Local Artist Involved In Sattelite Radio Lawsuit

The Wall Street Journal reports that the popular band from the '60, The Turtles, has filed a 100 million dollar lawsuit against sattelite broadcast giant Sirius XM, claiming that the groups music was played without it's permission.  While, what is known as terrestrial radio does not have to pay performers for playing it's music, assuming that the airplay will boost it's sales,  sattellite radio is bound by copyright laws,  however, while federal law protects work done after 1972, works prior to the year are protected by state law. The lead singer of the Turtles is Bellevue based Howard Kaylan. His longtime bandmate Mark Volman is to his left. You can read the specifics of the case by clicking here.

Shell Shocked: Review

Shell Schocked is the autobiography of Howard Kaylan, subtitled, "my life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa.'  Howard was lead singer of the 60s hit making group, The Turtles.In this book, he takes you on his Rock and Roll journey, along the way, you meet The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper and many more of your favorite rock artists.  Although, maybe not thought of generally of a Rock And Roll "bad boy", he has lead a tumoultous life of excesses, which in the book, he gives himself a written tsk, tsk.  Still performing partners with fellow Turtle Mark Volman, Kaylan was in the Mothers Of Invention with Frank Zappa, part of Flo And Eddie with Volman, as well as a back up singer in Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart.  Ever wonder about "how is the weather" in the fade out of classic "Happy Together"?   It's in this book.
Today, Howard still performs live shows in the latest version of the Turtles, he lives in suburban Seattle with his wife, Michelle, who often comes to our store with their dog, Poochifer.

Turtle Pokes Head Out Of Shell--Pens Book

 

When I was little, I used to love the teen dancing shows  The Beatles were emerging and bands had cool names like The Animals, The Grass Roots, The Byrds, and The Turtles.  I remember exactly were I was when I first heard the monster hit "Happy Together", a song that brighten  your day just by hearing it, I loved the phrase "no matter how they tossed the dice, it had to be", it conjures images of walking through the park in the sunshine.  The Turtles lead singer Howard Kaylan lives in the Seattle area and I was fortunate to meet him and his wife.
Howard's new book Shell Shocked chronicles his years as a giant in a very important era in the growth of Rock as an entertainment force.
Howard was also a member of "The Mothers Of Invention" and was performing when the Swiss casino burned down, an event that was referenced in the Deep Purple classic "Smoke On The Water".
He also returned to perform with fellow Turtle Mark Volman as Flo and Eddie as by contractual agreement at the time, they could not perform as "The Turtles" or even use their actual names.
From what I can see, Howard lives a pretty modest life in the area, you may have seen him in a store and not noticed, but his contributions to Rock And Roll are extraordinary.  You can order his book on Amazon by clicking here.  By the way, I would be remiss not to mention Howard has a cool golden doodle named Pouchifer who loves to come to our UPS Store in Crossroads.
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