jim henson

If you lived through the folk music scare of the 1960's, you probably remember singin' or strummin' along to The Kingston Trio and their big 1959 hit 'M.T.A.' (a.k.a. 'Charlie On The M.T.A.', or
'The Man Who Never Returned').

(If you somehow missed it, check out an old video clip)

- - And here it is recorded in French, released in the U.S. way back when by a
Los Angeles-based record label...




Listen to:
Eileen Grayam -
Le Metro de Boston
(Prince Records 45, circa 1963?)
(click for audio)













Listen to:
Eileen Grayam -
Michel
(Prince Records 45, circa 1963?)
(click for audio)






There's a dearth of information out there regarding 'Eileen Grayam' and The Storytellers, but one possible theory suggests that this Eileen could be the same American-born yé-yé girl Eileen who recorded in France in the 1960's and had a hit with her French-language version of Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Were Made For Walking' in 1966.

That Eileen (a.k.a. Eileen Goldsen) had been in L.A. in the early '60's, had translated folk songs into French following her graduation from UCLA, and following her move to Paris, released a 4-song EP around '65 that included a version of 'Le Metro de Boston'.

The pieces fit for all these Eileens to be one and the same, but without verification it's still
just a theory...

See also:
Follow link for more background information on 'Charlie on the M.T.A.' - - the song, its history, and the Boston transit system.

The (now) MBTA, btw, in recent years has given a nod to the song by naming their electronic ticketing 'smart card' after 'the man who never returned'. ▶


ADDENDUM, 7.6.10:
A belated thanks to Pink Frankenstein (of 'Bardot-a-Go-Go' fame) for an initial Eileen confirmation, going back a couple of years ago when this item was first posted.

More up-to-date thanks go to an anonymous French poster (see comments), who has sent along a link to an illustrated Eileen discography page!

- - as well as many other new things as change wafts through the air.

New links for a new podcast are perched near to the top of the lovely brown sidebar on this page.

Have a listen, have yourself a happy November, and
please enjoy!

(UPDATE: Like fallen leaves, this particular 'cast dried up and blew away. But you might find it in the Audio Annex.)

This past Saturday we lost two musical performers who, each in their own way, helped to make the 20th century a more interesting place.

Very different from each other, certainly, but both of them memorable characters, full of personality.




















Singer Yma Sumac was the Peruvian-born self-styled 'Incan Princess' who rose to fame in the early 1950's. Her amazing multi-octave vocal range made her an early queen of Exotica music.

See also:
- Read Yma Sumac obituaries at Telegraph.co.UK and the L.A. Times.

- There are also nice remembrances to her at PCL LinkDump (including some great audio pieces) and at WFMU's Beware of the Blog.

- Click here for a previous link-laden Yma Sumac post on this blog.

Musician and vocalist
Jimmy Carl Black is best remembered as the original drummer from Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention.

(He's seated at the far right in this vintage group photo)

Dozens of talented musicians passed through Zappa's lineups over the years, but Black always remained a fan favorite.

Beyond Zappa's skills (as musician and taskmaster), Jimmy Carl was a strong part of what made the feel and sound of the original Mothers line-up so flavorful and distinct from later incarnations.

Beyond his original stint with Frank, he went on to perform with a long string of eclectic bands, including his own Geronimo Black, and Zappa-related bands like like The Grandmothers and
The Muffin Men.

See also:
- Jimmy Carl Black at MySpace, which includes some of his more recent music (including
'The Indian Of The Group') and a lengthy bio.

- The official website.

- A Jimmy Carl Black page at Last.fm for a bit more of his music.

- Another bio and a lengthy & detailed discography at United Mutations.

- UPDATE: An obituary from The Los Angeles Times, first published on 11.05.08.