How "Cool" is this the 'Aerotrain'

I had never read about this train before ,never mind see a photo of it, I first saw this thanks to RogerAgnessi who sent a picture into George McCrae's Point Saint Charles site (linked here in our links section) .

 Anyway I saw this neat old train, & I thought I'd find out a bit more about it,.There is no mistaking the mid-50's Classic GM styling ,even the windshield looks like it off a checy or caddy of that era,.the rear end very much like Chevy......Cheers ! HF&RV -Les

GM’s “Dream Train”:

The Aerotrain

Written by Toby Roan     

By the mid-Fifties, passenger rail in the United States was a mess. The public’s increased use of automobiles and stiff competition from airlines and bus service had sent medium-distance passenger revenues into a tailspin. Despite huge investments in improved equipment and facilities, the railroad industry was losing about $700 million a year on passenger service. There was simply no way they could charge the fares necessary to put them back in the black. It was time to rethink the passenger train.  The plan was to develop a stylish, comfortable, high-speed train (top speed: 100 miles per hour) with low fares to lure passengers back onto the tracks. And with this new train being lightweight and fuel-efficient, the railroads should be able to return to profitable passenger service.  General Motors was approached to create such a train. And its Electro-Motive Division came back with the Aerotrain. One of its chief designers was Charles “Chuck” Jordan. An MIT graduate brought to General Motors by Harley Earl in 1948, Jordan was responsible for Chevrolet’s Cameo Carrier pickup in 1954, would be the primary designer of the 1958 Corvette, and would be named Cadillac’s Chief of Design in 1959.
A futuristic blending of Fifties highway and railway technology (with maybe a little Buck Rogers thrown in for good measure), the Aerotrain fits right in with the GM concept cars of the period. In particular, the 1951 Buick LeSabre (a swanky concept car that became Harley Earl’s daily driver) seems to have been a big influence on the styling of the Aerotrain, which featured a wraparound windshield and multiple headlights.
Called the LWT-12, for “light weight 1,200 horsepower,” each Aerotrain was powered by a single GM 1,200-horsepower Diesel electric propulsion unit. Thanks to its light weight and low center of gravity, it was felt that 1,200 was enough horsepower. It wasn’t. Compared to other trains, it was pitifully underpowered. But the reduction in weight and horsepower meant that the Aerotrain used only 1.3 gallons of fuel per mile at top speed.
Each of the Aerotrain’s 10 passenger cars was basically a modified bus body from GM’s Motor Coach Division. The observation car even had what appear to be taillights and fins, looking much like a Chevy Nomad station wagon. Two of the 40-passenger non-articulated cars weighed less than one standard 80-passenger car. Headroom was drastically cut and aluminum replaced steel whenever possible. It all sat on a steel underframe, with single-axle trucks and an air suspension system very similar to what was found on GM buses. Unfortunately, what made for a nice, comfortable bus ride would not have the same success on rails.  GM’s ads promised “an entirely new concept of speed, comfort, safety and economy.” New York Central’s copywriters weren’t as restrained in their ads for the “dream train,” calling it “a fast, lightweight new train that can revolutionize rail travel, increase employment, and strengthen our national defense.” The hype worked. People were eager to experience the Aerotrain, and they got their first glimpse at the GM Powerama in 1955.  Two Aerotrain prototypes were built. One went to Pennsylvania Railroad; the second became New York Central’s “Great Lakes Aerotrain,” providing nonstop service between Chicago and Detroit. A third LWT-12 was built to pull another attempt at a lightweight passenger train, Rock Island’s Talgo “Jet Rocket.”	Rear car.  Looked like the back end of a 1950s station wagon.
	Side view of the 4 wheeled coach at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. Image by Jim O'Connor click image to view full size
It didn’t take long for the trouble to start. It quickly became apparent that the Aerotrains were underpowered and prone to mechanical problems. Passengers missed the spacious comfort of standard streamlined trains, finding the downsized Aerotrain “buses” confining. And with the shortened wheelbase and air suspension, the ride was terrible at anything close to top speed. After only a year or so, Pennsy and New York Central returned their Aerotrains to GM. Thanks, but no thanks.
A complete Aerotrain can be seen at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. Image by Jim O'Connor click image to view full size	National Railroad Museum, Green Bay. Photo by Thomas Bloomquist

Next up was Union Pacific, whose “City Of Las Vegas” Aerotrain made the run between L.A. and Las Vegas loaded with gamblers. It needed a helper to surmount Cajon Pass.  

Before long, both Aerotrain prototypes were sold to the Rock Island Line. (They’d also end up with that third LWT-12 built for the Talgo.) Condemned to commuter service, where it was felt the slower speeds would ensure a smoother ride, the Aerotrains tooled around the Chicago suburbs until being retired in 1966. After only 10 years, the train of the future had come to the end of the road.  

Today, you can pay your respects to the Aerotrains at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay (read article), Wisconsin (they have Number 2) and the Museum Of Transportation in St. Louis. The MOT has an engineless LWT-12 and two cars, which are currently undergoing cosmetic restoration (thanks to a hefty donation from the Gateway Division NMRA).

 

Written by Toby Roan     

National Railroad Museum, Green Bay photo by Thomas Bloomquist 
Some images by Jim O'Connor

Read more about this train design. Car of the Cent

ury.com  The Aerotrain

The Aerotrain

GM’s “Dream Train”:

The Aerotrain

Written by Toby Roan     

By the mid-Fifties, passenger rail in the United States was a mess. The public’s increased use of automobiles and stiff competition from airlines and bus service had sent medium-distance passenger revenues into a tailspin. Despite huge investments in improved equipment and facilities, the railroad industry was losing about $700 million a year on passenger service. There was simply no way they could charge the fares necessary to put them back in the black. It was time to rethink the passenger train.  The plan was to develop a stylish, comfortable, high-speed train (top speed: 100 miles per hour) with low fares to lure passengers back onto the tracks. And with this new train being lightweight and fuel-efficient, the railroads should be able to return to profitable passenger service.  General Motors was approached to create such a train. And its Electro-Motive Division came back with the Aerotrain. One of its chief designers was Charles “Chuck” Jordan. An MIT graduate brought to General Motors by Harley Earl in 1948, Jordan was responsible for Chevrolet’s Cameo Carrier pickup in 1954, would be the primary designer of the 1958 Corvette, and would be named Cadillac’s Chief of Design in 1959.
A futuristic blending of Fifties highway and railway technology (with maybe a little Buck Rogers thrown in for good measure), the Aerotrain fits right in with the GM concept cars of the period. In particular, the 1951 Buick LeSabre (a swanky concept car that became Harley Earl’s daily driver) seems to have been a big influence on the styling of the Aerotrain, which featured a wraparound windshield and multiple headlights.
Called the LWT-12, for “light weight 1,200 horsepower,” each Aerotrain was powered by a single GM 1,200-horsepower Diesel electric propulsion unit. Thanks to its light weight and low center of gravity, it was felt that 1,200 was enough horsepower. It wasn’t. Compared to other trains, it was pitifully underpowered. But the reduction in weight and horsepower meant that the Aerotrain used only 1.3 gallons of fuel per mile at top speed.
Each of the Aerotrain’s 10 passenger cars was basically a modified bus body from GM’s Motor Coach Division. The observation car even had what appear to be taillights and fins, looking much like a Chevy Nomad station wagon. Two of the 40-passenger non-articulated cars weighed less than one standard 80-passenger car. Headroom was drastically cut and aluminum replaced steel whenever possible. It all sat on a steel underframe, with single-axle trucks and an air suspension system very similar to what was found on GM buses. Unfortunately, what made for a nice, comfortable bus ride would not have the same success on rails.  GM’s ads promised “an entirely new concept of speed, comfort, safety and economy.” New York Central’s copywriters weren’t as restrained in their ads for the “dream train,” calling it “a fast, lightweight new train that can revolutionize rail travel, increase employment, and strengthen our national defense.” The hype worked. People were eager to experience the Aerotrain, and they got their first glimpse at the GM Powerama in 1955.  Two Aerotrain prototypes were built. One went to Pennsylvania Railroad; the second became New York Central’s “Great Lakes Aerotrain,” providing nonstop service between Chicago and Detroit. A third LWT-12 was built to pull another attempt at a lightweight passenger train, Rock Island’s Talgo “Jet Rocket.”	Rear car.  Looked like the back end of a 1950s station wagon.
	Side view of the 4 wheeled coach at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. Image by Jim O'Connor click image to view full size
It didn’t take long for the trouble to start. It quickly became apparent that the Aerotrains were underpowered and prone to mechanical problems. Passengers missed the spacious comfort of standard streamlined trains, finding the downsized Aerotrain “buses” confining. And with the shortened wheelbase and air suspension, the ride was terrible at anything close to top speed. After only a year or so, Pennsy and New York Central returned their Aerotrains to GM. Thanks, but no thanks.
A complete Aerotrain can be seen at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. Image by Jim O'Connor click image to view full size	National Railroad Museum, Green Bay. Photo by Thomas Bloomquist

Next up was Union Pacific, whose “City Of Las Vegas” Aerotrain made the run between L.A. and Las Vegas loaded with gamblers. It needed a helper to surmount Cajon Pass.  

Before long, both Aerotrain prototypes were sold to the Rock Island Line. (They’d also end up with that third LWT-12 built for the Talgo.) Condemned to commuter service, where it was felt the slower speeds would ensure a smoother ride, the Aerotrains tooled around the Chicago suburbs until being retired in 1966. After only 10 years, the train of the future had come to the end of the road.  

Today, you can pay your respects to the Aerotrains at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay (read article), Wisconsin (they have Number 2) and the Museum Of Transportation in St. Louis. The MOT has an engineless LWT-12 and two cars, which are currently undergoing cosmetic restoration (thanks to a hefty donation from the Gateway Division NMRA).

 

Written by Toby Roan     

National Railroad Museum, Green Bay photo by Thomas Bloomquist 
Some images by Jim O'Connor

Read more about this train design. Car of the Century.com  The Aerotrain

The Aerotrain

GM’s “Dream Train”:

The Aerotrain

Written by Toby Roan     

By the mid-Fifties, passenger rail in the United States was a mess. The public’s increased use of automobiles and stiff competition from airlines and bus service had sent medium-distance passenger revenues into a tailspin. Despite huge investments in improved equipment and facilities, the railroad industry was losing about $700 million a year on passenger service. There was simply no way they could charge the fares necessary to put them back in the black. It was time to rethink the passenger train.  The plan was to develop a stylish, comfortable, high-speed train (top speed: 100 miles per hour) with low fares to lure passengers back onto the tracks. And with this new train being lightweight and fuel-efficient, the railroads should be able to return to profitable passenger service.  General Motors was approached to create such a train. And its Electro-Motive Division came back with the Aerotrain. One of its chief designers was Charles “Chuck” Jordan. An MIT graduate brought to General Motors by Harley Earl in 1948, Jordan was responsible for Chevrolet’s Cameo Carrier pickup in 1954, would be the primary designer of the 1958 Corvette, and would be named Cadillac’s Chief of Design in 1959.
A futuristic blending of Fifties highway and railway technology (with maybe a little Buck Rogers thrown in for good measure), the Aerotrain fits right in with the GM concept cars of the period. In particular, the 1951 Buick LeSabre (a swanky concept car that became Harley Earl’s daily driver) seems to have been a big influence on the styling of the Aerotrain, which featured a wraparound windshield and multiple headlights.
Called the LWT-12, for “light weight 1,200 horsepower,” each Aerotrain was powered by a single GM 1,200-horsepower Diesel electric propulsion unit. Thanks to its light weight and low center of gravity, it was felt that 1,200 was enough horsepower. It wasn’t. Compared to other trains, it was pitifully underpowered. But the reduction in weight and horsepower meant that the Aerotrain used only 1.3 gallons of fuel per mile at top speed.
Each of the Aerotrain’s 10 passenger cars was basically a modified bus body from GM’s Motor Coach Division. The observation car even had what appear to be taillights and fins, looking much like a Chevy Nomad station wagon. Two of the 40-passenger non-articulated cars weighed less than one standard 80-passenger car. Headroom was drastically cut and aluminum replaced steel whenever possible. It all sat on a steel underframe, with single-axle trucks and an air suspension system very similar to what was found on GM buses. Unfortunately, what made for a nice, comfortable bus ride would not have the same success on rails.  GM’s ads promised “an entirely new concept of speed, comfort, safety and economy.” New York Central’s copywriters weren’t as restrained in their ads for the “dream train,” calling it “a fast, lightweight new train that can revolutionize rail travel, increase employment, and strengthen our national defense.” The hype worked. People were eager to experience the Aerotrain, and they got their first glimpse at the GM Powerama in 1955.  Two Aerotrain prototypes were built. One went to Pennsylvania Railroad; the second became New York Central’s “Great Lakes Aerotrain,” providing nonstop service between Chicago and Detroit. A third LWT-12 was built to pull another attempt at a lightweight passenger train, Rock Island’s Talgo “Jet Rocket.”	Rear car.  Looked like the back end of a 1950s station wagon.
	Side view of the 4 wheeled coach at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. Image by Jim O'Connor click image to view full size
It didn’t take long for the trouble to start. It quickly became apparent that the Aerotrains were underpowered and prone to mechanical problems. Passengers missed the spacious comfort of standard streamlined trains, finding the downsized Aerotrain “buses” confining. And with the shortened wheelbase and air suspension, the ride was terrible at anything close to top speed. After only a year or so, Pennsy and New York Central returned their Aerotrains to GM. Thanks, but no thanks.
A complete Aerotrain can be seen at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. Image by Jim O'Connor click image to view full size	National Railroad Museum, Green Bay. Photo by Thomas Bloomquist

Next up was Union Pacific, whose “City Of Las Vegas” Aerotrain made the run between L.A. and Las Vegas loaded with gamblers. It needed a helper to surmount Cajon Pass.  

Before long, both Aerotrain prototypes were sold to the Rock Island Line. (They’d also end up with that third LWT-12 built for the Talgo.) Condemned to commuter service, where it was felt the slower speeds would ensure a smoother ride, the Aerotrains tooled around the Chicago suburbs until being retired in 1966. After only 10 years, the train of the future had come to the end of the road.  

Today, you can pay your respects to the Aerotrains at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay (read article), Wisconsin (they have Number 2) and the Museum Of Transportation in St. Louis. The MOT has an engineless LWT-12 and two cars, which are currently undergoing cosmetic restoration (thanks to a hefty donation from the Gateway Division NMRA).

 

Written by Toby Roan     

National Railroad Museum, Green Bay photo by Thomas Bloomquist 
Some images by Jim O'Connor

Read more about this train design. Car of the Century.com  The Aerotrain

Hey this design is Familiar...........the 'Monk' Bridge

Monk Bridge
Description	Almost entirely built with steel plates to shape and arc, Montacier successfully gather each element to link the Canal Lachine north and south shores.
Mandate	To build a road bridge over the Lachine Canal
Client	EBC
Location	Montréal Québec,Canada
Date	2000

Wellington Bridge Replacement for Tunnel

 Wellington Bridge
Description

Montacier was requested to replace the old Wellington street tunnel with a new road bridge over the Lachine Canal.

This project involved erecting four series of parallel steel tubs to support the concrete bridge deck.

Montacier had to use two cranes for the job, because the parts were too heavy and the operating radius too wide for a single machine. To reduce the operating radius, we also had to build a small peninsula for the crane. It was very important to coordinate the movements of both cranes to avoid collisions.

Mandate
To build a road bridge over the Lachine Canal
Client
DJL & Structural

Location
Montréal
Québec,Canada

Date
1996 

tunnel

tunnel

Knox Bridge

To me the nicest bridge in the whole of Montreal is the Knox bridge at Bishop Power boulevard in LaSalle and resembles the european architecture. I took this photo in 2007 when photographing the 10 bridges over the aqueduc and which are shown in my album no. 3.

Judge for yourselves:

Jolicoeur bridge to be renovated

The Verdun Messager reports that the City of Montréal will completely renovate the Jolicoeur bridge this summer including the sidewalk which will be enlarged. It is mentioned that the bridge was built in 1932.

Guy

Wellington Tunnel ,

Remember this tunnel well, as all of you do I guess, It went from a necessity to obsolete almost just in our lifetimes,certainly for a few of you anyway...Have a look at the old tunnel.

From Old to New-ish Montreal

A pile of photographs from old buildings to nwer ones (newer to us ) but we are getting up there too.. lol             Enjoy the Montreal tour:

Joe Beef aka: Charles McKeirnan...Owner Joe Beef's Tavern (original owner that is)!

Joe Beef of Montreal 
(1835-1889)

© 2003 Glenn F. Cartwright 
  
  
  
 

---

He cares not for Pope, Priest, Parson, or King William of the Boyne; all Joe wants is the Coin. He trusts in God in summer time to keep him from all harm; when he sees the first frost and snow poor old Joe trusts to the Almighty Dollar and good old maple wood to keep his belly warm, for Churches, Chapels, Ranters, Preachers, Beechers and such stuff Montreal has already got enough.

In the 1800s, Joe Beef, an Irishman whose real name was Charles McKiernan, was a colorful inn-keeper in old Montreal close to the harbour. His tavern was known to stranded sailors as a place they could always get a meal and a warm place to sleep in exchange for chopping a few cords of firewood.  A notorious atheist who was deplored by churchmen of his era, he was less well-known for his generosity and charity.  Joe had the above manifesto printed on handbills and advertisements.

  
 

When Joe died in 1889,  a great send-off was arranged.  All the shops in the area closed out of respect for Joe as he was laid to rest on Mount Royal.

Old Montreal ............

The Gazette today has a story on Old Montreal,.a favourite tourist attraction these days,but it was for us 'just old Montreal' with it's narrow streets & traffic tied up while a truck made some delivery's to what was then just 'old stone buildings' Sure we knew they were around for a ,long time but we did not place as much importance on them at the time. Many buildings were just run down old buildings bordering the harbour area.......They sure have changed today with it's restaurants & expensive condos,etc etc busier than ever I suspect with horse drawn caleche's and people actually taking the time to 'look & see' what we sort of took for granted.I think it would be fun to walk along the harbour front (le vieux port, as we know it now) & then walk around the history laden cobble stone streets........a visit to the Centre d'histoire de Montreal would also be in order (all the while remembering it as the old fire station,fortunately for me looking back I got to scour these neighbourhoods through the harbour & surrounding commercial & residential neighbourhoods)     "Residential Neighbourhoods is Code for Griffintown" I played near freight trains & rode bikes on cobble stone roads which had those nice tracks criss crossig them on angles to challenge your bike riding skills too...............hahahahah and in those days the only 'traps ' you might see would be for rats......now it's for tourists....lol

All in all it was fun & I'm sure it would be fun to revisit the place...

     .Now here is the Gazette story:

Of all the communities on the island, Old Montreal is the richest in historical landmarks, monuments and attractions. This comes as no surprise, considering it is indeed the oldest part of Montreal. The district is located in the Ville Marie borough of Montreal and is full of quaint shops, stunning art galleries and awardwinning restaurants.

History

Old Montreal holds special historical significance as the birthplace of the entire city as we know it today.

In 1642, a group of French settlers founded Montreal on a small strip of land on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. The exact location is commemorated by the presence of the Pointe à Callière Museum, which sits atop the very site where the settlers arrived. The area, initially called Ville Marie, grew and experienced many changes in the years following its founding. The New France settlement became a full town under French control leading up to the 1760s, when the British gained control of the colony. In the 19th century, Old Montreal continued to thrive and became a central commercial hub in Upper and Lower Canada. It also was transformed with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. In the early 1990s, the city continued to prosper and many important buildings were erected including the first stock exchange. Activity at the port remained brisk as well. However, the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 impacted Old Montreal and many businesses died out, leaving their buildings abandoned. As the 1900s progressed, activity in Old Montreal slowly picked up again and most of the district obtained heritage status by midcentury. Old Montreal's status as a heritage site and several revitalization efforts have brought the district into the tourism spotlight in Montreal. Moreover, many old and previously abandoned buildings have been converted into sleek new condominiums and apartments, leading to an influx of new residents.

Culture

The cobblestone streets of Old Montreal are lined with art galleries, museums and other cultural attractions.

The Montreal Science Centre, located on King-Edward Pier in the Old Port, offers a range of interesting scientific activities and interactive experiences.

The centre also boasts an IMAX theatre. The Centre d'histoire de Montréal, on Place D'Youville, offers visitors a glimpse into the city's past, dating back to 1535. The Bank of Montreal Museum on St. Jacques St. is a rather unique museum dedicated to Canada's first bank, which dates back to 1817; exhibits include old banknotes and historical items.

Meanwhile, the Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum on St. Paul St. offers a look at 17th-century Montreal through the eyes of Marguerite Bourgeoys, Montreal's first teacher and one of the its founders. Last, the Pointe à Callière, Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History on Place Royale, has exhibits representing six centuries of the city's history. It was opened in 1992, during Montreal's 350th birthday and has since become a landmark of Old Montreal. In addition to the many museums, the district is also home to festivals and activities year-round. One of the most popular spots in the area is Place Jacques Cartier, where street performers can be found entertaining both locals and tourists from all over the world.

Commerce and Restaurants

Old Montreal has a healthy level of commercial activity to meet the needs of its many residents and visitors. The area is home to over 500 businesses and services. In addition, people need not search hard for a gastronomic treat in Old Montreal, as the district has several highly touted eateries. With roughly 200 restaurants, there's something to suit just about anyone's taste and budget. Moreover, the area also has gourmet grocery shops, fashion boutiques, furniture stores and a slew of other specialty shops.

Access

Many people would prefer to walk along the wellpreserved streets of Old Montreal rather than drive through them. Luckily, leaving the car at home is no problem as Old Montreal has no shortage of public transit. In fact, the area is served by three métro stops: Square Victoria, Place d'Armes and Champde Mars. Several buses also serve the district, including the 515 bus, which is dedicated to linking Old Montreal to the downtown core.

MONTREAL SINGER SONG WRITER GINO VANNELLI

Born in Montreal in the summer of 1952, Vannelli grew up in a family headed by a jazz singing father and a keen eared mother. Enamored with a bevy of jazz drummers such as Joe Morello, Gene Krupa, Ed Thigpen and Elvin Jones, as a child Vannelli studied drums and music theory for five years. By the age of 12 he had formed a rock band dubbed the Cobras and a year later, with his brother Joe holding down the keyboard chair, Vannelli headed up the Motown-influenced Jacksonville 5 (note this is five years before the Jackson 5 recorded their first record). Along the way he picked up guitar and piano and began to sing.

By age fourteen he had fallen in love with classical music, attending concerts by the Montreal Symphony every last Thursday of the month.

"I had a double standard," reflects Vannelli. "I used to defend Charlie Watts and Ringo Starr, thinking they were part of something new and exciting. Yet, when I'd listen to Dave Brubeck Live at Newport, my standards would be totally different. I also fell in love with the French Impressionists. I remember hearing the Montreal Symphony playing "Daphne and Chloe" and walking away saying, 'What was that? I felt altered. What it really was all about was finding the magic in the down and dirty and the celestial."

Before his seventeenth birthday, Vannelli had signed with RCA Records in Canada, releasing a single under the pseudonym Van Elli, "Gina Bold" b/w "Never Cry Again." Bitten by the music industry bug, Gino and his brother Joe headed for New York and then later Los Angeles, pounding the pavement looking for an American record deal. While lots of record execs were suitably impressed by Vannelli's songwriting abilities and his near three octave vocal range, no one was willing to take a chance on an artist who so clearly was working with music outside of the mainstream tastes of the day.

Discouraged to the point of giving up, the Vannelli brothers were ready to head back to Montreal to find work outside of music. In an oft repeated story, Gino decided make one last desperate effort to get signed. Early one morning he headed out to the offices of A&am;M Records where he waited outside the gates for any sign of company co-owner Herb Alpert. When Alpert appeared in the parking lot many hours later, Vannelli ran through the gates past a startled security guard and begged a slightly apprehensive Alpert for a chance to audition. Acting on a hunch, Alpert acceded to his request and Vannelli proceeded to play on acoustic guitar some of the songs he had recently written including "People Gotta Move," "Crazy Life," "Mama Coco," "Powerful People" and "Lady." All five songs would end up on the six albums Vannelli would record for A&M between 1974 and 1978.

Five of those six albums made the Billboard album charts, culminating with Brother to Brother which achieved a coveted Top 20 position in the fall of 1978. A classy, elegant and impassioned artist, on Vannelli's A&M albums he recorded contemporary songs inspired by R&B and Jazz and developed a significant cross over audience. With his records climbing the charts, Vannelli toured as the opening act for Stevie Wonder, was the first white artist to appear on Soul Train, was nominated for a handful of Grammy Awards and soon headlined his own concerts at major venues in key US cities. In his native Canada, his talents were recognized with a plethora of Juno Awards.

With Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss getting ready to sell A&M, and a new CEO at the company informing him that he should follow Rod Stewart's lead and record a disco album, in 1980 Vannelli elected to sign with Arista Records. His sole Arista album, Nightwalker, provided him with a #6 pop hit in "Living Inside Myself." When Vannelli opted to follow it up with a stripped down edgier album called Twisted Heart, the powers at be at Arista refused to release it. For the next three years, in a move reminiscent of similar episodes in the careers of George Michael and Prince, Vannelli and his record company engaged in all-out war.

After a four year hiatus, Vannelli was finally released from his Arista contract and in 1985 he released the successful Black Cars album and single on HME. Two years later, he recorded Big Dreamers Never Sleep for CBS, whose single, "Wild Horses," stormed its way to the Top 10 in several countries.

Black Cars and Big Dreamers Never Sleep proved to be big sellers in continental Europe and Vannelli spent much of the latter part of the decade touring overseas. To this day, he continues to have a large European following, usually mounting at least one major tour of the continent every year.

By 1990, Vannelli had grown weary of the music industry and Los Angeles and decided to move his family to the quieter environs of Portland, Oregon. He built his own studio, started his own label, on which he released the live Inconsolable Man in 1990, and spent a number of years studying a profusion of world religions and philosophers.

"I decided to pull myself out of the mainstream," he explains, "and take the side streets."

Signing with Verve, Vannelli's commercial output took a radical left turn with the largely acoustic jazz albums Yonder Tree and Slow Love, released in 1995 and 1997 respectively. By the end of the decade his muse was taking him still further afield, toward one of his earliest loves, classical music. To prepare himself, he took voice lessons for a couple of years and began working on the material that would appear on Canto, released by BMG Canada in 2003. Featuring songs sung in English, Italian, Spanish and French, Canto was warmly received in Europe while also being purchased by a core of his faithful North American fans.

Satisfied with his forays into jazz and classical, Vannelli felt that it was time to return to pop and in 2005 signed a new deal with Universal Music. These Are The Days is the first CD to be issued in this new phase of Vannelli's continually fascinating career.

The initial idea was to simply issue a greatest hits album of his A&mmp;M material as Universal owns the A&M catalogue but the concept gradually morphed into combining seven of his earlier hits with seven new songs freshly written and recorded in 2005. While the new songs represent a return to pop, they do not merely mimic Vannelli's prior efforts in this genre.

"I really consciously wanted to make it different. I didn't want to resort to old tricks. I decided to change my vocabulary. Also, I have new thoughts. I felt I could recreate myself without having to gild myself!"

Gone are the synth dominated arrangements of old. In their place, Vannelli uses primary instruments such as piano, organ, upright bass, drums and a little bit of acoustic guitar; all in a way that remains incredibly groove-oriented and funky. The grooves themselves are tinged with a wide selection of influences, including those of the Caribbean influences (dig the marimba on "Venus Envy") and, of course, there are more than a few hints of jazz (the scat singing on "It's Only Love" is delectable). Vannelli's voice has also matured over the years. He delivers the infectiously catchy tunes with a confidence and authority that draws the listener in without being bombastic. This is modern pop music for the twenty-first century.

These Are The Days will be followed with a new album featuring a dozen or more of the nearly thirty songs that Vannelli has recently written. As These Are The Days makes eminently plain, some thirty years after his first major label release, Vannelli is at the peak of his game, making mature pop music for this brave new world.

http://ginovannelli.tripod.com/bio/graphy.html

MONTREAL Distinguished Artists Andy Kim

Name: Andrew Youakim, aka Andy Kim, aka Baron Longfellow

Age: 57 or 64, depending on who you ask

Occupation: Musician/songwriter

Bio: This dreamy Villeray boy can trace his desire to rawk back to when he was attending a local “boys only” parochial school called Holy Family and thinking music just might help deliver him the female attention he so yearned for. Splitting our backwater burgh for New York City in 1968 at the tender age of 16, the maniacally ambitious young ’un almost immediately hooked up with songwriting legend Jeff Barry, and by the end of the year, had scored himself a Top 40 hit, “How Did We Ever Get This Way?,” the first of what would be many hits over the course of his career. “I just knew, deep down in my heart, that I was going to be part of this industry, that I’d be that guy on stage singing songs having all the girls chase him.” Yet after a hugely successful career in the late ’60s and ’70s, one that saw him sell some 30 million records on the strength of hits like “Rock Me Gently,” “Baby, I Love You” and the Archies’ smash “Sugar, Sugar,” which he co-wrote, Señor Kim’s records were eventually relegated to the Where Are They Now file, with our hero universally regarded as an official has-been. Even after changing his stage name to Baron Longfellow in the 1980s and doing okay under that handle, by mid-decade, the former mega-hitmaker found he couldn’t even get himself arrested. Now, after a lengthy stint in relative obscurity which saw him write roughly “a gazillion new songs,” Andy is once again poised for the big time with the release of his spankin’ new record, Happen Again, and an ambitious Canadian tour this summer in support of it. He drives a way-cool 1969 Mercedes 280SL.

Is it safe to assume his early ambition to taste himself a heapin’ helpin’ of teenage beav was realized upon becoming a major pop star? “It’s not something I really talk about but… yes, it was wonderful… great. At the perfect time too, you’re a teenager, you’re somewhere else… yeah, it was really cool.”

Did much of the huge money Andy Kim generated ever filter its way up to him? Yes. “I own all of my publishing.”

Can he recall what he was doing when the immortal words “Sugar, ah, honey, honey, you are my candy girl and you got me wanting you” first popped into his head? “Sure, I was on the phone with Jeff Barry talking about what we could write for something like the Archies and I just started going, ‘Sugar, aw, honey, honey,’ sort of singing it and Jeff went, ‘Whoa, what’s that?’ and I went ‘What’s what?’ and then we agreed that it might be some sort of song. I realize now that it’s all inspiration, you can’t teach someone to write songs. It’s a moment in time where you’re there to grab what the universe is giving you.”

Another Talent Leaves the Planet -Levon Helm dead @ 71

The only Non-Canadian member of "The Band" dies at 71.....

Levon Helm, the drummer for The Band whose twangy vocals brought a poignancy and earthiness to songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up on Cripple Creek," died on Thursday at the age of 71 from cancer, his manager said.

The three-time Grammy Award winner had been fighting throat cancer since 1998.

"Levon Helm passed peacefully this afternoon," Helm's manager Barbara O'Brien said in a statement.

"He was surrounded by family, friends and band mates and will be remembered by all he touched as a brilliant musician and a beautiful soul."

Tributes immediately began pouring in from fans, popping up on Twitter at a fast rate.

Although the cancer silenced Helm's crystal-clear tenor for a while, he strengthened his voice sufficiently to resume singing in 2004. He hosted a regular series of what he called "Midnight Ramble" concerts that often featured big-name stars at his home-studio in Woodstock, New York.

In addition to singing, Helm played drums, mandolin and other string instruments in The Band, one of the most revered and influential rock groups to emerge from the 1960s. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, it played a brand of rustic rock that drew on country, blues and rhythm and blues and sounded quintessentially American -- even though Helm was the only member not from Canada.

Helm's daughter Amy, who sang in his latest band, and wife, Sandy, announced on Tuesday the he was in the final stage of his fight with cancer.

"Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration," they said on Facebook. "He has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage.

Helm was born to cotton farmers in 1940 and grew up near the community of Turkey Scratch, outside Helena, Arkansas, with the intention of being a musician. He was a teenager when he became the drummer for another Arkansas native, rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins.

Hawkins took the group to Canada, where he added guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko and keyboardists Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson to The Hawks. Eventually the four Canadians and Helm would split off.

In 1965, Bob Dylan recruited them to back him up on his first U.S. "electric" tour, a raucous event strung over September 1965 to May 1966 that marked Dylan's transition from acoustic to rock 'n' roll and outraged his folkie fans.

Helm was dismayed by the hostile reception and returned to Arkansas for a two-year hiatus. Eventually reunited with his bandmates in 1968 and calling themselves simply The Band, they produced the landmark Music From Big Pink, an album named for the house they rented near Woodstock.

That was followed the next year by the "brown album" titled The Band. Viewed by most critics as their masterpiece, the album was steeped in old-time rural Americana and made heavy use of Helm's plaintive Southern drawl.

The Band's greatest success came in the early and mid-1970s and, while they were not a huge commercial success, critics loved them. "Up on Cripple Creek," "The Weight" and the Civil War saga "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," also a hit for Joan Baez, were popular on FM radio stations of the time.

Helm stayed with The Band through its 1976 farewell concert, which Martin Scorsese documented in his film The Last Waltz. While the movie is regarded as perhaps the best rock 'n' roll documentary, Helm derided it and particularly Robertson, who he bitterly accused of preening for the camera, unfairly claiming writing credits and trying to appear the leader of the group in which all had been equals.

The estranged band mates appeared to make peace just days before Helm's death, when Robertson visited Helm in a New York hospital and later described him as "like an older brother" on Facebook.

Following some solo albums, Helm reunited in 1983 with The Band, minus Robertson. Manuel committed suicide while they were on tour in 1986. The remaining members -- Helm, Danko and Hudson -- released the final Band album in 1998.

Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer that year.

He earned a spot on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 greatest singers of all time. Jim James of the band My Morning Jacket wrote that "there is something about Levon Helm's voice that is contained in all of our voices. It is ageless, timeless and has no race. He can sing with such depth and emotion but he can also convey a good-old fun-time growl."

In 2007, Helm released his first solo studio album in 25 years, Dirt Farmer, which picked up a Grammy award for best traditional folk album. In 2009, he released Electric Dirt, winning another Grammy in the new Americana category. In 2011, he won for Ramble At The Ryman for best Americana album.

Helm also had a successful side career as an actor, using his aura of earthy dignity in movies such as Coal Miner's Daughter, The Right Stuff and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

America's Oldest Teenager Dies @ 82 "Dick Clark"

CBS/AP) Host and TV producer Dick Clark has died. He was 82.

Spokesman Paul Shefrin said the "American Bandstand" creator had a heart attack Wednesday morning at Saint John's hospital in Santa Monica, a day after he was admitted for an outpatient procedure.

Pictures: Dick Clark
Read more: Dick Clark mourned by celebrities

Long dubbed "the world's oldest teenager" because of his boyish appearance, Clark bridged the rebellious new music scene and traditional show business, and was equally comfortable whether chatting about music with Sam Cooke or bantering with Ed McMahon about TV bloopers. He thrived as the founder of Dick Clark Productions, supplying movies, game and music shows, beauty contests and more to TV. Among his credits: "The $25,000 Pyramid," "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" and the American Music Awards.

For a time in the 1980s, he had shows on all three networks and was listed among the Forbes 400 of wealthiest Americans. Clark also was part of radio as partner in the United Stations Radio Networks, which provided programs - including Clark's - to thousands of stations.

"There's hardly any segment of the population that doesn't see what I do," Clark told The Associated Press in a 1985 interview.

"It can be embarrassing. People come up to me and say, 'I love your show,' and I have no idea which one they're talking about."

The original "American Bandstand" was one of network TV's longest-running series as part of ABC's daytime lineup from 1957 to 1987. It later aired for a year in syndication and briefly on the USA Network. Over the years, it introduced stars ranging from Buddy Holly to Madonna. The show's status as an American cultural institution was solidified when Clark donated Bandstand's original podium and backdrop to the Smithsonian Institution.

Clark joined "Bandstand" in 1956 after Bob Horn, who'd been the host since its 1952 debut, was fired. Under Clark's guidance, it went from a local Philadelphia show to a national phenomenon.

"I played records, the kids danced, and America watched," was how Clark once described the series' simplicity. In his 1958 hit "Sweet Little Sixteen," Chuck Berry sang that "they'll be rocking on Bandstand, Philadelphia, P-A."

As a host, he had the smooth delivery of a seasoned radio announcer. As a producer, he had an ear for a hit record. He also knew how to make wary adults welcome this odd new breed of music in their homes.

Clark endured accusations that he was in with the squares, with critic Lester Bangs defining Bandstand as "a leggily acceptable euphemism of the teenage experience." In a 1985 interview, Clark acknowledged the complaints. "But I knew at the time that if we didn't make the presentation to the older generation palatable, it could kill it."

"So along with Little Richard and Chuck Berry and the Platters and the Crows and the Jayhawks ... the boys wore coats and ties and the girls combed their hair and they all looked like sweet little kids into a high school dance," he said.

But Clark defended pop artists and artistic freedom, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said in an online biography of the 1993 inductee. He helped give black artists their due by playing original R&B recordings instead of cover versions by white performers, and he condemned censorship.

His stroke in December 2004 forced him to miss his annual appearance on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve." He returned the following year and, although his speech at times was difficult to understand, many,  including other stroke victims,  praised his bravery.

Still speaking with difficulty, he continued taking part in his New Year's shows, though in a diminished role. Ryan Seacrest became the main host.

"I'm just thankful I'm still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat," he told The Associated Press by e-mail in December 2008 as another New Year's Eve approached.

He was honored at the Emmy Awards in 2006, telling the crowd: "I have accomplished my childhood dream, to be in show business. Everybody should be so lucky to have their dreams come true. I've been truly blessed."

He was born Richard Wagstaff Clark in Mount Vernon, N.Y., in 1929. His father, Richard Augustus Clark, was a sales manager who worked in radio.

Clark idolized his athletic older brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II. In his 1976 autobiography, "Rock, Roll & Remember," Clark recalled how radio helped ease his loneliness and turned him into a fan of Steve Allen, Arthur Godfrey and other popular hosts.

From Godfrey, he said, he learned that "a radio announcer does not talk to `those of you out there in radio land'; a radio announcer talks to me as an individual."

Clark began his career in the mailroom of a Utica, N.Y., radio station in 1945. By age 26, he was a broadcasting veteran, with nine years' experience on radio and TV stations in Syracuse and Utica, N.Y., and Philadelphia. He held a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University. While in Philadelphia, Clark befriended Ed McMahon, who later credited Clark for introducing him to his future "Tonight Show" boss, Johnny Carson.

In the 1960s, "American Bandstand" moved from black-and-white to color, from weekday broadcasts to once-a-week Saturday shows and from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Although its influence started to ebb, it still featured some of the biggest stars of each decade, whether Janis Joplin, the Jackson 5, Talking Heads or Prince.

But Clark never did book two of rock's iconic groups, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Elvis Presley also never performed, although Clark managed an on-air telephone interview while Presley was in the Army.

When Michael Jackson died in June 2009, Clark recalled working with him since he was a child, adding, "of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was THE most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched."

Clark kept more than records spinning with his Dick Clark Productions. Its credits included the Academy of Country Music and Golden Globe awards; TV movies including the Emmy-winning "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle" (1984), the "$25,000 Pyramid" game show and the 1985 film "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins." Clark himself made a cameo on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and a dramatic appearance as a witness on the original "Perry Mason." He was an involuntary part of Michael Moore's Academy Award-winning "Bowling for Columbine," in which Clark is seen brushing off Moore as the filmmaker confronts him about working conditions at a restaurant owned by Clark.

In 1974, at ABC's request, Clark created the American Music Awards after the network lost the broadcast rights to the Grammy Awards.

He was also an author, with "Dick Clark's American Bandstand" and such self-help books as "Dick Clark's Program for Success in Your Business and Personal Life" and "Looking Great, Staying Young." His unchanging looks inspired a joke in "Peggy Sue Gets Married," the 1986 comedy starring Kathleen Turner as an unhappy wife and mother transported back to 1960. Watching Clark on a black-and-white TV set, she shakes her head in amazement, "Look at that man, he never ages."

Clark's clean-cut image survived a music industry scandal. In 1960, during a congressional investigation of "payola" or bribery in the record and radio industry, Clark was called on to testify.

He was cleared of any suspicions but was required by ABC to divest himself of record-company interests to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. The demand cost him $8 million, Clark once estimated. His holdings included partial ownership of Swan Records, which later released the first U.S. version of the Beatles' smash "She Loves You."

In 2004, Clark announced plans for a revamped version of "American Bandstand." The show, produced with "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, was to feature a host other than Clark.

He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1994 and served as spokesman for the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

Clark, twice divorced, had a son, Richard Augustus II, with first wife Barbara Mallery and two children, Duane and Cindy, with second wife Loretta Martin. He married Kari Wigton in 1977.