Re: [Harp-L] Re: Danny Welton

[Joseph Leone <3N037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Seenior Welton would now be more than 80. That clip is several years old. An there are few mistakes on the clip that I think I may have brought up several years ago when his name copped up for the first time..at least the first time that 'I' noticed anyway. He mentions that he did Moon River for Mancini. I think the wording should have been I did Moon River BY Mancini. Moon River was done by George Field. He mentions Ruby. Ruby was done for the movie by George Field. Although Richard Hayman had the bigger hit with HIS recording. 

Ran into George at the Palm Springs Follies back in the late 90s. Everyone went outside for intermission and that's when I met him. The follies was a show containing elderly ex show business types (dancers, comics, vaudeville acts, musicians, etc. ) All in at least their high 70s. Fields used to work with some of them, sooo he came to the show. He told me he did Moon River...and I believe him. 

When I left my employ, without going into detail, I had the addresses for several harmonica players I would have liked to meet if ever in Calif.. Stevie Wonder (whom I couldn't get near with a 10 mile pole), Tommy Morgan, whose address turned out to be wrong, and Danny Welton, whom I had met in Memphis. Danny was living in Brentwood at the time and wasn't home. His neighbor said that he spent his time down on Hollywood blvd. 'Haunting the place'. Also had Richard Hayman on the list. He was in Fla. but I never connected with him. Another was Charlie McCoy, whom has a winter villa a few miles south me. Then there was Jerry Adler, who lived in a high rise a few miles north of me. 

Back to Danny. There is no doubt that he knew a TON of people in show business. Whether they liked him or merely tolerated him is another story. I think he was for years at the broken edge of a bottle trying to make a career. I also think that there were several harmonica players ahead of him whom got more studio work. I think he struggled really hard. Ergo, the many different names he used in his career. This was because he had a finite number of tunes laid down and you can only sell them so many times to various vendors. His material could have been found at: S.S. Kresge (k-mart), G. C. Murphy (murphymart), Waldon's (wal-mart), F. W. Woolworth (Woolco), and other variety stores. Usually on the discount table. I always thought he was a great player IF he would tame some of the 'harshness'. Sometimes his playing can be jarring. Like on 'Memories'. 

In any case, with all his faults and dirty jokes, he is still worth of recognition. If for no other reason than he tried real hard.

smokey-joe 




On Mar 8, 2013, at 9:24 AM, Kevin Hamilton wrote:

> Here is some footage of Danny not too long ago. Seems pretty together still for an 80 year old!
> 
> Kevin
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJy6zORAvCw
> 
> On 7 March 2013 11:58, Joseph Leone <3N037@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> ooooooh, don't even remind me of spah Memphis 1994. lolol. And I think Danny Welton (aka Boris Draper, aka Johnny Cadente, aka several others) is still around.
> smo-joe
> 
> On Mar 7, 2013, at 9:12 AM, Mick Zaklan wrote:
> 
> >    Was flipping channels the other day and landed smack dab on Danny Welton playing this terrifically intricate harmonica passage.  It was that scene from the "Wild One" where he's goofing on an old man.  "Hey Pop, you dig the rebop?".  I thought it was kind of ironic; here he was helping Marlon Brando terrorize a small town and 40 years later he was terrorizing a harmonica convention!
> >    Is Danny still alive?  I don't recall seeing an obit.
> >
> > Mick
> 
> 
>