VEGAS BOUND???
You can add The Doobie Brothers to the growing list of rock bands taking up residency in Las Vegas.
The Doobies, featuring core members Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, Michael McDonald and John McFee will be performing at The Fountainebleau February 26th and 27th, March 5th and 6th, August 27th and 28th and September 1st, 3rd and 4th. (Don’t be surprised if more dates are added along the way.)
The band still sounds great … and it’s encouraging to hear that everyone’s still getting along. (kk)
Also back in Vegas for a series of shows in Carlos Santana. (You may remember that he had to cancel his previous residency there due to health issues.)
Billed as “An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live: Presented by SiriusXM” at House of Blues inside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, upcoming dates include: November 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th; January 20th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, 30th and 31st and May 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd. (kk)
And Foreigner will be performing at The Venetian on March 10th, 12th, 13th, 17th, 19th and 20th.
Looks like Vegas is the place to be for rock and roll next year! (Still hoping that The Rolling Stones may announce something soon, too!) kk
Meanwhile, Donny Osmond has just announced his 2027 Crazy Horses Tour.
How do we go from The Doobie Brothers to Santana to Foreigner to Donny Osmond???
Well, that’s just the way we roll here in Forgotten Hits!!!
Speaking of which …
GOOD OLD FASHIONED FORGOTTEN HITS:
At last weekend’s show at The Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Lance Hoppen told an interesting story about how Orleans got their start. His brother Larry was originally in a group called Boffalongo, which also included a guy named Sherman Kelly, who had written the song “Dancing In The Moonlight,” which would later go on to be a big hit for the group King Harvest. (Orleans performed a very nice version of this song during their set last Saturday Night.)
Boffalongo release their version of the song in 1970 and it went absolutely nowhere. Hoppen left the group and started a new band with his brother Lance and singer/songwriter John Hall, which they decided to call Orleans. The group struggled for a few years, but finally scored their first significant chart hit with the song “Dance With Me” in 1975, a song written by Orleans band member John Hall. (Hall would go on to write their next big follow-up hit, “Still The One,” which also reached The Top Five the following year.)
He eventually left the band, first forming his own group called simply The John Hall Band, who recorded the hit “Crazy (Keep On Falling),” which just missed The Top 40 in 1982. (I love their 1983 hit “You To Love Me” as well.)
Hall would eventually rejoin Orleans for a short period of time before pursuing a career in politics. (He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2006 and served for four years.)
Doing a bit more research, I found that after Boffalongo split up, Sherman Kelly then joined the band King Harvest, which already included his brother Wells Kelly and keyboardist/vocalist Dave “Doc” Robinson. Together, they cut a NEW version of the tune “Dancing In The Moonlight” that became the definitive “hit” version, which you’re still likely to hear every single day some 53 years later. (After King Harvest folded, Wells Kelly would also join the band Orleans. I know … we’re getting to the point where you really need a score card to keep track of all of this!!!)
Doc Robinson and King Harvest band member Ron Altback then joined Mike Love’s side project away from The Beach Boys (Celebration), and earned another Top 40 hit with the Brian Wilson / Mike Love / Al Jardine penned tune “Almost Summer,” which became the title track to the film of the same name in 1976. It peaked at #28.
(Gee, this piece is starting to look just like a story right out of good old-fashioned Forgotten Hits!!!)
The story behind Kelly writing the song is an interesting one as well.
In 1969, Sherman Kelly was brutally assaulted while vacationing with his girlfriend in The Virgin Islands. He was beaten with baseball bats and his girlfriend was gangraped. Kelly went on to describe the situation this way:
“On a trip to St. Croix in 1969, I was the first victim of a vicious St. Croix gang who eventually murdered eight American tourists. At that time, I suffered multiple facial fractures and wounds and was left for dead. While I was recovering, I wrote ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ in which I envisioned an alternate reality, the dream of a peaceful and joyful celebration of life. The song became a huge hit and was recorded by many musicians worldwide. "Dancing In The Moonlight" continues to be popular to this day.”
And, in the spirit of “Good Old-Fashioned” Forgotten Hits, today we’re featuring both the original Boffalongo version of “Dancing In The Moonlight,” sung by the song’s writer Sherman Kelly … as well as the rarely heard Celebration hit “Almost Summer.”
NEW DISCOVERY:
I have hours and hours and hours of Beach Boys television appearances, collected over the years …
But here is one that was brand new to me …
The Beach Boys appearing on “The Steve Allen Show” singing “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.”
THIS is the way I want to remember the band … everyone looks so young and they’re just experiencing their first wave of success … and more importantly, they’re all still with us.
This is why I object so strongly to wheeling Mike Love out on stage to just sit in a chair, looking like they just packed him up from his death bed in order to plop him up there as a statement to the fans: “Remember Me? This is MY band … and I’ve carried them now for over 65 years.”
PLEASE let us remember you as you WERE … this is NOT the lasting image I want to carry around with me. (kk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTma4yN9PlY&list=RDmTma4yN9PlY&start_radio=1
THIS AND THAT:
After we ran Harvey Kubernik’s interview with Bill Wyman last week, we saw that Best Classic Bands ran one of their own …
And then Tom Cuddy sent me this clip …
Bill Wyman At 90 | The Oldest Living Rock Star on the Planet!
https://youtu.be/vj1Rc3ADX1g?si=kEYiRXVha8j8z7Q_
Boy, he sure doesn’t look like a rock star anymore, does he?!?! (kk)
Tom also sent us this Elvis tidbit …
Owners of Elvis Presley’s music sue Anthropic for $41 million over 274 songs:
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/owners-elvis-presley-music-sue-anthropic-for-41-million-over-274-songs/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fcelebritynews
View the article + more on Flipboard … https://flip.it/HBjcwI
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, PART 2!!!!! The 70's!
It looks like we will soon have another Tarantino classic!
The first was a classic and this should be fun too -- even if it IS the 70s. (Sadly, I assume the soundtrack might have some odd disco songs???)
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth follows the original film's stunt man into the 70s!
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth is a new sequel and spin-off to Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
TRAILER: https://www.netflix.com/title/82054606?trackId=259776131&trkId=259776131&src=tudum
Key Details:
- Release Date: Scheduled for IMAX on November 25, 2026, and streaming on Netflix on December 23, 2026.
- Director: David Fincher.
- Writer / Producer: Quentin Tarantino (based on his script and companion novelization).
- Cast: Brad Pitt returns as Cliff Booth, joined by Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Timothy Olyphant.
- Plot: Set in 1977—eight years after the events of the original movie—former stuntman Cliff Booth works as a projectionist at the New Beverly Cinema and operates as a shadowy Hollywood fixer.
Clark Besch
We just recently re-watched the first one … I was so completely disappointed with this film after seeing it at the show … I had the highest hopes and anticipation and couldn’t wait for it to finally come out. The soundtrack was INCREDIBLE … but the film fell flat for me. On second viewing, I upped my original score of 2 (out of 10) to 3 … but that’s about it. I don’t know that I’ll ever feel the need to watch it again (but I’d drop the CD in my car player in a heartbeat!)
Still, I am hopeful that Tarantino (love him or hate him … I’d say he hits the mark about 50% of the time for me) will redeem himself with this one. The preview doesn’t give too much away … but there’s a lot he and Pitt can do with this character. (It probably WILL have some disco music on the soundtrack … it’s set in 1977 at the height of the era … but the fact that the trailer features Led Zeppelin music instead is encouraging!) A little bit of internet snooping didn’t turn up much … but apparently they’ve been slowly promoting this film since the Super Bowl … not sure how I’ve missed it!
I’ll definitely give it the benefit of the doubt … but I’m watching it for free on Netflix rather than gambling on a pair of $20-$25 iMax tickets! (kk)
David Salidor sent us a couple new Micky Dolenz interviews …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZmRLXz4Hlo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSbSDjGZ9Jo
Rocker Donnie Iris has passed away … he was 83 years old. Iris had been battling bladder cancer for the past three years.
Donnie (real name Dominic Ierace) first came into prominence as a member of The Jaggerz, who hit #1 (in Record World, where it dethroned “Bridge Over Troubled Water”) in 1970 with “The Rapper.” (It peaked at #2 in Billboard and Cash Box.)
Eleven years later he was back on the charts as a solo artist with “Ah! Leah,” which went to #22 (and #7 here in Chicago) in 1981. Two more Top 40 Hits followed: “Love Is Like A Rock,” #28 in 1982, and “My Girl,” which hit #15 later that year. (kk)
Timmy sent us this one …
Halloween Album Of The Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCllCG4h3lg
I don’t know how they got away with this one (I’ve never seen it before … or even knew of its existence) … but that was the crazy thing about bootlegs back in the ‘70’s … you never knew just WHAT might turn up! (kk)
More Beatles stuff (and we already filled up Monday’s post with Beatles news!!!)
Here’s WAY more information on the big Discogs sale we told you about …
Looks like Germany is about to create a British Invasion / The Beatles Are Coming again!
Clark Besch
Awesome … but I’m trying to get RID of stuff right now!!! (lol) kk
And, tying in with the new Liverpool Beatles exhibit … our FH Buddy Charles Rosenay!!! is able to offer a brand new twist to his Magical History Tour for next year …
WHO WANTS TO GO TO THE NEW BEATLES LONDON MUSEUM at 3 SAVILLE ROW, INCLUDING THE ROOFTOP?!?
JOIN US FOR NEXT YEAR’S SUMMER TOUR, AUGUST 24th - SEPTEMBER 1st, 2027 Magical History Tour to Liverpool & London!
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The new London Beatles Museum at 3 SAVILLE ROW will be open in 2027. Hopefully, it will be open when we're there so we can explore all seven floors and go onto THE ROOFTOP!
Also, this will be the last year we can visit THE BEATLES STORY at ALBERT DOCKS before it moves to a new location in central Liverpool.
Roll Up Roll Up for the Mystery Tour, step right this way …
Join fellow fans on the one & only Magical History Tour, our 44th year bringing travelers to Liverpool and London in association with Cavern City Tours, the Cavern Club and BEATLEWEEK!
Space NOW available for AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2027, which includes BEATLEWEEK! FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE BEATLES. Visit every imaginable Beatles site in Liverpool and London, with a stop in Henley to visit George Harrison's Friar Park. Note that you can also opt to come for less days, or join us in Liverpool only.
Our Annual Tour to LIVERPOOL & LONDON is the definitive travel adventure for fans of all ages. Couples, singles, families & groups take the tour that’s been bringing Beatles fans to the homes, clubs, and all the locations since 1983! You are in great hands with the original presenters of the annual tour for Beatles Fans, the only company in the world that has brought thousands upon thousands of satisfied fans and travelers to the Beatles’ land on a regular basis for so long. We can supply endless references, all satisfied travelers. And every year gets better~!
Join us & be part of the most fun-filled, fab-filled vacation in history, presented BY fans FOR fans. It’s guaranteed to raise a smile -- you'll have the time of your life! BOOK NOW to lock in your space.
Cheers,
Charles F. Rosenay!!!,
Liverpool Productions
AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2027
Email Info@LiverpoolProductions.com or phone (203) 795-4737 for complete info + application form. Visit www.LiverpoolTours.com
Please LIKE: https://www.facebook.com/LiverpoolTours/
