OCR Text |
Show Gi Saiuova d Another step toward SO NOW THAT Gil Sandoval has hit the big time with his first album, he can sit back and relax, right' Not quite. A Nashville bv Breaker, and MorrMyself, Fogertys Cross-Ti- e Girl." the LPs finest number. isons 'Brown-EyeSandoval is at his best when singing soft ballads, and his album is loaded with them. From ' Amarillo By Morning" to his own composition "Only Time Will Tell." the album is a soothing collection of mellow country lovesongs. Terry Orme Tribune Staff Writer THE FACE MAY be familiar, and if you listen to country music on the radio, you have heard the voice. But the name? Weil, maybe. And if you do much fishing in Idaho. Wyoming, or the Uintah Basin, his records are probably on the jukebox at your favorite watering hole. His name is Gil Sandoval and hes performed in such diverse places as the Salt Palace as well as workingman's clubs throughout Europe If you are a Freddy Fender fan, you may have seen Gil warm up artist at the The Terrace a year and for the Tex-Mea half back. And now you will see Gils face in the record bins, for he has just cut his first album. Long Road to Nashville. Gils been on that road some time now. and this is the biggest step he has taken. He was born into music. His father once sang Spanish and Mexican songs live over KOAL radio in Price However it wasnt until Gil opened the show for Fender, that his parents even saw him perform. "They come from a strong religious background and never wanted me to perform in bars or nightclubs, says Sandoval. Finally they came to The Terrace because they knew there would be no alcohol. They've been my biggest fans ever since. Long Road to Nashville tells a lot about Gil Sandovals musical influences. The artists which he says have left the biggest marks upon him are a diverse group which includes John Fogerly (Cree-danc- e Clearwater Revival), Van Morrison, and Eddie Rabbitt The album includes Rabbitts "I Can't Help x couple of days after the albums release, he was on the road for two nights in Kemmerer, Wyo Then he took one day off for travel, and a four week stand at Flagstaff, Ariz.. where he is now. After Flagstaff, he will take one day to get to Vernal, stay for two weeks, one day off, next stop Idaho Falls. Gil doesn't just perform in the evenings during these stops. He visits local disc jockeys, tavern owners, and record stores, making sure they have all his singles, and to deliver his new alburn Making visits in person helps, he says. "They can t tell you are sincere over the phone. He is his own manager, record producer, and bus driver. Only for Gil, the bus is a van. "I do everything the biggies do. only on a much smaller scale, he says with a smile. Besides the evening his parents saw him for the first time, Gil says that his most memorable night on stage was when he warmed up for Fender in Caldwell, Idaho. Freddy was an hour late and it was Local musician Gil Sandoval has just released his first album, Long Road to Nashville up to Gil to fill the time I sold a lot of records and made a lot of fans and friends Terry Orme Record sales plunged in 1979 ly Vernon Scott United Press International Writer 1080 10, t Lake Salt The II 22 HOLLYWOOD - The record industry ranks the year 1979 alongside such other international disasters as the Titanic. Krakatoa and the Bay of Pigs Sales of single records and albums plunged to an abysmal low after two decades of unprecedented prosperity. The dizzying crash left recording companies, singers, musicians and retailors dazed. a ording to former record company president and grammy show producer Pierre Cossette, the entire industry swooned last year with uncounted millions of dollars lost forever RECORD SALES HAVE DROP PEI), distributing costs are up and popular artists are demanding mill ions, Cossette said. "Naturally, profits are way down in what has been a $3 billion industry nurtured by world-wid- e concerts of record stars that involve billions more. "All the record companies laid off workers. Many thousands of employees executives, artists, laborers found themselves out of work It was a total retrenchment. "There were a lot of reasons for the plunge. First of all. radio stations were playing uninterrupted albums. That means there were few outstanding songs on albums. So stations played entire albums. THAT ALLOWED mally buy albums number or two. to KIDS, who norfor a favorite tape what they wanted at home and save the expense of buying an album at $8 or $10 per copy Kids are very selective with their tape recorders. "Also, this is an age of disco dollars in terms of entertainment music. Instead of buying an album, kids spend their money going to discos for the vibes, dancing and social mixing "Say a teen-age- r spends $30 a week and thats not out for entertainment of line In the old days the whole thing went for records. Today $10 goes for blank tapes. $10 for discos and $10 for s slash for records. Thats a the recording industry COSSETTE SAYS BUYING PATTERNS of youthful rock lovers is not the sole cause of recording ills. Recordto the disc ing stars contributed depression. Many big stars refuse to make more than one album a year, if that, cutting gross sales drastically. Individual artists don't want to e themselves, Cossette explained. "The record companies no longer control their stars Artists let an album go as long as possible to milk it for all its worth. ON the "THIS INDEPENDENCE part of singers and groups is driving the companies crazy They want more songs, more records, more hits The big stars are so rich they dont have to worry. "Now they spend a full year putting one album together, picking their songs carefully, going over the arrangements endlessly. "Another reason why 1979 was a low point was the absence of big new stars like Debb.v Boone, the Carpenters, Bette Middler. Dolly Parton or the Captain and Tennile." two-third- But he gets home whenever he can After a recent day stretch on the road, he wrapped up a set in Jackson, Wyo., packed his gear and was ir. Salt Lake City in time for breakfast And how does he like this life of constant playing, promoting, and traveling9 cum I love every minute of it." 28 for the record COSSETTE IS AWARE that the 22nd annual Grammy Awards show Feb. 27 (CBS-TV- ) will hype the .agging record market considerably It is his 10th year of producing the show for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The top awards are for best album, best record and best song of the year," Cossette said. "But there is also great interest in the best singers and groups. "DESPITE THE BAD YEAR, the indusbusiness is still a try for new companies and artists. But it's a lot harder to accomplish now. "Six years ago you could start a record company in your garage. I Dunhill totally financed a new label in 1960 that way. I began with Johnny Rivers. His first record became no. on the charts. My second record with Barry McGuire also became no. Then landed the Mamas and Papas. "Other guys did the same thing. I sold my company, ft is now ABC Dunhill 1 1 1 Records. Enormous fortunes were made by the men behind the scenes but I wouldnt want to go through all the hassles again. "THE INDUSTRY IS now in the hands of giant corporate complexes. It's changed dramatically. Few new stars are coming along because the investment in new talent isn't as heavy as it was. Even when new stars emerge, they cant be controlled. The big star of the 1980s is Billy Joel He's a leading man type who sings great rock and roll. Joel's as hot as you can get He's on fire He makes $12 million a year Columbia Records made a fortune on his "52nd Street But the company is going nuts because it can't get another album out of him. "Im optimistic about the future The Big Bonanza will be in video cassette recordings of conceits Theyd sell in vending machines and the recording business will prosper as never before Injuries hit rockers l Sylvie Simmons over-expos- Knight-Ridde- r LOS ANGELES The '80s "rock is more likely to be a casualty musician for whom one too many" refers to miles he jogged rather than that is if substances he imbibed recent injuries are anything to go by Toto started its tour of California colleges with an injured drummer, Jeff Porcaro, who jumped off a ladder and landed on his head. The Ozark Moun tain Daredevils John Dillon is trying to find new w'ays of playing guitar after breaking an arm while with his chief roadie shes And New Yorker Ellen Foley the female voice on Meat Loaf's "Bat embarked on a Out of Hell" album European tour with her arm in a sling Writer She broke her elbow last week on a motorcycle while trying scramblers for the first time with producer friend Roy Thomas Baker. "I don't belong on a motorcycle," mused Ms. Foley, who has had plenty of experience in pain and anguish, having acted in daytime soap operas. "I'm from New York should get mugged in a subway if I'm going to get hurt, you know what I 1 mean? d g BAND AID: One way of making sure that a radio station plays your records is to buy the radio station. Working on that principle. Little River Band bought a great many shares in Melbourne. Australia's, first FM radio station, |