I AM WHAT I AM
I Am What I Am is a studio album that includes the first recordings by Milan (with the exception of two early singles). The front cover (pictured) also includes “presenting a bright new star”. The album was produced by Budd Granoff. Although Milan recorded many additional songs on later singles, this was the only album ever released in his name. This album (and its associated singles) is also notable for apparently being the only time in his career that Milan used the “Rodell” surname. (More from Wikipedia)
Budd Granoff produced Milan’s album, I Am What I Am and also wrote the liner notes. He is best known for his work with Chuck Barris in creating legendary game shows like The Gong Show and The Newlywed Game – not to mention the creation of the first television syndication company to distribute these shows to independent TV stations. Along the way, he put on what has been described as the very first telethon, a marathon 1951 television broadcast to raise money for a cardiac hospital that also happened to showcase two of his clients at the time, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Of course, Jerry Lewis would become the most visible presence in the telethon world over the ensuing six decades.
(July 2012)
* * *
Crystal Mansion had one more shot with a third self-titled album in 1979, Crystal Mansion (also called Tickets) that was released on 20th Century Fox Records, the same label that released Milan’s only LP in 1964, I Am What I Am.
(August 2015)
