In a recent thread, Rog & others discussed "musical integrity"......AND its price.
Well,at the start of my TV career, in the UK, HMV records had sent me on a short promotional tour of small TV & Radio stations in Northern USA & Canada.......my 'renditions of Scottish Folk songs'.....(because of the treatment), were being played on some Country Stations......AND I had also recorded "covers" of Country hits.
Anyway.
I write a 'supposedly humourous"!! column for the "STAGE DOOR" Magazine here in the UK....I recently shared my 'tale of woe' with the readers............this is it....sorry for the long post!

How I missed out on the Ed Sullivan Show
and learned a valuable lesson!
By Joe Gordon
The other day I was ‘idly musing’ on the past….
(I find myself doing that more and more….’idly musing’, that is ..maybe it’s a ‘senior’ thing….but I like to keep it to myself! I mean it’s no one else’s’ business is it?)
Anyway.
Back when I had just started appearing regularly on TV, and I was still working as graphic artist, there was a phone call to the studio. We didn’t have a phone at home……it was Balornock after all! Turned out to be from Foster’s agency in London. Was I interested in appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show? They had my records sent by HMV…..and they had seen some promotional TV interviews I had done a few weeks previously in USA.
(That was ten days of pandemonium! Travel nightmares……Breakfast TV shows….live Radio….just me and my guitar…..but that’s another story!)
Of course I was interested……Hold me back! Foster’s passed on my interest, and over the next few weeks we arranged dates…..the Sullivan people asked which songs I would prefer to do etc. Another phone call, this time to our house.
(We had a phone now….only the second one in our street…..only one car in the street too….and it was a long street! Very unusual to have a phone! Some of the neighbours came in just to have a look at it!)
Anyway.
Fosters said that the Sullivan people wanted me to wear the kilt……..did I have one? Yes I did. But I explained that I never played guitar with the kilt on….I didn’t think it looked right!……(.pretentious….moi? )….I said I would prefer to do one number in trews and a Prince Charlie Jacket, and the other number without the guitar…..a waltz.....…..wearing the kilt. Fosters said they would get back to me. Next day Foster’s called to say that, “Mr.Sullivan would prefer you to wear the kilt for both songs.”
(To put this into the perspective of my views at that time…….Scottish Pop Singer Jackie Dennis had appeared on the Perry Como Show a few years before……singing his hits AND gyrating wearing a kilt. The press over here were less than kind!! )
Foster’s said, “What will we tell them?” I said that I would be much happier, if I did one song wearing the kilt, and one without.
(I should have been warned then, that all was not well…........The boss, Hymie Zahl himself, came on the line……...would I not change my mind……what an opportunity for me in the States etc……I tried to explain my feeling to him, regarding kilts and guitars…..Brick wall!!)
Get to the crunch I can hear you cry!…..Well, they never called for the next few days….either at the studio or at home…..so I called Foster’s ……Hymie was unavailable…..but had left a message…..”Ed Sullivan’s people had withdrawn their interest.”
A year or so later, I was offered a tour of Canada & USA….the contract stated, ‘kilts for all appearances’……..did I refuse to sign? YOU ARE JOKING! I might be stupid, but I’m not daft! Thing is, when I got over to the USA……any Scottish Singers who lived there and played guitar ALL wore the kilt!
Never mind. I can still ‘idly muse’.
Anyway.
INTEGRITY? STUPIDITY:? Regards, Joe G.

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