Thursday, June 11, 2026

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

Hi Kent,

In today's blog you mentioned the death of Peabo Bryson.  His #10 hit from 1984 ("If Ever You're In My Arms Again") was a solo song, NOT a duet with Roberta Flack.

Paul

You are correct … my bad.  At least I’m consistent … I got it wrong when I first announced his stroke a week ago, too!  (lol)  Thanks, Paul.  (kk)

From Tom Cuddy …

Little Anthony in Illinois

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZTrpdCAxRW/

Ron, my friend,

I had a wonderful time with the wonderful people in #desplainesillinois - Tons of energy tons of fun and tons of people young and old. It was my first 90 min show in over 7 years. We made it! You guys were right there with me. Thank you to all the staff and new friends I made and you amazing people for rocking along with me, my music and my stories. Till next time. 😎👍👋 

With Love -
Lillie Anthony

We saw Little Anthony a few years ago at Ron’s other venue, The Arcada Theatre, and the guy’s STILL got it.  VERY entertaining show.  I was even lucky enough to get a picture with him at the time.  


And in between, we heard that he stole the show every night during last year’s Happy Together Tour, too!  (kk) 

LOOK FOR ANTOHER NEW RECORD FROM FREDDY CANNON …

“ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE” OUT JUNE 12!

It’s true, you can’t keep an ‘authentic’ rocker down.

After a Top Ten charting record in England (The Heritage Charts) - “Everyone’s Rockin’ Tonight (2006 Boom Boom Mix)” - Freddy Cannon is releasing a new song entitled “All She Wants To Do Is Dance” on June 12.  A companion video will also be included.

When his holiday “Red Coat Santa” single hit the top on the U.K.’s chart last December, Freddy Cannon quickly returned with an early 2026, release entitled “Everybody’s Rockin’ Tonight (2006 Boom Boom Mix)” - which immediately debuted on SiriusXM’s 60s Gold Channel and again went to the Top Ten in the U.K.

Says Cannon: The hardest thing to do is to write a melody. In the past I would write some lyrics and hope I could come up with a melody. But now I write a title, then work on the melody. My style of writing has always been up tempo rock. I feel good writing songs like that … with a lot of energy.”

“When I wrote ‘Red Coat Santa’ I knew right away that would be a great Xmas song. I had the melody right away and the right feel on my guitar. ‘Everybody’s Rockin’’ felt great on the guitar, too.”

“I might be 89, but I’ll keep writing new tunes and working on new ideas … rock ‘n roll music is in me.”

One notable fan of Cannon's was the late Box Tops and Big Star singer Alex Chilton, who reportedly had a portrait of Cannon hanging on the wall of his home in New Orleans and once offered the following comment about Cannon to a friend: "Freddy Cannon’s shows always worked, because he moved through life with ease."

Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones were long-time fans of Cannon's rhythm and backbeat. In particular, Jagger reportedly instructed drummer Charlie Watts to play the drums on the Rolling Stones' hit "Brown Sugar" in the style of "Tallahassee Lassie." The band even recorded a previously unreleased cover of the song, which was included on the deluxe re-master of their 1978 classic album Some Girls.

It’s been said of Cannon: "Freddy Cannon was a true believer, a rocker to the bone. Freddy Cannon made rock & roll records; great noisy rock & roll records, and all of them were infused with a gigantic drum beat that was an automatic invitation to shake it on down anyplace there was a spot to dance."

Cannon, who holds the record for the most-ever appearances (110) on Dick Clark’s immortal American Bandstand, rocks out in his patented style, certainly recalling “Tallahassee Lassie," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" and "Palisades Park” – which Steve Van Zandt credits as one of his life-changing records.

Freddy, a fan of horror movies, wrote and sang the theme titled “The Svengoolie Stomp” for the ME-TV Saturday night host Svengoolie.

dis

I’ve got a picture of US, too!!! (lol)


So great to hear that Freddy’s is still out there rockin’!  (kk)

At age 96, Clint Eastwood has officially announced his retirement.

Anybody out there doubt that he's had an INCREDIBLE career???

Well, do ya punk?!?!? 

‘Nuff said.  (kk)

kk …

"YO CUZZ" -- DION & BRUCIE -- I LIKE "YO FRANKIE" BETTER

What's New Dion???

Currently Working On The "DION DOCUMENTARY."

Latest Album = "BLUES WITH MY FRIENDS."

Currently Doing Shows, Playing Guitar & Telling Stories.

Cousin Brucie Asked Dion About The Broadway Show "THE WANDERER."

Dion Said He’s Looking For Broadway Theatre.

He Described The Show As “Young Soprano's, With Great Music & Rocky Ending.”

Dion Said He Was Inspired By Hank Williams (Country) & Jimmy Reed (Blues).

During Covid, When The Country Was Locked Down, Dion Said He Wrote 40 Of The Best Songs He Ever Wrote.

Cousin Brucie Said Every Few Years Dion Re-Invents Himself. Dion Called It Maturing.

FB

And then ...

WILD WAYNE's 50th ANNIVERSARY FLASHBACK INTERVIEW --

This Week It’s  Brenda Lee.

She's The Only Female Member Of Both The Country & Rockabilly Halls Of Fame.

During a Five Decade Career, She's Had 45 Top 10 Hits & Sold 100 Million Records.

Her Record Company Was Against Her Idea To Record "I'M SORRY."

They Didn't Think It Was Believable For A 14 Year Old To Sing These Lyrics.

They Finally Gave In ... But -- They Promoted The Flip Side.

Record Company Is Wrong Again.

"ALL YOU GOT TO DO" Becomes A #4 Hit & "I'M SORRY" A #1 Hit.

Brenda Told This Story ...

She Was Going To Appear At The Olympia Theatre In France.

They Heard Her Recordings But Never Saw Her Picture.

They Asked For Her Picture To Be Used Promoting Her Appearance.

She Sent Pictures.

They Complained. We Want Pictures The Way You Look Now -- Not When You Were A Teenager.

FB

Best Classic Bands is reporting on the “Songs That Shaped Us” concerts, celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

“The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music at New Jersey’s Monmouth University kicked off a two-night concert event Thursday night (June 4th, 2026), celebrating America’s 250th birthday. ‘Music America: The Songs that Shaped Us’ featured performances by Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples, Kenny Chesney, Dion, Darlene Love, Sheryl Crow, and others. A second show took place on June 5th, 2026, also at the OceanFirst Bank Center on the Monmouth campus, just prior to the grand opening of the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music on June 7th. The original April 14th announcement called the shows “a major contribution to the national commemoration of America’s semi-quincentennial and the cornerstone of the Springsteen Center’s grand opening celebrations.”

More here:  https://bestclassicbands.com/bruce-springsteen-jon-bon-jovi-lead-music-america-concerts-celebrating-nations-250th-birthday-4-14-26/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2026-06-07&utm_campaign=Music+Stars+Celebrate+America+at+2nd+of+Two+Shows

Noise 11 remembers the first post-break-up Beatles compilation album, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music,” now celebrating its 50th anniversary.  (“Love Songs” would soon follow to cover some of the very best Beatles ballads.)

Both compilations are now since long out of print – but it was fun to hear theses songs in these different compilations as a nice overview of their career output.

https://www.noise11.com/news/beatles-rock-and-roll-music-50th-anniversary-1976-20260607

The titles make for a GREAT Beatles “Mix Tape” of both original and cover tunes. (In fact, when released as a single, “Got To Get You Into My Life” topped the charts here in Chicago and peaked at #3 on the national charts thanks to its showing in Cash Box.  It peaked at #7 in Billboard.)

Track Listing
Side one
“Twist and Shout”
“I Saw Her Standing There”
“You Can’t Do That”
“I Wanna Be Your Man”
“I Call Your Name”
“Boys”
“Long Tall Sally”

Side two
“Rock and Roll Music”
“Slow Down”
“Kansas City” / “Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey” (medley)
“Money (That’s What I Want)”
“Bad Boy”
“Matchbox”
“Roll Over Beethoven”

Side three
“Dizzy Miss Lizzy”
“Any Time at All”
“Drive My Car”
“Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby”
“The Night Before”
“I’m Down”
“Revolution”

Side four
“Back in the U.S.S.R.”
“Helter Skelter”
“Taxman”
“Got to Get You into My Life”
“Hey Bulldog”
“Birthday”
“Get Back” (album version)

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

June 10th, 1966

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

6/10/66 – Janis Joplin debuts in concert with Big Brother and the Holding Company at The Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco

Also on 6/10, The Mamas and the Papas are awarded a gold record for their #1 Single “Monday Monday.”

 

 

SHORT-CHANGED:

Kent, 

In today's FH you and CB were discussing and mentioning a few songs (records) whose length was under two minutes. I couldn't help but think of three offhand.

Duane Eddy's SOME KINDA EARTHQUAKE from 1959 at 1:17

Beach Boys' TEN LITTLE INDIANS from 1963 at 1:29

Womenfolk's LITTLE BOXES from 1964 at 1:04

Now these of course weren't top 40 material of any kind but records nevertheless, that made our local survey.

Larry Neal

If I’m not mistaken, the shortest song in history to make it all the way to #1 was “Stay” by Maurice Wiliams and the Zodiacs.  Herman’s Hermits, Elvis Presley, The Box Tops and David Rose all made it to the top in under two minutes with “I’m Henry The VIII, I Am,” “Teddy Bear,” “The Letter” and “The Stripper” respectively.

Back in the day, a single had to come in at around two and a half minutes to get played on the radio.  That all went out the window by the late ‘60’s when “MacArthur Park” by Richard Harris and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles proved that a seven minute record could ALSO be a major Top 40 Hit.

Of course, one of MY favorite short song is simply called “The Shortest Song In The World!”  (kk)

FIRST 45's: 

My tastes in music were becoming defined.  I wanted a record-player and records, so, one Saturday in July, 1953, I took my stamp collection that Gran had helped me assemble to a shop in West Norwood and sold it for £3 10s. It was worth far more,  but I badly needed the money.  I went straight to a record shop in Anerley where I bought an old secondhand wind-up record player and a box of needles for £2 10s, and my first two precious records:  Les Paul and Mary Ford's "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise," which was not new but featured Les Paul's marvellous, revolutionary multi-tracked guitar playing; and Frankie Laine's punch ballad "I Believe," which went to Number One in America and Britain.

Bill Wyman

Everybody remembers their first ...

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