Christine Cooper - Voices of Vista Lp - 1966

The Tempest · October 10, 2018

Picked this up on evil bay from the States the other night for £8.00

It has " Heartaches Away My Boy " on it , which is one of my favourite oldies ,

Another member had a copy for sale recently on here , apparently it has a spoken intro , but not arrived yet so no idea what it will be like but for the pittance I paid , who cares !

My point is - does anyone know anything about the series , there seems quite a few about , promotional discs to promote the single release ?

Any other decent Vista ones out there with Northern tracks on ?

I have a few of the Armed Forces Radio Service ones which have Beverley Ann , Joey Heatherton , Sharon Scott on , but never heard of the Vista series until recently

The Yank · October 10, 2018

Vista (Volunteers In Service To America) was seen as a domestic version of the Peace Corps. It was part of Lyndon Johnson's Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

Soul Shrews · October 10, 2018

Is it the same mix/version as the 45 ?

Cheers Paul

The Tempest · October 10, 2018

On 10/10/2018 at 18:20, soul shrews said:

Is it the same mix/version as the 45 ?

Cheers Paul

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It comes at over two mins longer - so am guessing Miss Cooper is gonna tell us all about herself and the record , will post it up when I get it - but I like you just don't know !!!

Edited October 10, 2018 by The Tempest

Soul Shrews · October 10, 2018

Yes please post it up

Cheers Paul

The Yank · October 10, 2018

I've seen one with the Temptations on it but don't know what song they featured.

Wonder if this is the Topper artist doing a commercial -

The Tempest · October 10, 2018

That seems to be the common issue with them , no track listing just artists ! If I hadn't seen one for sale on here in recent months I wouldn't of even looked at it ! Obscure to say the least

Ian · October 10, 2018

Had a couple of these a many years back there is a intro from some Guy then Christine Cooper introduces her new record nice item bit different

Ian

October 11, 2018

Wow, what a bizarre premise to be releasing records under!

The Tempest · October 16, 2018

Arrived this morning !

Best £8.00 I’ve spent in a long while !!

purist · October 16, 2018

Christine Cooper is a puzzle to me. I bought the Teri Nelson album donkeys years ago, and the version of S-O-S on that album is the same as the CC 45.
I used to wonder if the vocalist on the Teri Nelson tracks was the same person as CC, but I read that Teri Nelson Group wasn't ever a group as such, just Teri and various backing vocalists she'd used. The photo on the album cover has three girls who all could be the same person as on the really poor quality video from those old Shivaree shows on youtube, she appears to have a gap between her front teeth but sadly the album photo has them posed with their mouths shut.
Is the general concensus that Parkway was not exactly run correctly/legally/ineptly ?
Has anyone got a clear photo of CC, or have any confirmed info on her?

The Yank · October 16, 2018

Here ya go -

The Tempest · October 16, 2018

In the infamous words of Hong Kong Phooey !

COULD BE !!!!

purist · October 16, 2018

One of the two middle ones on the back row ?
Don't know if I've still got the album, seem to think they named all five members, anybody got it handy to check ?

Michael V · October 16, 2018

The Teri Nelson Group on this LP included two ex- Crystals- La La Brooks and Mary Thomas; La La is on the far left,Mary is 2nd from the right,back row.

Teri Nelson is seated at the front. Christine Cooper ( John Clemente's definitive 'Girl Groups-Fabulous Females That Rocked The World' Girl Group bible states 'Betty Cooper',but this is,with respect, surely La La's memory at fault,unless Christine preferred to be known as Betty at this point) is 2nd from left,directly behind Ms.Nelson. The remaining singer,far right, is Ona Lee.

The Tempest · October 16, 2018

On 16/10/2018 at 16:31, Michael V said:

The Teri Nelson Group on this LP included two ex- Crystals- La La Brooks and Mary Thomas; La La is on the far left,Mary is 2nd from the right,back row.

Teri Nelson is seated at the front. Christine Cooper ( John Clemente's definitive 'Girl Groups-Fabulous Females That Rocked The World' Girl Group bible states 'Betty Cooper',but this is,with respect, surely La La's memory at fault,unless Christine preferred to be known as Betty at this point) is 2nd from left,directly behind Ms.Nelson. The remaining singer,far right, is Ona Lee.

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Michael V · October 16, 2018

Sorry,yes,my mistake-Barbara Alst~~on of The Crystals(far left,front cover)-not La La Brooks! Did'nt have the LP to hand.Minds not working too well today..~~

Blackpoolsoul · October 17, 2018

On 16/10/2018 at 16:31, Michael V said:

The Teri Nelson Group on this LP included two ex- Crystals- La La Brooks and Mary Thomas; La La is on the far left,Mary is 2nd from the right,back row.

Teri Nelson is seated at the front. Christine Cooper ( John Clemente's definitive 'Girl Groups-Fabulous Females That Rocked The World' Girl Group bible states 'Betty Cooper',but this is,with respect, surely La La's memory at fault,unless Christine preferred to be known as Betty at this point) is 2nd from left,directly behind Ms.Nelson. The remaining singer,far right, is Ona Lee.

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Although the name suggests otherwise, this was not a group. By contrast it was named for Teri Nelson, a young female vocalist from Harlem, New York, who was managed by Steve Camhi. During the late 1960s, the Super K Production company offered the then eighteen year old soloist a one year contract. After recording a few singles, Nelson's studio sessions were compiled into an album, which the Kama Sutra label released in 1968—purportedly without her knowledge—and promoted it as a group effort (comparatively, the artists pictured alongside Nelson on the album's cover are backing vocalists from the recording sessions). Nelson withdrew from her arrangement thereafter.

Chris L · October 17, 2018

On 16/10/2018 at 11:55, purist said:

Christine Cooper is a puzzle to me. I bought the Teri Nelson album donkeys years ago, and the version of S-O-S on that album is the same as the CC 45. I used to wonder if the vocalist on the Teri Nelson tracks was the same person as CC, but I read that Teri Nelson Group wasn't ever a group as such, just Teri and various backing vocalists she'd used. The photo on the album cover has three girls who all could be the same person as on the really poor quality video from those old Shivaree shows on youtube, she appears to have a gap between her front teeth but sadly the album photo has them posed with their mouths shut. Is the general concensus that Parkway was not exactly run correctly/legally/ineptly ?
Has anyone got a clear photo of CC, or have any confirmed info on her?

Expand

Christine Cooper remains an anomaly, I've been in touch with the Kasenetz-Katz people they really didn't remember a lot about her but are interested to find her again. Here's a picture of her with James Brown and Jerry Kasenetz from 1966.

Soul Shrews · October 17, 2018

On 16/10/2018 at 11:23, The Tempest said:

Arrived this morning !

Best £8.00 I’ve spent in a long while !!

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Thanks for putting it up. But I can"t hear it as it contains "Warner Chappell" music and is blocked in Holland so is it the same as the 45?

Cheers Paul

purist · October 17, 2018

sounds the same to me, just with an introduction

purist · October 17, 2018

On 17/10/2018 at 05:13, Blackpoolsoul said:

Although the name suggests otherwise, this was not a group. By contrast it was named for Teri Nelson, a young female vocalist from Harlem, New York, who was managed by Steve Camhi. During the late 1960s, the Super K Production company offered the then eighteen year old soloist a one year contract. After recording a few singles, Nelson's studio sessions were compiled into an album, which the Kama Sutra label released in 1968—purportedly without her knowledge—and promoted it as a group effort (comparatively, the artists pictured alongside Nelson on the album's cover are backing vocalists from the recording sessions). Nelson withdrew from her arrangement thereafter.

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I wonder how many beside 'Willie' have Teri on lead? SOS is definitely CC, so maybe there's other tracks that feature other girls on lead ? My hearing isn't that great to distinguish between them all, though Teri is different vocally to CC

Raym · October 17, 2018

'Heartaches away' puts a smile on my face every time - love it!

Soul Shrews · October 17, 2018

On 17/10/2018 at 16:54, purist said:

sounds the same to me, just with an introduction

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Thanks purist. Is it stereo being an LP ?

Would like one if anyone has one for sale

Cheers Paul

Blackpoolsoul · October 18, 2018

On 17/10/2018 at 08:08, Chris L said:

Christine Cooper remains an anomaly, I've been in touch with the Kasenetz-Katz people they really didn't remember a lot about her but are interested to find her again. Here's a picture of her with James Brown and Jerry Kasenetz from 1966.

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https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9ycEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=christine+cooper+cameo+parkway&source=bl&ots=vDFSjcNuWK&sig=OuN6g0EqlsjB0aEP3gMKFWNpjTU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhw8bur4_eAhUNecAKHRUeDGc4ChDoATAJegQIBhAB#v=onepage&q=christine cooper cameo parkway&f=false

The Tempest · October 18, 2018

On 17/10/2018 at 17:00, soul shrews said:

Thanks purist. Is it stereo being an LP ?

Would like one if anyone has one for sale

Cheers Paul

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Member - Prophonics 2029 had a copy for sale in the summer , might be worth seeing if he still has it

Chris L · October 18, 2018

On 18/10/2018 at 06:37, Blackpoolsoul said:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9ycEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=christine+cooper+cameo+parkway&source=bl&ots=vDFSjcNuWK&sig=OuN6g0EqlsjB0aEP3gMKFWNpjTU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhw8bur4_eAhUNecAKHRUeDGc4ChDoATAJegQIBhAB#v=onepage&q=christine cooper cameo parkway&f=false

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Not sure what your message actually is !! Could you write it in English

Blackpoolsoul · October 18, 2018

On 18/10/2018 at 14:49, Chris L said:

Not sure what your message actually is !! Could you write it in English

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Sorry I thought I would add the link (which you press on) to read the article

De-to · October 20, 2018

Edited October 20, 2018 by de-to

Chris L · October 22, 2018

On 18/10/2018 at 17:53, Blackpoolsoul said:

Sorry I thought I would add the link (which you press on) to read the article

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OK, right, yes I have read it. I know a bit about her but she does remain a mystery. She seems to have just vanished into thin air !

Dave Moore · October 22, 2018

Chris,

You are aware that CC is in fact Tari Stevens and was the girlfriend of a famous Philadelphian that you have actually met? I'm sure we've had this conversation before?

Dave

Blackpoolsoul · October 23, 2018

On 22/10/2018 at 20:38, Dave Moore said:

Chris,

You are aware that CC is in fact Tari Stevens and was the girlfriend of a famous Philadelphian that you have actually met? I'm sure we've had this conversation before?

Dave

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The depths of my small brain seems to recall a connection with Eddie Holman, but I am so old now

Andy Rix · October 23, 2018

Eddie did date Christine .... Anybody asked him if he might be able to locate her ?

andy

Ian · October 23, 2018

On 22/10/2018 at 20:38, Dave Moore said:

Chris,

You are aware that CC is in fact Tari Stevens and was the girlfriend of a famous Philadelphian that you have actually met? I'm sure we've had this conversation before?

Dave

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Always thought this was the case the B side of Tari Stevens False Alarm is They Call Him a Bad Boy, the same B side as Christine Cooper Heartaches Away My Boy. Ian

Sunnysoul · October 23, 2018

To Dave's credit he doesn't want to indulge in shameless self promotion ... so everyone should know that there's some excellent material on Christine Cooper in Dave's brilliant book which every good home should own !

Blackpoolsoul · October 23, 2018

On 23/10/2018 at 07:25, sunnysoul said:

To Dave's credit he doesn't want to indulge in shameless self promotion ... so everyone should know that there's some excellent material on Christine Cooper in Dave's brilliant book which every good home should own !

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Credit where credit's due.....

Is info on these 2 around or in his book ?

The Tempest · October 23, 2018

Sound different artists to me

Blackpoolsoul · October 23, 2018

On 23/10/2018 at 08:15, The Tempest said:

Sound different artists to me

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Interesting Dave will clarify me thinks

Dave Moore · October 23, 2018

It's a little delicate subject but Eddie did indeed date Ms Tari Stevens who, in turn, was indeed Christine Cooper. Sadly, he has no idea where she is now though. The information was then confirmed/corroborated by the sound engineer of 'HAMB'. I was desperate to find her in order try and get her on stage but all to no avail so far.

Dave

Andy Rix · October 23, 2018

.. and Teri who looks after the Cameo/Parkway 'masters', in NY, also confirmed that Tari & Christine are the same person ... and that Christine's real name is Delores Cooper

Andy

Chris L · October 26, 2018

On 22/10/2018 at 20:38, Dave Moore said:

Chris,

You are aware that CC is in fact Tari Stevens and was the girlfriend of a famous Philadelphian that you have actually met? I'm sure we've had this conversation before?

Dave

Expand

Dave

Yes we have, I'd heard this "rumour" a few times, I did ask that with the Kasentz-Katz lot, they then asked someone else (who's name escapes me) and also they "thought so too" - what made me doubt was I was expecting to see her face in the Teri Nelson Group. Anyway wherever she is I'm desperately in love with her!

Chris

4mc · August 14, 2022

On 10/10/2018 at 18:34, The Tempest said:

That seems to be the common issue with them , no track listing just artists ! If I hadn't seen one for sale on here in recent months I wouldn't of even looked at it ! Obscure to say the least

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The fact that there is a Christine Cooper 5-minute,1-track slot, suggests there is likely to a full 24-minute single side.

The question about track listings, especially the Temptations needs a bit more of an explanation.

FYI to clarify what the "Voices of Vista" records are. They were shipped in boxes of 4-7 records every 2-weeks for almost four years. Each box would contain one or more sides with a primary artist and interview with musical tracks. Depending on the box, the B-side might be another artist but is often 3x short one track promo's. Then most boxes would also have a promotional disc which included 1-minute, 30-second, 20-second promo "spots" with a jingle and words by host Herb Oscar Anderson.

Each box also included a booklet with scripts and music release sheets. The albums almost all thank the American Federation of Musicians. Why? Because the union allowed the artists to be interviewed, record and played by radio stations for free.

So there is no track listing, because it was supplied in a booklet.

When the program first started they shipped 200-boxes out to major market radio stations, by the time the program lost its funding, they were sending out boxes to 600+ radio stations.

There is no such thing as a single VoV record. It was part of a set. Sellers have confused, and destroyed the history of this label/project by breaking out the records and selling the really popular ones for peak prices. For example, this sales is a complete mess, it's just a collection of Voices of VIsta discs bundled for $195, which is mad. Lesley Gore – Voices of Vista complete set of 7 radio shows (rarerecords.net)

re the Temptations then, as an example.

if its a 24-minute track, it will be one or more of the group being interviewed, 3x pretty standard tracks, not something special for the recording. The track includes promo's and often interview with a VOV volunteer.

If it's a 4+ minute track, it will be an artist talking about VOV and one of the three music tracks from the 24-minute track. If you find a 4+ minute track on a record, that almost always means that there was a 24-miute record.

If it's a 1-minute track with a load of others on the same side, it's just an artist promoting VOV and there will be no artist music.

How do I know all this?

I'm a music researcher and I write the ctproduced website. I do some commercial/paid work, and I bumped into "voices of vista" like everyone else while researching a 1950/1960's black fol singer, Leon Bibb. Except unlike other people who just make up sh*t about what these records are, and almost everyone does. I actually went to the Library of Congress earlier this year and spent a day looking at the archives of the Office of Economic Opportunity to find out.

To answer one question above, about the Temptations.

I'm working on a few things between other things.

1. Sort out the discogs entries for the Voices of Vista. This is a big project, and since there are no hard records, it's taking time.

2. I'm collecting as many of the VOV discs as I can. I already have some 8-boxes of discs, and 30-seperate discs. My long term objective is to put all the discs on the Internet Archive, and submit the physical discs to the library of congress for long time archiving. The single interview sides are great although a bit "stiff" sometimes.

3. I'm not doing this for profit, and won't pay the prices for the sets above. There are enough copies sitting around in junk/2nd hand stores in the US that they'll come up every now and again on ebay. I just bought a "set" of 10-discs or 2-box sets from a seller who list them for $12.99 Surprise, the set was missing the Leonard Nimoy and William Shattner discs. Which were of course listed for >$100 elsewhere. I'll wait.

Here is a discogs entry for a complete box without the spots cc and sports dd disc that is almost always included in every box. Voices Of Vista Show No. 58 (microgroove, Vinyl) - Discogs

Any questions?

++Mark.

https://ctproduced.com

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