 |
 |
||||||||||
In May 1985, Stephen J. McParland attended the 20-year Beach Party reunion, photos of which appear in "It's Party Time". Amongst the revellers in the San Fernando Valley that night were Dick Dale, Aron Kincaid, Meredith Macrae, Susan Hart, Bobbi Shaw, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Salli Sachse and Deborah Walley (pictured left with Stephen). "The key to the whole Beach Party thing was my initial work with songwriter/producer Gary Usher," he explained. "It was he who introduced me to Al Simms and Guy Hemric who were immensely helpful; both with information and Al, in particular, with stills and posters.
"I spent quite a deal of time with Guy, who was just such a great guy (excuse the pun). His life was the Beach Party 'thing', as my book explains. He (and Al) had so many anecdotes, it was fantastic. "I dealt exclusively with them from 1981 up to 1985, at which time I was invited to the Beach Party Reunion. It was here that I met many of A.I.P.'s actors and actresses for the first time, all of whom were extremely friendly. Aron Kincaid has since become a good friend and I occasionally still hear from Susan Hart. "Salli Sachse, Patti Chandler and Mikki Jamison were also very nice, and, of course, Debbie Walley. I particularly remember Paul Gleason approaching me to point out that he was in SKI PARTY and SERGEANT DEADHEAD even though his name did not appear in the credits. At this time he was not that well known, but since then he has appeared in numerous movies and TV series. "The '85 Reunion was a real opportunity for me to put the finishing touches to my book and I remember being surrounded by a dozen of the actors and actress all eager to identify themselves and others in the rather large book of photos (xeroxed) that I brought to the Reunion. "It was definitely an evening to remember."
Stephen John McParland spent his childhood on the beaches of Sydney, Australia. By his mid-teens he was a proficient surfer, graduating from a surf-o-plane to a surfboard after listening to the Beach Boys and other protagonists of what became known as The California Sound. In early 1977 Stephen launched California Music, a magazine devoted to the surf, beach and hot-rod music genres which to this day continues to serve fans worldwide. It was later joined by publications detailing the exploits of Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys. As a result of his activities, Stephen has become a well respected international figure in both the record collecting and musical research and documentation fields. (Pictured: Stephen J. McParland at the Beach Party Reunion with Samuel Z. Arkoff) Other publications by Stephen J. McParland include:
Beach, Street and Strip - The Albums; Torrence of Berry'd Treasures; The Illustrated Discography of Hot Rod Music 1961-1965; The Wilson Project; The California Sound - An Insider's Story; Sound Waves and Traction, Sickle Sounds and Cycle Cinema; Smile, Sun, Sand & Pet Sounds; Our Favourite Recording Sessions - In the Studio with Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys. The Surf 'n Rock Reference series: Surf Beat - The Musical Biography of Dick Dale; Travelling Barefoot on a Rocky Road - The Musical Biography of P.F. Sloan; California Confidential - Kim Fowley Speaks; Sound Waves and Traction - Surf and Hot-Rod Music Studio Groups of the '60s. The High Potentates of California Rock - Jan & Dean in Perspective 1958-1968. Cowabunga : Gidget Goes Encyclopedic. |
|||||||||||
|
home & index | take-5 | closeup | reviews | buzzcut | yoursay |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
