re: THE IDES OF MARCH:
>>>Nice seeing the Ides of March receiving acclaim for their contribution to pop music. Jim Peterik should have a street named after him, too. In the early 70's, promotion man Bob Destocki and Frankie Rand begged me to add "Vehicle" to the WLS playlist. It would be the very last record that, as program director, I would make "Pick Hit of the Week" ... giving it airplay every hour for the first week. I was on my way to Los Angeles to become president to Bill Drake's company but within a few weeks Vehicle was all over the airwaves in Los Angeles as well as Chicago and the nation. A great record ... and a great band. (John Rook)
Wow Kent!
These are some really cool letters. I was blown away!
The one from John Rook was a special treat because the Ides credit him as one of the main architects in the mega success of Vehicle. WLS support was critical to the success of any record and when Destocki and Rand told us Rook was making it Record of the Week, we celebrated.
Here's where John can help me out on the history:
For years we had been telling the story that it was Disk Jockey, the late great Art Roberts, who suggested adding the vocal answers to "love you, need you!". Our managers told us if you add those, WLS will add the record.
Recently I heard it was really John Rook who suggested that. Will we ever know?
To whoever it was - we "Love you ... Need you ... Got to have you!" Lol!
Keep rocking!
Jimbo
Hi Jim!
Glad you've been enjoying our little Ides Of March Tribute ... you guys certainly deserve it!
As for the WLS Connection, I spoke with John Rook last night ... and you remembered the story correctly ... it WAS Art Roberts who made that suggestion. (Personally, I was surprised to hear this ... I thought Roberts had left WLS by 1970 ... but apparently he was sold on the record from the first demo he heard ... and suggested that by adding the "call and response" gimmick it would help insure pop success.) Rook wasn't convinced ... in fact, he admitted that he was still a little reluctant to add the record even after Destocki and Rand brought him the new, updated demo. When he still hemmed and hawed about adding it to the WLS playlist, they screamed, "C'mon, John ... we MADE the record the way you guys wanted it ... how can you not jump on it now!!!" (lol)
Knowing he was leaving for LA the following week, Rook made it the Top Add / Pick Hit of the Week ... and plugged it into hourly rotation ...
He also now admits that he was 100% wrong about the record and that he just didn't hear it from the get-go ... and credits Art Roberts for having a great ear for this kind of thing. He says that "Vehicle" is a GREAT record and a great song ... and says that once WLS jumped on it, other radio stations across the country followed suit and, by the time he was unpacking his bags in LA, it was already on the radio there, too!
Great story ... and I'm sure there are pivotal moments like this in EVERY career ... one right turn instead of a wrong one, one unexpected change of events or one new door opening. Forgotten Hits is a well-read sheet by artists, deejays, programmers and fans ... and these are the stories we LOVE to tell! Here's hoping you'll continue to share some of YOURS with our readers as well ... we also provide a great way to plug upcoming events and releases, stay in touch with your fans and say that all-important "thank you" sometimes to those you may have lost touch with over the years.
(Speaking of which, I don't suppose there's any chance somebody still has a copy of that original "Vehicle" demo lying around somewhere ... man, that'd be a GREAT one to "leak" on the website! We've run a number of songwriters' demos over the years ... always interesting to hear what the "original vision" was like.)
Thanks, Jimbo ... hope you'll stay in touch!
Kent Kotal
Forgotten Hits
(Ides Of March Fan ... and Morton West Grad, class of '71!!!) kk
Cool Kent! Good to know for sure!
Good ol' Art Roberts ... Whopper waffles!
We also did his Swinging Majority show with the Flock and a pre-pubescent Jackson 5!
Keep Rocking!!
Jimbo
Hi Kent -
Keep up the great work - I never miss an issue of Forgotten Hits.
Congratulations to Jim, Larry and the Ides of March!
We received a lot of requests for "Vehicle", "LA Goodbye" and "You Wouldn't Listen" and loved playing these songs on my show over the last few Saturday nights.
"You Wouldn't Listen" is HOT on my show -- It's like the Summer of "66 all over again!
Danny Lake
The Saturday Night Party
94-7 WLS-FM
"You Wouldn't Listen" has become a REAL favorite on these Chicagoland All Requests Shows ... and we've helped to introduce it to hundreds and hundreds of non-Chicago music fans over the years ... ALL of whom seem to agree that this absolutely should have been a National Top Ten Hit! Thanks for all you do, too, Danny, keeping this great music alive ... and SO glad to hear that you're digging Forgotten Hits, too! (kk)
The Ides of March aren't really a band as much as they are a family. These are guys who have literally grown-up together. The love and respect they have for each other is felt in every note they play! You can’t help but be drawn in by that!
Thanks, Kent!
GREG BROWN
Afternoons 3pm - 7pm
94.7 WLS-FM
It's great to hear that the Ides are still together. I sell oldies 45 on EBAY and "Vehicle b/w "LA Goodbye" is still a good seller, I suppose for jukeboxes. I just found six more copies and I'm waiting for them to arrive now.
Jim Peterik rules!!!
joeseadog
Hey Kent,
I was at the Ides' street dedication ceremony too ... sorry I missed you ... it was a nice afternoon, and well deserved for a bunch of nice guys.
Marlene
I think your piece on the Ides of March is one of the best you've ever done -- very journalistic. I don't always have time to read everything you put out in Forgotten Hits but on that one I read every single word. Glad to see, too, that you featured my all time favorite Ides song, "L.A. Goodbye". (How was that NOT a hit???) Denny
I received many compliments on our Ides Of March Street Dedication Cermony coverage ... it was great to be there and see these guys receive this honor first hand ... (and I also heard from so many others who wished they could have been there to witness it, too.) And it really means a lot that Jim Peterik liked our article, too! (Feel free to quote as much as you like on The Ides website, Jim!!! lol) kk
re: SUMMER HITS:
>>>The Rolling Stones had five Top 40 Billboard Hits prior to "Satisfaction" reaching #1, the biggest of which had been "It's All Over Now", which hit #6 in 1964. (kk)
Oops! I think you meant "Time Is On My Side." – Randy Price
Yep ... sure did!!! Thanks, Randy! (kk)
"Liar, Liar" peaked in October!! Where is that? Chicago? You guys must have been behind on some of these songs. That song starts in July here (Milwaukee) and is gone by October!! I see that "I Will Follow Him" goes until June 23rd on the Billboard charts. That gives it one week in the Summer! Now, if you count part of May and all of June as Summer, then you should give a song like "Summer Song" by Chad & Jeremy more than two weeks. It was being played in late July of '64 charts nationally in Billboard on August 15th. That would give it six charting weeks by September 21st, which I believe ends the Summer. Am I not correct? Plus the play these songs got before they charted, which is also significant. Ken
"Liar Liar" debuted IN BILLBOARD on August 14, 1965 ... and stayed on the charts for 14 weeks, peaking in October as we stated. The "Summer Eligibility Period" for the purposes of our Summer Charts (which we've been running since 2007 now) are the COMPLETE months of June, July and August ONLY ... therefore, some of these "borderline" titles you're referring to didn't earn enough points in that eligibility period to qualify. ("Liar Liar", for example, would have only had two weeks in August to earn points, NEITHER of which were spent in The Top 40 ... so it never had a chance!) "A Summer Song", while voted one of The Oldies Nation's All-Time Favorite Summer Songs, ALSO debuted too late in August (of '64 this time) to have an impact ... it premiered on Billboard's Chart on August 15th, 1964, again spending NEITHER of its August weeks in The Top 40 and thus not earning enough points to make an impression. Unfortunately, any "Early Airplay" these songs may have experienced counts for absolutely nothing ... as clearly explained on each chart list, the lists were tabulated using a point system based on their national chart rankings for the months of June, July and August only. This is the ONLY criteria that was used to calculate the final rankings.
You'll find the rankings for your "Personal Summer Favorites" elsewhere on the website:
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Your All-Time Summer Favorites
P.S. If you STILL don't find your favorites there, the NEXT question you have to ask yourself is ... "Did you vote for your favorites???" ... if not, there's not much point in criticizing the results ... 'cause nearly 10,000 OTHER oldies fans DID!!! (kk)
KK,
Just two comments to make about your postings today.
First, Barbra Streisand's recording of "People" ... I never really cared for it either, but I can say that about several records made through the years that were hits. By the way, while I am thinking about it, didn't the Tymes do a version back in 1968, also on Columbia? I have got that record as well. If my dad were here, he would say something like,"I wouldn't have thought of Barbra Streisand's record for ten dollars."
One final note: Believe it or not, THE RACE IS ON peaked at number two here in OKC back in 1965, both versions equally by Jack Jones and the older twin George Jones. Both were illegitimate sons of Buck Jones. (lol) Jack Jones' version was a KAPPital offense to have been released and a lot of ARTISTS were UNITED against George Jones version of coming out.
Larry Neal / The Wax Museum
PS Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading other people's comments.
Thanks, Larry. Jack Jones' version of "The Race Is On" was one of my favorites at the time. When I was about 12 or 13 years old, my next door neighbor (about four years older than me) gave me a bunch of 45's she didn't play anymore ... and that was one of them. I LOVED it ... and played it all the time. (In fact, I didn't hear the George Jones country hit until about 20 years later!)
The Tymes DID record a version of "People" ... but I don't like that one either! (lol) I think I just simply don't like the song ... it's one of those slow, morbid melodies that just seems to take forever to get where it's going. The Tymes' version reached #39 in Billboard in '68 ... of course, by then everybody figured the group was over ... their biggest hits were already several years behind them. So imagine everyone's surprise when six years later they hit the charts again ... with one of the very biggest hits, "You Little Trustmaker", a GREAT comeback song if there ever was one! (kk)
Here are surveys from 1963 showing the highest ranks for Surfin' USA and Shut Down. Surfin USA hit #6 and Shut down hit #9 confirming your statement. One week they listed both sides of the 45.
Bill Hengels
Yes, this was a strange one here in Chi-Town. "Surfin' USA" was clearly the chosen A-Side Hit ... and THAT's the one that got national attention, peaking at #1 in Cash Box Magazine. (The Beach Boys wouldn't earn their first official #1 in Billboard until the following year when "I Get Around" topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. This wasn't the only time this happened ... The Beach Boys also peaked at #1 in Cash Box with "Barbara Ann" in 1966. But according to Billboard, "Surfin' USA" was a #3 Hit and "Barbara Ann" reached #2.) "Shut Down" was a Top 40-Charting B-Side in both Billboard and Cash Box, peaking at #23 ... but here in Chicago it was the "chosen" hit side of the record. Check out the strange WLS chartlife of this single:
"Surfin' USA" debuted by itself on April 12, 1963, at #30. The following week, it jumped to #21. On April 26th, it rose to #7. The next week it dipped to #9. On the Silver Dollar Survey dated May 10th, it was back up to #6, where it held for another week. On May 24th, it dropped to #8 and the following week, May 31st, it was shown as a Two-Sided Hit for the first and only time, paired with "Shut Down" at #13. Now ALL of these chart appearances predated the June / July / August Summer Hits Eligibility period used to rank The Biggest Hits Of Summer, 1963 ... so through this point, "Surfin' USA" had earned ZERO points.
The following week, June 7th, "Shut Down" appeared at #9 alone, thus FOLLOWING its A-Side up the charts. ("Surfin' USA" would not be listed again from this point forward!) "Shut Down" then ran its own course on the charts, moving from #9 to #15 to #3 (where it stayed for two weeks before dipping to #4) and then BACK to #3, then then slowly descending down the charts from #5, to #10 before it was gone for good. That means that OFFICIALLY "Shut Down" peaked at #3 and "Surfin' USA" peaked at #6, exactly as shown on the WLS Charts Bill sent us! (kk) 
Kent,
If any of your many subscribers are interested in having the 1966 Summer Chicagoland Top 50, I am making them available for download at my website: http://sixtiesoldiesguy.yolasite.com/.
With each A side, you also get the B side ... just like when you flipped the 45 over to see what was on the other side. Also at my site are some previous collections. They include the Summer of 1969 B sides, Chicago's Summer of Love B sides from 1967 and The All-Time Top 40 Summer Hits, which features the A and B sides of those 40 hits. I'm considering adding at least one more collection, too ... Chicagoland's Top 50 of 1964 if there is any interest in my doing it.
sixtiesoldiesguy
Rich
Here's hoping that some of our readers will pop on over to check these out. If you guys would like to hear more of this kind of stuff, just drop us a line ... or contact Rich via his website! (kk)
re: TROUBLE IN RADIO PARADISE?:
Rob Feder is reporting that WLS-FM's Dave Fogel's regular sidekick, Maura Myles, is being replaced this week by Marti Jones ... and that his ratings have REALLY been suffering ... but that's no surprise here ... we told you MONTHS ago that Foley is BY FAR the weakest Morning Man EVER to grace the legendary WLS ... a station of this stature deserves better ... and so does its listeners. They REALLY need to solve this problem, stat, before even more listeners are driven away by this morning drivel. Conversely, we seem to have an abundance of morning talent to choose from in Chicago these days ... and I find myself button-pushing the entire way to work. Current favorites include J and Julian on B-96, Valentine in the Morning on The Lite, Jeff James, now doing mornings at Y103.9 and the usual stand-bys, The Drive, The River and The Mix. (Heck, I've even been listening to Jack-FM and Rewind 100 over Fogel lately!) kk
Listeners to Dave Fogel’s morning show on oldies WLS-FM (94.7) will hear a new but recognizable voice doing news, traffic and weather, starting Monday. Marti Jones, who’s been a news and traffic reporter on a variety of Chicago outlets for 13 years, has been hired full-time by the Citadel Broadcasting station. As an employee of Metro Networks / Shadow Broadcast Services, she most recently worked with afternoon personality Drew Walker on CBS Radio country WUSN-FM (99.5).
At WLS-FM, Jones will replace Maura Myles, whose last day on the air was Friday. Before participating in the launch of Fogel’s show last March, Myles had spent three years in various roles at Citadel news / talk sister station WLS-AM (890) and co-hosted “Women of Mass Discussion” on weekends with Wendy Snyder. Myles previously worked for Metro / Shadow, too.
“I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to contribute to a beloved Chicago station,” Myles said. “I’ve enjoyed a great relationship with a lot of great people at WLS — from Jerry Agar, Pat Cassidy and Mancow to Scott Shannon, Greg Brown and Dick Biondi. I think the world of them.”
Jones, a Chicago native who grew up in Oak Park and graduated from Columbia College, got her start on the air in Toledo, Ohio, before joining Metro / Shadow here in 1997. She was featured in a Food Network special in which she competed to create a new flavor for Haagen-Dazs — cannoli ice cream — in 2006. Jones also writes the “Traffic Diva Dishes” blog for the ChicagoNow network.
Insiders at WLS-FM said the change was in response to under-performing ratings for Fogel’s show. In the latest Arbitron Portable People Meter survey, mornings ranked 19th with a 2.6 percent share of listeners between 25 and 54. Overall, the station tied for ninth with a 3.5 share.
-- Robert Feder
Of course the REAL shame is that Myles was often much more entertaining than Fogel was in the mornings!!! At least she'd chime in with some coherent humor once in a while! (Best of luck, Maura!) But the BIGGEST shame of all is that there is SO much incredibly good radio talent out there right now that have found themselves out of work due to all these radio cut-backs ... it would seem to me that WLS could have pick of the litter right about now. (kk)
re: FIRST 45's:
The first 45 I received was the Elvis - Too Much, but the first one I bought was at Hested's (like Woolworth) in Aurora, Colorado. It was Little Girl by Ritchie Valens. It was on the Del-Fi label, but it was an all gold label with Valens Memorial Series scrolled across the top. I still have it, but it doesn't play too well. I've since got it on mp3 ... a great copy, too!
Joe
Hi Kent!
This is a strange story, but true!
I was reading stuff from My First 45's on your website and was thinking of mine at the time, Hey Little Cobra, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember the group. Then all of a sudden, I saw at the end of the letter, that I'm reading a letter by Mitch Schecter. From the Rip Chords. I was blown away ! Thought you might like to know.
Keep up the good work.
Mark
The memories keep on comin' ... and we LOVE it!!! (In fact, we've just added a FOURTH "First 45's" Page to the website!!! What a popular feature this has turned into! (kk)
Click here: Forgotten Hits - FIRST 45's
Click here: Forgotten Hits - More of Your FIRST 45's
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Even MORE Of Your First 45's
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Can You Believe It?!?!? Even MORE Of Your FIRST 45's Memories!!!
Hey Kent ...
Very, very cool!
Thanks to your amazing website, our "oldies" community has been brought together and very much in touch with each other.Thanks for forwarding me Mark's letter. I'll show Richie and Arnie. They'll love it!
Thanks again Kent ... and thanks, Mark!!!
Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords
re: A CD CHALLENGE:
Just got this from one of our readers ... if you're interested, send your answers directly to John at: jjaj1998@netscape.net
Here's one for your readers ...
I bought a CD set. When I went to "rip" them, I could acquire the song titles off the 'net for the first CD, but not the second CD. It's like the second CD never existed. Strange, but true. Can you tell me why the second CD was not found on the 'net?
This is your only clue ...
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/hurting.mp3
GOOD LUCK!
Best,
John
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/
re: MORE RECENT PASSINGS:
Got this notice from several readers:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-09-20/story/leonard-skinner-lynyrd-skynyrd-namesake-dies-77-0?ref=nf=
LYNYRD SKYNYRD INSPIRATION LEONARD SKINNER DIES
http://deathbeeper.com/5019222.html
Free as a bird now.
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=free+bird
Singer Eddie Fisher, one-time husband to Debbie Reynolds, Connie Stevens and Elizabeth Taylor, who charted 60 times from 1948 to 1967, died Wednesday (September 22) of complications from hip surgery at his home in Berkeley, California. He was 82.
Born in Philadelphia in 1928, he dropped out of high school to become a singer and by 1946 was performing with Buddy Morrow's orchestra. His first recording was as a second bill with the Marlin Sisters on a cover of "You Can't Be True Dear" (#19 -1948), which led to a solo contract with RCA Records and the release of "Thinking Of You" (#5 -1950). His first #1 record came two years later with "Wish You Were Here" (#1-1952). His other #1 hits were "I'm Walking Behind You" (1953), "Oh My Papa" (1954) and "I Need You Now" (1954). All told, Eddie had 25 top ten hits.
He married Debbie Reynolds (his co-star in the movie, "Bundle Of Joy") in 1955 but scandalously dumped her for the newly-widowed Elizabeth Taylor in 1958. That led to the cancellation of his two year-old NBC-TV series. He was dropped from RCA a year later (though he returned in 1966) and never had another top 40 hit. In 1967 he married Connie Stevens. The marriage lasted but two years, but produced two daughters -- actresses Joely Fisher and Tricia Leigh Fisher.
Eddie wrote two autobiographies and has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- for recording and for television.
-- Ron Smith / oldiesmusic.com
LOS ANGELES – Entertainer Eddie Fisher, whose singing career was overshadowed by scandals of his marriages to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, has died. He was 82. His daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher, told The Associated Press that Fisher died Wednesday night at his home in Berkeley of complications from hip surgery.
Fisher sold millions of records in the 1950s with hit songs including "Thinking of You," "Any Time" and "Oh, My Pa-pa."
His singing and good looks brought him a devoted following with teenage girls.
He married movie darling Debbie Reynolds in 1955 and they were touted as "America's favorite couple." Their daughter Carrie Fisher later became a film star herself.
But amid sensational headlines, Fisher divorced Reynolds and married Taylor in 1959. Taylor dropped him a few years later when she fell in love with Richard Burton.
-- celebritydeathbeeper.com
>>>Obituary: Stunt-spinning DJ Pogo Poge kept teens tuned to rock 'n' roll
By Virginia Culver The Denver Post
Pogo Poge would do almost anything to get people to listen to KIMN radio.Sometimes that included setting a world record for sitting on a Ferris wheel. Or spending two weeks in a snake pit with more than 100 snakes, some poisonous, a stunt that put him in the hospital. Poge, whose real name was Morgan Branch White, died of heart problems Sept. 2 in a Provo, Utah, hospital. He was 86. Poge was in Colorado and later in Honolulu during the heyday of disc jockeys doing wacky things to get attention.In 1984, Denver Post television critic Clark Secrest called him "Denver's favorite disc jockey ever." White and the snakes were on 16th Street at the dug-out site of a Zale's Jewelry store for 13 days. White was bitten by a water moccasin and was hospitalized because the antidote was given incorrectly, said Steve White. Known for his outrageous costumes, White once bounced on a pogo stick from Denver to Boulder and another time sat atop a flagpole at a South Broadway used-car lot for days. Another time, he broadcast while sitting on a giant block of ice. On one April Fool's Day, he played "Tom Dooley" for the entire day, although at the end of each playing he would announce another number. It always turned out to be "Tom Dooley," said his daughter, Tonya Riches of Murray, Utah.
Read more here:
Stunt-spinning DJ Pogo Poge kept teens tuned to rock 'n' roll - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/obituaries/ci_16053274#ixzz0zWhJav8W
>>>Wow, I remember being a card carrying member of Pogo's KIMN Hi-Fi Coke Club in the late 50's early 60's, and I made my parents take me to Zale's Jewlers in Downtown Denver to see him in the snake pit, then again on S Broadway to Pappy Fry Plymouth to see him high atop a flagpole for days! He's the one that inspired me to do a bunch of goofy stunts and break a couple of world records during my radio career ... Pogo will be missed! (Wild Bill Cody)
I, too, remember Pogo Poge in Denver and seeing him in the snake pit. If I remember correctly, I saw him in Zales window when I was picking up a prize at the KIMN studio (Big Hunk of Love by Elvis).This wesite shakes so many memories for me and 1000's of others. Keep it going!!!!
Joe
re: OTHER MILESTONES LAST WEEK:
Monday, September 20th, marked the 37th anniversary of the plane crash that took Jim Croce's life. Jim's music captured my heart the very first time I heard it ... and I was fortunate enough to seem him perform live several times in his all-too-short career. One cannot help but wonder what else he might have accomplished ... in just two brief years, he hit the national singles chart NINE times, every one of them a Top 50 Hit (including Top 10 smashes like "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" (#7, 1972 ... and #1 here in Chicago); "Operator" (#7, 1972); "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" (#1, 1973 ... and the #1 Summer Hit that year, too!); "I Got A Name" (#3, 1973); "Time In A Bottle" (another #1 Hit, 1973) and "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" (#7, 1974). We miss you, Jim ... your music still sounds just as fresh, original and unique today. (kk)
IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO TODAY ... September 18, 1970.
Jimi Hendrix dead at the age 27.
Circumstances surrounding his death still swirl with controversy – was it an accident? Was he murdered? Death investigations have been re-opened, but questions remained unanswered. Last year, a former Hendrix roadie wrote a book claiming Hendrix was murdered by his manager Michael Jefferey. Again, no substantiation.
So today, 40 years after his death, we have the music he left us to celebrate his life. Worldwide events are being held to honor the iconic rock legend.
London Is Hosting The Handel House Museum Exhibit
In 1968, Jimi Hendrix and his then girlfriend Kathy Ethchingham moved into an upper floor flat at 23 Brook Street in London, a building once occupied by famed classical composer George Frederick Handel. Today, Hendrix is honored along with Handel with a Blue Placque, a honorium issued by the English Heritage Society honoring famous people and linking them to the building. The placque is mounted on an exterior wall (Handel received his in 1952, Hendrix in 1997).
“The flat cost £30 a week,” remembers Etchingham, “and Hendrix loved it.”
Today, the building is home to the Handel House Museum, but for a few weeks this fall, the flat where Hendrix lived, along with two rooms will be set up as a gallery exhibition honoring Hendrix. The exhibit includes the custom Gibson guitar Hendrix played at the Isle of Wight festival, handwritten song lyrics for “Stepping Stone” and “Love of Confusion”, concert posters, his British work permit, a black Westerner hat and the Dandie Fashion-desinged orange velvet jacket with floral print that was regular stagewear. The Handel House Museum is also sponsoring Hendrix-themed walking tours and panel discussions.
These days, the Hendrix flat is merely an offer an office space for the Handel House organization, a simple picture on Hendrix and Etchingham posted on the wall as rememberence.
The view of Jimi’s flat with the exhibit will be open through November 10. Then the flat will revert to office space.
THE CUMBERLAND HOTEL
On September 6, 1970, Jimi Hendrix checked into the Cumberland Hotel in London. He paid £17 a night for his suite. Today, a night in the commemorative Jimi Hendrix Suite at the hotel costs £399. Oh yes, that price includes breakfast and a bottle of Smokehead Scotch.
In the four years Hendrix lived in London, he would stay in any number of hotel rooms, furnished flats and boltholes. This was his last residence (the location of his death being Monika Danneman’s flat at the Hotel Samarkand, not where Jimi resided as some stories tell), named on his death certificate as his place of residence.
A story on the dedication on the new Hendrix suite featuring NME journalist Keith Altham and Hendrix historian Yazid Manou talking about Hendrix and his time spent in London
can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNaLr9gobA&feature=player_embedded.
As Keith Altham, a music journalist who became Hendrix's friend and confidante, puts it, the Cumberland was where Hendrix would go "for the purpose of meeting various young ladies when he wanted to keep away from the various other young ladies that he was seeing. In the 60s, the Cumberland was a favorite with rock musicians passing through London, with “running hot and cold hookers” in the bar, as Altham remembers. Nowadays, the Cumberland is a luxury hotel, its reception area a huge expanse of marble and glass, bathed in lime-colored light, with a five-star restaurant attached. The Jimi Hendrix suite is on the fifth floor, the same floor where Jimi resided. As opposed to replicating the Hendrix room as it was in 1970, designers Mary Gannon and Cynthia Garcia have fashioned a rather gaudy commemoration.
“A contemporary version of the psychedelic Sixties,” as they put it, “to capture the ethos of Hendrix, and ultimately be a sanctuary where Hendrix himself would enjoy spending time.”
While Hendrix enjoyed darker rooms with Indian and middle-eastern motif, this room blares noisily with primary-colored op-art lines swirling across the ceiling, zebra-skin throw pillows, fibre-optic lights and a huge mural of Hendrix by artist Andie Airfix dominating one wall. The only Hendrix vibes is reprints of magazines and photos of the era framed and mounted on the wall. You can see a layout of the suite, including a 360 - degree view at the hotel’s website:
http://www.guoman.com/hotels/united_kingdom/london/
the_cumberland/hotel_offers/the_jimi_hendrix_suite.html.
PARIS
Fans of Jimi Hendrix who are visiting Paris in the next few months should drop in to the Renoma Boutique (129 Bis Rue de la Pompe) for a photographic exhibition that marks the 40th anniversary of Jimi’s death. The event, hosted by celebrated fashion designer Maurice Renoma, runs through December 16th. Hendrix expert and ardent fan, Yazid Manou, has hand-picked the selection of photographs which capture some extraordinary moments in Hendrix’s career. The exhibition showcases the work of 12 renowned photographers including Dominque Tarle, Baron Wolman, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Christian Ross and Gered Mankowitz, as well as a selection of rare and unpublished photos from the Archive Photos Collections represented by Getty Images (including above photo).
For more information: www.renoma-paris.com.
The exhibition is open Tuesday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
CLEVELAND
In Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is pulling out nearly 50 artifacts from their archives for display in their permanent Hendrix exhibit. On display are guitars, concert posters, photographs, handbills, drawings and a couch from Jimi’s childhood home.
Among the articles of Hendrix’s clothing on display is the outfit he wore (above) at the Love and Peace Festival in Germany for what turned out to be his final concert performance on September 6, 1970.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is taking its message online in a new video web series, All Access: The Story of Rock. The first episode marks the 40th anniversary of Hendrix’s death.
"The web presents some interesting opportunities for us," says Todd Mesek, the Rock Hall's vice president of marketing and communications. "We are sitting on a treasure trove of artifacts and content that people are passionate about. The 'All Access' series really is a way for us to extend our educational mission, to use our content and the music experts we have here at the museum to tell great rock 'n' roll stories. Right now, the idea is to key the series to an artifact in the museum's collection," said Mesek. "But that will evolve. We may look at a genre of music, or a movement. We may use a variety of objects from the collection. People are very passionate about this music. There are great stories to be told."
While they promote the Hendrix story as Rock Hall curatorial director Howard Kramer tells the story of Hendrix's final days, including his last concert in Germany; in reality it’s a simple short promotional video for the venue, using the centerpiece of the patchwork jacket and pink pants that Hendrix wore at that show are in the museum's collection. You can find the video on their website at www.rockhall.org.
SEATTLE
In his hometown Seattle, there’s an entire museum built around the nucleus of Jimi Hendrix – the Experience Music Project. While their exhibits on Hendrix have been pared down since the museum originally opened, they have also jumped on the 40th anniversary bandwagon.
In the permanent Hendrix gallery, where items are cyled in and out from their vast collection, visitors can see the white Fender Stratocaster Hendrix played at Woodstock, guitar shards from his Monterey Festival and Saville Theater smashed guitars, Jimi’s personal diary and address book, along with other artifacts.
To mark the 40th anniversary, the EMP is also putting on display in the Sky Church performance hall the handwritten lyrics for “Black Gold”, black-and-white photos from Jimi’s funeral, Jimi’s 1968 Martin D45 acoustic guitar and several other personal items. “We’ll also play performance footage of Jimi on the Sky Church screen,” notes Director of Curatorial Affairs Jasen Emmons, as well as screening the new documentary Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child that will be packaged with the upcoming release West Coast Seattle Boy. Drawing upon interviews granted by Hendrix, coupled with letters, writings and recordings, "Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child" provides insight into the rock music icon with never-before-seen photographs and film footage from the Hendrix family archives and a soundtrack that includes performance footage of “Purple Haze”, “Hey Joe”, “Fire” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”. The first screening will include a personal introduction by Janie Hendrix.
The EMP event takes place on September 18 and 19. The film will be screened free of charge at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Surpisingly, there were no special events planned at Jimi’s gravesite in the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery in Renton. In years gone by, Hendrix fans would congregate at Jimi’s gravesite, making crayon sketches of the grave marker and paying their respects often leaving behind a true potpourri of items. However, since the completion of the Hendrix monument, those gatherings have subsided.
CALIFORNIA
California rock music historian James Osborne has put together an exhibit featuring his private collection of Hendrix memorabilia, and will give two talks on Hendrix at California State University – Dominguez Hills campus.
The exhibit Jimi Hendrix: I’ll Meet You in the Next World includes Osborne’s collections as well as some materials owned by the university. Vintage singles and albums, posters, magazines, newspapers and other items document Hendrix’s rise to international stardom.
The Department of Archives and Special Collections at Cal State Cominquez Hills presents two talks by Osborne on the collection – September 16 at 3:30 and again November 17 at 4:30. The exhibit runs through December 17 in the Archives and Special Collections section of the Cal State University Library, 1000 E. Victoria St., Carson, California. For additional information, call 310-243-3013.
WOODSTOCK
In memory of the infamous 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, the city of Bethel has built the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a year-round Woodstock-focused music where Hendrix audio and video clips are inclusive in the exhibit.
To honor the 40th anniversary of his passing, museum spokesperson Shannon McSweeney-LeMay indicates Hendrix will be honored with “a simple wreath at the monument that marks the original Woodstock festival field,” so that guests will have a place to honor his memory.
INDIANA
While most events this year seem to honor the 40th anniversary of Jimi’s death, the Jimi Hendrix Information Management Institute plans an exhibit to celebrate Jimi’s life. Voodoo Child: The Private Collection is a display of Jimi’s personal articfacts, archival recordings, memorabilia, posters and photographs from the personal collection of Hendrix historian Ken Voss. The exhibition will be held on November 19-20 at Rubino’s Gallery, 8102 N. Georgia St., Merrillville, Indiana. The event will coincide with a 2010 Hendrix Tribute Tour stop at the Holiday Star Theater in Merrillville on November 19.
-- submitted by Ken Voss
Man, you could plan your trip around the world just to view all of these Hendrix artifacts! Unreal! Congrats on showing off your own private collection, Ken ... hope some of the "locals" on the list can make the trek up to Merrillville to see your private stash! (kk)
re: THE BIGGEST SONG ON EARTH!!!:
Here's an interesting clip I received last week from Sean Ross / Ross On Radio:
For many years, the No. 1 Song On Earth was indisputably “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. A new generation discovered it through “Ghost.” Older listeners were reminded just what a great song it had been at the time. If you were at an Oldies or AC radio station and “Unchained Melody” came back on top of your music test, it lent credibility to everything else.
The song that usurped “Unchained Melody,” sometime in the mid-‘00s, was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” “Sweet Home Alabama” didn’t have, or need, a full-fledged return to current rotation, settling instead for a key scene in “Con Air” and many TV commercial placements. It performed well not just for Classic Rock stations, but any Greatest Hits, Active Rock, Country, AC, or Hot AC station that was willing to play it, even though for a while some Country stations preferred to play the Alabama version.
There’s been a lot written already about the ubiquity of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” But it now feels like time to officially name “Don’t Stop Believin’” the new No. 1 song on Earth because of its all-ages success and its research reliability at a wide variety of formats. Like “Sweet Home Alabama,” Journey’s hit has had multiple mini-comebacks, from “The Sopranos” to “Glee” to the New York / Toronto CHR success of the George Lamond dance remake. Its ascent took place as “Sweet Home Alabama” was finally starting to show some wear — still well-liked by listeners but heavily burnt. (Jonathan Tropper’s novel, “This Is Where I Leave You,” included a riff on just how played out the song had become.)
So if “Don’t Stop Believin’” is No. 1, what’s going to usurp it in a few years? Your thoughts on the next No. 1 song on earth are welcome.
It certainly DOES seem to be (in a TOTALLY Journey-ironic way) inescapable, doesn't it?!?!? (They've ruined it forever for me ... mass saturation just has never been a good solution in my mind!) What are some of your thoughts on this one? (kk)
re: GOOD CAUSE:
SIGN THE PETITION TO GIVE JOHNNY MADARA A STAR
ON THE PHILADELPHIA MUSIC ALLIANCE WALK OF FAME
The Philadelphia Music Alliance was established in 1986. It is dedicated to preserving and promoting Philadelphia's rich musical legacy by increasing awareness of the city's great musical tradition.
The Alliance created a "Walk Of Fame," which honors recipients with their name(s) on the sidewalk in front of the Alliance's offices. It is a must-see tourist attraction on Philadelphia's dazzling Avenue of The Arts.
John Madara, a Philadelphia native, has been writing and producing music since 1957 starting with the mega-hit AT THE HOP (Danny and The Juniors), which he co-wrote with partner David White. What followed was a string of hits including THE FLY (Chubby Checker), ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY--Producer (Danny and The Juniors), YOU DON'T OWN ME (Leslie Gore) and 1-2-3 (Len Barry, who co-wrote the song with Madara & White).
Below is a brief history of John's contribution to Philly Music and why he deserves to be in the Philadelphia Walk of Fame:
Chubby Checker and Danny and The Juniors are both in the Walk of Fame. John discovered Danny and The Juniors singing on a street corner. They were called The Juvinaires. David White was one of the singers, who later became John's writing and producing partner.
Another recipient is Leon Huff, who, along with Kenny Gamble, became one of the most successful writing and producing teams, helping to create "The Sound Of Philadelphia." John discovered Leon Huff in a nightclub playing keyboards with his group The Lavenders. John hired Leon to play keyboards on many of the Madara & White productions. Leon was later put under contract to write and produce music for Madara & White. It was in the Shubert Building on Broad Street where Madara & White had their offices. Also in the Shubert Building was Kenny Gamble. It was there that Gamble and Huff began their musical career.
Hall & Oates are also on the Walk of Fame. After Madara & White split up, John discovered Daryl Hall, who John put under contract with a group called Gulliver. John produced many songs with Gulliver. Daryl honed his skills as a singer/songwriter and the group also sang background vocals on many of John's productions. During that time, John Oates entered the picture. He and Daryl began singing together. John was so impressed that he went into the studio and produced songs for Hall & Oates, many of which would be included on their first album, Whole Oates. Hall & Oates went on to become the most successful duo in the history of the music business.
Needless to say, John's conribution to Philadelphia's musical history is enormous. He deserves to be honored on the Walk of Fame. Please click below which will take you to Facebook, where you can sign a petition to get John on the Walk of Fame.
Please click here which will take you to Facebook, where you can sign a petition to get John on the Walk of Fame.
You can also go to the Philadelphia Music Alliance website and nominate John Madara directly with them.
Thank you so much for your support. It is very much appreciated!
I've gotten to know John Madara pretty well these past couple of years and I can only say that he is certainly deserving of this honor.
(You can read The Forgotten Hits Interview with John Madara here:
Click here: Forgotten Hits - John Madara Remembers ...
And check out the stories behind some of his Greatest Hits here:
Click here: Forgotten Hits - John Madara's Greatest Hits
Please visit the links above and help to nominate John for this fitting honor. (kk)
THIS JUST IN: John Madara's mid-'60's folk / protest group, The Spokesmen, recorded exactly one album ... their big hit, of course, was "The Dawn Of Correction", an "answer song" to Barry McGuire's #1 Hit "Eve Of Destruction". (You'll find full coverage of this track on The Forgotten Hits Web Page linked above, too!) But they also recorded versions of Bob Dylan's "Love Minus Zero, No Limit" and "It Ain't Me Babe", The Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and the Joe South / Billy Joe Royal '60's classic "Down In The Boondocks". They're all available now ... for the first time ever on CD ... through www.ThatPhillySound.com !!! This is SURE to become a '60's collectible, now available in CD for the very first time! (kk)
re: GOOD SHOW!:
We went to see "Rock of Ages" last night at the Bank of America theatre downtown ... the music was really awesome ... my only regret was that we didn't get to see Joel Hoekstra (from Night Ranger and Jim Peterik's World Stage band) perform ... apparently he's still in NY ... but Constantine Maroulis (from American Idol) was great, as were all the other musicians. The story line was kinda hokey, and I didn't need to see all the girls in their lingerie, but I guess you have to have something for everyone to enjoy ... anyway, it was pretty good, and if you like 80's music, you'll love this (did lots of Journey, Styx, REO, etc., and "The Search is Over" written by Peterik) ... check it out if you have a few extra bucks ... it's not cheap ... but a good night out.
Also, I met Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd) the other night ... been working for his shows and last week at the Dave Matthews / Jason Mraz shows at Wrigley Field ... LOVE shows at Wrigley ... it's like going home for me!!!! Only bad thing was that I missed the Dennis Tufano "As Long as I'm Singing" show at the Raue Theater in Crystal Lake, which I heard was a really nice show. Still wondering if WTTW is ever going to run the World Stage show on Soundstage ... anybody know the status of that???
Marlene O'Malley / Rock On Chicago
I missed Dennis' show, too ... would have liked to have seen that. And I had completely forgotten about the World Stage / Soundstage episode ... I checked the PBS / WTTW website and didn't see anything listed ... so I asked Jim Peterik if he had the "inside track" regarding when this might air (kk):
The soundstage is still in editing. I'll keep you posted! Keep rockin'!
Jimbo
re: THE WRECKING CREW:
I saw Bob questioning the Wrecking Crew DVD (at FH). From a semi-recent e-mail, it appears Wrecking Crew backings still exist. Would be nice to hear studio talk; what was edited, various takes, etc. ... like the Shangi-Las' unreleased material, who has it and how it was obtained. Unfortunately, this may target one or more individual's wrong doing (AKA stealing it), so it's kept very low keyed ... "well, I have a shitload of Dunhill masters , no Mamas and Papas though, but plenty of Wrecking Crew as backup musicians"
Best,
John
p.s. Thanks for My Sharona beauty, Kent! :-)
Yeah, I can look at that one again!!! 
The Wrecking Crews DVD has ALL kinds of outtakes ... but they're not necessarily from back in the day as much as interview and musical interludes that had to be edited out of the final cut to keep things at a manageable running rate. A lot of these clips HAVE surfaced on The Wrecking Crew Website ... and, if you simply subscribe to this site, you'll also receive regular email updates, MOST of which feature additional clips and outtakes. We are a VERY strong supporter of this film and have done everything we can on our end to help get the word out and get this thing commercially released. As always, we'll continue to keep you posted here as things develop. (kk)
Click here: The Wrecking Crew Movie Tommy Tedesco, Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Don Randi, Glen Campbell, Earl Palmer
re: WHAT'S THE POINT?!?!? (aka HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!):
Jann Wenner and his cronies will announce the latest nominees for their "Hall of Fame" next Tuesday: http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/09/22/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/
-- Ron Smith
re: PICK HIT VIDEOS:
Here are 15 mins of snippets from Copper Country (Sept 5th high on Copper Mountain Colorado), a bit of Felix Cavaliere, some Richie Furay and Desert Rose Band ... enjoy!
Wild Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVSLRZh03GU
Did you happen to catch the season premier of "The Office" last week? It opened with a GREAT music video staged to the Human Beinz' hit "Nobody But Me" ... a COMPLETE and TOTAL rip-off of The Drew Carey Show from ten years earlier (with their AWESOME opening "Five O'Clock World" video) ... but still TOTALLY hilarious and entertaining nonetheless. (And how cool was it to see Creed Bratton, former lead guitarist of The Grass Roots, wailing on the guitar again, even it was only miming to somebody else's killer guitar solo!!!)
Both clips can be found below: (kk)
Click here: YouTube - The Office US - Season 7 Promo & New Opening Credits
Click here: YouTube - Drew Carey Show - Five O'Clock World
And, as an extra special added bonus, check out THIS classic clip of The Five Americans performing THEIR Top Five Hit "Western Union" on the old Steve Allen Show:
Click here: YouTube - The Five Americans - Western Union
Here's something new (that sounds like something old!) ...
Need to hear and see a (missing) blast from the past? Check out Matt Costa's (current) "Witchcraft" song. Excellent!! :-)
Thanks, Kent!
Best,
John
Click here: YouTube - Matt Costa - Witchcraft
And here's where the oldies community never ceases to amaze me ... who would have EVER thought that some 51 years later something has rare and unique as this could still turn up!!! (kk) Kent ...
New pictures of the "Winter Dance Party" found.
Frank B.
YouTube - Last pictures taken of Buddy Holly donated to Buddy Holly Center KCBD, NewsChannel 11 Lubbock
Absolutely AMAZING!!! (What, nobody ever thought to ask about this before?!?!?) kk
Thanks for sending ... the old stuff will last forever.
Sorry, but I can't imagine, say, 50 years from now, there being a Jay-Z center or a Britney Spears center ... it's just not the same.
If, however, there IS a center devoted to those two (I can name others), I hope I'm in my grave.
JacoFan
re: DIGGIN' FORGOTTEN HITS:
>>>I LOVE Forgotten Hits. I’m a retired (now in IT) jock from So Cal, but Chicago is my home, so you have probably never heard of me. But Biondi and Doremus got me interested in radio, and I kept it up for 20 years. (Tom ... aka: T. Michael Jordan … followed by 20 stations)>>>Glad to have you on board, Tom ... share some of those radio memories with us from time to time! (kk)
Kent:
Glad to see that my favorite all time Jock is now on board with Forgotten Hits. T Michael Jordan is probably the most significant reason "The Yellow Balloon" had the membership it ended up with. He has some tales to tell that would interest many. (Of course he is very modest, so it will take some work to get it out of him. Maybe he will tell you why "Jo Jo left his home in Tucson Arizona" someday!)
Alex Valdez / The Yellow Balloon
We heard from a few readers who remembered Michael Jordan from the radio and are glad to see that he's joined our list of "rememberers"!!! (lol) Of course, there was ANOTHER guy named Michael Jordan who made quite a name for himself here in Chicago, too ... for a whole 'nother reason ... but we'd sure love to share some of RADIO Michael Jordan's memories with our readers! (kk)
Hi!
Thank you very much for putting me on your list. I thought I was the only one in the world that had such a passion for this music. Far from it ! I love everything you send. Looking forward to more.
If anyone wants to E-Mail me concerning the music, my address is markj161511@yahoo.com
Keep up the good work and keep on rocking.
Mark
And another quick Thank You from Me To All Of You ... believe it or not, before the week is over we will officially pass THE HALF MILLION VISITORS MARK on The Forgotten Hits Website!!! Thanks again to everybody for helping to spread the word. (Artists ... Jocks ... Oldies Music Fans ... your comments WILL get noticed here ... so please keep 'em coming!!!) kk
