Eddie Fontaine
Eddie Fontaine (born March 6, 1927 in Springfield , Massachusetts as Edward Henry Reardon, † April 13, 1992 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American rockabilly musician and actor . Best known is his piece Nothin 'Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Tree) , which was covered by the Beatles for a radio show in 1963 .
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Life
Eddie grew up near New York City in Rockaway Beach on. He started his musical career in various New York bars. In 1954, Fontaine was discovered by band leader Neal Hefti and introduced to producer Jimmy Hilliard , who offered him a contract for the new "X" label, a subsidiary of RCA .
In 1955 Eddie recorded the first two tracks, Rock Love and All My Love Belongs To You . In April 1955 he appeared on Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Show at the Brooklyn Paramount . In the summer of 1956, Eddie moved to Decca . His first recording, Cool it Baby, gave him an appearance in the film Schlagerpiraten . After six rather unsuccessful publications, his contract was not extended in 1957.
He rented a studio at his own expense and recorded his self-written song Nothin 'Shakin' with drummer Cozy Cole , among others , which he sent as a demo to music producer Gene Goodman. He didn't answer him, so Fontaine finally signed with the Chicago Sunbeam label and recorded his song again there. Without his knowledge, the original demo tape was sold to Chess Records . After a lawsuit, Diane Lampert , John Gluck Jr. and Cirino Colacral had to be named as co-authors.
Eddie's recording reached number 64 on the Billboard chart in June 1958 .
From 1962 to 1963 Fontaine played a role in the series The Gallant Men .
This was followed by various appearances in series and TV films such as Quincy , Happy Days , Detective Rockford - a call is enough and a job in Manhattan .
In 1984 he was charged with the murder of his ex-wife Pamela. Country singer David Faircloth testified in court that Fontaine offered him $ 3,000 and an electric guitar for killing his ex-wife. Fontaine was sentenced to four years in prison, but was acquitted in 1985 on appeal.
Between 1981 and 1988 Fontaine toured Europe and gave concerts again.
Fontaine died on April 13, 1992 of complications from cancer of the larynx .
Discography
Singles
| year | Title A | Title B | Record company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Rock Love (with Neal Hefti & the Excels) | All My Love Belongs To You (with Neal Hefti & the Excels) | X Records |
| 1955 | The Rain Song | Poor Little Monday | X Records |
| 1955 | Rollin 'Stone | I'm Through Chasinhg After You | X Records |
| 1955 | Turn The Light On | Boom-de-de-boom | X Records |
| 1956 | The Years Before | A Rose And A Baby Ruth | Decca |
| 1956 | Cool it baby | Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall | Decca |
| 1956 | Stand on The Rock | Baby You Did This To Me | Vik Records |
| 1956 | Here 'tis | I look at you | Vik Records |
| 1957 | Honky Tonk Man | Fun lovin ' | Decca |
| 1957 | Homesick Blues | Money | Decca |
| 1957 | East of Mississippi | I'll be there | Decca |
| 1958 | Nothin 'Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees) | Oh, Wonderfull Night | Sunbeam |
| 1958 | I'm Ready As I'll Ever Be (with Gerry Granahan) | Nobody Else Can Handle This Job But Me (with Gerry Granahan) | Sunbeam |
| 1959 | Goodness, It's Gladys | Middle Of The Road | Chancellor |
| 1963 | All That I Want Is You | (It's No) Sin | Warner |
| 1963 | My Heart Belongs To You | I'm gonna settle down | Warner |
| 1965 | Blue roses | Way Down Home | Liberty |
Filmography
- 1956: hit pirates
- 1962–1963: The Gallant Men (26 episodes)
- 1962: 77 Sunset Strip (one episode)
- 1962: Hawaiian Eye (an episode)
- 1967: Crazy Wild West (an episode)
- 1973: The Boss (an episode)
- 1974: deployment in Manhattan (one episode)
- 1974: Toma (an episode)
- 1974: Planet of the Apes (an episode)
- 1974–1978: Detective Rockford - just give us a call (four episodes)
- 1975: Bronk (an episode)
- 1975: Harry O (an episode)
- 1975: Baretta (an episode)
- 1975: Medical Center (a sequel)
- 1975: The Crooks' Coast (an episode)
- 1975–1978: Police Story (three episodes)
- 1975–1978: The Six Million Dollar Man (three episodes)
- 1977: Make-Up and Pistols (one episode)
- 1978: Starsky & Hutch (an episode)
- 1978: Happy Days (one episode)
- 1980: the road to power
- 1980: Stone (two episodes)
- 1981: Quincy (an episode)
- 1981: Nero Wolfe (an episode)
- 1991: A bouquet of daughters
Web links
- Eddie Fontaine in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Eddie Fontaine at Discogs (English)
- Eddie Fontaine at Allmusic (English)
- Eddie Fontaine in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Song information on beatlesbible.com , accessed August 27, 2019 /
- ↑ Billboard Charts , accessed August 27, 2019
- ↑ Biography on Rockabilly.nl (English), accessed August 27, 2019
- ↑ Actor Wins Review of His Conviction in Murder Plot (English) The LA Times , June 11, 1985
- ↑ UK tour dates , accessed May 15, 2020
- ↑ Bob Leszczak: Encyclopedia of Pop Music aliases, 1950-2000 , page 135
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fontaine, Eddie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Reardon, Edward (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 6, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Springfield , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 13, 1992 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |