Bill “Smoochie” Gordon / Bill “Honky Tonk” Doggett = Gabmen Extraordinaire
Before I write about Bill “Smoochie” Gordon …. and … Bill “Honky Tonk” Doggett …
let me write … about dear friend and colleague … Alice Gall Hanson Cooke.
Who was Alice? The PRODUCTION-ASSISTANT to … MEDIA and TALK SHOW PIONEER … BILL “SMOOCHIE” Gordon.
Actually, we met Alice thru Bill … and … Bill we met … via Car Dealer … aka … Media Maven Dick Posner … (for whom we wrote a jingle).
More ’bout the fun … P.A. ALICE. She also acted as BOOKER-ALICE. She often booked … MUSICIAN-DENNIS … and at some really FUN PLACES. Like the ones on Shaker Square. Why? To reference that movie titled, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” … Alice didn’t live there anymore … near the square … but … she knew EVERYONE around the square … and … everywhere else. How so?
Because of her family’s business … GALL PRINTING. It was run by her late father … along with Alice’s mother. Yes, she’s the one who gave Alice … that affinity for facts … and names. Hence … MRS. IRENE GALL was affectionately dubbed … “THE MAYOR OF SHAKER SQUARE”. Alice was a chip off that ole printing block … (so to speak).
Another aspect of Alice’s very persuasive personality? She inspired enthusiasm. Alice presented ideas and opinions … with great confidence. She would do what she needed to do … to get her point across. She was genuinely not afraid to push a subject … that others might hesitate to raise. That’s what made … this PETITE person … appear so TALL in stature.
Speaking of subjects … she was a WELL-RESPECTED TEACHER … in the prestigious Shaker Heights School System. She was so POPULAR … that she was the FIRST called to SUBSTITUTE. Often times those calls were at the very LAST minute. Students would cheer Alice … upon her entering their classroom. We would cheer … whenever we were lucky enough … to have her help. There were many media events … including FUND-Raisers … that Alice turned into … FUN-Raisers.
In 2010 … Alice Gall Hanson Cooke passed.
In 2025 … Angel Alice acted out in another way. From Above. To explain … when I read the obit for Alice … I saw Eric Hanson’s name. I reached out to someone with the same name. I messaged him … asking if he was related to Alice. He answered that he was. In fact … he was Alice’s son.
So where was Eric living … since the time I last saw him? NYC. What did he do for a living there. He was a booker … like mother … like son, eh? Eric said he relocated back to Cleveland … found a building that he turned into a (very) successful concert venue. Its name is “Treelawn”… (like the many places … where Alice and sat together … listening to M.C. BILL … and … MUSIC-DIRECTOR-DENNIS). Far out … Angel Alice … still gettin’ around.
In her memory … and … Bill Gordon … and … Bill Doggett …
HONKY TONK LIVE by DC & Stratophonics
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Always a Pleasure Meeting Down to Earth Perennial Souls
Gone but not forgotten … The dear, departed Les Paul JR. makes me recall other mutual musical pals … who have passed on. For example, his dad, Les Paul SR… “Poppa BB” aka BB King … BB’s fellow Memphian media friend … Media Broadcast Pioneer Bill Gordon aka “Smoochie” Gordon.
But, first things first … Dick Posner … was the man who introduced us to BG. They both then … also hooked us up with various and sundry media types. How did they know them? Advertisng. Dick was a hugely popular car dealer. His warmth and welcoming ways made him a gadfly. Thus … we were fortunate … he took us along … for the ride (so to speak). Also as I mentioned above … Dick invited us to write and record a jingle for his “Midpark Chrysler Plymouth”. We did. That brought other opportunites to create … original music.
We went with him to many entertainment venues … where Dick knew everybody. Perhaps because he had been a former restaurateur himself. (If I recall correctly … DP told me about one on Van Aken Blvd. Then also farther back in time … as a youth … working a food venue at Cedar Point. One evening found us listening to Dick … as he was waxing nostalgic about working for his father … and … about the music he had heard in the Ballroom (at Cedar Point). Dick said it was what motiviated him to help WBBG Radio out … to develop their music format. What became “The Music of Your Life”, if I recall correctly. Oh, I wished I had taken notes …)
How fortunate we were that Gadfly-Dick brought Pianist-Dennis … into the inner circle of many of his friends … including those at the Theatrical Grill.
It’s also where we met … Lee Iacocca. Who? Lido Anthony “Lee” Iacocca was an American automobile executive who developed the Ford Mustang, Continental Mark III, and Ford Pinto cars while at the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s. Then he revived the Chrysler Corporation as its CEO during the 1980s.
I mention it to explain this photo. Jogger-Dennis and Guru-Gordon … were given “Merch” to help in the promotion for “The K CARS ARE COMING”. Yes … we were given K CARS to drive, too.
(More about … the thrill-of-the-grill … when Gadfly-Posner had Pianist-Dennis playing for his guests … down below).
Back to about Les Paul and when musician-husband Dennis Chandler first met the Pauls. It was while DC was working for Gibson Guitar Company (then a division of Norlin Corporation). It was back in the ‘70’s and ‘80s when they were all in attendance … at the various music industry trade show events. Who was Les Paul? For Students aka The Uniformed … Google him). Suffice-it-to-say here … it is immeasurable to describe what Paul did for the world of Music. He touched so many lives. Meeting the iconic Les Paul was such a Joy, to say the least.
We were also tickled to meet someone else we listened to in our youth. Another one of Paul’s pals… media broadcast pioneer Bill Gordon. He knew Les Paul and Mary Ford going way back in the day. Google Bill. His billboard name … Bill “Smoochie” Gordon.
As I wrote above … we met “Smoochie” because of the owner of the car dealership called “Midpark Chrysler Plymouth”. He was a huge buyer of air time on television and radio and had very warm and welcoming friends everywhere.
Gadfy-Posner had Pianist-Dennis playing for many of his pals … including those at Cleveland’s famed Theatrical Grill. “The Grill” was owned by Mushy Wexler and the Spitz family … also pals of the Posner family.
Below are 3 photos from 3 different decades of the iconic eatery.
Gigs at “The Grill” … had Pianist-Dennis opening for some interesting acts and audiences members, too. I’m thinking of Don King, George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin and Woody Herman, to name just a few. But, two acts come to mind just now … Jazzman Glen Covington and renowned organist Bill “Honky Tonk” Doggett. Not only did Dennis get to open for them he often times would be invited to play piano … right along with them. Priceless.
They were gracious always sharing their gigs and their fellowships, too. So when singer/ guitarist Gordon was looking for a musical director, Dick Posner suggested he use Dennis. He did. The rest is history. Chameleon Chandler joined Bill on stage and on the air. Most times it was live. But, it was always fun. Bill was such an ad libber. As his musical director, Dennis just strapped on his seatbelt and took “a ride on the wild side”, to paraphrase a song title.
Oh, no. An out of tune piano. (Perfect pitch can be a mixed Blessing!) What to do? A time out … to get the tuning kit out … for a tune up. Gordon was getting his face made up … (by his TV show’s makeup artist). He only stopped to make up some … on-the-fly questions. His style of interviewing …always kept his guest stars in line …(so to speak).
The show must go on … especially this one … Go, Gordon, go! So … he did.
Who booked these jobs? Well … one of the friends who acted as booker? Harvey Levine. How did Dennis know Harvey? They were college chums from Miami University. So naturally, the ties that bind? They were musical, so to speak. His memory is a Blessing.
Another one of the friends who acted as booker? Alice Gall Hanson (later Cooke). I wrote about her at the top of this page. But … to repeat … She had one very persuasive personality. She inspired enthusiasm. She presented ideas and opinions with confidence. She would do what she needed to do … to get her point across. She was genuinely not afraid to push a subject … that others might hesitate to raise. We were lucky to have her help with so many meaningful fundraisers. Alice made them all fun to do.
Alice Gall Hanson is seen in in her red jacket … talking to our then-neighbor from Richmond Heights … and … Forever Friend on Facebook … Yvonne Lallo. They were handling paperwork while Photographer-Me … was getting ready to handle … a Vintage Stereoscopic 3D Camera.
Yes, Dennis considered those two … not just … partners-in-fun … but … ladies-in-waiting.
I think he meant because “Chef Lallo” showed more “Spunk” than us … we got to eat some great meals with her (including BBQ, too).
As I wrote in a previous Post … Alice liked to epitomize her maiden name … “GALL”.
Her memory is a Blessing.
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About dear Alice Gall Hanson (later Cooke) …
https://www.coronadonewsca.com/…/article_2151c49f-abef…
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Others in this photo …
Event Co-Producer … me … Photographer Liz Chandler.
To my right … Dennis’ college chum … from Miami University … Harvey Levine. He also like to play at P.R. and being a Booker. Why? Perhaps because he was … influenced by his cousin … retired Radio Host and Media Maven … Dave Pelunis.
Standing behind me is … another-friend-who-played-booker …
Sponsor & Owner of Stadium Mustard aka “Mr. Mustard”… David Dwoskin (also of Blessed memory).
They made all the effort worth it. Thank you.
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With his winsome ways, Bill vastly influenced Dennis. Guru-Gordon taught Student-Dennis to enjoy all things healthy. Chef-Bill even taught him how to cook and eat … Vegetarian-style.
That desk pictured … we were Blessed to inherit from Bill. We find it has added good Vibes … for it belonged to Bill’s mother (from Memphis). He gave us that photo of her sitting at, it back in the day. She liked to call him, “Billy Boy”. Their name for me? “Liz Beth”. Whenever I sit at their desk … whether it’s to write … or read … or listen to the radio … I can almost hear Bill … or … is that Mrs. Gordon I hear. Either Soul … their Southern drawl brings me comfort … (so to speak). What Lights.
And of course, Bill who loved all good melodic music … made Dennis even more appreciative of musicians like pals, Les Paul and Mary Ford. BTW, Bill asked to “test” the Les Paul guitars Rep-Dennis would get in. What better way to play Les’ music?
But when he wanted to “jazz” it up… Den thought a big box guitar would be better for Bill… so Dennis got Gordon his own Gibson Super 5 to play. He loved it!
Back to about getting Gordon to be more open-minded to going to the hospital to visit pal Les Paul …
When dear Les began to have health issues, his buddy Bill was taken aback. Guru Gordon was called a “Health nut” by many of his media fans. He considered it a badge of honor and would often offer health advice, unsolicited. But, Bill did not know what to do when Les called him.
As mentioned above … Les, Bill and Den got together again at the Cleveland Clinic in 1980. Les came for heart surgery. At first, Bill Gordon did NOT want to go visit Les. He told us, because “Les is in a HOSPITAL! No way, I’m going to a HOSPITAL! I’m never going to a HOSPITAL!” Bill said that … for himself … when the time came … he hoped he would NOT die in a HOSPITAL … with people peering at him. (Sadly, in 2008 after suffering a massive heart attack, Bill died. But, perhaps God gave Gordon his wish … no one was peering … for Bill was home alone).
How we finally got Gordon to the hospital to see Les …
At the time Bill got a call from Les Paul, SR. Then … Dennis got a call from Les Paul, JR. aka Rusty. He asked Dennis who was still working with Gibson to … “Bring a guitar or two” … “Dad hasn’t played for awhile. He’s a little anxious about his bypass. Maybe if he sees a guitar, he’ll play it. Make ’em Les Paul (models), Dennis!”
As inferred … Gibson Guitar Rep Dennis had access to many model guitars, including Les Paul models. But, the one that he grabbed this time … was Dennis’ very own Les Paul … called “The” Les Paul. (One accented the word as if it were spelled “thee”… it was a marketing thing). So Rep-Chandler thought that endorsee-Les Paul would enjoy seeing again his “No. 1”. FYI: it was marked that way for the first in a production line model typically goes to the artist for whom it is named, in this case Les Paul. But, through a fortuitous set of circumstances … we came to own it. Oh, I wrote “again” because earlier in its life, Les played the LP #1 then let the luthiers from Gibson take it back … to fine tune it, so to speak.
Les loved the neck on that particular LP. He also loved calling it, “that lucky guitar”. Why, “lucky”? It was the one that opened the door for Dennis … to get the Gibson job … that got the ear of the president … who gave the OK … for DC to do the deed … that started the process … of getting the King of the Blues. his very own production line model, “The BB King / Lucille”. “Poppa BB” called it “Lucky”, too.
Here’s the back story of the happy ending … or … happy beginning of when Bill did visit Les at the Clinic.
So Dennis grabbed Bill Gordon and told him, “YOU’RE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL … FOR PETE’S SAKE, it’s YOUR PAL, LES PAUL … LES ASKED YOU TO COME… RUSTY ASKED ME TO COME … and to … BRING SOME GUITARS … I HAVE TO GO … YOU HAVE TO GO … WE’RE GOING!”
Well, they both went. They had a wonderful visit. They got to make some miraculous music, too. How? When Les saw that LP Number 1 again … he recalled how much he “LOVED THE NECK ON IT!”
Always thinking of others … the ever generous and gracious Les Paul … while still in his hospital gown … turned to Dennis and said, “Chandler, let’s entertain these folks here. They need some cheering up!” He was referring to the other heart patients … (and visitor Best-Buddy-Bill, too). Les grabbed the #1 … told Dennis to “play that OTHER LP”. Thank goodness Rusty suggested to DC …”Bring a couple of Les Pauls” … (guitars, that is).
After his successful surgery, Les’ heart surgeon Dr. Floyd Loop told us … what we already knew… “It was wonderful to see (and hear) … how Music .. can … help Heal”.
WEWS TV5 NEWS AUDIO LES PAUL IN CLINIC 1980
After that visit … Gordon never did mind … to go to hospitals. Even later in ’87… when Guru Gordon got word his health student Dennis was battling AML LEUKEMIA.
But, that’s another story … read about it on webpage titled “The Journey” on www.dennischandler.com
Thank you, BBK, Doggett, Gordon, Posner, and all the Pauls. What Lights … all!
Liz Chandler aka “Mrs. Dennis”
Web Writer
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