Lots of press this past week about Frankie Valli cancelling
the rest of his 2026 tour to focus on some health issues. This has been a hot topic here in FH lately …
so I’m glad
https://share.google/SYzRyjiqAdLioP2h1
Frankie Valli cancels the remainder of the Four Seasons’
farewell tour, citing health concerns
Rod
Stewart just cancelled his two performances in Vegas due to doctors'
advice.
Shelley
That's a real shame. Apparently the announcement came just two hours before he was due to take the stage. We were just raving about how good he sounded during the CBS Grammy Salute a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully he's on the mend. (Amazing to think that some of these performers can still pull out all the stops and put on a great show no matter how ill they may really be feeling.)
A representative for Stewart told The Las Vegas Review, "Following
his doctor’s advice, Rod Stewart has regretfully canceled his performances at
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on May 29 and 30, but is scheduled
to return with shows beginning June 2."
An additional statement from Stewart himself read, "My
apologies to my family of fans. I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus
infection. I look forward to seeing you at a future show at Caesars Palace or
on tour this summer." (kk)
And Tom Cuddy sent us this (by way of Carole King) …
The Cookies had three Top 40 Hits during their first year on
the charts … “Chains” (#12, 1962), “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad About My Baby” (#7,
1963) amd “Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys” (#33, 1963), all written by Carole
King and her then-husband Gerry Goffin.
Earl Jean also had a solo hit the following year with “I’m Into
Something Good” (#35, 1964)
“Chains” would be famously covered by The Beatles on their
first LP … an early George Harrison vocal.
It was part of their stage act that same year. “I’m Into Something Good” would announce
Herman’s Hermits to The States … they took their version all the way to #7 just
a few months after Earl Jean’s version charted.
(kk)
Tom Cuddy also tells us that we can add singer Peabo Bryson to our sick bay list as well ...
Peabo Bryson under medical care after suffering stroke, representative says.
https://share.google/MH8d2rNR40bl5qPn0
Bryson has won two Grammys in connection with Disney movie theme songs ("A Whole New World" from the film "Aladdin," a duet with Regina Belle that went to #1 in 1993 and "Beauty And The Beast" from the film of the same name, a duet he cut with Celine Dion that went to #9 in 1992. He also had two Top 20 chart hits with Roberta Flack, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again" (#10, 1984) and "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (#14, 1983.) kk
And from Frank B ...
Death Of A Commodore ...
Commodores Co-Founder & Former Bassist Ronald LaPreed, Dead At 75.
LaPreed Spent 16 Years With The Group.
He Played Bass On Their Hits "BRICK HOUSE," "EASY," "THREE TIMES A LADY" Plus Many More.
FRANK B.
The Guess Who "Takin' It Back" tour is now underway, featuring Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman.
Their shows kicked off at Moncton’s Avenir Centre in New Brunswick, Canada last Tuesday night. (We've got tickets to the show here in Chicago on June 30th.) Former Eagle Don Felder will be their opening act for most shows. (They hit the U.S. on June 25th with a show in Minnesota.)
Tom Cuddy sent us these news clippings:
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/times-transcript/20260530/281595247197381
Kent,
In today's FH in which the
cartoon depicted wanted to know who put the ram in THE RAMA LAMA DING DONG and
also who put the bomp in the BOMP BAH BOMP BAH BOMP, well Frankie Lymon
admitted to it in 1961 with I PUT THE BOMP on Roulette records. A good answer I
might say.
Also I watched a movie online
recently in which there was a scene in a diner and people were dancing to the
record that was playing on the jukebox. It had a close-up of the jukebox and
the selections available. The one that was playing was Lilith White - BELA LUGOSI LOVES TO DANCE b/w CHATEAU MARMONT.
I believe the latter is a hotel somewhere but the record about Lugosi never
charted here in the U.S. However, I understand it went to #1 over in
Transylvania. (lol)
Larry
Yeah, I think they played that one regularly after Dinner
With Drac. (I couldn’t even find the
Bela Lugosi record on YouTube!!!)
But I DID find the Frankie Lymon track you were talking
about!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQLG3RHPdnY&list=RDUQLG3RHPdnY&start_radio=1
(kk)
>>>Anyways, I have been frantically looking for a
photograph of Shotgun & myself together when we met, but so far I cannot
locate it. But rest assured when it does finally turn up, I'll definitely let
you know and pass along a copy of it. (Timmy)
Found It!!! Circa 2005 -
L - R: Darrell Wayne, Shotgun Tom,
Timmy
Great Shot! Thanks,
Timmy! (kk)
kk …
I Just Listened To This Week’s Lobo
Interview ...
Lobo Means Wolf In Spanish. Kent
La Voie Adopted That Name ... Didn't Want To Use His Real Name.
He Was Writing A Song ... He Had
Me & You ... What Rhymes With "YOU?"
Looked Out His Window & Saw
a Dog Named "BOO."
Not Your Typical Star Type
Person. He's A Home Body. Never Did Many Live Concerts Or Traveling.
30 years Ago He Was A Big Star
In Asia. He Did A Few Concerts There. Fans Knew All The Words To His Songs,
He Has A New Song Called "MANGROVE
MEMORIES." It Evokes A Nostalgic, Poetic
Vision Of Growing Up In Old Florida.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiDHcagDlnY&list=RDQiDHcagDlnY&start_radio=1
FRANK B.
Lobo has stayed active in the recording industry but we
haven’t heard much from him lately. I
always thought he had an appealing voice … scored ten Top 40 hits between 1971
and 1979. I mean, how bad could he be if
he’s named “Kent”??? (kk)
kk ...
This Week Wild Wayne Replayed An Interview He Did In 2006 With Sam Nelson, Ricky's Youngest Son.
They Talked About The "RICKY NELSON SINGS" DVD Documentary.
Of Course We Watched Ricky Grow Up On "THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE & HARRIET."
Ricky Heard His Date Talking About Elvis & Told Her He Was Going To Record A Song.
April, 1957 "I'M WALKIN'" Was A #4 Hit For Fats Domino.
June, 1957 "I'M WALKIN'" Was A #4 Hit For Ricky Nelson.
There's A Great You Tube Clip Of Them Singing This Song Together.
Between 1957 & 1973, Ricky Nelson Had 53 Songs On The Charts ... 19 Of Them Were Top 10 Hits.
In 1987 He Was Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Sam Was 11 Years Old When His Father Died On December 31, 1985 In A Plane Crash.
Most People Didn't Realize That Ricky Nelson Was An Excellent Producer.
When He Heard James Burton Playing The Guitar, He Said "That's My Lead Guitarist."
James Was The Spice To Ricky's Sugar.
Ricky Usually Would Sing His New Recording At The End Of His Parents' TV Show & Teenagers Would Buy It.
I'm Sure They Must Have Talked About Ricky Nelson's 1972 Hit "GARDEN PARTY" (#6) But They Didn't Play That Part Of The Interview.
FB
Here’s an interesting concept for a rock and roll book I’ve
not heard of or considered before …
FH Reader The Midnight DJ has just published a classic rock
book called Classic Rock Fiction: Short Stories Inspired by the Greatest
Music Ever Recorded. It’s based on familiar classic rock songs that he has
adapted and written fictional short stories to.
Most of the book is based on songs from the 1960s and ’70s …
and there are ninety in all. In fact, he’s
even given us one to share with our readers.
School’s
Out
Inspired by the 1972 song by
Alice Cooper
They announced it over the intercom
like a sports update. Due to declining enrollment and budget restructuring,
Westbridge High School would close at the end of the school year.
Students cheered. A few teachers
started to clap before they caught themselves. Most of the staff sat quietly
and listened to the feedback hum fade from the speakers.
The students seized on one word:
forever.
They wrote it on notebooks. They
chanted it in the halls. They said it like a joke that never stopped being
funny: “school’s out forever.”
They did not understand what it
meant, but Mrs. Whipple did.
She had been teaching English at
Westbridge for 14 years. That was long enough to remember when students
pretended to listen, when administrators pretended to support their teachers,
and when parents pretended to care what their children read.
The pretending had worn thin.
Mr. Price, who taught history
across the hall, stopped assigning essays after one was turned in with the
comment “Why should we care?” written across the top in red marker. When he
told Mr. Garcia, the principal, Garcia suggested he focus on engagement strategies.
Ms. Cortez, who taught chemistry,
had a beaker shattered deliberately during third period. The student claimed it
slipped. No one could prove otherwise.
Later that same week, a substitute
teacher left in tears after a group of seniors locked her out of her own
classroom and slid desks against the door while recording her reaction for
social media. The students involved received after-school detention, but they
did not attend. Mr. Garcia canceled it after complaints from the students’
parents.
Westbridge students had learned the
borders of consequence. They knew which teachers flinched, which ones filed
reports, and which ones had already stopped expecting anything to change.
They learned Mrs. Whipple’s name
quickly.
Junior Tyler Briggs asked her, in
front of everyone, whether she was still teaching because she “couldn’t get a
real job.” The class laughed. Mrs. Whipple sent him to the office. He returned
20 minutes later with a smile.
Senior Ashley Porter recorded Mr.
Price on her phone when he asked the class to put their phones away. The clip
appeared online with a caption about “Boomer meltdowns.” The administration
suggested Mr. Price be mindful of optics.
Sophomore Matthew Reed liked to
test limits quietly. He sighed loudly during lectures. He tapped his pencil in
precise rhythms meant to irritate. When asked to stop, he asked why it
mattered.
Earlier in the year, Ms. Cortez
overheard Tyler tell several students that he was going to blow up the school.
Police brought in bomb-sniffing dogs. Parents panicked.
Tyler claimed it was a joke. His
mother hired an attorney. The district called it a misunderstanding and
recommended counseling. Tyler returned to school the following week to
applause.
At Westbridge, parent complaints
were believed. Student behavior was contextual. Teacher authority was
negotiable.
When Mrs. Whipple was called into
the office for embarrassing Tyler by asking him to stop disrupting class, Mr.
Garcia reminded her that “relationships come first.”
Mr. Price started counting down the
days aloud between classes. Ms. Cortez stopped decorating her lab tables. Mrs.
Whipple cleaned out her desk drawer slowly, taking home the books she had
purchased herself and throwing out the student papers with notes that no one
read.
The students treated the final
weeks like a victory lap. They roamed the halls. They dared one another to skip
class and sit in rooms where they didn’t belong.
One afternoon, Ashley leaned into
Ms. Cortez’s doorway and said, “Guess you’re out of a job, huh?” She smiled as
if she had solved something.
That night, smoke started rising
from the east wing of the school. The alarm sounded.
It was loud and sudden and shrill
enough to pull neighbors onto their porches. Fire trucks arrived within
minutes. Police followed. Students gathered in the parking lot in hoodies and
pajama pants and whispered.
Police questioned Tyler Briggs
first. He denied it.
Matthew Reed was brought into the
office because he had been caught in the chemistry lab when he had no reason to
be there a couple of weeks earlier. He denied it.
Ashley Porter cried and said no
when police asked her whether she knew anything.
The investigation lasted three
weeks. Security footage was reviewed. Teachers were interviewed. Students were
suspended pending questioning. The town treated it like confirmation of
everything it already believed about teenagers.
The answer came from something
small and overlooked: a security camera that caught a figure entering the
building after hours using a faculty keycard.
The access code belonged to Mrs.
Whipple. She disappeared from school without the customary farewell cake in the
faculty lounge.
The fire did not destroy the
building, but the fire department declared it unsafe for students. The building
was condemned.
School was out forever. Not just
for the kids. For Mrs. Whipple, too.
Hello, Kent -
I enjoy checking out your blog
once in a while, and I admire that you have been doing it for so many years.
I thought your readers might
find some interest in a new book that I’ve just published and would appreciate
you sharing the details.
This link takes you to the book page at Amazon which
is where someone can order a copy.
Thank you, Kent! Keep up the great work.
The Midnight DJ
A few other titles featured in the book include “Come
Together,” “White Rabbit” and “Fortunate Son.”
Check out the link above if you’re interested in ordering a copy. (kk)
And Gary Strobl sent us these Monkees Mementos after we announced the 60th Anniversary of the filming of the very first Monkees TV episode ...
IT WAS 60
YEARS AGO TODAY…
THE MONKEES
BEGAN TO FILM…
“DON’T LOOK A
GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH”
MAY 31, 1966
HENRY CORDEN
as Babbitt
You'll find More Of The Monkees (a look back at Year One) here:
https://bestclassicbands.com/monkees-first-year-3-19-19/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2026-06-01&utm_campaign=12
As we all know, The Monkees were an immediate hit.
Meanwhile, I think our FH Buddy Timmy may have found a new group that might have some real potential …
In fact, if I'm right, I'll betcha these gals will be busting out all
over before you even know it! (kk)
