Happy New Year - 2014

We're looking at a new year and new, exciting things happening around the old stable. Since we started the blog and dropped the web site, we haven't said much because we're working on "the book." "Sixty Years of Hits" has been available on e-readers for several months, but the goal to finish out 2013 has been to get it reformatted for paperback so more people have access. The book is a collection of writings, primarily by Jean Bennett, since the first Personality Plugger went out in February 1954. It includes office notes, correspondence and press releases and tells the story over sixty years of The Platters and other groups Personality Productions represented. We don't know if anyone outside the entertainment industry will find it interesting, but for those with an interest in how the #1 group of the 50s was built this is the first in a series of three.

Up and Coming events so far for 2014: Oneda Polk's Porshay Productions is sponsoring a seminar for both old and new entertainers: The entertainers guide to the Entertainment Business. The title as been changed from an "Entertainers Guide to a Cutthroat Business" because of Miss Polk's gentle soul. Jean Bennett and Robbie Robinson will be special guests, and I will be presenting the portion of the program on agents, managers, producers and public relations. This isn't a glossary of who they are and what they do but rather an insight into how they treat entertainers and what to can expect. Even if you've been in the business for years, there will be something to be learned at this event.

There will be many more exciting things in the future.  It looks like an exciting years.  Jean turns ninety-one  The Plugger turns sixty, and I turn . . . well, that's a deep dark secret.

Gayle

P.S. The most interesting and probably difficult thing to learn in the coming year is how to make corrections on this blog. We do apologize for the typos, lack of page breaks, etc. But every new step forward is a challenge, and the Plugger was a new was of communicating in 1954. Now it has to keep up, and that it will.

Howdy Pardner!

This is exciting.  I was "born" on February 15, 1954, with my high silk hat, record and baton.   Things sure have changed.  I started out being typed on mimeograph paper on a shiny new manual typewriter.  I had to be duplicated, folded, stuffed, addressed, stamped and mailed.  It took about a week to get sent out with a lot of help from my family.  My purpose was to promote music acts.  No one else was doing it at the time . . . at least not the way I did.  My my first issue was about Liberace, Lawrence Welk and Freddie Martin, and I was the first to get the word out on The Platters.

Over the years I've told you about some great entertainers including The Flares with "Foot Stomping," the Blockbusters in "Rock All Night," The Penguins with "Earth Angel," and Las Vegas entertainment icon, Freddie Bell.  It has been a long and interesting ride to say the least.  From that first mimeographed copy that went out in what is now called snail mail, I have been sent out on a teletype machine,  a fax machine, my own webpage, and now a blog.  I think the blog is the one I like best!  Type me, hit a button, and I'm all over the world - not just 500 copies to DJs and the juke box boys of 60 years ago.  How exciting is that!!

Jean Bennett was my "mother."  She dreamed me up and with her business partner, Buck Ram.  They designed my logo and developed the acts I would promote.  People who promoted music back then were called "pluggers," and Jean loved beautiful horses, but her father would tease her when she saw one she liked and say "That's nothing but an old plug."  That's how I got my name.  The Personality Plugger.

My look was pretty modern for the time - a high silk top hat, a record and a baton.  The kids today don't even know what a record is with iTunes, blue tooth and music downloads so I thought I'd better modernize my look.  I've still got my record, but how do you like my tat?

That's it for today.  I just wanted to introduce myself in this new format. I'll be back soon with the latest on what's going on in entertainment in Las Vegas - which is now primarily tribute shows and one night concerts.  See you later!