Again, look at the variety on the radio back then ... '70's soft-rock favorites like The Carpenters, Bread and Carole King sharing space with hard-rocking artists like Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, T-Rex and Faces!
And then, just to REALLY throw things out of kilter, you've got The English Congregation singing "Softly Whispering I Love You" at #20 and a little Classical Pop with Apollo 100's version of "Joy".
Also in The Top Ten ... one of our very first Forgotten Hits interviewees, Beverly Bremers!
This WLS chart from 1969 now has sentimental meaning to me ... here in Chicago our new FH Buddy Tommy Roe leaps 16 positions to the #1 spot on the charts with his monster hit "Dizzy". Other "Friends of Forgotten Hits" artists like The Turtles and The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Dionne Warwick, The Rascals and Paul Revere and the Raiders are also represented in the Chi-Town Top 40 for this week in 1969. And, of course, the pictured jock is none other than Kris Erik Stevens, who has ALSO participated with Forgotten Hits quite a few times these past few years! (I was 15 when this chart hit the streets ... never in my WILDEST dreams would I have dared to imagine that I'd be writing about ... and corresponding with ... these artists some 45 years later!)
Finally, jumping ahead ten years this week, we find a chart from the short-lived WE-FM (courtesy of Jack Levin). You'll definitely find some Bee Gees / Disco Flavor on this one ... Rod Stewart (who we just called a rocker in '72 when he was singing with Faces) was now prancing around in leotards asking the world if we thought he was sexy ... I, for one, have always voted "no" in this discussion! (lol)
Disco was everywhere in March of '79 ... "Le Freak" by Chic, "Y.M.C.A." by The Village People, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "Shake Your Groove Thing" by the comeback kids, Peaches and Herb, "Got To Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn, "Heaven Knows" by Disco Queen Donna Summer and "I Love The Night Life" by Alicia Bridges ruled the airwaves ... but there was still some decent pop music floating around, too.
Three of my favorites bring up the rear of the chart: "Dancin' Shoes" by Elton John's drummer Nigel Olsson, "Lady" by The Little River Band and "Song On The Radio" by Al Stewart. (In fact, The Little River Band and Al Stewart are both coming to Chicago this year to perform at Ron Onesti's Arcada Theatre ... and I can't wait to see them!)
Even more amazing ... ALL of the venues in 1979 that were hosting the biggest concerts in Chicago are long since gone. But all of these acts are still playing to packed house today, some 35 years later! Amazing!
