Namely Dave Van Allen and Mike Gross who have shown and gave me much support over the years and if it were not for people like this
The Hot Club Of America would never have been.Johnny is buried in a simple grave on City Island NY, and with the proceed's of the
flow of cash have allowed me to have a headstone made up for Johnny. It reads as follows. "An American Guitar Player". In addition I want to thank both Fred Shannon and Maurice Anderson who both helped me when my wife passed and for that I will never be able to thank them enough.

Remember Johnny, George Nida and August Lamont on this sad day for me. There is no need to post anything, just say a prayer for the memory of those I worked with and if it were not for them, I would not have been able to learn as much as I have. God rest their sweet soul's.A Fender Promo photo of Johnny can be seen on Dave Van Allens Tribute to the Hot Club Of America. This story and more will be in the book I have been waiting for 5 years to complete and at this time, the chapter on "An American Guitar
Player" is being finalized.I want to express my thanks to Rick Alexander for his masterpiece of a web site made up for me.And to Sandy Miller for helping me with this project, it will be done as soon as we can have all the grammar and spelling corrected

The present owner of John's guitar is now proudly owned by a great guitarist from Glendale California, Iain Hersey. Please if you will check out David Van Allens Tribute to the Hot Club Of America. Dave and myself are in process of completing the complete story of the HCOA. Again, you need not reply
a silent prayer will be fine.

Thank You

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 06 November 2006 at 06:57 PM.]

Rest In Peace.

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:: Where's dva playin'? Blog :: My Tribute to the Hot Club of America in Hi-Fi
::A Zumsteel Picture Gallery:: A ZBCustom Picture Gallery

[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 06 November 2006 at 04:11 PM.]

Johnny Cucci and the Hot Club of America will never be forgotten on my "Swingin' West" radio show. You and Johnny are very dear to me and I am sure many of my listeners.

I only wish that we still had somewhere the old Rosalie Allen TV shows of the 1950s with you and Johnny.

Charlie thank you, you are always there when a kind word is needed.

Goodbye for now. and folks listen to the talented fingers of Johnny on Mike's show but before I leave, I held back on saying this, Johnny had a keen sense of music, he had no education and at the end, he passed away in Florida of Alzheimers disease, thank you and listen to my friend on the one LP we did because of internal managment problems at
www.swinginwest.com Thank You. edited to add, Bless all of you. Mike my best to Susan and Jody and Jennifer and all your grandchilren.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 08 November 2006 at 07:18 AM.]

Thanks for the plug!

My correction!

Thanks for being you!

Andy coasters looks like we are having fun, but I know for sure Johnny would like to see all of us have some fun, because honest to goodness he was a fun guy.Andy of course you can send me a cd.Do you have my home address? if not I can e mail you..

I hope Donna don't close this thread yet, Oh Donna are you there?? Ok see you guys later.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 08 November 2006 at 07:20 AM.]

I have memories of the good music we made together and the good times we had. Even though they are gone, they are close , here in my heart....al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

I have taped your classic recording of "Wont You Ride In My Little Red Wagon" and send it to friends and Mike plays it often on his show, we all know where to find Mike, so here is Mike's place.
www.swinginwest.com easy listening and difficult to forget, take care of yourself and thank you for honoring my friend as you have.
PS New Years Eve Secaucus New Jersey early 1950's???mmmmm seems as though I took a sweet young lady with me to spend New Years eve together. Thanks again have to go and walk the pups.

Take it easy buddy.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 07 November 2006 at 06:28 PM.]

Thanks again, for another plug for "Swingin' West." It is really appreciated!

Hank, it is so good to see another post from you. Yes, that recording of "Red Wagon" of Jody with your band is awesome and a listener favorite on my show.

Mike would it be ok if I were to request a song here? I would like to hear an old recording by Elton Britt titled "Im All That's Left Of That Old Quartet"on RCA Victor of course with the great guitar playing of Tony Gottuso. I would appreciate that. Hank has a good memory, we did the Little Red Wagon at his home as I was on my way from from working the Long Island area for MusicMan. Hank asked me to overdub my steel on Red Wagon and I had trouble because Hank's Excel Guitar was a 12 string guitar and the string spacing was narrow. Hank may or may not remember this, but he had somehow a karaoke disc that someone gave him and I played steel on it, It is probably one of the nicest things I ever did on steel guitar.
The title was "Cause We've Ended As Lovers".
I have a tape of it but I never play it, cause it brings back many memories to me.

Thanks again Mike and to you my ole pal from our days in Brooklyn, those days in Brooklyn were the happiest days of my life. My happy day was July 1 of 1950 and an unhappy day was November 12th, It seems as though I win in July and lose in November.Marilyn passed November 14 2004 Johnny passed on November 6th of 1986 and the loss of someone very dear to my heart I lost way back in November 12th 1952 and it really took my heart away. I will always remember that day as long as I live.

Stay in touch guys.And thank both of you for remembering Johnny and Augie and George. November is a tough month for me. Take care of yourselves. Long post eh? what else is new. Stay dry, its going rain heavy all day, making these memories more intense. But the sun will shine again. OK so here's another so called plug for a great Western Swing Show and a good friend to all that love steel guitar and those who play them. www.swinginwest.com
As Rick Martino from Higgins Texas once said, there will never be another Mike Gross.
How right Rick was.Wait there's more, another favorite of mine is something we used to sing when we were kids It's not western swing, but a recording by Teresa Brewer wife of Bob Theil who was the A&R man at Coral when recorded and the title was.

Music, Music, Music. But that was long long ago and "Once Upon A Time"
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[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 08 November 2006 at 08:25 AM.]

It might have been "long ago", but it, like all great music, is timeless and wonderful.

Johnny and Jody- a true class act!

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http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff. Joaquin Murphey transcription book, Rhythm Tuneup DVD and more...

I have that CD, as well as the recent one Jody produced for his old friend Sandy Miller..."Sands of Time Gone By", (my favorite song on that CD is "Once Upon A Time"). It's too bad that all of them couldn't have gotten together and worked as a group. I have the feeling they'd have made even more really great music!

To my buddy Donny, thank you as well and my favorite song on the Hot Club Of America is
Autumn leaves, this time of year as the leaves fall, they fall on the headstone of a man I admired, John would have been 89 if he were to have lived, And so far and Sandy's cd
"Once Upon A Time" is my all time favorite and often I have thought of how great it would have been to have had Sandy and Johnny and myself along with Augie and George doing an album. It would have been our gain to have Sandy sing with the Hot Club Of America.

Sandy will write along with me on my life with Fender and be my co-writer, I can't spell and my grammar is terrible,Sandy is going to help me all she can.Dave Van Allen will add the technical questions to me so we can complete the story of how the Hot Club Of America came to be. Thanks to both of you, you honor me and the memory of Johnny and I know Sandy is working hard to help me.

You see how many times I have to edit my posts? that's because I really am poor at spelling, Sandy will help me a great deal and again, "Once Upon A Time" is a great song those were fun days and happy days and the title is appropriate as I have known Sandy since 1950. Thanks to both of you.

I really sincerely appreciate both of you John and Donny.

Your friend

Your Elton Britt request will be on my November 17 show, especially for you.

Actually, Carmine Caruso plays steel and Carl Kress plays lead guitar on that 1945 session.

You are so right! The next Elton Britt session with a steel (there were one or two without a steel) was in 1946. It was that infamous "Detour" session and Andy Sannella was on steel.

I don't believe that "There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" (recorded in 1942 for RCA) featured a steel. However, your old buddy, the great Tony Gottuso played the standard guitar.

The wonderful music and expression Johnny and you created lives on forever through the HCOA CD.

You guy's made this fabulous music in the greatest era of musical recordings that ever existed, circa 1959.

Like everyone one here, I play the HCOA CD in my car on the way to work sooooo much, I'm starting to get the authentic cliks like my old stereo phonograph LP's.

Juss kidding...no cliks...just great music.. Thank goddness for modern technology.

Johnny was such a great artist musician. Hearing his licks on that Fender with your Steel starts my day just right!!

Imagine that, what Johnny and you recorded back in "59" is still being heard in 2006, annnnnnd every day!!!

Thank you both for your music, we appreciate it.....TX

Rgds,

Ron

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JCFSGC member 2005 "Be of Good Cheer"
"55" Stringmaster D8,
"67" Telecaster,
"60"Fender Concert Amp 4-10's

Take care and I hope to see you soon, bring along your stringmaster, its a beauty.

Joe Thank you.

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 17 November 2006 at 06:45 AM.]