LA CROSSE HISTORY
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THE LA CROSSE AREA'S HISTORY, DIGITIZED

Film


Resources

—Film—


Author:
Tari Tovsen
Subject:
United States
Wisconsin
La Crosse
Popular music--Wisconsin--La Crosse
Rock music--Wisconsin--La Crosse--1951-60
Rock music--Wisconsin--La Crosse--1961-70
Rock groups--Wisconsin--La Crosse--History
Dave Kennedy and the Ambassadors (Musical group) performer
Dennis & Cree (Musical group) performer
Fax (Musical group) performer
Fabulous Shy Guys (Musical group) performer
Hall, Linda (Singer) performer
Harnden, Bill
Hope (Musical group) performer
Johnny & the Shy Guys (Musical group) performer
Kennedy, Dave (Musician) performer
Marauders (Musical group) performer
Molly Maguires (Musical group) performer
Shannon, Lindy, 1928-1995
Shy Guys (Musical group) performer
T-J's (Musical group) performer
Todays Tomorrow (Musical group) performer
Tovsen, Tari
Unchained Mynds (Musical group) performer
Hanson, Ronnie (Musician) performer
Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977
Comets (Musical group) performer
Creator:
Tari Tovsen
Description:
Created by long-time friend of Lindy Shannon and professional musician, Tari Tovsen of La Crosse, Wis., wrote and produced this "History of La Crosse Rock and Roll." He gives historical context nationally and cites the MGM movie "Blackboard Jungle" as a pivotal point in the beginning of rock and roll as a musical genre. That movie featured Bill Haley and The Comets' hit song "Rock Around the Clock: that was released in May 1955. Tovsen then discusses how the local airwaves censored rhythm and blues music despite the national success of these artists. The success of Elvis Presley in 1956 and his performances in La Crosse were locally very influential. Tovsen then talks about Lindy Shannon's role in the rock and roll scene in La Crosse and many of the bands that Shannon represented and promoted. Lastly, Tovsen described the 1992 Lindy Shannon reunion show that drew over 4,000 people.
Tari Tovsen was 13 years old when he saw Elvis Presley perform on the Jackie Gleason Stage Show on January 28, 1956, and also was in the audience when Elvis performed in La Crosse on May 14, 1956, at the Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium. Tovsen was inspired to pursue becoming a professional rock and roll musician at that moment. Tovsen went on to be a member of several of the Lindy promoted bands such as Dave Kennedy and the Ambassadors and the Shy Guys. He later formed his own bands starting in the 1970s.
Contents: Introduction -- 02:59 Influence and outrage nationally to the 1955 MGM movie "Blackboard Jungle" - 05:04 Bill Haley & The Comets and their hit "Rock Around the Clock Tonight" which became the #1 song in the nation; rhythm and blues was not allowed to be aired on most radio stations in La Crosse nor in the Midwest -- 06:09 Elvis Presley appearance on the Jackie Gleason Stage Show tv program on January 28, 1956 and subsequent hit "Heartbreak Hotel" -- 08:35 Introduction of Lindy Shannon - who he was and what he did for the music scene in La Crosse: worked in the record department at Leitholds Music Store - was a disc jockey at radio station WKBH - and was the most popular disc jockey for record hops; Elvis performed in two shows at the Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium in La Crosse on May 14, 1956, and the local impact of that appearance and controversy; this national success quickly changed the music scene in La Crosse and elsewhere around the nation -- 12:32 In 1957, rock and roll dominated the pop charts; beginning of La Crosse’s first rock and roll band called the T-Js: Jack Roubik, Tom Terry, Bill Weigel and Duane Schroeder auditioned with Lindy in 1956 and he promoted them and took them along to record hops to perform; in 1958 Lindy took them to Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis to record their own arrangement of "Party Party" and the flip side was an original tune written by Tom Terry "Take My Love;" $500 for 500 45-rpm records on the Lindy label; all records sold out at Leitholds in one day; T-Js were the first rock and roll band in La Crosse and performed from 1956-1959 -- 17:24 Other acts that Lindy promoted included Marv Blihovde; Ed Cree (later Dennis and Cree); Leo Breidel -- 19:20 Lindy promoted a Madison based band The Fendermen with the song "Mule Skinner Blues" in the spring of 1960; it was re-recorded at Soma Records and Lindy promoted it; it became a #6 hit on the national charts -- 20:22 Lindy formed a booking agency called Lin-Beck in 1960 and promoted many area bands and musicians; the ones highlighted are: Ronnie Hanson; Dave Kennedy; Johnny and the Shy Guys; Linda Hall; Marauders; Dynastys; The Fax; Molly Maguires; Today’s Tomorrow; Unchained Mynds; Shy Guys with Hal Atkinson -- 33:01 Lindy’s influence; places these bands performed; area musician award banquets; weekly Tribune newspaper column; regional and national success of: Dennis & Cree; Dave Kennedy; Hope (band); Danny Bottcher as La Crosse’s first Elvis impersonator; Hal Atkinson -- 37:15 Bill Harnden of the La Crosse Tribune and Tari Tovsen formed the nucleus of a Lindy Shannon Reunion Show; 15 musical acts reunited to pay tribute to Lindy on August 30, 1992, at the Oktoberfest South Side Fest Grounds -- 43:44-end Over 4,000 people attended; proceeds were given to help defray Lindy’s medical bills and set up college scholarships; Lindy Shannon was the "Godfather of La Crosse Rock and Roll."
Duration: 00:45:41
Forms part of the La Crosse History of Rock and Roll Project (LHRRP)
"A TNT Production" [Tari Tovsen]
Author:
Tari Tovsen
Subject:
T-J's (Musical group)
Shannon, Lindy, 1928-1995
La Crosse (Wis.)--History--20th century
Rock music--Wisconsin--La Crosse--1951-60
Rock groups--Wisconsin--La Crosse--Biography
Rock groups--Wisconsin--La Crosse--History
Roubik, Jack (Musician) performer
United States
Wisconsin
La Crosse
Creator:
Tari Tovsen
Description:
A history of the very beginning of La Crosse's rock and roll legacy in 1957 and the beginning of Lindy Shannon's promotion of local rock bands as told by Tari Tovsen, La Crosse musician and pop music historian. The T-J's members were Jack Roubik, Tom Terry, Duane Schroeder and Bill Weigel.
In 1958, the T-J's were only the second band in Wisconsin to release a rock and roll record. It was released on the Lindy label and recorded at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many years later, the group was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Starting at 00:05:00 through to the end of this video, the T-J's live music performance of "Party Party" at the 1994 Lindy Shannon Reunion Show is featured. This was the last time the T-J's performed as a group publicly.
Duration: 00:09:27
Forms part of the La Crosse History of Rock and Roll Project (LHRRP)
Author:
Wenohna Films
Subject:
Parades -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse
Silent films
La Crosse (Wis.) -- History
Description:
Film clip of a parade at the corner of Main St. and 5th Ave. in downtown La Crosse, Wis. Believed to have occurred on July 30, 1913, the parade was organized by Harry Taggart, the Secretary of the Retail Grocers Association, and featured local business and civic groups. This film is a portion of the first motion picture footage of professional quality to be filmed in La Crosse, and was produced by a Mr. Huntley of Wenohna Films in Winona, Minn.
1 film reel (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 35 mm viewing print; 1 film reel (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 35 mm dupe neg; 1 videocassette (VHS) (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 1/2 in.; 1 videodisc (DVD) (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 4 3/4 in.
Remastered from the original 35 mm. nitrate-based film.; Also available as video clips (.mpg files) on the website of the Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (as viewed on Sept. 20, 2005).; A full length version of the La Crosse Retail Grocers' parade is cataloged under the title La Crosse Parades.; VHS.; DVD.
Author:
Wenohna Films
Subject:
Parades -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse
Silent films
La Crosse (Wis.) -- History
Description:
Film clip of a parade at the corner of Main St. and 5th Ave. in downtown La Crosse, Wis. Believed to have occurred on July 30, 1913, the parade was organized by Harry Taggart, the Secretary of the Retail Grocers Association, and featured local business and civic groups. This film is a portion of the first motion picture footage of professional quality to be filmed in La Crosse, and was produced by a Mr. Huntley of Wenohna Films in Winona, Minn.
1 film reel (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 35 mm viewing print; 1 film reel (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 35 mm dupe neg; 1 videocassette (VHS) (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 1/2 in.; 1 videodisc (DVD) (1 min., 39 sec.) : silent, black and white ; 4 3/4 in.
Remastered from the original 35 mm. nitrate-based film.; Also available as video clips (.mpg files) on the website of the Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (as viewed on Sept. 20, 2005).; A full length version of the La Crosse Retail Grocers' parade is cataloged under the title La Crosse Parades.; VHS.; DVD.
Author:
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
Subject:
Mississippi River -- Ecology
Ecology
Mississippi River
Creator:
Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee
Description:
The UMRCC video was produced with the intention of informing and motivating UMR users (boaters, fisherman, hunters, nature enthusiasts, etc.) and decision makers (Natural Resource Managers, legislators) about the significance of the UMR ecosystem and the threats it faces now and in the future.
Item donated by the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC) to Murphy Library in 2018. Part of the UMRCC Collection housed at Murphy Library, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Original VHS converted to digital file.
Subject:
Audio-visual materials--Wisconsin--La Crosse
Description:
Murphy Library Special Collections houses numerous analog historical moving pictures, some of which are featured in this collection. The library is currently not equipped to do in-house digital conversion of video-based materials; however, as resources become available, they hope to offer more historical moving picture items in the Digital Collections.
Author:
Wisconsin State College (La Crosse)
Subject:
Indian clubs
Creator:
Donnell, Samuel
Description:
Hans Reuter, physical education teacher at Wisconsin State College (La Crosse) for 36 years, demonstrates the use of Indian clubs in 1968.
"Dr. McLellan"--Disc label.; Title from disc label.; Narrator, John Jenks.
1 film reel (25 min.) : sound ; 16 mm; 1 videodisc (DVD) (25 min.) : sound ; 4 3/4 in.
Subject:
Parades -- Wisconsin -- La Crosse
Wisconsin -- Centennial celebrations, etc
La Crosse (Wis.) -- History
Description:
Converted film from the Wisconsin Centennial Parade held in La Crosse, Wis. in 1948.