1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,759 Speaker 1: The True Story of the Fake Zombies is a production 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: of iHeart Podcasts, Talk House and never Mind Media. When 3 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: you're searching for the roots of a rock and roll 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: band that existed fifty five years ago, you suddenly realized 5 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: that the history of modern American music can be traced 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: back to a few key figures. In the search for 7 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: the Fake Zombies, I encountered some big ones like Clive 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: Davis and Don Kershner, guys who created the rock and 9 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: roll business. Then they're the artists themselves, people who created 10 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: the thing we now call rock and roll, that question Mark, 11 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: and the mysterians Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. Bay City, Michigan, 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: the epicenter of the story of the Fake Zombies, is 13 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: a town where music matters. It was the home of 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: Delta Promotions and the place where Bill Kehoe and Jim 15 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: Atherton cooked up their audacious scheme out not one, but 16 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: two bands pretending to be the Zombies, plus fake versions 17 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: of the Animals and the Archies just for good measure. 18 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: It would have been impossible to start putting together the 19 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: pieces of this crazy tale without the Bay City people 20 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: who got pulled into this wild con, People like former 21 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: Delta Promotions employee Tom Hocot, mysterious guitarist Bobby Balbarama, and 22 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: Jim Atherton's prom day and longtime friend Ria Thompson. Hello 23 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: from the moment I found that faded black and white 24 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: promotional photo of the Texas Zombies with Delta Promotions address 25 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: and phone number on it. The person who did more 26 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: than anyone else to help me open up the world 27 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: of this story was Bay City's resident rock and roll historian, 28 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: Gary Doctor J. Johnson. Good to start here, take me around? 29 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 2: Okay, well, gettis. 30 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: Gary's passion for and deep knowledge of music is pretty 31 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: much unparalleled, and when it comes to the music of Michigan, 32 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: there is literally nobody who knows more. He's an encyclopedia 33 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: of information on bands from Detroit, the up and everywhere 34 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: else in Michigan. A few years ago, Gary put a 35 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: lifetime's worth of rock and roll memories from his home 36 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: state to good use by creating the Michigan Rock and 37 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: Roll Legends Museum, which is now housed on the second 38 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 1: floor of the Bay City Historical Society. 39 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 2: Let me take you through this. This is our newest 40 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 2: exhibit right here. This, to me is one of the 41 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 2: coolest things about the. 42 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: Museum, and if you go past the first floor exhibits 43 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: about logging and milling and shipbuilding, and go up the stairs, 44 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: you find yourself in a room overflowing with Michigan music memorabilia. 45 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: There's rock posters and guitars connected to everybody from Del 46 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: Shannon to Bob Seeger to MC five and Bay City's 47 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: prodigal daughter Madonna and the Bay City Rollers, whose name 48 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: is a reference to the town. They were actually from Scotland. 49 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 2: Of course. This is the big Madonnas Mick Jagger swinging 50 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 2: over the audio, the poster from the seventy two tour. 51 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 2: We have that here, autographs, autographed, the guitar, and we 52 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 2: have that, we have the original release. Anyways, we've got 53 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 2: some interesting things. 54 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: Taking center stage in the museum is something that's not 55 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: technically memorabilia. It's something much bigger, literally and figuratively. It's 56 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: made of granite. It's thirty three inches high, twenty seven 57 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: inches wide and eight inches deep, and it weighs more 58 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: than a thousand pounds. 59 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 2: I said, you know, we have to tell the story 60 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 2: of the tombstone, so it starts out over it. 61 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: I'm Daniel Ralstone and this is the first bonus episode 62 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: of the True Story of the Fake Zombie Frankie Lyman's 63 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: Tombstone Blues. Frankie Lyman is one of those figures that 64 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: shaped modern music, one of the earliest architects of what 65 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: we now know is pop music. When Frankie Lymon became 66 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: a star back in nineteen fifty six, he was thirteen. 67 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: Lyman and his bandmates were called the Teenagers because they 68 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: were all very much teenagers, though just barely. Gary says, 69 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: the fact that Frankie was so young opened a lot 70 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: of other young people's eyes. 71 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: Like Gary, he like opened the door for young people 72 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 2: to think, Jae, you know, I could probably do this, 73 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 2: and really important in Michigan because you know, all these 74 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 2: artists who would become so big at Motown, you know, 75 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 2: eight or nine years later, were only teenagers, like Smokey 76 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 2: Robinson forming his early groups, Diana Ross forming her early 77 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 2: vocal groups. 78 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:55,679 Speaker 1: If you know Frankie Lymon's name, you know the deep 79 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 1: debt people like Justin Bieber, the Backstreet Boys and in Sync. 80 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: Out of his group, frank Lymon and the Teenagers, they 81 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: were the original boy band. That whole boy band thing 82 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: started when Frankie Lymon announced himself to the world in 83 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty six with the band single Why Do Fools 84 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: Fall in Love? The song was a smash hit, reaching 85 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: number six on the Billboard chart, number one on the 86 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: R and B charts, and hitting number one in the UK. 87 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 2: The guys that were in The Temptations who went on 88 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: to become The Temptations were all teenagers. Stevie Wonder was 89 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 2: probably only six years old at that particular time when 90 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 2: he heard that song, So I think you know that 91 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 2: just allowed young people to dream that they could do 92 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 2: those things. 93 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: That song, and especially Frankie's high, boyish vocals, made such 94 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,719 Speaker 1: an impression that that sound essentially became the blueprint used 95 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: by Barry Gordy for his motown girl groups, especially Diana 96 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,600 Speaker 1: Ross and The Supremes. Diana Ross has covered Frankie in 97 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: her live set for decades. Frankie Lymon has also been 98 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: cited as an influence by Michael Jackson, Ronnie Specter, The Temptations, 99 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: George Clinton, Smokey Robinson, and Billy Joel, and Why Do 100 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: Fools Fall in Love was covered by the Beach Boys 101 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:51,679 Speaker 1: and Joni Mitchell. Watching old clips of Frankie, his voice 102 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: so youthful and powerful his incredible dance moves. It's easy 103 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: to see why he was the blueprint for such a 104 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: wide range of artists and the foundation of the motown sound. 105 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 2: When Phil Spector first heard the ron Nats Ronnie Bennett, 106 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 2: he said, had a voice like Frankie Lyman. So you 107 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 2: see that kind of connection, and you know then the 108 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 2: song itself, which becomes a hit again in the in 109 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 2: the sixties, or even back in the nineteen fifties when 110 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 2: Black Axe had difficulty getting played in a lot of 111 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 2: radio stations, the song was a big hit for two 112 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 2: white artists at the same time. 113 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty six, Lyman and his band appeared in 114 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: the rebellion Flick Rock Rock Rock and put out songs 115 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: throughout the middle of nineteen fifty seven, at which point 116 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: Frankie went solo. Looking back, that decision to split with 117 00:07:53,280 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: the Teenagers would leave Frankie down a dark pat recording 118 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: throughout the fifties, but his solo work didn't come anywhere 119 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: close to replicating the success he had with the Teenagers. 120 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: By the early sixties, Frankie's career was headed downhill. The 121 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: tale of Frankie Lyman is fundamentally a tragic one. Lyman 122 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: was introduced to heroin at the age of fifteen. As 123 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: his star began to fade, his drug problems increased. He 124 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: went to rehab in nineteen sixty one. In nineteen sixty six, 125 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,559 Speaker 1: a decade after his heyday with the Teenagers, he was 126 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: arrested on a heroin charge. Instead of doing jail time, 127 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: he spent two years in the army, during which he 128 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: seemingly got clean. After being discharged, he moved in with 129 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: his grandmother and worked on getting his music career back 130 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: on track. Things were looking good, and he managed to 131 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: set up a recording session on February twenty eighth, nineteen 132 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: sixty eight, thanks to interest from his old label, Roulette Records. Tragically, though, 133 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 1: he chose to celebrate this good news by using again. 134 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: Frankie Lyman was found dead of an overdose in his 135 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: grandmother's bathroom, a syringe lying next to him, on February 136 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: twenty seventh, nineteen sixty eight, the day before the comeback 137 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: recording session. He was just twenty five. There are unbelievably 138 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: high peaks in Frankie Lyman's story and an equally tragic 139 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: and untimely death. But there's another side that's arguably even 140 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: more interesting the stuff of Hollywood movies. Right after filmmaker 141 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: Gregory Nava directed Jennifer Lopez in her breakthrough role playing 142 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 1: the title character in Selena, Nava made another biopic about 143 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: a singer gone before their time. It's called Why Do 144 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: Fools Fall in Love? The movie has that title not 145 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: only because of Lyman's biggest hit, but also because Lymon's 146 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: love life was off the charts crazy, specifically his marital life. 147 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: When Frankie Lymon died, there was a dispute over the 148 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: royalties for his biggest song, Why Do Fools Fall in Love? 149 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: They came to light that there were not one or two, 150 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: but three women who were married to Frankie Lymon when 151 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: he passed. That charisma and swag that Lyman showed on 152 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: stage was very much carried over to his life off stage. 153 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 1: He'd walked down the aisle with Elizabeth Waters in nineteen 154 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: sixty four, but also singer Zola Taylor from The Platters 155 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty five and schoolteacher Amira Eagle in nineteen 156 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: sixty seven, marrying wives number two and three without ever 157 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:46,239 Speaker 1: bothering to get divorced. In the course of the royalty dispute, 158 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: it turned out that his first wife, Elizabeth Waters, had 159 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,040 Speaker 1: never actually divorced her first husband, and then, while Lyman's 160 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: relationship with Zola Taylor was real, his marriage to her, 161 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: which took place in Mexico, may have in fact been 162 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,560 Speaker 1: a publicity stunt. In either way, Taylor had no paperwork 163 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: to prove that her marriage to Frankie was legal. If 164 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: you want to check out the big screen version of 165 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 1: the story, it stars Halle Berry and Vivica A Fox, 166 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: and there's a cameo by Little Richard as himself. Of course, 167 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: Why Do Fools Fall in Love is available now to stream. 168 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: When Frankie died in nineteen sixty eight, he was buried 169 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,079 Speaker 1: in his hometown of New York City in Saint Raymond 170 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: Cemetery in the Bronx. After his passing, Whye a Fools 171 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: Fall in Love got even more popular after it was 172 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: featured in George Lucas's American Graffiti. Frankie's story was told 173 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: in the movie Why Do Fools Fall in Love? And 174 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,439 Speaker 1: Frankie and the Teenagers have been inducted into both the 175 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,559 Speaker 1: Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll 176 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. When a group of his fans discovered 177 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: that Frankie had been buried in an unmarked grave, they 178 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: pulled together three thousand dollars to have a tombstone. Mate 179 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: Beneath his name and the dates of his birth and 180 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: death are the words we Promise to Remember, which plays 181 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: on another classic song by Frankie and the Teenagers, I 182 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: Promised to remember. The man whose idea was to have 183 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 1: that tombstone made. New Jersey music store owner and ardent 184 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: Officionado Vocal Harmony Group's Ronnie Italiano reached out to Lyman's 185 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 1: widow and Myra Eagle about having the tombstone installed by 186 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: his grave at Saint Raymond Cemetery. This was right in 187 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: the middle of the legal battle over royalties involving all 188 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 1: three of Lyman's reported widows. Eagle asked Italiana to hold 189 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: off on moving the tombstone until a less contentious time, so, 190 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: initially as a temporary measure, Taliano held onto the tombstone 191 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: and displayed it at a store. The tombstone found its 192 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: home in the window of Ronnie Eye's Clifton music store, 193 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: the Clifton, New Jersey, where it was mounted on a 194 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 1: riser a top a bed of synthetic grass with plastic 195 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 1: flowers laid around it. When Ronnie Italiano died in two 196 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,199 Speaker 1: thousand and eight, his widow took over running the store, 197 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: but it closed in twenty twelve. The question was where 198 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: would Frankie Lymon's tombstone live. A friend of Italiano's, Pam Nardella, 199 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: who had met him through their shared love of groups 200 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 1: like Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, ended up having the 201 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:25,840 Speaker 1: tombstone transported to her garden in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, 202 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: where it looked a little out of place amongst her 203 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: flowers and a Nativity set. It stayed there for a 204 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: full eight years, from twenty twelve until twenty twenty, when 205 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: Gary Johnson, who'd read about it in a book called 206 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: Weird New Jersey, tracked down Nardella and pitched her on 207 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: an idea to move the granite headstone from her backyard 208 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: to a more fitting final resting place his Rock and 209 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: Roll Legends Museum in Bay City, Michigan. Nardella always wanted 210 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: the tombstone to have a better and more fitting home 211 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 1: than her backyard, but neither the Smithsonian nor the rock 212 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: of a Hall of fame. Despite Lyman being an inductee 213 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: showed any genuine interest. In twenty twenty, Gary Johnson was 214 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: in the process of opening the Michigan Rock and Roll 215 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: Legends Museum and thought Frankie Lymon's tombstone would be an 216 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: incredible addition to its collection. Though Frankie Lymon wasn't a 217 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: Michigan artist, his music had been so influential for Motown 218 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: artists and arguably Motown is the sound of Michigan, that 219 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: he held a very important place in the musical history 220 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: of the state. More importantly, Gary cared enough to tackle 221 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: the major logistical headache of getting this obscenely heavy piece 222 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: of history almost halfway across the country. This was late 223 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, and the sad reality is that most of 224 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: the monument companies Gary contacted about moving the tombstone were 225 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: too busy to help him. Fortunately, Gary found a company 226 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 1: who understood the significance of the tombstone and was willing 227 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: to help out in a special circumstance like this. On 228 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:58,800 Speaker 1: December eleventh, twenty twenty, Gary and Pam Nardella were joined 229 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: by fellow music fans journalists, all masked in socially distanced 230 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: as the tombstone was carefully removed from its spot in 231 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: Pam's backyard and winched into a truck ready to begin 232 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: the long journey to Bay City. It arrived at the 233 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: Bay City Historical Society a little over a month later. 234 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: It wouldn't be put into the final spot in the 235 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: museum until the summer. At the time, Garry was still 236 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: in the process of bringing together the different pieces for 237 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: his Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Museum when Frankie's tombstone 238 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: was placed in the center of the room. On a 239 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: wall nearby were pictures of the most pivotal figures in 240 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: Michigan music history, motown legends, people like Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, 241 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: and the Miracles, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder the Temptations. They 242 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: had all cited Frankie Lymon as an important influence. Frankie 243 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: Lymon's Tombstone had found its home in the Michigan Rock 244 00:15:52,520 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 1: and Roll Legends Museum. After all the people left, all 245 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: the equipments put away, and the tombstone was in its 246 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: final resting place. Gary stood there alone. He can't be sure, 247 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: but there, surrounded by all those Michigan music legends, he 248 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: thought he saw something. 249 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 2: You know, there is a rumor that the Historical Museum 250 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 2: is haunted, and you know, when you're in the museum 251 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 2: all by yourself, I mean it's a very old building 252 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 2: and there are noises. You know, there's the tombstone and 253 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 2: these pictures of the artists that were in the Hall 254 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 2: of Fame, and many of them probably shared a stage 255 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 2: with Frankie Lyman back in the day. It was real 256 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 2: strange because of the lighting in the gallery. There was 257 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 2: kind of like a reflection off the tombstone out of 258 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,720 Speaker 2: the floor and you know, so there's all that that 259 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 2: was part and parts love it. So I'm not a 260 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 2: real big believer in the supernatural, but it was kind 261 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 2: of interesting to be there at that particular time. 262 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,360 Speaker 1: This episode is dedicated to all the music Michigan legends 263 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: who help build rock and roll special thanks to Gary 264 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: Johnson from the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Museum. Got 265 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 1: a fake zombie story to share, We've set up an 266 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,879 Speaker 1: email address, Fake Zombies Pod at gmail dot com. This 267 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 1: podcast was written by Daniel Ralston and Nick Dawson. Produced 268 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 1: by Nick Dawson and Anna McLean. Original music by Robin Hatch. 269 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,199 Speaker 1: Executive produced by Melissa Locker, Ian Wheeler, and Daniel Ralston. 270 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 1: The True Story of the Fake Zombies is a production 271 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 1: of iHeart Podcasts, Talk House and Nevermind Media. For more 272 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 273 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:00,399 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your pots. Guests