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89-505: Danny Davis was born as George Joseph Nowlan into a large Irish-Catholic family in Dorchester, Massachusetts , United States, (one of his brothers became a priest who at one time was assigned to the Vatican ). When he became a professional musician, he changed his name to Danny Davis because MGM executive Harry Meseron told him that "he looked like a Danny." He took the last name Davis because it

178-496: A GED . Prior to European colonization , the region around Dorchester was inhabited by the indigenous Massachusett . They lived in settlements established alongside the Neponset River estuary, which was a plentiful source of fish, including trout; they also gathered shellfish from the riverbed, and hunted beaver and deer. They established farms in nearby hills. During the initial period of colonization by Puritan settlers ,

267-499: A fundraiser in East Los Angeles, California , in late 1967. Webb had been invited to provide the musical backdrop at the piano. Out of the blue, Harris, who had just starred in the film Camelot and had performed several musical numbers in it, suggested to Webb that he wanted to release a record. At first, Webb did not take Harris seriously, but later he received a telegram from Harris requesting that Webb "come to London and make

356-586: A single , an unusual choice given the song's length and complex structure. It was released in April 1968 and was played by 77 WABC on Tuesday April 9, 1968. It made its way into the Hot 100 at number 79 on May 11, 1968, peaking at number 2 on June 22, 1968, behind Herb Alpert 's " This Guy's in Love with You ". It peaked at number 10 on Billboard ' s Easy Listening survey and was number 8 on WABC 's overall 1968 chart. It topped

445-578: A base in New York's Manhattan and Long Island. Originally part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, the town of Dorchester removed from Suffolk County to Norfolk County when it was created on March 26, 1793. Portions of Dorchester annexed in the 19th century by Hyde Park , Milton or Quincy remained within Norfolk County. Portions annexed by Boston (eventually including Hyde Park) became part of Suffolk County again. In Victorian times, Dorchester became

534-571: A campaign to convert the Indigenous people in Dorchester to Christianity with the help of Cockenoe and John Sassamon , two Indian servants in the town. Eliot was given land by the town of Dorchester for his mission, where he established a church and school. The James Blake House , oldest surviving home in the city of Boston, is located at Edward Everett Square . This is the historic intersection of Columbia Road, Boston Street, and Massachusetts Avenue,

623-627: A demo. He chose Nashville arranger and fellow trumpeter, Bill McElhiney, to help create the sound of the Nashville Brass. The basic idea was to replace the vocalist with a brass ensemble (two to three trumpets, two trombones) playing over a standard country rhythm section (guitar, bass, drums, banjo). For his recordings, Davis assembled a rhythm section of Nashville's "A" list musicians: Grady Martin (guitar), Floyd Cramer (piano), Bob Moore (bass), Buddy Harmon (drums), Bobby Thompson (banjo), John Hartford (banjo). When completed, Atkins hand carried

712-603: A few blocks from the Dorchester Historical Society . The Blake House was constructed in 1661, as was confirmed by dendrochronology in 2007. In 1695, a party was dispatched to found the town of Dorchester, South Carolina . It lasted a half-century before being abandoned. In 1765, Irish chocolate maker John Hannon (or alternatively spelled "Hannan" in some sources) imported beans from the West Indies and refined them in Dorchester. He thus introduced chocolate to

801-677: A heavy touring schedule well into the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, Davis partnered with his old friend, Boots Randolph , opening the Stardust Theater in Nashville (near the Opryland Hotel). The two performed shows nightly for a couple of years. For the majority of his touring years, Davis retained on salary a fairly consistent personnel line-up. Among those musicians were: Bill Pippin (trumpet/flugelhorn/flute); Ray Carroll (trumpet/flugelhorn); Rex Peer (trombone); Phil Jones (bass trombone—Jones replaced

890-443: A magnet, according to [friend and roommate John] Bustamante, with 'untold numbers of visitors coming from the other schools.' The roommates housed and fed the visitors, who would join in civil rights discussions." During the 1960s–1980s, the ethnic landscape of Dorchester changed dramatically . The descendants of early 20th-century Jewish, Italian, and Irish immigrants had become more established and generally moved to newer housing in

979-433: A mail-order business selling Nashville Brass recordings on the internet. Also, at the time of his death Davis and writer Thom King had nearly completed an autobiography tentatively titled Guess Who I Met Today. Davis suffered a heart attack at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 7, 2008. He died on June 12, 2008, at the age of 83. Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester ( / ˈ d ɔːr tʃ ɛ s t ər / )

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1068-697: A parody of the song, entitled " Jurassic Park ," as the lead single to his album Alapalooza . There are at least 218 versions of the song recorded on the SecondHandSongs database. The song has been featured in a variety of films, including Private Parts , The Nickel Ride (both 1972), Going Ape! (1981), Falling Down (1993), Volcano (1997), Training Day (2001), Havoc , Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (both 2005), and Drive (2011). Both Harris' and Summer's versions of "MacArthur Park" appear in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024); Summer's

1157-487: A popular country retreat for Boston elite. It developed into a bedroom community, easily accessible to the city by streetcar for commuters. The mother and grandparents of John F. Kennedy lived in the Ashmont Hill neighborhood during the period that his grandfather John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald was mayor of Boston. American poet Oliver Wendell Holmes , wrote a poem called "The Dorchester Giant" in 1830. He referred to

1246-513: A record". Webb flew to London and played Harris a number of songs for the project, but none seemed to fit Harris for his pop music debut. The last song that Webb played for Harris was "MacArthur Park". The track was recorded on December 21, 1967, at Armin Steiner's Sound Recorders in Hollywood . String, woodwind, and brass overdubs were recorded over two sessions on December 29 and 30. The musicians in

1335-582: A sample of Summer's version in their 1999 song New York City Boy . Shipments figures based on certification alone. A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by country music singer Waylon Jennings on his 1969 album Country-Folk , which included the family group the Kimberlys. This version charted at number 23 on Hot Country Songs and number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 , making its chart debut on August 23, 1969. It also won both acts

1424-630: Is a neighborhood comprising more than 6 square miles (16 km ) in the City of Boston , Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester, Dorset , England, to the Massachusetts Bay Colony . This dissolved municipality , Boston's largest neighborhood by far, is often divided by city planners in order to create two planning areas roughly equivalent in size and population to other Boston neighborhoods. The neighborhood

1513-609: Is named after the town of Dorchester in Dorset , from which Puritans emigrated to the New World on the ship Mary and John , among others. Founded in 1630, just a few months before the founding of the city of Boston, Dorchester now covers a geographic area approximately equivalent to nearby Cambridge . When annexed to Boston in 1870, Dorchester was still a primarily rural town and had a population of 12,000. Construction of railroad and commuter streetcar lines brought rapid growth, increasing

1602-476: Is often divided for statistical purposes into North and South Dorchester. North Dorchester includes the portion north of Quincy, East and Freeport streets. The main business district in this part of Dorchester is Uphams Corner , at the intersection of Dudley Street and Columbia Road. South Dorchester is bordered to the east by Dorchester Bay and to the south by the Neponset River . The main business districts in this part of Dorchester are Fields Corner , at

1691-428: Is primarily a residential area, with established neighborhoods still defined by parishes, and occupied by families for generations. The northern part of Dorchester is more urban, with a greater amount of apartment housing and industrial parks. South Bay and Newmarket industrial area are major sources of employment. The Harbor Point area (formerly known as Columbia Point ) is home of several large employers, including

1780-584: The Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart . "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1970 Grammy -winning version by country singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 disco version by Donna Summer in 1978. Webb won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the Harris version. "MacArthur Park"

1869-588: The Billboard Hot 100 , also becoming the last of seven hit versions of compositions by Jimmy Webb to reach the Top Ten on the Hot 100, with "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer being the only recording of a Webb composition to top the Hot 100. Record World reported that this version produces a "dazzling" effect and that "the syn-drums and inspired production techniques are occasional and dramatic." The nearly 18-minute musical medley "MacArthur Park Suite" incorporated

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1958-526: The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance . Italian producer Giorgio Moroder would recall that he and his collaborator Pete Bellotte had been interested in the concept of either remixing a track – as yet undecided on – which had been a hit in the 1960s or else remaking a 1960s hit as a dance track: Moroder – "I remember that I was driving in   ... on the Hollywood Freeway, and I heard

2047-624: The Harrison Square Historic District , later known as Clam Point.) Renowned architects who contributed to one of the most significant and intact collections of Clam Point's Italianate mansards include Luther Briggs, John A. Fox, and Mary E. Noyes . By the 1890s, Clam Point gained prominence as a summer resort: the Russell House hotel was its centerpiece and the Dorchester Yacht Club was established on Freeport Street. In

2136-723: The "Martin Men" and roomed on the road with the band's male vocalist, Merv Griffin . During the early 1950s, Davis found some moderate success as a vocalist, releasing several singles including "Object of My Affection" and "Crazy Heart." The late 1950s was a transitional period in Davis' career. He found himself in New York City working as a producer for the MGM label. He also made an important contact in Nashville with Fred Rose . Davis cut pop demos of country songs for Rose. His demo of " Cold, Cold Heart " led to

2225-466: The 1880s, the calf pasture on Columbia Point was developed for a Boston sewer line and pumping station. This large pumping station still stands. In its time it was a model for treating sewage and helping to promote cleaner and healthier urban living conditions. It pumped waste to a remote treatment facility on Moon Island in Boston Harbor , and served as a model for other systems worldwide. This system

2314-734: The 1960s, the Blue Hill Avenue part of Dorchester from Roxbury to Mattapan was primarily composed of Jewish Americans whose ancestors had immigrated from eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Neponset neighborhood was primarily Irish-American, most of whom were Catholic. During the 1920s–1960s, many African Americans moved from the South to the North during the Great Migration and settled on Blue Hill Avenue and nearby sections. While some Jewish-Americans were moving "up and out" to

2403-668: The 1969 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal . It was revisited in 1976 by Jennings, on his album Are You Ready for the Country . In late 1969, Tony Bennett 's cover reached No. 39 on the US Easy Listening chart and No. 40 Canadian Adult Contemporary. The Four Tops version (1971) reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 37 in Canada. The Andy Williams version (1972) debuted on

2492-631: The Advancement of Colored People . Many leading suffragettes also lived in Dorchester, including Lucy Stone . In the early 20th century, Dorchester received numerous Catholic immigrants from a variety of nations, such as Ireland, French Canada, Italy, and Poland. In addition, it was a destination for thousands of mostly Protestant African Americans from the South who were making the Great Migration to northern industrial cities for work opportunities and to escape Jim Crow violence. Numerous three-decker apartment buildings were built in Dorchester to house

2581-969: The Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts , the Massachusetts Archives and Commonwealth Museum , the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate , and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum . Distinct commercial districts include Bowdoin/Geneva, Fields Corner, Codman Square, Peabody Square, Adams Village and Lower Mills. Primarily residential areas include Savin Hill , Jones Hill, Four Corners, Franklin Field, Franklin Hill, Ashmont , Meeting House Hill, Neponset, Popes Hill and Port Norfolk. Up until

2670-583: The Caribbean and Central America, such as Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Immigrants also came from Cape Verde and Vietnam, as well as other Latin American, Asian, and African nations. Dorchester also continued to receive immigrants from Northern European countries such as Ireland, Germany and Poland. Dorchester became more diverse than at any point in its long history, with many nationalities represented here. These immigrants have helped revive

2759-479: The Easy Listening chart in early August and rose to number 26 over the course of five weeks. A cover version of "MacArthur Park" was recorded by Scottish progressive rock band Beggars Opera on their 1972 album Pathfinder . Their eight-minute version was panned by music critic Paul Stump who said that the band "over-eggs the already indigestible pudding" of the song. In 1993, "Weird Al" Yankovic released

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2848-682: The English West Country , and some from Dorchester, Dorset , where Rev. John White was chief proponent of a Puritan settlement in the Americas. The town developed around the First Parish Church of Dorchester . The building is now operated as the Unitarian-Universalist church on Meeting House Hill and is the oldest religious organization in present-day Boston. On October 8, 1633, the first Town Meeting in what would become

2937-542: The Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center. In 1974, the University of Massachusetts Boston moved from Park Square in downtown Boston to Columbia Point in Dorchester. In 1982, Boston State College was incorporated into UMass Boston. Since the 1970s, UMass Boston has expanded substantially, including building a new campus center in 2004 and a new science center in 2015. It has also hosted numerous important social and civic events. In 2000, for example,

3026-463: The Harris version Moroder would recall: "To be honest, it was a very difficult song to [arrange], especially the brass, but we had the best musicians in town." Summer's recording of "MacArthur Park", included as part of the "MacArthur Park Suite" on her double album Live and More , was eight minutes and forty seconds long. The shorter seven-inch vinyl single version – which omits the song's balladic second movement – afforded Summer her first #1 hit on

3115-700: The Lemuel Robinson Tavern, which stood on the east side of the upper road (Washington St.) near the present Fuller Street. Lemuel Robinson was a representative of the town during the Revolution and was appointed a colonel in the Revolutionary army." Dorchester (in a part of what is now South Boston) was also the site of the Battle of Dorchester Heights in 1776. As a result, the British evacuated Boston , pulling back to

3204-508: The Massachusett suffered a rapid decline in population due to the introduction of foreign infectious diseases to which they had no acquired immunity and violence related to settler colonialism . The Massachusett sachem , Chickatawbut , negotiated land treaties with the Puritan settlers before dying of smallpox in 1633. His brother, Cutshamekin , who succeeded him, deeded further land to

3293-520: The Nashville Brass. Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass took country music around the world, being one of the first acts in the genre to have their own airplane (originally a DC-3 later a Martin 404, named "Lady Barbara" for Davis' wife). They were also one of the first country acts to take the music to the Vegas strip, working first as an opening act for Connie Francis and later Kay Starr , they soon returned to headline. The group also guest starred on many of

3382-552: The Neponset River; Richard Callicott founded a trading post nearby. In 1641, Dorcas ye blackmore , an enslaved servant to Israel Stoughton , was the first recorded African American to join a church in New England. She served as an evangelist to Stoughton's Native American servants, and the First Parish Church of Dorchester attempted to help Dorcas gain her freedom. In 1649, Puritan missionaries, including John Eliot , began

3471-624: The North American colonies, and was working with Dr. James Baker, an American physician and investor. They opened America's first chocolate mill and factory in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester on the Neponset River. The Walter Baker Chocolate Factory, part of Walter Baker & Company , operated until 1965. Before the American Revolution , "The Sons of Liberty met in August 1769 at

3560-543: The Twist for Adults (MGM SE 3997). Six of the Titan songs on the second album received a great deal of exposure in 1964, when MGM used them to pad-out a collection of nascent Beatles tracks on an album called, The Beatles with Tony Sheridan & Guests (MGM SE 4215). While at MGM Davis was assigned to produce one of the label's most successful artists, Connie Francis . This collaboration lead to several number 1 hits for Francis. In

3649-618: The United States was held in Dorchester. Today, October 8 is annually celebrated as Town Meeting Day in Massachusetts. Dorchester is the birthplace of the first public elementary school in America, the Mather School , established in 1639. The school still stands as the oldest elementary school in the United States. In 1634 Israel Stoughton built one of the earliest grist mills in America on

Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-550: The band's original bass trombonist, Frank Smith, after Smith's death in a car accident); Larry Morton (guitar); Chuck Sanders (bass); Terry Waddell (drums); Curtis McPeake (banjo). Davis and his group performed the English version of the theme song for the Japanese animated series Speed Racer . Danny Davis' last chart appearance came in 1987 with the single "Green Eyes (Cryin' Those Blue Tears)" with featured vocalist Dona Mason. This song

3827-505: The best studio musicians working in New York at the time. Most notable among these is an album entitled Brass on the Rebound. This album was recorded in 1963 and featured only one woodwind player in the orchestra. In his career as a record producer Davis worked with a wide variety of artists, from Nina Simone to Frank Yankovic . During his days in New York, he was also involved in early testing for broadcasting television programs in color. In

3916-467: The biggest television shows of the day including Red Skelton , Ed Sullivan (including its last show) and the show of his old friend, Merv Griffin . In the 1980s, Davis joined the cast of Hee Haw as a member of the "Million Dollar Band" with fellow instrumentalists Floyd Cramer, Chet Atkins, Boots Randolph, Roy Clark (guitar), Charlie McCoy (harmonica), Johnny Gimble (fiddle) and Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (mandolin). Davis and his group maintained

4005-515: The cake that was left out in the rain, all of the things that are talked about in the song are things I actually saw. And so it's a kind of musical collage of this whole love affair that kind of went down in MacArthur Park.   ... Back then, I was kind of like an emotional machine, like whatever was going on inside me would bubble out of the piano and onto paper. Webb and Horton remained friends, even after her marriage to another man. The breakup

4094-503: The conservatory after only six weeks, when he was offered a job as a trumpeter with the band of the drummer, Gene Krupa . During the remainder of the 1940s and into the 1950s, Davis continued working as a trumpeter/vocalist in several big bands, including those of Bobby Byrne , Sammy Kaye , Art Mooney (he played First Trumpet on Mooney's " I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover "), Vincent Lopez and Freddy Martin . In Martin's band, in addition to his duties on trumpet, Davis sang as one of

4183-502: The demo (Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light") to a meeting of RCA executives in California. In October 1968 the first album The Nashville Brass Play The Nashville Sound was released. The first album was followed by The Nashville Brass featuring Danny Davis Play More Nashville Sounds in 1969. Neither sold well. In 1970, the second album received the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance . Beginning in 1969 and continuing for

4272-546: The earliest cession of Dorchester to Boston in 1804. Additional parts of Dorchester were ceded to Quincy (in 1792, 1814, 1819, and 1855). Portions of the original town of Dorchester developed as the separate towns of Hyde Park (1868 and later annexed to Boston in 1912), Milton (1662), and Stoughton (1726, itself later subdivided). In 1895, Frederick Law Olmsted , architect of the Boston Public Garden / Emerald Necklace in Boston and Central Park in New York City,

4361-424: The early 1960s, Davis began taking Francis to Nashville where he recorded pop versions of country songs with her. It was during this time that his idea to record country songs with brass instruments was born. Also during his time at MGM Davis was responsible for bringing Herman's Hermits (featuring Peter Noone) to the label. During his stint at MGM, Davis recorded several albums with an orchestra composed of some of

4450-413: The economy of the neighborhood by opening ethnic stores and restaurants. The sections of Dorchester have distinct ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic compositions. The eastern areas of Dorchester (especially between Adams Street and Dorchester Bay) are primarily ethnic European and Asian , with a large population of Irish Americans and Vietnamese Americans . Residents of the western, central and parts of

4539-425: The faculty of Harvard University and later at Tufts University ; and Count Gibson from Tufts University. Geiger had previously studied the first community health centers and the principles of Community Oriented Primary Care with Sidney Kark and colleagues while serving as a medical student in rural Natal , South Africa . The Columbia Point Health Center is still operating and was rededicated in 1990 as

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4628-648: The first Sunday in June, and the Community Banquet. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dorchester was a site for community activism related to diverse issues. The first racially integrated neighborhood developed on Jones Hill. One of the residents of that neighborhood, William Monroe Trotter , with W.E.B. Du Bois , helped to found the Niagara Movement , the precursor of the National Association for

4717-418: The founding of a new nation. The original settlement founded in 1630 was at what is now the intersection of Columbia Road and Massachusetts Avenue . (Even though Dorchester was annexed more than 100 years ago into the city of Boston, residents still annually celebrate the founding on Dorchester Day. This includes festivities and a parade down Dorchester Avenue ). Most of the early Dorchester settlers came from

4806-411: The group's producer, Bones Howe , asked Jimmy Webb to create a pop song with different movements and changing time signatures. Webb delivered "MacArthur Park" to Howe with "everything he wanted", but Howe did not care for the ambitious arrangement and unorthodox lyrics. Ultimately, the song was rejected by the group. "MacArthur Park" was first recorded by Richard Harris after he met the composer at

4895-496: The intersection of Dorchester Avenue and Adams Street, and Codman Square , at the intersection of Washington Street and Talbot Avenue. Adjacent to Fields Corner is the Harrison Square Historic District , also known as Clam Point. It is notable for its collection of substantial Italianate mansard residences. Dorchester Avenue is the major neighborhood spine, running in a south–north line through all of Dorchester from Lower Mills to downtown Boston. The southern part of Dorchester

4984-478: The later 20th century have come from the Caribbean Caribbean , Central and South America, and East and Southeast Asian Americans . Dorchester also has a significant LGBT population, with active political groups. It has the largest concentration of same-sex couples in Boston after the neighborhoods of South End and Jamaica Plain. Most of the people over the age of 25 have completed high school or obtained

5073-518: The many industrial workers. In the early 1950s, Dorchester became a center of civil rights activism by African Americans, who were constrained by de facto segregation in Boston. Martin Luther King Jr. lived there for much of the time he attended Boston University for his PhD. "With Boston's Baptist community riveted by his preaching and Coretta [Scott King] at his side, King's circle grew. The Dorchester apartment drew friends and followers like

5162-455: The mid-1960s, Davis moved to the RCA label. While still in New York he pitched his idea of recording country songs with a brass ensemble. Not long after he joined RCA, Davis was approved for transfer to the Nashville office by Chet Atkins . In Nashville, Davis was assigned to produce sessions on Waylon Jennings . Even though it was a recording produced by Davis that earned Jennings his first Grammy Award (" MacArthur Park " with The Kimberlys),

5251-416: The music charts in Europe and Australia and also won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) . In September 1978, American singer Donna Summer released a multi-million selling vinyl single disco version of "MacArthur Park". The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 11, 1978, for three weeks, and earned Summer her first nomination for

5340-430: The next five years Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass dominated the Country Music Association Awards Best Instrumental Group category. Over the years the group garnered eleven more Grammy nominations and received many other awards from recording industry publications and associations. Also in 1970 Davis changed his relationship with RCA, in that he ceased to produce other artists so he could concentrate all his energies on

5429-615: The original song [i.e. "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris] on the radio. I thought: 'That's it – that's the song we've been looking for for almost a year. ' " Moroder asked Neil Bogart , president of Casablanca Records , to provide him with a copy of the Richard Harris version of "MacArthur Park" to serve as the basis for Moroder's envisioned discofied reinvention: Bogart obliged with an 8-track tape containing Harris's version, prompting Moroder to buy an 8-track player in order to hear it. Moroder readily identified "MacArthur Park" as (quote) "a great song for Donna – with all those high notes, it

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5518-400: The original songs "One of a Kind" and " Heaven Knows ", the latter being issued as the second single off Live and More . This medley was also sold as a 12-inch (30 cm) vinyl recording, and it stayed at number one on Billboard ' s Hot Dance Club Songs chart for five weeks in 1978. The versions of this medley in Live and More and in the 12-inch recording are notably different in

5607-465: The original studio recording included members of The Wrecking Crew of Los Angeles-based studio musicians who played on many of the hit records of the 1960s and 1970s. Personnel used included Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass guitar, and Tommy Tedesco and Mike Deasy on guitars, along with Webb himself on harpsichord . The song was included on Harris's album A Tramp Shining in 1968 and selected for release as

5696-412: The pop recording by Tony Bennett . In the early 1960s, Davis assembled a session group called Danny Davis & the Titans around guitarist Billy Mure . In 1961, the group released an instrumental album entitled, Today's Teen Beat (MGM SE 3992). A few months later, the group followed it up with an album designed to capitalize on the " Twist " craze, with another instrumental album entitled, Let's Do

5785-440: The population to 150,000 by 1920. In the 2010 United States Census , the neighborhood's population was 92,115. The Dorchester neighborhood has a very diverse population, which includes a large concentration of African Americans , European Americans (particularly those of Irish , German , Italian , and Polish origin, reflecting late 19th and early 20th century immigration). More numerous immigrants and their descendants since

5874-413: The presentation of the two original songs. In the 12-inch version, "Heaven Knows" was extended to incorporate the instrumental string introduction and the bridge horn solo of the single version for radio stations, but left out the second verse, and "One of a Kind" was trimmed of a large part of the instrumental break but included the second verse. Lyrically, Summer's rendition is also curious, in that it adds

5963-484: The public on March 31, 2015. Dorchester is located south of downtown Boston and is surrounded by the neighborhoods of South Boston , Roxbury , Jamaica Plain , Hyde Park and South End , the city of Quincy and the town of Milton . The Neponset River separates Dorchester from Quincy and Milton. Dorchester is Boston's largest and most populous neighborhood. It comprises many smaller sections and squares. Due to its size of about six square miles (16 km ), it

6052-504: The settlers. The remaining Massachusett in the region, including Cutshamekin, accepted some Christianity as a form of survivance . They eventually resettled in the Praying Town of Natick . In 1623 a syndicate of Dorsetshire fishermen organized an outport of fishing stages and flakes at Dorchester. In 1626 David Thompson settled his family on Thompson Island in what is now Dorchester before Boston's Puritan migration wave began in 1630. On May 30, 1630, Captain Squib of

6141-515: The ship Mary and John entered Boston Harbor . On June 17, 1630, he landed a boat with eight men on the Dorchester shore, at what was then a narrow peninsula known as Mattapan or Mattaponnock. Today it is known as Columbia Point (more popularly since 1984 as Harbor Point). Those aboard the ship who founded the town included William Phelps , Roger Ludlowe , John Mason , John Maverick, Nicholas Upsall , Capt. Roger Fyler, William Gaylord, Henry Wolcott, and other men who would become prominent in

6230-403: The song's chorus: "I recorded about 20 seconds of all the notes, which I was able to sing on a 24-track. I made a loop of those notes, and put that loop in the [Solid State Logic] desk. I could form eight chords by having C-E-G right on the group. I played the chords by moving the track according to the chord that I needed." Of basing a discofied arrangement on the template for Webb's arrangement on

6319-494: The southern sections of the neighborhood are predominantly African American. In Neponset, the southeast corner of the neighborhood, as well as parts of Savin Hill in the north and Cedar Grove in the south, Irish Americans maintain the most visible identity. MacArthur Park (song) " MacArthur Park " is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first in 1967 by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris . Harris's version peaked at number two on

6408-734: The special kind of stone, "Roxbury puddingstone" , quarried in Dorchester, which was used to build churches in the Boston area. Most notable of these is the Central Congregational Church (later called the Church of the Covenant ) in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. In 1845, the Old Colony Railroad ran through the area and connected Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts . The station was originally called Crescent Avenue or Crescent Avenue Depot as an Old Colony Railroad station. The name

6497-458: The street from the park. When asked by interviewer Terry Gross what was going through his mind when he wrote the song's lyrics, Webb replied that it was meant to be symbolic and referred to the end of a love affair. In an interview with Newsday in October 2014, Webb explained: Everything in the song was visible. There's nothing in it that's fabricated. The old men playing checkers by the trees,

6586-409: The suburbs, certain Boston banks and real estate companies developed a blockbusting plan for the area. The Blue Hill Avenue area was " redlined " so that only the newly arriving African Americans would receive mortgages for housing in that section. "White flight" was prevalent. After changes to US immigration law in 1965, Dorchester received new waves of migrants from Puerto Rico, and immigrants from

6675-565: The suburbs. Newer African, Asian, and Caribbean immigrants and their descendants settled here in the older housing in a succession of ethnicities. The first community health center in the United States was the Columbia Point Health Center in Dorchester. It was opened in December 1965 and served mostly the massive Columbia Point public housing complex adjoining it. It was founded by two medical doctors, Jack Geiger , who had been on

6764-478: The two men did not have a good working relationship. It is reported that on one occasion Jennings pulled a gun on Davis during a recording session, but Davis denies the incident ever took place. Davis also worked with other RCA artists including Dottie West , Floyd Cramer and Hank Locklin . One evening Davis was in the presence of his employer, Chet Atkins , and Davis told Atkins of his idea of recording country songs with brass instruments. Davis set out to work on

6853-465: The university hosted a presidential candidates’ debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore . In 1977, after an unsuccessful bid by Cambridge to have the John F. Kennedy Library located there, close to the late president's alma mater Harvard University , a site was chosen at the tip of Columbia Point and ground was broken. Designed by architect I. M. Pei , the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

6942-518: The word "Chinese" to clarify what type of checkers was being played. "MacArthur Park Suite" was not included on the compact disc version of Live and More because of early CD limitations; however, the album version is available on 1987's The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles . The 12" Special One-Sided Disco DJ Single has been digitally remastered and included on the Bad Girls digipak double CD release. In 2012, "Live and More"

7031-607: Was a common name in the South. Davis's father died when he was five years old. His mother supported the family by giving music lessons (piano and voice) in the family home. Davis began playing trumpet at an early age under the guidance of a man named Joseph Donovan. By age 14 he was trumpet soloist with the Massachusetts All-State Symphony Orchestra and was granted admittance to the New England Conservatory of Music . In 1940, he decided to leave

7120-579: Was also the primary influence for " By the Time I Get to Phoenix ", another song written and composed by Webb. The idea to write and compose a classically structured song with several movements that could be played on the radio came from a challenge by music producer Bones Howe , who produced recordings for The Association. Sunshine pop band the Association had several hits in the mid-1960s, including " Windy " and " Cherish ", which went to number one. In 1967,

7209-406: Was annexed by Boston in pieces beginning on March 6, 1804, and ending with complete annexation to the city of Boston after a plebiscite was held in Boston and Dorchester on June 22, 1869. As a result, Dorchester officially became part of Boston on January 3, 1870. This is the historic reason that Dorchester Heights is today considered part of South Boston, not modern-day Dorchester. It was part of

7298-551: Was changed to Columbia, which lasted until December 1, 1982. It was then changed again, to JFK/UMASS . It is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority rail line station for both the Red Line subway and the Plymouth/Kingston , Middleborough/Lakeville and Greenbush commuter rail lines. In the 1840s and 1850s, a new wave of development took place on a strip of waterfront overlooking Dorchester Bay (Park and Mill streets at

7387-640: Was commissioned to create Dorchester Park . It was intended as an urban forest for the residents of a growing Dorchester. In 1904, the Dorchester Historical Society incorporated "Dorchester Day", which commemorated the settlement of Dorchester in 1630. Celebrated annually, Dorchester Day is a tableau of community events, highlighted by such activities as the Landing Day Observance, the Dorchester Day Parade along Dorchester Avenue

7476-426: Was dedicated on October 20, 1979. By the 1980s, the Blue Hill Avenue section of Dorchester had become a predominantly Black community. During the 1990s, the city administration increased police presence and invested city money into the area for more street lighting. On March 30, 2015, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate was dedicated by President Barack Obama . The Institute opened to

7565-561: Was operated as the Boston Sewer system's headworks, handling all of the city's sewage, until 1968. At that time a new treatment facility was built on Deer Island . The pumping station is architecturally significant as a Richardsonian Romanesque designed by Boston City architect, George Clough .The only remaining 19th-century building on Columbia Point, the headworks is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Dorchester

7654-423: Was perfect [for her]   ... First, I [located] a key that she could sing really high, but still with a big voice – that took an hour or two. I played a little piano and she sang it with my accompaniment. We found a key and we had Greg Mathieson do the arrangement – and then I did something very special" – that "something very special" being Moroder's recording of his own voice to form a choir heard behind Summer on

7743-589: Was remastered in Japan and included the original LP version of the "MacArthur Park Suite". In 2013, the song was remixed by Laidback Luke for the Donna Summer remix album Love To Love You Donna (it was also remixed by Ralphi Rosario and Frank Lamboy), which was released to dance clubs all over America, having a successful peaking at No. 1, giving Summer her first posthumous No. 1 and her twentieth No. 1 overall. British electronic duo Pet Shop Boys used

7832-649: Was the last appearance by a Black woman on the country music charts until Rissi Palmer 's " Country Girl " twenty years later. Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass gave their final public performance on July 23, 2005, at the Colonnade in Ringgold, Georgia . Davis was eighty years old at the time. After Davis retired from performing, he and his wife of fifty-seven years, Barbara continued to make Nashville their home. The couple has four children: Kerry, Kim, Gavin and Tara. Danny and former Nashville Brass trumpeter, Ray Carroll, began

7921-548: Was written and composed by Jimmy Webb in the summer and fall of 1967 as part of a cantata . Webb brought the entire cantata to The Association , but the group rejected it. The inspiration for the song was his relationship and breakup with Susie Horton. MacArthur Park , in Los Angeles, was where the couple would occasionally meet for lunch and spent their most enjoyable times together. At that time (the middle of 1965), Horton worked for Aetna insurance, whose offices were across

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