MAY THE 4th
BE WITH YOU!
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
5/4/66 - Willie Mays hits his 512th home run, breaking Mel Ott's 511 National League record (Now you know why The Giants signed the Say-Hey Kid to a record-breaking contract earlier this year!)
The home run happens at home at Candlestick Park against The Los Angeles Dodgers, off pitcher Claude Osteen.
>>>Be on the lookout for the Chuck Buell Forgotten Hits take-over, coming to you over the course of the next two days! (kk)
I need to be ready! How should I dress? Formal wear? Full armor?
Shelley
And, speaking of Chuck Buell …
Chuck,
I just watched your interview with Jim Hampton and all sorts of memories came flooding back of my time in Top 40 and free form college radio ... and you were my original inspiration.
Like you, listening to your parents radio through the wall of your bedroom, I spent most nights as a kid with my transistor radio looking for interesting, distant radio stations. The usuals of course, KOMA and KAAY, but I'd get excited when WDGY in Minneapolis would come in. I loved you on KIMM, and I remember you and your parents’ house was only a few blocks away from ours on Quincy Street in Rapid City.
Gene Taylor sold my Dad, owners of Seeley's Clothing for Men, the last hour of the top 40 countdown on Saturday mornings where I got to play the top 10 and talk about new items in our young men's department when I was 15 and worked in the store. Gene later offered me a job as Sunday morning sign on to noon in 1966, then Saturday and Sunday afternoons during my junior and senior years of high school -- 1967-69. I worked full time at KIMM during the summer in college and was station manager at my college radio station at Grinnell College all four years I was there (KDIC -- "the little radio station that put the Dick in K").
My love of radio never developed into a career like it did for you, but the great memories are still there. I wanted to reach out and thank you for inspiring that time of my life.
John Seeley
Boxborough, MA
Kent,
Just a short word if I may about CB's TEACH ME TIGER. I am not sure but I believe that song was written by her brother, Nino Temple. If memory serves me correctly (and I would have to check the weekly radio survey to be sure), that record was played very, very briefly here in OKC. It was on the Imperial record label. Of course, I didn't know who April Stevens was or even who Nino Tempo was at the time … and would not know until 1963 when DEEP PURPLE came around.
Larry
“Teach Me Tiger” was indeed written by April’s brother Nino Tempo. Perhaps due to limited airplay (or just because it simply wasn’t a very good record) it only went to #86 in Billboard during its three week run in December of 1959. The duo would bounce back much stronger a few years later when “Deep Purple” went all the way to #1. (kk)
Tom Cuddy sent us this other great interview with Randy Bachman about the return of The Guess Who, featuring Randy and Burton Cummings … coming soon to a concert hall near you!
https://www.goldminemag.com/interviews/randy-bachman-of-the-guess-who-we-shut-down-the-clones/
>>>In the new “Michael” biopic, brother Randy is ALSO missing from the Jackson Family lineup. (kk)
This might be the reason that Randy isn’t mentioned …
Randy took Jermaine’s spot in The Jackson Five when Jermaine left the band to stick with Motown, having married Berry Gordy’s daughter. At this point, the group changed their name to The Jacksons and departed for Epic Records.
Randy’s long-time girlfriend, Alejandra Loaiza, bore two of his children before she left him for his brother Jermaine. Jermaine and Alejandra married in 1995 and and also had two children, making all four of these kids both cousins AND step-siblings! (Damn! This story would make a good movie all by itself!!! Lol – kk) They divorced in 2004.
One of those children that came out of the Jermaine / Alejandra marriage was Jaafar Jackson, who portrays Michael in the film, of which Jermaine is an executive producer. So it’s likely that leaving Randy out of the story made the most sense in the way of telling a less complicated story.
Mrs. K
Meanwhile, check out this Billboard headline, defining the first week of streaming of Michael Jackson’s music after the debut of the film …
Michael Jackson Headed for His Biggest Streaming Week Ever After ‘Michael’ Ignites Box Office
According to Trevor Anderson in Billboard: “Michael isn’t just blowing up box-office records, it’s also igniting an explosion in Michael Jackson’s streams that is well on pace to give the King of Pop his biggest streaming week ever.”
According to Luminate, “Jackson’s solo song catalog pulled 47.9 million official on-demand streams in the United States in the film’s opening weekend (Friday, April 24 – Sunday, April 26) a 116% surge compared with the previous Friday – Sunday period (April 17 - 19).
“In addition to his solo material, streams for both The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons material also swell by huge percentages. Preliminary reports have The Jackson 5’s catalog at 3.4 million streams from April 24 - 26, up 89% from the corresponding days in the prior week. The Jacksons, the family’s second group after they parted ways with Motown, has registered 1.8 million streams in the three-day period, a 104% rally from the previous period.
Based on those three days of activity, the first post-Michael week is well positioned to give Jackson his biggest U.S. streaming week ever, in terms of official on-demand streams for his solo work.”
Michael’s catalog was already on the rise in the world of streaming, just based on anticipation for the new film’s arrival. In the last two weeks, Jackson’s catalog set new personal bests in streaming with 50.6 million clicks in the April 10 - 16 period and 55.3 million April 17 - 23. Jackson’s personal best BEFORE the release of this motion picture was the streaming week of October 31 - November 6, 2025 (54.4 million streams) due to the annual “Thriller” resurgence that happens every year around Halloween.
“Billie Jean” is typically Jackson’s most-streamed song each week – this past week it again led the pack, with 4 million U.S. official on-demand streams. “Beat It” was in second place, at 2.9 million plays. “Rock With You” (2.4 million) came in third and “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough (2.3 million) filled the #4 postion … while “Smooth Criminal” (1.9 milllion) rounded out the top five. (As far as Jackson 5 and Jacksons songs go, “I Want You Back” was the week’s strongest performer (994,000 clicks) while “Blame It on the Boogie” ranked next, registering 559,000 plays.
Remembering Dave Mason ...
Only you know and I know how we will miss him and his music.
Clark Besch
And Timmy let us know that country singer/songwriter David Allan Coe has also passed away. (April 29th) He was 86.
Coe was one of country’s original “outlaws,” having spent time in reform schools and later penitentiaries since the age of nine. His best known song as a recording artist is probably “You Never Even Call Me By My Name,” written by Chicagoans Steve Goodman (and an uncredited John Prine), who claimed he had written “perfect country and western song.” Coe corrected him and said that it couldn’t be the perfect country song because he hadn’t mentioned anything in it about prison, trains, trucks, mama, and getting drunk ... so Goodman added a new, final verse.
In 1983, he released another country classic called ”The Ride,” a strange tale about a hitchhiker meeting the ghost of Hank Williams. He also wrote the Johnny Paycheck’s #1 Country Classic Hit “Take This Job And Shove It” as well as Tanya Tucker’s #1 Country Hit “Would You Lay With Me (In A Field of Stone).” (kk)
David Allan Coe was the first person I interviewed when I began to write for Easyriders magazine in the '90s ... an amazing character!!! LOVED his music, attitude and the wild persona!!!!
Bill Hayes
Much has been made about Coe’s “embellished” life … former producer Shelby Singleton, who discovered Daivd, told “Rolling Stone” Magazine that “Ninety percent of what he tells you is probably bullshit. We thought it was a gimmick and we promoted it in that manner.” But he certainly DID portray an image and “wild persona” as you say! (kk)
The Beach Boys (featuring Mike Love as the only original member … which technically he’s been for quite a while now … although he at least had long-time member Bruce Johnston with him before) will kick off their summer tour on May 8th in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Johnston, who announced his retirement several weeks ago, says he will make “special guest appearances” along the way, most notably at the Hollywood Bowl shows, where The Beach Boys are playing three shows around the 4th of July holiday.
Their complete tour schedule is below:
5/ 8 – Myrtle Beach, SC Marriott Grand Dunes Resort
5/29 – Atlantic City, NJ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena
5/30 – New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre New Jersey
5/31 – Medford, MA Chevalier Theatre
6/ 3 – Hampton, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
6/ 5 – Quakertown, PA The Sounds of Summer Concert Series
6/ 6 – Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion
6/ 7 – Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
6/11 – Coca-Cola Arena Dubai, United Arab Emirates
6/14 – London, UK Live at Chelsea
6/16 – Edinburgh, UK Edinburgh Playhouse
6/17 – Halifax, UK The Piece Hall
6/18 – Southampton, UK Southampton Summer Sessions
6/19 – Wolverhampton, UK Civic Hall
6/21 – Belfast, UK CHSQ
6/26 – Tulare, CA Adventist Health Amphitheater
6/27 – San Diego, CA The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
6/28 – Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort Casino
7/ 1 – Pleasanton, CA Alameda County Fair
7/2 - 4 – Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
7/10 – St. Paul, MN Harriet Island Regional Park
7/11 – Thackerville, OK WinStar World Casino
7/17 – Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
7/18 – Valdosta, GA Wild Adventures Theme Park’s All-Star Concert Series
7/25 – Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
7/30-31 – Niagara Falls, ON OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
8/ 1 – Schenectady, NY M&T Bank Event Center
8/ 6 – Grand Rapids, MI Frederik Meijer Gardens
8/ 8 – Bristol, VA Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
8/ 9 – Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
8/13 – Bloomington, IL Grossinger Motors Arena
8/14 – Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park
8/15 – Rochester Hills, MI Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
8/16 – West Allis, WI Wisconsin State Fair
8/19 – Waupaca, WI Indian Crossing Casino
8/26 – Pocatello, ID Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre
8/27 – Nampa, ID Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
8/28 – Lewiston, ID Clearwater River Casino Event Center
8/30 – Redmond, WA Marymoor Park
BTW, the summer issue of Endless Summer Quarterly pays tribute to the amazing career of Bruce Johnston, both inside and outside The Beach Boys. (kk)
kk …
Have You Heard This Gene Pitney Tour Story?
Gene Pitney Was On One Of Those Dick Clark Tours.
Brian Hyland Was His Room Mate.
A Local Radio Station Ran “A Dinner With Gene Pitney” Contest.
The Contest Winner Called Their Room
She Wanted To Know If Gene Liked To Play On The Swings?
Brian Couldn't Stop Laughing.
FB
Hmmm … sounds like she may have been a little itsy bitsy teenie weenie herself!!! (kk)
Paul McCartney will make an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” May 16th to promote his new album “Dungeon Road.” The program will be hosted by Will Ferrell. (kk)
Barry Manilow has had to cancel his Las Vegas appearances again.
In a note to his fans, Manilow wrote:
“I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I’m making great progress and look great! All the training and exercising I’ve put in is paying off. He did say, however, that I’m not quite ready for Vegas. That means I won’t be able to return for our May shows at [Las Vegas’ Westgate].”
Barry, you may recall, had a cancerous spot removed from his lung back in December and has since announced that he is now cancer free. With a brand new album coming out, Manilow was anxious to get back out in front of an audience again ... and although he appears to be recovering nicely, his doctor says he's just not ready for the strain of a Las Vegas residency just yet.
It sounds like he will fulfill his appearances in the UK in June ... and is now hoping to reschedule his appearances in Vegas for July. More details to come as we get them. (kk)
What is the deal with all the incestuous relationships within The Brady Bunch family?!?!
Real life Greg had a crush on Mom … but in the movie, he was also involved with his sister Marcia, Marcia, Marcia … and now we get the big reveal that Peter and Jan were dating in real life?!?! We already know Dad had no real interest in Mom … he was probably crushing on Greg the whole time! And I don’t even want to THINK about what Alice was doing there in the kitchen all by herself late at night with all those appliances!!!
I swear, it’s stuff like this that has put us in the predicament we’re in today trying to define ourselves! (kk)
Buell's Baseball Draft Invitation …
I'm putting together a Central Division Forgotten Hits Baseball Team for this Summer.
All Forgotten Hitters are invited to join BUT they must play up to the calibre of those I've already drafted!
(Unless they just want to be our Equipment Manager.)
CB (which stands for "Coordinating Baseball-Boy!")
Kent,
In recognition of Bobby Vee's birthday (April 30), it occurs to me you might like to post this excerpt from a 1963 air check of KOMA, where Vee was a guest on the evening show. He was quite young at the time and sat in with the DJ doing more than just an interview. I've had this air check for years, never posted it, so it's never gone viral.
This was recorded in July, 1963, from a distance, receiving the signal in Casper, Wyoming, where I was working at KATI 1400 at the time. Its quality is a bit uneven, due to the tape quality and the long-distance signal. Besides Vee's appearance, this air check is notable for a few other things:
1. It's when KOMA was automated. Todd Storz, the pioneer Top 40 programmer, was into gadgetry and actually tried automation where cues for the next element were triggered by an electric eye that shone through a portion of the recording tape where the oxide was scraped away. I actually found some of this old gear in the dusty basement of KOMA when I worked there in 1969.
2. The automation relied on lots of jingles, including a set of jingles that re-cued every minute, ready to give the correct time. It was all quite clunky, and the automation idea was discarded shortly after Todd died in 1964.
3. The DJ is Chuck Dann (real name Charlie Hanks), who came over from KIXZ Amarillo, and later landed at WIBC Indianapolis as Chuck Riley. He became a well-known voiceover artist after that.
Lots of energy, jingles, and per-inquiry spots plus traveling bands spots. Hope Top 40 historians enjoy this slice of time from back in the day.
Carl Mann
Cedar Rapids, IA
PS - Volume four of my Stations and Surveys books, this one 1970-1975, should be out in early June. Will give you a sneak peek very soon.
Happy to let folks know, Carl. This vintage aircheck is really too large to post here (about 26 minutes) and it definitely is of varying quality throughout … so be forewarned ahead of time.
However, if any of our readers are interested in receiving a copy, I will be happy to forward it along to you. Thanks, Carl! (kk)
And finally, why not finish up with a sing-along this Sunday? (Thanks, Chuck … your voice has never sounded better!)
As inspired by Katy Perry's recent Credit Card immersion in Rome's Trevi Fountain in lieu of not having a coin to toss in for good fortune and no sooner did I say, "I'd like to hear a parody of that Old 1954 Number One Forgotten Hit, Three Coins in a Fountain" called "Three Credit Cards in a Fountain!" than Boulevard Barnstorm Records Midnight Productions made it happen!
That’s Right …
Now! By Popular Demand!
It couldn't be held back!
A Forgotten Hits Exclusive!
Destined to premier at Number One! With a Bullet!
Here's Calini Buelini and "Three Credit Cards in a Fountain!"
(Lyrics by Chuck Buell)
Contact your Phantom Record Club and ask for "Three Credit Cards in a Fountain" today!
Be the first up your block to have your own personal copy! Don't miss out if you can!
CB, Head A&R Record Guy for BB Records!
And here, for those who wish to sing along ~~~
"Three Credit Cards in the Fountain,
Each one under financial stress.
Thrown by three maxed out holders,
Which card will the credit company repossess.
Three Credit Cards in the Fountain,
Each Card longing for a loan.
There they lie in the Fountain,
Somewhere in the waters of-a Rome.
Three Credit Cards in the Fountain,
Away through the water they float.
Someone needs a good accountant,
Because this Fountain offers no Hope!"
Pay on Time! Pay on Time!"
Thanks, Chuck ...
And may I just say that I have never heard you in finer voice! (kk)
And ... talk about ending on a high note ...
kk ...
Do You Have The Final Figure For Total Views In The Record Breaking Month Of April?
FB
I actually do!!!
We had 602,883 visits during the month of April! (And yes, that IS an all-time record for our site.)
Speaking in my very best Sally Field voice ...
You like me! You really, really like me!!!
Thanks, everybody!!! (kk)
The Mamas and the Papas have this week's #1 Record, knocking The Young Rascals off their post after just one week. It falls to #2. The Beach Boys' version of "Sloop John B." moves up two notches to #3. "Kicks," "Leaning On The Lamp Post" and "Gloria" continue to climb The Top Ten ... and Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 and #35" cracks the Top Ten this week at #9, up from #16 the previous week.
The Dave Clark Five are up four points to #11, while "When A Man Loves A Woman" and "A Groovy Kind Of Love" make moves of ten places or more within The Top 20.
The Supremes have another hit on their hands ... "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" moves up from #51 to #28. And check out James Brown ... after his appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" last week, his latest, "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" skyrockets 39 place to #31. (It's also MY favorite James Brown song ... although "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and "I Got You" are close seconds ...I don't know which one of those I like better ... but I never turn either of them off!)
No big shake-ups in the lower region of the chart this week ... although there are new debuts by both The Lovin' Spoonful and Simon and Garfunkel, both of whom have been scoring very well on the chart lately.
And look at #89 ... The Kingsmen are back with "Louie Louie!" (Maybe audiences have matured a little bit since 1963 and can handle it now ... but I doubt it!)
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
5/1/66 – Although nobody knew it at the time, The Beatles played live for the last time in the UK (save for their January 30th, 1969, rooftop performance) when they appeared at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool. Their final live British set included their hits “I Feel Fine,” “Nowhere Man,” “Day Tripper,” “If I Needed Someone” and “I'm Down.”
Also appearing on the bill were The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds.
(Again … WOW!!! What an INCREDIBLE line-up of talent!!!)
Although the concert was filmed for broadcast, The Beatles' performance of five songs was NOT aired ... it seems that their manager, Brian Epstein, was unable to reach an agreement regarding terms of this footage ... so incredibly, the cameras were turned off while The Beatles, NME Poll Winners, performed!
Footage does exist of The Beatles accepting their awards, however ...
As well as some of the other artists on the bill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A53ekn8EMzc
Also on 5/1 - The Supremes and James Brown appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show”