By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 08:10 pm:

hi dennis it's great to have you on the forum.

do you recall danny dallas's place in farmington?
i've got an advert for it but the address is partially blanked.

it was 'sound patterns dxm' on grand river.

By Dennis Coffey (64.12.105.166 - 64.12.105.166) on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 08:57 pm:

Hi David. I remember going to Danny's place on Grandriver to get some cassettes made. I worked with Danny when he was an engineer at Speciality on Grand Blvd. He told me he was moving to Florida. The last I was told years ago, he was back at the Specialty location on Grand Blvd. That's the last I heard.

Dennis Coffey

By Ralph Terrana (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Sunday, March 03, 2002 - 09:06 pm:

I think it would be great to find Danny, if he is around. I'm sure he has some pretty good stories to tell. Anyone have any ideas?

By BOB BABBITT (152.163.197.72 - 152.163.197.72) on Monday, March 04, 2002 - 03:44 am:

HEY MO-FU'S...THE BABBITT HERE...............
DANNY DALLAS..........I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE DANNY'S PHONE NUMBER.........I WILL CALL HIM OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND LET HIM KNOW ABOUT THIS SITE
HOPE HE CAN COME ABOARD..............

By George Katsakis (205.188.200.57 - 205.188.200.57) on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 01:47 am:

I just came across this Danny Dallas posting and I have known Danny since about 1960 before he had his studio on Grand River. I did some sessions with Harry Balk at the old studio when Harry was recording Don & Juan. I don't remember the name of the studio but it was in downtown Detroit in the studio that used to broadcast the Lone Ranger. When Danny had his studio on Grand River I used to do demo sessions there with Nick Zesus and Dino Fekaris. If the last two names don't sound familiar look at Motown writing credits and you will see their names. The sessions we used to do there mostly took place after Motown left Detroit. Dino used to come and visit me and we used to talk about what to do, this was after the writing team of Zesus and Fekaris was over. Finally Dino decided to take his chances and move to California where he endend being one of the writers of "I Will Survive"

By John Lester (213.122.203.192 - 213.122.203.192) on Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 06:55 am:

Edwin's Who Is The Leader Of the People.......was from Nick and Dino

But it was on the re-issue of our Ralph's "Stoney and Meatloaf" LP

By George Katsakis (216.29.209.125 - 216.29.209.125) on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 04:27 pm:

So was "I Just Want to Celebrate" and also look on some Gladys Knight and the Pips recordings.

By BOB BABBITT (64.12.106.33 - 64.12.106.33) on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 07:30 pm:

HEY MO-FU'S.....I JUST LEFT A MESSAGE ON DANNY'S PHONE TELLING HIM TO CHECK THE SITE OUT!!!!!!!!!!
I WILL KEEP ON HIS BUTT UNTIL HE RESPONDS.
HIS INFO WOULD BE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!1
THE BABBITT

By Nick Palise (64.79.86.80 - 64.79.86.80) on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 07:43 pm:

Hey, Danny! Remember "Doll Records" on Duffield Street in Detroit before your Grand River Studio. We were one of the first groups to record there. The "Emanons" Hope you are doing great, and hope to see you and hear from you again. Nick Palise

By Nick (64.79.86.80 - 64.79.86.80) on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 07:45 pm:

Hey Babbitt! Good to see and hear you are doing so well. Looking forward to seeing you in the fall. Nick Palise

By david, glasgow, scotland (213.122.78.236 - 213.122.78.236) on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 10:56 am:

hi nick
was this at 138 duffield i wonder?
now the freeway!

this was site of special recording studios.

By George Katsakis (64.12.105.153 - 64.12.105.153) on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 02:32 pm:

Dave,

Special Recording Studios was the one I was referring to in my earlier post, thanks for remembering the name. Where you aware that the Lone Ranger radio show used to broadcast from there?

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 05:08 pm:

no i wasn't aware of that.

i'm looking forward to meeting you.

you've been in some interesting locations.

By George Katsakis (205.188.195.199 - 205.188.195.199) on Saturday, April 06, 2002 - 07:49 am:

Harry Balk used to do a lot of recording there before there was Motown.

By Bob Olhsson (68.53.120.100 - 68.53.120.100) on Sunday, April 07, 2002 - 06:22 pm:

I'm pretty sure that Special Recordings and United were the first two professional quality studios in Detroit that weren't part of a broadcast station. Special may well have been the very first because United was originally built by Jimmy Syracuse as a film studio.

Jimmy had been a cinematographer at Paramount Pictures. Paramount decided to dismantle and sell their film studio in New York (Astoria Queens) rather than returning it to peacetime service after World War Two. Jimmy and several others purchased the equipment and set up film studios in various parts of the country. Jimmy chose Detroit because the automobile industry was the nation's largest advertiser and television was rapidly displacing radio. Unfortunately Jimmy's plan never worked out because portable film gear was developed and most of the automobile commercials wound up being shot in Ralph's neighborhood along California's highway 1 by Detroit crews!

Special was built by the creators of The Lone Ranger so that they could pre-record their radio shows rather than having to perform them live several times for different time zones at WXYZ which was ABC's midwestern headquarters. The other two major networks were located in Chicago which was the center of the advertising industry. ABC and the ad agencies also provided work to many Detroit musicians that paid just as well as in New York, LA or Chicago.

It's interesting that there might never have been any record industry in Detroit had ABC also chosen to locate their midwestern headquarters in Chicago. Even if there had been studios, there probably would not have been nearly as much incentive for outstanding musicians to stay in Detroit.

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Sunday, April 07, 2002 - 06:39 pm:

really interesting bob. thanks

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Sunday, April 07, 2002 - 06:59 pm:

And they're still shooting them here Bob.The bridge you see in so many commercials with the big arch underneath it is the Bixby Bridge built during the depression.

By Joe Podorsek (152.163.197.77 - 152.163.197.77) on Sunday, April 07, 2002 - 11:52 pm:

Danny is alive and well and living in Redford. If you need his number....call me. He comes into the store here.

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Monday, April 08, 2002 - 09:44 pm:

hi joe
i'd love to meet yourself and danny dallas.

please contact me by clicking on my name above.