We received SO many comments these past few days that we are going to have to split today's segment into two separate postings.
This morning's post will focus primarily on The Guess Who, who have just announced the US dates for their upcoming tour ...
And then this evening we'll take a deeper look at the new Paul McCartney documentary "Man On The Run."
(Look for our THURSDAY EVENING POST after 6 pm Central Time this evening.)
Sprinkled between them both will be other comments that we have received over the course of the past few days ...
So LOTS of goodies to enjoy today in Forgotten Hits!!!
(Tell a friend ... and we'll see you back here this evening!)
The Guess Who have just announced their US Tour Dates for this summer …
So we wanted to quickly share these with our readers. (Tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow, Friday, March 6th … but there were two days of early presale tickets for specific groups … so odds are these are going to go REALLY fast!!!)
Here in Chicago, they’ll be at The Huntington Bank Pavillion at Northerly Island on June 30th … and it looks like Don Felder will be their opening act on the US tour.
These are the dates announced so far …
June 25th – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater
June 27th – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
June 28th – Cuyahoga, OH – Blossom Music Center
June 30th – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island ... WE GOT 'EM!!!
July 1st – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
July 3rd – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
July 5th – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
July 7th – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
July 8th – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
July 10th – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
July 11th – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
July 14th – Saratoga Springs, NY – Albany Med Health System at SPAC
July 16th – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
July 17th – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
July 19th – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest
August 6th – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at
Chastain Park
August 8th – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
August 9th – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
August 12th – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
August 14th – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center
August 15th – Las Vegas, NV – Fontainebleau Las Vegas
August 17th – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
August 19th – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
August 22nd – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
And then it’s back to Canada to close out the tour …
August 23rd – Vancouver, BC – The Pacific National Exhibition
Remember ... tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow, March 6th at noon. (kk)
Brad Joblin, who sent us that great video of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings performing "Undun" as the reunited Guess Who aboard The Rock Legends Cruise sent us a couple more clips from the cruise … one by The Guess Who and one featuring Art Garfunkel, who was also one of the performers. (By the way, Brad’s first Guess Who video ended up in “Rolling Stone!” … so congratulations, Brad!!!)
NOTE: One of his clips ... a 10+ minute live version of "American Woman," was too long to post here and has been taken down from YouTube ... but we're hoping it will return shortly. (kk)
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And here's a look at Art Garfunkel ...
Meanwhile, another FH Reader, Rich Turner, was ALSO aboard this cruise … and sent in this review (as well as a ton of pictures, some of which are displayed below.)
Rich has done numerous reviews for Forgotten Hits in the past … but looking at this incredible line-up of artists that took part in this thing, I’d have to call this is a major musical event!!! (kk)
Tell us about it Rich …
Kent,
After seeing the video you posted the other day of The Guess Who singing "Undun" on the Rock Legends Cruise XIII, I figured I would throw in my two cents worth about the show and the cruise. My girlfriend Alice and I sailed (or should I say were blown around the Caribbean Sea) for four days on the Liberty Of The Seas along with over 5,000 other fans and twenty classic rock groups from February 23rd to February 27th.
Yes, it was quite windy the first three days … in fact, so windy the boat could not dock at the Grand Turks for our one and only stop. But as far as me and most other passengers were concerned, it did not matter. We were all there for the music! And what a great feast of music it was, headlined by the reunion of Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings in The Guess Who!
In just one day this is who I saw and listened to: John Oates (without Mr. Hall) at 10 AM, the Atlanta Rhythm Section at 12:30, The Outlaws (incredible Southern Rock) at 2:30, The Gene Simmons Band (the Kiss man himself) at 5:00, The Guess Who at 7:30, and finally Blue Oyster Cult at 10:30. Oh and between The Outlaws and Mr. Simmons we were in a photo op with Uriah Heep.
Every day was similar to this. You barely found enough time to eat! Other bands on the cruise were The Kevin Cronin Band (doing your favorite REO songs and more), Jefferson Starship (playing songs from all three formations of the legendary band, The Airplane, The Starship and Jefferson Starship), the aforementioned Uriah Heep, Art Garfunkel (his voice still sounding strong although his body is not), Soul Asylum (playing more recent songs from the '90s and '00s), and finally, Rick Springfield. (He probably had the biggest and most enthusiastic audience for whatever reason.) There were also eight lesser-known bands which all provided excellent performances. Or so I am told, I did not have the time to see everybody.
But anyway, on to The Guess Who.
They played twice on the pool deck, Tuesday and Thursday night. Both shows used the same setlist which was incredible! The show in the video you posted was from Tuesday when it was quite windy. The band carried on like the troopers they are! Put it this way; on the Tuesday show Gene Simmons followed them and he bailed after three songs complaining that he couldn't play in those windy conditions. I think he was afraid his hair (wig) was gonna blow off LOL!
I managed to snag a spot in the front row right in front of Burton's piano (it was literally 10 feet in front of me!) You talk about a prime spot for a concert, it was incredible!!! In the picture I sent in, I am in the purple shirt with the Beatles cap. When we met the band the next day for a photo with them, I was wearing a different Beatles shirt and hat while Burt had on "A Hard Day’s Night" shirt. He looked at me and said, "Great minds think alike."
The band opened with two deep cuts off the “American Woman” album, "969 (The Oldest Man) and "Proper Stranger." Then Burton thanked the crowd for coming and said "Don't worry, the songs you know and love from the radio are coming" … and they did. "Hand Me Down World," "These Eyes" and "Albert Flasher" were next, followed by some BTO action with "Let It Ride."
The hits kept on coming along with a couple more deep cuts and a couple more BTO songs. 19 songs in all for an hour and 45 minutes. Let me say a thing about Mr. Cumming's voice ... to me he sounded just as good as he was back in the day. Randy's guitar playing was excellent and the rest of the band were in fine form. I saw Burton Cummings’ solo show around a year ago back where I live in Clearwater, FL (I sent in a review to the blog which you published.) And I was so impressed that I just had to go on this cruise to see him play with Randy. WHAT A GREAT SHOW … or should I say WHAT TWO GREAT SHOWS since I saw them both times on the cruise! Tuesday's with the wind and Thursdays without as much wind.
They did announce that after the Canadian tour is over they will begin an American tour thus summer. YOU CANNOT MISS THIS SHOW if it comes to your area!
If you have never taken one of these Rock And Roll Cruises, you need to put it on your calendar. I have now been on four and each one has been outstanding … and I do not consider myself a big cruise person per say. I will say this … they are a little pricey (more than a regular cruise) but as far as I am concerned you more than get your money's worth. Have you seen how much concerts cost nowadays??? Non-stop rock and roll from morning to late at night!
While I am here, I need to put in a plug for Mr. Charles Rosenay. Among many other things he promotes, once a year in August he provides what is known as a "Magical History Tour" where he takes a tour group of around 30 people to London and Liverpool and conducts just an outstanding tour of every Beatle spot you can imagine in both cities. We took the tour last August and had just the time of our lives. He does this tour during the once a year Beatles convention in Liverpool called "International Beatleweek." We actually stayed at the hotel the convention was at. If at all interested, go to LiverpoolTours.com for more info. When you are standing in John Lennon's actual bedroom that he grew up in at his Aunt Mimi's house, or you are seeing a concert in the cellar at The Cavern Club, or you are visiting Strawberry Fields, or you are walking across Abbey Road, or you are standing in front of Paul McCartney's house in London (which he still owns), or when you are standing in front of George Harrison's house in Henley (which Olivia still owns), and many, many other Beatle spots, you know you are having a great time!!!!! Some people on the tour go back every year (now that's a Beatles fanatic.)
Here’s the Guess Who’s Set list:
969 (The Oldest Man)
Proper Stranger
Hand Me Down World
These Eyes
Albert Flasher
Let It Ride (BTO song)
Clap For The Wolfman
Laughing (possibly my favorite song)
Guns Guns Guns
Undun
Star Baby (another favorite)
You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (BTO)
My Own Way To Rock (Burton solo)
A Wednesday In Your Garden
American Woman
No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature
No Time
Share The Land
Takin' Care Of Business (BTO)
Rich Turner
Largo, Florida
(that's Rich, right up front and center)
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We're still feeling the pain over the loss of the great Neil Sedaka.
Here’s are the links to Billboard’s “Forever Number One” tributes to Neil ...
“Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” topped The Hot 100 in 1962 …
They then saluted Neil’s next #1 Hit, “Laughter In The Rain” (which came twelve years later!), in the following day’s post ...
Next up … “Bad Blood,” #1 for three weeks in 1975 ...
https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/neil-sedaka-bad-blood-forever-number-one-1236191502/
Billboard is also reporting that Neil Sedaka streams are up 700% since his death. Much like The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it seems FAR too many fans wait until it's too late to truly show their appreciation for many of these artists ... and that's a shame. Sedaka should have been recognized for his work ages ago. (kk)
And here’s an interesting tid-bit … especially with this year’s Academy Awards coming up right around the corner …
Billboard is also reporting that in 1985 EVERY song nominated in “The Best Original Song In A Motion Picture” category reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart … and that this is the ONLY time in history that this has happened. (1985 must have been a pretty good year for music!)
You decide …
The nominated tunes included “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” by Deniece Williams (also from the film “Footloose”), “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins (my favorite in this batch), “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr. and “I Just Called To Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder, which is the tune that won the Oscar in this category that year.
In what proved to be a good year for movie themes, Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry” (both from the film “Purple Rain”) ALSO hit #1 that year … but did not receive Oscar nominations. (kk)
Read more here …
Kent,
In addition to the passing of Neil Sedaka, Travis Wammack passed away a few days ago as well. In 1964 his recording of SCRATCHY on Ara Records was a Top 20 hit here in the OKC area.
It was good hearing Chevrolet bringing back their old commercial. What they should have done, if they were able to, was insert Dinah Shore's voice in it. That's the one I'm familiar with.
Finally, it was mentioned Carole King's 1959 answer to Neil Sedaka's "OH CAROL” (the answer song being "OH NEIL") was voted as the worst record of the year in 1959 on WKY radio here in OKC. The label was Alpine Records I believe.
Larry
Wammack’s hit “Scratch” only peaked at #80 in Billboard. (It did a little better in Cash Box, where it climbed as high as #69.) It got as high as #12 here in Chicago.
“Oh Neil” never made any of the national charts. While it’s not perhaps Carole King’s finest work, I thought it was pretty clever for its time. And yes, it was released on Alpine Records … it was Carole’s debut single as an artist. (kk)
From Timmy …
John Hammond, the blues singer and guitarist also known as John P. Hammond and John Hammond Jr., died yesterday, February 28th, 2026. His passing was confirmed by musician Paul James, a collaborator and close friend of Hammond’s, who posted on Facebook that he received news of Hammond’s death from the latter’s wife Marla. The cause and place of his death have not yet been revealed. Hammond was 83.
The son of the famed Columbia Records producer and talent scout also named John, the younger Hammond took to the guitar in high school and began performing traditional-style acoustic blues. He turned professional after dropping out of Antioch College in Ohio and signed with Vanguard Records in 1963; his debut album consisted largely of interpretations of material written by such blues artists as Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Robert Johnson, as well as Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene.” During his lengthy career, Hammond, who also played harmonica, released more than 30 albums, most remaining true to his favored blues styles.
Born in New York City on November 13th, 1942, John Paul Hammond was the son of Jemison McBride and John Henry Hammond Jr. The latter — with whom the younger John did not live and saw infrequently after his parents divorced — is credited with discovering and promoting an astounding array of artists including Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
His 1965 album So Many Roads featured accompaniment by guitarist Mike Bloomfield as well as three members of Ronnie Hawkins’ group who would soon emerge as members of The Band: Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson and Levon Helm. During this period, Hammond also befriended and sometimes recorded with musicians such as Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix (who briefly played in Hammond’s band before he became famous) and Eric Clapton. In 1973, Hammond recorded the album Triumvirate along with Bloomfield and Dr. John.
Hammond won a Grammy in 1985 for his performance on the compilation album Blues Explosion and received several other nominations during his career. He has also won eight Blues Music Awards and received an additional 10 nominations.
--Jeff Tamarkin
From Jim Roup ...
Remembering blues singer / guitarist John Hammond, Jr.
His father John signed Benny Goodman, "Big" Joe Turner, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and many others to Columbia Records. Seen here at The Apollo Hammersmith Theater in London. He played many concerts and clubs and made 30 records.
Jim
REMINDER: Week One of Rewound Radio’s brand new salute to WCFL kicks off this weekend, running Saturday (March 7th) from Noon – 3 pm (Eastern) / 11 am – 2 pm (Central) in their usual DJ Of The Week timeslot. (Part Two runs NEXT Sunday, March 14th, one day shy of the of the 50th anniversary of the day WCFL switched over to a Beautiful Music format back in 1976.
Week One features the early personalities who called ‘The Voice of Labor’ their home. We’ll hear shows from 1966 to 1972, featuring the talents of Barney Pip, Jim Stagg, ‘King B’ Ron Britain, Joel Sebastian, Bob Dearborn and, of course, ‘The Wild I-tralion’ himself, Dick Biondi. We’ll also take a brief look at the genius of Dick Orkin, who created Chickenman for WCFL and watched it become so popular that eventually was syndicated throughout the U.S., and in a number of countries abroad.
Join in on the fun at RewoundRadio.com, this Saturday, March 7th from Noon – 3 pm (Eastern) / 11 am – 2 pm (Central) as they pay tribute to ‘Big Ten WCFL’ or, as it later became known as, ‘Super CFL.’
Here’s how you can listen.
1. Go to www.rewoundradio.com and click on the Cell Phone Icon
2. Go to I-Heart Radio and search ‘Rewound Radio’
3. Go to Tune-In and search ‘Rewound Radio’
4. Ask your Alexa device to play ‘Rewound Radio’
VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Ted Gorden Smucker, Executive Producer, and Bill Shannon, Technical Producer, for putting together this very special tribute to Super ‘CFL! (kk)
This just in from Ted Gorden Smucker and Bob Dearborn ...
WCFL Remembered, 50 Years Later
Ever since we announced that we are saluting the Rock & Roll legend of WCFL this month, we have heard from countless friends who are very excited to catch this two-part special. WCFL served up hit music to the Chicagoland area beginning in 1965. However, all good things must come to an end, and indeed it did. It was nearly fifty years ago on March 15, 1976, when the last day of Top 40 music aired on this iconic station, as it virtually dissolved and vanished into thin air. Because of the success of WLS and other metro FM stations, The Chicago Federation of Labor decided to drastically change the format of AM1000 to strings and things, also known at the time as ‘Beautiful Music’. Their target audience was basically anything other than those who had been listening over the last decade. This has gone down as one of the biggest gaffs in AM radio history, losing virtually 100% of their audience. While attempts were made into making inroads in other formats, including Talk, Adult Contemporary and Christian music, the station never fully recovered from that devastating 180 degree knee-jerk overreaction.
I was interested in what some of the people who worked at the station at the time felt like when it was all going on. Here is a comment from Bob Dearborn about the last day of rock on WCFL:
I remember that day very well.
My ‘CFL air shift was, as it had been for several years, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We knew this day was coming and we all held our emotions in check, trying to be professional right to the end. But my stoicism was derailed over the Noon hour when Kathy Keifer of Channel 2 News came over to do an on-camera interview with me in the studio for a piece about our format change they had planned for the 6 o’clock news. Having to reminisce about the station and this “end of an era” forced the issue to the surface and emotionally I was a little shaky for the rest of that show.
All the air talent had been given strict instructions about how to conduct our final on-air appearance: we were NOT to say goodbye to our listeners. Of course, Larry handled this in his own unique way, but the rest of us did what we were told. What I tried to do was say goodbye without saying those exact words. I used the title and lyrics of my final WCFL song to express what was in my heart – about the listeners, about Chicago, about my six years at that legendary radio station: “You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.” - Bob Dearborn
WCFL’s rock era was brief but brilliant — a ten‑year burst of energy that reshaped Chicago radio. The station embodied the spirit of rock and roll: rebellious, innovative, and full of life. Its rivalry with WLS remains one of the great stories in American broadcasting. Our Technical Producer Bill Shannon and I invite you to join us for our salute to one of the best known Top 40 Radio Stations of its time. WCFL Radio, featured on the Rewound Radio DJ Hall of Fame, Saturday, March 7th and 14th from 12 noon - 3 pm Eastern / 11 am - 2 pm Central on rewoundradio.com. You may also search Rewound Radio on I-Heart Radio or TuneIn Radio, and on your Alexa device.
Ted Gorden Smucker, Executive Producer
Be sure to check back tonight after 6 pm Central Time for the rest of today's post!!! (kk)
