Thought you'd like to read this info i just discovered on Laughingplace.com.... ( I've met and talked to Greg Ehrbar many times when we both were members of NFFC World Chapter in Florida.... back in the 80's! )
Writers uncover Disney?s recorded history for the first time
They?re among the most popular forms of Disney entertainment. They?ve sold millions, won numerous awards and influenced the entertainment industry. They?ve been the soundtracks of childhood for generations. But strangely enough, the story of the Disney-produced recordings we welcomed into our homes for over half a century ? in the form of LP?s, 45?s, 78?s, cassettes and compact discs ? has never been fully told.
Two American pop culture writers, both avid Disney record collectors, have taken on this massive task. In their forthcoming book, The Walt Disney Records Story, to be published by University of Mississippi Press in 2005, authors Tim Hollis and Gregory Ehrbar provide a feast of untold tales and behind the scenes lore from an often overlook Disney genre.
Hollis and Ehrbar explain why Walt and Roy Disney resisted going into the record business for over three decades, until the success of ?The Ballad of Davy Crockett? convinced Roy to take the plunge. Under the guidance of its first president, Jimmy Johnson, the record company experienced both feast and famine in the retail marketplace. Detailed in the book are the teen-pop success of Annette Funicello, the Mary Poppins phenomenon, a Disney-style ?British invasion,? and even a low period when sagging sales forced Walt to suggest closing the division down.
Virtually every musical style is represented, from rock, disco and rap to jazz, folk and classical. Complimenting each chapter are performer biographies, some well-known and many who should be.
?There?s a whole world of talented people involved with these recordings, then and now,? Ehrbar says. ?It?s time for them to be recognized.?
Two-time Grammy nominee Ehrbar served as writer for Disney recordings, books, network TV specials and advertising, also producing compilation CD?s for children. Writer/journalist Hollis? name is well-known to pop-culture fans as the author such best sellers as Hi There, Boys and Girls! America?s Local Children?s TV Programs, Dixie Before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun, and the upcoming Florida?s Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast, all published by the University Press of Mississippi.
?There aren?t many areas of Disney left to be chronicled, and this is a subject that means a lot to us,? Hollis says. ?So many folks grew up with these records, and most kids have a bunch of CD?s now. Now there?ll be a way to learn how they all came about.?
The Walt Disney Records Story is scheduled for publication in October 2005. The authors welcome the assistance of anyone involved in Disney recordings over the years to contact them to share stories.
Contact Tim Hollis at Hollis1963@aol.com, or Gregory Ehrbar at wondergreg@hotmail.com.
--Posted May 23, 2003
Writers uncover Disney?s recorded history for the first time
They?re among the most popular forms of Disney entertainment. They?ve sold millions, won numerous awards and influenced the entertainment industry. They?ve been the soundtracks of childhood for generations. But strangely enough, the story of the Disney-produced recordings we welcomed into our homes for over half a century ? in the form of LP?s, 45?s, 78?s, cassettes and compact discs ? has never been fully told.
Two American pop culture writers, both avid Disney record collectors, have taken on this massive task. In their forthcoming book, The Walt Disney Records Story, to be published by University of Mississippi Press in 2005, authors Tim Hollis and Gregory Ehrbar provide a feast of untold tales and behind the scenes lore from an often overlook Disney genre.
Hollis and Ehrbar explain why Walt and Roy Disney resisted going into the record business for over three decades, until the success of ?The Ballad of Davy Crockett? convinced Roy to take the plunge. Under the guidance of its first president, Jimmy Johnson, the record company experienced both feast and famine in the retail marketplace. Detailed in the book are the teen-pop success of Annette Funicello, the Mary Poppins phenomenon, a Disney-style ?British invasion,? and even a low period when sagging sales forced Walt to suggest closing the division down.
Virtually every musical style is represented, from rock, disco and rap to jazz, folk and classical. Complimenting each chapter are performer biographies, some well-known and many who should be.
?There?s a whole world of talented people involved with these recordings, then and now,? Ehrbar says. ?It?s time for them to be recognized.?
Two-time Grammy nominee Ehrbar served as writer for Disney recordings, books, network TV specials and advertising, also producing compilation CD?s for children. Writer/journalist Hollis? name is well-known to pop-culture fans as the author such best sellers as Hi There, Boys and Girls! America?s Local Children?s TV Programs, Dixie Before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun, and the upcoming Florida?s Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast, all published by the University Press of Mississippi.
?There aren?t many areas of Disney left to be chronicled, and this is a subject that means a lot to us,? Hollis says. ?So many folks grew up with these records, and most kids have a bunch of CD?s now. Now there?ll be a way to learn how they all came about.?
The Walt Disney Records Story is scheduled for publication in October 2005. The authors welcome the assistance of anyone involved in Disney recordings over the years to contact them to share stories.
Contact Tim Hollis at Hollis1963@aol.com, or Gregory Ehrbar at wondergreg@hotmail.com.
--Posted May 23, 2003