By Vickie (205.188.201.214 - 205.188.201.214) on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 07:23 pm:

Hey all,
Does anyone know where I could begin to look for Duo Mickey & Sylvia of "Love is Strange" fame.
I beleive they are both still living -
Let me know...
Thanks....
Vickie
TammiProject@aol.com

By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 08:23 pm:

Hi Vickie

Wow! We're going back with this one....

OK, Mickey was/is Mickey Baker, and Sylvia was Sylvia Vanderpool. Mickey was last heard of in France. Sylvia is now better known as Sylvia Robinson of All Platinum/Sugarhill fame.

Hope this gives you something to go on :o)

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 09:43 pm:

How I loved that record when it first came out. And how I was SO captivated by the very beautiful Sylvia.

By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 10:39 pm:

Ralph - I can't agree more - though I caught up with it much later, of course. ;o)

There's also another lovely tune of theirs called "Dearest". It has a gorgeous light Latin rhythm, and Mickey's searing guitar, (which you can hear on all the old Coasters records, and a bundle of other R&B classics he cut for Atlantic.)

And - from my archives:

By Vickie (152.163.189.129 - 152.163.189.129) on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 11:11 pm:

Wow, Thanks for the pix Ritchie,
I do hope to find at least one of them,
Thanks to both of you for elaborating on details, it does help my detective skills when I have a little more to go on..
I hope you both are well...

Smile

Thanks,
so very much....
Vickie

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 11:54 pm:

So Ritchie, my younger friend. Are you telling me that Mickie played guitar on the Coaster records?? That blows my mind. The things I learn on this forum.

By Vickie (152.163.189.129 - 152.163.189.129) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 12:51 am:

Ditto Ralph,
I love that I learn so much that helps me with the book, and also it's simply fun to read,learn and know....It's a special place here..


Vickie

By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 07:12 am:

Hi Ralph

Mickey Baker played on several of the Coasterss' sessions, as did Barney Kessel (would you believe...?) The amazing one-note guitar solo on "I'm A Hog For You" is believed to be Mickey. And, speaking of guest guitarists, a handful of tracks have Phil Spector on guitar, from the time when he was "apprenticed" to Leiber & Stoller.

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 01:46 pm:

Great stuff Ritchie. Thanks.

By Marilyn (67.217.183.204 - 67.217.183.204) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 02:47 pm:

Vickie-
Call me at home (517-536-0891). I'll give you the last number I have for Joe Robinson. (Sylvia's husband). Give me a little while & I'll try to find out if it's still his or get a new one.
Marilyn

P.S. I'm going crazy,getting ready for this big show we"ve got going Saturday. Wish you could ALL be there!

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 03:18 pm:

Marilyn,
Good luck with the show. I'm sure it will turn out great.

By Davie Gordon (213.18.222.35 - 213.18.222.35) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 04:07 pm:

Vickie,

Joe Robinson and his wife Sylvia ran the Stang /
All Platinum / Turbo group of labels from their
home base in Inglewood, New Jersey. Stang evolved
into the rap label Sugar Hill. If you check phone directories or other sources for Inglewood you
might come up with something.

Good luck

By Greg (192.147.58.6 - 192.147.58.6) on Thursday, July 18, 2002 - 05:07 pm:

It's actually spelled Englewood, NJ. But I don't think you'll find them in the phone book. I thought Joe had passed away recently, but I don't remember where I read that.

By Mike S (205.188.209.48 - 205.188.209.48) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 09:33 am:

I think Greg is right. I am sure I read that Joe and Sylvia had split up sometime after All Platinum and then Sugar Hill closed down. And that Joe had passed away probably 2/3years ago.
They were amazing in that thecompany was so small...much smaller than Motown and Stax,Chess etc but they came up with some great music esp Moments despite some pretty crude studio equipment and sound early on.

By Davie Gordon (213.18.222.35 - 213.18.222.35) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 03:14 pm:

Greg,

Thanks for the correction - Englewood it is

By Vickie (152.163.189.129 - 152.163.189.129) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 07:33 pm:

My Goodness,
I love you all....
I will call you Marilyn....

Vickie

By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 07:40 pm:

Vickie --

Thanks. But won't it get a little confusing if we all have to be called "Marilyn"? ;o)

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 11:41 pm:

Ritchie,
Now that's FUNNY!

By Vickie (152.163.213.52 - 152.163.213.52) on Saturday, July 20, 2002 - 12:52 am:

Ritchie, LOL
you make me laugh - that was a good one...
It didn't read that way when I wrote it -
toooooo funny...I did have a nice little talk with Marilyn today, she is very nice...

Vickie

By Lynn Bruce (64.233.239.172 - 64.233.239.172) on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 03:14 pm:

Mickey Baker along with Bucky Pizarelli(excuse spelling)played guitar on a few of Johnny&the Hurricanes songs.I can,t remember what songs.Dave Yorko the Hurricanes guitar player always played the solos though,they mainly added some fullness to the sound.I talked to dave last week and will call him to see if we can jog our cobweb filled minds to add more info.
Lynn Bruce

By Ralph Terrana (Ralph) (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 09:18 pm:

Ok you guys. since you blew my mind with all the Mickey Baker info, I have another question to ask. For years I have been captivated by the extremely tasty guitar licks in the King Curtis record, Soul Twist.It blows me away every time I listen to it. WHO IS THE PLAYER???? I GOTTA KNOW.

By Davie Gordon (213.251.162.249 - 213.251.162.249) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 12:47 pm:

Ralph,

It's Billy Butler - the New York jazz / session
guitarist ( not Jerry's brother )

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 01:19 pm:

Davie,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! The guy has blown me away for years and I never knew who it was.

By Fury13 (64.79.87.186 - 64.79.87.186) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 01:39 pm:

Wasn't Billy Butler the guitarist on Bill Doggett's "Honky Tonk" too?

By Ralph (209.240.222.130 - 209.240.222.130) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 01:49 pm:

Fury,
I was about to ask. It seems to me Billy Butler did play with Bill Doggett.