B. J. Thomas: Blessed by Spiritual Awakening & Family

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Raindrops are still fallin' on the head of B.J. Thomas
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA (ANS) -- B.J. (Billy Joe) Thomas has been a fixture on the American Christian and secular music scene for decades and he got worldwide recognition when the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, featured Thomas performing the (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which became the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. The song was also released on an album of the same name.

B.J. Thomas performing

I caught up with Thomas at the recent Feed The Children 2008 Hero Awards at the Universal Hilton, Universal City, California, where he was to perform some of his hit records such as Raindrops, Hooked On A Feelin' and Just Can't Help Believin'.

In an interview I conducted with him for ANS and Safe Worlds IPTV, Thomas said, "I've got a song that I am going to sing tonight that really ties in with the Hero Awards; I did it on the soundtrack of the movie Jake's Corner called When The Hero Dies. So it kind of ties in beautifully and I'm looking forward to doing that."

When asked how long he has been in show business, Thomas replied, "I got in a band when I was fifteen years old, back in nineteen-fifty-seven, so I've been in the business a long time."

I then asked him if he knew Buddy Holly.

"No, as I was about twelve years old when Buddy was killed in the plane crash," said Thomas. "So he was just right ahead of me, but you know, of course, I used a Buddy Holly lick on the end of Raindrops and he's always been an inspiration for me along with Elvis and a lot of those guys.

"And that will kind of be the theme of my music tonight; the fact that these guys are not alive anymore but they set the example for us to keep the dream alive."

B.J. Thomas is a committed Christian and I then mentioned that many Christian musicians appear to go through a spiritual crisis in their lives and I wondered if that had been the same for him.

"I did have some alcohol and drug problems which I believe would have come along whether I'd been in the music business or not," he said. "It was just a part of my youth and the way I grew up.

"My dad had some alcohol problems and he probably is my biggest hero of all time. Still he kind of passed them along to me and that was just something I had to deal with.

"I didn't really get past it until I had a spiritual awakening back in nineteen-seventy-six, so I thank God for that and it wasn't until that happened to me that I really got past it. But I am so glad to still be standing here today."

What had been the highlight of his life?

"Oh gosh, I guess my marriage to my lovely wife Gloria," he said as huge smiled enveloped his face. "I've had a forty year marriage. I've got three grown children and three grandchildren. So even if I never had had any hit records or any success in music, I still would have had a beautiful life just because of the family I've had. So that's my biggest thrill in life."

Standing next to B.J. Thomas on the red carpet was Bo Rice, the American Idol fourth-season runner-up, so I asked him what he thought about the "Idol" show.

"It is just a part of what's going on in our society right now," he said. "I learned my craft after I had my first hit record while I was out with Dick Clark. I learned how to be an entertainer while I was doing my job. Now days, because of American Idol, it kind of exemplifies that you've got to be way past learning before you step on the stage anywhere. So that's just the way it is. Everything is getting better and everybody's getting younger."

I then asked him if he was amazed that he was still alive.

"Oh absolutely," he said. "I'm just living on blessed time. You know I've had a lot of my friends and peers who didn't make it through their drug addictions and alcohol problems. For some reason God had a plan for me; at least that's the way I feel about it. He had a plan for them too. He just they got their job done quicker than I have. So yes, I feel very fortunate to and I thank God for it."

Note: I would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing this interview.

A few facts and figure on the career of B.J. Thomas

* Sold more than 70 million records
* Earned 2 Platinum records
* Had 11 Gold records
* Won 5 Grammy Awards
* Won 2 Dove Awards for Gospel Recordings which include "Home Where I Belong".
* Had 15 Top 40 Pop/Rock Hits which include "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", "Eyes Of A New York Woman", "Hooked On A Feeling", "Rock and Roll Lullaby", and "I Just Can't Help Believing"
* Had 10 Top 40 Country Chart Hits which include "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", "Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Love" and "Two Car Garage"
* Become the 60th Member of The Grand Ole Opry in 1981.
* Been the only artist ever to have the "Song Of The Year" on the Pop, Country and Gospel charts

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Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 44 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.

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ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA

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The Gospel According to Liverpool?

Celebrities share what Festival of Hope in Liverpool's cultural quarter means to them
By Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND (ANS) -- Hundreds of Gospel music entertainers and artists recently performed during the Festival of Hope, a massive free, Gospel Music and Arts festival weekend along Hope Street in Liverpool, England's cultural quarter.

Peter Wooding, Senior News Editor of UCB UK Radio, caught up with two celebrities, well-known in the United Kingdom, and asked them about their presence at the Festival, which is part of a series of events throughout the country this year known as HOPE 08.

Andrew Lancel

Andrew Lancel is currently starring as Detective Inspector Neil Manson in the ITV1 (British Independent Television) police drama 'The Bill,' a role he has played since 2003. It is the longest running crime drama on television.

He was asked by Wooding what made him want to be part of the recent Hope 08 event in Liverpool, England?

"My feeling is as a Christian I'm part of one of the biggest brands in the country and it's crazy not to use that brand to maybe just add (something) in a little way. I like being involved in things when people get together. And you know getting out the message of hope is a fantastic thing. As I said amongst all the hoorah and money in the capital of culture, it's nice to just have a moment where people can sit down and perhaps remember what it is all about.

His impression of the event?

"Great! It's a great vibe, the whole youth congress, I went down there the other week and it's just a fantastic vibe. I wish people could just get more into the community of it. You don't always have to believe, you don't have to be a person of faith, but just settling into the community can lift you (up) in so many ways, (and) this is a great example of that."

Wooding also caught up with Cathy Tyson, who is the daughter of a black barrister from Trinidad and a white English social worker mother. She dropped out of college at age 17 to pursue acting at Liverpool's Everyman's Theater. After a 1984 production of "The Blitz Show," she won admission to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her film debut was as an elegant black prostitute in Mona Lisa (1986). She was most recently on the Liverpool Nativity during Christmas 2007.

Tyson told Wooding; "I'm here today at the Festival of Hope because I was asked to speak on hope today, do an interview also that's coming up soon and I just made a connection through the organizer of this event Pastor Tani Omideyi of Liverpool Lighthouse church. He invited me to come, which I couldn't believe. I thought 'wow, this is going to be amazing.' A street party on Hope Street, Liverpool, near the cathedral, yes please! So I'm here today and I love things that are on the street."

Cathy Tyson

Tyson was asked what it means for her to be back in Merseyside, to be a part of an event like the Festival of Hope?

"Oh it's lovely, isn't it? People have gone through lot in Liverpool and now they can celebrate with people and be optimistic and more hopeful about the future. That's what it means to me to connect with people, to connect with my past and my present. That's what it means to me to connect with people. You know this is mine and my mother's home, we came from here. I've been in Liverpool Eleven times already this year you know I just can't stop getting on that train really and I've got two more times to get on it as well. I've been here once or twice already in June."

Tyson gave a very moving speech at the event about what hope means to her. Wooding asked her to share a bit more about what it meant for her to make a commitment to hold onto hope in a time of real hopelessness.

"Oh a day at a time, because I can think the negative very easily. It's to remind myself to have positive affirmations. I remind myself to always mix with people -- I think you can be quite hopeless if you're on your own -- and always to get up and join in and engage with people, because we are not alone really," said Tyson.

"So many of us can feel that way, especially when we're feeling bad. A problem shared is a problem halved. So I make a commitment on a daily basis, because life can be so changeable. But as I said, it's all how you react to things because we all are going to face disappointments throughout our lives, all of us. But it's how you weather the storm isn't it ? and not let them get you down, and you've got to look at your own life and see positives in it. I met somebody today whose wife is dying, but to look at his face you wouldn't be able to tell. That gives me hope, it gives me a lesson any way."

Wooding commented: "Now this event today is actually part of a nationwide series of events happening throughout this year called Hope 08. A number of churches are putting on these kinds of events, what are your thoughts on churches coming together to do this right across the country?"

Tyson responded: "Oh fantastic! Liverpool's always been known for joining in, engaging people that are different, and I respect that about Liverpool and I think it started in the eighties. Somebody may correct me, but it may have started earlier. I think it's great -- it gets people talking because there are bigger issues at stake, there are big issues at stake. We need to not give up hope on young people that have left the system -- and that is a challenge -- but it's not insurmountable. You know even death isn't insurmountable really if you've got a faith and if you mix with people who are positive."

ANS would like to thank Robin Frost for transcribing these interviews.

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** Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent of ANS, is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. Michael's involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- Michael Ireland Media Missionary (MIMM) -- of ACT International at: Artists in Christian Testimony (ACT) International.

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Paul, Ringo, Elton and the Beach Boys

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

‘He’s from the Sunday People…’
The day that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sang a new song to me in the Royal Box at Wembley Stadium

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

Paul McCartney last reunited with Starr, Ono and Harrison in Las Vegas last July for the premiere of the Cirque du Soleil's Love. (Laura Rauch/Associated Press)

LONDON, UK (ANS) -- I’ve just watched the Larry King Live show on CNN in which he interviewed Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.

The quartet discussed the lasting appeal of the Beatles music and the contributions of the late John Lennon and George Harrison. McCartney, Starr and the women were celebrating the first anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil's "Love" show, a Las Vegas production that celebrates the Beatles' music. They were joined by Cirque du Soleil founder and CEO Guy Laliberté for the interview.

This show brought back memories for me of what turned out to be one of my most embarrassing moments in journalism.

It was June 21, 1975, and Bill Doran, the deputy news editor of the Sunday People, a tabloid I was working for in London, England, had asked me to try and “gatecrash” the Royal Box where Doran said that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would be there to watch Elton John debut the freshly released Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy album in its entirety to just short of 120,000 people.

Elton's support acts on the memorable day included The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Joe Walsh, and Stackridge.

Ringo Starr

I somehow talked my way past the security man station outside the Royal Box and soon found myself in a room full of rock royalty. There was Paul with his wife Linda and their children, and Ringo with his family.

I gingerly walked up to Paul and asked him if he was enjoying the show. As I was apparently the only journalist in the room, his eyes narrowed and he asked pointedly, “Who do you work for?”

“The Sunday People,” I replied.

Paul smiled and suddenly began singing an impromptu song he had just made up which began, “He’s from the Sunday People…” Suddenly, scores of rock talent joined in -- in four-part harmony -- and I went purple with embarrassment.

After a few minutes, I plucked up courage again and approached Ringo and, before I could say anything, he also began singing, “He’s from the Sunday People…” to which everyone joined in including Paul.

I see that Paul has a new album called "Memory Almost Full," which has sped up the Billboard charts, and ranks No. 3. My wife Norma has just got a copy and I was saddened to see that he hasn’t included “He’s from the Sunday People…” in it. Maybe it could be on your next one, Paul!

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Dan Wooding is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.

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** You may republish this story with proper attribution.

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How Billy Hinsche "joined" the choir on "That Same Song"

Just posted on the Pet Sounds message board:

"I was on location at the Double Rock Baptist Church in LA during the filming of this segment. While watching the rehearsals I thought it might be funny to insert myself into the choir so that when people who knew me
saw that I was a part of the choir, it might surprise and amuse them in a funny way. I told the idea to my buddy Dan Aykroyd. He liked it and told me to run it past SNL Producer Lorne Michaels for approval and who, after
contemplating the idea, agreed that it could be humorous and told me to join the choir!"

Billy Hinsche on "That Same Song"

===>Click headline to access video clip . . .


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Bo Diddley Passes

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Monday, June 2, 2008

Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries

ARCHER, FL (ANS) -- Rock-and-roll pioneer Bo Diddley, whose innovative rhythms and guitar effects inspired legions of musicians, died Monday at his North Central Florida home, a spokeswoman said. He was 79.

According to a story written for the Miami Herald by Michael Hamersly,

Bo Diddley performing

Diddley, he was born Ellas Otha Bates, and died of heart failure in Archer, Fla., a small farming town near Gainesville, only months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa, said spokeswoman Susan Clary. He also had a heart attack last August.

Hamersly said that Diddley died surrounded by family "very peacefully, because he passed in his sleep," said grandson Garry Mitchell, 38, deacon of Archer Church of God In Christ, which Diddley attended, and deputy sheriff of Levy County. "All the memories I have of him are wonderful, because he's Bo Diddley to the world, but he's Grandpa when he's home. And his love showed on the road as well as off the road. As an entertainer, he did it with love, and as a Grandpa he did it with love. And those are the memories we'll hold dear as a family because it wasn't a double standard.

"It was wonderful for us to see a person of his stature to be so humble," Mitchell added, "and an example of how we all should live today."

Hamersly continued, "In the 1950s, Diddley -- along with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and a few others -- was a key figure in the transition from blues to rock-and-roll. He built his own instruments and became well-known for his trademark rectangular guitar, but also created his own beat.

The Bo Diddley beat, a distinctive 'shave and a haircut, two bits' rhythm, has powered hundreds of rock songs, most notably the early Rolling Stones version of Not Fade Away, Johnny Otis' Willie and the Hand Jive, Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride, The Who's Magic Bus, David Bowie's Panic in Detroit, Bruce Springsteen's She's The One, U2's Desire, George Michael's Faith, The Smiths' How Soon Is Now? and, most recently, The White Stripes' Screwdriver.

"Diddley's songs Road Runner, Ride On Josephine, I'm a Man, Mona and Who Do You Love have also been frequently covered. While he only hit the pop Top 40 chart once, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987."

Hamersly said that Diddley attributed his style of playing to acquiring "that fast wrist action" from studying classical violin from ages 7 to 15. When he began playing the guitar, he explained to biographer George White, his fingers were too big to move around easily, so he tuned the guitar to an open E and moved a single finger up and down to create chords.

"Diddley's stage antics were influential as well. Elvis Presley was said to have copied Diddley's balancing on his toes and shaking his knees while playing the guitar, while Jimi Hendrix borrowed the idea of playing the instrument above his head," wrote Hamersly.

Diddley is survived by a brother, Rev. Kenneth Haynes; his children, Evelyn Kelly, Ellas McDaniel, Tammi McDaniel and Terri Lynn McDaniel; plus 15 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. A public funeral will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday at Showers of Blessing Harvest Center in Gainesville.

This report was supplemented by Miami Herald wire services.

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Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 44 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.

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