Adomono: Gypsy
Jerry Stiller look-a-like flamenco guitar dude record that is actually pretty far out. To look at the titles on this set of all covers does not exactly fill you with enthusiasm, but they are so completely drenched with echo that even the most banal 60’s pop cover is transcended into enjoyable weirdness. And according to the liner notes Adomono was “John F. Kennedy’s favorite music”. I swear I’m not making this up.
“Flight of the Bumblebee”
[audio:gypsy.mp3]
22 Comments
Oh man, that’s cool. Love to hear more from this one… hint hint :)
Crazy stuff–it’s like a cross between “Flight of the Bumblebee” and “Popcorn.”
I am pleased you like my father’s music.
He recorded three albums in his lifetime,(& was working on his forth before he passed away).
All it was was Him, the guitar on the cover, an amp, & an echoplex.
I remember him coming home every night during the making of this album, very tired, but pleased how it was turning out.
The J.F.K. statement, btw, is true.
My father campaigned for him, & Mr. Kennedy promised my dad that if he won, he would invite my father to peform at The White House.
He also performed at The California Governor’s Mansion, during Ronald Reagan’s term.
My father passed away in 1990, but not a day goes by where i don’t think about him.
Again, thanks for enjoying his music.
also…I don’t think he looks like Jerry Stiller.
People always said he looked like Clark Gable.
i am pleased to say john adomono is my grandfather, and nick adomono is my uncle,and i have 3 boys that play gutar like grandad,he was the best,i took my son joey to gutar school when he was 7 and the teacher sed he was amazeing, so his talint still lives on! he was one classey man!
Well, I’m the First son of Johnny Adomono….
And like most in his family..i never knew my dad.
I’m just glad Nick got to see him..probally more than any of his kids…Give or take. Fatima too,
I’m proud to be his son…but Johnny Adomono, was always chaseing his Dream…and left his children behind….Never knowing what they would become….I just wished he would have came around to see what i’ve acomplished ,of me being in the entertaiment world…and i know others that were Children & Grand children wished the same!
Johnny never knew or stayed around to see them grow up & see what they would become…that was his loss…And He was ours!
So, for us, who are related, who never got to see him much …Thank God…there are some who saw who he was & what he did…even though, some of what he did wasn’t good!
But, what he did, artisicly…in music, was simply amazing!!!
Love all my family!
Write me sometime…jkaeagle1@aol.com
KEVIN ADAMS
yesterdayevents.com
While stationed at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, from 1959 to 1961, I went with my buddies many times to see John Adomono perform at Donn the Beachcomber’s at the entrance to the International Marketplace. He always packed the house. One night when we were there, in walked Henry J. Kaiser and his entourage and got a table near the stage. Adomono’s playing was always frenetic, and he went through several strings a night. On this particular night, he was replacing a string and muttered, “They ought to find something else to use to make these strings.” Then, as if inspired, he looked at Mr. Kaiser and said, “Aluminum, by golly!” I left Hawaii with one of his albums, the one on which he is pictured with a two-neck guitar. He never played that instrument that I know of. It was borrowed from a shop in the International Marketplace for the album photo shoot. Through the years, that album has disappeared.
Flight of the Bungle Bee!
When I was a kid, I found Night at the Beachcomber in my dad’s record collection and wore it out.
My dad told me that when he was in the Navy, he saw John Adomono in concert in Hawaii and bought the album there.
Sure wish I could find the music again somewhere, the album is long gone.
im his first wife katherines, grandaughter, my mom is johns dad. ive always loved and played the guitar and i wish i could have met him. id like to speak with nick… mail me at thugette@tmo.blackberry.net
Hi My great great Grandfather Joseph H Behee is the maker of the Harp Guitar ont the cover of
“A NIGHT AT THE BEACHCOMBER” with Adomono.It is A BEHEE HARP Guitar Patented in 1907. This is a very rare Harp Guitar.
hi eric john adomono is my great grand pa and i have a bee hee harp it is almost exactly the same
but my guitar has inlay on the frets please give me some info on the guitar and ill send you some pics of it robot_guitar@yahoo.com
Bought this album at a yard sale for 25 cents. Im addicted! What a truly blessed musician. Im looking all over for more….cant wait to share with all my friends.
The Behee lyric guitar was patented by my great grand father Joseph H. Behee. He had a son Joseph H. Behee Jr who patented a sandblasting techique for headstones. Joe Jr lived in Kansas City and was famous for his carvingd on headstones. My great uncle, F.B. Behee lived in San Gabriel, CA and I knew him and visited his home in 1956. “Frank” showed me his shop and how he made his guitars. Joe Sr and Frank were pattern makers for foundrys. Frank a.k.a. “F.B.” took his first guitar to a music store in L.A. and Jerry Wallace saw it and bought it on the spot. Jerry and Frank became friends and Frank watched Jerry record at R.C.A.’s studio in L.A. There is much confusion about the two Joseph H. Behees but Frank made the guitars in the late 50’s and early 60’s. they had a Fender pick up with recieving screws set under the 2 strings. You could “fine tune” the sound by running the screw closer to the strings. The “sounding horns” held the sound much longer than a regular guitar. Joe Behee Sr and Jr and Frank had a violin facory in Kansas City in WWI. When the war ended the cheaper german violins came back to the market at they were forced out of buisness. This was told to me by my great uncle F.B. “Frank” Behee in 1956. I was a “Disk Jocky” 1958 to 1961 and played Jerry Wallaces music on the stations I worked for.
Lee H. Thomasson.
dear sir, I just wanted you to know that I saw your dad in Hawaii, in the 60’s. as a guitar player of little talent, it was a pleasure and an honor to see him perform. he was quite a talent. I do remember he said he was from Brooklyn,ny. but I could be wrong
when i came home ,I bought two albums of his, but I left them with my mom and dad, and I never saw them again.
bottom line , he was tremendous talent and awesome to see on stage.
wish I could get those albums again…
thanks again,
hugh macdougall
In the late 50’s, my wife to be and I spent many evenings in Waikiki listening to Adomono. We loved listening to this amazing guitarist. After 54 years we can still hear his music in our heads.
Read a story about John and had to search Bing to find this site …. just heard The FLight and all I can say is WWWWWOOOOOWWWWW ….. amazing …
John Adomono was my grandfather.
his daugther, my mother is Fatima.
unfortunately i do not have many
memorys of him, as he died when i
was only 6. i do know that he did
perform at JFK inauguration ceremony.
as far as i know there was a letter of
thanks from the white house, but it
was lost. i wish there was a way to retrieve it.
there are many, many! storys of his life there
are very good, bad and ugly. if anyone would
be interested in knowing more about him
feel free to contact me at @tinam951@yahoo.com
just picked this record up used for a buck! it kicks butt. cool cover. nice to see his relatives leave comments!!!
I’m a grandson of adomonos by mother Christine – my name is Steve (Peter)Adams and remember my grand dad pretty well while I was groing up I was about 20 years old when he passed and I must say that he truly was very talented and gifted and was a very loving man to my mom and her sister Fatima and nick also. That I know and for the record he did play for JFK. And I remember him talking about the rat pack quite often. He also drove a black cadillac el dorado convertible with 8 track tape player. As I was a kid and I just use to enjoy riding in that back seat top down sunny ca weather and many many! Beautiful women always around lol he was also talented in the player field as they call it today. But no matter I am very proud to say I loved and always will love my grandfather aka papo. Your grandson peter…ohh and btw I have albums and news paper clippings showing photos with the first family.
From Peter again also wanted too mention that for thous of you who wants his music just simply go to apple iTunes and search adomono
I was a student nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu from 1959 – 1962. My roommate and I were frequent customers at Don the Beachcombers even though we were still minors with forged ID’S. Adomono was our favorite musician of all and we were thrilled one night when he came over and talked to us for a few minutes. Am now an ol’ retired nurse and greatgrandmother. I’ve recently downsized from a large home to a one bedroom duplex in Kentucky and was sorting through the dozens of vinyl albums and came across his album, “A Night at the Beachcomber”. Would you like me to send it to you? I no longer have a turntable.
Went to many Johnny Adomono shows at Harrahs in Lake Tahoe and Reno. Loved it when he sang “It’s Magic” Often wondered what happened to him, he should have made the Big Time he was that good.