Timi Yuro

PJ's ON SANTA MONICA.



  
Timi Fans,

Here is an update on PJ’s (Starwood Nightclub)

I found some of the info I was looking for on PJ’s. Of course the article needs to be updated to reflect that Timi Yuro was recorded there in 1969. An album was later released, “Live at PJ’s.”

The following was extracted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Starwood Nightclub and music Venue was located on the northwest corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Crescent Heights Ave. It had been a fashionable nightclub called PJ's in the 1960s, which attracted a large number of film and TV personalities.

During its incarnation as PJ's, The Bobby Fuller Four, The Standells, Rufus Thomas and Trini Lopez recorded live albums there.

Eventually, PJ's was bought by organized crime figure Eddie Nash and run by Gary Fontinell for many years. In 1972, it became The Starwood. It closed in 1981, torn down by the City, after too many citations for underage drinking.

Subsequently, the structure was torn down and a mini-mall was built on the site.

Nothing remains of the great Starwood, except its reputation, both famous and infamous.

Tom Tumilty





TIMI & DINAH WASHINGTON AT THE APOLLO 1962

Dinah Washington was appearing at the Apollo in the fall/winter of 1962 - and Timi
wanted to catch her show - so on with the mink and into a yellow cab.

The driver refused to take her closer than three-four blocks from the venue
She would walk - in the pouring rain.

A block along a rather large man threatened her with a knife wanting to know what
a white chick was doing in Harlem

Timi said she wanted to catch Dinah Washington

He asked who she thought she was...

She replied that she was Timi Yuro and a friend of Ms Washington.

"Yeah, and I'm Brook Benton - in my dreams"

"But I am" and she went into her purse to get some ID

"If you are Timi Yuro, prove it, sing"

So she did.

"Shit man, you are Timi Yuro" and the guy proceeded to escort her to the theatre.

He gave her his phone number and said the next time she wanted to do something
that stupid to call him first.

Far as I know they kept in touch for 3 - 4 years thereafter and she always sent him
tickets for any shows she was doing in the area.

Chris Lorimer




THE MOD LOOK ON SOMETHING BAD ON MY MIND

Timi arrived in London with shoulder length hair. She had meant go det tt done in Italy -
but didn't fancy any of the styles on offer - she wanted a new lookto complement the new
'sound' she hoped to get.

She went to Leonard's of Mayfair and paid something like 50 guineas (a guinea is £1 1s -
only used since decimalization for horses - BTW 50 guineas was like three weeks wages)

The pink dress she brought with her - maybe purchased in Italy? - all the otherclothes from
those photo-shoots were bought in London - Cashmere from New Bond Street.
We also tried to come up with a 'look' for Timi's stage appearances (i.e. Piaf's little black dress)
but could not come up with any startling ideas.

Can't think of anything to add to the hair - Oh, as Liberty were picking up the tab for the
photo-shoots she had Leonard come to Bruce Fleming's studio to dress her hair before -
the dear lord knows how much he charged for house calls. 
At the time he was #1 in the younger generation of hair stylists.


Chris Lorimer




FRANK SINATRA TOUR AUSTRALIA 1961 AND TIMI YUR0



Frank Sinatra was going to tour to Australia in 1961, he had to choose from three
singers to go with him, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee and Timi. Frank asked Timi Yuro.

For Timi to be on this tour as an opening act for Frank Sinatra was regarded as a huge
accolade or Timi, and was a prestigious close to her first year as a proffesional. One of
the most enduringlegends about Timi Yuro originated during the Sinatra tour.
 
Reportedly, she was performing before a crowd of 15.000 at a Sydney arena when
the P.A.system went dead, as the crowd began buzzing with disappointment, Timi
hushed them and announced that, if everyone was quiet, they could still hear her sing.

The crowd obliged, and Timi was right. While she was belting the back rows, Sinatra
came onstage and began circling her, looking up and down. Timi was not amused,
'What's that matter with you babe?' she asked, 'Nothing kid,' Sinatra answered,
'I'm just looking for where the plug is'......





DON'T EVER GIVE UP BY TIMI YURO



Article "Don't ever give up!" written by Timi Yuro.

Timi first started singing in public at her parents' restaurant, one day one of the customers
heardTimi singing in the kitchen, he yelled through the swinging doors.
"Come out here and let us hear some of that stuff!" so Timi made her debut, so to
speak, straight from the kitchen sink. In high school, Timi started singing with a group.

One boy was named Troy Walker, and soon they were doing duets. the duets led to an
occasional solo for Timi. one of her first songs she sang was Hurt, that finally got her
started as a professional. (Hurt was always number one of her personal hit parade)




TIMI'S CONNECTION WITH ELVIS PRESLEY 

Elvis Presley - When I was over in '72, Timi and I had lunch in Vegas with Elvis.
He was the complete gentleman and completely deferential to Timi (who lapped it up). 

At some point Cissy Houston of the Sweet Inspirations (who were his back-up singers
at the time) came into the room, I did my 'awe struck gob smacked' bit -
which cracked Elvis and Timi up. 

He said words to the effect that here was I having lunch with 'the king' cool as a
cucumberand one of his girls comes in and I almost prostrate myself
(or did he say piss myself?)

HURT
 
As to the Elvis telegram - this was as a permanent 'Thank You' - he had already sought
her permission to record 'Hurt'. 

Whenever he was in town he usually had Timi up to say hello, for afternoon tea,
or for lunch. I guess he felt sorry for her.


Chris Lorimer



WHAT IS EXACTLY NORTHERN SOUL MUSIC?


Of course, the answer to this question cannot be answered in a few words!!

The problem with people advertising on ebay is that most have no real perception of
what the term norhern soul means either!! 

..but here's a brief paragraph that may (or may not!!) give a few pointers..

It all goes back to the sixties when the mod scene adopted american soul music as
its prefered music, the reason for this is not easy to explain, however without going
into it a lot more deeply then let's leave it at that.

From there as the mod thing splintered into other scenes, in the north of england's
mods not only maintained their loyalty to the soul scene, developed it into what was
coined"Northern Soul" by 'Blues & Soul' magazine writer Dave Godin, when he visited
the Twisted Wheel club in Manchester.

This music scene demanded an uptempo dance beat, and deleted and imported singles
dominated the playlists, indeed the top DJ's would go to extraordinary lengths to not
only discover records that would become 'top northern soul records', but to keep
some of these records a secret to other DJ's and collectors by giving the record a
new title and fictitious artists and the term 'cover up' was used.

Of course this caused much controversy, as people were accused of caring more about
their own ego's than promoting the actual artists, (the other side of the argument was
that most of these singles once the real identities were discovered were bootlegged in
huge quantities with the artists/writers  still not receiving royalties apart from
recognition by the soul fans here in the UK)

As the years roll on the northern soul scene, although still dominated by the need to
discover rare singles and on the whole still favourable to uptempo dance records, has
diversified into several other scenes within the northern soul heading, so now you have
rooms at venues plaining early RnB sounds, mid tempo dance records and beat ballads
(which would have been unheard of in the 70's), there are also modern rooms
which play sounds from the 1980's onwards.

So it becomes VERY difficult to explain what a northern soul record is TODAY.

Suffice to say, my definition won't be another soul fans definition!!!... my rule of thumb
is that if a record has been played and accepted at a northern soul venue,
then it has become a northern soul record (!?)

Ah it was so easy in the 70's, if it had a 4x4 beats to the bar it almost always could be
described as northern soul (and they were not always soul records!!!)

Phew!!!!!!!! I've got to end there for now.. I think I've posed more questions than
answers maybe... but that's northern soul for you :-)

Note:

The songs recorded by Timi: It'll never be over for me, Cant stop running away,
Insult to injury and I aint gonna cry no more all gained Nothern plays.

Howard 

2008/10/17  Howard Earnshaw  - Magazine Soul Up North   - www.soulupnorth.com





TIMI'S PETS AND MISS OTIS

 
 
Timi's pets - she had a large white poodle called 'Tony' which unfortunately was
knocked down and killed. 

When she was in England she thought she would get herself another dog.

This was brought on when we visit some friends of mine and they had two dogs which
made much of Timi. 


We were recommended a kennels - and went to get a dog (rather than a bitch) who
was to be called 'Otis' (as in Redding), nothing took her fancy -but just as we were
leaving this white bundle of nothing made her presence known - 
and Timi fell in love with same. 

So we got Miss Otis (she's on some of the photo's of Timi) who was later stolen.
Think Timi gave up after that.

Chris Lorimer