A very hastily put together edition as I am running out the door!!!
DICK DALE:
More comments on the late, great Dick Dale …
Including this one from Davie Allan, The King Of Fuzz, regarding The King Of Surf Guitar …
Kent,
I had trouble sleeping last night … it's always tough losing a friend.
Dick and I met in the 60's and in '85, he played on one of my tunes, "Surf Trek."
I wish we could've done more together.
Losing him and Hal Blaine has been beyond sad for me.
Thanks,
Davie
Hi, Kent.
I messed up (the old memory ain't what it used to was).
I saw Dick Dale at Durty Nellie's in Palatine, not Biddy Mulligan's.
It was on August 14th, 2016. Pam Pulice was nice enough to tell me about the performance and we went together. One of the best shows I've ever seen.
Here's a pic I took.
Mike Wolstein
kk:
Some Dick Dale Trivia …
Wild Wayne said that he personally witnessed Dick Dale melting guitar picks during his performance.
FB
Another one bites the dust.
This is not shaping up to be a good year for music icons.
We have lost Dick Dale, the king of the surf guitar. He was 81.
I did see him in concert sometime in the 80s.
Jack
Harvey Kubernik sent us this coverage from The New York Times …
The New York Times:
Dick Dale recorded the hit song “Misirlou” and influenced guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.
Dick Dale, King of the Surf Guitar, Is Dead at 81
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/obituaries/dick-dale-dead.html
By Emily S. Rueb and Jon Pareles
March 17, 2019
Dick Dale, who was known as the King of the Surf Guitar and recorded the hit song “Misirlou,” which was revived on the “Pulp Fiction” soundtrack, died on Saturday at a hospital in Southern California. He was 81.
Mr. Dale was a surfer, sound pioneer and guitarist whose unusual, percussive playing style and thick, thunderous music earned him the nickname the Father of Heavy Metal, and influenced the Beach Boys, the Cure, Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix.
Sam Bolle, a bassist who played with Mr. Dale’s namesake band, Dick Dale, for about 15 years, described him as “an aggressive and ferocious” musician who played like one of the lions he raised at his home.
“I played a gig with him about a month ago,” he said, and “he was still slaughtering people with volume.”
Mr. Dale was born Richard Monsour in Boston in 1937. He developed a musical signature that was influenced by the traditions of his Lebanese father and Eastern European mother, and the flamboyant big-band drummer Gene Krupa.
After moving to California as a child, Mr. Dale defined the sound of surf guitar as a musical expression of the elemental surge of the ocean, with its savage waves, its volatile crosscurrents and its tidal undertow. He played melodies that crisscrossed the beat with the determination of a surfer riding across choppy waves, forging a triumphant path above deep turbulence.
“Surf music is a heavy machine-gun staccato picking style to represent the power of Mother Nature, of our earth, of our ocean,” he told The New York Times in 1994. His almost constant tremolo created friction so intense that it melted his guitar picks and strings as he played.
“The staccato is so fast it heat-treats the strings,” he said. “They turn purple and black and they snap. And when I play, you’ll see a flurry of plastic — it just falls down like snow. I used to think it was dandruff. But I grind so hard that the guitar picks just melt down.”
His quest for a sonic impact to match what he had felt while surfing also led to innovations that would change the technology of electric guitars and amplification.
He called the surf music he played “a heavy machine-gun staccto picking style to represent the power of Mother Nature, of our earth, of our ocean.”
“Leo and I went to Lansing Speaker,” Mr. Dale said in 1994, “and we said, ‘We need a speaker that will not burn, will not flex, will not twist, will not break.’”
In the fast-changing 1960s, instrumental surf rock reigned briefly on the charts, and the Beach Boys used it as one foundation of their pop songs. Mr. Dale’s brash playing also found a fan in Jimi Hendrix, among many other guitarists, and, decades later, among a generation of indie-rockers who prized his untamed sound.
Chris Darrow, a multi-instrumentalist recording artist who has been in the music industry for 50 years, first saw Mr. Dale perform at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Newport Beach in the early 1960s.
“The intensity and volume of the performances were such that the wooden building seemed to lift off the ground when he played,” Mr. Darrow said in an interview with the music journalist Harvey Kubernik.
“Until the Beatles came along there was nothing that drove the audiences as wild like Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. He was boss.”
“The only real surf guitarist for me is Dick Dale,” he added. “All the rest are imitators.”
In 1963, Mr. Dale’s music was catapulted onto a national stage when he performed “Misirlou,” an adaptation of a traditional Arabic song, on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” That same song re-entered the mainstream in the 1990s, as the opening anthem for Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster film “Pulp Fiction.”
Mr. Watson, who played live with Mr. Dale for over a decade, said Mr. Dale had been sick for a while, but that “he’s such a bull,” he thought he would “power through it.”
“He’s an incredible loss for music,” he said.
Mr. Dale’s survivors include his wife and manager, Lana Dale, and his son, Jimmy.
“Don’t worry about yesterday and don’t worry about tomorrow,” Mr. Dale told California Rocker, an online music publication, in 2015. “Don’t worry about yesterday because it’s used. It’s either good or it leaves you feeling bad. And don’t waste time or energy worrying about tomorrow. I could have a stroke and be dead. That’s why they call it the present. It’s a present.”
For him, music was medicine.
Sandra E. Garcia and Richard Sandomir contributed reporting.
I’m sorry to hear about Dick Dale passing.
Dick’s guitar playing was a big influence on all of us, and we covered “Misirlou” on our Surfin’ USA album in ‘63.
Love & Mercy to Dick’s family.
Brian Wilson
Brian has got to be hurting this week with the loss of two of his greatest comrades and influences, Hal Blaine and now Dick Dale. Our hearts go out to you, too, Brian, as we’re certain you’re grieving. (kk)
Speaking of The Beach Boys, Billboard Magazine ran a nice tribute about Dick Dale’s influence on the band this past week.
Featuring memories from Bruce Johnston, Al Jardine, Mike Love and our FH Buddy Billy Hinsche, this is a very touching tribute:
OTHER SAD NEWS:
Longtime FH Reader Phil Miglioratti ran Fred Vail’s recent FH comments regarding Hal Blaine on his Pray For Surf website … and Fred elaborated a little bit more, too.
From FH Reader Ken Voss …
RIP Ozzy guitarist Bernie Torme …
And, from his brother Gary, a long-time Forgotten Hits Reader and Contributor, come this sad news about Jim Pike, founding member of The Lettermen …
Hey Kent,
I thought I’d let you know that my brother, Jim Pike, founder and creative force of the famed Lettermen vocal trio, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and now joins the ranks of many other 60’s recording stars with this affliction, and has retired from performing.
I like to say FAMED Lettermen because there were other Lettermen groups in the late 50’s and early 60’s that were irrelevant and had no hit records prior to the Capitol Records Jim Pike Lettermen.
After Jim sold the remaining interest in the Lettermen name, he went on to form The Reunion, with other ex-Lettermen and also helped put back together the Four Preps with Ed Cobb, Bruce Belland and David Somerville. They billed themselves as Three Golden Groups In One, “The Preps”, “The Lettermen” and “The Diamonds.” David Somerville and Ed Cobb have since passed away and Bruce continues on with the Four Preps with new guys.
Time goes on no matter how talented you are.
Thanks,
Ex - Letterman and Reunion,
Gary Pike
So sorry to hear the news, Gary … please pass along our very best wishes. (Dave Somerville as a “Friend of Forgotten Hits,” too.
I know the current version of The Lettermen play here nearly every Christmas but I have yet to see them in concert … I guess I always felt that without Jim’s presence, it just wouldn’t be the same. Readers are welcome to pass along any well-wishes to Jim Pike and we will be sure to forward them to his brother Gary. (kk)
ME-TV-FM:
To be clear, we weren’t really coming down on Me-TV or Me-TV-FM the other day … they do a GREAT job of preserving the music through their radio station as well as many of the vintage television programs we all grew up loving back in the day. It just seems to me they could do a better job of cross-promoting one another. (I know the radio station runs a number of TV themes as part of its regular programming … and will even feature a “sponsorship” promo along the lines of “The next hour of Me Music is being brought to you by Floyd’s Barber Shop” as a tip of the hat to one of their most popular programs, The Andy Griffith Show.
But while the premise of low Spotify downloads may have triggered the debate, they REALLY should have stressed the solution … Me-TV-FM … where you can hear ALL of these great songs (along with a whole lot more!) on a regular basis.
It was also to nudge them (once again) to start streaming. You’re sitting on a goldmine of memories that people all over the country (if not the world) would enjoy listening to … so SHARE IT WITH THEM!!! I don’t see any reason why the concept of Me-TV-FM Radio can’t become an Internet sensation once it captures its true potential audience. (Plus I’m sure something could be worked out where commercial breaks would allow each market across the country to run “local advertising” for their area, thus bringing in additional revenue to help offset some of the streaming costs. Scott Shannon did something similar to this with his True Oldies Channel for years.” In addition, then everybody listening would reap the benefit of an intelligently programmed station featuring this music the way it deserves to be heard.
Speaking of which, we heard from Neal Sabin, head honcho at Me-TV-FM, Me-TV and the Weigel Broadcasting Company, who still downplays the idea of streaming:
The radio station is local. The vast majority of our 27 million weekly Me-TV viewers can't listen to our audio. We’re trying to get affiliates. Streaming is a no win solution.
Neal
That’s exactly my point … you’ve got 27 million already established Me-TV fans who are all potential listeners if only given the chance to be able to tune in and listen.
Affiliates have been slow in coming … I believe there are only a few at this point … and I also believe some of those stations ARE streaming! So why not the flagship station, controlling this to ensure that what’s going out over the airwaves is EXACTLY the way you want the station represented?
I have no choice but to listen to the Milwaukee stream on my computer at work as my car doesn’t even pick up the 87.7 Chicago signal … yet another way you’re restricting your potential listenership.
Yet despite ALL of these factors, the ratings for the station continue to hold steady and/or grow. (Imagine the potential of what it COULD be!!!)
Meanwhile, Robert Feder is reporting that some internal changes have been made as well to help beef things up there …
WRME 87.7-FM, the Weigel Broadcasting soft-rock oldies and classic hits station known as Me-TV FM, just fortified its ranks with the addition of another Chicago radio veteran. Bob Lawson, best known for his many years as production director at the former WJMK, has been hired as production and programming assistant. He’ll report to program director Rick O’Dell and imaging and production director Bill Cochran. “Bob’s a great addition to the team because his background is a rare combination of production and programming,” O’Dell said. “Weigel likes to hire people whose baseball card would say ‘Infield-Outfield.’ Bob’s versatility is a huge plus for Me.”
It was also VERY cool to see The Monkees being advertised in this week’s edition of TV Guide. As we told you a couple of weeks ago, Me-TV is running two back-to-back episodes of the ‘60’s sitcom classic on Sunday afternoons, making their way through all 58 episodes.
And here’s something that sounds kinda interesting.
Me-TV is launching its first-ever original program …
A brand new television series titled “Collector’s Call” launches in April. It will spotlight collectors who have assembled mass collections of various types of memorabilia (think records, comic books, baseball cards, TV Guides, Wizard Of Oz and Disney items, etc.) and show off their collections … and the whole thing will be hosted by Lisa Whelchel (Blair of “The Facts Of Life,” one of Me-TV’s popular series.)
The show kicks off on April 7th and will air Sunday Nights at 9 pm here in Chicago. (Check your local listings for show times)
More information can be found here:
Definitely worth checking out!!! (kk)
ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION:
As part of our Atlanta Rhythm Section concert review we told you about a track we ran several years ago in FH where we took one of their biggest hits, “Imaginary Lover,” and sped up the album track to play at 45 rpm and, in the process, discovered a brand new version of the song seemingly sung by Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac! (If you haven’t already done so, give it a listen … it’s quite uncanny!)
Well, I’ve been reading the book “The Atlanta Rhythm Section: The Authorized History” by Willie B. Moseley (available thru their website or Amazon.com) and this very topic is discussed in Willie’s book!
Willie writes: “And while there aren’t any statistics to cite, ‘Imaginary Lover’ would also have a high ranking in the pantheon of rock music in a listing of songs that were intentionally played at the wrong speed by fans.
“While ‘Imaginary Lover’ might have owed a possible tip of the headstock to ethereal Fleetwood Mac ballads such as ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Dreams,’ the legend about a cover version of the Atlanta Rhythm Section song actually being recorded by the mighty Mac began when a radio deejay accidently played the A.R.S. hit at a faster speed than specified. However, listeners called in to express their approval of the tune, thinking, thinking it was a verson of the song that had indeed been recorded by Fleetwood Mac. The song sounded peppier, and the vocals sounded like chanteuse Stevie Nicks fronting the band she was currently a member of.
“Nicks herself heard about the musical incongruity and purchased her own copy of the A.R.S. song. Playing the disc at a faster speed, she dubbed ‘Imaginary Lover’ onto cassette and submitted it (as a gag) to bandmate Christine McVee; the speeded up tune was supposedly a demo for Fleetwood Mac’s future consideration. McVee was said to have been impressed by what she thought were Nick’s vocals and the ‘arrangement’ of the Atlanta Rhythm section tune.”
Too funny! (Now what would have REALLY been funny is if Stevie sang even a short portion of the song as a gag during a couple of Fleetwood Mac’s shows at the time. Anybody out there know if she did???) kk
ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION: THE HIT LIST
The Atlanta Rhythm Section charted eighteen times on the national charts between 1974 and 1981.
Here are their Ten Biggest Hits:
# 1 – SO INTO YOU (#5, 1977)
# 2 – IMAGINARY LOVER (#7 1978)
# 3 – I’M NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT (#14, 1978)
# 4 – SPOOKY (#15, 1979)
# 5 – DO IT OR DIE (#19, 1979)
# 6 – ALIEN (#27, 1981)
# 7 – DORAVILLE (#35, 1974)
# 8 – NEON NITES (#42, 1977)
# 9 – CHAMPAGNE JAM (#43, 1978)
#10 – DOG DAYS (#63, 1977)
Honorable Mention: GEORGIA RHYTHM (#68, 1977)
HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
Hi Kent,
Hope this finds you well.
I read every issue of FH from beginning to end, and thoroughly enjoy the information and memories you and your readers share.
I work with Tommy James and received an inquiry from someone who attended St. Willibrord’s High School 50 years ago. She recalls that her school won a contest run by either WLS or WCFL, in which the school that sent in the most slips of paper with the cough drop sponsor written on them would win a concert by Tommy & The Shondells.
And so ... I'm wondering if any of your readers, especially the former Chicago radio deejays, recall any specific details: the radio station involved, date of the concert, etc. Any info would be much appreciated.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Ed Osborne
I’m happy to put it out there and see if anything comes back. (I don’t know that we have any ‘CFL jocks currently on the list but you never know!)
Contests like these were pretty common in the ‘60’s. I remember lots of girls at my high school collecting gum wrappers and folding and connecting them to see who could come up with the longest chain. (For some reason I think Juicyfruit and Beech Nut were the two most common.) I don’t think our school ever won anything but some of these wrapper chains were incredibly long! (I don’t even know how they rolled them up and sent them in!!!)
I seem to remember The Grass Roots being big on these kinds of contests … a contest to “Win The Grass Roots To Play At Your High School” sort of thing.
I’m sure some of the girls on our list who participated in these events can shed some more light on the whole phenomena. (kk)
HOW WILD IS THIS?
So in the very same Willie B. Moseley ARS book we just told you about … on the very same page as the Stevie Nicks story … Moseley tells THIS story about a tour that was organized for the band in 1978, sponsored by The Carefree Sugarless Gum Company!
“As the buzz about ‘Champagne Jam’ (the ARS’ most successful album ever - kk) continued to grow, a brilliant marketing plan was put together to garner wider interest in the band and the album, abetted by a brand of chewing gum.
“The redoubtable Carefree Sugarless Gum Tour was organized by creating twelve contests by twelve Top 40 radio stations in twelve markets. The high school, junior high or middle school that collected the most gum wrappers would get a free concert in the school gym by The Atlanta Rhythm Section, and the school’s PTA would receive a sizeable donation.
“The twelve markets that were selected weren’t particularly strong for the ARS so they made sure the radio stations sponsoring the local shows had a Top 40 format instead of an album-oriented rock format. The band even recorded radio spots for the station.
“One rule of the competition mandated that a school that was competing had to be able to pick up the signal of the radio station that was sponsoring the contest. Such a strategy meant that the then-current single, ‘Imaginary Lover,’ would receive a lot of airplay in those markets and the band would probably get a decent share of airplay on the AOR stations as well.
“The airplay of ‘Imaginary Lover’ for the Carefree Sugarless Gum contest would ultimately break out both the single and the album in markets where the band never had previous success.”
Don’tcha just love it when this stuff all comes together?!?! (kk)
By the way, The Guinness Book World Record Holder for the longest gum wrapper chain ever assembled is Gary Duschl, who built a chain that measures 140,303 feet! (It took 2,512,793 gum wrappers … at a cost of nearly $176,000!!! … and over 40,000 hours to build the chain!) Gary began his project / hobby / obsession on March 11, 1965, using Wrigley wrappers only. To put its length in perspective, the chain represents the equivalent of 19.7544 Miles … or 347 Football Fields … 72 Empire State Buildings. Driving from end to end would take 20 Minutes by Car at 60 mph … or over 7 hours to walk. (kk)
UP-COMING SHOWS:
The Genesee Theatre has just booked Cheap Trick (June 7th) and Three Dog Night (which is actually only One Dog Night nowadays with only Danny Hutton on board … October 4th) Also coming (May 16th) is Burton Cummings.
Burton Cummings will also make a return engagement at The Arcada Theatre on August 3rd. The Micky Dolenz concert has been rescheduled for September 22nd (tickets from the cancelled May show will be honored) and, after performing again on April 14th, The Cornerstones Of Rock are already coming back in November (the 30th) for what is sure to be another sold out show.
And check out these vintage acts …
On March 24th (that’s THIS SUNDAY), Iron Butterfly will appear with Vanilla Fudge and Head East … and then, in a show billed as “The Heroes Of Woodstock” you can catch Canned Heat with Big Brother and the Holding Company on July 21st!
Hi Kent:
I will be on Dewey's Corner / Jerry's Attic Radio Show on Friday Night at approximately 6 pm.
We will be counting down a WRIT, Milwaukee Top 40 Survey from March, 1969, as part of our 50 year anniversary shows. Tune in if you have time.
Shows are also on the net and are archived.
As always, we play Records!
Ken
And lots of buzz this past week about the vintage Rolling Stones British Television Special “Rock And Roll Circus” being shown in theaters in the not-so-distant future!
This will be a first and fans are quite excited.
More information below:
ABKCO Films, in collaboration with Screenvision Media, a national leader in cinema advertising, announced today ticket availability for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Theatre screenings for the iconic 1968 concert show will take place April 1, 3, 4, and 5 in select theaters nationwide, including markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas. Fans can purchase tickets at www.rockandrollcircusthefilm.com.
The live concert special’s restoration has been sourced from the 35mm internegative and will be presented in both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound. The Dolby Vision laser projection system delivers astonishing brightness, incomparable contrast, and captivating color that more closely matches what the human eye can see. Dolby Atmos places and moves sounds anywhere in the Dolby Cinema, including overhead, to make audiences feel they are truly attending The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Together, Dolby Cinema’s combination of powerful image and sound technologies creates an engaging, multi-sensorial cinema, and concert, experience for viewers.
Through 2019 technology, the audience is whisked back to 1968. The 4K restoration beautifully captures and recreates this historic event, creating a truly unique and immersive experience that fans won’t be able to get anywhere else.
Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was originally conceived as a BBC-TV special and was filmed before a live London audience in 1968. The film centers around the original lineup of The Rolling Stones — Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Billy Wyman — who serve as the show’s hosts and featured attraction. It stars the band performing fan favorite classics like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” as well as extraordinary live performances by The Who, Jethro Tull, and more.
This performance marks the first musical concert in which John Lennon performed before an audience outside The Beatles, as part of supergroup The Dirty Mac, which also included music legends Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell. The Rolling Stone Rock and Roll Circus is also the only time Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath performed with Jethro Tull, and the last time Brian Jones would perform with The Rolling Stones in front of an audience.
“We are thrilled to share the incredible The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus with moviegoers and music fans for this limited engagement,” said Darryl Schaffer, executive vice president of operations and exhibitor relations, Screenvision Media. “We think it’s the perfect time to answer fans’ excitement and give them an unforgettable concert experience from the comfort of their local movie theatres.”
And have you seen the line-up for the 50th Anniversary Woodstock Festival???
