FORGOTTEN HITS

Thursday, September 17, 2026

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

We found a couple of odd (weird?) stories going around this weekend …

Rick Springfield shooting some Vietnamese soldiers when he was performing there as a teenager (???) …

And Frank Sinatra hiring a hit man to kill Darlene Love’s husband after her affair with Righeous Brother Bill Medley was discovered (?!?!) and her ex took off with their three month old baby daughter. (Not sure that the timing is right here as it’s hard to imagine Medley carrying on a long-term relationship while Darlene was pregnant and married to another man!)

I have no idea why ANY of this is just first coming to light as “news” NOW after all this time …

But I have to admit I’m curious! So I did a little bit of digging ... (kk)

RICK SPRINGFIELD

I’m not sure why this is considered “news” in 2026 … or why Rick suddenly felt the need to share this information (unless it truly has been eating him up inside for the past 58 years) …

But last week Springfield told the media that he was responsible for the death of a Viet Cong soldier in 1968.

Rick was only 18 at the time … and was sent overseas to entertain troops in Vietnam. (Based on this timeline, this event predates his first national hit, “Speak To The Sky,” which went to #14 in 1972.)

Springfield says that he befriended some US soldiers while performing there and was invited back to their hut to get stoned and listen to Jimi Hendrix music. It was there that they became under attack by some Viet Cong soldiers.

Rick: "It was John Wayne time, you know? I mean, as a young kid, I didn't really understand what I was doing. I said, 'Oh, yeah! Let's fire a gun!'” In hindsight Rick admits that "It's hard for me to face that I was responsible for the end of a life."

What is especially odd about this story going around NOW is that it’s not a new revelation at all!

Springfield already made this revelation (in vivid detail) in his 2010 autobiography “Late, Late At Night: A Memoir.” Why it’s all being drudged up again some 16 years later is anybody’s guess.

Rick wrote at the time: "There's a loud whump as each mortar takes flight, then a shower of lethal red-hot sparks and blistering metal as it lands and erupts in the brush. A radio call comes in requesting a change of trajectory, so I drop more mortars down the tube and watch them detonate, alarmingly close to us. We stay up all night. How could we sleep?"

The following morning, Springfield was informed that one of his mortars had hit a Viet Cong soldier.

"Everyone is jumping around and slapping me on the back," Springfield wrote in his memoir. "I feel sick. Thinking of it now, I still do. All in all, not a real good day for anyone.

"It's hard for me to face that I was responsible for the end of a life, even though it's distant and it's war and I didn't really have anything to do with it and didn't really know what I was doing. But it's pretty heavy when I think about the reality of it."

I guess so.

Well, now it’s out in the open (again) for anyone who wants to dwell on it. Hopefully there is some healing process connected with Rick saying the words out loud again after all this time … but I do believe that this incident disturbed him and will likely stick with him for the rest of his life. (kk

Meanwhile …

DARLENE LOVE / BLL MEDLEY / FRANK SINATRA

In a new documentary that just premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival this past weekend, Darlene Love recalls the time when, after a lengthy affair with Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers, her ex-husband (Wesley Mitchell) took off with the couple’s three month old son, her only child with Mitchell.

Scared, Love called her friend Nancy Sinatra, asking for help and/or advice. In Darlene’s own words, “So, without naming any names, she made a phone call, and they found where he was staying. And he was so frightened when that happened because nobody knew where he was. He called my mother and said, ‘I think your daughter’s trying to kill me. So I think I better take the baby back home.’ And then within a few hours, I had Jason back, and it’s over. The marriage is over.”

(Did Nancy call her daddy to lean on Darlene’s ex-husband? And did Ol’ Blue Eyes get involved???) The idea is certainly implied … and definitely worth considering … but the most important thing is that he son was returned to her a few hours later, safe and unharmed.

Prior to all of this ... and unrelated in ANY way ... it sounds like Love was involved in a lengthy relationship with Bill Medley, something else that was kept under wraps for quite some time.

It sounds like the two were romantically involved for about three years, at a time where a public relationship likely would have ruined both of their careers. When Love got pregnant, she elected to have an abortion, which ended the affair. (Bill reportedly wanted to keep the baby.) All of this was several years PRIOR to her daughter being taken by her now ex-husband Wesley Mitchell. (But somehow the media got all of these events scrambled up into one rather bogus headline.)

The new Darlene Love documentary “I Know Where I’ve Been” premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, September 13^th. Statements made during the course of the film are what inspired both of the Darlene Love stories now making their way through the gossip channels. We have requested an opportunity to view the film in its entirety so that we can report our own review and conclusions. We'll let you know if and when that happens. (kk)

If you’re not already Monkeed’d out by this point, Harvey Kubernk’s recent interview with Donna Walker is now available to listen to as a podcast:

https://archive.kpfk.org/index_one.php?shokey=pperf

Just select the 9/11 option. (kk)

Popular 1960’s singer Ronnie Dove has passed away. He was 91 years old.

Between 1964 and 1967, Dove placed a dozen songs in the National Top 40, including hits like “Say You” (#29, 1964), “Right Or Wrong” (#12, 1964), “One Kiss For Old Times’ Sake” (#6, 1965), “A Little Bit Of Heaven” (#9, 1965), “I’ll Make All our Dreams Come True” (#19, 1965), “Kiss Away” (#21, 1965), “When Liking Turns To Loving” (#15, 1966), “Let’s Start All Over Again” (#10, 1966), “Happy Summer Days” (#24, 1966), “I Really Don’t Want To Know” (#22, 1966), “Cry” (#13, 166) and “My Babe” (#40, 1967).

Dove passed away on Tuesday, September 15^th, at home in hospice care. All of his hits came on the small Diamond Records label. (kk)

Tom Diehl, who has been with Forgotten Hits since damn near the beginning of time ... and has helped us in more ways that we could ever count or repay ... has been a close friend of Ronnie Dove for over two decades.

I asked him to please say a few words about Ronnie for our readers ...

The passing of Ronnie Dove hit me hard, but honestly, not nearly as bad as I was expecting it to. Why? Because I kept preparing myself for this day. I knew that once Ronnie retired, this day would eventually come, and I had to be prepared for it. I knew I would never be ready for it, and I wasn't, of course. How can you be, when you have someone you love so much, who means so much to you, and is like family to you, suddenly be gone from your world forever? Ronnie was not just my favorite singer, he truly was like family to me, and always treated me like such, from the very moment he first spoke to me on my 16^th birthday.

I skipped my senior prom in high school to go to my first Ronnie Dove concert, and he made sure to make me feel like a king while I was there, spending literally a few hours after the show talking to me and making me feel like I was the most important person in the room. He made every fan he interacted with feel that way, every time. He just had that way about him. And he never lost that charm up until the very end.

He was a thrill to work with closely when we did the CD of his pop hits for Real Gone Music, which has sadly gone out of print.

I got to surprise him with one final new release earlier this year with an album called From The Soul, which encompassed several recordings he made in the 1980's during sessions for his From The Heart album, which I discovered on some acetate discs I bought on ebay a few years ago, as well as on a cassette tape I got from Ronnie himself that included two previously unreleased recordings that not even Ronnie had known about previously.

Of course, with today's technology, you can't really tell what songs came from what sources, and I like that (but if you do enough sleuthing, you can figure out what the only two previously unreleased songs on the album actually are - the rest had been issued on CD previously, in inferior sound quality.)

I always fancied myself to be Ronnie's youngest fan (although at 41 years old now, I may not hold that title anymore), and Ronnie always considered me to be his main archivist. I have the largest collection of his records from around the world, and still don't even have all of the ones that I know to exist out there, so I'm always looking for more ... and then there are always other formats like reel to reel tapes, 8 tracks, etc., particularly when it comes to things like unreleased recordings and live performances that people might have stashed away. I keep hearing about things being lost to time because tapes keep getting thrown away. I prefer to keep peoples' memories alive by archiving them so people can return to them.

Now, where was I? Oh yeah ... right about the time we were working on the cd for Real Gone Music, Ronnie was also one of the Best Men at my wedding in March of 2014. That was a memory I will treasure forever. The first dance my beautiful bride and I shared was Ronnie's song, I'll Make All Your Dreams Come True, and it would have been that song whether Ronnie was there or not. A side note about that song ... one of the background singers that you can hear in the stereo mix of that song during the intro is Ray Stevens, who was the arranger of the song. He worked on several of Ronnie's songs over the course of several years in the 1960's.

It's still hard to gather all of my thoughts ... even though I said it wouldn't hit me as hard as I thought it would, it still hits me hard, as I miss my friend, and I always will, because I will always love him, and his music will always live on, because I will always continue to play it, and promote it.

Tom Diehl

Another quick plug for our FH Buddy Rich Appel … check out the listening guide …

Much like Chickenman, he’s everywhere, he’s everywhere!!!

https://www.thatthingshow.com/listening-guide

And also for Dann Isbell …

How interesting that he’s got a posting of his on-going Bits O’Hits YouTube series spotlighting October of 1978 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A54NaAr7tY&list=RD2A54NaAr7tY&start_radio=1

Which is EXACTLY what we asked you guys to vote on earlier this week on Tom’s List! … https://tunemagic.net/tomslist/

(Well, I say the only proper thing to do is to visit BOTH sites … Dann’s for a quick reminder of what these songs sounded like, should you have any doubts … and then Tom’s to cast your vote, ranking his options from #1 to #34. (I still don’t understand how Don Ray’s “Got To Have Loving” as one of the top hits of October, 1978 … it never even cracked The Top 40 on ANY of the major trade charts!)

A quick check of Joel’s Whitburn’s rankings for October of ’78 show only TEN similarities, which just happen to make up the entire Top Ten. (Whitburn’s list is based on Billboard’s chart information only and can be ordered thru recordresearch.com … it’s called TOP POP PLAYLISTS, 1970 – 1984 … and there are other volumes available as well.

Those “common” ten are: “Hot Child In The City” (ranked #1), “Reminiscing,” “Don’t Look Back,” “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’,” “Love Is In The Air,” “Hollywood Nights,” “Right Down The Line,” “Oh! Darling,” “Back In The U.S.A.” and “She’s Always A Woman.”

Among the other fifteen tracks NOT making Tom’s list, you’ll find favorites like “Josie” by Steely Dan, “Took The Last Train” by David Gates, “London Town” by Paul McCartney and Wings, “Ease On Down The Road” by Diana Ross and Michael Jackson and “Greased Lightning” by John Travolta (Tom’s list has three OTHER songs from the hit movie “Grease” ... but not this one.)

The failing of Joel’s list is that once a song makes The Top 25, it can’t repeat again (which just isn’t the way the charts work.) Far too many songs carry over for two or three months (or nowadays, up to a year!) As such, selections like “Kiss You All Over,” “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” “Hopelessly Devote To You,” “Hot Blooded,” “An Everlasting Love” and “Come Together” all appear on Joel’s September, 1978 list, when they first peaked at their highest point. This method allows for a lot of songs that don’t really deserve to make the Top 25 making the list. (Examples: City Boy – “5.7.0.5.” peaked at #27, Michael Johnson – “Almost Like Being In Love” peaked at #32, “Crazy Feeling” by Jefferson Starship peaked at #54! “Substitute” by Clout peaked at #67. There is absolutely NO way ANY of these songs belong on a list purporting to offer up the 25 biggest songs of the month.) kk

New Music From Dolly Parton … "BORN TO RIDE" –

According To Billboard, This Will Be Part Of An All-Star Tribute Album …

"WHERE SOUL NEVER DIES: 80 YEARS OF THE STANLEY BROTHERS"

Comes Out October 16^th On Compass Records.

FRANK B.

I’ve got a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more “new” Dolly Parton music in the future … she probably has HUNDREDS of songs in the vault that have never been released … and then, of course, RCA will do their usual treatment of creating “fake” duets with other artists who want to pay tribute. This will likely go on for several more years. (kk)

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Monkees Convention Part Two

For this special segment, I enlisted Charles Rosenay !!! to get HIS perspective, who then tapped Fred Velez to fill in all the happy details!

M60: Monkees 60th Anniversary Convention – A Recap by Fred Velez

The M60 Convention for Monkees fans on the 60th Anniversary was held September 4, 5, and 6, 2026, in Connecticut. It was a fun event for the fans who attended to mark the 60^th anniversary of the debut of The Monkees as a multimedia phenomenon. Fans from as far away as Australia and the U.K. joined in with fans from throughout the U.S. to share their love of the Monkees. And that love was on display all weekend long.

The M60 festivities began on Friday with an opening night party in the host venue, the Clarion Inn Hotel in North Haven. Fans started to come in at 7PM and were greeted by convention producer/host Charles F. Rosenay!!! The music started with singer/musician Scott Ringle entertaining the crowd, performing both familiar Monkees songs and deeper cuts. The happy atmosphere set the tone for the weekend, with attendees singing along and dancing. Entertainer Mick Lawless joined Scott for a few numbers, and Charles did some announcements.

Friday night

also gave us

the first look at Rosenay!!!’s

new book

“The Monkees Comic Book Book,”

co-authored

with Mark Arnold.

The pair had previously released

“Not Just

Happy Together: The Turtles A-Z

(AM Radio to Zappa),

but their Monkees book was in the

works for years. It is a loving collection of the

original Monkees comic books

that were issued during the original

run of the Monkees television series,

restored, remastered, and delivered

in a beautiful format. It includes an

exclusive interview with the late artist

Jose Delbo, who worked on the original

comic series. Also inside the book it is a

valuable timeline, a comprehensive price

guide for all the original comic books,

plus celebrity commentary on the comics

and The Monkees themselves. It’s a must

for all Monkees fans, comic book collectors,

and pop culture aficionados.

On Saturday September 5^th, the main part of the convention began at 11am with fans lining up to get in, and the opening of the vendors room.

There, fans were able to purchase rare Monkees items for their collections, ogle at all the amazing memorabilia, records, and merch, and visit all the guest authors. In the same ballroom, they were able to meet and hobnob with the guests: Present and past Monkees band members Felipe Torres, John Billings, Rich Dart, David Robicheau; Peppy Castro of the 60’s band Blues Magoos; actor Greg Evigan of “My Two Dads” (in which Davy Jones guest starred in two episodes); “The 5^th Monkee” Bill Chadwick; legendary photographer Henry Diltz; and Monkees producer Chip Douglas making his very first appearance at an East Coast convention. Sadly, actress and Monkees friend Valerie Kairys-Venet and author Mark Arnold were unable to attend.

In the welcome area, fans were greeted by MMR (Monkee Mania Radio), where Professor Microdose roadcasting and interviewing the numerous special guests and fans.

Attendees were really in the spirit at the convention, with a few fans even cosplaying as Monkee Men and as a Wind-Up Man from the “33 & 1/3 Revolution Per Monkee” TV special!

The on-stage events began with an Author’s panel moderated by Charles F. Rosenay!!! featuring Monkees book authors Joe Russo (“Smoke Filled Dreams”) Ed Rilley (“The Monkees: A Manufactured Image”) Melanie Mitchell (“Monkee Magic: A Book About A TV Show And A Band”), Michael A. Ventrella (“Long Title: Looking For The Good Time - Examining The Monkees’ Songs One By One” and “Headquartered: A Timeline Of The Monkees Solo Years”), and Fred Velez (“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective” and “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives”).

Pictured below are authors Reilly, Mitchell, Ventrella, and Velez (plus Russo’s hand and book)

A panel of Monkees Musicians followed with current Monkees bassist John Billings and former tour drummer Felipe Torres was moderated by Professor Microdose of MMR (Monkee Mania Radio). Rich Dart and David Robichaeu came to the event later on in the day, so they didn’t get to participate in the interview.

Below is a rare shot of John Billings, Rich Dart, and Felipe Torres sitting together, with Fred Velez.

Actor Greg Evigan of “My Two Dads” and “B.J. and The Bear” followed, interviewed by Edwin Thrower, sharing stories and memories of when Davy Jones guest starred on two episodes of “My Two Dads.”

Photo of Charles and his three children (Harry, Ian, Lauren) with Greg Evigan.

A town representative welcomed the attendees and introduced Connecticut Governor Ted Lamont, who said a few words, declared it was “Official Monkees Day,” and had the fans join him singing the first few verses of “The Monkees’ Theme.

Following the surprise ceremony, veteran convention emcee and author Fred Velez took the stage to introduce legendary photographer Henry Diltz, who moderated a slide show of his incredible photographs of the Monkees.

Photo below of producer Charles F. Rosenay!!!’s son, Harry, with legacy guests Bill Chadwick, Chip Douglas and Henry Diltz.

An auction of rare Monkees items took place, and some lucky fans walked away with autographed items and other treasures at great prices.

This was followed by a special panel featuring Bill Chadwick, Henry Diltz and Chip Douglas moderated by Charles F. Rosenay!!!, with the legacy guests sharing their memories of the Monkees and fielding questions from the fans.

Throughout the day, fans were posing for photos with the guests and getting autographs, sharing special moments and collecting memories that would last a lifetime.

After a short break to visit the food trucks for dinner, the vendors room started to wind down, and the evening musical festivities began with concerts by Scott Ringle returning to perform a set of Monkees rarities. After that was a special surprise set.

Danny Solazzi and his band, The Characters have performed at Monkees conventions since 1986, and this was no exception, except it wasn’t their set in the spotlight. They served as the back-up band for the Special Guests who each came up to do a few songs, including the various members of the Monkees bands, actor and performer Greg Evigan, Bill Chadwick, Henry Diltz and Chip Douglas. It was magical.

Just before Mick Lawless took the stage with his band Loose Salute, Fred Velez played a segment of the Uncle Floyd Podcast where Floyd’s stage partner Scott Gordon told a couple of short stories of Peter Tork and Davy Jones appearing on the Uncle Floyd show that included a funny story concerning Davy. The segment can be heard on the Uncle Floyd Show Podcast #89 on all Podcast platforms, the stories come in at the six-minute point of the episode. Mick Lawless and Loose Salute then performed a selection of Monkees and solo songs by Michael Nesmith.

The Characters, with Danny Solazzi as frontman, returned to the stage and closed the Saturday night festivities with a rousing selection of Monkees tunes that had fans dancing all over the ballroom. The evening ended with all the special guests joining in for a grand finale of “Daydream Believer” and “I’m A Believer.”

Photo includes Mick Lawless, Bill Chadwick, Charles, Danny Solazzi, Chip Douglas, and members of The Characters.

It was an unforgettable day, and 100% of the fans who attended all had an amazing time.

If that wasn’t enough, the magic continued the next day in nearby Burlington, CT, where Katherine McCabe has put together an incredible exhibition of Monkees collectibles, posters memorabilia, and rarities. She and co-curator Mick Lawless call it the “Underground Frodis Adventure,” and it boasts sections devoted to each individual Monkee.

Katherine’s collection was featured on MeTV’s “Collector’s Call” show that was hosted by Lisa Whelchel, with Charles F. Rosenay!!! as the Monkees expert appraiser.

Photo of Katherine showing Chip Douglas around.

Among the many items at the museum is Peter Tork’s family piano, a custom-designed and fully-working Monkees Pinball machine (of which there are only two in the whole world), a Monkees jukebox, slot machine and so much more. McCabe was a great host as she took fans on a tour of the world-class collection. Meanwhile, outside there was a stage set up for musical performances. We were once again entertained by Scott Ringle, along with Mick Lawless who broadcasts his “Frodis Room” show on MMR. Bill Chadwick, Chip Douglas, and Henry Diltz surprised everyone, attended and even performed on stage. They mingled and took photos with fans. A birthday cake was presented to Diltz to celebrate his 88th birthday that day.

Photo: Monkees archivist Gary Strobl, Chip Douglas, Charles, Henry Diltz, Katherine and Mick Lawless.

The Sunday closing party was a perfect ending to an amazing weekend. For those who were unable to attend, the Convention events can be viewed on the archived stream and saved for later viewing (https://evt.live/m60-convention-for-fans-of-the-monkees-september-5th-noon-11pm).

Many thanks go to all the special guests and fans who attended this amazing event. Extra kudos to event producer Charles F. Rosenay!!! and his family and staff for putting this wonderful convention together. There was no other event in the U.S. commemorating the 60^th Anniversary of The Monkees, and his hard work was greatly appreciated.

Charles’ new book, officially released to the public on September 12 to coincide with the actual Monkees TV premiere date, is available from Genius Book Publishing for $45 at https://geniusbookpublishing.com/products/the-monkees-comic-book-book-paperback (Genius Book Published also released The Turtles book). Better yet, for a signed and numbered copy of “The Monkees Comic Book Book,” email monkeesfanconvention@gmail.com or call (203) 795-4737.

We don’t know if this will be the last full convention for Monkees fans, but we sure hope not.

For those who were there, we KNOW we had a GOOD TIME!!!

Fred Velez, 2026

FORGOTTEN HITS

Thursday, September 17, 2026

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Monkees Convention Part Two

VISITORS TO DATE

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