VINTAGE 1954 RALPH STUART MUSIC SOUVENIR RED HAT/BEANIE EMBROIDERED RAL DONNER

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YOU ARE BUYING A VINTAGE 1954 RALPH STUART MUSIC  SOUVENIR RED HAT/BEANIE EMBROIDERED AKA. RAL DONNER
The Ral Donner Story
...'
'Setting
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the record straight'
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by Terry Wilson
by
Ralph Stuart Emanuel Donner was born on February 10th 1943 in the Norwood Park area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. to proud parents Ralph and Kathryn Donner. The name Emanuel was chosen in honor of the doctor who delivered him - Dr. Emanuel Wexler. Dr. Wexler was also a good friend of the Donner family. Ral was the youngest of four children having 2 brothers Ron and Bill and one sister Joyce. Ral's dad Ralph was of German descent and his mom Kathryn (a.k.a. Jewel) was Italian.
Ral's career began at the early age of 3 or 4 when he would entertain family and friends with his Al Jolson impersonation complete with black face, floppy bow tie and white gloves etc. The musical Donner family would gather around a piano in the evenings harmonizing to the songs of Al Jolson and Russ Columbo. The highlight of Ral's early career occurred in 1951 with his rendition of "It Is No Secret" which was performed at
a "Youth For Christ Rally"
at Orchestra Hall in Chicago. The rally was taped and broadcast on WMBI Radio Chicago later the same day. Stuart Hamblen who had written and recorded the song had performed it at Orchestra Hall the previous week. When Ral performed the song he was made up to look like C & W star Hamblen with cowboy boots, pants, shirt, necktie and even a Hopalong Cassidy hat! The performance got off to a rather shaky start though. The accompanist had twice begun the tune but got no response at all from Ral. A savior came from the crowd of three thousand with a crate so that Ral could reach the pulpit microphone!
Between the ages of 11 and 13 Ral sang in the Norwood Park Baptist Church choir. In 1954 the choir was featured on WGN TV (Chicago) when eleven year old Ral made his TV debut singing "The Old Rugged Cross".
At age 12 Ral sang at school assemblies singing hits of the time such as "Dungaree Doll" and "Rock And Roll Waltz". The next year, 1956, came crashing in with tunes such as "Rock Around The Clock", "Heartbreak Hotel" and "My Baby Left Me". 13 year old Ralph was hooked by rock 'n' roll's boundless energy and emotional freedom. By this time he had learned to play piano, guitar and accordion. Ral graduated from Onahan Grammar School in June 1956 then in September he became a student at
Taft High School in the Norwood Park area of Chicago.
Ral's first public appearance as a Rock'n'Roll singer took place on September 6, 1957 at a Taft High School Dance. Ral was accompanied on piano by John Sadler who had composed songs for Bing Crosby. In the fall of 1957 Ral and some fellow High School students formed a rock 'n' roll band - The Rockin' Five
(Ral, Al Sears, Jim Szott, Jack Burke, Phil Foss and Doug Cyrex).
The group debut was on November 1st 1957 at a Taft High social. They played at high school dances and also entered local amateur talent contests - they won first prize at several of these contests. Ral cut his first demo record on January 3rd 1958 - an acetate recording of "Miss Ann" b/w "Oh Boy!" credited to Ralph Donner and the Rockin' Five.
"Miss Ann" and "Oh Boy!" were recorded in Chicago in a studio but I'm not sure of the studio name or address althought it might have been Universal. I know that I recorded two Christmas songs with Ralph at Universal a couple of years later ("These are the things that make up Christmas Day" and "Second Miracle"). The "Miss Ann" session did no go well. The recording engineer did nothing to enhance the sound which came out dead and lifeless. We of course had never been in a recording studio before and we were just kids so I guess we didn't know what to expect. Also it was the late 50's and the instruments we took in were three guitars and two drum sets (actually one and a half drum sets since Doug really didn't play much on drums). In retrospect we needed to use a Kay bass that I think Jack had and ask for some reverb on the sound. The Christmas tunes were much more professional and actually pretty cool.
- Al Sears October 19th 2006.
The band continued to play at high school dances and were invited by The Taft Entertainment Committee to perform at a dance held on January 17, 1958 (his third appearance). Ral performed during a dance titled "The Jailhouse Rock" while dressed in a prison get-up à la Elvis Presley from the MGM movie "Jailhouse Rock". The band was also booked to play weekend matinees at Chicago's Club Hollywood - an upscale dinner club on Chicago's northwest side.
The first engagement was on December 22, 1957 with subsequent matinees on January 12, 20 & 26.
The Club's Entertainment Director Janie Newcombe was successful in getting the group their first "club date" for the evening show on February 1st, 1958. Although this was primarily an adult audience and therefore more subdued than the teenagers, Ral and the band were very well received. While performing at Club Hollywood on January 20 the group was spotted by a television producer who signed them up for "Time For Teens" a proposed live TV show to be broadcast from Chicago's famous Chez Paree on weekends. The show was hosted by America's oldest teenager - Stan Howard. Ral's first appearance was on Sunday afternoon February 9, 1958 (the eve of his 15th birthday) and afterwards the group played every Sunday afternoon for eight weeks until March 30 to a full house, all-teenage audience performing current hits such as "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck". Ral gained quite a following and after the March 16th performance he needed a police guard of three on his dressing room door to keep out overly exuberant fans. A "trial" recording for TV was made on this date and the tape sent to New York. Ral's performances were enhanced by the beautiful backup vocal work of a black quartet called "The Medallionaires". They sounded like a very "soulful" version of The Jordanaires on ballads and added a fine blues touch on the up-tempo numbers. Together they brought the house down. Up to this point the show had not been televised as it was still in the proposal stage. The first "live" televised performance by Ral was on Sunday afternoon April 26 and another "live" televised performance featuring Ral was on June 21. Ral was becoming well known in the Chicago area and The Chicago Sun-Times helped by featuring him in their "Kup's Column". On March 12 "Kup's" had reported that Ral had been discovered by Sammy Davis Jr., on April 2nd another article was published and on April 24 it was reported that Ral would appear on the "Big Beat Rock'n'Roll Show" at the Chicago Opera House.
The Chez Paree night club drew the elite entertainers of the day such as Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis and Sammy Davis Jr. Sometimes the headline performers would stop by "Time For Teens" to do a song or two. On the afternoon of March 2nd Sammy Davis dropped by. After Ral finished his last song Sammy went up on stage and paid him a great compliment, he said to the audience "That man is too much!". Later backstage he told Ral that he was great and that he hoped that Elvis would get to see him and that Elvis would really enjoy it. He also said that he would call Steve Allen and get him on the Allen TV show as well as inviting Ral and the band to appear with him on the evening floor show the following week. On March 9th Ral had played "Time For Teens" and was mobbed by over enthusiastic teens after the show and had to be rescued by police. Later the same day he played the evening show becoming possibly the youngest entertainer ever to appear on the Chez Paree stage. During the month of March Ral signed a contract with Chez Paree Artists Inc. by whom Ral would now be managed. Sammy Davis had also invited the band to appear with him, Redd Foxx, Fran Warren and Steve Allen at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York on April 11, 1958. Ral became one of the first white entertainers and possibly the youngest at age fifteen ever to play at the Apollo. Later Sammy told Ral, "Kid, that was quite a feat". A little more than two weeks later on April 26, 1958 Ral and the band were booked to appear on Alan Freed's "Big Beat Rock'n'Roll Show" when it played at the Chicago Civic Opera House. The show included The Diamonds, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and The Crickets and Jerry Lee Lewis. On August 4, 1958 Ral was presented with the grand prize given by the Al Dvorin Agency for winning the Harlem-Irving Plaza Chamber of Commerce talent contest. The Rockin' Five disbanded around the summer of 1958.
Ral's second group "Ral Donner and the Gents" was formed in the fall of 1959.
The Gents were Jack Burke (guitar), Jimmy Rice (drums), J. Tom Miller and Earl Wenzel. Other musicians played with Ral over the years namely Earl Hensley (bass), Joe Madrid (keyboards) and Dan Pawlak (drums). Ral met all three during 1958/59 and they, together with Jack Burke, played for him throughout the years until the early 1980's - on the road as well as on some of the Chicago-based studio recordings. Later (mid-1960s) Tom Brenner replaced Dan Pawlak on drums. Ral and Jack were good friends - the two pals had attended Onahan Grammar School together prior to Taft High.
Another student at Taft High from 1956 to 1960 was Jim Jacobs. When Jim wrote the musical "Grease" he based it on his alma mater Taft High. The name of the school was changed to Rydell High as were the names of the real life people upon which Jim based his characters. In the movie the teen rock 'n' roll idol Johnny Casino (played by a member of the group Sha Na Na) is actually a portrayal of Ral Donner! Ral was influenced by several artists. There was always music playing at the Donner household. The most influential artists were Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Russ Columbo, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Dean Martin. Ral's brother Ron collected Bing Crosby records and young Ral collected Frank Sinatra. In later years Ral would include the Bee Gees as one of his favorite acts while still appreciating Frank Sinatra. Ral was also influenced by early black groups such as "The Ink Spots", "The Platters", "Lee Andrews and the Hearts", "The Five Satins", "Harvey and the Moonglows", "The Flamingos" and "Shep and the Limelites". Ral wore out the vinyl on Dion's "Where Or When" and "That's My Desire" as well as "Church Bells May Ring" by the Diamonds. Another strong influence was the deep velvet sounds of Jerry Butler, a fellow Chicagoan. The greatest influence of all was one Elvis Presley. Ral idolized Elvis and had all his records. When Elvis made his initial appearance in Chicago at the International Amphitheater in 1957 fourteen year old Ral was in attendance. Ral would forever remember the incredible excitement that Elvis generated that night.
In the summer of 1958 Ral ran into problems with local management at the Chez Paree.
Ral's sister Joyce was married and living in Florida so on August 8th Ral headed south to stay with her.
On August 15 just seven days after his arrival in Florida Ral was invited to appear on the Andy Wilson TV Show. Although the format of the show was Country and Western, Ral sang Rock'n'Roll and was well received. The next day Ral auditioned for the "Five Owls TV Show" (another Country and Western style program) and he was asked to perform on their afternoon radio show that day (Saturday) and to come back on Wednesday night to appear on the television show. Ral was offered a steady job on the TV show where he made a total of four appearances (the first on August 20 1958, two in March 1959 and the last on April 23 1959). August 1958 also saw Ral make his 2nd appearance on Andy Wilson TV Show on the 29th and an appearance on "Channel Nine Bandstand" TV Show in Orlando on the 30th. September saw Ral making numerous appearances in the Orlando area.
In October Ral traveled from Florida to Memphis. While in Memphis Ral made contact with Gerald Nelson and Fred Burch, the songwriting team who had hit it big with "Tragedy" recorded by Thomas Wayne. They agreed to write songs for Ral and to produce him as long as a financial backer could be found. Ral also wrote quite a few songs during the winter of 1958-1959 and throughout his stay in Florida. In January 1959 Ral cut four original demos in preparation before making his first record (two were his own compositions). He got a backer and in early February 1959 headed back to Memphis where "Tell Me Why" and "That's All Right With Me" (both Nelson - Burch compositions) were recorded at Pepper Recording Studios. Ral had recorded his first record just a few days before his 16th birthday! The backup musicians included Bill Black on bass. There are rumors that Ral auditioned for Sam Phillips at Sun Records at this time but there is no evidence to support this. Ral returned to Florida then headed home to Chicago in May, got a job with Steve Frankel's Landscaping Service and waited for his first record to be released. Finally on October 12th 1959 the two songs were issued on Scottie 1310. Scottie was a small label based in Atlanta, Georgia. The record was favorably reviewed in Billboard and Cashbox in October. Ral promoted the record via "Jim Lounsbury's** Record Hop" TV show and by various appearances in Chicago and the surrounding area and he also went on a promotional tour in November for Scottie in Florida with several other acts including Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones. Despite being well promoted the record failed to sell. Ral had put together a new band towards the end of 1959 called "Ral Donner and the Gents" and they made various appearances through the spring and summer of 1960. Ral got a job during the summer as a pressman's helper at Alligator Press in Skokie, Illinois as well as continuing to play with the band.
During the summer of 1960 Ral's brother-in-law Bob Williams in Florida got a line on a local studio that was willing to record him. The Fox Talent Recording Studio was located on West Colonial Drive in Azalea Park east of Orlando
was a hole-in-the-wall complete with egg crates for sound proofing. Ral
returned to Florida in the autumn armed with
demo recordings of "Girl Of My Best Friend", "Beachcomber" (the Conway Twitty tune), "Fame And Fortune", "Hallelujah I Love Her So", "Mess Of Blues", "Reconsider Baby" and "What'd I Say". These demos had been recorded at MSS Recording Studio in Chicago in the spring of 1960 with "The Gents". Besides the seven vocals an instrumental "Bad Sound From Chi Town" had also been recorded. The producers (Jan Hutchins & Prewitt Rose) at the Talent Studio just flipped over "Girl Of My Best Friend" and suggested that he recut it. Ral didn't want to record an Elvis tune as no-one else had dared to do it. Ral didn't mind singing Elvis tunes on a local level as part of his shows as they were fun but he didn't want to do Elvis songs on a national level. The producers insisted and assured Ral that it was OK as RCA in the U.S.A. had not issued it as a single (RCA in England had it out on 45 where it was a number one hit). Three songs were recorded the morning of Monday October 10, 1960: "Girl Of My Best Friend", "It's Been A Long Long Time" and "And Then". Another song "Loneliness Of A Star" was recorded at Talent but a different time. The backup musicians did session work at the studio - one group was a local trio called "The Starfires" (originally "Ron and the Starfires"). The Starfires also doubled as backup vocalists. The lineup at this time consisted of Tommy DiCicco on electric bass, a lead guitar player and a trumpet player (latter two names unknown). Jim Ward (rhythm guitar) and Terry "Scratch" Henry (drums) were
'borrowed' from another local group "The Tornados"
The other two members of the group were Roy Dean Lallement (lead guitar) and Conrad Pierce (piano and vocals) - Conrad is on piano for "And Then" and "Loneliness Of A Star". "Girl Of My Best Friend" has the Starfires providing vocal backup, Dean Lallement on lead guitar, Tommy DiCicco on electric bass and Terry Henry on drums.  Recorded but not included on the final master tapes was Jim Ward on rhythm guitar. "It's Been A Long Long Time" was part of the session at the request of studio owner Gloria (Glory) Fox who was into big band music. The song and style doesn't suit Ral at all and is one of the very few Donner recordings one can justifiably cringe at. The next step was to find a record deal. Ral returned to Chicago for the holidays in December.
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