Forgotten Hits

A Few Mid-Week Comments (Current Music News)

2012-02-01T06:50:00.001-06:00

re: ADELE:

>>>So while congratulations are certainly in order for Adele and her 17 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Album Chart ... (and it's a GREAT album!) ... she's still got a LONG way to go before she hits the record books! (kk)

Back in 1963, The Singing Nun became the first artist to have a #1 album on the Billboard charts at the same time a single from that album ("Dominique") topped the Hot 100. Not long after that, the Beatles became the second act to accomplish that feat when Meet The Beatles and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" were #1 simultaneously. This week, Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain" becomes her THIRD single from the 21 album to be #1 at the same time as the album is in the top spot. Now, THAT'S one for the record books!

-– Randy Price

re: ETTA JAMES:

In Memory of Etta James:

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Etta James. She was a great singer and her music was fabulous. I will miss her. She could really belt out a song. She will greatly be misses. May she Rest In Peace.

Arlene

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation Mourns the Loss of Etta James

Family of 1989 Pioneer Award Winner & Former Board Member to Continue Her Legacy through R&B Foundation Memorial Contributions

PHILADELPHIA – As legendary blues singer Etta James is laid to rest tomorrow in Los Angeles, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation wishes to express its sorrow at the loss of “our friend and Rhythm & Blues Pioneer” and its deep appreciation to her family, which is asking for all donations to be made out to the organization. All contributions in her memory go to the Doc Pomus Fund to help artists in need of financial or medical assistance.

A recipient of the R&B Foundation’s first Pioneer Awards ceremony in 1989, Etta James also served on the Board of Directors of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation during the formative years. A statement from Damon Williams, Chairman of the R&B Foundation reads:

“Etta’s lifelong contributions to Rhythm & Blues music have paved the way for generations of artists, and we are grateful to her family for furthering her impact by selecting our organization as the recipient of memorial contributions to help our mission to preserve and celebrate the music and its artists. Etta James was a one-of-a-kind artist with a one-of-a-kind voice; she was an absolute Rhythm & Blues Pioneer. Etta was part of the fabric and spirit in which the Rhythm & Blues Foundation was built on. Awarding Etta James the Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 1989 was one of the finest moments in our mission to celebrate the legacy of Rhythm &Blues artists. Our hearts go out to Etta James’ family and her long time manager, Lupe De Leon.”

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation is the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to preserving Rhythm & Blues music and celebrating the artists who create it.

www.rhythm-n-blues.org.

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Awards Program has recognized over 150 legendary artists whose lifelong contributions have been instrumental in the development of Rhythm & Blues music. The award honors the career achievements of solo artists, vocal groups, songwriters and producers who are nominated and selected by members of our board of directors. As part of the Pioneer Awards, most recipients receive an honorarium. Since 1989, the Pioneer Awards Program has given over $1.5 million to worthy honorees and will continue to celebrate legendary Rhythm & Blues artists.

Contributions to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation can be sent to:

Rhythm & Blues Foundation

P.O. Box 22438

Philadelphia, Pa. 19101

Lots of glowing tributes to Etta James ... another artist who wasn't ever appreciated to the degree she deserved to be during her lifetime. Even her best known hit, "At Last", only reached #47 on The Billboard Pop Chart when it was first released back in 1961. (In all fairness, it fared better in Cash Box, where it peaked at #30.) In the last 20 years it's become a true classic. (Kind of like Louis Armstrong's hit "What A Wonderful World". This record didn't even crack the Top 100 when it was first released in 1968 ... then, twenty years later it became a HUGE hit after it was included in the soundtrack to the Robin Williams movie "Good Morning Viet Nam") ... proof again that if you simply introduce this music to the public at large, they WILL embrace it! We talked the other day about how big The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" became after it was featured in the film "Ghost". Prior to that, it was all but a forgotten oldie. "Shout" by The Isley Brothers gets TONS of airplay now since the song was revived (by Otis Day and the Knights) in the film "Animal House". It's happened again and again and again ... why aren't the right people paying attention?!?!? (kk)

Key Etta James tracks:

Wallflower (1955); All I Could Do Was Cry (#23, 1960); If I Can't Have You (with Harvey Fuqua, #32, 1960); My Dearest Darling (#25, 1960); Spoonful (as Etta and Harvey, #78, 1960); At Last (#30, 1961); Trust In Me (#25, 1961); Fool That I Am (#50, 1961); Don't Cry Baby (#39, 1961); Something's Got A Hold On Me (#20, 1962); Stop The Wedding (#22, 1962); Next Door To The Blues (#67, 1962); Pushover (#24, 1963); Tell Mama (#23, 1968); Security (#35, 1968)

How do you put together a hit list like this ... and STILL not get any airplay on the radio?!?!? (kk)

By the way, speaking of Etta James ... and the new Billboard Charts ... guess who's sitting on top of the Blues Albums Chart right now! You got it ... Etta's "Icon" album is #1 in Billboard this week. And the Etta-inspired "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida is sitting at #3 on Billboard's Pop Chart, too. It's a GREAT track that brings a whole new (good) feeling to an old classic! (kk)

Click here: Flo Rida - Good Feeling [Official Video] - YouTube

Kent ...

Stevie Wonder performed at the funeral for Etta James. Christina Aguilera was also there.

Click here: Stevie Wonder Performs at the Funeral of Etta James [Photos]

Frank B.

Yeah, Christina made headlines (and caused a YouTube sensation) for whatever it was that was dripping down her legs during her performance of "At Last". Quite emotional and near tears before she started singing, she completely butchered the song as far as I'm concerned ... and I'm a BIG Christina Aguilera fan ... I think she's legitimately got one of the BEST voices out there amongst the new breed of female singers ... but she COMPLETELY oversang and oversold it during this bare-bones performance ... and this somber occasion. (On the plus side, she didn't forget the lyrics like she did during "The Star Spangled Banner" ... but she's got a whole NEW controversy going now surrounding this "mystery leakage"!!! Proof again that not ALL publicity is GOOD publicity!!!) Then again, "The Voice" kicks off right after The Super Bowl ... so she'll be pretty much in our consciousness for a while yet! (kk)

CHRISTINA AGUILERA MYSTERY FLUID:

Click here: Christina Aguilera - At Last [Etta James Funeral] - YouTube

CHRISTINA AGUILERA PROVING HOW WELL SHE CAN REALLY SING AN ETTA JAMES TUNE ... SOMETHING'S GOT A HOLD ON ME FROM "BURLESQUE":

Click here: Burlesque - Clip "Something's Got A Hold On Me" - YouTube

re: FUTURE ROCKERS:

Got this clip from FH Reader David Lewis ... a real "School Of Rock" moment ... what a GREAT way to introduce these young kids to the classics! (kk)

Click here: ccs whole lotta love - YouTube

re: NEW MUSIC:

How unusual to get BOTH of these emails during the same week ...

Makes you want to check this out, doesn't it???

Hi Kent,
Sunday Morning on CBS is a favorite show of mine. This morning they did a story about a British singer / songwriter named Rumer. I confess I hadn't heard of her before. I was blown away. I think she is incredible. They compared her to several other artists but what I kept hearing was Karen Carpenter. She has that same clear, pure sound. It's weird to hear her speak with her British accent and then not even a hint of that in her singing. The lyrics are so clear and lovely that you don't need to wonder what she is singing about. I immediately went on Amazon and purchased her CD entitled "Seasons Of My Soul" ... I love it.
Stacee

I need to tell you about a new singer known as Rumer ...
I have never been one to tout new talent because there is so much great stuff from my era, that I don't trifle with current screamer / fake backing music on a computer / singing with "goofy sounds" that don't seem real or is used constantly by EVERY current artist. Yes, I love the old artists and music. Yet, Sunday on CBS' Sunday Morning, I gotta say that an artist known as Rumer seems to have the Bacharach / David female song vocal to rival Dionne Warwick of the 60's. The show opened with her cover of "Alfie" which was just great (as is the Warwick version). If you added the echo effects of Dusty Springfield records, she might rival her sound as well, it would seem. IF I were to buy a current artist's CD, it would probably be this one. Recently, I commented on another site how Pickettywitch's 45 "Days I Remember" (lead vocal by Polly Brown of "Up in a Puff of Smoke" fame) sounded so much like the old Bacharach sound of the 60's and THAT 45 was out in 1971! I thought that sound was gone by THEN and was surprised to hear THAT great vocal back in 1971, so you can imagine my pleasant surprise at hearing this Rumer music. Now, I will return to the 60's and you can judge Rumer as you wish. Check out the CBS Sunday Morning video and story:http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7396768n&tag=contentBody;cbsCarouselAnd then, there's James McCartney's TV debut on Letterman Monday night. I did not care for his song and his stage presence was NOTHING. He must not like Letterman just like his dad, since Dave was gracious with him and shoook his hand and he showed NO emotion at all.
In the end, "Rumer has it" and James does not, I guess.

Clark Besch

re: MADONNA / THE SUPER BOWL:

Kent ...

I guess there's no point in watching half - time show ... Madonna promises no malfunctions.

Click here: Madonna Promises Not to Reveal TOO MUCH at Half Time Show

Meanwhile, Elton John has given Madonna some Half-Time Show advice ... Click here: Elton John Gives Madonna Some Half Time Show “Advice”

Kent,

I don't think they like each other!

Frank B.

re: UP-COMING SHOWS:

A few good shows coming up on the local scene in and around Chicago ... Don't forget about the Crash Landing show coming up this weekend at SPACE in Evanston. Our FH Buddies Quent Lang and Mike Flynn have assembled some of Chicago's top session musicians and have put together an entire program of classic rock that Quent describes as "a very enjoyable tour de force". More details here:

http://evanstonspace.com/?Month=2&Year=2012

Hope you and our old fans can join us !!!!!

Quent Lang

Meanwhile, Michele Abrams tells us about another show that sounds pretty cool:

Legendary sax player Bobby Keys will perform with Hot Rocks, the Rolling Stones Tribute Band on Friday, February 17th at Chord On Blues in St. Charles and on Satuarday, February 18th, at Chicago City Limits in Schaumburg.

Contact the clubs for tickets and more information:

chordonblues.com or chicagocitylimits.net

http://www.hotrocksband.com/
Bobby Keys will perform many of his signature Rolling Stones sax solos like Brown Sugar, Live With me, Can't You Hear Me Knocking along with classic rock songs he recorded with Dion, John Lennon, and other music legends accompanied by Chicago's Hot Rocks band.

And don't forget about these dates at The Arcada Theatre:

http://www.Oshows.com- A Nite of Zeppelin with Kashmir -- Friday, 2/17/12, 8 PM

- Eddie Money -- Satuarday, 3/3, 8 PM

- Frankie Avalon -- Friday, 3/9, 8 PM

- A Nite of RUSH with Animation -- Saturday, 3/10, 8 PM

- The Righteous Brothers with Bill Medley --

Friday, 3/30, 8 PM

- Joan Rivers Television Taping -- Saturday, 3/31

(Two Shows: 7 PM and 9 PM)

- The BoDeans -- Friday, 4/20, 8 PM

- Echoes of Pompei - The Pink Floyd Tribute --

Saturday, 4/21, 8 PM

- A Night of Chicago with 25 or 6 to 4 --

Saturday, 5/5, 8 PM

- ABBA-Mania -- Friday, 5/11, 8 PM

More dates to be announced

New York, NY (January 30, 2012)--Roger Hodgson, the legendary voice of Supertramp, will embark on his Breakfast in America Tour next month, kicking off with two sold out shows at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, CA.

Fans the world over have been thrilled with Hodgson's unforgettable songs such as "Breakfast in America," "The Logical Song," "Dreamer," "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home," and "School." Hodgson and his band will perform these timeless songs, as they take you on a magical musical journey.

Universally recognized as one of the most gifted composers and songwriters to have ever put pen to paper, Hodgson helped define a generation of progressive rock. Founding Supertramp in 1969, Hodgson's dulcet tones and beautifully crafted lyrics helped the band sell in excess of 60 million albums, transforming them into a worldwide phenomenon. Although he departed the band in 1983, he is still regarded as the spiritual and creative force behind Supertramp.

For a taste of the live Hodgson experience, Take the Long Way Home - Live in Montreal, is available on DVD from Eagle Rock Entertainment. Click to view songs from the DVD: "Take the Long Way Home," "Breakfast in America" and "Give a Little Bit."

Reflecting on his tour and DVD, Roger said "I love performing these songs, which continue to resound for me as a performer and for the fans. My songs come from a very personal place inside me and they carry my beliefs and my dreams and my philosophy of life. I understand the deep connection that fans have with my songs that have been a part of so many peoples' lives around the world."

Roger Hodgson will perform at the following venues:

February 24 and 25 Temecula, California, Pechanga Resort Casino

February 26 Chandler, AZ, Wild Horse Pass Casino

February 28 Tulsa, OK, Hard Rock Casino - The Joint

March 2 Hinckley, MN, Grand Casino Hinckley

March 3 and 4 Milwaukee, WI, Potawatomi Casino / Northern Lights Theater

March 7 Hollywood, FL, Hard Rock Live

March 8 Ft. Pierce, FL, Sunrise Theatre

August 17 Lincoln, RI, Twin River Casino Event Center

More dates to be announced in the coming weeks! For details: http://www.rogerhodgson.com/documents/tour.html

Hoping That These Will Put A Smile On Your Face This Morning!

2012-01-31T06:40:00.000-06:00

Too funny not to share ...

If you're a Ferris Bueller fan (and we sure are!!!),
then you're just gonna LOVE this GREAT new Honda commercial that Matthew Broderick put together for The Super Bowl!!!

And, for all you Super Bowl Fans out there, let's not forget that Eli's Coming ...

Eli Manning that is!

And, from our "Equal Time" Department comes this one ...

re: A CAREER AFTER POLITICS?:

When President Obama sang a line of the Al Green Hit "Let's Stay Together" at a recent fundraiser, it became an Internet sensation. (Honestly, he doesn't sound bad!!!) Apparently, The Reverend Al Green was in the audience that night at The Apollo Theater ... and get this ... the following week, 16,000 people downloaded Green's hit, spiking an increase in sales of 490%!!! (Ah, the power of the Internet!)

Check out the clip here if you haven't already seen it:

Kent ...

Here's a new way to bring back an old hit.

Get the President to sing it.
Maybe he can sing YOUR song ... in exchange for a donation.
Frank B.

I'm probably in greater need of a donation than HE is right now ... but this IS a cool clip! (kk)
Kent ...

I'm taking the Rev. Al's version over the President's version.
Frank B.

I was never all that fond of this song ... but it certainly has proven to be quite the classic. Tina Turner did a pretty good version of this, too ... a #24 Hit in 1984. (kk)

Here's a suggestion from Jersey John ...

Ray Stevens and "Mr. President"!!!

Meanwhile, we had some pretty good response to our Burton Cummings piece yesterday ...

Here's a clip of one of my favorites ...

I bought Burton Cummings first solo album and was totally blown away by his voice and talent. Stand Tall is one of my all time favorite songs. It's good to hear he is still wowing them.

Bob Hughes

Great stuff on Burton Cummings the other day -- one of my favorites, too. Glad to see he's still got it. (Now how do we get him to come back to Chicago?)

Danny

Based on what Tom Cuddy wrote, it sounds like Burton will be touring The States more often in the future ... and we can't wait! (kk)

And congrats on "These Eyes" going over 4,000,000 airplays!!! That's incredible ... especially when I hear "American Woman" about 20 times more often!!! (Makes you wonder where THAT one falls in the ranking!) kk

Hey Kent -
Thanks for this ... I know Burton will appreciate the kind words.

This past run was awesome and finishing in the historic little theatre in Tarrytown in a snowstorm rocked ... lol

I've passed it along to Burton.
Sam Boyd
Tour Manager

http://www.bmfproductions.com/

And since today is all about havin' fun, how about this great Burton Cummings clip, paying tribute to fellow Canadian Recording Artist Gordon Lightfoot!

BURTON CUMMINGS

2012-01-30T06:28:00.001-06:00

We teased it last week ...

And now it's here!!!

Check out our special Burton Cummings Concert Review ...

Along with EXCLUSIVE FORGOTTEN HITS photos and video!!!

After over 35 years in the radio business I can count on one hand the recording artists I would like to see, but never had the chance, and I would still have a couple of fingers left. Guess Who front man, Burton Cummings, was one of those rock stars.

Then came last weekend (Jan. 21st), when Burton ended a small two week tour of the Northeast with a very memorable set (almost two hours) in Westchester County, New York, at the Tarrytown Music Hall.

Burton gave up smoking a few years back, which certainly didn’t hurt protecting his voice, which I’m thrilled to report, is now as versatile, expressive, and powerful as it’s always been.

The 64-year-old singer - songwriter is an incredible conversationalist. He would make a great deejay or talk show host. His love and knowledge of music is very evident. He can recite songs, artists, album cuts, B-sides and trivia going back to the beginning of rock and roll.

The sad part had been that for a musician who enjoyed 15 Billboard Top 40 hits, he seldom performed in the United States in recent years. Most of his concerts had been in his native Canada, even though he’s had a house in Los Angeles for decades. Burton’s routine has been to split his time between California and Canada each year. And the reason why he hadn’t been more active in the States is because of the “karaoke Guess Who,” as Burton calls them, who seemed to be always touring the U.S. That touring contingent doesn’t include Burton or his Guess Who partner and co-songwriter Randy Bachman. He and Randy gave the rights up to the name years ago. And Burton was uncertain how many American music fans would be passionate about buying tickets to see show without being able to use the GUESS WHO name in the promotion of the show.

That’s all changed recently as Burton has discovered U.S. fans do remember him by his own name and still have a warm spot in their hearts for Guess Who music. And those fans have been coming out in large numbers to see him energize the songs they grew up to on the radio. He takes great pride in performing the songs just like the fans remember them blasting out of their radio speakers.

Yes, Burton spends most of his show singing his hits behind the keyboard, but you soon discover this guy isn’t only a keyboard specialist, because from time-to-time he’ll grab a guitar for a song or a flute.

It’s impossible to walk out of a Burton Cummings performance disappointed. He does ALL the Guess Who hits you come to see, from the very first one, “These Eyes,” to the very last one, “Clap for the Wolfman.”

Plus, he reveals to the crowd, “About a year ago we put this song back into the set,” and then he dives into his first solo hit, “Stand Tall,” from 1976.

Burton, who became a U.S. citizen in the past year, is just finishing the final mix of a live concert CD that will soon be available to fans and has plans to continue touring the U.S.

When Burton came out for his final encore in Tarrytown I was quietly asking myself, I wonder what song he’ll close with, since he already performed all the hits. “Because this is the final night of our short tour, we’re going to do a tune we don’t usually do.” He then counted down his gifted band and they got everyone up on their feet for a building shakin’ version of ‘Louie, Louie!”

-- Tom Cuddy

One of my all-time favorite recording artists has got to be Burton Cummings ... I've probably seen him close to a dozen times over the years ... both with The Guess Who and as a solo artist ... as well part of the Cummings - Bachman Band Reunion from a few years ago.

ALWAYS one of my favorite vocalists, Cummings is in a group by himself ... nobody has ever come close to duplicating his sound. (Even Randy Bachman used to joke, after forming Bachman-Turner Overdrive, that he knew he had to go in a different direction because he realized that he could never compete with "the voice".)

One of the strangest billings I ever saw was right after Burton's first solo hit, "Stand Tall", was released. Cummings opened the show for Alice Cooper ... about as mis-matched a set as you could imagine. (You wouldn't think that Alice's crowd ... the folks who packed the stadium to see the headliner behead dolls live on stage ... would hold any affection for Burton Cummings' music ... but the music of The Guess Who is TIMELESS and crosses ALL musical boundaries. Cummings said in an early interview that he thought the group had to have "one of everything" in order to compete with The Beatles ... so The Guess Who did ballads (like "These Eyes"), hard rockers (like "No Time" and "American Woman") and even jazz (like "Undun"). Between 1969 and 1975, they placed 13 songs on Billboard's Top 40 List, and nearly every one of them has proven to remain a classic. (How it is even remotely possible that these guys are NOT in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? This is nothing short of a ludicrous injustice ... for two years, The Guess Who outsold ALL of the other Canadian Recording Arts COMBINED!!! There has never been a bigger rock act to come out of The Great White North ... and there is absolutely NO excuse for this ridiculous omission!)

Teaming Burton Cummings with Alice Cooper boggled the mind back then ... one of The Guess Who's best known album tracks was "Glamour Boy", a swipe at artists like Cooper and David Bowie, about whom Cummings sang, "for $37,000 you can look like your sister tonight". The very next show I saw him in ... just a few months later ... was opening for Melissa Manchester!) Another highlight was when Burton toured as part of Ringo Starr's All-Star Band ... limited to just a couple of songs, he routinely stole the show night after night with his rousing performances of "American Woman", "No Time" and "These Eyes".

Too bad this was a limited tour ... I would love to see Burton Cummings in concert again. Checking for tour dates, I found nothing listed Stateside as of this moment in time. (Man, would Burton sound GREAT at The Chicago Theater or what?!?!? He could sell that place out for a week!)

Thanks for the great concert review, Tom ... and all the other little goodies you sent us, too! (Read On!) kk

EXCLUSIVE FORGOTTEN HITS PHOTO BY BRAD JOBLIN

(Don'tcha just LOVE the fact that Burton's wearing a Beatles T-Shirt ... and how cool is it that he got to tour alongside one of his all-time idols, Ringo Starr!!! Burton is also a HUGE Bobby Darin fan ... and ... at one time anyway ... his doorbell played "Mack The Knife" if you were fortunate enough to be invited over to his house!!!) kk

And, as promised, another Forgotten Hits EXCLUSIVE VIDEO!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEGt37NmRUQ&feature=youtu.be

Video shot by Brad Joblin

Post Production: Blake Joblin

44 Years Ago Today

2012-01-29T09:06:00.002-06:00

If you turned on your radio on January 29th, 1968, you were likely to hear "Chain Of Fools" by Aretha Franklin, "Woman, Woman" by The Union Gap, "Nobody But Me" by The Human Beinz, "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles, "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, "Dock Of The Bay" by Otis Redding and "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by The Foundations.

Turn on your radio today and, with the wide variety of music scattered across the dial, odds are you'll hear most ... if not all ... of these songs again, some 44 years later.

Forgotten Hits has always stressed the fact that this music is "Timeless" ... it's just as powerful (and just as popular) today as it was back then ... and new people are discovering this music each and every day.

This hasn't always been the case. Imagine turning on your radio on January 29th, 1968, and having the deejay flash back to 44 years earlier ... odds are pretty good that there wasn't a station on the planet successfully playing the music of 1924 ... or very many listeners craving to hear those long-forgotten songs from "the good ol' days".

I offer this up as proof again that this music will never die. Cliched as it is, it not only represents "The Soundtrack Of Our Lives" ... but it has also become the soundtrack to the lives of each generation to come along since.

Other favorites from 44 years ago today? The #1 Record in the Country was "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers. It had just displaced "Judy In Disguise" by John Fred and His Playboy Band in the top spot. Rounding out the Top Ten were Chicago's own American Breed with "Bend Me, Shape Me", The Classics IV with their breakthrough hit "Spooky", the biggest instrumental hit of the year, "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat, "I Wish It Would Rain" by The Temptations and the stunning Lettermen medley of "Goin' Out Of My Head / Can't Take My Eyes Off You." (By the way, the #11 Record that week was another Chicago-based hit, "Susan" by The Buckinghams.)

Oldies staples like "Different Drum" by The Stone Poneys (Linda Ronstadt's first chart hit), "Itchycoo Park" by The Small Faces, "Darlin'" by The Beach Boys and "Simon Says" by The 1910 Fruitgum Company played side-by-side with Forgotten Hits like "Skip A Rope" by Henson Cargill, "Tomorrow" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock, "Bottle Of Wine" by The Fireballs and "Zabadak" by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tish!

Timeless Music ... remembered today in Forgotten Hits!

Helping Out Our Readers

2012-01-27T06:27:00.001-06:00

re: LETTER OF THE WEEK:

Hi,

I just discovered your site ... this is going to be interesting for me ... lots of stuff I never knew about.

I have been wandering the internet to try to find and remember a song I asked my internet friends about, but no one remembers.

Anyway, what I remember is that the song starts with a guy who is having a dream or is stoned and having a dream and he sees a long line of women which he describes a bit. I believe when he starts, he calls himself some kind of long haired freak, or something to that effect.
It is kind of a funky song, a bit psychedelic. I think it has to be from before 1978, which was a really different era of music from this song.
I recall hearing the song on the radio in California a fair bit. I have gone thru all of the top 100 / 150 charts from the 1970's and I do not recognize it from any of those lists.
Does this ring a bell?
I do recall listening to this song and thinking I really wanted to get the song so I could remember it, and I never got around to it, sadly.
There was something a little different about it in terms of instrumentation and sounds, whatever the quality of the lyrics may have been.
Anyway again, thanks for your site. I am going to wander around in it and I am looking forward to that.
Leslie

Hi Leslie!

Glad you're enjoying Forgotten Hits.

Based on your spot-on description, this song can only be "Spill The Wine" by Eric Burdon and War ... and I'm sure you DID hear it quite a bit in California at the time ... it was a #1 Record in 1970 and War was based based in the LA area at the time. In hindsight, "Spill The Wine" kind of closed the "psychedelic era" of popular music with its trance-like sound.

Eric Burdon, of course, was the former lead singer of The Animals, who had fifteen Top 40 Hits in the mid-to-late '60's as part of the first wave of The British Invasion. Their biggest, "The House of the Rising Sun", went all the way to #1 in 1964 ... their other Top 20 Hits include "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (#15, 1965); "We Gotta Get out Of This Place" (#13, 1965); "Don't Bring Me Down" (#11, 1966); "Monterey" (#10, 1968) and "Sky Pilot" (#14, 1968), a track we featured earlier this week in our Sound Advice column.

Burdon formed "The New Animals" using California-based musicians in 1967 and performed at The Monterey Pop Festival with this new line-up. A few years later, he discovered the band War playing in the LA area and recruited them as his back-up band for the single "Spill The Wine". The unique instrumentation you refer to can be attributed to the excellent musicianship of War, a Latino-based band that melded those Latin Sounds with classic rhythm and blues and rock to create their own hit history. After the departure of Eric Burdon, War hit the charts with Top Ten Hit classics like "The World Is A Ghetto" (#7, 1973); "The Cisco Kid" (#2, 1973); "Gypsy Man" (#7, 1973); "Why Can't We Be Friends" (#5, 1975); "Low Rider" (#5, 1975) and "Summer" (#7, 1976).

The members of War had a major falling out a few years ago and now two different sanctions of the band continue to perform and record. Eric Burdon's still out on the road, too ... in fact, he just performed here in Chicago last weekend (where "Spill The Wine" is still one of the major highlights of his act.) kk

Kent,

You are a GENIUS!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

Leslie

Nowhere near a genius ... but glad we could help!!! (kk)

re: GOOD FOLLOW-UPS:

>>>From what I know and understand, in 1959 Chubby Checker had two songs out on Parkway Records called DANCING DINOSAUR and SAMSON AND DELILAH. Years ago a friend of mine back East sent me DANCING DINOSAUR on CD. Years ago I saw SAMSON AND DELILAH in an auction for some $75. The condition was Poor. I am curious (but not yellow) as to what SAMSON AND DELILAH sounds like. Any chance you could post that one on your website? How about a Chubby Checker two-fer? These two songs would be classified as forgotten forgotten 45's. (Larry Neal)

Larry,

I don't have the Chubby Checker 45 and had never known he did any except the cool "The Class" 45 before "The Twist". It is good to reconnect with you after writing to you at KOMA several times when you were doing the "Wax Museum" and the Saturday morning KOMA countdown show. MAN, it was tough getting up at 6 AM to listen to KOMA on my day off, but I was 20 years younger then. Haha.
Anyway, I have had a song recorded off KOMA since 1960 that I have never been able to get a 45 copy of and am wondering if you have an MP3 to share of it. The song is a pop teener by Jimmy Darrow (I think it was anyway) called "Johnny Blue". It was not a GREAT song, but I have had it SO long on tape and still one I would like to locate in good quality. Those were great days listening to KOMA as they "went border to border and Coast to coast" with their great "Yours, Truly KOMA" jingles!

Clark Besch

Goldmine's 45 RPM Price Guide shows "Samson and Delilah" and "Dancing Dinosaur" as coming out AFTER Chubby first hit the charts with "The Class". ("The Class" was Parkway single 804 ... "Samson And Delilah" and "Dancing Dinosaur" were released as Parkway 808 and 810 respectively.) If these records got any airplay at all, it was most likely in the Philadelphia area. One single later, Checker was the #1 Artist in the country ... Parkway 811 was "The Twist", the ONLY record ever to hit the #1 spot by the same artist during the rock and roll era. (In fact, we honored this achievement back on January 7th, the anniversary of this one-of-a-kind achievement!) Happy to put the word out on "Johnny Blue" ... betcha somebody on the list has got a copy of this one. (Quite a few Johnny Darrow tunes listed on YouTube ... but unfortunately not the one you're looking for.)
Click here: johnny darrow - YouTube

>>>In 1964, Sunny Gale recorded an album for the now defunct Canadian American label, #1015, titled "Goldies By The Girls". Gemm doesn't have it ... and neither does E Bay. Maybe a reader can find it for me. I want the record, not the music alone. Thanks. (Arnold Kirkbride)

Kent,
I'm on the hunt for Sunny Gale for Arnold!! Nice to see someone who wants the LP (album) rather than just a (mp3) song(s)!
Arnold, it "looks" like it was up on eBay in the past! Will help try to track it down for you!
Will try to make your day a bit more Sunny :)
Best,
Jersey John

People ... people helping people ... are the luckiest people ... in the world ... Thanks, John! Maybe we're on to something here! (kk)

re: KENNY THE K's SWAP AND SHOP:

I have a couple of things I'd like to try and sell, music related. One is a HUGE green flag with the WHO's logo - have no idea where my friend got it or why. It's in great condition. The other things I have to look at. Could you help me out, maybe? I'd appreciate it - have a great day!

Ed Pond

I'm not sure that I really want to go down this road ... I can barely keep up with things now!!! (And I, too, have a gazillion things I need to sell ... now more than ever, as a means of survival!) I think we may just run a once-a-month-column posting "Looking For"'s and "Have Available"'s and let it go at that. Then you guys can all work it out from YOUR end out there. (Maybe we'll just provide the "posting board" ... and leave it up to you guys to do all of the follow-up. Of course it would be ESPECIALLY nice if everyone would then remit a 10% commission!) kk

Regarding lost hits, I would love to find a copy of "The Montreal Express", a song that grew out of or into a commercial by the Boston Gas Company in the fifties to promote their gas heat. It was similar to Orange Blossom Special. Anyone?

Thanks for all the postings,

Charlie
Sweet Dreams

Charlie Fraser

We've looked for this one before. (Actually, I thought we'd finally found a copy but evidently not.) No harm in putting it out to the list again ... we've got a lot more readers now and maybe somebody can lay their hands on a copy. Good luck! (kk)

I know this is a little old ... (I saw it posted on Tuesday, November 23, 2010!) ... but are you still looking for the record "Cry" by Ruth Casey?

chasm

One of our readers was ... so I'm happy to post this in the hopes that they'll see it, drop us a line and then we can have them contact you. (Charlie Miller ... are you still looking for a copy???) Let us know. Thanks! (kk)

I was looking thru my [what I consider] my not too old 78s and googled Cadillac and Ruth Casey to see if there was any value - either money or historical. Although I have a couple hundred electric 78s [not many, I know], I collect very old acoustic labels, many over 100 years old. Incidentally in my newer 78s I found a copy of Robert Johnson's ''Crossroad Blues - Ramblin' On My Mind' '- vocalion - 03519 -- John Tefteller is auctioning a copy for a minimum bid of Five Grand! I got it at a flea market for 2 bucks. Later on in one of your blogs someone did come up with info on Ruth Casey and 'Cry' ... I discovered that after I sent you the first email.

Keep in touch --

chasm

Still happy to post this in the event that somebody is still looking for a copy (and you're interested in SELLING a copy!) We'll see if anything comes back. (I have to imagine there is an audience out there for your Robert Johnson 78 ... don't know if it'll be to the tune of anything near $5000 ... but an audience nonetheless!) kk

This And That Thursday

2012-01-26T06:27:00.001-06:00

re: CHUCK BERRY:
Forgotten Hits Reader Tom Cuddy just sent me this link for a rare Chuck Berry Profile / Interview running in the current issue of Esquire Magazine:

http://www.esquire.com/features/chuck-berry-biography-0112

re: THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON:

FH Reader Frank B. points out that this is, in fact, The Chinese Year of the Dragon, 4709 ... so he suggests that our readers take a moment to view this clip:
Click here: Peter Paul & Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon - YouTube

re: NORMAN GREENBAUM:

One of MY favorite songs from the '70's has always been "Spirit In The Sky" by Norman Greenbaum ... so I was especially pleased to see this news release the other day:

Norman Greenbaum's Spirit In The Sky Still Popular In 2012

1/23/2012 - Santa Rosa, CA - After 40 years, one of music's greatest gospel - rock hits 'Spirit In The Sky', penned by Norman Greenbaum, remains as popular today in 2012 as it did in 1970 when it rocketed to number #1 in the US and UK. While being named song of the year by Cashbox magazine, the track would go on to sell two million copies in 1970 and through the next four decades would be featured in 47 movies and dozens of commercial ads and TV series. In addition, two British cover versions of “Spirit In The Sky” also made it to number one on the charts, making the song a three-time number one hit!

So the question remains, why does 'Spirit In The Sky' still resonate with the music listener today? Norman explains, “A few reasons: It's just a great song, with a terrific production that has stood the test of time, still sounding as vibrant today as 40 years ago. It also sounds great in the car, yep, car radio. When we mixed it, we made sure it sounded as great on car stereos as it did on home systems. It has an unforgettable opening musical riff, at times referred to as 'the heavy duty industrial fuzz tone'. It gives people chills listening to it. Plus, when it was included on Rock Band 2 it brought a new generation into the mix. Now that the song is aging in years, but not excellence, many fans have aged with it and now recognize it not only as a great song that reminds them of their life back then, such as taking their first date to my concert, 'Spirit' being the first album they ever bought, their parents screaming to turn the volume down, love making in the back seat to it and my favorite, naming their car 'the green-bomb', and as a song to take with them as we near the time to go up to the Spirit In The Sky. Because I answer my own e-mail, many people relate to me the circumstances of a loved one passing and how my song has brought them solace and each time they hear my song, either on the radio, in a movie or on TV, they are reminded that their loved ones are OK and looking down on them."

The story behind the song “Spirit In The Sky” is an interesting one. The original idea for the song came from Norman watching a performance on TV one night by country legend Porter Wagoner, who was singing about a preacher. This inspired Greenbaum to write a religious rock song. Although many have believed through the years that Norman, born of Jewish heritage, was a 'born again Christian', in truth, this is not the case. He made the decision to challenge himself to writing a gospel lyric, hoping he wouldn't flub it and meticulously crafted music that went on to surpass everyone's expectations. The guitar riff to 'Spirit In The Sky' undoubtedly is just as important to the song's success as the words and music. “My riff is a take on old blues riffs, common in the '20s and '30s,” Norman explains. “Although a few other songs have similar riffs, my riff really stands out, as I infused a few original notes and changes the others do not have. Plus, the fuzz just ripples your mind. It is a sound that has never been reproduced, another reason the song stands so well.”

Recently, Norman Greenbaum has redesigned his official website – www.spiritinthesky.com and has made available his much sought after CDs from the '60s and '70s, along with T-shirts, hats, mouse pads, signed photos and other memorabilia! Although Norman has not recorded anything in recent years, he is very active with his new website, posting messages to his fans and making available rare photos for viewing. “Since my website has been redesigned it is much more efficient and compact, with photo viewers and better links,” says Norman. “It also has an improved store, where I have introduced a new product, Going-Greenbaum tote bags; the small-sized bag is made of cotton and the large-sized bag is made of canvas. The new site also has music clips of all of my songs available on CD and 'The Best of Norman Greenbaum' import is available again. I also will be introducing some new shirt designs soon.”

Much to the excitement of his fans, Norman will be making a rare live appearance in February! “I'll be doing a guest performance of three songs with the band Time In A Bottle at The Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa, CA on February 18^th,” says Norman. “My original back-up singers The Stovall Sisters will be joining me, the first time ever this has happened on stage! Time In A Bottle is a local rock / soul band. The Stovall Sisters will also be doing a few of their own songs with the band.”

Finally, Norman has this to impart to aspiring songwriters everywhere: “Keep at it until it all fits, you'll know when. One song will stand out. Put all your effort into that song. Of course, 'catchy' helps.”

For more information visit Norman Greenbaum's official website at www.spiritinthesky.com

"Spirit In The Sky" is one of those songs I've never grown tired of hearing ... I can't think of anything else that sounds like it! We've run pieces on Norman Greenbaum several times in the past in Forgotten Hits so it's great to hear that he's still out there promoting his music. (One fan even wrote in about how she shared a hot tub with Norman way back when!!!) If any of our readers are able to attend Greenbaum's upcoming show in Santa Rosa, CA, please let us know ... we would LOVE to run a review! (kk)

re: THE MONKEES:

A brand new Monkees collectible! Check it out!

The Monkees GREATEST HITS, the band's first compilation, was originally released in 1969, a year after the cancellation of their TV show. As a result, it has become one of the most sought-after vinyl collectibles from the group, with mint copies selling for big bucks.

But now thanks to our friends at Friday Music, The Monkees GREATEST HITS is available once again on 180-gram vinyl - and only Rhino.com has 500 copies pressed exclusively on orange vinyl! That's right, we only have 500 units of this release on orange vinyl and once they're gone, they're gone. You can only get this version from Rhino.com, so order now. The Monkees GREATEST HITS features all the obvious favorites, plus some surprises like “Zor and Zam,” “Cuddly Toy,” and “Randy Scouse Git” which sound more amazing on 180-gram vinyl. Don't miss out on this second chance to grab an excellent Monkees collectible - pre-order now. This release begins shipping on 3/6/12.

Also available:

A 180-gram vinyl version of The Monkees' Soundtrack "HEAD" ... and, through Rhino Handmade, a very special 3-CD collection of the "INSTANT REPLAY" sessions. This deluxe edition is being offered as a limited edition and customers ordering early will also receive a special bonus 7" 45 featuring "I Go Ape" / "(I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love". Again, this is a limited edition ... and they are going fast ... so order your copy now at www.Rhino.com!

For much More Of The Monkees, check out this link below ...

Dear Friends and Fans of only the Best in TV Pop,
This is just a quick notice that Gary Pig Gold's overview on THE MONKEES and their grand new SEASONs 1 & 2 dvd's now appears anew at the virtual address below.
http://gometric.typepad.com/gometric/2011/12/much-more-of-the-monkees.html

re: FEELIN' HORNY?:

>>>As I was perusing around your Forgotten Hits website / blog I came upon an idea for a series that I haven’t seen done yet. How about one on the groups that have sort of the “big band” or “lots of horns and brass” sound? (Pete Heger)
Amen! Bring 'em on!!! :-)
Let's not forget, "Evil Woman ... " by Crow!
Thanks!
John

And Chicago's own Ides Of March ... and The Mauds ... and, of course, The Buckinghams, who James William Guercio "practiced on" before developing the horn sound in a big, big way with Chicago and Blood, Sweat And Tears! (kk)

re: PETULA!:

Kent ...

Petula moves Uptown.
Frank B.
Click here: 'Downtown' diva - NYPOST.com
Now THIS is a show that I would LOVE to see!!!

If you're able to catch one of these, I'd love to run your review. (I saw Petula here in Chicago in "Blood Brothers", mentioned in this article. She played Mom to David and Shawn Cassidy!!!)

I heard she was doing shows again (in fact, when I met with Tony Hatch a few months back, he told me she was performing in Spain at the time!) Never got to see her live in concert doing the hits ... so I hope you get a chance to go!

kk

re: BURT BACHARACH:

Frank B. also tells us about an upcoming book by Burt Bacharach. (Boy, if ANYBODY should write a book, it's THIS guy!!!) Should make for some VERY interesting and enlightening reading. (kk)

Click here: Publisher: Burt Bacharach working on memoir - Yahoo! Finance

re: RECENT PASSINGS:

James, Otis, Larry Butler et al: We will miss you and your great contributions to the music we love.

Bobster

Just missed US Top 40, but what does those white folks know about
music!? Scored very well, maybe #2, on the non white man controlled, R&B charts!!! What a voice! A very nice arrangement, too! Quality recorded, in Stereo! From her debut album, titled, can you guess?, At Last!!! ... http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/atlast.mp3
Jersey John :-)

Kent ...

Check out the Official Wild Wayne Website.

Wild Wayne remembers Etta James in his clip of the week.
Click here: THE OFFICIAL "WILD" WAYNE WEBSITE

He's got a link to Forgotten Hits ... and a Charlie Gracie link, too.
Frank B.

re: THE GLOBETROTTERS:

>>>Citizen Bill also played a "Forgotten 45" that I wasn't familiar with ... but absolutely LOVED!!! It's called "Rainy Day Bells" by The Globetrotters. (kk)
Not familiar? I have the two Sedaka demos on my site!!!
JJ

Check 'em out here:

Click here: Uncommon Recordings '50's '60's '70's

One was given to me (Kirshner owned), sounds like an acetate that was cut, found the other as a "demo", not sure it was ever released until later. Rainy Day Bells (1970) - The Harlem Globetrotters. Nice song. [Special thanks to Tony and Marion for their help] Possibly only released on 45 / LP / CD in simulated Stereo. However, up pops an (unpublished) version in True Stereo, with one half the song writing team, Neil Sedaka (maybe a Demo), singing lead, followed by even yet another Demo version by Neil Sedaka and others ...

http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/rainybells-gt.mp3
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/rainybells-ns.mp3
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/rainybells-ns1.mp3
Best,
John

I think it's a great sounding record ... the more I hear it, the more I like it! Can't believe this one never charted! (kk)

re: SUPER BOWL MUSIC:

As part of our ongoing Reader Service, FH Regular Frank B. has the following suggestions for Super Bowl programming ...

Kent ...

"New York, New York" - Frank Sinatra = New York Giants.
"Weekend In New England" - Barry Manilow = New England Patriots.
"Eli's Coming" - Three Dog Night = Eli Manning, Giants QB.
"Brady Bunch Theme" - Brady Bunch = Tom Brady, Patriots QB.
"Backfield In Motion" - Mel & Tim = Both teams. Most penalties lose.
"I'm A Loser" - Beatles = Losing team.
"We Are The Champions" - Queen = Winning team.
Frank B.
P.S. Don't forget February 3. Anniversary of the day the music died, 2/3/1959.
"American Pie" - Don McLean.

re: DEE JAY RECORDS:

>>>In regards to local top 40 DJ's that came out with their own record, I decided to check the ones here in OKC. Of course none of these made the national charts and needless to say, none were played on a competing radio station. (Larry Neal)

Larry, I think you missed one of the WKY "hit" records by DJ Don Wallace with his record, "The Square", which went top 20 on WKY and no charting at KOMA. Here's his 45 featured on the WLY survey from May 13, 1965 which coincides with when I was in OKC and visited KOMA's tower site! "The Square" had dropped to #46 from #20 that week.

As for Chicago DJ records, Landecker's "Press my Conference" and "Make a Date With the Watergate" and Lujacks' "Madstreaker" and Dahl's several records go along with Biondi's 45 "Pizza Song" and his Mom song both from his album. Art Roberts had an LP of his Hip Fables, and earlier had a 45 "Terrible Ivan" b/w "Give Her the Axe, Max". Joel Sebastion had a 45 while in Detroit. Jerry G Bishop had a 45 as well as a Beatles interview LP. Ron Britain had a 45 "Are you Going to Wail, Tulus", Barney Pip did a 45 with the Rovin Kind, Steve King did a 45 of the Carpenters' B side "I Kept on Loving You." Johnathan Brandemier had a 45, Jim Stagg made 45s of his syndicated "Stagg Star Beat" programs, then there's the "Chickenman" on LP and 45s. Clark Weber did not make a 45, but Carl Bonafede did a breakin 45 FOR Clark Weber's show. There are probably more, but it is late and I am tired!! :)

Clark Besch

And let's not forget about our DJ Buddy Scott Shannon's attempt at a recording career with a remake of "Here Comes Summer", a minor hit for a band called Wildfire in 1977! (kk)

re: ON THE CHARTS:

Congratulations to Adele ... whose latest album "21" just logged its 17th week at #1 on The Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart. While not consecutive weeks, that is the longest stretch an album has spent in the top spot since 1993. Last LP to do it??? The soundtrack to "The Bodyguard", featuring Whitney Houston (truly at her prime at the time). "The Bodyguard" topped the charts for 20 weeks. (Adele's 17th week pushed her ahead of the "Titanic" soundtrack, #1 for 16 weeks in 1998.)

Greatest number of weeks at #1 ever??? What's your best guess?

"Thriller"? "Rumours"? "Saturday Night Fever"? "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? "Dark Side Of The Moon"? Something by Elton John or The Eagles? "Tapestry" by Carole King?

Nope! None of the above. Despite spending over 15 years on the chart, "Dark Side Of The Moon" only spent ONE of those weeks at #1. "Sgt. Pepper" topped the charts for 15 weeks in 1967 ... that's one week shy of Carole King's "Tapestry" album. The "Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack (and Prince's "Purple Rain") both spent 24 weeks at #1. "Rumours" sat on top for 31 incredible weeks ... and Michael Jackson topped that with a 37-week run at the top with his "Thriller" album.

But the BIGGEST #1 ALBUM EVER belongs to the movie soundtrack to "West Side Story"!!! It spent an INCREDIBLE 54 weeks on top of the charts ... that's OVER A YEAR at #1!!! It spent an additional 52 weeks in The Top Ten and a total of nearly 200 weeks on the chart overall.

So while congratulations are certainly in order for Adele ... (and it's a GREAT album!) ... she's still got a LONG way to go before she hits the record books! (kk)

re: SIMPLE SONG OF FREEDOM:

Kent,,

I want you to know that Buckwheat's version of SIMPLE SONG OF FREEDOM was also very

big here in OKC. In fact, most if not all of Buckwheat's records here in OKC were big. Probably

the biggest they had was I'VE GOT TO BOOGIE (London).

Larry

"Simple Song Of Freedom" was their only charted it ... and it only got to #84 in Billboard ... (it fared better in Cash Box, who placed it at #69) ... but here in Chicago, WCFL played it all the way to #11. Surprised to hear that they had multiple hits in Oklahoma City as they seemed to vanish after this one everywhere else! (Not a bad rendering 'though ... I always liked it!) kk

re: COMING SOON:

Did you catch our recent Christopher Cross concert review, courtesy of FH Reader Tom Cuddy? Not only did he send us a photo from the show (taken by Brad Joblin) but also an EXCLUSIVE video from the concert, featuring Chris performing two of his biggest hits, "Never Be The Same" and "Sailing". (Scroll back to Monday's posting if you missed it ... it's AWESOME!) Now comes word that we'll soon have ANOTHER FH Exclusive ... this time featuring one of my all-time favorites ...

so STAY TUNED!!!

COMING SOON TO FORGOTTEN HITS: A review of a rare NY concert last weekend by Guess Who lead singer Burton Cummings, with photos and an exclusive video from the show. Burton, a huge fan of Freddy Cannon’s music (Burton can recite Freddy’s B-sides and albums cuts!), just finished reading Freddy’s new book and loved it. Here’s Burton holding up the book backstage at the Tarrytown Music Hall, before he packed it in his suitcase for the trip from New York to L.A. Freddy’s new autobiography,” Where the Action Is,” written with famed rock biographer Mark Bego, is now available in paperback at Amazon.com, as well as digitally through the Kindle and the Nook.

-- Tom Cuddy

Some Of Your Thoughts On A Tuesday

2012-01-24T06:07:00.001-06:00

re: THE COWSILLS:
THE COWSILLS? Got to see them on the STEEL PIER in ATLANTIC CITY one afternoon.
The reward for a year of being a 'PATROL BOY (or girl)' -- kid crossing guards at schools -- was a bus trip at the end of the school year for the 'patrollers' from all the schools in town to spend the day in Atlantic City. The Cowsills were a bit on the downslide and were there doing 6 or 7 shows a day to (much) less than capacity crowds.
Hey ... we were kids ... what did we know?

-- RENFIELD

The wind version of Hair that you featured today seems to be the one that I have been playing for years on my show. The version that I have is from a cd released on Rebound Records through Polygram special products in New York. This Best of the Cowsills was first put out in 1988.

Phil-WRCO

P.S. The song Poor Baby has been a popular request on my show over the years. One of my favorite TV DVDs is from the short lived series Music Scene. It features a great clip of the Cowsills doing Silver Threads and Golden Needles.

I remember hearing The Cowsills' version of "Silver Threads And Golden Needles" in Chicago ... although it never officially charted here. (Nationally it went to #57 in Cash Box ... nearly twenty points higher than its Billboard showing.) "Poor Baby" actually made The Top 40 in Cash Box, too, peaking at #33. (kk)

I have always been a fan of the Cowsills and enjoy reading all the talk. From "Rain, Park" and the even better "We Can Fly" through "Indian Lake and "Poor Baby" to "Hair" and beyond. I was surprised by the uproar over "Hair's" follow-up "Prophecy of Daniel and John Devine". I really had no idea what the lyrics were all about when I was 13, but it was ok as a song. Yet, it was a career killer, so I guess they might have thought better to ask MGM if they thought THIS song should be a single and maybe have listened? I think "IIxII" is a GREAT song and wished it had been a hit after first hearing it on Bandstand's "Rate a Record".
Sine the topic is on the late Cowsills era, might I suggest a CD I did some work on for a nice little label, Now Sounds. The Cowsills recorded an album in 1971 "On My Side" and it is hard to come by, but Now Sounds has issued the LP on CD from master tapes with three bonus tracks. Check it out and some of the other CDs which have a nice mix of forgotten artists' forgotten shoulda been hits. http://www.cherryred.co.uk/nowsounds-disco.aspI suggest "Book a Trip" for anyone after Capitol Records obscurities from the psychedelic pop era of 66-68. You can find Chicago's Exceptions on it as well as some handy work from our own Artie Wayne on one track and check out the photo I supplied for the booklet of young Artie producing in the studio! A set worth having if you want some cool 60's tunes you likely have never heard.

WLSClark

re: BOBBY DARIN:

Kent ...

Great work on the Bobby Darin story. Interesting and informative.
You say that Andrea accepted Bobby's proposal. Did they ever get married?
Frank B.

Yes ... they were wed on June 25, 1973 ... and then 3 1/2 months later, Bobby filed for divorce. All of those close to him say that he was not in his right state of mind near the end ... paranoid ... convinced all all of his closest allies had turned against him and were trying to betray him in some way. A sad ending. (Then again, Bobby rarely spared anybody's feelings when he was alive and healthy either ... so who knows!!!) kk

>>>Interesting and informative. (Frank B)

But perhaps TOO much information according to another FH reader ...

I am totally bummed out after reading the saga of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee!

It left me feeling like some kind of "Peeping Tom" into their lives.

The ugliness of the sexual abuse and all the sordid details left me stunned and both of those children were victims of twisted people who used them for their own selfish desires and mentally ill depravities. Both of them grew up bent.

"Valley of The Dolls" Tony Polar flashed while reading the synopsis.

And being someone who watched a young Sandra Dee as a child myself, I recalled being drawn to her innocent looks and hoping that Hollywood's fangs did not seethe into her just to find out her life was already so far abused that it could not be incorporated into any script as it would be too distasteful for even the academy to allow then.

Somehow this article made me realize we know too much of the private lives of others.

Connie Francis wrote a book titled "Who's Sorry Now" and I promise everyone reading this that if you read that book it is so full of her insights and wisdom that you will actually come away from reading it with a better understanding about your own self that if you reflect on her knowledge and prose it will foster such a positive change that you come away a better human with bolstered self esteem and a better outlook ready to conquer the day at hand with full steam ahead. She has an excellent insight and intuition.

My heart goes out to two humans on earth that became larger than life but were actually just Alexandra Cymboliak Zuck and Walden Robert Cassotto when all the glitter was off but still far from plain old ordinary.

Vibramutant

Kent,

As you may know, Marty Robbins also did "18 Yelllow Roses". I believe he recorded it circa '76.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46x_ueTfai0

Gary E. Myers / MusicGem

I always thought it sounded a lot more like a Marty Robbins song than a Bobby Darin song ... but I DO like Bobby's recording. (This one especially hits home with a daughter getting married in a couple of months!) kk

Hi Kent,

I read your article on Bobby today. Is there any way to read the rest of your articles on Bobby? Being obsessed with all things Darin, I'm always eager to read as much as I can about him.

He was such a true renaissance man of the arts. He succeeded at everything he did. It's a shame that most people weren't broad-minded enough to appreciate his gifts when he was still alive. He led the way and it's always difficult to be a trail-blazer, isn't it.

Anyway if there is anyway you could share your work with me I'd appreciate it deeply.

Sincerely,

Susan Cote

Sorry, Susan, but the rest of the article hasn't been posted yet. (We ran a month-long series on Bobby Darin several years back ... and, due to popular demand, have run assorted excerpts from it since ... but still haven't gotten around to posting the whole thing yet.) The response is ALWAYS good, however, so what we MAY do (and hopefully, this'll make it a little easier on me, too!) is to reveal it one chapter at a time again on the other Forgotten Hits website (www.forgottenhits.com) so that, once we're finished, the entire piece will be permanently posted. Biggest thing is finding the time to do so. Even resurrecting a piece from the archives takes a TREMENDOUS amount of time ... and we just haven't had any to devote to this. But please stay tuned ... as I think a LOT of people would like to see it again. Meanwhile, thanks for the kind words. (kk)

I think you're great and I loved the whole series. I think there might be a few inaccuracies in this most recent piece. For one thing, I don't think Darin was always a player .... and I think that's one of the reasons why he checked out after three years with Sandy, 'tho they didn't divorce 'til '67. Sandy's age is wrong, too, although you certainly can't be blamed for that because that was so often reported the way you have it. I don't think even Dodd knew it until her death, or near that time. She was actually two years older. Not very important but .... Anyway, I love the whole Darin series and hope you rerun it. Thanks so much for being such a cool fan and on top of it all ... OOOO

Jamie

Everything that appears / appeared was based on the information available at the time this series was written. Even reworking the "edit" was challenging because Sandra Dee was still alive when our series first ran ... so we had to change a number of references to "past tense". We didn't update any "new" information ... just pulled it from the archives and cleaned it up a bit for "rebroadcast" if you will.

I know that you (and all of "Bobby's Girls") were very supportive of our efforts when this piece first ran ... and it was SO cool to get Dodd's endorsement, too. Eventually, we will rerun the whole piece ... and perhaps at that time and little bit of "updated editing" would be in order. Thanks, Jamie! (kk)

Hello Kent,

Still going strong and getting better into 2012.

Wow, good job.

I was always interested in Bobby Darin's 'conversion' to the peace movement with his song, "Come And Sing A Simple Song of Freedom" ... it was contrary to his Pop tunes and, in fact, some attributed the song to Tom Hardin, who did a cover because it was his style ... many people thought Bobby 'covered' it from Tim.

If you have ever see the PBS special featuring Bobby singing this song, he is very emotional, and near the end of the song, slyly gives the "Peace" sign by holding up his fingers in a V and then swinging his arm away. It is very noticeable that he was moved by this song and felt strongly about its message.

Thanks for all the postings,

Charlie
Sweet Dreams
Charlie Fraser

Bobby used to tell an interesting story about Tim Hardin covering his song when he performed it in concert. (Here in Chicago, a group called Buckwheat scored a #11 Hit with their version of "Simple Song Of Freedom" in 1972.)

Darin had recently covered Tim's "If I Were A Carpenter" and it turned into quite a big comeback hit for him in 1966. (#8 ... and Bobby's first Top Ten Hit in three years.)

In fact, Bobby's version of "Carpenter" has become known as the definitive version, released before Tim Harden even had a chance to properly record his own song! That "injustice" was eventually re-paid a few years later. Hardin's only real commercial pop chart success came in 1969, when he released his version of "Simple Song Of Freedom", ironically a song written by Bobby Darin ... but not yet recorded and released by its composer!!! (Now this was TRULY a case of "turn-about is fair play"!!). Hardin's version eventually peaked at #47. (Bobby's version was never officially released as a single.) Listen to this clip of Bobby Darin performing his song before a Las Vegas audience ... and telling pretty much the same story we just told you above! (kk)

Kent,

A bunch of us younger writers and singers were enjoying ourselves at the B&G (?) coffee shop at 1650 Broadway (As opposed to the Brill Building - 1619 Broadway - with its Jack Dempsey's restaurant where the older crowd hung out, and the Turf restaurant with its mixed crowd).

I was facing away from the door, talking with Gerry Granahan, when the door opened, a cold wind blew into the restaurant, all activity stopped, all conversation ended and everyone, including Gerry, spun around to stop and stare as Bobby Darin entered the coffee shop, stood tall (as tall as he could) with legs spread and scarf flung around his neck.

He hadn't had "Mack The Knife" yet but it didn't matter. HE was standing there. And that's all it took to silence all.

Bobby had "it" and we all knew it wouldn't be long before everyone knew it!

Paul Evans

re: PAUL McCARTNEY:

You think the world has had enough of Paul McCartney, I look around and I see it isn't so, Oh no. Some people want to fill the world with Paul McCartney, what's wrong with that?

Jack

re: JIMI HENDRIX:

SUNDAZED AND EXPERIENCE HENDRIX RECAPTURE THE JIMI HENDRIX VINYL EXPERIENCE! ROCK’S GREATEST GUITAR LEGEND’S VINTAGE RECORDINGS RETURN TO THEIR VINYL ROOTS WITH HISTORIC 7” SINGLE SERIES

In an historic alliance, the renowned reissue label Sundazed Music has partnered with Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. to release a series of new 7" picture-sleeve vinyl singles featuring unique and hard-to-find vintage performances by Jimi Hendrix.

The ongoing series launches in April with an initial release that combines a pair of historically significant recordings from two different Hendrix 1967 BBC sessions. One is a raucous reading of Bob Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?”. Hendrix recorded his version on October 17 for BBC Radio's Rhythm and Blues show. Dylan’s original version, one of history’s most notable and enduring musical enigmas, wasn’t released on a legitimate album for more than 10 years after its first issue. This Jimi Hendrix Experience version was a highlight of the BBC Sessions double album issued by Experience Hendrix/Sony Legacy in October 2010.

“Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?” is paired with a fascinating, newly discovered take of the Hendrix original "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp," as performed on August 24, 1967 on BBC Television's Top of the Pops, just a week after the song's original studio version had been released as a single in Britain on Track Records. In keeping with strict Musician Union regulations, Jimi was to sing live atop the song's instrumental backing track. The Top Of The Pops presenter announced the Experience, but then ‘The House That Jack Built’ by the Alan Price Set began to play. A few seconds in, Jimi, ever polite, offered an apology, “I'm sorry man but I don't know the words ...” As panic no doubt ensued within the studio's control room, the program's flustered presenter apologized and implored Jimi to try it once again.

Both sides feature the classic original Jimi Hendrix Experience lineup of Hendrix on guitar and vocals, Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, and capture the band just as it was beginning to emerge as a major force on both sides of the Atlantic.

As with every release in the series, it will feature a color picture sleeve incorporating rare vintage Hendrix photos that capture the legendary artist's distinctive persona and pioneering spirit.

Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix L.L.C. commented: “When the Jimi Hendrix Experience first burst into the world’s collective consciousness, it was through vinyl 45 rpm singles. Our vinyl single release program with Sundazed honors that brilliant history and, even expands on it in a very real way. It is traditional yet innovative, as Jimi certainly was.”

Bob Irwin, President and CEO of Sundazed Music, Inc., commented: “We are thrilled and highly honored to be partnering with Experience Hendrix on this wonderful series. I’m positively elated that my most favorite musician of all time will now be a part of Sundazed.”

In a recording career that spanned only three and a half years prior to his tragic death in 1970 at the age of 27, Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the role of the electric guitar, and radically altered the face of contemporary music. He became rock's first guitar superstar, with an effortless charisma that matched his visionary talent and intense performing style. His overwhelming influence continues to live on in virtually every electric guitarist who has followed him, yet none have ever equaled Hendrix's talent and imagination.

ABOUT SUNDAZED MUSIC INC.: In its 22-year history, Sundazed Music has earned an international reputation for its painstaking preservation of vintage rock, garage, soul, surf, R&B and country sounds on vinyl, CD and digital download, consistently maintaining unmatched quality standards for mastering, packaging and pressing. The current Sundazed catalog encompasses over 800 titles, including timeless classic recordings by such artists as Jeff Beck, Booker T. & the MGs, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, Albert King, Wes Montgomery, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Velvet Underground and hundreds more.

ABOUT EXPERIENCE HENDRIX L.L.C.:  Founded by James ‘Al’ Hendrix, Jimi’s father, in 1995, Experience Hendrix, has been managed since its inception by family members personally chosen by Al during his tenure as Chairman. It is the official family company charged with managing the music, name, image and likeness of Jimi Hendrix. As a part of its daily operations, under President and CEO Janie Hendrix, Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix oversee Jimi’s timeless legacy on a worldwide basis. In connection with its mission, it produces the continuing Experience Hendrix tour of all-star musicians.

re: YOU'RE SO VAIN:

Kent -

I agree with you that "You're So Vain" is based on a compilation character, not a specific guy. Some notes:

Carly has changed her story over the years. Digging through some archives, we found a 1974 interview where she said, "That song is about a lot of people ... It's not just about one particular person." As it became clear that the mystery of the song was a huge sell, she started playing up the idea that she had a specific guy in mind - and a famous one! In a 2008 promotional interview for her album This Kind of Love, she said, "When I had the line 'You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you,' that was definitely about one person."

Carly remains an active musician, but as many artists have found out (including another famous Simon), opportunities are far more limited for more seasoned singers. The best way to publicize new material is to lump it in with discussions about the older stuff, and Simon uses "You're So Vain" as the carrot - Howard Stern isn't likely to ask her about her '00s output, but is more than happy to hear the secret of the "Vain" mystery man. Keep in mind that Simon made a deal with Starbucks to distribute her album in 2008, and it ended up in a lawsuit with Simon claiming they didn't promote it properly and Starbucks saying there just wasn't much interest.

We also heard from a lecturer at the Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh, who explained that the lyrics, "Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun" refer to a famous eclipse on July 10, 1972, which could best be seen in Nova Scotia. Simon wrote the song before this event, which indicates that she was making up this story.

The song is filled with captivating images and is a brilliant piece of songwriting, but I don't buy that it's about a specific guy. Here's the Songfacts entry with some more details:

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=536

Be Well,

Carl Wiser

www.songfacts.com

re: AMERICAN PIE:

>>>Here in OKC, just the 'A' side version was played or the version some four minutes long. Later on somebody decided to combine the two sides to play on the air, just like in 1959 when SHOUT - Part I was the 'A' side of the record, later on to be combined with Part II and heard now on oldies stations. (Larry)

>>>We heard both the long and the short versions here in Chicago ... because every deejay in town wanted to put his own spin on what the lyrics REALLY meant, they typically played the full eight-minute version in order to do so. I remember at least half a dozen newspaper articles covering this ad nauseam, too. (kk)

And then there was the edit found on the promotional 45 ... this is the version I recall hearing on oldies radio while growing up in the 90's ... gads!

Tom Diehl

re: CHARLIE GRACIE:

Charlie Gracie, hot again with his #1 Philly single "Baby Doll" and a brand new CD release, can now be found on home video, too! Shawn Swords put together a Charlie Gracie biography video a few years ago ... and this release is now available through both PBS (who aired it) and The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. (Lots of new features, too!) More details below ...

Hi Everybody!

Charlie Gracie "Fabulous" Special Edition Documentary Available thru ShopPBS.org: http://tinyurl.com/7y2n289

And "Must Have Music Home Page: http://tinyurl.com/86v4ukh

Charlie Gracie "Fabulous" is also being added to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Archives/Library.

Cast: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1198191/

Plus new interviews with: Chubby Checker, Tommy James, Freddy Cannon, Little Anthony, Ceaser Berry, John Jackson, Joe Tarsia and others. Plus, new musical contributions from Graham Nash, Peter Noone, Al Kooper, Charlie Gracie, Quentin Jones and Gary Lefkowith.

Featuring Charlie's new hit single: "Baby Doll":

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/baby-doll-single/id473386678

Also available thru ShopPBS.org --"The Wages of Spin": http://tinyurl.com/4l8sh5p

re: ON THE RADIO:

Be sure to tune in to The Flip Side Show with Mr. C. tonight on Radio Free Nashville. (You'll find the "Listen Live" link on the right-hand sidebar of The Forgotten Hits Website ... right below our "Sound Advice" column.) Tonight Mr. C. will honor the great Sam Cooke with the two-sided hit we featured over the weekend, "Bring It On Home To Me" / "Having A Party" from 1962.

Kent,
Every Sunday from 2 to 4 PM Eastern, I catch Dave The Rave's "Relics and Rarities" Show.

He plays loads of forgotten oldies ... everything from surf, bubblegum, Philly and Chicago soul, and great garage rock! Here's a link to the WIBG site: http://www.wibg.fm/index.html

Give Dave a listen ... it'll be the best two hours you ever spent!Happy days!
Don

Yes, Dave's been doing this show for a while now ... kind of a "commercialized" version of his Saturday Night "Relics And Rarities" Show that airs on Top Shelf Oldies ... not quite as many obscurities and "should have been a hit"'s ... but still plenty of rarities and surprises, mixed in with all the great music you'd expect WIBG to play. Definitely worth a listen! (kk)

I, FOR ONE, WITH NO DISRESPECT TO JOHN LANDECKER, WILL LISTEN LESS TO 94.7 IN THE EARLY EVENING NOW THAT BIONDI'S BEEN MOVED AGAIN.

DON'T THESE RADIO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE LIKE? I THINK IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER OLDIES RADIO STATION TO BE BORN, THAT PLAYS NOTHING BUT OLDIES - REAL OLDIES (NO PUN INTENDED) - AND NOT THE SAME RECOGNIZABLE SONGS ALL DAY LONG WITH WAY TOO MANY 80'S SONGS.

BIONDI ALWAYS SEEMS TO GET SHIT ON BY THE RADIO EXECS IN THIS CITY ... AND THAT'S A TRAVESTY.

MICHAEL G. BUSH

Dick Biondi has a VERY loyal following here in Chicago who constantly challenge him to play the songs we remember that don't typically show up on your standard playlist ... and because Biondi has been around PLAYING these hits for 50 years now, he knows exactly what his audience is looking for. As I stated on Sunday, at the very least, they should have left his Friday Night All Request Show intact ... but they didn't even do that. Too bad ... because Dick ALSO regularly did live appearances in and around town that always drew big crowds and helped to draw attention to the station. A pretty short-sighted move in my opinion. (kk)

I am very seething mad about Biondi's slot moving down, if only because I was used to listen to his show driving home from events at night. How can they do this to the one Chicago dee jay who has done so much to keep the pop music of the 50s and 60s alive?

Sad, sad, sad.

Best -

Bobster

In a piece that ran on Monday (in his "Time Out Chicago" column) Dick Biondi told Chicago Media Columnist Rob Feder, "I’m going to go into the new show and give it everything I’ve got. I hope that management will allow me to still be the crazy Dick Biondi. I’m thankful that I’m still on the air. There’s no place else in the world that I want to work except Chicago ... I still want people to listen and like me.”

Feder reports that after he broke the story last Friday about the WLS-FM line-up change, comments on his blog, radio message boards and Facebook pages quickly filled with jabs at the station for what was perceived as a slight to its legendary superstar and his fans. (We experienced much of the same result here in Forgotten Hits ... where, after 60 years on the radio ... MOST of which were spent right here in Chicago ... Dick Biondi is nothing short of a radio icon.) Was this simply the station's way of easing Biondi out? (Despite turning 70 this year, most feel Biondi would prefer to breathe his last breath live on the air than retire from radio.) We hope that these new adjustments work out best for ALL parties concerned ... and that means the radio station AND the seasoned broadcasters whose shifts have been affected by this latest move. (Personally, as I've stated before, I would have preferred that Biondi be allowed to keep his Friday Night All Request Show, as I know that this is when his most loyal listeners tuned in. The weekend salute to the Glory Days of WLS will be fun ... but I have to believe that SOMETHING could have been worked out to start Dick's shift earlier on Friday Nights ... and I don't believe that John "Records" Landecker would have minded one bit!!!) kk

And Forgotten Hits Congratulations go out to Citizen Bill at Fun 92.7 FM in Huntsville, Alabama ... this past Sunday he broadcast his 500th Edition of "Remember Then" for the station! (Stay tuned ... Bill may be doing some of our Forgotten Hits Twin Spins in the weeks to come!) "Remember Then" airs Sunday Nights from 7 - 8 pm (Central Time) ... and you can "Listen Live" here:

Click here: WAFN -- Live Stream / Click here: Fun 92.7

Citizen Bill also played a "Forgotten 45" that I wasn't familiar with ... but absolutely LOVED!!! It's called "Rainy Day Bells" by The Globetrotters ... and it turns out that this soulful piece was cowritten by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield! Although this one never officially charted, it certainly deserved to. Check out this YouTube clip (and a little bit of the back-story behind this song!) kk

Click here: Globetrotters - Rainy Day Bells (Original) - YouTube

CHRISTOPHER CROSS

2012-01-23T06:20:00.001-06:00

Christopher Cross was introduced to us on to the radio for the first time in 1980 and scored eight Billboard Top 40 hits over the next four years. He performed ALL of them last weekend (January 15th) at an intimate gig in Manhattan in a new venue called the City Winery.

Believe it or not, it has been 13 years since Christopher released an album of all new material, but that changed recently with the CD “Doctor Faith.” Christopher artfully sprinkled in tunes from his latest offering in between the songs that earned him 5 Grammy Awards. His voice has not changed over the years. Even though he looks like a tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, when he opens his mouth that sweet pristine voice from Texas is still intact.

He opened his show in a way I had never seen before. He is so proud of the five musicians who surround him on stage, the first thing he did was introduce all of them. And although every singer will tell you from the stage they have one of the greatest bands in the world, Christopher has done his home work. He has sought out top notch colleagues. The musicians that bring his music to life on the road are dazzling. A first class quintet, including Sax man, David Mann; keyboardist / vocalist Kiki Ebsen and bass / vocalist Chazz Frichtel.

His set included:

-- Sailing (his first # 1 song)

-- Think Of Laura (he said the song is based on a real woman, Laura Carter, who was the best friend of the girl he was dating at the time. She killed by a stray bullet while she was driving her car one night)

-- Arthur’s Theme (Christopher told his fans it was of the biggest thrills of his career writing this song with Burt Bacharach. And although he acknowledged Hollywood recently put out a remake of the movie “Arthur,” it just wasn’t the same. As far as he is concerned there will never be another Dudley Moore.

-- Ride Like the Wind (Michael McDonald who contributed vocals on this 1980 chart topper, also sings on Christopher’s new CD)

-- Leave It To Me (a catchy song from the new album with a brass arrangement that pays tribute to the band Chicago

-- Dreamers (another new composition that was well received by the capacity crowd. He dedicated the song to the late Steve Jobs)

Born 60 years ago under his legal name, Christopher Geppert, Cross is the father of two children. Throughout his set it was evident that he has a very dry sense of humor and was excited to share the new songs he had been working on for the past decade.

-- Tom Cuddy

New York, NY

Tom also sent us a copy of Christopher Cross' set list ...

And here's a shot of Chris on stage, courtesy of photographer Brad Joblin:

And, even cooler yet ... how about an EXCLUSIVE "live" video of Christopher Cross performing two of his biggest hits ... only available for viewing through this Forgotten Hits link. (Again, VERY special thanks to Tom Cuddy and Brad Joblin for this!)

Kent:

Here's an exclusive for Forgotten Hits readers! It's an HD video of Christopher Cross performing two of his hits in NYC last weekend. This is private video stored at You Tube. You can only get access through this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHChEGQqIHs

Video shot by Brad Joblin. Post Production work done by Blake Joblin.

Tom

The Sunday Comments ( 01 - 22 - 12 )

2012-01-22T11:08:00.001-06:00

re: NEED MY DAILY FIX OF FORGOTTEN HITS!:

Hi Kent,
Has your site been down or is my PC that’s not updating?

Thanks,

– Dereck Staines

We have had a number of distractions and "real life" dramas going on here these past two weeks ... but I'm still trying to post whenever I can. Normally I'd say check the website every day just to see what's there ... but last week we even missed a couple of "Sound Advice" columns ... and that's never happened before.
I'm doing my best to keep up but sometimes it's difficult to feel creative and inspired when in reality it feels as if your whole world is crumbling around you. Doing my best to keep things going ... but lately each and every day seems to present another insurmountable challenge. (And those are the GOOD days!!!)
Thank you all for your patience and understanding ...
Hopefully there are brighter days ahead.
kk

Special thanks to Charles Amann III for giving us a GREAT plug on his awesome American Bandstand Website. Hop on over and browse around a bit ... all kinds of great Bandstand memorabilia and memories to be found. (In fact, he's already got a book deal in the works ... and Bandstand fans will want to jump on this one! (kk)

Click here: AMERICAN BANDSTAND — NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN — FORGOTTEN HITS — PROMOTING THE MEMORIES — HEADS UP! | The Princes and

Much Thanks, Kent ...

When the book is released this year, I'll be sure to give you a heads up as it is about to arrive on the shelves.

Again, thanks for all you do. Your site is really special.

Best regards,

Charles

Hello Kent:

As I was perusing around your Forgotten Hits website / blog I came upon an idea for a series that I haven’t seen done yet. How about one on the groups that have sort of the “big band” or “lots of horns and brass” sound? You know the main groups in this, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago , Chase, Tower of Power, Lighthouse, TJB and I’m sure there must be more. You would know better than I of other groups that would fit into this category.

This would be a bit different and quite interesting. If this sounds like something you would do I can get you some email addresses of a couple of people that are very well versed in the history of BS&T. I’m sure they would be willing to share with you stories and the like.

Great website, great blog. Keep up the good work.

Pete Heger

Thanks, Pete! You're right ... we've never really done a series of this nature. Let's put it out the masses ... is this something you guys out there might like to participate in? Make it more of a "Readers Forum" ... you guys supply the details and the memories and we'll provide the posting and sounding board? Let us know. (kk)

re: YOU'RE SO VAIN:

>>>After 40 years of guessing and wondering, Carly Simon has revealed who her iconic "You're So Vain" song is written about. (We almost don't want to tell you. The mystery is what makes the song!) Ah well, it's out there already. The song, which was rumored for years to be about one of her ex-boyfriends (like Warren Beatty or Mick Jagger), was actually written about gay record label boss David Geffen. The answer came to fans after Carly admitted the name of the Vain person was whispered in the new acoustic version of the song off her upcoming album Never Been Gone. After listening to it, sources say the singer whispers Geffen's name backwards on the track. (Renfield)
And so what would that sound like?

Divad Neffeg?

Has anyone heard "Paul is dead" on the track?

Sorry. If this is the way Carly has chosen to reveal the secret, then fine, but I pictured Warren entering with the scarf on and then Mick strutting around. Will try to replace my visuals now.

Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano

re: GEORGE HARRISON:

We got this notification too late to include it in our special Saturday Beatles-related Comments Page (scroll down below if you missed it!) ... but wanted to be sure to draw attention to it today.

George Harrison: Living In The Material World (A Martin Scorsese Picture) has been earned FOUR prestigious film nominations. First it received The Critics Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature ... and now it has been nominated by The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for Best Documentary ... Director Martin Scorsese has been nominated by The Director's Guild Of America (DGA) for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries ... and the film's editor David Tedeschi has been nominated by The American Cinema Editors (ACE) in the Best Edited Documentary category.

And I still haven't seen it yet!!! (Unreal!!!) Tried to watch it during a "Free HBO" Weekend (but naturally it wasn't airing then!) ... but the DVD release is due out in February to coincide with George's birthday ... so we're hoping to pick it up then! (kk)

re: KENNY ROGERS:
A few weeks back we told you about a brand new book coming out telling the story of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.
Here are a few more details ... along with another excellent Jeremy Roberts interview:
Click here: I Found A Reason: Rediscovering the legacy of Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - National Pop Culture | Examiner.c

Click here: Heed The Call: Listening to the music of Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - National Pop Culture | Examiner.com

We did a Kenny Rogers feature a few years back (when Forgotten Hits was still in its email newsletter configuration) ... maybe we'll run that again down the road so that this information is permanently posted on the web. (kk)

re: THE FIFTH ESTATE:

Hi Kent - Enjoying FH as usual.

Visual Radio in Boston asked me on for an interview about The Fifth Estate and the new Time Tunnel record primarily, but a lot of 60s history in there also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8wK711lM8U

It's 40 min or so, so I don't expect with the schedule you have that you'd have time for all this .. but it does at least scratch the surface about us, The 5E, and what was going on in the 60s as it related to us. Thought it might be of some interest both as to that musical decade and a little as to how we did the record.

Ken Evans

Great to see you guys getting some press for the new release ... we, too, have heard good things from those who have heard the new CD. No time to watch this tonight ... but maybe over the weekend. (And I'm quite sure some of our readers will check it out, too, so thanks for sending!) kk

And, in other "New Releases" news ...

re: NEW RELEASES:
HENDRIX LOST AND FOUND DEPT.
A BBC radio performance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience from August 24, 1967, has recently been unearthed by the U.K.-based Top Sounds Records.
The Experience performed “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” on host Simon Dee’s BBC TV program Dee Time. Dee had become tremendously popular at the time having been part of the pirate Radio Caroline entourage before joining the BBC where he hosted the twice weekly TV chat show Dee Time.
Licensing material from the BBC archives, Top Sounds has been digging through the vaults, having previously released three, “excavations” as they call it, of 1960s and early 1970s BBC radio session anthologies in their Shapes And Sounds series.
This time around Radio Tymes (TSSCD006) delves into the lost and found of British Pop on TV and radio. (http://topsoundsrecords.co.uk/radio_tymes.html)
Sourced from professionally recorded reel to reel tapes and BBC transcription discs, Radio Tymes presents these rare recordings from some of the 60s top British bands, and indeed some groups who would find wider acclaim during the following decade.
Track list for the disc includes:

DEEP PURPLE – The Painter(7/6/69 BBC radio show Chris Grant’s Tasty Pop Sundae) 2.45

YARDBIRDS – Think About It(3/10/68 BBC radio show Top Gear)

THE MOVE - So You Want To Be A Rock N Roll Star(10/1/67 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.36

TOMORROW featuring KEITH WEST - My White Bicycle(10/1/67 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.33

LOVE SCULPTURE - Do I Still Figure In Your Life(4/21/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.25

YARDBIRDS - White Summer(3/10/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 4.29

THE MOVE - Cherry Blossom Clinic(10/1/67 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.23

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST - Night(8/4/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 3.30

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - Burning Of The Midnight Lamp(8/24/67 BBC TV show Dee Time) 3.57

LOVE SCULPTURE - The Inner Light(3/9/69 BBC radio show Top Gear) 4.01

DEEP PURPLE - Hush(6/30/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 3.56

All the music has been professionally restored, with the Deep Purple tunes having been worked on at Abbey Road Studios no, and the results of restoring music from old reel to reel tapes in particular is startling to say the least. Radio Tymes is a legitimate collection licensed from the BBC and the relevant record companies, and as per usual the LP comes with a 16 page booklet whilst the CD has a 32-page book full of illustrations and information. Available on both CD and vinyl (TSLP006).

On January 22, 2012, "Under African Skies," the new Joe Berlinger-directed documentary chronicling the creation and lasting influence of Paul Simon's classic Graceland, will premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, kicking off a year's long celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of Simon's musical and cultural achievement. One of the most eagerly anticipated documentaries of the year, "Under African Skies" is slated for international film festival screenings and a limited theatrical run, as well as airings on A&E, following its Sundance premiere.

The story of the making of Graceland, and the controversy created when Simon went to South Africa to record with local artists, is told in "Under African Skies," the new full-length documentary from two-time Emmy and Peabody Award winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger ("Brother's Keeper," "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," the West Memphis Three / "Paradise Lost" trilogy) and producers @radical.media and A&E IndieFilms.

More here:

Click here: Paul Simon Graceland 25th Anniversary | The Official Paul Simon Site

This track available as a 'Free' Download in memory of Tim Bowen, Philadelphia musician, artist.

The track features alto saxophonist, Ed Palermo (of Frank Zappa Big Band- see info below).

Download here: http://soundcloud.com/clutch-cargo/dont-lie-tim-bowen

Featuring: Ed Palermo - alto sax (of Frank Zappa Big Band - see below), Ernie Trionfo - lead guitar, Su Teears (of Clutch Cargo) - backing vocals, Lynda McLaughlin - backing vocals, Marty Ahearn - bass, George Manney - drums, producer, Tim Bowen - guitar, lead vocal RIP 1953-2012. Recorded at Geo Sound Studio, Philadelphia. http://www.GeoSound.org

All Music Guide

Biography by Bradley Torreano
Frankie & the Avalons were the first post-millennium project from Tim Bowen, one of the establishing forces of the Philadelphia garage scene via the band, The Boneheads. Using Bowen's previous experience in the genre and adding a touch of irony to the mix, Frankie & the Avalons became the poppiest project he had been a part of, but with a campy twist. Bringing in producer George Manney to play the drums, Bowen turned to two different vocalists to complete the lineup. Both Su Teears and New York-based Lynda McLaughlin handled the vocal duties and often harmonized to produce hypnotic, interesting variations on the melodies within. Their first single was released in 2002. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frankie--the-avalons-p541466
The Ed Palermo Big Band is a big band that has been active for nearly 30 years playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader and namesake Ed Palermo. They are best known for the arrangements of the music of Frank Zappa that Palermo has prepared for them. To date they have released two LP records of original content and three CDs of arrangements of Frank Zappa music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Palermo_Big_Ban
Regards,
George Manney

And our "Spotlight New Release of the Week" goes to Mel Carter!
Read on!

re: MEL CARTER:
>>>Mel Carter, who delivered one of the most memorable ballads of the 60s, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” has just released a new self produced CD titled “The Other Standards.” The Cincinnati born singer-actor says the 12 tunes included on the new release “is a collection of standards I grew up listening to. I have always admired the artists who made these songs popular.” Among the tunes “Carterized” are “Goody Goody,” the Frankie Lymon 1958 smash; “Crying in the Chapel,” having been popularized by everyone from the Orioles in the 50s to Elvis Presley in the 60s and “Cry Me A River,” a Julie London favorite. (Tom Cuddy)
Mel Carter is a *great* singer and nearly all but the first of his Hot 100 chart singles were remakes. He also did a great remake of "I Only Have Eyes For You" in the mid-70's that made the A/C chart.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
I always enjoyed the tone of his voice ... and honestly "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me' has grown to become one of my all-time '60's favorites. (I couldn't STAND this song when it first came out ... I wanted rock and roll, dammit!!! But I have certainly come to love and appreciate it in the years since ... and it's one of those extremely rare oldies that I've never gotten tired of hearing ... so I let it play virtually every time it comes on the radio!) kk

Hi Kent,

"What's On Your Mind" has always been one of my favorite Mel Carter songs. Thought you might want to hear it.

Carrie

Nope, I'm not familiar with this one ... evidently it never charted. Pretty song 'though!

From what I've been told over the years, Mel Carter was quite the "prankster / cut-up" on the old Dick Clark Caravan tour buses ... I've heard that from several artists who shared the road with him back in the day. Cool to see that he's still making new music! (kk)

Kent:
Here's an mp3 of Mel Carter's new single ... CRYING IN THE CHAPEL. The video will be filmed later this week in Hollywood and once it is edited, I'll get you a copy to post.

Mel will also be interviewed this Saturday, January 21st, on 77 WABC Radio in New York from 7 - 9 pm. The interview will be streamed at: www.wabcradio.comThanks.
-- Tom Cuddy

Thanks, Tom. As you can see, we've got some Mel Carter fans on the list ... great to hear him in such good voice ... can't wait to see the video! (kk)

And today I received a very nice, pleasant surprise! I just received a copy of the new CD along with a handwritten note from Mel Carter, thanking me for my consideration in featuring two of the tracks. (Now THAT'S a class act by a class performer!) A VERY nice personal touch, not unlike a phone call I received several years ago from Al Martino after Forgotten Hits "Sneak Peeked" his brand new release. Very, very cool!

In addition to the "Crying In The Chapel" track mentioned above, Mel asked that we also feature "Goody Goody", the old Frankie Lymon hit ... so here's that one, too! (kk)

re: DION:

The Facebook link doesn't work ... are they presuming we've logged in before going to it? More reasons why I HATE FB!

Bob in Jersey

I tried it a couple of times, too, without success ... not quite sure what the deal is ... but I'm not on Facebook either so I don't really have an alternate "in"! Sorry! (kk)

re: DEEJAY RECORDS:

>>>After reading Sunday's comments, I thought of something I might do ... I am going to get out my charts and see how many DJ's here in OKC put out a vinyl record while they were working for the local top 40 radio station at the time. It'll be interesting to see how high it got on the local charts. Needless to say, if a certain jock did make a record, it was never played on a competing radio station. (Larry)

>>>We had a few of them do it here, too ... and some of the more successful ones are well-documented. One of my favorite '70's radio memories came while listening to the above-mentioned John "Records" Landecker playing down the biggest hits on WLS (where radio rival / competitor Steve Dahl had topped the charts with his Rod Stewart parody "Do You Think I'm Disco") ... instead of announcing the artist, the record was always referred to as being by "Teenage Radiation", which was the name of Dahl's back-up band. And, as you mentioned, it NEVER actually got played on the air ... but one night (after it came in at #1 again), Landecker fittingly blew the record up on the air, in tribute to Dahl's infamous Sox Park Disco Demolition debacle! All I can tell you is it made for GREAT radio!!! (kk)

In regards to local top 40 DJ's that came out with their own record, I decided to check the ones here in OKC. Of course none of these made the national charts and needless to say, none were played on a competing radio station. I realize that probably 99 & 44/100% of your readers (maybe 100 %) wouldn't be interested in this, but a few comments anyway if I may.

The following DJ's at the time they made the record worked for top 40 radio station WKY 930AM at the time, while their competitor at the time was cross town KOMA 1520AM.

1. Danny Williams -- ALL AMERICAN GIRL / FIDEL CASTRO ROCK (1959)

2. Danny Williams -- DECK OF CARDS / IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE (1959)

3. Dale Wehba -- RUSSIAN ROULETTE / SCREWDRIVER (1958)

4. Dale Wehba -- SCREWDRIVER / RUSSIAN ROULETTE (1963)

5. Dale Wehba -- I LOVE YOU DARLING / BABY (1962)

6. Don Wallace -- MY DAD / THE SQUARE (1965)

7. Ronnie Kaye -- THE KING IS DEAD (1977)

Numbers 1 and 2 by Danny Williams (not the singer from 1964 who recorded WHITE ON WHITE) worked mornings for many many years on WKY. Song #1 was a answer / parody of Bill Parsons' ALL AMERICAN BOY while the flip was a parody of Castro's takeover in Cuba back in 1959.

Wink Martindale's version of DECK OF CARDS was never played on WKY because they played and pushed Danny Williams' version. The Number 6 Don Wallace's song was the Paul Peterson song from years earlier while number 7 was a tribute to the passing of Elvis.

Larry

Steve Dahl is probably the one who charted most successfully here ... and he charted on a competing radio station's list (which is pretty much unheard of!) In addition, he regularly recorded parodies that were heard on his program but not commercially released. The recently-returned Jonathan Brandmeier had a HUGELY successful recording and touring career ... his shows regularly sold out (and were often the hottest ticket it town). Even the aforementioned John "Records" Landecker did a Dickie Goodman-type cut-in record called "Press My Conference" that we featured a long, long time ago in Forgotten Hits. Heck, Super Jock himself, Larry Lujack, released a God-Awful record called "The Diary Of A Mad Streaker", trying to catch on with that crazy '70's fad. (He also released a best-selling book called "Super Jock" which, from what I understand, now commands big bucks on eBay and the used book circuit.) These are probably the most famous ones of my generation anyway ... but jocks have been doing this since the beginning of rock and roll. (You may remember a guy by the name of The Big Bopper, for example!) Even George Jones started first in radio before launching his enormously successful country singing career. (Lately the trend seems to be going the other way ... now it's these artists who are scoring their own radio shows, long after their peak singing careers are over.) kk

re: ON THE RADIO:

Kent ...

Do you know what day it is? (1/20/12)

I guess I'm too late to make today's edition of Forgotten Hits.
Happy National DJ Day to all Disc Jockeys among your readers.

It's also the day Alan Freed died, 1965.
Frank B.

Happy Belated DJ DAY to all the jocks who became such a big part of our lives. (kk)

And congratulations to our FH Buddy ... and long-time Chicago-area deejay Scott Childers for his recent promotion at WSSR-FM.

Scott also monitors this EXCELLENT WLS Tribute site:

Click here: The History of WLS Radio!

You'll find the whole story here:

Click here: Scott Childers Promoted To PD of WSSR-FM | Chicagoland Radio and Media

And it looks like John "Records" Landecker has landed on his feet over at WLS-FM. According to Robert Feder's Friday column, John is the new "evening jock" at the station, airing from 6 - 11 PM, pushing Dick Biondi into the 11 PM - 2 AM slot (and shortening Greg Brown's program to 2:30 - 6 PM ... which, I guess, in effect shortens Scott Shannon's stint, too ... Shannon will now air here locally (in material recorded exclusively for WLS) from 10:15 am - 2:30. Rumors that Landecker was going to be the new mid-day host were apparently unfounded ... but Landecker has LONG been a Chicagoland radio favorite ... so here's hoping this new arrangement works out well for everybody concerned. (I've also heard that Dick Biondi may get a weekend program dedicated to remembering the glorious history of WLS-AM ... still waiting for the final details on this one.) kk

I just read your comments from December 29. I can't wait to read your take on WLS's decision to bring back John Landecker and move Dick Biondi to a late-night spot and cut Greg Brown's hours. These are both popular deejays. I'm not sure the audience is going to view it as a good move. I wrote to give them feedback, although I'm not going to hold my breath for a response. It's about that almighty dollar. I hope it serves them well.

Connie

And, in a related email ...

You recently referred to Greg Brown and Dick Biondi as sounding "tired" ... do you think your comments had anything to do with WLS's decision to revamp their deejay lineup, cutting Greg Brown's hours, moving Dick Biondi to the 11 PM to 2 AM time slot and adding John Landecker back into the mix?

Andy

LOL ... no ... I do NOT think ANY of my comments ever influence ANYTHING that happens in radio. (Jeez, if it were ONLY that easy ... there are SO many things we could fix!!!) But thanks for the flattering supposition ... if Forgotten Hits had just one-tenth the power to influence and change, many (if not most) of our readers would find radio a more pleasant experience these days! (kk)

WLS-FM - - - Don't Break The Heart That Loves You!!!!!!!

Oh, wait!!! WLS-FM wouldn't know that song, because they never play it!!!

Anyway, in the words of Connie Francis, WLS-FM has broke my heart. I'm NOT HAPPY with these new changes: http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/2215-john-records-landecker-returns-full-time-to-wls-fm-biondi-brown-hours-cut

The hours are bizarre and, although I like Landecker, I got SICK of his HORRIBLE Into the 70's show. Naturally, I was excited to see it gone a few weeks ago. But now to hear of Brown and Biondi taking cuts --- I DON'T THINK SO!!!! What about the Friday Night Request Party???

I'm not listening to Landecker do it (if he even would)! And by the time our dear friend The Wild-Itralian plays "Good Night Sweetheart" at 2 AM, who will be listening?

Of course we still have our Dave Fogel, who although I like as a person, I don't like his show.

And we have the incredibly annoying voice tracked Shannon whose every other word is CHICAGO, for Pete's Sake he's in NEW YORK!!!!!! Shannon was incredible as the TOC, but that's gone too.

I left 103.9 after they took away my shifts of Jeff James, and now I might leave 94.7 for a while. K-Hits ... looks like you're up!

AJK, The Youngest Oldies Freak Around

Greg Brown and Dick Biondi are Chicago radio institutions. When Magic 104 closed a few years ago (to make way for the ill-fated Jack-FM), there was a HUGE public outrage displayed for messing with our favorite jocks. Both of these guys have huge, loyal followings.

(I'll never forget Bob Stroud saluting these guys on his program after word got out about the Jack-FM take-over ... a VERY classy thing to do for a competing radio station and I give MAJOR kudos to Bob for making that statement.)

I've NEVER been a Dave Fogel fan (and have made that known since he first signed on here) ... I never thought much of Scott MacKay or Brant Miller in this slot either ... but MacKay has been reborn and rejuvenated on The River (95.9) and I thoroughly enjoy listening to him now ... now I tune in for a little while every single morning!

Landecker would have made an excellent morning jock for the station (and then they wouldn't have had to mess with anybody else's schedule!) He did a GREAT job hosting mornings for Magic 104 way back when and we really enjoyed waking up to his program. (He also used to do a thing at 5:30 in the morning where he'd play nothing but obscurities and listener requests for a half hour, which we viewed as "must listen" radio at the time.)

Personally, I prefer Tom O'Toole and Danny Lake over both Greg Brown and Dick Biondi and wish they could have gotten more air time out of the deal ... but Biondi's Friday Night All Request Show should have been left intact. (Talk about hearing music you completely forgotten about!!!) To give up Biondi's largest listening audience just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

As for Scott Shannon, he is one of the most talented jocks on the planet ... if they would just let Scott Shannon BE Scott Shannon ... instead of simply giving the station call letters 15 times per hour ... he could brighten up the whole day. Honestly, I've hated his "local slant" ever since it started ... because it serves the station only ... and not the disc jockey or the listening audience. Let Shannon do his thing (the way only HE knows how to do it) and keep the personality alive on the dial.

We all miss Jeff James over at Y103.9 ... Jim Shea, too ... I think we've all learned that too much Tom Kent is NOT a good thing ... and I barely tune in at all anymore. And for me, K-Hits just plays WAY to many '80's tracks (since they promote being our '60's, '70's and '80's station.) There isn't even anything close to an even distribution of music spread out between these three decades. And the fact is, you're NEVER going to hear any surprises here ... their playlist is the most predictable of all.

I say we give Landecker a chance ... if he can get back anywhere near to where he was at his peak, he will provide fun and entertaining radio. (But then again in order for THAT to happen, WLS-FM would have to allow their jocks to TALK once in a while ... and that does NOT seem to be the current policy at the station.) kk

From the Chicagoland Radio and Media article:

WLS-FM has given its fans a "Good News / Bad News" situation today. The good news is the full-time return of John Records Landecker to its airwaves, returning to the nighttime hours that first made him a household name on WLS-AM in the 1970s. The bad news is that to make room for Landecker's shift, hours are being cut back from station mainstays Dick Biondi and Greg Brown and their shifts are moving. The changes all take effect on this coming Monday, January 23rd.
John Landecker's return to full-time status is not a surprise at all. Just last week, it was reported HERE that he had left his full-time job at Michigan City, IN's WIMS-AM to focus on his new part-time job with Chicago's WLS-FM. At WLS-FM, he had been working Saturday and Sunday shifts, as well as being a weekday fill-in host. For the most part, he had been filling in on the midday shift, which is the one daytime shift done via voice-tracking from New York by True Oldies Channel boss Scott Shannon. Landecker had been filling in for that shift pretty consistently since the week after Christmas, including on days when Shannon was not really on vacation and was available to work. It was widely assumed that Landecker was being groomed to take over that shift in the very near future.
What was indeed a surprise was the shift that was given to Landecker. Instead of the available midday shift, a new evening shift was created for him, giving him the hours of Monday - Friday 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm.
As mentioned here last week, Landecker's return to WLS was a triple reunion. He was a DJ on the station, after it had flipped from Alternative Rock to Oldies and was still known as WZZN-FM. He was there for just over a year as its afternoon host before parting ways with the station in 2007. It also reunited him with Jan Jeffries, who was Landecker's Program Director at WAGO-FM. Jeffries is the Senior Vice President of Programming for Cumulus Media, as well as now the acting PD for WLS-FM since forcing out the former PD in October. The two worked well together in the past and wanted to work together once again at WLS-FM. Perhaps biggest of all, the move reunites Landecker with the famous WLS call letters, which he was most associated with in the 1970s.
With this afternoon's announcement of John Landecker's new time shift on WLS-FM, it becomes a quadruple reunion. From 1972-1981, it was primarily the evening shift on WLS-AM that turned John Landecker from DJ to superstar legend. For the most part, Landecker worked from 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm on WLS-AM. He will now be doing the same hours (only until 11:00pm), hoping to reignite some of that nighttime magic.
In an interview with the industry website All Access today, John Landecker said: "I am just so grateful for this opportunity that Jan has given me and am so psyched to do this. Totally reminiscent of when the Big 89 was in play in the '70s. I don't know of any other situation or opportunity like this. The calls of the heritage AM station on FM, the same music, the jocks and the programmer who knows how to put this together. I start on Monday and can't wait to get started."
Unfortunately, the great news of Landecker's return to WLS nights is tempered with the bad news for the legion of fans of Dick Biondi and Greg Brown. To make room for this new airshift for John Landecker, Dick Biondi now loses one hour per night from his show and has been pushed into the extremely late hours of 11:00 pm - 2:00 am, far later than the time many of his longtime fans can listen. Greg Brown will now have to end one hour earlier each weekday -- 6:00 pm, instead of 7:00 pm -- to make room for Landecker. To help make up some of that lost time, Greg Brown's afternoon show will now start 30 minutes earlier, at 2:30 pm. It is a net loss of 2.5 hours per week for Brown.
For Radio Hall of Famer and living legend Dick Biondi, it is a net loss of 5 hours per week, plus he is now forced to work into the wee hours of the morning. To help make up some of the lost air time for Biondi, he is being offered the chance to do a weekly one-hour weekend special (most likely pre-taped in advance), which will focus on the history of WLS-AM's Musicradio years from the 1960s and 1970s. This special will begin in February.
Still, many are seeing these new changes as a slight against the beloved Dick Biondi. Although he turns 80 years old later this year, he still has the energy and excitement of a DJ a fraction of his age. He has said many times that he has no plans on retiring. With the man still sharp and on top of his game, listeners have no desire to have him retire anytime soon, either. Now that his hours have been cut back and shifted to a less desirable time slot, one has to wonder if the fairly new ownership and management of WLS-FM isn't trying to force the hand of Biondi and make him consider taking the retirement he previously hasn't wished to take.
Dick Biondi has been with WLS-FM / WZZN-FM since 2006. He first joined WLS-AM and Chicago radio back in 1960. Greg Brown joined WLS-FM / WZZN-FM in 2007, after being a fixture on Chicagoland radio since 1974.

Not seeing any changes at this time is the WLS-FM morning show with Dave Fogel and Marti Jones, who will continue to work their regular shift (with the odd times) of weekdays 5:30 am - 10:15 am. Scott Shannon's syndicated and voice-tracked True Oldies Channel programming in mid-days will only be losing a half hour (2:30 pm - 3:00 pm) and three hours from the overnight shift, which Dick Biondi is now being forced to occupy.

-- Chicagoland Radio and Media

A couple of corrections to this ... Scott Shannon's Monday - Friday mid-day show is NOT a syndicated broadcast of his True Oldies Channel show but rather material recorded exclusively for the Chicagoland audience. (Frankly, it doesn't work ... Shannon is MUCH more at ease and entertaining doing what he does best on The True Oldies Channel.) Typically, after midnight, WLS-FM used to run Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel until Dave Fogel picked up the reigns at 5:30 ... and they used to run a "True Oldies Showcase" on the weekends. I'm not really sure where either of these programs fall into the new mix. Honestly, if you want to listen to Scott Shannon ... and many of us DO ... you'll do a WHOLE lot better to listen online and catch him in his real element rather than the watered down version airing on WLS-FM. FAR more entertaining ... and with a GREAT music selection. (Incredibly, despite all the references above to Shannon voicetracking his voice from New York to be aired here, Scott used to have the highest ratings of ANY of the WLS-FM jocks, proving that his old show was superior to what we were getting here locally.) Unfortunately, he has since been reduced to simply giving out the call letters (often 9-15 times per hour!) with about one or two lines of "ad lib" thrown in per hour ... what a COMPLETE waste of his extraordinary talent! (I go back to my original rant from a few months back ... isn't there ANY other outlet here in Chicago that can pick up and give us back The True Oldies Channel??? We miss it!!! And we want it back!) Scott Shannon single-handedly SAVED the oldies for the Chicago market ... and now we have THREE stations embracing this format. Give us back the BEST one ... the guys who shares the passion ... and move on! (kk)

Kent ...

What's WCBS-FM doing this weekend?

Click here: First and Last Hits All Weekend Long in the CBS-FM Hall of Fame

Frank B.

Should make for an interesting mix of music. One of our readers, Don Effenberger, came up with a theme concept for The True Oldies Channel a year or two back called "First And Foremost" ... it was kinda cool because you heard the first chart hit by an artist (usually their first national Top 40 hit), followed up by the biggest hit of their career ... thus "First ... and Foremost". To use the WCBS-FM example, Don's concept would have featured "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Hey Jude". I suppose we could take issue with The Beatles in general ... their first chart hit, of course was "Love Me Do" back in England ... but "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was, indeed, the song that broke the band here in America. As for their LAST hit, I would have figured "The Long And Winding Road", a #1 Record in 1970. (Honestly, it was probably more of an afterthought ... "Let It Be" was most likely the last INTENDED single ... but EITHER of these would have fit as at least at this point, the band was still together.) If you're going to stretch the boundaries and include "Free As A Bird" (a #6 Hit from the first "Anthology" CD in 1996, recording by adding Paul's, George's and Ringo's parts to an old John Lennon demo recording), then why wouldn't you include their ACTUAL last hit, "Real Love", which went to #11 a few months later?!?!? We could debate this forever ... but I still LOVE the idea that WCBS-FM goes through so much trouble to come up with a new and inventive way to present the music every single weekend! (kk)

re: BRAGGING RIGHTS:

Kent ...

The only reason I'm sending you this song is to brag about my current hometown, Valley Stream, New York. This big 1958 hit was recorded by The Aquatones from Valley Stream, New York. Now you can talk about Chicago, if you want to get even. LoL!!
Frank B.

Click here: You - Aquatones (Live).wmv - YouTube

re: ON THE LOCAL SCENE:

I got a call from our FH Buddy Quent Lang the other day ... and he was all excited about a brand new show coming up in a couple of weeks at a place called SPACE in Evanston. Quent (and his former Mauds bandmate Mike Flynn) are performing in a new band featuring top Chicago-area session musicians called Crash Landing ... and it sounds like this is going to be quite a show. (The guys have put together some brand new arrangements of some long-forgotten classic rockers that you just don't hear anymore ... but will be instantly recognizable the minute you hear them.) Personally, I can't wait to check 'em out.

All the details can be found here: http://evanstonspace.com/?Month=2&Year=2012

Kent:

I will again be reuniting with my Mauds band mate, Mike Flynn, for a show at SPACE in Evanston on Saturday, February 4th. Mike has assembled some of the top Chicago session musicians for what promises to be a very enjoyable tour de force of Classic Rock . The band is called CRASH LANDING ... here are more details.

Hope you and our old fans can join us !!!!!

Quent Lang

re: 71 YEARS OF TOP TEN HITS!:

YOU are the first to know about our upcoming new edition, Top 10 Pop Hits 1940-2011! The first edition sold out in just nine months and it spawned a series! A lot of musical ground is covered in this artist-by-artist listing of every Top 10 hit on Billboard's pop singles charts, from radio's earliest swing stars to the latest YouTube sensations. It's the book with something for everyone. And it can be yours at $7 off the regular price ($24.95) for just $17.95 plus you can still take advantage of our current promotion 'Get More, Save More'! This very low price and the extra savings end January 31, 2012, so order today.

Joel Whitburn

Click on over to Joel's Record Research Website for all the details:

Click here: Top 10 Pop Hits 1940-2011 | Joel Whitburn's Record Research

re: DRUMMER:

And how about a smile to end your reading experience this Sunday? (We started off all "doom and gloom" ... I figured that this was the LEAST I could do!!!)

I got this from Fred Glickstein of The Flock, who tells me that "this was actually ... (allegedly) ... on Craigslist:

Looking for someone special who would kill my drummer for $100.00.

Do not fear any negative consequences for this act.

Any self respecting law enforcement agency would gladly turn the other cheek once they hear this guy "play" ...
I am tired of hearing his 70's style fills put in the wrong spot and ending one half beat early or late depending on how much he's had to drink.

I am tired of him standing up behind his drums between songs and ripping his shirt off and flexing his muscles at wedding receptions where we were hired to play Air Supply, Carpenters, and Ann Murray songs because "chicks dig the pecs, dude".
I am tired of him showing up 20 minutes late for rehearsals, then pouting until someone helps him load in his drums, then taking 30 minutes to set them up and needing a smoke break every 15 minutes, then wanting to leave early because "this chick is so fine, I can't say no, and she knows record people dude, so it's for the band."
I am totally done with him calling me up at midnight to play me some damned jazz fusion album from 1981, crying and saying how we shouldn't have sold out to "the man" and asking if I know anyone who can get him some weed knowing full well I smoked twice in '69 and never touched it after that.

I am sick of him farting on stage where the drum mics pick it up and thinking it's funny.

I am tired of kicking off slow ballads at well under 80 bpm only to have them morph into the methamphetimine version of flight of the bumble bee, because that's the tempo he "feels" it at.
I am tired of having to carry jumper cables to the gig because "I must have left the dome light on again, dude," instead of admitting his '84 Oldsmobile is a worn out piece of crap.

I am tired of him asking when he's gonna get a drum solo.

I am tired of paying his tab at restaurants because "that chick must have stole my wallet man, but it was worth it 'cause she was a phreak".

I will not move my amp again so he can put another new cymbal on the stage, because "when we learn some fusion I'll need this sound".........

Please ... somebody kill this motherfgucketr.

I can't do it because he's my brother and mom would be so pissed —

even though she too thinks the band would probably sound better.

A Few Beatles ... And Beatles-Related ... Comments

2012-01-21T11:22:00.000-06:00

One of our most-read, most-quoted and best-loved early series, "Who Played The First Beatles Record In America", still has folks talking ten years later.

We've received a number of challenges to our findings during this time ... but no "concrete evidence" to disprove our theory that Dick Biondi (of Chicago's very own WLS) was the First Disc Jockey in America to play a Beatles record on the air. (In fact, "Please Please Me" ... by the mis-spelled Beattles ... charted for a couple of weeks in early March of 1963, the earliest CHARTED Beatles U.S. appearance we've been able to find.)

But we just came across a new finding that has gotten our attention ... read on ...

re: WHO PLAYED THE FIRST BEATLES RECORD IN AMERICA:

FH Reader Randy Price sent me this note that he saw posted on Mike Callahan's "Both Sides Now" website, regarding an early playing of "Please Please Me" in the Philadelphia area ...

In Philadelphia, "She Loves You" made WIBG's Top 99 list for September 23, 1963. It spent one week at position #81 (or perhaps two weeks; WIBG compiled its lists weekly at the time, but published them biweekly). The station also played "Please Please Me" sometime in mid-February 1963, though it didn't chart; I wrote the title down on the back of the 2/11/63 list. WIBG's lists included lots of records that didn't chart nationally.

Alex McNeil

We've had a couple of other folks tell us that they remember hearing "Please Please Me" in Philadelphia, too, as (in their words) MOST new records were first broken there. (I still tend to believe the story that Vee Jay Records, literally right down the street from WLS 890 AM, probably WALKED the record over, hot off the presses, prior to mailing it out to anybody else ... but we could be wrong!) The fact that Alex wrote it on the back of the 2/11 survey is the intriguing part ... that would be about two weeks before Dick Biondi played it on his WLS radio program ... and recently discovered paperwork indicates that Vee Jay Records OFFICIALLY released this single on February 7th ... and NOT the 20th as has been so often reported. If WIBG jumped on this literally the day it came it, it is entirely possible that they were the first ... now we need some back-up. (Sam Lit has been stating this for years but we've never received any documentation. Surely SOMEBODY must have something in the archives that can back this up???) Alex's survey notation is impressive, however ... so I'm prepared to pursue this even further if ANYBODY out there can get me some concrete evidence or documentation! (kk)

And another Beatles milestone, too! The Cavern celebrates its 55th birthday!!!

Kent ...

How many times did the Beatles appear at The Cavern Club? Click this link to find out.
Frank B.

Click here: Liverpool's world-famous Cavern club marks 55th anniversary - Liverpool Local News - News - Liverpool Echo

re: PAUL McCARTNEY:

We ran the complete track listing for Paul McCartney's upcoming CD of (mostly) standards the other day. Macca has been wanting to do an album like this for over twenty years ... and has pushed it back several times. (Probably each time Rod Stewart ... or Barry Manilow ... or any one of countless others ... released THEIR tribute to the "greats"!!!)

Ironically in the same issue that we told you about the songs that'll be featured on Paul McCartney's new release, we ALSO told you about a Mel Carter CD of similar content and inspiration. (But, in Paul's defense, he has also stated on the record while promoting this new release that THESE are the songs that greatly influenced the early writing styles of Lennon and McCartney ... kinda surprising in that The Beatles were formed at the birth of Elvis, Buddy Holly and Rock And Roll!)

But, without question, McCartney has embraced ALL kinds of different musical genres over the many years of his career ... so this one still bears listening. (And he's written a couple of new tunes that "fit the mood" as well ... and resurrected one of MY favorites, "My Baby's Request" from the Wings / "Back To The Egg" album from the late '70's.)

Frequent Forgotten Hits contributor Gary Theroux offers an in-depth look at the history of some of the tracks that McCartney has chosen to honor on this new release. Here's a fascinating look back at the history of some of these tunes:

Regarding the new Paul McCartney CD, I am sure that for a lot of people, the CD's title -- "Kisses On The Bottom" -- will make them think ol' Paul is referring to one way of earning the favor of your employer.

It's actually a lyric line from "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter," which was a hit 55 years ago (in 1957) for Billy Williams: "I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter / And make believe it came from you / I'm gonna write words oh so sweet / They're gonna knock me off my feet / A lotta kisses on the bottom / I'll be glad I got 'em ..."
Like most of the other tunes on that CD, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down ..." is actually a composition of far deeper vintage. The song was originally a 1935 hit for Fats Waller and then a 1936 hit for The Boswell Sisters. Five years before the Billy Williams version, one of those sisters -- Connee -- recut the song and scored with it as a solo single.

As this is an album made up of (mostly) classic tunes Paul has long admired, here's a bit of background on the other selections:

“Home (When Shadows Fall)” as written in 1931 by Peter Van Steeden, Jeff Clarkson and Harry Clarkson and became a hit for bandleader Van Steeden (with a vocal by Dick Robertson) in 1932. Louis Armstrong scored with a cover version that year, Nat "King" Cole did the same in 1950 and Sam Cooke included his version of the song on his 1964 "Ain't That Good News" LP.

“It’s Only A Paper Moon” was originally introduced on Broadway in the play "The Great Magoo" under the title "If You Believe in Me." The first hit versions were in 1933 for Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (vocal by Bob Lawrence) and Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards. Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald each had hits with the song in 1945.

“More I Cannot Wish You” is a Frank Loesser composition from the 1950 Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls."

“The Glory Of Love” was originally a 1936 #1 hit for Benny Goodman & his Orchestra with vocalist Helen Ward.

“We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)” was a 1940 hit for Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with vocalist Frank Sinatra. The next year the song hit #1 for The Ink Spots, the group later emulated by The Platters.

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” (a tune from the film "The Harvey Girls") was written by and a #1 hit for Johnny Mercer in 1945. Three cover versions -- one each by Kay Kyser, Artie Shaw and Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters -- also scored that year.

“My Valentine” is a new McCartney composition.

“Always” was written in 1925 by Irving Berlin as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin, to whom he assigned all royalties. It had been intended for inclusion in the Marx Brothers' Broadway show "The Coconuts" but was pulled from the score by Berlin during the out-of-town tryouts. Regardless, five hit versions charted in 1926, the biggest being chart-toppers by bandleaders George Olsen and Vincent Lopez.

“My Very Good Friend The Milkman” was written in 1934 by Johnny Burke and Harold Spina, who also composed the Fats Waller classic "You're Not The Only Oyster in The Stew." While never a chart hit, "My Very Good Friend ..." was recorded by Waller as well as -- Eric Clapton! Now THOSE two would make for an interesting musical mash-up!

“Bye Bye Blackbird” was one of the 1920s' most iconic tunes -- and certainly a sensation in 1926. There were four hit versions that year, the biggest being a #1 recording by "The Voice of the Southland," Gene Austin.

“Get Yourself Another Fool” was written by Frank Heywood and Monroe Tucker and was originally a 1949 R&B hit for Charles Brown.

“The Inch Worm” was another Frank Loesser composition. Danny Kaye made it famous by singing it in the 1952 film "Hans Christian Anderson." Seventeen years later, under Paul McCartney's direction, Mary Hopkin cut a memorable version for her 1969 "Postcard" LP.

“Only Our Hearts” is the other new McCartney composition on the CD.

Bonus Tracks:

“Baby’s Request” is a McCartney song he first recorded for his 1979 "Back To The Egg" Wings LP.

“My One and Only Love” was written in 1952 by Bob Mellin and Guy Wood. It became a minor hit for Frank Sinatra in 1953. Five years later WGN DJ Franklyn MacCormack included a moving spoken word version on his Liberty LP "The Torch is Still Burning."

Gary Theroux

Interestingly enough, we featured Billy Williams' hit "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" several weeks ago as "Today's Forgotten Hit" ... I've always loved that one (and think it would STILL sound great coming out of your radio quite unexpectedly once in a while.) The aforementioned Barry Manilow also cut a pretty good rendition of this one. Cool that McCartney thought enough of "The Inch Worm" to produce a version on Mary Hopkins' first Apple album way back when ... and then cut his own version all these years later

Honestly, I'm not sure how well this new release will go over ... it may be something more for the "die hard" fans than the general public. We got THIS email from FH Reader Clark Besch the other day, too ... safe to say he's probably not going to buy it!!! (kk)

Can 2012 start any worse? Paul McCartney becomes the new Rod Stewart? A CD of "STANDARDS"??? Didn't Ringo try this 40 years ago with "Beaucoups of Blues"? I guess Ringo was WAY ahead of his time! I am going back to my Yellow Sub and STAY THERE! 1966, here I come!

Clark Besch

Actually, it was "Sentimental Journey" ... and I think that some of those tracks worked pretty well. McCartney produced "Stardust" for Ringo's first solo LP ... and the title track ... (a personal favorite ... I especially like how Ringo pronounces "Sent - ee - mental"!!! lol) ... was produced by Richard Perry ... and Ringo enjoyed working with him so much, he brought him onboard to produce his first REAL rock and roll solo album ... "Ringo" ... in 1973 ... and the LP went all the way to #1!!!

McCartney recorded a duet with Tony Bennett a few years back ... and really it is the kind of "parlour music" you know he listened to with his old man growing up in Liverpool. (Hey, it helped inspire things like "When I'm Sixty Four", "Your Mother Should Know" and "Honey Pie", too! So this REALLY isn't anything new!)

My personal feeling is that McCartney hasn't released anything "memorable" since "Flowers In The Dirt" ... and that was a long, long time ago. (By memorable I mean songs that stick in your head and can be recalled at a moment's notice. Yes, there have been highlights here and there since then ... but NOTHING of "commercial value" like we're used to hearing from this guy!) Still, I'm curious to hear it ... and (as a die-hard McCartney fan) will most likely buy this one just like I have all of the others! (kk)

Kent ...

Instead of slowing down and heading toward retirement, Paul McCartney seems to working harder now than when he was a Beatle.

Now comes word of a possible Olympics Concert, according to MSN.

Click here: Paul McCartney to do Olympics concert? - MSN Music News

Frank B.

Several months ago we reported that Paul (AND RINGO!) were in negotiations to appear TOGETHER at the 2012 Olympics in London (and were working out all of the details and logistics in order to do so.)

So now Forgotten Hits is scooping MSN!!! (How cool is THAT?!?!?) kk

More Bobby

2012-01-20T06:36:00.003-06:00

The other day, Forgotten Hits Reader Frank B. (a proud Bobby Darin fan) asked about Bobby's marriage-go-round with (and after) Sandra Dee.

As promised, here are some edited excerpts from our Forgotten Hits Bobby Darin Series from a few years back. (No, it's still not posted on the website yet ... but this is better than nothing, right?!?!?)

>>>A friend of mine told me he that he was watching TCM. Between movies they were talking about Bobby Darin. After Bobby Darin & Sandra Dee got divorced, they said that Sandra Dee never re-married. Bobby Darin did get married again. I don't remember that. Can you tell me if it's true? (Frank B.)

Here's the scoop ... as reported in our month-long Bobby Darin Series a while back:

At the end of the Summer of 1960, Bobby Darin was signed to appear in a key supporting role in the motion picture "Come September", behind Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida in the lead roles, along with America's Sweetheart, dream-girl-next-door Sandra Dee as his love interest. Bobby had NO idea just how much this role would change his life! Darin even wrote the title song for the film.

By 1960, 16 year old Sandra Dee had already made seven motion pictures, including the classics "Gidget" and "A Summer Place". She was a bonafide movie star and, on the very first day Bobby was introduced to her, he asked her to marry him. Her reply was, "Not today." Bobby never stopped trying and over the three months they spent together making "Come September", he asked her again several more times ... eventually winning her over.

Shortly after the picture wrapped, Bobby and Sandy were married ... in old pal Don Kirshner's apartment at three in the morning on December 1, 1960, to avoid the hounding press. One year later, they had a son, who they named Dodd, which was Bobby's nickname while growing up.

(Ironically, despite not having a father figure at home while he was growing up, Bobby's first words were "Da Da", which, in light of these extremely strange circumstances, was quite awkward. Rather than deal with this situation, his family turned this expression into the word "Dodd", which then became Bobby's nickname ... by which he was referred to by family members for his entire childhood. Years later, when Bobby had a son of his own, he named him Dodd Darin.)

Although Bobby wanted a pure and innocent girl for his totally devoted wife, he was hardly a monk ... always believing that he only had a short time to live, he was determined to have as much fun sexually as he could in the time he had left. No matter how strong his feelings may have been for Connie Francis, Joann Campbell or Sandra Dee, (all of whom he professed his undying love to, proposing to each one), Bobby continued to have sex with other women. One well-circulated story is that at the age of 18, he was taken under the wing of a dancer, an older woman, who asked him to play bongos in her act and travel with her to South America. They never went to South America, but for the best part of two years, Darin lived with this woman as her "boy-toy." Every time he tried to leave, she threatened to commit suicide and, in fact, on two occasions Bobby saved her life from such an attempt. After two years of craziness, he finally left and, years later, the woman DID succeed in killing herself. After the relationship ended, Bobby publicly said, "Before I met her, I was just like any kid in the Bronx. Afterward, I was the most disillusioned human being in the world ... but I was no kid."

Sandra Dee was EXACTLY what Bobby was looking for ... a sweet, innocent, pure, beautiful girl (who just happened to be a movie star!) Bobby had previously proposed to both Connie Fracis and Joann Campbell, who also fit this description, but neither one of these two other girls were willing to put their careers on hold and remain in the shadow of Bobby's spotlight.

Over the years, Sandra Dee has admitted to having been sexually abused as a young girl by her step-father and becoming both anorexic and an alcoholic. The pressure of always looking thin for her modeling (and later, movie) career forced her to eat nothing more than a salad for most meals. In fact, Sandra can attribute her first taste of alcohol to sitting at the head table at one of Bobby's concert performances. (Bobby insisted that she be there at EVERY show ... sitting right up front where the audience could see his beautiful, loyal, "trophy" wife.) After putting her own career on hold to appease her husband, she was quickly up to several drinks a night ... medicine to endure Bobby's night-after-night repetitive stage act no doubt. She quit for about a year when she found out she was pregnant ... but then started back in full force again once the baby was born.

When Sandra Dee was just 15 years old, her stepfather told "American Weekly" magazine that he married Sandra's mother " ... just to get to Sandy." In fact, truer words may never have been spoken. Dee says her stepfather began sexually molesting and abusing her as early as the age of five when she used to sleep between her parents in bed. Amazingly, she never told her mother (but always suspected that she must have known ... to her dying day, Dee's mother said she had no idea and even insinuated that Sandy may have made the whole thing up.) The truth was, she loved her stepfather and was pleased at how happy he made her mother. She used to say "When WE married daddy ... " something truly ironic in hindsight.

Perhaps just as ironically, there has been speculation for years that the way Bobby Darin finally got Sandra Dee to go out with him while filming in Italy was to first win over Sandy's mother. There has even been some speculation that they were intimate ... something that even Sandra Dee acknowledges COULD be a possibility.

During the courtship process, Bobby began sending Sandy 18 YELLOW ROSES every day. (This would, coincidentally, become the name of one of his biggest hit records in 1963.) Bobby's composition certainly had a country feel to it and it would have felt every bit at home if sung by Marty Robbins or Roy Orbison ... but it was a Top Ten Bobby Darin hit all the way! It followed his #3 Country-Flavored Hit "You're The Reason I'm Living" (certainly a nod to Ray Charles and his country hits like "I Cant' Stop Loving You") up the charts.

Sandra Dee was next scheduled to star in the teen movie "Tammy Tell Me True" when she realized that she was pregnant. In fact, with virtually NO film experience under his belt, Bobby went in to renegotiate Sandy's film contract (and successfully did so, I might add!) The fact that Sandra Dee was also the nation's Number One Box Office Female at the time probably didn't hurt either!!! (Darin just couldn't understand how he could earn $25,000+ per week performing in nightclubs yet Sandy only earned $50,000 a YEAR as a contract player.)

Bobby and Sandra's marriage began to show problems right at the start. Once the honeymoon was over, the honeymoon was over so-to-speak. Bobby immediately went back to work and was soon touring the country again. Sandy still wanted "18 Yellow Roses" to arrive every day. He wanted her at all of his appearances ... not only to cheer him on but also to be able to show her off. He also wanted Sandy to entertain many of the celebrities in the audience who showed up each night to catch his performances. Soon, the animosity began to spill over. Often, backstage right before Bobby was scheduled to go on, Sandra would make a snide comment about his toupee being on crooked ... just enough to alter his focus prior to his big opening number.

Over the years, they would have several periods of separation, but would always seem to get back together again. Their doomed marriage was often the cover story on many of the movie tabloids of the day. Nearly as often, the Darins would file lawsuits against these publications in an effort to maintain some level of privacy in their personal lives.

Bobby needed to command all the attention and needed "down" time after his performances ... he would have his closest friends with him backstage and Sandra was never able to accept this part of their life. SHE wanted to be the center of Bobby's attention and often made comments about his "hanger-on" friends. Once (and only once), Bobby was so upset he slapped Sandra hard and sent her flying across the room, telling her to NEVER insult his friends again. By 1964, Bobby and Sandra had split up so often that, when it came time to send out invitations for one of their big Hollywood parties, several of the invited celebrity guests called first to see whether or not they were actually together that weekend or not!!!

When Sandra started making movies again, Bobby became jealous of her successful movie career ... he wanted to be a big movie star, too, and many feel he only pursued music as the springboard to making movies. After three years of marriage, Sandra was still only 19 years old! When the opportunity came to costar with Warren Beatty in the film "That Funny Feeling", Bobby became jealous and told her that "Once you grow up, you won't need me anymore." (The movie rags at the time were full of stories about the "secret" love affair between Sandra Dee and Warren Beatty. Dee denies that anything ever happened.) Beatty ultimately backed out of the film ... and Sandy recommended to the studio execs that Bobby take over the lead role. Darin was torn between taking a role his wife got for him ... and being the lead actor in a major motion picture. His ego quickly got the better of him and soon he and his wife were costarring together in the film. Sandy had hoped that working together would strengthen their marriage ... instead, shortly thereafter, Bobby announced that he didn't "want to be married anymore," packed his belongings, and left.

In fact, it seemed that every time Sandy was about to start work on another movie, Bobby felt it was time to leave. Whether it was a case of feeling threatened by her movie career ... or jealousy ... no one can say for sure ... but by 1966 it was over for good.

On March 7, 1967, Bobby and Sandra were officially divorced. Bobby's declaration that "I don't want to be married anymore" was the crux of the case ... no further explanation ever came up. Surprisingly, over the next several years, Bobby and Sandy would still be together many times ... Bobby even stayed at the house on several extended occasions, and proclaimed to the press that they were happier now than when they were married. But Sandra Dee was not happy ... the only man she ever loved was gone.

Jump ahead six years and, after being released from yet another hospital stay, Bobby asked Andrea Yaeger, , a woman he had been seeing for some time, to marry him. She reluctantly agreed ... Bobby hadn't been himself a lot of the time lately ... he would concoct ridiculously elaborate scenarios in his head about being betrayed by the people closest to him and had very erratic behavior patterns and anger spells ... in fact, by October, just three and a half months after their wedding, Bobby was already filing divorce papers.

The day after the papers were filed, October 3, 1973, Bobby was admitted back into Cedars of Lebanon for congestive heart failure. This time, his heart would have to be stopped and restarted ... once again, he survived. Bobby was thin and gray ... he was down to about 120 pounds and looked haggard. He could barely speak. He was having massive personality and mood swings and on October 23rd, he went to his lawyer to change his will, leaving his entire estate to his son Dodd. It was worded in such a way that Dodd would only receive the interest and income earned from the estate until he turned 65, not the principal ... he didn't want to just hand it all over on a silver platter ... Bobby wanted Dodd to learn to set his own goals and achieve them. (Years later, Dodd would write "Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives Of Bobby Darin And Sandra Dee", a biography of both his famous parents ... and an excellent read and source of information for this Forgotten Hits special piece on Bobby Darin.) The following day, October 24th, Bobby's divorce was granted.

EPILOG:  In November of 1973, Bobby went to New York to say goodbye to some of his oldest and dearest friends. On December 10th, he was back in the hospital with congestive heart failure again. Bobby knew that this was going to be his final trip. On the 12th, his sister Vee was called and told to get out to Los Angeles right away. (Fittingly, when she came to visit, she brought Bobby coloring books ... a childhood passion from his sickly past.) They spent several days together, talking about all the things they had been through ... yet, even on his deathbed, the identity of Bobby's real father was never revealed.

The 16th was Dodd's birthday. He called to wish his son a happy birthday but could barely speak ... he was nearly delirious, crying on the phone with the realization that he would not see his son again ... he'd never see him grow up ... and that he was going to die. Dodd wrote his father a note ... a goodbye note from a loving son ... that Vee delivered to her brother. Bobby had left a trunk sealed at Sandy's house years before ... with strict instructions that it was not to be opened until after his death. Inside were several precious family mementos ... photos ... papers ... even a lock of Dodd's baby hair ... all the things that really meant something to Bobby during his life.

Two days later, he slipped into a coma. On December 18, 1973, his heart stopped beating. Through electroshock treatment, they were able to revive him, yet he remained in a coma. Bobby had previously refused to allow the doctors to perform a catherization of the heart but now, hovering near death and unconscious, Vee gave her permission for the procedure to be done.

The catherization showed that one of the valves in Bobby's heart was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. It was doubtful that Bobby was strong enough to survive such an operation. It was agreed that if Bobby made it through the night, they would open him up the following day and see what they could do. Bobby did survive the night and exploratory surgery the next morning showed that the left side of his heart was infected. However, too much of his heart had already been cut away during the first operation to allow any more to be done now. Bobby was hooked up to a heart and lung machine while the doctors worked feverishly to remove the infection and replace the malfunctioning valve. Amazingly, Bobby's heart began beating on its own. Shortly after midnight, he regained consciousness for a brief time and became hysterical. His heart stopped again, causing his kidneys to fail and brain damage occur. He was quickly hooked up to a heart massager ... it was the only thing keeping Bobby alive. However, it was decided that Bobby was just too weak to make it ... he was, for all purposes, already dead. Making what she later described as the "hardest and easiest decision of my life," his sister Vee then instructed doctors to pull the plug. Bobby was pronounced dead in the early morning of December 20, 1973.  Bobby's revised will left very explicit instructions that there was to be no viewing and no burial ... per his wishes, his body was left to medical research.

Sandra Dee never remarried and says Bobby Darin is the only man she's ever truly loved.

In 1990, he was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Bobby used to talk of dying on stage ... that this would be his ultimate triumph ... to die before a packed house. His closest friends and relatives never really believed (or wanted to believe) just how sick he really was ... he'd go up on stage and give the performance of a lifetime and then collapse backstage ... and then do it all over again the next night and the night after that. Bobby Darin truly was one-of-a-kind of our generation, bridging the gaps between rock and roll, folk hero and all around entertainer ... and his music will live on forever.