Star-Phoenix from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada • 27

I Baby face tenor with whole world in his hands Wayne Newton, at the age of 28, is one of the most accomplished entertainers in North America. friend, Bobby Darin, who decided not to record the song himself but to instead give it to Newton, whom he had just signed for his new T. M. Music Company. Since then his recordings of that hit, followed by Red Roses for a Blue Lady, Summer Wind and Dreams of the Everyday Housewife have sold over 1,000,000 copies each, with his religious and popular albums topping all the charts.

Waynes nighclub engagements have taken him all over the world, and it was while he was appearing at the Chevron Hotel in Sydney, Australia, that another break came. Jack Benny just hap-nened to be staving there, heard Newton, and asked him to return to Lak" Tahoe with Benny and headline at Harrah's. "After that, Newton recalls, "everything opened uo for us, and Mr. Benny and I have been close friends ever since. It was also Benny who introduced him at his Los Angeles debut in the famed Cocoanut Grove in 1965.

After several appearances on Bennys TV show that year. Wayne accompanied the comedian on two annual cross country tours as his guest star. Headliner openings followed at the Miami Deauville, Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel, the Americana in New York, the Fairmont in San Francisco, the Hollywood Bowl. Currently in Las Vegas he is under exclusive contract to the Frontier Hotel, where he money," Wayne explained, "So we turned the amplifiers up a bit, and 1 was hoarse for eight months. As a result, 1 maintained my high notes and added some low ones, so now I have a three-octave range." "You really grow up fast in a nightclub," Newton said.

'Tve smelled more alcohol and inhaled more smoke than just about anybody. I also had a woman sling a beer bottle at me because she thought I sane 'Hes Got the Whole World in His Hands' sacri-liglously, and another lady fall into the bar pit and lose her wig now nothing shakes me up!" The break in Newtons career came ironically as the result of doing what he thought was a favor for someone else. In the summer of 1962, he agreed to fly to Phoenix following his last Fremont Hotel show, to perform at the citys celebration for Jackie Gleason. After his performance, Gleason rose from his seat and cried, "For gosh sakes, dont go on any other television show before you go on mine!" Newton whs immediately signed to do Gleasons premiere show. The publics reaction was so overwhelming that he was signed for four more shows in 1962, and four more in 1963.

i There is little doubt that Gleasons support paved the way for Waynes super stardom that followed his first hit song, Danke Schoen. It was i produced by his good from an AFL-CIO Christmas party. Newton might have wound up as only the mere singing sensation of Roanoke if an asthma condition had not forced the family to move to Phoenix, Arizona. The brothers continued to entertain In their new home and, while still In their early teens, hosted their own daily television show on station KOOL-TV. During this time he managed to be an excellent student and be elected president of his class in his sophmore and junior years as well as student body president as a senior.

i To make the most of his talent, Newton decided to quit school in the middle of his senior year and complete his education by correspondence. It was a lucrative offer from the Fremont Hotel in Las Vegas that caused the decision. Wayne had plenty of time to polish his style in Las Vegas. He spent the next five years in the Fremont Lounge, following a family move to Las Vegas so that Wayne and Jerry could have their chance. They did six shows a night, six days a week, seven months a year.

It was during these hectic years when Wayne was finishing high school and keeping incredible hours, that he developed his extraordinary voice. My voice started chang-when I was about 17, but I couldnt stop singing because the family needed the Is their highest paid former. In addition to his American successes, he was summoned to London in 1966 to appear at a Command Performance for yer Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother on the occasion of the Royal Variety Performance at the Palladium in London. He returned a year later for his first British supper club appearance at the Talk of the Town. Still with a desire to diversify his talents, he made his dramatic debut on the NBC-TV show.

Bonanza, in an episode titled, The Unwritten Commandment. It received such a high rating that he was immediately signed for another segment, A Christmas Storv. "I'm still kind of a small-towner in that I like fresh air," he confided "Every now and then I must get out and look at a ranch, even if I just walk in the mud," he confided, "its funny, but it takes both. "In the big cities Im not reallv alive, not really comfortable and relaxed, but with-nnt the insoiration that comes from performing in the major enter tainment centres, I would literally climb my qu'et. country walls! Newton was married in 1968 to a former stewardess, F.laine Okamura, and they I've on a 48-acre ranch in Las Vegas called Casa Shenandoah, complete with Arabian horse-breeding stable and a Lear jet.

And the baby face with the tenor voice will be bringing 1 his show (comedian brother Jerry, Tommy Amato, and comic Jackie Kahane), to the Centennial Auditorium for two performances on Saturday. Less than 100 tickets for his Saskatoon appearance were available at box office closing time Tuesday and the two sell-outs will be guaranteed some time today. Here is a performer who has earned as much as $73,000 in a week. He has sold upwards of 13 million records, plays to capacity houses all over the world, and earns high ratings whenever he appears on television. Wayne made his motion picture debut as the star of 80 Steps to Jonah, released by Warner Arts.

Just being satisfied with what you do without a need for Improvement is not enough to warrant a long career in this business, philosophizes Newton, the possessor of youthful looks and a massive 64 frame. Wayne grew up as a mechanic's soft in Roanoke, Virginia. His parents, Pat and Evelyn Newton, made great sacrifices to give Wayne and his brother, Jerry, singing lessons. It paid off at ages six and eight when they earned their first pay check sometimes its $75,000 a week Greatest days ahead for homegrown talent Canadian content: Its radio effects on records, Fred Sheratt, vice-president of programming for all radio stations owned by Toronto-based CHUM believes that "the Canadian music scene is starting to happen." "I think were right on the verge of the day when it will be a distinction to be a Canadian. Paul White, director of artists and repertoire for Capitol Records, says that while his company committed itself to increased Canadian production prior to the February proposals, the rulings "have given us the impetus to really go in and promote these records." Before the legislation, he says, "not too many people within our own company even were enthusiastic over records by Canadians but now "weve got the sales and promotion people really behind the whole thing.

"Quite obviously, in the light of the ruling, we will even be stepping up nadian content on records is not as valuable as saying: OK, let's look for talent and lets promote it, He says if broadcasters were encouraged to go back to producing live shows "it would help Canadian talent more than the fact of the CRTC saying theres got to be 30-per-cent Canadian content. Doug Riley, part owner of Toronto Sound Studio, a relatively new recording studio that is being used by an increasing number of established international stars, has seen at first hand the benefits of greater demands for Canadian-produced music. Still, even he has reserva- tions about the kind of Canadian talent that will develop as a result of the content ruling. "Theres a danger of a lot of inferior talent and material being recorded for at least the first couple of years just in order to make up some kind of quota. William Tenn, vice-presi- TORONTO (CP) The real test of the Canadian Radio-Television Commission's demand fur 1 30-per-cent Canadian music.

on all Canadian AM radio stations begins next Jan. 18 That's when the radio stations must include in their programming an average of one out of every three pieces of music played that is in some respect Canadian. Since the commission, headed by Pierre Juneau, proposed the content legislation back in February, the demand for Canadian talent has generated a booming business. But even those who credit the CRTC with doing a much-needed service for the Canadian music industry are critical of how it is being done. George Taylor, whose all-Canadian Rodeo Records Ltd.

now can look forward to greater national exposure and maybe even international airing after 21 years of mainly regional sales for its country and ethnic music discs, says: "The talk about playing Ca -f months of 1969 produced only three albums and six singles by Canadians, in the first six months of this year recorded and released 12 albums and 20 singles by native performers. Most people connected with the music and recording industry whether they agree with the rulings or even the need for them do agree that their presence has played a vital part in development of Canadian talent. Walt Greahs, editor and publisher of RPM which uses Mr. Juneaus "prophets of doom" statement as its masthead, credits the CRTC chairman with making "people think more Canadian without setting out hard and fast rules." "He has established a thinking-Canadian sort of atmosphere with broadcasters and with record companies." Bill Gilliland, vice-president of Arc Records, the largest wholly Canadian owned record company, says the Canadian content legislation "has encouraged everybody thats producing records to take a shot at it." "They feel a little more confident that at the worst they can maybe get their investment back and while theyre doing this theyll have a chance to learn their craft and maybe start producing really sensational records. Mr.

Gilliland, who, in a speech prior to the CRTCs 30-per-cent proposal suggested legislation requiring 15-percent Canadian content the first year, 20 the second and 23 the third, says the legislation "equalizes" radio stations. Before the legislation, he says, even if a radio station wanted to play Canadian records, it couldnt. Its competition was playing only "proven hits and youre frightened to death to go in there with too many Canadian records because hes liable to kill you." Doug Riley, part-owner of Toronto Sound Studio, also credits the legislation with increasing the availability of money for producing Canadian talent'. He says that record producers "know at least its going to get a chance to be played on the radio." "Before, it was useless because you were going up against the top records from the U.S. and the chances of you getting a Canadian record played were very small." Jack Boswell, president of Paragon Records, says' the legislation has produced inter- -est in Canadian records "certainly greater on the part of the radio station, the retailer and, of course, the customer." "Its amazing how fast the radio stations have agreed now Canadian recording Is good, Stations that would never play our records now are writing in, Please send us your lists Barry Nesbitt, vice-president and general manager of CKFH, Toronto, who says his radio station has in some weeks since last February more i than tripled its Canadian content, says: "If I were a record com-, pany, Id certainly be putting out more Canadian product because theyre going to have better opportunity to get it played." TORONTO (CP) A great deal is being heard about Canadian talent these days and most of it is good.

In the field of musical en-f tertainment, Canadians i booming and many of the radio stations which objected to the 30-per-cent Canadian content requirement in AM programming are discovering that Canadian music is doing anything but "tuning listeners out." It's as Pierre Juneau, chairman of the Canadian Radio-Television Commission, predicted when the CRTC set forth its radio and television content ruling this spring: "The prophets of doom, the messengers mediocrity, will be overwhelmed by the new generation of competent, creative, confident artisans and by all those of preceding generations who have already demonstrated their freshness of mind, their talent apd their capacity for inspired leadership." Four months before the Jan. 18, 1971, implementation of the 30-per-cent legislation, the picture showed: Sixty per cent of the records on the top 50 Cana- dian popular music chart published by RPM, the weekly Canadian music industry trade magazine, were 100-per-cent Canadian lyrics and music written by Canadians, performed by Canadians and recorded in Canada. (The CRTC will accept as Canadian content a piece of music that fits as few as one of these classifications.) At least five radio stations in Toronto alone were involved in recording Canadian talent, not only for their own i use, but, for public sale as well. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, made up of about 90 per cent of Canada's privately owned radio sta-tions, was itself in the final stages of estaolishing a com- i a 1 record production 'company and two music publishing companies. One Toronto AM station that plays 100-per-cent contemporary music had brought its Canadian playlist up to as high as 46 per cent some weeks from the 13.3-per-cent level of last February when the CRTC announced its Canadian content proposals.

Another Toronto radio station was able to broadcast a two-hour show of classical music that was 100-per-cent -Canadian and a Ont station a full day of Canadian music on Dominion Day. A Toronto talent agency reported an increase in "re-1 spect for Canadian talent" within the last year; and a Toronto recording studio, in operation only since last fall, found itself being sought out by "more and more people coming up from the U.S. now to do their work here" because "it seems this is the place where its supposed to happen next." A Toronto record company specializing in Canadian ethnic music was approached by an American distributor who wanted to add the Canadian records to his companys catalogue the reverse of what has usually been the i practice. A Canadian record com- pany which in the first six dent of Concept 376. a Toronto talent agency handling 90 per cent Canadian talent to 10 per cent of talent from outside Canada, feels that it's too bad you have to force people to play good records.

He doubts also that many of the radio stations will go any further in playing Cunadian music than they are being forced to by the CRTC legislation. They would never play more of the same album. Theyve got to play this record once more to make it up to 30 per cent, not add one more to the play list. "It will be 30 per cent all the way. It wont be 32 per cent ever, at least with a lot of the stations.

Gene Kirby, program manager of CKEY in Toronto, which proposed in a brief to the CRTC this spring that Canadian content should be held to 15 per cent the first year, 20 the second and then raised to 30 or higher in the third year, says: Of the (Canadian) selections that I have now, were going to hear an awful lot of them over and over until we can build up our library. To increase the station's Canadian content, we have made some concessions with some of the music that we feel is just borderline as fur as international competitive quality is concerned, but we're making allowances for the fact that it is Canadian. I think if we were given more time a quality product could have been developed. John Williams, director of artists and repertoire for Columbia Records, is one of those who feel the legislation on what constitutes Canadian content should be stronger. Mr.

Williams' definition of a Canadian would be: A guy recording for a Canadian company, writing for a Canadian publisher. Walt Greahs, editor ard publisher of RPM, weekly Canadian music industry trade magazine, who two years ago ran a series of editorials in the magazine in which he favored legislation demanding "25 per cent of the programming (on radio) to be 100-percent Canadian," describes the existing legislation as hazy." In addition to the fact that soigs sung by top stars from outside Canada count as Canadian content so long as either the lyrics or music are composed by Canadians, or even if they are only recorded in a Canadian studio, the legislation's critics point out a further loophole, disadvantageous to Canadian talent, in the percentage ruling. This is in its application to "the total of compositions or titles of works, not duration of time. Thus, to carry it to Its extreme limits, a one-minute recording of Frank, Sinatra singing London Bridge Is Falling Down provided it was recorded in a Canadian studio could be preceded by a three-hour Verdi opera by the New' York Metropolitan Opera Company- and followed by a 1-hour jam session by a New Orleans jazz group, and satisfy the CRTC regulations. The radio stations and rec- -ording companies, 1 1 1 their reservations or even disapproval of the regulations, however, apparently have not decided to skirt the issue and just meet the minimum standard set down.

In many areas, of course, the development of Canadian talent was going on long before the CRTC proposals, and for these the final rulings are some vindication of what they have been promoting. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for instance, has been a major developer of Canadian talent in both what it classifies as "light music" and "serious music. Besides producing tapes of Canadian talent for use by member stations across the country, the CBC has also, through a third-party agreement with various record companies, produced about 100 records for commercial release in the last four to five years. An annual contest for Canadian song writers of all types of music and an annual talent festival in the classical music field are part of the national network's policy for developing Canadian talent. The Canadian Talent Library is another organization that has established a reputation for contributing to the development of Cnadian talent.

Started in 1962 with a membership of 14 radio stations, the CTL, which has grown to include more than 175 members, produced 130 albums by Canadians to the end of July. 1970. The first 80 were for member use only but the last 50 have been released commercially. "We're primarily making records for what is known as the middle-of-the-road market, says Mai Thompson, manager of music services for Standard Broadcast Productions which operates the CTL. Of the 1,581 CTL album selections, 324 have been Canadian compositions.

"In putting it (an album) together we would like to feature as much Canadian material as possible to encourage the growth of Canadian writers and publishers. We aNo want to grab the interest of the radio stations by putting ou some current new material that is coming up as a hit. The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, with the Canadian Association of Publishers, Authors and Composers, formed a committee seven years ago to record Canadian music. Frank Murray, manager of CJBQ in Belleville, says that "up until the end of February, 1970 we had invested $258,335 in the actual production of recorded Canadian music. Mr.

Murray explains that the money available for this comes from the licence fees the private broadcasters pay to CAPAC for the use of CAPAC music. It amounts to $50,000 a ear, Fifty per cent of the udget is spent on pop and 50 per cent on serious music, The CAB-CAPAC committee is a non-profit organization just Intent on developing Canadian talent and were not too commercially oriented. The thing is that we get records made of Canadians that we feel have promise." 4 I i iiaaO.ta an. Hu tim 4) (As.