I was recently contacted by Dion(Alan) Smith, the man who wrote this song. This is from the email he sent me.
I can give you the whole back story...I wrote it ("Freeway") and played it when I was in high school.
Also placed it with the label (when I was about 16 years old), driving my mom's '59 Hudson
Hornet from Phoenix AZ to "Hollywood".
It was first released on Arvee, then Russel Sims, who had made stampers unbeknownst
to myself (and then 'run out of Phoenix') saw Dollar $igns and released the same session on his
own label from...Memphis, I believe. There's quite a story there, including some 'teenage
espionage', another session of the same tune with the help of LeRoy VanDyke
("Just Walk On By, Wait On The Corner" fame).
Also placed it with the label (when I was about 16 years old), driving my mom's '59 Hudson
Hornet from Phoenix AZ to "Hollywood".
It was first released on Arvee, then Russel Sims, who had made stampers unbeknownst
to myself (and then 'run out of Phoenix') saw Dollar $igns and released the same session on his
own label from...Memphis, I believe. There's quite a story there, including some 'teenage
espionage', another session of the same tune with the help of LeRoy VanDyke
("Just Walk On By, Wait On The Corner" fame).
Download from iTunes
I'm interest in interviewing Smith. Could you please contact me at rockinsteve@gmail.com or have Smith contact me. thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteSteve
I recently was able to re-connect with Dion Smith (Alan, as I knew him). I was the tenor sax player. He sure was talented... played the piano like Jerry Lee Lewis.
ReplyDeletehenryspencer@gmail.com
That is so cool! Thank you both for contacting me and helping to turn new listeners on to the story behind this great record.
ReplyDelete