re: The TRAP Benefit
Concert:
Unfortunately, I've been largely
out of commission these past few days but I did want to offer one more round of
thanks to Robert Colletti, who put together a great line up for a great cause,
The Rhythmic Arts Project. Back on Sunday, April 19th, we rocked The Arcada
Theatre with The Cadillac Casanovas, Denny Diamond and The Family Jewels,
Members of Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band and The New Colony Six. Hosted by
Chet Coppock, Ron Onesti and yours truly, we put together an interesting
assortment of musical variety that, admittedly, at times could have been better
organized (and certainly more problem-free when it came to technical
difficulties) ... yet still managed to touch the heartstrings of those who came,
thanks to a very touching and moving video provided by Eddie Turduri, the heart
and soul of this organization. (Eddie's resume is incredible ... this guy has
played with just about EVERYBODY over the years ... and it is SO refreshing to
see him now giving his time to help those with disabilities and less fortunate
than himself.)
If I felt bad about anything at
all, it was the fact that we didn't raise as much money as I felt we should
have. Please visit the website and browse around ... see what this group is all
about ... and then give what you can. And, if you were there for the show ...
and you had a good time ... please pay a little back to the cause ... as THIS is
what this fundraiser was really all about.
More information can be found
here: http://www.traponline.org/
Highlights? There were quite a
few.
First of all its virtually
IMPOSSIBLE not to enjoy The Cadillac Casanovas ... without question, one of the
most FUN bands you'll ever see in concert. Not only did I get to introduce
these guys on stage, but I also got to spend some time backstage with them as
well ... what a GREAT group of guys!
And they're really on a roll right
now ... having already played The Surf Ballroom's Annual Winter Dance Party in
February, the boys next traveled to Las Vegas for Rock-A-Billy Fest ... so it
was a REAL honor to hang out with these guys againwithin the friendly confines
of The Arcada Theatre.
Next up came Denny Diamond, who
was plagued by technical difficulties for the entire opening of his set.
Thankfully, all was eventually worked out ... and Denny kept the crowd
entertained with his great sense of humor (and an assortment of Irish jokes!)
And kudos to both of Denny's sons, who now join him on stage for his Neil
Diamond tribute ... but ESPECIALLY to Spenser who spent the entire set playing
both bass guitar AND drums simultaneously!!! (It has to be seen to be
believed!!!) I was sitting with original New Colony Six bassist Walt Kemp for
this set and told him that if he did ANYTHING less than this for his guest
appearance with The Colony, I would be disappointed ... and suggested that he
should also, in fact, figure out a way to strap a trumpet to his mouth so as not
to be outdone by this young upstart!!!
After a brief auction /
intermission, The New Colony Six took the stage, performing most of their hits,
along with a Chicago Gold Medley and assorted cover tunes by other bands of this
era.
Special Guest Denny Larden sat in
with The New Colony Six and performed the 1967 #1 Hit he recorded with Every
Mother's Son, "Come On Down To My Boat", which sounded great. In addition, he
sat in with Jay White and Mary Martha and did a BEAUTIFUL tune called "The Man
Behind The Man Behind The Guitar", one of the highlights of the entire show.
(Where can I get a copy of this track, Denny? I loved it!)
All in all, a great night of
entertainment ... and all for a very good cause. Robert told me afterwards that
he was hoping to do another benefit concert at some point in time as they would
really like to establish a branch of The Rhythmic Arts Project right here in
Chicago. With our rich heritage of local musicians, I think it would be a
natural step ... here's hoping we have more to share with you in this regard in
the very near future.
Thanks to all who came ... and all
who gave ... both of their time on stage to entertain ... and of their hearts
for this very worthy cause. (kk)
Me and Ray Graffia, Jr., backstage before the show
re: On The
Radio:
Hello Kent,
Been enjoying your site very much lately. I've also
really been enjoying MeTV-FM. Several songs they have been playing have
reminded me of the old Y103.9 - they would sometimes touch songs no one else
would. That brings me to my point - in the past few weeks on forgotten hits
you've mentioned guys like Jim Shea and Jeff James. How the heck are these two
doing?
Out here in Huntley we've got a small community station
on 101.5 http://huntleyradio.com .
They run a few programs with older music, it got me thinking how great would it
be for somebody like Jeff James to bring back the old Saturday Night 70s
program, version 2 so to speak. The station's listeners are all within the old
Y103.9 listening area too!
MeTV is great, but I miss some of the old voices that
use to spin our favorite music. Would love for somebody to land a gig somewhere
soon!
- Ed in Huntley
We get at least two or three letters per
month asking about the old Y103.9 crew, with folks wanting to check in with Jim
Shea and Jeff James just to see how they're doing ... and WHAT they're doing.
The radio industry doesn't really seem to understand the connection that is made
between the listener and the on-air personality ... they become part of our
lives, someone we can count on every day to hang out with for a while on the way
to and from work ... or just in the background during the work day.
In the old Top 40 Hey-Day of Radio, the
disc jockey's role was much more pronounced ... there was a genuine respect for
what they added to the equation ... and, as a result, many of the jocks were as popular as the artists themselves that
they played on the air. Record hops and such drew huge turn-outs, just so we
could see our favorite jocks in person. With two super power-house radio
stations in town, it wasn't at all uncommon to see the disc jockeys move back
and forth from one station to the other, each wanting to take advantage of their
already established loyal following here in town.
I asked both Jim Shea and Jeff James to
say a few words to our readers about where their lives are today ... if they
missing being on the air ... what they think about not only the new Me-TV-FM and
their expanded playlist and wide variety of music they play ... as well as
Y103.9's pretty liberal format, especially when it came to these two guy, pretty
much flagship jocks for the station.
Jeff has been pretty vocal of late when it
comes to Me-TV-FM ... but Jim Shea we haven't heard from as much. Here is an update from him that might help to explain why
...
Hi Kent,
Great to hear from Ed and all the fans of Y103.9. Yeah, we did have a very unique thing, especially on the morning show: a "kitchen" where we could go and hash out the issues of the day; a place where we were all on the same side, even with different views, all united in love of the music and the joy that it brought us.
We got to talk (and jam!) with some of the people who made our favorite music and appeared in our favorite tv shows and movies. We talked with, and created some, local celebs. I was trusted and respected by all my various managers there; they let me do my thing and didn't freak out if I took an occasional unpopular stand or played something unfamiliar or shared historical insights.
Great to hear from Ed and all the fans of Y103.9. Yeah, we did have a very unique thing, especially on the morning show: a "kitchen" where we could go and hash out the issues of the day; a place where we were all on the same side, even with different views, all united in love of the music and the joy that it brought us.
We got to talk (and jam!) with some of the people who made our favorite music and appeared in our favorite tv shows and movies. We talked with, and created some, local celebs. I was trusted and respected by all my various managers there; they let me do my thing and didn't freak out if I took an occasional unpopular stand or played something unfamiliar or shared historical insights.
For the past year I have been at a
similarly awesome station in Milwaukee: 94-5 The Lake (WLWK). And loving it! I
do a few weekend shifts a week and fill in other times as needed. Musically, it
is a true variety format. You will hear Marvin Gaye then Katy Perry then Led
Zeppelin then The Lumineers then Blue Oyster Cult then Justin Timberlake. You
get the idea. The difference between The Lake and your various Jack formats is
the local content we work in over the intros. I have been given a similar green
light to that which I enjoyed at Y103.9 in that my content is totally up to me.
Again, I'm trusted and respected, so as part-time jobs go, it's a
blast.
LISTEN LIVE LINK: http://www.945thelake.com/listen-live/
I won't be in radio much longer though. In
my last year at Y103.9 (2010) I had already returned to school, finishing up my
degree in bioscience at University of Wisconsin / Parkside. It took a bit longer
than anticipated, but on May 16th I graduate, and in August I am headed
to medical school at Barry University College of Podiatric Medicine in Miami
Florida. (It is a pretty amazing thing to get in to med school at my age, and many friends
simply do not believe it. Mostly those who knew the kind of student I was in
high school ha ha ha.)
So to all the great folks involved with Y103.9 back in the day, again, thanks for the experience of a lifetime.
So to all the great folks involved with Y103.9 back in the day, again, thanks for the experience of a lifetime.
I'll always love and support radio and
broadcasters. Meanwhile I'm becoming a physician so the price of my bad jokes is about
to go up ha ha!
Speaking of which, if you want an excellent
foot and ankle doctor, I'd be happy to help you with that. Although, you may
have to come to South Florida. Darn! lol
Jim Shea
It's especially tough on the listeners ...
and the jocks, too, I imagine, when a radio station changes format and pretty
soon your world is rocked upside down because you're no longer part of the
plan. Most often, there isn't even time to say goodbye ... or not a PROPER
goodbye anyway ... fans and listeners are simply cut off cold turkey, usually
with no explanation. (So, just how IS The Fox doing these
days??!?)
Y103.9 was unique in that they were able
to expand the typical "greatest hits of all time" concept and give their jocks
some leeway into programming some legitimate hit tunes that had simply been "off
the radar" for awhile ... and, as such, Forgotten Hits fit in very nicely with
this station. Me-TV-FM is doing much same thing these days, only without the
benefit of live jocks on the air holding the whole thing together and making it
sound more like a real radio station. (Not that we don't like the constant
streaming or the lack of commercials, mind you ... it's pretty much non-stop
music, 24/7 right now ... but there's STILL something about that connection made
between a good jock and his audience. Boy, Me-TV-FM would be well served to
pick up a couple of guys like Jim Shea and Jeff James to get things rolling ...
BOTH of these gentlemen are TRUE radio aficionados who genuinely LOVE this music
... and, even after all these years, still get a kick out of bringing it to
you. And they have a long-standing, built-in audience of listeners ready to
tune in again. Sounds to me like this is at least worth talking about!!!
(kk)
Kent,
In today's FH, Paul Evans mentioned Arnie Amber doing a DJ shift
with his son Kevin and said that they were the only father - son on air team at the time.
Many years ago here in OKC, we had
a father - son air team that worked only on Sunday mornings, going off before
noon. Can't really remember their name or how long they were on the air here. It
seems like they weren't on for very long. I believe they programmed country
music at the time.
I enjoyed immensely the ten songs
you posted today. As the Magic Lanterns would have said, "It's a SHAME SHAME
these songs are not heard anymore on the radio".
Larry Neal
re: Elvis - The Beatles - And
Frank Sinatra:
Kent,
Today you wrote a couple of paragraphs about some comparisons with Elvis / Beatles, that Mariah and Garth are not the same. I'd be interested to hear your comments on a comparison between Elvis / Beatles and Frank Sinatra, since many bobby soxers did go to see Frank Sinatra the same way 60s teens went to the airport to see Elvis / Beatles.
Jon M
Today you wrote a couple of paragraphs about some comparisons with Elvis / Beatles, that Mariah and Garth are not the same. I'd be interested to hear your comments on a comparison between Elvis / Beatles and Frank Sinatra, since many bobby soxers did go to see Frank Sinatra the same way 60s teens went to the airport to see Elvis / Beatles.
Jon M
The mania period of Frank Sinatra's career was way
before my time ... so I have no first hand recollections or observations from
which to draw ... I can only go by what I've heard and read.
There was more to Elvis and The Beatles than just big
turn-outs at the airport ... they changed the way we looked, both physically as
well as our outlook on life. They were both a cultural phenomena that transcended SO
much further than just their musical contributions ... although their musical
contributions inspired literally thousands of others to follow in their
footsteps or emulate them through their own music and style. What was rare
about Elvis and The Beatles is that other artists popped up IMMEDIATELY to ride
the wave of what they created ... and then joined them side by side to ride that
wave. However, even 50-60 years later, we still see the influence and
inspiration.
Taking nothing away from Frank Sinatra ... he could do
it all ... sing, act, dance, make people disappear ... he may have been the
original teen idol (although now we'll probably hear from Bing Crosby and
Rudolph Valentino fans on this, too!)
He wasn't a "manufactured" idol the way Frankie Avalon
or Bobby Rydell or, years later, Bobby Sherman or David Cassidy or Donny Osmond
were ... Sinatra elicited a very genuine response from the audience who fell and
love with him and swooned to him en masse. (Yes, there was a mania ... but remember, too, that they
literally had to close the streets when Martin and Lewis came to town ... that
was probably a better example of mass hysteria at the time than what Sinatra
typically generated!)
However, like The Beatles and Elvis, Sinatra managed to
hang on to a VERY loyal audience who stayed with him through to the very end ...
and beyond ... so yes, I'd say he had a similar impact ... although there was
never really anything to show for it in the way of long sideburns, ducktails,
mop-top hairstyles, black leather and boots (Elvis, Beatles or otherwise), etc,
etc, etc. (Much like my Mariah Carey fake boobs / Beatles wigs analogy the other day, I don't remember there being a rush by teenagers to the stores to buy big ears and receding hairlines so that they, too, could look just like their idol!)
Sinatra was a crooner who sang songs given to him in his own unique
style (which was copied and mimicked by many) ... but many of these were
"standards" (or became standards) designed to appeal to a much broader
audience. Elvis and The Beatles targeted the kids ... and paved the way with a
brand new sound that nobody had ever heard before. Both went through an
extensive period where moms and dads hated them ... while Sinatra played if
"safe" by appealing to everyone. As such, I think Elvis and The Beatles were
viewed more as "ours", if you know what I mean ... something us kids could
relate to as new and maybe just a little bit dangerous.
I've used this analogy several times before but I still
think it fits. In 1966, at the height of musical creativity ... with artists
like The Beatles and The Beach Boys and The Mamas and the Papas and The Rolling
Stones and Bob Dylan ... and brand new upstart acts like The Troggs and Tommy
James and the Shondells, and The Turtles and The Monkees and so many other "flower
power", hard rock, psychedelic acts dominating the music scene and the pop
charts, 51 year old Frank Sinatra hit the top of the charts with "Strangers In
The Night" ... and we couldn't believe it. (Or, perhaps more accurately, we
were OUTRAGED!!! What was this old man doing on the radio with our favorite pop
idols???) In our minds, he didn't BELONG there ... rock and roll had been
well-established by this point ... and Sinatra had no business invading our
sacred turf. Besides, he'd already had his moment in the sun. Yet today we think absolutely NOTHING about shelling out hundreds
of dollars in the hopes of securing a seat to what will most likely be a
completely sold out concert by 73 year old Paul McCartney!!! 73?!?!? 20+ years
older than Sinatra was at the time!!! And the guy's performing at The Super Bowl and headlining Lollapalooza for God's Sake!!!
And then, a year later, Sinatra has recorded a #1 duet with
his DAUGHTER?!?! How DARE he!!! (Today Tony Bennett sings with Lady GaGa and
nobody even blinks!)
Anyway, there's my typical long-winded answer ... not
sure what you'll take away from it ... in summary, I guess I'd say, "Yeah, it's
KINDA the same ... but it's also WAY different". (kk)
Hey Kent,
Just read the review of The Who concert.
Just read the review of The Who concert.
Do you think "The
Beatles: The Next Generation" will ever happen? I'm sure they would like to
record and perform all new material and not old Beatles songs. What I understand
is that Dhani Harrison, James McCartney, Sean and (maybe) Julian Lennon are
interested in getting together, but the only holdout is Zak Starkey. I know he
tours with The Who, but I wish he could make a little time for it, because there
is huge interest out there. I wonder if Ringo has another drumming child or if
Pete Best has any kids. :-)
- John LaPuzza
- John LaPuzza
See that??? From Lollapalooza to Johnny LaPuzza in one swift motion ... ah, the magic of Forgotten Hits! (lol)
I, for one, certainly hope not. (Did we learn NOTHING from "The New Monkees"?!?!?)
While I think it would be INCREDIBLY cool to see a one-off performance of The Beatles Kids on TV or something, I think trying to cash in at this stage of the game would be off-putting to most, myself included. (Julian's gotta be 50-something himself by now, right? And he already tried the rock career.)
This one just wouldn't work for me ... and I don't believe you can try and "create" a phenomena, no matter what gene pool you start with. Would it be cool for one incredible show to see them all do something by their famous fathers and then something of their own? Yeah, probably ... but then record it and preserve it for all eternity. Anything more than that would never work ... and the critics would eat them alive. (kk)
re: This And
That:
Tuesday, April 21 at
9:05am · HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, ERNIE MARESCA, APRIL 21, 1939 4/21/1939 = Happy Birthday, Ernie Maresca.
Hometown = Bronx, New York. Ernie wrote many songs for Dion. He used the sound of the record "Quarter To Three" to write "Runaround Sue" with Dion. Ernie wrote "The Wanderer" around the hit "Kansas City". In 1962, Danny Kessler of Seville Records suggested that Ernie try singing a song he had written called "Shout! Shout!( Knock Yourself Out )." Marv Holtzman and Murray Spahn, also of Seville Records, encouraged Ernie to try it to see what would happen. Ernie got together with the Del Satins, the group that backed Dion up on all his hits without the Belmonts and, in March 1962, "Shout! Shout!" became a top 10 hit. After this Ernie went back to writing songs, instead of singing them.
Special thanks to our friend, Frank Buongervino, for the above information. (Knock yourself out, Frank!) kk
Hometown = Bronx, New York. Ernie wrote many songs for Dion. He used the sound of the record "Quarter To Three" to write "Runaround Sue" with Dion. Ernie wrote "The Wanderer" around the hit "Kansas City". In 1962, Danny Kessler of Seville Records suggested that Ernie try singing a song he had written called "Shout! Shout!( Knock Yourself Out )." Marv Holtzman and Murray Spahn, also of Seville Records, encouraged Ernie to try it to see what would happen. Ernie got together with the Del Satins, the group that backed Dion up on all his hits without the Belmonts and, in March 1962, "Shout! Shout!" became a top 10 hit. After this Ernie went back to writing songs, instead of singing them.
Special thanks to our friend, Frank Buongervino, for the above information. (Knock yourself out, Frank!) kk
Just saw the new list you ran for the Arcada Theatre -
You're gonna' love the Bronx
Wanderers!
Danny
You know, they actually play here quite often ...
and yet I've still never seen them! (kk)
And, speaking of upcoming shows, Henry Gross just
sent us some new tour dates ...
Henry will be performing is one-man
show "One Hit Wanderer on May 2nd at The Murray Studio Theater, Ruth Eckerd
Hall, in Clearwater, FL at 8:00 pm
In addition, Henry will be
performing solo acoustic gigs on the following dates:
May 22nd - Lafayette's Music Room,
Memphis, TN - 7 pm
June 18th - Port City Cafe,
Portsmith, OH
July 3rd - Red Dragon Listening
Room, Baton Rouge, LA
Dear Forgotten
Hits Readers,
I am very pleased to announce my latest radio
interview show, which I have posted on the Jersey Girls Sing
website.
It is with Will Millar (pronounced "Miller"),
the founder and leader of the Irish Rovers. To access it, please click the above
link or the one toward the bottom of this message.
"The Unicorn" by the Irish Rovers was surely
one of the most unlikely hits of 1968 or, for that matter, any year. The writer
was Playboy cartoonist and singer-songwriter Shel Silverstein, who was probably
just as surprised when the group hit the top ten with it as the group
was.
Will was the lead singer of that
fondly-remembered song about those silly unicorns who missed the boat and as a
result became extinct. (That's what happened if you believe Shel!) The other
three group members on that hit were Will's brother George, Will's cousin Joe
and the late Jimmy Ferguson.
Will was with the group for over 30 years. He
told me that if it wasn't for his Jaguar breaking down in front of an Italian
restaurant, the Irish Rovers may have never achieved stardom! Yes, fate played a
huge role in their extremely interesting career. He is a most interesting guy in
so many respects!
Ronnie
Allen
You're gonna' love the Bronx
Wanderers!
Danny
You know, they actually play here quite often ...
and yet I've still never seen them! (kk)
And, speaking of upcoming shows, Henry Gross just
sent us some new tour dates ...
Henry will be performing is one-man
show "One Hit Wanderer on May 2nd at The Murray Studio Theater, Ruth Eckerd
Hall, in Clearwater, FL at 8:00 pm
In addition, Henry will be
performing solo acoustic gigs on the following dates:
May 22nd - Lafayette's Music Room,
Memphis, TN - 7 pm
June 18th - Port City Cafe,
Portsmith, OH
July 3rd - Red Dragon Listening
Room, Baton Rouge, LA
Dear Forgotten
Hits Readers,
I am very pleased to announce my latest radio
interview show, which I have posted on the Jersey Girls Sing
website.
It is with Will Millar (pronounced "Miller"),
the founder and leader of the Irish Rovers. To access it, please click the above
link or the one toward the bottom of this message.
"The Unicorn" by the Irish Rovers was surely
one of the most unlikely hits of 1968 or, for that matter, any year. The writer
was Playboy cartoonist and singer-songwriter Shel Silverstein, who was probably
just as surprised when the group hit the top ten with it as the group
was.
Will was the lead singer of that
fondly-remembered song about those silly unicorns who missed the boat and as a
result became extinct. (That's what happened if you believe Shel!) The other
three group members on that hit were Will's brother George, Will's cousin Joe
and the late Jimmy Ferguson.
Will was with the group for over 30 years. He
told me that if it wasn't for his Jaguar breaking down in front of an Italian
restaurant, the Irish Rovers may have never achieved stardom! Yes, fate played a
huge role in their extremely interesting career. He is a most interesting guy in
so many respects!
Ronnie
Allen