In what can only be described as a complete miscarriage of justice, Tommy James STILL has not been inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
And as if that in and of itself isn't ridiculous and insulting enough, he's never even been nominated!
To put that into perspective, MC5 appear on this year's ballot for the FIFTH time. (Seriously, there ought to be a three strikes and you're out rule when it comes to something like this.) When compared to Tommy's career ... well, why even bother ... because there simply IS no comparison. (MC5 charted one Top 100 Hit ... "Kick Out The Jams" ... which peaked at #82 in Billboard in 1969. Tommy, on the other hand, has placed an incredible 33 songs on Billboard's chart ... and even that is a bit of an understatement ... as this list includes revolutionary and timeless classics like "Hanky Panky," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Mony, Mony," "Crimson And Clover," "Sweet Cherry Wine," "Crystal Blue Persuasion" and "Draggin' The Line," songs that helped to reinvent and define rock and roll.
Tommy belongs right at the top of our list of Deserving and Denied Artists that The Rock Hall continues to overlook year after year ...
And yet they've had his suit on display in their Cleveland Museum for YEARS now ...
And invited him to perform there ...
Yet somehow have never found it justifiable to actually induct him??? (I would LOVE to know what criteria would disqualify him from such an honor ... since I can't think of ANYBODY more deserving of inclusion. Maybe somebody at The Rock Hall or on the Nominating Committee can explain this to me ... because I'll admit to being completely baffled and bewildered.)
Tommy's music has crossed all timelines and genres ... after scoring massive hits on his own in the '60's, tracks like "Crimson and Clover," "Mony, Mony" and "I Think We're Alone Now" have reached the top of the charts again, two decades later, for artists like Joan Jett, Billy Idol and Tiffany.
His autobiography, "Me, The Mob and The Music" was a national best seller and is being made into a major motion picture.
He continues to play to sold out crowds from coast to coast, still wowing crowds with his incredible hits catalog and commanding and exciting stage presence.
And he's still writing, recording and releasing new material, most of which is every bit as good as it was some fifty years ago!
And yet he's never made The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominations Ballot. It's ludicrous.
We recently heard from Tommy's long-time manager, Carol Ross, on this subject, and then from several other fans in response to her posting. We'd like to review all of this with you again today. (Tommy's not the only deserving artist to be continuously passed over ... several years ago when we took The Rock Hall to task for its failure to acknowledge artists worthy of induction, we actually came up with a Top 40 List of The Most Deserving and Denied Artists.)
Hi Kent,
How can anyone in the music
business not think that TOMMY JAMES qualifies for the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF
FAME ... his music and influence has stood the test of time.
Please read below and pass this
on.
Carol Ross, Manager
CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION, CRIMSON AND
CLOVER, MONY MONY, HANKY PANKY, I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW, SWEET CHERRY WINE,
DRAGGIN' THE LINE, THREE TIMES IN LOVE and MIRAGE - just a few of the many hits
- 23 GOLD SINGLES, 9 PLATINUM ALBUMS and over 100 MILLION RECORDS SOLD
WORLDWIDE - 32 BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART HITS.
Artists around the world have and
continue to cover Tommy's songs - BILLY IDOL, JOAN JETT, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN,
CARLOS SANTANA, REM, PRINCE, KELLY CLARKSON, DOLLY PARTON, CHER, TOM JONES and
even THE BOSTON POPS.
Tommy's music is featured in 60
FILMS and 53 TV SHOWS to date along with numerous commercials ... BMI lauded
Tommy for his success with the presentation of a FIVE MILLION AIR AWARD for his
music being played more than 21 million times on air.
Tommy's critically acclaimed
autobiography ME, THE MOB AND THE MUSIC, listed on ROLLING STONE'S Top 25 Music
Memoirs, is now in production for a film with producer BARBARA DEFINA, whose
credits include GOODFELLAS, CASINO, CAPE FEAR, AGE OF INNOCENCE, SILENCE, THE
GRIFTERS and YOU CAN COUNT ON ME ... she also produced MICHAEL JACKSON'S video
'BAD.'
The screenplay is being written
by MATTHEW STONE, whose credits include INTOLERABLE CRUELTY and BIG TROUBLE.
TONY AWARD WINNER KATHLEEN
MARSHALL just signed to direct - she received TONY AWARDS for choreography for
the Broadway productions of ANYTHING GOES, THE PAJAMA GAME and WONDERFUL TOWN -
she was also nominated for DIRECTING each of those musicals.
Tommy is now enjoying more
success with his own radio show on SIRIUS/XM RADIO -'GETTIN' TOGETHER WITH
TOMMY JAMES - airing Sunday evenings, 5 – 8 pm Eastern on the 60s on 6
channel.
The prestigious NEW JERSEY HALL
OF FAME inducted Tommy and his life size hologram can be viewed at the NJHOF
EXHIBIT at NEWARK AIRPORT in New Jersey - Terminal C.
Tommy recently received THE
PITTSBURGH LEGEND AWARD and THE JUKEBOX ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD.
Now entering his 51st year in the
music business, he continues to tour around the country and Canada.
Follow him on Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram -
For additional information and
touring schedule check out his website -TOMMYJAMES.COM
Hey Kent,
Ms.
Ross's letter is dead on. Indeed, how is it even possible that Tommy
hasn’t been elected to the R&R Hall of Fame? It’s rather upsetting.
Something’s rotten in the state of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Paul Evans
Carol's letter to you
about Tommy James is spot on.
He and Chubby Checker
are at the top of my list of deserved performers who have been ignored by
the people who vote for inclusion in the Rock Hall. It is an
embarrassment to what the Rock Hall does.
I have known and
worked with Tommy for over 50 years and he is the consummate pro with all the
credentials worthy of enshrinement. I do not need to go any
further. The credibility of the Rock Hall is seriously in question.
Clay Pasternack
Rocky River, Ohio
Hi Kent,
Yes Sir, another rich installment my friend.
Oh, I so agree with you about the suits ... they're
so out of touch with reality. Tommy deserves to be inducted. Look how
long it took Paul McCartney ... I still can see his daughter's sweatshirt ... "About
F***in' Time" ... lol.
IMHO, every corp has it's share of morons the
we have to deal with ... welcome to 2019 ... lol
Hope you get a chance to slam down some high octane eggnog and chill a bit.
Merry Christmas, "mien friend". I appreciate all your hard work.
Take care Amigo,
Barry Winslow / The Royal Guardsmen
One of the silly little things that amuse
me is how all this chatter about who should and who shouldn’t be in the Rock ‘n’
Roll hall of Shame, sorry, Fame (see how easy my fingers state that?) is the many
people in it who wouldn’t know Rock ‘n’ Roll if it reared up and bit their
arse.
I’ll state my case (of which I’m certain)
…
Why the hell is Freddy the great Boom,
Boom Cannon not in this shambles of an organization?
Oh, maybe I’ve answered the question
myself and that is indeed the reason he has not been inducted.
Take care,
Rockin’ Lord Geoff (In England)
L-R: Me, Tommy, Frannie and Ron Onesti, backstage at Ron's Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL, a few years ago
Spent an excellent evening at Clearwater, Florida's
newly-renovated Ruth Eckerd Hall on December 14th.
The show:
Bowzer's
Holiday Rock 'n' Roll Party, 2019.
According to Jon Bauman (Mr. Bowzer
himself), this was the 12th straight year that he has hosted this
particular event here in Clearwater and even though I have lived here
most of my life, this was the first time that I have attended.
The draw
for me was seeing Mark Lindsay, one of my top five all-time favorite
singers, and Gary Puckett (both newly added to the show) along with
Peter Noone and some of Bowzer's former bandmates from Sha-Na-Na.
This
show has always been advertised as a Christmas event and while that was
fine with me, I was also hoping to hear some of my favorite songs from
the 60s.
The show opened with Bowzer strolling on stage in his usual
greaser outfit from the 50s (but wearing a Christmas hat) and then
stopping while turning sideways and doing his usual routine of flexing
his muscle while stretching his mouth wide open and greeting the crowd.
Classic!
He welcomed everyone to the show and then introduced his backup
band, Florida's well known Rocky And The Rollers, and then broke into
song doing "White Christmas." His bass voice is simply incredible, even
at his age of 72 years.
He then brought out one of his former bandmates
from Sha-Na-Na, Johnny Contardo. He told the audience how Sha-Na-Na were
responsible for some of the songs from the hit movie Grease and then
Johnny sang "Those Magic Changes." Then together they did "Blue Moon."
Both were simply outstanding on this version, with Bowzer hitting some
incredible low notes. Bowzer then brought out another Sha-Na-Na
bandmate, Henry Gross.
Henry told a little bit about what he has been
doing lately, writing songs in Nashville and doing a few gigs here and
there. He then sang what he said was a brand new song titled "New
Year's Eve" and then, of course, sang the song everybody was waiting to hear, "Shannon," his huge hit from 1976. His falsetto has lost nothing over the
years. (He could do a great Barry Gibb impersonation).
He told the story
about how he dedicated this song to the late Beach Boy Carl Wilson
because when he met him back in the early 70s, Carl had told him a story
about how his dog Shannon had just passed. Henry said that inspired him
to write the famous hit and the rest is history.
Bowzer then brought out his three back-up singers, the
Stingrays (also dressed in greaser outfits topped with Xmas hats) and
they sang a couple of gospel tunes. Bowzer then joined them along with
Johnny Contardo and they sang "Twistin' The Night Away," while imploring
the crowd to do just that. That was followed up by "Willie And The
Hand Jive" and the big crowd favorite, "Shout."
And, because Bowzer said
he did not want to leave anybody out of the Christmas holiday, he and the
group closed out their portion of the show with "The Chanukah Song."
You figure it out.
Everybody then left the stage except Bowzer while the crew took
maybe three minutes to set the stage for the next act.
Bowzer told a
few stories while the crew hurried along and then introduced Gary
Puckett & The Union Gap. Gary and his Union Gappers took the stage
with "Lady Willpower." He immediately went into (my personal favorite)
"Over You" and followed that with what he said was his personal favorite
and that, of course, was his very first hit, "Woman Woman."
Let me stop the
presses right now.
I have seen Puckett a number of times over the last
30 years or so and quite simply his voice has never sounded better than
it did tonight. I very strongly suspect that Auto-Tune Live was being
used (which can sense and instantly correct any missed notes so subtly
that only the most well-trained ears will ever realize the vocals were
initially off-key.) I'm pretty sure most performers nowadays are using
this device. A couple of other examples that come to mind are Gerry
Beckley of America and Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, among many
others. Their voices just a few years ago were starting to sound pretty
rough but the last couple of times that I saw them they sounded much
better. Much, much better! Hmmm. Anyway, personally I highly approve of
the device. At least they aren't lip-synching! But I digress.
Gary then sang a couple of Christmas songs, "It's The Most
Wonderful Time Of The Year" and "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow."
Both sounded wonderful. And then, for a special treat, Gary's very young
grandson walked out on stage (I'm guessing 4 or 5). Gary scooped him up
and they both sang "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Major applause and
then Gary explained his whole family was here because ... he was a
resident of Clearwater and has been for many years. More huge applause ,
of course.
"I've got one more song to do and please sing along" ... and
naturally went into "Young Girl." Bowzer came back out and thanked Gary
for being part of the show and announced a fifteen minute intermission.
After the intermission, Rocky And The Rollers came back on
stage with Bowzer and the Stingrays and they did a couple more Christmas
songs (I missed it because I was in the lobby meeting Gary Puckett and
that was a thrill.) I got back to my seat just in time for Bowzer to
introduce Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & The Raiders fame.
With Rocky
& The Rollers as his backup band, he jumped right into "Steppin'
Out" followed by "Just Like Me." He then spoke to the crowd about how
proud he was that the Raiders had four songs featured in Quentin
Tarantino's 2019 movie "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" and said "I would
like to feature two of them now." Mark then sang "Hungry" followed by
"Good Thing."
"That's enough rock & roll for now, I would like to
show you that I can still do a nice ballad." And "Arizona" was the
ballad.
"Back in 1971, the Raiders had a Number One Hit with the song I
am about to sing and at that time, it was the biggest selling single in
the history of Columbia Records. And it remained Number One for about 12
more years until that twerp Michael Jackson topped it by "Billie
Jeaning" us. The song, of course, was "Indian Reservation," and as that song
ended, he dived right into the classic "Kicks," which closed out his
portion of the show. (No Christmas songs from Mr. Lindsay ... just six
classic Raiders hits with his big solo hit.)
He sounded great
(auto-tune?) and he looked great. He is obviously in great shape
(especially for 77 years old) and still sported his classic ponytail. He
moved really well on stage and even did a few kicks during "Kicks." I'm
nit-picking here ('cause I really enjoyed his performance) but I would
sure love to hear him do a few Raiders songs from their 1967-1970 period.
I have never heard him play "Him Or Me," "I Had A Dream," Too Much
Talk," Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon," "Let Me" or anything from that great album
Collage. I would love to hear "Just Seventeen." Oh well, maybe someday.
And now Bowzer is back on stage and tells a few more stories
while the road crew sets up for Peter Noone's Hermits band. The
latter-day Hermits come out in their Christmas outfits with guitarist
Billy Sullivan dressed up as Santa Claus. The other three (Vance Brescia
on guitar, Rich Spina on keys, and Dave Ferrara on drums) are dressed
up as elves. They all looked adorable. Bowzer then gave a wonderful
heart-felt introduction to the man himself, Mr. Peter Noone.
He bounded
out on stage with his enormous smile singing his (I believe) first hit
"I'm Into Something Good" and encouraged the audience to clap and sing
along. He segued right into the Hermits' remake of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful
World," and followed that with "Love Potion No. 9."
"We like doing other
people's songs also" he said before jumping right into "Dandy." That, of
course, was a hit for both his band and the Kinks. "We like to do a
little country also" and Noone did a great tongue-in-cheek version of
Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire." Joking that someone in the front row
thought they were coming to see the Monkees, the band played "Daydream
Believer" and followed it with "All My Loving" with Peter explaining "We
have to do a Beatles song, don't we?"
Now it was time for some more
Hermit's hits and they played "Just A Little Bit Better" followed by
"Silhouettes" and then just a very beautiful and tender version of
"Listen People." And then, with "Here's another ballad," Peter performed a
very heart-felt and poignant rendition of the classic "End Of The
World."
Next comes Peter's classic Mick Jagger impersonation while
singing a snippet from "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Great fun!
Back to the
Hermit's hits with "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," with Peter and Santa
Claus (aka Billy Sullivan) dancing around during the instrumental break.
And then that familiar guitar into of ... wait a minute ... it's "Rudolph
The Red-Nosed Reindeer" sung like "Mrs. Brown!' After all, it IS Christmas time. And then, of course, all is right with the world as he
segues "Rudolph" back into "Mrs. Brown."
The crowd is now on their feet
with the opening drumbeat of "I'm Henry the VIII, I Am." Wait a minute,
it now becomes "Jingle Bells" for a few verses and then back to "Henry."
Of course, it becomes a great crowd sing-along with singing competition
and it's all in great fun. And to wind everything up, it's the classic
1967 song "There's A Kind Of Hush."
Bowzer is back on stage followed by the Rollers and greets and
thanks Peter again for a great performance and begs him for one more.
Who can refuse the Bowz?
Everybody is back on stage and the Rollers,
along with the Hermits and Bowzer, the Stingrays, Johnny Contardo and
Peter break into the classic "Goodnight Sweetheart."
Gary Puckett makes
his way on stage holding onto two grandkids (the man is in great shape)
to join the fun. No Mark Lindsay though ... apparently he flew the coop. It was a beautiful-sounding song with everybody, including the audience, singing
along. What a great way to end the show!!!
The icing on the cake was meeting Peter out in the lobby as he
posed for pictures and signed some autographs. Gary Puckett came back
out also and greeted and talked to fans. As many times as my girl friend
Alice and I have seen both Gary Puckett and Peter Noone, we have never
had the privilege of meeting them. OMG, this was a definite huge thrill
for both of us.
I have enclosed a couple of pics with my girl Alice and
Gary and Peter. My expectations for this show were quite high and they
were blown out of the water. Three hours long and a sold-out crowd of
2,130. I'm pretty sure a great time was had by all but especially by me
and my girl!
Rich Turner
Palm Harbor, Florida
This sounds like an amazing show ... thanks for sharing it with our readers. (And I have to admit that I am CONSTANTLY blown away by how many of these artists have helped us build Forgotten Hits into what it is today.
Bowzer participated regularly while working to get his Truth In Music laws passed across the country ... Henry Gross has been a regular contributor since 2000, as has Peter Noone ... and Mark Lindsay and Gary Puckett have also chimed in a number of times over the years (as has Peter's AMAZING guitarist, VanceBrescia.)
It's times like these that I feel truly blessed to have been able to live even the smallest part of the rock and roll dream. ALL of these artists have meant SO much to me over the years ... and are still out there wowing their fans with great shows like these. Wish we could have seen it! (kk)
>>>How can anyone in the music business not think that TOMMY JAMES qualifies for the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ... his music and influence has stood the test of time.CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION, CRIMSON AND CLOVER, MONY MONY, HANKY PANKY, I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW, SWEET CHERRY WINE, DRAGGIN' THE LINE, THREE TIMES IN LOVE and MIRAGE - just a few of the many hits - 23 GOLD SINGLES, 9 PLATINUM ALBUMS and over 100 MILLION RECORDS SOLD WORLDWIDE - 32 BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART HITS.Artists around the world have and continue to cover Tommy's songs - BILLY IDOL, JOAN JETT, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, CARLOS SANTANA, REM, PRINCE, KELLY CLARKSON, DOLLY PARTON, CHER, TOM JONES and even THE BOSTON POPS.Tommy's music is featured in 60 FILMS and 53 TV SHOWS to date along with numerous commercials ... BMI lauded Tommy for his success with the presentation of a FIVE MILLION AIR AWARD for his music being played more than 21 million times on air.Tommy's critically acclaimed autobiography ME, THE MOB AND THE MUSIC, listed on ROLLING STONE'S Top 25 Music Memoirs, is now in production for a film … with some A-Listers onboard to facilitate … producer BARBARA DEFINA (GOODFELLAS, CASINO, CAPE FEAR and MICHAEL JACKSON'S video 'BAD’) … MATTHEW STONE, who is writing the screenplay (and whose credits include INTOLERABLE CRUELTY and BIG TROUBLE), director KATHLEEN MARSHALL, who has received TONY AWARDS for choreography for the Broadway productions of ANYTHING GOES, THE PAJAMA GAME and WONDERFUL TOWN and was also nominated for DIRECTING each of those musicals.)Tommy is now enjoying more success with his own radio show on SIRIUS/XM RADIO -'GETTIN' TOGETHER WITH TOMMY JAMES - airing Sunday evenings, 5 – 8 pm Eastern on the 60s on 6 channel.The prestigious NEW JERSEY HALL OF FAME inducted Tommy and his life size hologram can be viewed at the NJHOF EXHIBIT at NEWARK AIRPORT in New Jersey - Terminal C.Tommy recently received THE PITTSBURGH LEGEND AWARD and THE JUKEBOX ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD.Now entering his 51st year in the music business, he continues to tour around the country and Canada.(Carol Ross, Manager)
Without question, this is a GROSS error in judgement on the part of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame … and is just another example of why they have lost all credibility with music fans and artists all over the world.
They need to fix this and make things right.There are still dozens and dozens of deserving artists that need to be recognized yet are passed over again and again and again.Tommy is certainly at the top of that list.(kk)
Hey Kent,
Ms. Ross's letter is dead on. Indeed, how is it even possible that Tommy hasn’t been elected to the R&R Hall of Fame? It’s rather upsetting.
Something’s rotten in the state of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Paul Evans
THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS:
>>>I've got to say it was one of the best Kennedy Center Honors I've ever seen ... entertaining from start to finish ... starting with a VERY emotional tribute to Linda Ronstadt, followed by Sally Field.The salute to Sesame Street was outstanding ... it changed the way we viewed TV for Kids forever ... and I can't even imagine how many celebrity guests have lent their talent to this program over the years.But the salute to Earth, Wind And Fire blew it all away. What an amazing showcase of material.The band continues to offer up music of mass appeal, as evidenced by the tribute performances shown Sunday night.I'm sure the program will be available On Demand ... and also online at CBS.com ... definitely worth two hours of your time. (kk)
I have to agree about the Kennedy Center Awards show. It is getting to be the best of all those award shows. Linda Ronstadt enjoyed it and the people singing her songs were spot on (even if they weren't ORIGINALLY her songs). There was plenty of mention of Eagles members in her band, but MY hero, Andrew Gold, can be heard quite well on "You're No Good," playing guitar as another famous member of her early band.
The Earth, Wind & Fire entertainers were really good as well and the band members obviously enjoyed it all.
Sally Field NEVER gets old, does she? Always thought she would have been great on "Laugh in" as a regular.
Indeed, Sesame Street was a real eye opener, even when we moved to Lincoln in 1971 and had first taste of Public TV and that show. I was 14 and older than one should be for watching, but it was first time viewing. After watching what my Rayderz have done this year, the attached sound bite I recorded in 1971 from SS seems the new appropriate name for my team. ANYWAY, enjoyed Tom Hanks' conversing with Big Bird on the Kennedy special.
Clark Besch
Could you imagine collecting fifty years of special guest appearances on Sesame Street to put together a two hour tribute special?Literally everybody who was anybody clamored to get on this show … especially once they had kids of their own.What a fascinating project that would be to siphon through all that footage and try to come up with the best highlights!(Come on, HBO … you need to get somebody working on this right away!)
THE TOP 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS OF ALL TIME:
WOW! Thanks for the shout outs!
It is so wild and yes, there will be disappointments and disagreements, but I'm hanging with you until the end! I like that we will be able to have the complete list to do our own study and analysis. I plan on having a group discussion about it with my music friends, twenty and thirty-something groups who also voted. Plus it will be fun to build my playlist to have while I work. Shuffle seems to come to mind.
Nikki
We’re in the home stretch now …
The Top Ten started today … and we’ll wrap everything up on the 30th!
Be sure to check the site each day to see the next song revealed I the countdown!
I truly hate to say it, Kent, but you've been trying for 20 years to show otherwise, and unless there's a Hail Mary in the next 30 songs, at the end of the rainbow there will not be a golden oldie, there will be just another one of the same 300 songs the corporate whores have brainwashed radio listeners with.
You gave it an unbelievable try, running against the wind. Take solace in the fact you have introduced and reintroduced some readers to some great music.
To all the DJs who read Kent's blog, tell your bosses I will not be listening to commercial radio again. In 10 days, when I turn my radio back on, it's back to satellite radio for me.
I had hoped that FH readers would be different. As I look at what's still on the board, I'm not impressed.
At least Hey Jude & Don't Stop Believin' are off!
Jack
P.S. The radio is off because if there's anything worse than the usual 300 songs, it's those same 300 plus the usual two dozen Xmas songs.
As I’ve said before, we knew all along that The Top 300 would include most of the songs that Classic Rock Radio has been playing to death for the past twenty years.They’re there for a reason … it’s the music classic rock music fans want to hear.
The whole goal of this exercise was to reintroduce hundreds and hundreds of OTHER songs to be considered as viable alternatives here and there to help spice things up a bit … and I believe the radio world will (and already has) take notice.
The Drive (WDRV-FM, 97.7 Chicago) will be launching their latest A to Z playlist the day after Christmas … and it’s long enough to last well past New Year’s Day … and I’m willing to bet that you’ll hear several songs on this list that didn’t make the cut the last several times out that may have been inspired by our own alphabetical listing of nominees several months ago.SO many great tracks that don’t get played (and now a chance to hear THOUSANDS of them with no repeats for at least eight days a week!)Definitely worth tuning in for … if only to hear and experience just how good these songs really DO sound when mixed in with the rest of the regular fare.(kk)
Freddy Cannon was, to us brothers, THE original hard rocker! His songs were ALWAYS loud, tough sounding, yet always upbeat and happy, with the "Woo" blasting out of each song. Bobby Rydell and Paul Anka and Frankie Avalon and those were pretty boys with the sweet vocals, while Freddy gave us the LOUD unashamed vocals with the lyrics that were NOT deep, did not have to be UNDERSTOOD as a theme: "Ya wanna know if you're in love. Jump Over, woe woe woe!"
They were just good rock 'n roll records. Freddy made rock 'n roll FUNNNNN!
"The Dedication Song" still is a fave I always loved. I used the "Don't touch that dial" opening for my radio show opening in the 80's. SO good to see him well again! It's no wonder Svenghoolie uses his theme because Sven's schtick is right in line with Freddy's fun stuff.
Clark Besch
Hi Kent ...
Kudos to Freddie "Boom Boom" Cannon. I am so happy that he is recovering and regaining his health. This is all good news. I wish him the best on his upcoming shows. He has always been an entertainer and fun to watch. I am sure he can take his audience to "Where the Action Is."
Sandy
BURTON CUMMINGS: I, too, saw Burton Cummings in concert in 1976 as opening act for the Bee Gees in Omaha. Get this, there was no mention of him being on the bill! Can you believe it? We were blown away by both acts.
Clark Besch
Burton opened for a number of acts when he was trying to build his solo career after the break up of The Guess Who.
I saw him open for Melissa Manchester AND Alice Cooper, both in the same year!And I have to believe that he was just rolling with the bunches for a good portion of that time.But he STILL sounds great today … and if 2020 offers up a tour with former songwriting partner Randy Bachman, then you can count us in!!!(kk)
From our 2013 interview with Burton Cummings:
‘60’s FLASHBACK:
kk: A couple of years ago we went to a show that featured America and Jethro Tull ... two acts that would seem to be at opposite ends of the musical spectrum. But I'll never forget one of the STRANGEST pairings I've ever seen ... and that was seeing a show that YOU did back in the day during the early solo years where Burton Cummings opened up for Alice Cooper!!! How weird did THAT have to be for you? (Especially after the whole "Glamour Boy" thing!!!)
BC: Opening for Alice Cooper was an exercise in professionalism. The first few rows were always painted up like Alice, some of them carrying tomahawks and axes, and I'm out there singing "Stand Tall" … but eventually the band I had won over a lot of audiences.
Hey Kent,
Thanks for mentioning that INCREDIBLE Burton Cummings interview. I'm just beginning to realize how much great information and entertainment I've missed over the last 20 years due to my not knowing about your FH site.
You covered every base with Burton, much of which I'd known, but there were lots of pleasant surprises there.
If there was only some way I could invent a Flux Capacitor so I could go back to 1999 ...
Again, Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Mike Wolstein
Folks can find that Burton Cummings Interview (one of our best, I believe!) here …
Nice story about Canadian Burton Cummings and his huge fan, Mike Wolstein. Wow! I know the natural "high" one can get from being around their favorite singer / band and to be able to converse with them in a meaningful way. It truly is unforgettable.
I also wanted to wish you and your loved ones the best for a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous new year. 2020 already ... Where does the time go?!!!
Sandra Lorenz
I swear 2019 was the fastest year of my life.It seemed like every time I opened my eyes another month had passed!
But I am looking forward to a very special 2020 … been waiting for this one for a long, long time.
Same to you and yours for the very best of the holiday season. (kk)
THIS AND THAT:
I LOVED the Clark Weber interview! He was certainly right about the influence of the DJs and WLS and WCFL back then. Not only were my brothers and I listening to ALL those 50,000 watt rockers, but we found WLS to be the BEST of the best always. I do think it helped that WLS was years ahead of the others.
I was a Riley Rebel and not under obligation to follow Emperor Weber's commands, but knowing NOW that it was all for fun, I have to thank Clark Weber for all the great memories and advice and friendship he has given me (and FH) these past years. I've got my Riley Batman Club cards and Weber Moohlah and our Besch brothers 60's reel to reel tapes and all that stuff and still enjoy looking and listening to it all. It was the TIME OF MY LIFE and I never tire of reliving it -- especially with those who brought it to me AND I NEVER dreamed I would eventually meet. (Actually, I dreamed that a lot, but doubted it would happen living in Dodge City Kansas).
Bottom line is that it wasn't just ME. As time has gone by, I know SO many people, both fans and people in the music industry or in garage bands of the day that LISTENED just like I did, with radio under pillow at night and Art Roberts giving us that thrilling moment of the #1 requested song of the night -- ALWAYS a very new soon to be smash.
Clark Besch
Hi there, Kent,
This was written in your Tuesday, December 17th, blog entry:
>>>You mentioned Earth, Wind and Fire in this week's jumbo edition of The
Friday Flash.Here's their Chicago roots:In 1969, Maurice White, a former session drummer for Chess Records and former member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, joined two friends in Chicago, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, as a songwriting team composing songs and commercials in the Chicago area.(Ken Voss)
Wade Flemons had two hits that I know of, although one of them may have only appeared on the RNB charts.
One of them was called Here I Stand, recorded in 1956, which the Rip Chords would record seven years later in 1963.
The other hit was called Slow Motion, and it was out in the summer of 1959, and appears on a Ken Reed aircheck on KLIF that I have from August 31, 1959.
He also recorded a song with a group called the Newcomers called My Baby Likes To Rock, but I don't know if that charted nationally or not.Actually, the Newcomers may have been the backup group on his other records as well.
Like everyone else here in Canada, I was very saddened to learn of the death of Jack Scott. It's really unfortunate that he received so relatively little recognition for his contribution to music during his life. In an interview that he did with one of our Toronto radio stations, he mentioned that he had a bad case of the flu, but was
scheduled to fly to New York for a recording session which he didn't want to cancel. So, while Jack Scott was recording Burning Bridges back in 1960, he himself was burning up with a 102 degree fever from that flu. I've never forgotten that story.
Sam Ward
Wade Flemons charted a total of five times on the national charts.His bigges hit was “Here I Stand” (credited to Wade Flemons and the Newcomers), which peaked at #58 in Cash Box Magazine.(It only reached #80 in Billboard … and didn’t chart at all in Music Vendor … yet another example of the wide discrepancy between the way each magazine measured a record’s performance.)
Here in Chicago, “Here I Stand” went all the way to #24.The Newcombers record you mention, “My Baby Likes To Rock,” did no chart nationally … or here either for that matter.
”Here I Stand reached #42 in Canada on the CHUM Chart, where it spent four weeks. It climbed to #19 on Billboard’s R&B Chart … and “Easy Lovin’” actually made The Top Ten.(It topped out at #70 on the pop charts.)“Please Send Me Someone To Love” became another Top 20 Hit for Flemons, but didn’t chart pop at all.
That’s an interesting story about Jack Scott.(kk)
Jack Scott never really quite got the fame or recognition that he deserved.
I have a Facebook page dedicated to all of the beautiful musical memories that Mr. Jack Scott left to each and every one of us.It's been 60 years since his first gold record, "What In The World's Come Over You," which is just one of many.He so deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.He, and many others like him, paved the way with their gold records for those that are now being inducted. I try to make people aware of this on my Facebook page, "FRIENDS THAT LOVE JACK SCOTT."I pray that he can get the recognition that he so deserves.
My hope has always been that perhaps one day his family would be able to see him rock that Cleveland stage ... but of course it’s too late for that now.
Believe it or not just two years ago, at 83 years old, Jack Scott headlined the stage in Las Vegas and then jumped on a plane to headline in England.
I would so appreciate it if oldies radio would play some of his awesome tunes, especially now in light of his passing.(Jack had FIVE Top 20 Hits … how can radio not play ANY of them?)
I do so love listening to all the oldies and, thanks to y'all, perhaps real rock and roll is here to stay.
Thank you so very much for your time … and y'all have a blessed holiday.
Bonnie Dejan
This is an archived concert photo I recently uncovered from a Rockford newspaper article in 1966. It announces a concert scheduled for 3/19/66, featuring The New Colony 6, The Shadows of Knight, Baby Huey and the Babysitters, The Flock as well as The Grim Reapers and Komens from Rockford. After the outdoor show downtown featuring Johnny and the Hurricanes in the spring of ‘65 and the two summer of ‘65 shows promoted by Barry Fey at Rockford College featuring The Byrds and The Beau Brummels, this would have been the fourth largest show in Rockford. The NC6, SOK and Flock would return the following summer for large shows at the Ice Chalet in Rockford. I remember attending this show, but this is the first piece of concrete evidence I have found that it took place. I think Jim Sohns mentioned it in an interview in FH, or some other form of media, pertaining to the “Goose” nightclub that was actually never in Rockford.
Robert Campbell
>>>I AM an old fuddy-duddy deep down inside!(kk)
Wha-a-a-t?! Just because you're totally obsessed with all the minutiae of Oldies, their artists and groups and love sitting in a dimly-lit room wearing a shirt with sleeve garters holding up the sleeves and a translucent head visor counting, categorizing and compiling over three thousand old songs??!! Nahh!
( Again -- {:~} )
Chuck Buell
kk:
Forget About All The Singers You Know –
Forget About All The Groups You Know --
Forget About All The Disc - Jockeys You Know –
Forget About All The ME-TV Executives You Know –
Forget About All Your REWOUND RADIO Connections –
When You're A Hit At Larry's Pub, You've Made "THE BIG TIME."
FB
TOMORROW IN FORGOTTEN HITS:
Watch for another great guest concert review …
This time for Bowzer’s Holiday Rock And Roll Party in Clearwater, Florida!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!
Me-TV-FM will begin running Wink Martindale’s Christmas Countdown on Christmas Eve, which’ll run continuously through the holiday.Our long-time FH Buddy Gary Theroux was instrumental in putting this thing together … and it encompasses every genre of Christmas Music you can imagine.(And, you’ll hear a few things that you DON’T hear non-stop on all the other stations.)kk
