta. it’s more versatile, but I like pizza too.
3) Blade Runner. A complete film in every way.
4) Another tough choice. Orson Welles.

Blog: https://beetleypete.wordpress.com/about/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beetleypete

Here is some Steely Dan for Pete and one that holds very good memories for me Hey Nineteen. You can buy their music: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Steely-Dan/e/B000APYN7Q

My next guest with a music choice that I think you will enjoy is Patricia Salamone author of The Italian Thing.. the story of a family reunion in Italy that was surprising and entertaining.

You can read the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Thing-Patricia-Salamone-ebook/.dp/B00EL0AGIG

My choices areDance, by LeeAnn Womack and Bette Middler’s, The Rose
Pizza or Pasta, asking an Italian that is really putting pressure on me. I will go with pasta.
Out of Africa.
Sam Elliott.

Blog: http://www.the-italian-thing.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pattisalamone

Here is I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack and you can buy her music here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lee-Ann-Womack/e/B000AQ1X7

Marsha Ingrao

Marsha Ingrao has a number of passions that include the wonderful Woodlake Botanical Garden in California, which she works tirelessly to keep as part of her community, and also blogging. She is a keen supporter of us all as well as the development of young people in the area.

You can buy her book on Woodlake here: https://www.amazon.com/Woodlake-Images-America-Marsha-Ingrao-ebook/dp/B014GA80N8

With an Italian husband, you gotta love both pasta and pizza. I love Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza.

A few months ago we discovered a new, amazing ukelele player named Jake Shimabukuro. He’s amazing.

Favorite person to meet: guess that would be my mom and grandpa. Hopefully, that will be a while. However, there are so many left here to meet. Blogging has enlarged my world.

My websites: https://www.marshajustwrites.com and https://tchistorygal.net

Here is Jake Shimabukuro with Bohemian Rhapsody..you can buy his music on Amazon and here is one of his many albums.. extraordinary talent: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Collection-SHIMABUKURO-JAKE/dp/B00K79WVK

Well that is it for today with another show tomorrow featuring some more of the party guests that their favourite music.. I hope you enjoyed.. thanks Sally

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – Happy 90th Birthday

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the finale at least of this part of Tony Bennett’s life. There seems to be no reason to believe that we will not be celebrating the next ten years of this extraordinary artist’s life. His lifetime of dedication to his technique ensures that his voice remains as true as ever and to look at the last 15 years of Tony’s performances, chart successes and collaborations I will now hand you over to William Price King. You will find all the other parts to this series in this directory https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king/

Tony Bennett believes in giving back to his local community as well as those around the world which are in need. As well as performing at charity benefits and supporting international aid efforts he is committed to promoting the creative arts for the young. In 1999 he and his wife Susan Benedetto founded Exploring the Arts (ETA) to promote the role of the arts in public school education. ETA connects private donors, individual artists and cultural institutions to Partner Schools with the aim of reducing the impact of budgetary cuts, and sustaining a culture of opportunity for students through various programmes. The first of these was the establishment of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in 2001 in partnership with the NYC Department of Education. ETA currently partners with 17 public high schools, 14 in the boroughs of New York City and 3 in Los Angeles

Tony Bennett’s music since 2000 has been a combination of solo performances and collaborations with some of the top contemporary artist such as Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. The first album in 2000, The Ultimate Tony Bennett reached #2 in the Jazz chart at home and set the scene for the next ten years.

His second album of the new millennium was in the company of some incredible musicians and singers. Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues entertains with well-loved tracks such as Let The Good Times Roll with B.B. King, New York State of Mind with Billy Joel and the 1933 song by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, Stormy Weather with Natalie Cole. The album achieved gold status and reached #2 in the US Jazz chart. Uploaded by Diogo Brito e Faro –

This was followed up later in the year with a live album Christmas in Vienna VII with Charlotte Church, Placido Domingo and Vanessa Williams. This powerhouse combination took the album into the charts in Europe.

The next album that took the charts by storm was the collaboration with k.d. Lang in 2002. A Wonderful World hit Gold and Platinum status and was #41 in the US Chart, #2 in the Jazz chart and in the top 50 in several international charts. Tracks included La Vie en Rose by Mack David, David Louiguy and Edith Piaf; Dream A Little Dream Of Me by Fabian Andre, Gus Khan and Wilbur Schwandt and What A Wonderful World by Robert Thiele and George David Weiss. Uploaded by IvanRQ8

A reminder of just some of the accolades that Tony Bennett had received during his long career to this point.

Star on the Hollywood of Fame
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001
Lifetime Achievement Award from The American Society of Composers, Author and Publishers in 2002.
In 2005, Tony was recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor.
Inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame.

In August 2006 it was Tony Bennett’s 80^th birthday and celebrations took place throughout the year with performances and accolades pouring in from around the world. Apart from Tony’s birthday there was another cause for celebration as his album Duets: An American Classic reached the highest ever in the album charts and received two Grammy Awards. It went gold and platinum as it hit the International charts at #1 in the US and in the top 20 across the main music charts in the world. The songs that Tony chose for this birthday album represented the best of the American Song Book and included Lullaby Of Broadway with Dixie Chicks, Put On A Happy Face with James Taylor, Smile with Barbra Streisand, The Good Life with Billy Joel, Just in Time with Michael Buble, If I Ruled The World with Celine Dion and most appropriately, The Best Is Yet To Come by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh performed with Diana Krall. tonybennettVEVO

During that year of celebration Rob Marshall directed a television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic that aired at Thanksgiving and received multiple Emmy Awards and the Billboard Century Award. Tony also appeared on the sixth season of American Idol as a guest mentor, passing on his great experience and knowledge to the lucky contestants.

He received further recognition from the International community and received the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Humanitarian Award for his charity work. In 2006 he was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award which is the highest honor that the United States bestows on jazz musicians.

In 2008 Tony teamed up with the Count Basie Big Band for a Christmas special and appeared with Billy Joel at the final concerts of New York State of Mind at Shea Stadium.

Despite heading towards his 85^th birthday Tony Bennett was not slowing down and in a follow up to his first highly successful collaboration album, he released Duets II. The seventeen tracks with artists from across the broad spectrum of music techniques included Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Queen Latifah, Josh Groban, Carrie Underwood and Lady Gaga. Again this album did extremely well in the charts both in America and around the world nearly all in the top ten.

His duet with Amy Winehouse, one of the last recordings made before her untimely death, charted in the Billboard Hot 100 making Tony Bennett the oldest living artist to appear there as well as the performer with the greatest span of appearances in the chart. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, the first time Tony had reached that spot and making him the oldest living artist to do so.

Later that year Columbia released Tony Bennett – The Complete Collection which is a 73 CD plus 3-DVD set and whilst not quite representative of all his work brought many of his original vinyl onto CD with some previously unreleased material.

Buy the set: Complete Collection Amazon

On the performance side, Tony Bennett appeared at the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of HRH Princess Anne in December 2011 and in October 2012 he performed his signature song I Left My Heart in San Francisco in front of more than 100,000 fans at a City Hall ceremony commemorating the 2012 World Series victory by the San Francisco Giants. He also published another memoir, Life is a Gift: The Zen of Bennett alongside a documentary produced by his son Danny of the same title.

An area that we have not touched on is Tony Bennett’s other creative success as an artist. He paints under the name of Anthony Benedetto or just Benedetto. He followed on from his childhood interest with professional training and had spent a lifetime exploring the best art museums of the world. He sketches or paints every day, often the views out of hotel windows when on tour. He has exhibited in galleries around the world and was commissioned by the United Nations to do two paintings, including one for its 50^th Anniversary. You can find out more about his artwork https://tonybennett.com/benedetto_arts.php

2014 brought a stunning new collaboration that would delight Tony’s fans. The album Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and swept through the top ten in the major international charts. At the end of 2014 these two unique and iconic artists kicked off their Cheek to Cheek tour.

On September 25, 2015, he released an album composed by Jerome Kern, featuring Bill Charlap on piano, called The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Tracks include Pick Yourself Up, They Didn’t Believe Me and Look For The Silver Lining.

As we all celebrate the continued success and artistry that is Tony Bennett as he celebrates his 90^th birthday here is a quote that illustrates his artistic stance from an interview in 2010.

“I’m not staying contemporary for the big record companies, I don’t follow the latest fashions. I never sing a song that’s badly written. In the 1920s and ’30s, there was a renaissance in music that was the equivalent of the artistic Renaissance. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others just created the best songs that had ever been written. These are classics, and finally they’re not being treated as light entertainment. This is classical music.”

To end this finale of the Tony Bennett story to this point in his career, here is a track from the album Cheek to Cheek with Lady Gaga.

Happy Birthday Tony.. Here is to the next ten years!

About William Price King

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We hope you have enjoyed the series and please let us know as well as share the post with your networks.. thanks Sally

Smorgasbord End of Party Playlist -Requests from Pamela Wight, Jemima Pett, Noelle Granger, Judy Martin, John Howell, Carmen Stefanescu, Lucinda Clarke, Bette Stevens and Darlene Foster

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Here was the Quiz…

Which is your favourite recording artist or band
Pizza or Pasta
Favourite Film
Person you would most like to meet Dead or Alive

I will get to the music in a moment, but first some recipes for those of you who chose Pasta… courtesy of Silvia’s Cucina… I used to make this when I was in my 20s for dinner parties and it is so easy to make and delicous.

Image by Siliva’s Cucina.

Home-made pasta is the ultimate Sunday Lunch treat in Italy.

Forget about a roast beast with all the trimmings, we need our share of starchy goodness, home-made, of course.

From scratch, goes without saying!

Naturally you can use store-bough dried cannelloni, but the flavor and texture won’t be as luxurious.

And, after all, this is Sunday lunch we are talking about, it’s your declaration of love to your family and those lucky friends invited to your table. It’s well worth a bit of effort.

Just make them do the dishes…

Get the recipe for this delicious cannelloni dish which is one of the first that I learnt to cook in my 20s: https://silviascucina.net/2012/04/11/cannelloni-with-ricotta-and-spinach/

Now time to share some of the guests to the party with their favourite music.. Quite a few opted for the classic pop favourites including The Beatles, ABBA and Queen…three of my favourites too. I will try and find a track from the most popular requests that I hope you enjoy and also post as many of the individual requests too.

I will add any book links and social media and if you are not already following then this is your chance.

Pamela S. Wight

Me? I’m a quiet stay-at-homer. Glass of wine while I listen to the Beatles – I suppose Yesterday is my favorite song of theirs – and sup on my spaghetti & meatballs. Then I watch (for the 14th time? 15th?) GONE WITH THE WIND. In my imagination, Gandhi is sitting with me, cross-legged, and chanting a mantra.

Read the reviews and buy Pamela’s books: https://www.amazon.com/Pamela-S.-Wight/e/B00AYXT6R6
https://roughwighting.net/
http://facebook.com/roughwighting
http://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelawight

Jemima Pett

It’s an age thing…used to be Beatles, then possibly Yes, occasionally Ralph McTell, these days, probably Bryn Terfel! One word… oh :blush:
Pizza or Pasta: Pasta. More variety (since I’m a veggie)
Favourite Film: Local Hero. 🙂
Person you would most like to meet Dead or Alive: I thought for a long time about this and couldn’t think of anyone I’d really like to meet; I’d rather stick with my image of them. And I don’t want to meet anyone dead, because, you know – icky!

Discover all of Jemima’s books and read the reviews at: https://www.amazon.com/Jemima-Pett/e/B006F68PVE/
Blog: http://jemimapett.com/blog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jemima_pett

N.A. Granger

Noelle contributed the delicious Lobster Thermidor for the party and I did feature that but not her music choice which was also for The Beatles.

You can find Noelle’s books and read the reviews at: https://www.amazon.com/N.A.-Granger/e/B00DN6I8GQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhebrewster
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nagranger/
Blog: https://saylingaway.wordpress.com/

Here for the Beatles fans is Here Comes the Sun from the Abbey Road Album : https://www.amazon.com/Abbey-Road-Beatles/dp/B0041KVZ1I

Now time to feature some Queen with several guests voting as their favourite. Mary Smith is a fan and I shared Don’t Stop Me Now in the last party post.

Judy E. Martin

Now here are my favourites: Band has to be Queen or Meatloaf, Pasta , canneloni, Fave film has got to be ‘Grease’ I have watched it so many times.
Person I would most like to meet would probably be Oscar Wilde, I LOVE his razor sharp wit as I do Stephen Fry’s too!

Buy Judy’s book at her author page and read the reviews. https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B01CPOB0M0
Blog: https://www.edwinasepisodes.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judy.martin.edwinasepisodes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Edwinasepisodes

John W. Howell

Which is your favourite recording artist or band – Queen
Pizza or Pasta – Both
Favourite Film – Ghost
Person you would most like to meet Dead or Alive. – Kurt Vonnegut

Read the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/John-W.-Howell/e/B00HMRWO6C
Blog: https://johnwhowell.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HowellWave
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.howell.98229241

Carmen Stefansecu

Read all the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/Draculas-Mistress-Carmen-Stefanescu-ebook/dp/B06XNW7RXD
Blog: http://shadowspastmystery.blogspot.ro/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Carmen_Books
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carmen-Stefanescu-Books/499245716760283

Lucinda E. Clarke

Discover all of Lucinda’s books and read the reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Lucinda-E-Clarke/e/B00FDWB914

Blog: http://lucindaeclarke.wordpress.com
Web page: http://lucindaeclarkeauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucindaEClarke
FB page: https://www.facebook.com/lucindaeclarke.author

Here is A Crazy Little Think Called Love by Queen and I recommend this Platinum set of three Albums of their greatest hits -https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Collection-Greatest-Hits-III/dp/B00006JIA4

Now time for a little solo action and to kick this off is Bette A. Stevens who is fan like many of us of Josh Grobin

Bette A. Stevens

Favorite recording artist: Josh Groban
Pizza or Pasta? Shrimp Scampi & Linguini
Favorite Film: “Sound of Music”
Person you would most like to meet Dead or Alive.: Emily Dickinson
Read the reviews and buy Bette’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/Bette-A.-Stevens/e/B009GOYT1M
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBetteAStevens
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BetteAStevens

Here is one of my favourite tracks from Josh Groban – To Where you Are – You can find this track in this album: https://www.amazon.com/Collection-Josh-Groban/dp/B001LGB4SY

And finally today a request from children’s author Darlene Foster for her favourite Artist Bryan Adams.

Darlene Foster

Read all the reviews and buy the books:https://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Foster/e/B003XGQPHA

Website: www.darlenefoster.ca
Blog: https://darlenefoster.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarleneFosterWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/supermegawoman

And for Darlene here is Everything I Do and you can find this on the album The Best of Me: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Me-Bryan-Adams/dp/B0000667RO

Thank you for dropping in today and I will be sharing other guests and their music choices over the next few days. Thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Weekly Round Up – End of Summer Parties, Great guests and Music

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Good morning from Ireland and you might wonder what the round up is doing here at just after midnight on a Monday morning. After the first two party days of the rave on the blog I thought it might be better sent out after the revellers had gone home. However, there appear to be some who are in not just a time zone of their own but a world of their own.

It has been an amazing weekend and wonderful to see so many bloggers from the last four years dropping in with their links and music requests. So many requests in fact that I will be scheduling a couple of music posts later in the week for the tracks that I could not feature over the three days. Including of course everyone’s links and books etc.. Still time for you to put yours into the final party post later today.

If you head over to the posts you will see that my book Just an Odd Job Girl is FREE for the weekend.. You will need to email me for a copy sally.cronin@moyhill.com and let me know if you would like a mobi for Kindle or epub for all other devices.

Also this week I will be introducing the new series of the author interviews. As always I have changed the theme and I will be interviewing myself to give you an idea of the format. I hope that you will be tempted to participate even if you have been interviewed before.

My thanks to my guests this week. William Price King and Paul Andruss for their regular weekly valued contributions and also to Carol Taylor and Julie Lawford who have become very popular guest in the last few weeks.

I need to get some sleep before the party post goes out at 10.00am. so without further ado… here are the posts that you might have missed during the week.

Just a reminder of my recommended author services, design, formatting, publishing, illustration, translation and promotion.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/author-services-and-promotion-sites-4/

Summer Jazz with William Price King – the 1990’s with Tony Bennett

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/smorgasbord-summer-jazz-2017-william-price-king-meets-tony-bennett-the-1990s/

Writer in Residence Paul Andruss get’s the party started.

Thomas the Rhymer

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/smorgasbord-invitation-to-end-of-summer-party-26th-28th-august-lets-dance-with-paul-andruss/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/smorgasbord-invitation-to-end-of-summer-party-august-26th-28th-far-from-this-thing-by-paul-andruss/

The party posts so far.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/smorgasbord-end-of-summer-party-music-dancing-headliners-and-you-and-free-books/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/smorgasbord-end-of-summer-party-day-two-three-musketeers-the-a-team-and-free-book/

Milestones along the way by Geoff Cronin – Tales of Waterford and the culture of the 1930s and 1940s – my father-in-law’s final book written at 88.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/milestones-along-the-way-the-money-ball-shop-and-snippets-by-geoff-cronin/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/27/milestones-along-the-way-the-sailors-mass-waterford-by-geoff-cronin/

Smorgasbord Guest Post – Size Matters by Julie Lawford – How big is your plate and how much are you putting on it?

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/smorgasbord-guest-writer-size-matters-by-julie-lawford/

The Odd Jobs and Characters Series- Guest Posts – this week The Cosmetic Department hosted by D.Wallace Peach

Each week I share the story of one of my quirky job that introduced me to the characters that now fill my stories.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/smorgasbord-reblog-odd-jobs-and-characters-the-cosmetic-department-hosted-by-d-wallace-peach/

Author and Book promotion – Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore Update

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-luanne-castle-teagan-riordain-geneviene-chuck-jackson-and-paul-cude-update/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-author-update-john-maberry-colin-chappell/

New book on the shelves

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-new-on-the-shelves-and-the-whippoorwill-sang-by-micki-peluso/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-new-on-the-shelves-george-washington-from-boy-surveyor-to-soldier-by-gay-ingram/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-new-on-the-shelves-part-of-me-by-deanna-kahler/

Blogger Promotion – Smorgasbord Blogger Daily

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-monday-21st-august-2017-robbie-cheadle-yvonne-payne-teri-polend-wallace-peach-and-norah-colvin/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-tuesday-22nd-august-2017-don-massenzio-jena-c-henry-the-recipe-hunter-and-david-prosser/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-wednesday-23rd-august-charli-millsm-j-mallon-angie-dokos-olga-nunez-miret-story-reading-apeandrew-joyce/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-thursday-24th-august-2017-colleen-chesebrom-j-mallon-the-story-reading-apeaurora-jean-alexander-lillian-csernica-carolee-croftr-k-lander/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/smorgasbord-blogger-daily-friday-august-25th-2017-hugh-roberts-michael-stephen-wills-joann-chateau-and-john-howell/

Smorgasbord Book Promotion – Air your Reviews

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/smorgasbord-book-promotion-air-your-reviews-patricia-salamone-d-g-kaye-and-geoff-le-pard/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/smorgasbord-book-promotion-air-your-reviews-sarah-brentyn-brigid-p-gallagher-marcia-meara/

I was so delighted to receive two reviews in the same post from Judith Barrow for What’s in a Name volumes one and two.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/my-reviews-of-whats-in-a-name-shortstories-and-whats-in-a-name-volume-2-stories-of-life-and-romance-by-sally-cronin-tuesdaybookblog/

Cook From Scratch with Sally and Carol – Carrots from Afghanistan. – The health benefits and wonderful recipes from Carol Taylor

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/smorgasbord-health-2017-cook-from-scratch-with-sally-and-carol-carrots-from-afghanistan/

I was also invited to submit my recipe for brown rice pilaf – Vitamin Supplement on a plate to the Recipe Hunter…And Marjorie Mallon tried it out and sent a photograph..much better than mine and perhaps she might let me use in future.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/%ef%bb%bfaugust-guest-13-cook-from-scratch-multi-vitamin-on-a-plate-brown-rice-pilaf-2/

Smorgasbord Health – Preparing for an Operation.

Smorgasbord Health 2017

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/smorgasbord-health-2015-peace-of-mind-talking-about-death-and-wills/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/smorgasbord-health-2017-preparing-for-an-operation-get-fit-and-make-good-use-of-the-time/

Smorgasbord Pet Health – Herbal Remedies for Pets.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/smorgasbord-pet-health-herbal-remedies-for-pets/

Smorgasbord Laughter Academy and Afternoon Videos

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/22/laughter-the-best-medicine-one-liners-part-one/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/24/smorgasbord-laughter-academy-one-liners-to-make-you-ponder-part-two/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/the-afternoon-video-do-you-need-to-teach-your-baby-to-crawl-leave-it-to-the-dog/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/the-afternoon-video-and-you-thought-teenagers-were-tough-to-get-out-of-bed/

Thank you again for taking the time to visit the blog and you are definitly the reason I keep motivated to show up every day..

Smorgasbord Summer Jazz 2017 – William Price King meets Tony Bennett – The 70s and 80s Rollercoaster Years

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

We pick up Tony Bennett’s story as we head into the 1970s and to be honest this was a very mixed decade for Tony as an artist and in his personal life. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1971 and he married again later that year and welcomed two daughters Joanna and Antonia. The family moved to Los Angeles and musically Tony decided on a new direction with his music as well.

For any artist who had been in the business for nearly 30 years and had established themselves within the Jazz and Pop music lanes, it was going to be a tough decade. Rock was now firmly established in the charts and a new generation of fans were buying records. Tony Bennett was now in his late 40s and whilst he still had a loyal fan base, it was going to be a challenging time professionally.

Columbia Records had launched Tony’s career but he began to feel that his own artistic input was too restricted. The label would have loved to have him back in the fold but he turned them down in favour of a two record deal with MGM records. The two albums, The Good Things in Life and Listen Easy did not make a great impact in the charts and by 1972 Tony decided it was time to strike out on his own and he started his own record company, Improv.

He released four albums over the next five years under his own label and one with Fantasy Records. Life is Beautiful, Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (With Fantasy) Tony Bennett Sings More Rodgers and Hart and Together Again with Bill Evans.

Life is Beautiful was named after the song by Fred Astaire and the rest of the album reflected Tony Bennett’s two decades of exploring the American Songbook. Tracks included Reflections by Duke Ellington and Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill. Whilst there were some supportive reviews from the critics the album did not enter the charts. However Reflections was singled out as being exceptional. Uploaded by Dario Butler

The two albums with jazz pianist Bill Evans were also well received and their first, with Fantasy, reached 31 in the Jazz charts. Tony was working with some of the best musicians in the business on the Improv releases including Charlie Byrd and Marian McPartland but without a distribution arrangement in place with a major label the albums were not getting the airtime or marketing they needed; although artistically sound, the label went out of business in 1977.

The Warwick label released a compilation album in 1977 The Very Best of Tony Bennett: 20 Greatest Hits and Columbia also released Tony Bennett with the McPartlands and Friends Make Magnificent Music. They were to be the last albums until the mid-80s.

Tony did however release some singles in the early 70s that did better in the charts and included Something, Living Together, Growing Together, Life is Beautiful, As Time Goes By and the theme song from Love Story, Where Do I Begin.

Where Do I Begin was composed by Francis Lai and after the music had become popular on the release of the film, the lyrics were added, written by Carl Sigman. Uploaded trooper7h

The last part of the 1970s were difficult years and unfortunately his second marriage also broke down. Without a recording contract and manager, Tony was performing intermittently in Las Vegas and the IRS was also attempting to seize some of his assets.

Eventually in 1979 following a near fatal overdose Tony finally reached out to his two sons and his son Danny signed on has his manager.

The next ten years were to be much more positive and with his new manager’s guidance and innovative marketing strategy, Tony Bennett staged a comeback.

With his expenses under control and the IRS satisfied with a repayment plan, Danny took Tony away from the Las Vegas environment and booked him into smaller venues around the country to entertain a younger audience. Pianist Ralph Sharon came back onto the team as Musical Director and would stay with Tony until 2002.

Unlike many performers who were attempting to appeal to a new generation, Tony Bennett made few changes to his classic style or appearance and stayed firmly in his musical lane. Danny however booked Tony onto the popular chat and entertainment shows on television including Late Night With Letterman, The Simpsons, Muppets Tonight and on MTV. This brought his exceptional performance skills and the music of the last five decades to a brand new audience who loved it.

The strategy began to work and in 1986 Tony re-joined Columbia Records, this time with creative control and released The Art of Excellence which was the first to reach the charts since 1972.

Tony Bennett was on his way back and he performed his way into the 90s.

To end this rollercoaster ride that was the 70s and 80s here is the appropriate song How Do You Keep The Music Playing by A.Bergman, M.Bergman and Michel Legrand from the album The Art of Excellence. Uploaded by Jason Borba

Buy Tony Bennett’s music: Amazon

Next week – The 90s and Tony is back…….

About William Price King.

William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King

Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking

William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.

You can find the other artists in the previous series here:

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-a-man-and-his-music-jazz-classical-and-contemporary-legends/

We would love to have your feedback and also your help in spreading the post around social media for us…we hope you will join us next week for part five of Tony Bennett’s story.

Smorgasbord Weekly Round Up – FREE book, Invitation to a Party and brilliant writers.

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.

Welcome to the weekly round up and a reminder that What’s in a Name Volume one is FREE until midnight tonight. I am not part of the Kindle family although all my books are formated to be read on Kindles, Nooks and any other devices. So I don’t do the Kindle select promotions. However, most of you know we well enough to email me and that your information is safe.

About the stories

There are names that have been passed down through thousands of years which have powerful and deep-rooted meaning to their bearers. Other names have been adopted from other languages, cultures and from the big screen. They all have one thing in common. They are with us from birth until the grave and they are how we are known to everyone that we meet.

There are classical names such as Adam, David and Sarah that will grace millions of babies in the future. There are also names that parents have invented or borrowed from places or events in their lives which may last just one lifetime or may become the classic names of tomorrow.

Whatever the name there is always a story behind it. In What’s in a Name? – Volume One, twenty men and women face danger, love, loss, romance, fear, revenge and rebirth as they move through their lives.

Anne changes her name because of associations with her childhood, Brian carries the mark of ancient man, Jane discovers that her life is about to take a very different direction, and what is Isobel’s secret?

The book is available in Mobi (Kindle) Epub (other devices) and pdf for those of you without a reader.

Just email me on sally.cronin@moyhill.com and I will whisk a copy over to you. I appreciate that many of you have TBRs that rival the Leaning Tower of Pisa… but that is okay and I also have no expectation of a review… unless you really want to!

You can read a number of reviews for the book: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Name-Sally-Cronin-ebook/dp/B01N6Y8BK1

and the latest review by Paul Andruss which is a story too: http://www.paul-andruss.com/whats-in-a-name-vol-1/

End of Summer Party – August 26th – 28th – all welcome.

I will be ~~roasting~~ showcasing, those bloggers who have been with me since I began Smorgasbord four years ago.. and apart from these guests, I am inviting everyone to chip in with their details in the comments. I have some food and drink (virtually no calories) and there will be some music. I hope you will be able to pop in .

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/smorgasbord-invitation-to-an-end-of-summer-house-party-saturday-26th-to-monday-28th-august/

My secretary Mavis has reminded me that it is time to get on with the round up of the week’s posts that you might have missed.

I am of course very grateful to my guests this week who have provided us with entertaining and interesting posts. Thanks to Anne Casey, Julie Lawford and Carol Taylor who will be with us through the summer and beyond I hope.

William Price King is still on his summer break but I have been sharing a previous series that proved very popular the first time around.. Tony Bennett the ultimate performer.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/09/smorgasbord-summer-jazz-2017-william-price-king-meets-tony-bennett-part-three-the-1960s/

Guest post from poet and song writer Anne Casey talking about the path to the publication of her debut poetry collection. Including her published work in the Irish Times.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/08/smorgasbord-guest-post-writing-all-the-wrong-things-by-anne-casey/

Julie Lawford continues her summer of lifestyle articles with her top ten tips for maintaining your weight loss.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/my-top-ten-experienced-based-tips-for-sustainable-and-healthy-weightloss-by-julie-lawford/

I was delighted to welcome Carol Taylor to the blog for the first of a collaborative series on my top healthy foods with some wonderful recipes from Carol.. This week delicious ways to prepare the king of fish.. salmon.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/09/smorgasbord-health-cook-from-scratch-with-sally-and-carol-salmon-omega-3-on-a-plate/

Milestones along the way by Geoff Cronin

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/milestones-along-the-way-tradition-and-smoke-signals-by-geoff-cronin/

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/milestones-along-the-way-100-plants-and-snippets-by-geoff-cronin/

I have posted another one of my entertainment reviews and this time for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword….

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/smorgasbord-entertainment-movie-review-king-arthur-legend-of-the-sword-by-sally-cronin-2/

Book Promotion

For the next 12 weeks I am guest posting with a number of fantastic bloggers as part of the Odd Jobs and Characters, What’s in a Name launch series. I am posting the first three and then this Friday, Debby Gies is hosting the first of the guest appearances.. By all accounts she has added some Debby specials to the post so I hope you will head over and check it out.

This week was part one of my adventures as a dental nurse back in the late 1960s…haha.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/08/07/odd-jobs-and-characters-the-dental-surgery-part-one-sally-cronin/

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves