JERRY LEE LEWIS
Appearances on «SHINDIG!» TV shows (1964–1965)
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Shindig! was a rock 'n' roll series that aired on ABC from September 1964 through January 1966.
Shindig! premiered on September 16, 1964 as a half-hour show. In January 1965, the series expanded to an hour. Instead of reruns, ABC aired new Shindig! episodes throughout the Summer of 1965. Most of the top American and British rock/pop acts of the mid-1960s appeared on Shindig!. Shindig! was created and produced by Jack Good who had previously produced rock 'n' roll TV shows in his native Britain. There, he perfected his style of fast-paced rock music programing. In 1962, Good produced a pilot for American TV. The pilot, titled "Young America Swings the World," eventually became the blueprint for Shindig!. Shindig! premiered on September 16, 1964. During its first season, Shindig was broadcast Wednesdays at 8:30pm Eastern. It started as a half-hour show but expanded to an hour in January 1965. ABC aired new Shindig episodes throughout the Summer of 1965. (There were no reruns aired.) Shindig! was different from previous U.S. rock 'n' roll programs. It featured non-stop music that, in most cases, was only interrupted by the commercial breaks. And the music was live...or so it seemed. In recent years it's been revealed that the backing music and most of the vocals were pre-recorded. Often, the guests would record special versions of their songs for Shindig. The music and vocal tracks were recorded a day or two before the episode was videotaped. The performers then rehearsed numerous times to make sure that their "mimed" performances looked live. (In some cases the vocals were live.) Shindig! was hosted by Los Angeles disc-jockey Jimmy O'Neill. Other series regulars included the Blossoms, a female group who provided the back-up singing. The Wellingtons were the male back-up singers. (Another male group, the Elgibles, often appeared in place of the Wellingtons.) There were also the Shindig dancers, a troupe made up of 10 (or so) teenage girls who did choreographed dance steps. |
