re: SWEETWATER:
>>>Sweetwater ... the movie advertisement says that they were the first “band” to appear ... (Dwight Rounds)
>>>Sweetwater was the first act SCHEDULED to appear at the Woodstock Music And Arts Festival ... but they, like THOUSANDS of others, were trapped in the traffic jam surrounding the event site. As such, after an already delayed, late start, the organizers asked Richie Havens to open the show instead. (kk)
Kent,
Thanks for printing this. I don't remember how long Havens was "stuck" out there, but I think it was at least an hour, much longer than he had planned.
By "movie", I meant the Sweetwater Movie, not Woodstock. They were really not the first band, as you pointed out. Richie Havens (and band [drummer?]) was. I know this is picky, but I would define a band as two or more musicians. "George Harrison" was actually the George Harrison Band, Elvis Presley was the Elvis Presley Band, etc. The only real "solo" albums I know of are the first Paul McCartney, and early Bob Dylan. Neil Young would perform "solo", but always had a band (Crazy Horse, Stray Gators, etc.) as his band. Speaking of "solo" performances, I think McGuinn is the best, even better than Neil Young. Check these out. What an incredible voice he still has!
Dwight Rounds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1qCcrwBP5k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWPzA5k5QRY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SEzMVbj03A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmUfozZ7Eyk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzpy0s8_VDw
Depending on which report you believe, Havens stayed out there anywhere from one hour to THREE hours ... and, in fact, "Freedom", the song so prominently featured in the Woodstock Movie and Soundtrack, was pretty much improvised on the spot. (In fact, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" was apparently performed because Sweetwater was known for THEIR version of this tune!) All of this is pretty amazing when one considers that "Freedom" now very well may be the song we most remember Richie Havens for, despite his Top 20 version of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun"!
According to Rob Kirkpatrick's new book "1969: The Year Everything Changed", "With Sweetwater still nowhere in sight and a gathering of approaching storm clouds casting a dark hue over the Catskill horizons, (Promoter Michael) Lang convinced folksinger Richie Havens, who was originally scheduled to play later in the evening, to take the stage and officially kick off the festival just after 5:00. Havens responded with a hypnotic nine-song set that energized the masses while framing the weekend with an awareness of, as he told the crowd, 'the people that are going to read about you tomorrow.'" Kirkpatrick (who has now come onboard as one of our most recent Forgotten Hits Readers) goes on to say that Havens chose "an improvised number to close his set ... 'Freedom' ... with lines from the traditional Negro spiritual 'Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child,' a song that Sweetwater had covered for its biggest hit, thrown in for good measure." And, with that, the festival had OFFICIALLY begun!!! (kk)
BTW: Havens performs a brand new version of "Freedom" (called "Freedom 2009") over the end credits of the new film "Taking Woodstock" ... for me another disappointing trip to the movies. We had REALLY been looking forward to this one ... I feel that for most of the film they totally missed their mark, focusing on too many issues that don't really matter to the millions of fans of the festival. Most disappointing was the lack of any real Woodstock music typically associated with this incredible weekend. I mean there were little bits and pieces here and there, but it seems that SOME sort of licensing agreement could have been worked out that would have benefited ALL parties concerned, especially with all the brand new Woodstock merchandise that's been flooding the market lately ... and the re-release of the film in its "Director's Cut" edition. (They DID use the split-screen technique to great effect, however!) It also seems that a lot of the "back story" of getting the festival off the ground ... as well as the massive amount of chaos that it created ... were overlooked while other matters that had absolutely NO impact on the festival itself ... Elliot Tiber discovering that he was gay, for example ... were given major screen time. Even Eugene Levy as Max Yasgur, a pivitol character, was barely used. My score on a 1-10: 2.
re: SHA NA NA:
Sha Na NA celebrates their 40th Anniversary with a New CD featuring 20 tracks with 6 previously unreleased songs on it. The Record Company is Pat Boone's Gold Label. Jimmy Jay did the Radio Spot for the CD in the style of the 50’s and it is attached.
Jimmy Jay
Thanks, Jimmy. How sad that the release of this new hits collection coincides with the passing of Dirty Dan McBride! And, right on the heels of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, too! (kk)
Hey, anybody remember the cool little commercial Jimmy Jay did for Forgotten Hits a couple of years ago???
re: WOODSTOCK:
I just picked up a new book by Pete Fornatale, "Back to the Garden". It's the story of Woodstock, told by the musicians who were there and the behind-the-scenes people who made it happen. Really fascinating. He got some terrific people. Frankly, I'm impressed that he found so many who remember 1969. Pete has been a radio personality in New York for 40 years, who also happens to be in "Airplay". I know there are a lot of Woodstock books out this year, but this one's special.
Carolyn Travis
Frannie made my birthday a Woodstock-themed celebration this year ... we went to go see "Taking Woodstock" ... she got me the 40th Anniversary Director's Cut DVD Box Set of the movie as well as the books "The Road To Woodstock" by Michael Lang, who organized the whole thing and an unbelievable photo book put together by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague called "Woodstock: Peace, Music and Memories" that includes some BEAUTIFUL photos. We saw an entire table of books dedicated to Woodstock at Barnes and Nobles this summer so there are PLENTY of great reads to choose from ... including a paper dolls book where you can dress Grace Slick and Janis Joplin for the concert!!! (lol) Again, I am just COMPLETELY blown away by how "mainstream" this whole festival has become forty years later ... back in '69 anybody even THINKING about going was looked down upon as a complete freak!!! (kk)
re: TV, 1969:
Your mention of the Thursday night TV schedule reminded me of this clip for "This Is Tom Jones" from KGO from 1969. (And a snippet of Donovan, too.)
David Lewis
ON 1969 TV WATCHING - We only had ONE tv in the house until the late 60's (and mom & dad got to choose the program), got our first color tv in 1968 ... it was a huge console that had a record player on one side, and radio controls on the other in hinged lids with the tv in the middle ... a 'fancy' piece of furniture ... I did manage a black & white tv in my bedroom FINALLY ... but not one of those compact 12 models that came along later (and cheaper) ... I don't think we ever had a remote control in my parent's house ... as a matter of fact, I think my first tv remote was in the early 80's when the archaic cable boxes had the channel changing part on a long cable that you could place where you sat ... you NEVER left the tv on all night in my mom's house ... so I bought one of those clunky timers to shut off your lights and would set it for 1 in the morning ... I was one of the first to get a vcr ... (cost $900) ... remote on a thin wire, would only pause the show, but the screen went blank for that time ... and was the size of a microwave ... with dials to select the channel ... blank 2-4 hour tapes cost $20 each ...Has ANY 30 year old ever seen a tv station go off the air with a test pattern ? (or 40 year old?) ...
Geez did we come a long way in a short time ...
(gary) RENFIELD
http://www.riprenfield.com/
I remember distinctly telling somebody once that if I was EVER too lazy to get up and change the television channel, I'd simply stop watching TV all-together!!! This was back in the day where you had to pay extra to get a remote ... and they were primarily being marketed to older folks so that they wouldn't have to get up out of their easy-chairs. Of course nowadays you don't have any option BUT to use the remote ... and, with 500+ channels, I couldn't even imagine standing there changing them manually anymore. And talking about color TVs, we were one of those families that bought that ridiculous see-through color wax paper that you TAPED to the front of your TV screens ... it was three horizontal bands of color ... blue at the top (so that all your skies looked blue), red in the middle (so that you had color skin tones) and green at the bottom (for the grass.) Of course this system only really worked for about six minutes of Bonanza each week ... everything else looked TOTALLY ridiculous!!! (It very well may rank as one of the most RIDICULOUS inventions of its time ... but my Dad still went out and bought one!!! lol) When we finally got a REAL color TV, I was thrilled ... by then nearly every program was being broadcast in color and you just couldn't live without one. (And I think the price finally dropped down to around $500, too.) Did you hear about the Celebrity Roast for Joan Rivers the other night? Carl Reiner was one of the Roasters ... but another roaster (I can't remember the guy's name ... one of those D-List comedians, I'm pretty sure) got a jab in at Reiner, who he congratulated on making his color television debut that night!!! (lol) Technology truly HAS come a long, long way. (By the way, I bought one of the very first VHS recorders, too ... once BetaMax was deemed to be on its way out. I had already purchased three or four videos in anticipation of eventually owning a player to actually watch them on ... and I wanna say back then that VHS Player was every bit of $1200!!! Unreal! (kk)
re: BRIAN JONES:
Talk about your Echoes of '69 ... I just heard that British Police are reopening a complete investigation into the "mysterious" drowning of former Rolling Stones Guitarist Brian Jones. Jones quit the band over creative differences and then, three weeks later, drowned in his own swimming pool. At the time, everybody just figured he was another casualty of the drug-induced '60's ... but now they say they've got reason to believe that foul play was involved. (Apparently somebody made a death bed confession that HE was responsible for Brian's death!) It'll be interesting to see how all of this develops. (Rumor has it that Detective Lilly Rush and Newsman Bill Kurtis are standing by to take a crack at this "Cold Case".) Clearly, 1969 is still with us in a VERY big way!!! (kk)
The full story (as reported by CNN) can be found here:
Click here: Police review death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones - CNN.com
re: HURRICANE CAMILLE:
How about a couple of news clips from exactly 40 years ago? Most of us don't remember that after Hurricane Camille smacked the Gulf Coast, the aftermath caused major flooding in Virginia.
David Lewis
After just "celebrating" (?) the four year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, people sometimes forget just how devastating Camille really was ... some of Camille's statistics will absolutely "blow you away"!!!
As much as the rain has been played up as a major factor during the Woodstock Festival, it truly pales in comparison to the devastation and havoc caused by Hurricane Camille. (Ironically, BOTH events took place the same weekend back in August of 1969 ... could the impact of Camille's fury have had anything to do with the amount of rain they were experiencing up New York way???)
The worst part about Camille's run was the fact that The National Hurricane Center in Miami was unable to accurately predict the hurricane's path of destruction. It was first believed that the tropical storm would hit hardest in Florida ... then, after a change of course, New Orleans ... when in reality the most devastating damage was experienced in Biloxi, Mississippi. By this time, many of the WRONG areas had already been evacuated. When it came time to evacuate Mississippi, it was almost too late.
Here are some unbelievable statistics as published in Rob Kirkpatrick's new book "1969: The Year Everything Changed":
The storm was born on Thursday, August 15 ... but the following day, it had already passed through Cuba, where winds were recorded at up to 115 miles per hour. At this point, Camille was headed toward The Gulf Coast and on Saturday, August 17th, a hurricane watch was put into effect from the northwestern coast of Florida, from Fort Walton to St. Marks, and as far west as Biloxi, Mississippi. For a brief moment, it was believed that the storm was losing its intensity ... when, in fact, exactly the opposite was the case. In reality, the storm seemed to stop in The Gulf Of Mexico ... but while it was their, its winds intensified to about 150 miles per hour. By Sunday Morning, the storm was on the move again, and now seemed to be headed straight for New Orleans. (At this point, Camille was about 310 miles due south of Pensacola, Florida, and moving northwest. Experts believed, due to what Kirkpatrick described as "conventional wisdom", that she would soon steer eastward and land somewhere on the Florida panhandle early Sunday Night. However, on Sunday, NEW hurricane watches were issued for Mobile, Alabama, which now was believed to be the new point of impact.)
By Sunday afternoon, an airplane that ventured into Camille's path computed its wind speed to be 190 miles per hour! The pilot described the wind velocity as "far beyond the descriptions used in our training." Camille was not only growing stronger but she was also moving faster ... and not veering eastward as experts had predicted. She now appeared to be headed for Gulfport, Mississippi.
Kirkpatrick writes, "After a hurricane advisory was issued for the Gulf Coast from Gulfport, Mississippi to Pensacola, Florida, residents began an exodus in search of safer locales inland. Around the same time as the warning, an eighteen-wheeler capsized on Route 49 in Gulfport, blocking one of the three main roadways inland. Instead of stopping traffic altogether to allow for the removal of the wreckage, authorities decided it more prudent to leave the vehicle where it was and allow motorists to drive around it. Traffic jammed up even worse as residents and workers lined up to evacuate the region."
Now listen to this!!! "Under normal conditions, the Mississippi River dumps two billion cubic feet of water per hour into the Gulf of Mexico. But on the night of August 17th, the waters of the Mississippi met a greater force in the Camille storm surge. As the waters from the Gulf of Mexico rose sixteen feet higher than the Mississippi, huge whirlpools formed at the mouth of the delta ... and then the unthinkable happened ... the waters of America's 'Big River' began to run BACKWARDS!!! As far as 120 river miles ... from the mouth of the Mississippi to Carrollton, Louisiana ... the currents were running Northward." The storm was now literally defying the natural laws of physics!!!
Camille finally made landfall at approximately 11:30 PM Sunday Night at Bay St. Louis in Hancock County, Mississippi. She hit the mainland with the highest storm surge ever recorded on U.S. Coastland. Reports filed at the time indicate that the water rose to within the third floor of apartment buildings, meaning the surge had now risen to twenty-eight feet above sea level!
"Meteorologists concluded that just before landfall, Camille's winds had reached a record speed of 201 miles per hour. Boats were washed inland and collided with houses. The areas of Clermont Harbor, Lakeshore, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport Beach and Biloxi were decimated."
All or part of twenty six counties in Mississippi, two in Alabama and nine parishes in Louisiana were all declared disaster areas. In Mississippi and Alabama alone 3868 homes were destroyed and 42,092 were damaged. (I believe I just heard this past weekend that Hurricane Katrina destroyed or damaged something like 35,000 homes in New Orleans four years ago.) Camille next moved north to Tennessee, then into Kentucky, then across the southern tip of West Virginia and through Virginia before heading back out into the Atlantic Ocean. It left 256 people dead in the receding waters and a total damage of more than $1.4 billion (in 1969 dollars).
re: BASEBALL:
Kent,
Like you, I am a huge baseball and music fan. I have been a SF Giants fan since 1962, after watching the Dodgers - Giants 3 game playoff, and attending game six of the Yankees - Giants World Series. I got Joe DiMaggio's autograph, but had no idea who he was, and lost it by the time I got home.
I remember well, the Cubs and the Mets that year, the first year of division play. The Giants had finished second to the Cardinals the prior two years, and they were in the East. The Giants finished second again (West) to the Braves.
Dwight Rounds
Like the song says, most of us "root, root, root for the home team" and "if they don't win, it's a shame" ... but here in Chicago in 1969, The Cubs DID win ... the greatest percentage of the time ... (well, in hindsight, the SECOND greatest percentage of the time) ... and the club truly did deserve better ... but it was The Mets' year and they sure made baseball exciting for the last six weeks of the season! (kk)
re: SQUEAKY FROMME:
Speaking of Squeaky Fromme, did you happen to catch the bit that David Letterman did after she was released on parole?
David Lewis
This is GREAT!!! Thanks so much for sharing with us! (kk)
re: TEDDY KENNEDY:
Thanks for your realistic commentary on Kennedy. He is portrayed in the media as a statesman. All he did was try to take other people's money to help the poor (after 70% for administration). I know of nothing he did personally to help anyone less fortunate. I don't think he ever worked a day in his life.
Other accomplishments -
1. He was caught cheating at Harvard when he attended it. He was expelled twice, once for cheating on a test, and once for paying a classmate to cheat for him.
2. While expelled, Kennedy enlisted in the Army, but mistakenly signed up for four years instead of two. Oops! The man can't count to four! His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, former U.S. Ambassador to England (a step up from bootlegging liquor into the US from Canada during prohibition), pulled the necessary strings to have his enlistment shortened to two years, and to ensure that he served in Europe, not Korea , where a war was raging. No preferential treatment for him! (like he charged that President Bush received).
3. Kennedy was assigned to Paris, never advanced beyond the rank of Private, and returned to Harvard upon being discharged. Imagine a person of his "education" NEVER advancing past the rank of Private!
4. While attending law school at the University of Virginia, he was cited for reckless driving four times, including once when he was clocked driving 90 miles per hour in a residential neighborhood with his headlights off after dark. Yet his Virginia driver's license was never revoked. Coincidentally, he passed the bar exam in 1959. Amazing!
5. In 1964, he was seriously injured in a plane crash, and hospitalized for several months. Test results done by the hospital at the time he was admitted had shown he was legally intoxicated. The results of those tests remained a "state secret" until in the 1980's when the report was unsealed. Didn't hear about that from the unbiased media, did we?
8. Kennedy held his Senate seat for more than forty years, but considering his longevity, his accomplishments seem scant. He authored or argued for legislation that ensured a variety of civil rights, increased the minimum wage in 1981, made access to health care easier for the indigent, and funded Meals on Wheels for fixed-income seniors and is widely held as the "standard-bearer for liberalism". In his very first Senate roll, he was the floor manager for the bill that turned U.S. immigration policy upside down and opened the floodgate for immigrants from third world countries.
9. Since that time, he has been the prime instigator and author of every expansion of an increase in immigration, up to and including the latest attempt to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. Not to mention the pious grilling he gave the last two Supreme Court nominees, as if he was the standard bearer for the nation in matters of "what's right". What a pompous ass!
10. He is known around Washington as a public drunk, loud, boisterous and very disrespectful to ladies. JERK is a better description than "great American". "A blonde in every pond" is his motto.
Dwight Rounds
Far be it from me to speak ill of the dead ... in fact, Frannie and I watched some of the memorial service for Kennedy over the weekend and some of it was quite touching ... but Teddy SURE seemed to have received some pretty preferential treatment over the years ... but honestly, this just seems to be the Kennedy way. NONE of these guys ... immediate family, children, cousins, whomever ... have EVER really been held accountable for any wrong that they've done ... and their "accomplishments" have been built up to what some might consider "folklore" proportions. That Edward Kennedy was allowed to have ANY sort of public, political career at ALL after the Chappaquiddick incident is beyond my comprehension ... and sadly the TRUE events of that day have forever been buried with the bodies of Mary Jo Kopechne and now Teddy himself.
Again quoting from Rob Kirkpatrick's book "1969: The Year Everything Changed" ... a MUST read for anybody who enjoyed our 1969 Series ...
Sometime very late Friday night or early Saturday morning, Ray LaRosa had been sitting on the front porch of the cottage when he'd seen a lone figure approaching in the dark. He heard Kennedy's voice telling him to get Markham and Gargan. (All three of these men were Kennedy aides who were staying with him at Cape Cod. kk) La Rosa went in to fetch the two men, who went outside to meet Kennedy. "There's been a terrible accident," the senator told them. "The car's gone off the bridge down by the beach, and Mary Jo is in it."
They got in a car and quickly drove out to Dyke Bridge. When they arrived, the headlights of their car shone on the underside of Kennedy's Delmont 88, which lay upside down in the saltwater currents of Poucha Pond, about ten feet to the right of the bridge. Markham said, "Holy God."
"I realized if Mary Jo was in that car, there was no hope," Gargan said later. "I said to myself, 'Oh shit, this is over! This is done. She's gone.'"
The three men got out of the car. Gargan and Markham undressed and made their way out to the submerged car. They tried in vain to locate Kopechne in the dark waters. The current threatened to carry them away from the car, and at one point, Gargan says, he got trapped inside the car and almost drowned. He later remembered looking up and seeing Kennedy laying on the bridge on his back, his hands clasped behind his head, his knees draw to him, saying aloud, "Oh, my God. What am I going to do?"
Gargan and Marham gave up their search, and the three drove to the ferry landing. Gargan insisted that they needed to report the accident. Kennedy, he says, told him, "All right, all right, Joey! I'm tired of listening to you. I'll take care of it. You go back; don't upset the girls. Don't get them involved." With that, Kennedy dove into the Sound and began swimming toward the mainland.
"I hope he drowns, the son of a bitch!" Gargan said.
So even Kennedy's closest aides couldn't believe the way Kennedy had chosen to deal with this crisis. In fact, with a car available to the three men, one cannot help but wonder why Teddy dove into the water and SWAM back to the house!!! (To solidfy his personal "rescue mission" perhaps???) As I mentioned in our original piece, Kennedy settled with the Kopechne family financially shortly thereafter and we really haven't heard much from them at all these past forty years. A shame, 'though, that their young 28 year old daughter lost her life that night as a direct result of Kennedy's negligence yet HE was able to still complete a very public, high-profile career in politics. Much has been said about how the incident forever ended his chances for the Presidency ... in MY mind, he should have spent the majority of that time behind bars!!! (kk)
Hi KK:
This is one I can't pass without comment.
About Senator Kennedy's death ...
I think kicking him around about Chappaquiddick at this point is about as useful as stoning a dead horse. God is well aware and we know that Kennedy had his day in court, in the media and in his own conscience. If there were more reasons and actionable evidence to back it up, other legal options were easily available at the time for the prosecuting attornies ...
Respectfully acknowledging any bad things done, if we're typing about crimes of magnitude and politicians whose behavior causes innocent people to die, I'm comfortable arguing that EMK was a speck in the wind compared to some of the other usual suspects by the Potomac. I know there are a lot of good demonstrated things to say about the guy. If you want a good starter, here's just a "little" one. After 9/11 to pay his respects, he personally called every surviving family of victims who lived in Massachusetts. Class.
Best Regards!
JBK
Yes, you can turn me on! I'm on the radio! Surf City Sounds Plus: http://www.Live365.com/stations/johns805?play
They always say that you should never discuss religion or politics ... and Forgotten Hits is, after all, a MUSIC publication first and foremost ... the whole Kennedy thing only came up because it was a MAJOR news story of 1969 ... and, quite honestly, politics has little if anything to do with it.
However, I must address one of your comments above ... Edward Kennedy did NOT have his day in court ... NO charges were ever filed against the Senator. Instead, Kennedy plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident ... and that was it. When he called a national press conference to address the evening's events and apologize to the nation (and Mary Jo's family) ... a great PR move as a means to show that he, too, was a victim here who could have also perished in the crash ... he was COMPLETELY let off the hook and never faced ANY type of criminal charges. In fact, his little speech was SO effective that the next day The Washington Post would write: "We suspect he will suffer enough in any case ... this man who has already suffered the loss of an eldest brother, shot down in a war, a sister killed in a plane cras, and two brothers murdered by assassins."
Forgetting right or wrong for the moment ... and dealing ONLY with preferential treatment ... I guess I would ask how these past personal circumstances would absolve him of his OWN guilt in this instance. I mean, a young woman DIED due to his negligence! I guess I would ask you how you think YOU would have been treated by the courts had YOU been the one driving the car that evening, going off the bridge into the water and having your female companion drown. I wonder how YOUR life might have changed had you experienced these same set of circumstances. That's not a political commentary ... not by ANY stretch of the imagination. That's simply a case of what's right and what's wrong. Reckless homicide? Never mentioned. Involuntary manslaughter? The subject never came up. And, as I stated earlier, after nine hours had passed, you couldn't even test Kennedy for sobriety ... if he HAD been drinking (and odds are he had been), he'd already slept it off by the time he went and told anybody about the accident! So there weren't even DUI charges discused. I cannot help but wonder: What do you think YOUR penalty would have been under the same circumstances?
Quoting Time Magazine: "Forty years later, the question people asked in the immediate wake of the tragedy that blotted the character and career of Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy remains germane: What was he thinking? Here are the facts of the case, as Time first reported them: Kennedy's career was threatened not by a violent enemy or a political foe, but by a scandal that revealed a shocking lapse of judgement and control. Kennedy's lost night on Chappaquiddick Island off Martha's Vineyard and the mystifying week that followed brought back all the old doubts about his character. For approximately nine hours after the car he was driving plunged from Dike Bridge into Poucha Pond, carrying his only passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year old aide in Kennedy-family political campaigns, to a death by drowining, Kennedy failed to notify police. After his first brief and inadequate statement at the station house, his silence allowed time for both honest questions and scurrilous gossip to swirl around his reputation and future.
"Days after the July 18 accident Kennedy withdrew his initial opposition to misdemeanor proceedings against him and pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident. That night on national TV, he told his version of the events, assuming full responsiblity for his failure to report the incident. 'I was overcome,' the Senator said, by 'grief, fear, doubt, exhaustion, panic, confusion and shock.' He was never punished by the courts for his deed. Kopechne's family is reported to have received an undisclosed sum of money as settlement from the Senator's family.
Forgiven by Mary Jo's family, I cannot help but wonder (to paraphrase Crosby, Stills and Nash, ALSO huge in 1969) "the cost of freedom." How much did Kennedy pay to win their silence and forgiveness? Again, I cannot help but wonder how intensely they might have pursued someone else in this instance, had YOU, for example, been driving that car.
Did Kennedy go on to serve a distinguished career in the Senate. Yes, he did. Would America have been cheated out of his policies and wisdom had he been locked up forty years ago? Most likely so. Was he treated fair and square, just like any OTHER U.S. citizen under the same circumstances? Not even close!!! (kk)
re: THE MUSIC OF 1969:
1969 was a GREAT year for our New Colony 6! Did you ever notice that almost every Christmas in 1965-72 era that this group seemed to be charting with a very special song?
12/1965: I Confess,
12/66: Love You So Much,
12/68: Things I'd Like to Say,
12/69: Barbara I Love You,
12/71: Long Time to be Alone,
12/72: Never Be Lonely
Think about it! Pretty amazing, I think, that every Christmas time, there were the NC6 to fill the stockings!! Had "Treat Her Groovy" taken off like Mercury Records thought, that would have covered 1967 (it fell off WLS in late Nov. 67) and had the six issued "Muddy Feet" as a followup to "Close Your Eyes Little Girl", it could have covered 1970 too!
The Buckinghams had a mini-version with 12/66: Kind of a Drag,
12/67: Susan and
12/68: Where Did You Come From.
The Cryan Shames only had I Wanna Meet You / We Could be Happy still barely selling in 12/66, but "A Scratch in the Sky" was just out for Christmas, 1967.
SO, 1969 was a banner year for the NC6 and, thus, for my ears too! Four GREAT singles: "Things I'd Like to Say," "I Could Never Lie to You," "I Want You to Know" and "Barbara, I Love You" (which I then rated my #1 record of the year).
On the local Chicago radio scene in early 69, Barney Pip was still doing his live remotes from the Cheetah! Club in Chicago. In an effort to go with a younger DJ lineup to combat the "young" themed WCFL, WLS moved old fave Ron Riley to later night to make room for Chuck Buell in the early evening following Larry Lujack, who was now playing a vague rendition of the survey countdown in the afternoons. It was no longer the strict regimented Dex Card countdown show of two years previous. Personally, I was still playing my reel to reel taping of the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog" and "It's All Too Much" from November, 1968, when Ron Riley played them as "WLS Exclusives" that would never available to the public until February, 1969. Speaking of the fabs, "The White Album" (not called that at the time) was getting considerable play in early 69. Many do not realize that non-45 LP tracks were not heard much on AM, but most stations did program "something" off the double Lp set. I taped San Antonio's 50000 watt juggernaut playing "Rocky Raccoon", WLS playing the expected "Back in the USSR" and "Birthday" and I caught Ron Kingbee Britain at CFL going out on a limb with "Yer Blues"!!
Chicago music of 69 by debut:
January: Things I'd Like to Say (NC6), Keep the Faith - American Breed, Soulful Strut - Young Holt Unlimited, Where Did You Come From - Buckinghams
February: First Strain to California - Cryan Shames
March: Who's Making Love - Young Holt Unlimited, Only the Strong Survive - Jerry Butler, Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis,
April: Hunky Funky - American Breed, This Is How Much I Love You - Buckinghams, I Could Never Lie to You - NC6
May: Moody Woman - Jerry Butler
July: Choice of Colors - Impressions, Room At The Top - American Breed, Questions 67 & 68 - Chicago, Straight Ahead - Young Holt Unlimited
August: Let Me Be The Man My Daddy Was - Chi Lites, All The Waiting Is Not In Vain - Tyrone Davis, I Want You To Know - NC6, What's The Use Of Breakin' Up - Jerry Butler, It's A Beautiful Day - Buckinghams
October: Cool It - American Breed, Strange - Aorta, Rainmaker - Cryan Shames
November: To Change My Love - Chi Lites, Barbara I Love You - NC6 (my #1 song of 69)
December: Beginnings - Chicago, Want You To Know - Rotary Connection
In 1969, I loved TOP 40 music! I loved rock, ballads, country and all that was Top 40 then! Great MOR or ballads of 69 chronologically:
Wichita Lineman, Scarborough Fair (Mendes), Games People Play, If I Only Had Time - Nick DeCaro, Maybe Tomorrow - Iveys, The Letter - Arbors, Galveston, These Eyes, When You Dance - Jay & Americans, We Can't Go On This Way - Unchained Mynds, Carolina In My Mind - James Taylor, Welcome Me Love - Brooklyn Bridge, Morning Girl - Neon Philharmonic, Where's The Playground Susie - Glen Campbell, Someday Man - Monkees, Never Comes The Day - Moodies, Sometimes In Winter - BS&T, Imagine the Swan - Zombies, Mannix - Lalo Schifrin, I Can't Quit Her - Arbors, Hurt So Bad - Lettermen, First Hymn from the Grand Terrace - Mark Lindsay, True Grit - Glen Campbell, Can't Find The Time - Orpheus, This Girl Is A Woman Now - Gary Puckett, No One For Me To Turn To - Spiral Staircase, Mah-Na Mah-Na - Soundtrack, Colour of My Love - Jefferson, Raindrops ... - BJ Thomas, Sunlight - Youngbloods, Midnight - Classics IV, I Guess the Lord Must Be in NYC - Nilsson, He Ain't Heavy - Hollies, Midnight Cowboy - John Barry (45 version), She Belongs To Me - Rick Nelson, She's Ready - Spiral Staircase, Arizona - Mark Lindsay, Groovin - Newbeats, Walkin in the Rain - Jay & Americans, Mornin Mornin - Bobby Goldsboro, She Lets Her hair Down -Tokens, Baby Take Me In Your Arms - Jefferson
Great pop rock / psychedelic of 69 chronologically: Come on React - Fireballs, Hooked on a Feeling, I Put a Spell On You - Spirit, California Soul - 5th Dimension, Time of the Season - Zombies, Long Green - Fireballs (then, my #2 song for the year!), Hot Smoke & Sassafras - Bubble Puppy, Soul Experience - Iron Butterfly, Apricot Brandy - Rhinoceros, Brother Love's Travelin Salvation Show - Neil Diamond, Goodbye Columbus - Association, Will You Be Staying After Sunday - Peppermint Rainbow, Kick Out the Jams - MC5, Good Times, Bad Times - Led Zep, Badge - Cream, Sorry Suzanne - Hollies, Don't Let Me Down - Beatles, Medicine Man - Buchanan Bros, More & More - BS&T, See - Rascals, Listen to the Band - Monkees, Good Morning Starshine - Oliver, Breakaway - Beach Boys, The Minotaur - Dick Hyman, I'd Wait a Million Years - Grass Roots, I'm Free - Who, Commotion - CCR, Muddy River - Johnny Rivers, You I - Rugbys, White Bird - It's a Beautiful Day, Evil Woman - Crow, Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman, Celebrate - Three Dog Night, Heaven Knows - Grass Roots, Jongo - Santana, Some of Shelley's Blues - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Time Machine - Grand Funk Railroad, Venus - Shocking Blue, Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin, She - T James, Why Should I Cry - Gentrys, No Time - Guess Who, Vicoria - Kinks, Wonderful World, Beautiful People - Jimmy Cliff
Best Bubblegum of 69 chronologically: Bubblegum Music - Double Bubble Trading etc, Rainbow Ride - Andy Kim, Goody Goody Gumdrops - 1910 Fruitgum Co, Feelin So Good - Archies, Hair - Cowsills, Teardrop City - Monkees, Stay & Love Me All Summer - Brian Hyland, Abergavenny - Shannon, I'm Gonna Make You Mine - Lou Christie, The Train - 1910 FC, Sausolito - Ohio Express, Make Believe - Wind, Tracy - Cuff Links, Jam Up And Jelly Tight - Tommy Roe, Cowboy Convention - Ohio Express
Best R&B / Soul / Gospel of 69 chronologically: I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye, Everyday People, Hang 'em High - Booker T, 25 Miles - Edwin Starr, Time is Tight - Booker T, Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins, Too Busy Thinkin - Marvin Gaye, Black Pearl - Checkmates, But It's Alright - JJ Jackson, That's the Way God Planned It - Billy Preston, Your Good Thing - Lou Rawls, When I Die - Motherlode, Turn On a Dream - Box Tops, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - Joe Cocker
Best LP cuts of 69 chronologically: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Sweet Girl of Mine - Cryan Shames, Well All Right - Blind Faith, Carry That Weight - Beatles, Out in the Cold Again - Gary Puckett, Midnight Rambler - Stones
Best obscure 45s of 1969 chronologically: Heart Teaser - Flavor, Beautiful Sun - Peppermint Trolley co, Softly, Softly - Equals, Paxton Quigley's Had the Course - Chad & Jeremy, Honey Do - Strangeloves, Laughin Lady - Parade, Light of Love - Pleasure Seekers, Blackberry Way - Move, 24 Hours of Loneliness - Classics IV, Something's Happening - Herman's Hermits, Heaven Help You - Montanas, Rainbow Valley - Love Affair, I Know You - MC2, Summer Skies - Higher Elevation, Don Juan - Dave Dee, etc, I Shall Be Released - Tremeloes, Love Story - Jethro Tull, Hello World - Tremeloes, One Road - Love Affair, Ulla - People, And She's Mine - Spanky & Our Gang, Green Door - Jerms, Knock on Wood - Harper's Bizarre, Time To Make a Turn - Crow, Yes I Will - Association, I Can Remember - Peter & Gordon, For Pete's Sake - Sweetwater, I Am The World - Bee Gees, Rain-Jose Feliciano, Space Oddity - David Bowie, Living in the Past- Jethro Tull (First time around), Love & Let Love - Hardy Boys, If There Ever Was a Time - Lighthouse, C'Mon Everybody - NRBQ, Moment of Madness - Flowerpot Men, Why Need They Pretend - Lewis & Clarke, The Drifter - Steve Lawrence, Baby You Come Rollin Cross My Mind - John Beland, Superman - Clique, Natural Born Woman - Humble Pie, Bringing on Back the Good Times - Love Affair, Baby Make It Soon - Marmalade, Save the Country - Sugar Shoppe, Wasn't Born to Follow - Byrds, Tears of Joy - Real Thing, Just With You - Chakras, Watch Her Walk - Affection Collection
-- Clark Besch
Thanks, Clark. Our look back at the Music of 1969 will wrap up our '69 Salute later this week ... including an official countdown of The Top 50 Songs From The Summer of '69 ... which we're still hoping Y103.9 may pick up for their Labor Day / "Last Blast Of Summer" Weekend! (kk)
Hey Kent:
These were basically my Top 5 records from 1969 at the time:
Honky Tonk Women - Stones
Badge - Cream
Hot Smoke & Sasafrass - Bubble Puppy
Good Morning Starshine - Oliver
Proud Mary - CCR
Guess I'll also put down my top faves from summer of '69. Some of these start in Spring so I'll list a total of 10.
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Something In The Air - Thunderclap Newman
One - 3 Dog Night
Did You See Her Eyes - Illusion
You I - Rugbys
Adding my 2 cents to 1969
Ken
Some good titles here ... quite of few of which we've covered before in Forgotten Hits. (kk)
Watch for our look back at The Music of 1969 ... coming up later this week in Forgotten Hits!
