Great Dave Mason review. I've loved him for decades. He's an old pirate but still a tremendous talent. I still love the stuff he did with Cass Elliot way back when.
David Salidor
I think Dave Mason has played with just about everybody over the years … yet still maintained his status as a solo artist, too. Their reading of “We Just Disagree” knocked me out the other night … completely blew me away. You don’t get that type of electric reaction at a show very often … but this performance was full tilt. (kk)
kk,
Great review.
Fuck, where was he? I would have killed to have been in the house for that show to see Steve Cropper!
Steve Cropper has been a hero to me for 50 years. What a great pairing. Ronnie hit the ball 450 feet again. Somehow, that show seems nearly as energizing as the Stones or Beach Boys 50th reunion tours.
Chet Coppock
It was a GREAT show – last Wednesday at The Arcada … I thought for sure I’d see you there. (And the REAL shame is that I’ll betcha the place was only half full.) Ron should bring them back for another show so that a little bit of good word of mouth can fill the place … it is DEFINITELY a show worth seeing. (kk)
Thank you for saying what needed to be said in regard to the relationships of a select few of the Cornerstones Of Rock participants. It was a bold and selfless thing to do. I can only hope that this doesn’t permanently the relationship you have built with some of these artists over the years as it is very clear how much this means to you. Still, you prioritized the truth over the friendship and that’s a pretty admirable trait.
Pat
Can you really hold something against someone for stating the obvious? It’s not like I revealed some long-hidden truth … those in the circle have known about this for years. (And it’s pretty hard to get in trouble when you stick to the truth! It’s also much tougher to debate!)
I’m hoping that we can all live happily ever after from this point forward. As previously stated, there isn’t anything more I can say or do that will change ANYTHING … so I say from this point forward let’s all just sit back and enjoy the show … ‘cause it’s a HELL of a show! (kk)
Thanks, Kent … this piece was very well written.
Drew
Well done, Mr. Kotal!
Thanks again for caring enough about the silliness that all my friends and I created many decades ago that you have willingly put yourself and FH out there risking potential estrangement from those of us whose work you amazingly not only tolerate but admire. You are a true friend – regardless of the thoughts you share and whether or not I agree with them. Real prophecy does not necessarily appeal to all but the truth in said statements (such as those shared today) is, in my mind anyway, undeniable!
Peace and blessings, brother Kent …
Ray
Hey Kent,
Reading about the Three Dog Night / Chuck Negron drama sounds exactly like the Lettermen / Reunion drama. We never published our Reunion tour schedule because of the behind the scene lawsuit threats and hassle from the Lettermen concert promoter and the Lettermen camp, even though after the lawsuit by Tony Butala against Reunion we were given the right to use the Lettermen name promotionally in saying who we were, in order to get work. Even with that right, the bookers who booked Reunion still get harassment and threatening calls from the Lettermen camp. (Is there a lawsuit here?)
Just to let you know, Jim Pike recently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, so Reunion at this time has retired. Not to say that in the short term we might resurrect. Jim and I have a younger brother, Donny, who filled in for Jim in the Lettermen from 1974 through 1982, but that is jumping the gun just a bit. Along with singing with Reunion, I have an acting career, being strong in the commercials and TV department. I jumped into it right after I left the Lettermen in ‘81. So, the Reunion is not dead and buried just yet. Time will tell.
Onward for us all,
Ex-Lettermen and Reunion retiree,
Gary Pike
Reading about the Three Dog Night / Chuck Negron drama sounds exactly like the Lettermen / Reunion drama. We never published our Reunion tour schedule because of the behind the scene lawsuit threats and hassle from the Lettermen concert promoter and the Lettermen camp, even though after the lawsuit by Tony Butala against Reunion we were given the right to use the Lettermen name promotionally in saying who we were, in order to get work. Even with that right, the bookers who booked Reunion still get harassment and threatening calls from the Lettermen camp. (Is there a lawsuit here?)
Just to let you know, Jim Pike recently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, so Reunion at this time has retired. Not to say that in the short term we might resurrect. Jim and I have a younger brother, Donny, who filled in for Jim in the Lettermen from 1974 through 1982, but that is jumping the gun just a bit. Along with singing with Reunion, I have an acting career, being strong in the commercials and TV department. I jumped into it right after I left the Lettermen in ‘81. So, the Reunion is not dead and buried just yet. Time will tell.
Onward for us all,
Ex-Lettermen and Reunion retiree,
Gary Pike
It can often become a convoluted mess … and it’s a real shame. We’ve seen it far too often where the voice most associated with and responsible for the act’s overall sound is barred from using the band’s name in any fashion when promoting their own solo shows. It gets REAL crazy … down to things like “the size of this type for your name has to be xx% larger than the size of the type being used showing the former band’s name”. Regardless, I say EVERYBODY’S got the right to earn a living in whatever fashion they choose … and if their gift was their voice, they ought to be able to go out there and satisfy the fans who still want to hear it. This is why guys like Chuck Negron, Mark Lindsay, Burton Cummings, Dennis Tufano and many, many others struggle every day to secure bookings for fear of over-saturating the market with versions of the same bands playing the same songs at often the same venues. But honestly, who do you want to see ... John Fogerty, the guy who wrote and sang EVERY song Creedence Clearwater Revival did, or Creedence Clearwater Revisited, featuring the band's rhythm section of Doug Clifford on drums and Stu Cook on bass with some type of lame Fogerty sound-alike up there handling the lead vocals? Kinda reminds me of that scene in Eddie and the Cruisers! (kk)
And, speaking of Dennis Tufano, a few more shows have been announced since our last posting …
August 15, 2018, 7 pm EDT
Dennis Tufano
Fraternal Order of Police Concert
Monroe High School Auditorium, 901 Herr Road, Monroe, Michigan
August 16, 2018, 7 pm EDT
Dennis Tufano
Fraternal Order of Police Concert
Berkley High School Auditorium, Berkley, Michigan
August 31, 2018, 7 pm CT
Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Dennis Tufano,
and Mitch Ryder!.
Welk Resort Theater, Branson, Missouri
For tickets ($50), call (800) 504-0115.
September 23, 2018, 6 pm CT
Dennis Tufano
Soundtrack: Life's Musical Journey
Copernicus Center
5216 W. Lawrence, Chicago, Illinois.
Tickets: $50-$100. ($100 includes meet and greet before the show.)
Visit link above or call (877) 987-6487.
September 29, 2018, 2 p.m. ET or 7:30 pm ET
Fall Doo Wop Cavalcade
The Duprees, Charlie Thomas' Drifters, Jay Siegel's Tokens, Dennis Tufano, the original voice of The Buckinghams, The Marcels, and The Devotions
American Music Theater, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Tickets: $45
October 6, 2018, 7 pm ET.
Jay & The Americans, The Vogues, and Dennis Tufano
Roslyn Rocks for the Wounded Warriors
Roslyn High School, 475 Round Hill Road, Roslyn, New York
Tickets: $45
October 13, 2018, 7:30 pm ET
Dennis Tufano, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, The Brooklyn Bridge
A Night of Music & Memories VII, Presents Back to the Sixties
Springer Concert Hall, 2800 Victory Blvd., Center for the Arts at College of Staten Island, Staten Island, N.Y.
Tickets: $60, $55 (Orchestra); $45, $35 (Balcony)
If they really want to take the Cornerstones of Rock on the road they should test the friendly waters of Scottsdale. AZ. I would recommend the month of February, during the Cubs spring training. The place is crawling with Chicago area people of this age group. We’ll be there if they do.
Robert S. Campbell
Actually, that’s a really good suggestion. Thanks, Robert! (kk)
We played telephone tag with Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight again last week, just checking in to make sure he was feeling all right. (Unfortunately, once again we never connected.)
Regular FH Contributor Shelley Sweet-Tufano let us know that Jimy was on Mark Dawson’s “Making Noise” program Thursday Night and attributed his light-headedness to dehydration. (You can listen to that entire program via the link below.) We’re just glad to hear that he’s doing all right and is already back out performing again. (kk)
Kent –
Are you listening to Mark Dawson? Jimy Sohns is on explaining what happened to him at the last Cornerstones show. Dehydration.
Jimy explained the he experienced extreme light-headedness caused by dehydration at the Cornerstones show. He explained to Mark Dawson on Our Generation Radio that he, indeed, had to be helped from the stage and did not know himself what was wrong until he was checked out afterward. He has since done concerts in the Boston area, and had no recurrences of the light-headedness. Singing in hot / humid weather, and back-to-back, concerts is what set this all in motion. You can listen to a replay of Mark’s show to hear the full interview as it was lengthy, covering several topics.
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano
Thanks to all who tuned in to the “Making Noise with Mark Dawson” show last night … and also those who joined the chat.
Jimy Sohns was a hoot ... I love that guy. Here is last night’s show, in its entirety, for those who missed it … or those who just want to enjoy it all once again. Thanks so much!
Mark Dawson
And it was a real kick to hear The Buckinghams / Gary Theroux “History Of Rock And Roll” episode air on Rewound Radio on Friday. (I’m telling you, they’ve got the BEST stuff playing all day long!)
Here it is again in case you missed it. (kk)
Frank Sinatra:
We're STILL getting some good response to our little Frank Sinatra mini-series from a couple of weeks ago. Meanwhile, sad news this weekend about the passing of Frank’s first wife, Nancy, who married the singer just as his career was taking off. (They would have three children together … Nancy, Jr., Frank, Jr. and Tina.)
The Sinatras married on February 4th, 1939, and remained married until news of his affair with actress Ava Gardner became public in 1951. (This was hardly Frank’s first rodeo … and he had asked for a divorce numerous times before but Nancy refused to let him go.) Ultimately, he finally just left her … and reportedly wanted out of the marriage so badly he agreed to pay her 10% of his gross income for the rest of her life or until she remarried as part of the settlement. Sinatra married Gardner shortly thereafter … and then remarried twice more to actress Mia Farrow and one time show girl Barbara Marx (former wife of Zeppo Marx of The Marx Brothers.) Nancy, meanwhile, never remarried, so she collected quite royally on their arrangement, since she also lived to be 101! (kk)
I don't profess to be a real Sinatra fan by any stretch, but I'd figure Frank intended this recording of "Mrs. Robinson" as a gag to begin with. Note that he changes Simon's "Jesus" lyric to "Jilly" (a reference to longtime friend and restaurant owner Jilly Rizzo [Wikipedia link]) Still, every big artist had their stinkers, and this can very easily be one of his.
BOB FRABLE
Honestly, I think Ol’ Blue Eyes was trying to create his own spin on a pop classic, trying to reinvent it in his own particular style of hip and swing … but that this time he swung … and he missed. (kk)
Hi Kent,
What a giant response and what a hit your "Strangers In The Night" feature was. And what a giant helping of irony being it replicated the exact surprising response this record elicited from the record listening and buying public in the era of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, McCoys, Dave Clark Five, Byrds, Sonny and Cher and countless other artists occupying the Pop Charts at the time. And with that same touch of irony was the glory of Top 40, never short of surprises with heaping portions of variety. When you were programming and dealing with songs like "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly or "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat, bridging the contrast with a song or jingle certainly was more of a challenge than the safe formats of today. There aren't a lot of stations currently with both the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction" and Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" on their same on-air playlist, for better or for worse.
With Top 40, it seemed like a new song or sound could come along at any moment and change the trend when you least expected it. Not so with the hyper-focused and distilled formats of today. I am sure every generation feels this same way. And, I am sure in another ten years, if that long, Ariana Grande and Drake are going to be asking themselves: "Just what the hell is going on?"
Keep up the great work and supply of unexpected elements of surprise with your baby, Forgotten Hits! Love it!
Thank-You,
Tim Kiley
>>>I have the 45 of “The Men In My Little Girl’s Life,” but I don't want to dig it out and download it because it DOES suck. However, I THINK you may be playing the stereo alternate and not the 45 version of the hit.
(Clark Besch)
There is no difference, other than the stereo separation, between the 45 and LP versions of "The Men In My Little Girl's Life." This is confirmed on Pat Downey's website, where he tags the differences (if any) among the versions of Top 40 hits that have appeared on U.S. CDs.
– Randy Price
– Randy Price
Another way of saying it’s just as awful in mono as it is in stereo! (lol) kk
This And That:
VERY cool to see Forgotten Hits mentioned in The Daily Herald on Sunday, one of the most-read newspapers in our area (both physical copies and online.) Special thanks to Ron Onesti for telling the world that he starts every Sunday Morning with Forgotten Hits. Thanks, Ron … I appreciate it. (Of course it would have been even COOLER if the link worked! Lol Because Forgotten is misspelled as Forgotton, clicking on it won’t actually take you anywhere!!!) But still, it’s the thought that counts. (And who knows … since he starts his Sunday Mornings with Forgotten Hits, he might actually be reading this RIGHT NOW in his BVD’s … a picture I need to erase from my memory before I see him at the Freddy Cannon concert later today! Lol)
Great to see our old FH Pal Bob Stroud mentioned, too … his Rock And Roll Roots Radio Program has been a staple of Chicago Radio for over thirty years. He’s been with The Drive since Day One … and his ratings are thru the roof since The Loop closed a few months ago (and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.) Terri Hemmert over at WXRT gets a nod, too, for her long-running “Breakfast With The Beatles” program. (She’ll be one of the MC’s at The Fest For Beatles Fans next month when it hits Chicago.)
After that, the article goes on to mention several other FAR less famous people than us that nobody really cares about. (lol … just kidding … it’s just SUCH a kick to get a nod like this … completely unsolicited and unexpected … had a long time friend, former coworker and FH Reader not told me about it, I wouldn’t have even known it was up there!) kk
You’ll find a pretty prominent mention from Ron Onesti about you and FH in today's Daily Herald! Ron O runs an article every Friday in the Herald "Time Out!" section, mostly about the acts he books at the Arcada, and insider stuff about the artists. I get the Herald free at work, so I always read it. Today's is about how he spends his Sundays and he titled it "My Sunday Music." Here's a quote: "The host, Kent Kotal, is a wizard of music from the 60s and 70s, and between his informed take on popular music from those eras and letters on the subject from readers around the country...", etc. Anyway, if you don't have access, or haven't read it, I can send you a hard copy (or 7, lol!). Pretty cool.
Bob Burns
You can read the whole thing right here:
kk …
RIP Tab Hunter.
Mostly an actor, but he did have a #1 Hit in 1957 with "Young Love,” also a #1 Hit for Sonny James.
Frank B.
Tab Hunter had one of those “made for movies” faces … the very definition of “teen heartthrob.” He hit the pop charts a couple of times (although I doubt that even he would declare himself as much of a singer.) Probably more of a way to keep his face plastered on the covers of all those teeny-bop magazines! (kk)
The Tab Hunter Top 40 Hit List:
Young Love (#1, 1957)
Ninety-Nine Ways (#11, 1957)
Jealous Heart (#39, 1958)
Leaving you with a smile …
Got
this from Clark Weber, who tells us that this was WD-40’s first ad from back in
1964 when they were doing their first product launch.
This is a hoot! Too funny not
to share!
Clark
Clark
This
is a genuine ad from 1964 when WD-40 was first released. If you don't read
anything else today, this one just might make you laugh out loud. Their Ad Department sure had a
delightful way with words.
Watch for another new post tomorrow ... and, if all goes according to plan, on Tuesday and Wednesday, too! (kk)
