Reading Eagle: New book chronicles Pennsylvania music scene, controversial song 'Timothy' [Spotlight]
Jan. 2—Rock journalist Maxim W. Furek has released a book titled "Somebody Else's Dream: Dakota, The Buoys & 'Timothy,'" celebrating the 50th anniversary of the song "Timothy," which became one of the highest-charting songs ever in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Furek describes the book as a cautionary tale of substance abuse, the pitfalls of fame and the actual price of the rock 'n' roll fantasy. It includes chapters on rock acts and their connection to Pennsylvania rock history, including links to Berks County.
The book documents the song "Timothy," which was written by Rupert Holmes, known for the 1979 hit single "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)." "Timothy" was recorded in 1970 by the Wilkes-Barre band The Buoys and, given its theme of cannibalism in the aftermath of a coal mine cave-in, was dubbed "the worst song ever recorded." Despite being banned by New York City's mighty WABC, the song became a huge hit in Pennsylvania and the Buffalo, N.Y., area.
Furek's book also chronicles The Buoys' transition to Jerry-Kelly and then Dakota.
The Jerry-Kelly transition took place at The Alley in Schuylkill Haven, home of the Jordan Brothers, one of the most popular rock acts in a five-county area that included Schuylkill, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lancaster and Berks in the 1970s and '80s.
Danny Seraphine, drummer for the band Chicago, and David "Hawk" Wolinski, keyboardist for the band Rufus, flew to the Alley to listen to Jerry-Kelly, signed them to a contract and then produced their LP "Somebody Else's Dream" and the subsequent Dakota albums, including their landmark MCA release "Runaway."
A highlight for Dakota was touring with Queen on a sold-out 35-city tour in 1980, ending with three straight standing-room-only shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The late Rick Manwiller, a Muhlenberg High School graduate, served as keyboardist for part of Dakota's run, and also contributed to their recordings with his pre-programmed drum machine called "Dexter."
Manwiller and bandmate Jerry Hludzik later gravitated to country music, resulting in two of their songs being recorded by the Oak Ridge Boys and a contract to write songs for MCA Nashville. Manwiller also worked with well-known musical acts such as the Little River Band and country artists Jimmy Wayne, David Nail, Jake Owen and Darryl Worley. Manwiller died in 2016 at age 60.
For more information or to purchase "Somebody Else's Dream," visit www.maximfurek.com.
----Cumru Township resident Gemma M. Jablonski has released "Jungle Combat," a book detailing a Marine Corps veteran's experiences in Vietnam from spring of 1968 through the summer of 1969.
The book compiles transcripts of tape recordings made by Col. John C. Astle while serving 13 months as a helicopter pilot flying support missions to the troops in the field.
Jablonski said the book is written chronologically and reads as if Astle is talking directly to the reader when, in fact, he was speaking directly to his family back in West Virginia.
"Many autobiographical books have been written about the Vietnam experience, most of them years after the fact based upon imperfect memory. By contrast the contents of this book reflect immediate reactions to the grim reality I encountered in Vietnam at the time on a daily basis," Astle said.
The unabridged account recalls everything from the drama of facing danger in combat to the frustration of dealing with the military bureaucracy, to the excesses of exhausted Marines in drunken revelry.
After Vietnam, Astle went on to spend 30 years in the Marine Corps, receiving 31 Air Medals and two Purple Hearts, among other honors. He spent four years as a Presidential Helicopter Pilot and 24 years as a Maryland state senator.
Astle is now retired from the senate, having contributed 60 years of public service, and resides in Annapolis, Md., with his wife, Jayne.
For more information or to purchase a copy of "Jungle Combat," visit www.AuthorGemma.com/shop.
