by Scott Turner

Excuse the pun, but the topic of conversation at our daily coffee club came around to great singers who set remarkable standards in the 60's and 70's who are still with us, but forgotten entities when it comes to current recording contracts, major, indy or otherwise. The sad part is that they are still singing as well as they did in their chart-topping days - perhaps a key or so lower, but still very competitive.

Names emerged like Jonathan Edwards ("Sunshine Go Away Today", etc.), Bill Phillips who had a #1 hit with "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" with harmonies being sung by a new girl in town namely Miss Dolly Parton; Martha Carson (The First Lady of Gospel Music); Jean Shepherd with too many hits to mention; Joel Sonnier who was dropped from his label just as his "Tear Stained Letter" hit the Top 1 (we couldn't figure that one out); and a host of other names acts where also mentioned. Each and every one of them were (and still are) exciting performers.

One of our regulars Dickey Lee who not only sang and performed well, but also wrote the great standard "She Thinks I Still Care" along with our leader Ted Harris who I've mentioned many times before came up with a name that hit close to home - the Super-Singer Jerry Wallace. Did he have hits? You bet!! How about "How The Time Flies", In The Misty Moonlight", Primrose Lane", "To Get To You", Shutters and Boards", "If You Leave Me Tonight", "There She Goes" and "Don't Give Up On Me". That's just a few of the monsters he had. Ted mentioned that one of his favorite cuts on one of his songs was sung by Jerry and I had the privilege of producing Jerry when he was on Liberty Records. What a joy it was to work with this seasoned pro!

I figured that I'd make it a point to try and find Jerry and give him a call. I finally found him in Victorville, California and we had a great conversation. Jerry is still in good health, singing as good as ever, and his memory is still as sharp as a tack as he actually sang a song I had written for him word for word over the phone and didn't miss a beat. If there are any Jerry Wallace fans out there, you can drop him a line at 16868 Stoddard Wells Road, Suite 244, Victorville, CA 92392.

Was it MacArthur who said "Old soldiers don't die. They just slowly fade away"? Well, that adage shouldn't apply to former great artists who can still charm an audience. They definitely should be seen and heard as they still have a lot to offer - songs that bring back great memories and, believe it or not - their songs actually had melodies that you could sing along to. And you can't beat "musical identity". That's what built our music industry!