Nancy Sinatra appearance on A&M??

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LPJim

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A strange bit of trivia is mentioned in connection with Ebay item #2584560282. This is a copy of A&M SP 4156 THE WOZARD OF IZ by Mort Garson, a rare early moog synthesizer album.

The character Dorothy was credited to a "Suzie Jane Hokum," who was supposed to be in fact Nancy Sinatra . This is the first I've heard of this. I'd sure love to find out if it's true.
JB

NP: nothing yet, but I plan to give SP 4156 a careful listen very soon!
 
Reportedly Nancy Sinatra and Herb Alpert had a brief fling in the 60's, so it is possible. Plus, with her being contractually obligated to another label, she'd have to work under a pseudonym if working with A&M.
 
Rudy said:
Reportedly Nancy Sinatra and Herb Alpert had a brief fling in the 60's, so it is possible. Plus, with her being contractually obligated to another label, she'd have to work under a pseudonym if working with A&M.
This, irrespective of Nancy's contributions to the soundtrack to the '68 Elvis movie Speedway which was on the King's label, RCA Victor. But that, I grant you, was a different situation . . .
 
This picture's always showing up on eBay:

herbnancy.jpg


Harry
...with pictures, online...
 
Hmmm. Looks like early 1970's to me . . . probably c.1970-71 . . . One factor is Herb's hairstyle and wardrobe (the neckties were beginning to really widen by then).
 
W.B. said:
Hmmm. Looks like early 1970's to me . . . probably c.1970-71 . . . One factor is Herb's hairstyle and wardrobe (the neckties were beginning to really widen by then).

Let's hope note, for Lani's sake. Years ago Paula gave me a tape of a local interview show with Lani and Herb where Lani says that they fell in love in 1969!

Don't ask me how I remember this, but for some reason my Mom had seen a headline on a tabloid sometime in the late 60s that had something to do with Andy Williams, Claudine Longet, Herb & Sharon as contributing to each others' marriage problems, and my Mom mentioned it to me one afternoon when I had a TJB album on.
 
Herb's hair style in that photo looks very similar to what he was wearing for Summertime, but there's no telling when that photo was even taken. It may even be from a similar photo session that produced the Warm beach photo on the back cover.
 
In addition, Nancy had married one Hugh Lambert in December of 1970 (per IMDb), with whom she had two daughters; their union (her second) lasted until his death in 1985. So that pic could've been prior to that point (I'd venture around Summertime myself). It certainly wasn't "early 1960's" as claimed on the eBay auction of that photo. Besides, in the early '60's Nancy's hair was darker and Herb's was shorter . . .
 
Keep in mind that the photo above could've been taken at some kind of celebrity charity event. For all we know, Lani may have been seated to Herb's left, just out of range of the camera. And the photographer may have just wanted a shot of these two particular celebrities together. An arm around someone in a photo doesn't mean anything - it's a common pose.

Harry
...being logical, online...
 
Harry said:
Keep in mind that the photo above could've been taken at some kind of celebrity charity event. For all we know, Lani may have been seated to Herb's left, just out of range of the camera. And the photographer may have just wanted a shot of these two particular celebrities together. An arm around someone in a photo doesn't mean anything - it's a common pose.
From the looks of it, that explanation may make some sense. After all, celebrities do get around at such events . . .

But as this was originally connected to the Lp The Wozard of Iz: An Electronic Odessy{sic}, it appears that there is also an 8-track (8T-4156) now being auctioned on eBay (Item # 2583828655) in addition to the vinyl version . . .

Also, I noted the listing "Courtesy of LHI Records" (LHI = Lee Hazlewood) with respect to this 'Suzie Jane Hokum.' While Mr. Hazlewood produced Nancy's most famous records, Ms. Sinatra was recording for Reprise at the time.

Furthermore, there is this link I offer here:
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70311100342592993&sql=Bzu5e8qxtbtx4. Hope this clears everything up.
 
Well, this is all very interesting, from what I've read. And where's that "A&M '45'" that Nancy made? Or that unreleased album. Maybe if not for the "recording contract" on Reprise (her Daddy's label, Neil Young was even on), she could have turned to A&M--especially given the falling out with RCA which gave her two albums, one of them a second with Lee Hazelwood. Which is all I've got (needed it for "Big Red Balloon", which sports the only "appearance" of an uncredited Ron Hicklin and Tom & John Bahler singing background vocals), and one single of her's, "Sugar Me" B/W a really neat (almost like Bill Wither's) version "Ain't No Sunshine".

Really thought the only 'A&M connection' was Bernie Grundman mastering the Sugar Me single for the Sugar Me CD, which sports her doing "Like A Rolling Stone", "Get Ready", "Drummer Man", which features Hal Blaine, and an earlier song of her's, "Happy".

Dave
 
Though you would have to register to participate on the forum,www.sinatrafamily.com is a real hands on site with regular posts by Nancy herself. She has even taken the time to respond to a couple of posts that I have written there. She is a very HUMAN being. And though she doesn't seem to duck to many questions(e.g.-there is currently a four page thread concerning her Playboy pictorial and she participaties in the thread),rather than bring up the Herb ebay photo,I would imagine that she would respond to a Mort Garson question. Mac
 
Thank you for that suggestion. I have just now registered at the site and submitted the question. It looks like there are many knowledgable people there, and I'm hopeful this draws a lively conversation.
Amazing I've had a copy of WOZARD for all these years and never had a clue of this possibility.
Of course it could turn out to be pure "Hokum."
JB
 
LPJim said:
Of course it could turn out to be pure "Hokum."
And then again, based upon that AllMusic.com link I submitted, it could also be a spelling error on par with "Herb Albert" and "Gracinha Leporael." (Not to mention "Ossie Osbourne" on the Warner Bros. release of Black Sabbath's debut LP in 1970. Or "Jim Mecina" on Lee Michaels' Carnival of Life. Take your pick.)
 
Another hint about this "Suzie Jane Hokum"(sic) can also be found in Lee Hazlewood's bio on the All Music Guide:
The same year {1971}, Requiem for an Almost Lady etched onto wax his breakup with Suzi Jane Hokom, who had dueted on several of his MGM singles.
Apparently, this lady had been Mr. Hazlewood's main squeeze for some years, and appeared on some of his other records including the 1970 LP Cowboy In Sweden, the review of which on the All Music Guide contains this passage:
. . . the combination of country song structures, Hazlewood's deep baritone, the sweet voices of Nina Lizell and Suzi Jane Hokom . . .
So it appears Nancy Sinatra was not involved in the Wozard of Iz project in any way; in other words, seems like wishful thinking.
 
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