And some Monday Morning Madness, circa 2020, as well!
BOB SIROTT:
Hi, Kent –
Bob is one busy guy! He's done so many different things - gotta be multi-talented to do all that he's done over the past ... um, lotsa years.
We graduated HS the same year, same school. But we were 1/2 year apart, and I feel that I missed out on a lot of things by not getting to know him back in those days, as I, too was a radio and music enthusiast.
When he started at WLS-AM on June 8, 1973, he walked onto that stage like he owned it - he was spot on with his timing, and his rapid fire commenting and humor sounded like he'd been doing it for 30 years.
Mike Wolstein
RHS '67
Note: I airchecked that show and edited it down, but my e-mail program says it's too big to send - it's 23.7 Mb but my e-mail says it's 32 Mb, and won't send it.
We graduated HS the same year, same school. But we were 1/2 year apart, and I feel that I missed out on a lot of things by not getting to know him back in those days, as I, too was a radio and music enthusiast.
When he started at WLS-AM on June 8, 1973, he walked onto that stage like he owned it - he was spot on with his timing, and his rapid fire commenting and humor sounded like he'd been doing it for 30 years.
Mike Wolstein
RHS '67
Note: I airchecked that show and edited it down, but my e-mail program says it's too big to send - it's 23.7 Mb but my e-mail says it's 32 Mb, and won't send it.
If you or anyone else wants to hear it, it should still be available for download from CR&M (Chicagoland Radio & Media). I uploaded it to that site on the 40th
anniversary of the broadcast.
The URL is
http://www.chicagoradioandmedia.com/multimedia/audio/5672-bob-sirott-s-1st-show-on-wls-am-6-8-73
Mike Wolstein
Bob Sirott's 1st Show On WLS-AM 6/8/73
anniversary of the broadcast.
The URL is
http://www.chicagoradioandmedia.com/multimedia/audio/5672-bob-sirott-s-1st-show-on-wls-am-6-8-73
Mike Wolstein
Bob Sirott's 1st Show On WLS-AM 6/8/73
Details: Published on Saturday, 08 June 2013 10:52
This aircheck is a very special one! It is the very first radio show for Bob Sirott on WLS-AM from exactly 40 years ago today. Recorded live directly to a reel-to-reel tape by an old high school classmate of Sirott's, transferred to a cassette a few years later, and recently made into this cleaned up digital file. This audio recording captures Bob Sirott's first ad libs, live reads, talk-ups, and more from his WLS debut. This aircheck has Bob Sirott, the nighttime "new guy," announcing that now-legendary overnight host Yvonne Daniels would be making her debut on WLS a little later in the evening, as well. WLS newsman Don Hoover can also be heard briefly three times. A rare and wonderful gem! (Running time: 16:56)
Bob certainly honed his radio skills on WBBM-FM, where I was a very faithful listener. He was a radio natural … and a TRULY devoted fan of the medium.
Larry Lujack never let him forget the fact that, as a teenager, Sirott sent him a gushing fan letter, praising Super Jock’s radio skills. (Lujack read it on the air several times over the years … during which time they built quite a friendship … as close as Lujack allowed himself to be to anybody, I guess!)
Sirott has taken part in several of the WLS Reunion Shows … and was on hand to launch the brand new WLS-FM back in the early ‘80’s, too. He’s become a fixture of Chicago Broadcasting … television, radio and then some. Congratulations on him on his brand new gig at WGN. (kk)
TOMMY JAMES MEMORABILIA:
Hey Kent,
Hope you’re holdin’ up, my friend.
Maybe Carol would like these two pics from when we toured with Tommy James.
Shame I don't have more ... years ago, I stored my stuff in a unit when I moved to Nashville. It was broken into and all my music related items were gone ... 335 Gibson, Vox amps, a gold record, and tons of pics ... I know ... I'm still wanting revenge for it!!!
Anyway, see if she'd like these ... and maybe you and I could get a small "walk on part" or something in his movie! lol
Bless ya, my friend.
Barry
Bless ya, my friend.
Barry
Thanks, Barry. (Right now I’d just settle for an end credit! Lol) Ever since “Ferris Buehler,” we NEVER leave a movie theater until the very last credit has rolled! (lol) Be REALLY cool to see our Forgotten Hits Family thanked up there in some fashion! (kk)
Here are a couple of submissions from FH Reader Clark Besch …
Here's a photo of frequent Forgotten Hits Contributor Chuck Buell (2nd from right) giving Tommy and the Shondells advice (???)
"You guys will NEVER quit playing these high schools unless you listen to ME. And get your hands off my locker, Tommy!"
Here are a few radio memories from my tapes and a few other sources.
Hi Kent:
Oddly, we just played our Milwaukee Top Hits of 1969 and “Crimson & Clover” was #1. Do you want any Milwaukee Surveys with his songs at #1??
Ken Freck
I think if you have copies to send with Tommy at #1 they might be able to use them. I'm going to make a montage of WLS Charts, where Tommy had SEVEN #1 Hits! (kk)
We’ve received ALL kinds of cool stuff so far … if you’ve got more Tommy memorabilia, we’d love to hear from you!
Just email me at kk@forgottenhits.com and we’ll pass the info along to Tommy’s long-time manager, Carol Ross. (kk)
Just email me at kk@forgottenhits.com and we’ll pass the info along to Tommy’s long-time manager, Carol Ross. (kk)
CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE?
FH Reader Scott Paton send me this article about somebody looking for a home for their THREE MILLION RECORDS!!! (There was a time in my life when I would have been absolutely salivating over such a prospect!!!) kk
Just reading this puts a knot in my stomach.
Granted, I'd only have to move a couple hundred thousand items. But I'm just one man.
Maybe I should go nonprofit and start soliciting donations from celebrities.
I've accepted that collecting is a mental disorder-- acknowledgment is the first step, right?
Scott
WALKING MY CAT NAMED DOG … AND THE TOP 3333 CLASSIC ROCK COUNTDOWN:
kk:
I don't mind "WALKING THE DOG" …
But I'm not going to be "WALKIN' MY CAT NAMED DOG."
Last week I played part of your Top 3333 Countdown at Larry's Pub.
Bartender (DENNIS) said it was the first time he was able to name every song and artist that I played. (Sunday, when I played the DOO-WOP COUNTDOWN, his average wasn't so good!)
FB
HI Kent -
Enjoyed reading your memories of having a cool one at your local drug store's counter! We had a place in Berwyn on 26th Street called "Celbas." That was the name of the married couple who owned the place. They had a soda counter, comic book section and, of course, a large display of "penny candy" choices! We would go there after school. What memories!!
And I have "Walking My Cat Named Dog." Sorry to hear about Norma Tanega's passing. Now I will have to find it and put it in my juke box. I really don't remember why I bought it because I am sure there were better songs out there. i will have to play it now and maybe I will find out what I liked about it ... lol
Keep rockin' … and I cannot wait for that Dick Biondi Movie to be completed!
Carolyn
Enjoyed reading your memories of having a cool one at your local drug store's counter! We had a place in Berwyn on 26th Street called "Celbas." That was the name of the married couple who owned the place. They had a soda counter, comic book section and, of course, a large display of "penny candy" choices! We would go there after school. What memories!!
And I have "Walking My Cat Named Dog." Sorry to hear about Norma Tanega's passing. Now I will have to find it and put it in my juke box. I really don't remember why I bought it because I am sure there were better songs out there. i will have to play it now and maybe I will find out what I liked about it ... lol
Keep rockin' … and I cannot wait for that Dick Biondi Movie to be completed!
Carolyn
Hi Kent,
Is the top 3333 available in a simple list format showing only ranking / song / artist per line in a Word document or Excel spreadsheet or even a simple text file? This would be very useful in searching for all entries by a single artist for example.
Thanks,
Frank
Not yet … but we’re working on it – and it’ll be searchable by a variety of methods. Our original goal was to have it ready by January 10th but (as with ALL things related to this countdown), there’s still a long way to go. Not to worry, ‘tho … we’ll definitely announce it when it’s ready. (kk)
Kent,
You mentioned today after school you and your brother would stop by the local drug store and get a 10 cent cherry coke. Oh, those were the days.
I did the same thing every day after school. I would stop by the local drug store to buy a large cherry coke for ten cents as well as look at the many magazines they had on their newsstand which, of course, included the comic books.
Kent, you probably may already know this but I just got an email from a friend of mine who said that actor Edd Byrnes has passed away at the age of 87. For those of your readers who don't know, back in the day (1959), Edd Byrnes had two records on the charts, KOOKIE KOOKIE (LEND ME YOUR COMB) with a follow-up called LIKE I LOVE YOU. Speaking of combs, back in those days, men and even boys going to school, would carry with them a comb.
Larry Neal
I got to meet Edd Byrnes many years ago at one of those Celebrity Collectibles Show … and his booth was PACKED with kids who knew him not as Edd “Kookie” Byrnes from his “77 Sunset Strip Days” but as Vince Fontaine from the movie “Grease”!!! (In fact, today, I would bet that this is still the case.)
Edd’s single “Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb” went all the way to #1 here in Chicago … I remember playing the heck out of that record once I got it from a neighbor. Sadly, not much press about his passing … he deserved more. (kk)
SUPER BOWL IV:
>>>1970: January 11th – In what is considered to be a major upset, The Kansas City Chiefs defeat The Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV by a score of 23-7 (kk)
Weirdly, both the Chiefs and Vikings (as of when this was sent) still
have a shot at this year's Super Bowl!
(Granted, the starting QBs aren't in the same class as those back then,
but...)
Bob
I won a $5 bet on that game (two in a row for the AFL!)
– Randy Price
THE FEST FOR BEATLES FANS:
This year’s New York Fest is shaping up to be quite an event … with a Who’s Who Parade of Beatles People stopping by …
Including Jenny Boyd (sister of Patti Boyd, George Harrison’s first wife) and muse to more than a few famous songs from the ‘60’s.
She’ll also be signing copies of her brand new book “Jennifer Juniper.” (You can also order signed copies of Peter Asher’s “The Beatles: A to Zed” thru The Fest For Beatles Fans. (And for those of you who happen to have an extra $2000 in your pocket, you can get a copy of Linda McCartney’s “The Polaroid Diaries,” autographed by hubby Paul.)
LOTS of cool stuff available now through their mail order service.
The Fest runs from March 27th thru March 29th at The Hyatt Regency in Jersey City.
Billy J. Kramer will be on hand to provide musical entertainment, as will Laurence Juber, former Wings guitarist, and Don Dannemann of The Cyrkle, who shared the stage with The Beatles when they toured The States in 1966. (The Cyrkle were also managed by Beatles Manager Brian Epstein.) And, of course, Liverpool will be closing the show (as is typically the case.)
Some of our Beatles Authors buddies will also be on hand, including Bruce Spizer, Jude Southerland Kessler and Wally Podrazik. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
Complete Fest Info can be found here:
But check back often for updates … as there are ALWAYS new surprises being added to the list! (kk)
THIS AND THAT:
Lots of talk last week about Rush Drummer Neil Peart after it was announced that he had passed away on January 7th from a brain tumor. He joined the band during the making of their “Fly By Night” album in 1975, the group’s first platinum LP. (Every single one of their first 22 albums, released between 1974 and 1998, went gold or platinum … and while they never really became the type of hard rock artists to cross over to the pop singles charts, well-known, heavy-rotation tracks like “Spirit Of Radio,” “Closer To The Heart,” “Tom Sawyer,” Limelight,” “New World Man,” “Fly By Night / In The Mood,” “Subdivisions” and “Freewill” were popular enough to make our TOP 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS OF ALL-TIME List … the first FIVE of those making The Top 1000. In addition, the band has scored TEN Top Ten Albums on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart.)
Rush was one of the artists who popped up frequently on our Deserving And Denied List of artists long ignored by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. (First eligible in 1999, they were FINALLY inducted in 2013.) Quite often it seems that The Rock Hall has blinders on when it comes to Canadian Artists … and the fact that top notch acts like The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive (as well as their principle architects, Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman) … along with Paul Anka, Gordon Lightfoot, Steppenwolf (at least they’ve been nominated!) and Bryan Adams continue to get passed over doesn’t do much to dispel this feeling.
Rush last toured in 2015, after which Peart remarked that he was “through with touring,” preferring, he said, to “spend more time with his wife (Photographer Carrie Nuttall) and their daughter (Olivia).” Bandmate Alex Lifeson commented after Peart’s death that “His shoulders were hurting, his arms were hurting, his elbows, his feet … everything. He didn’t want to play anything less than 100 percent. He was finding it increasingly difficult to hit that mark on our last tour, so, all those things combined, I get it.”
Based on the outpouring of love, respect and admiration shared in the press by fellow musicians, friends and fans, he will be missed. (kk)
It was announced last week that nearly 27% of all PHYSICAL music sold last year was on vinyl … a remarkable comeback for a medium declared dead a few decades back. (We’re talking physical product here, not downloads or streaming or YouTube views or any of the other ways folks listen to music these days … these are albums that people bought … and CHOSE to buy … released on vinyl, just like in the good old days.)
And, just like in the good old days, the #1 Best Selling Vinyl Album of 2019 was … “Abbey Road” by The Beatles!!! (In fact, it was the Best Selling Vinyl Album of the Decade!!! The group’s “Sgt. Pepper” album also made The Top Ten Best Selling Vinyl Albums List of the 2010’s.)
Re-released on its 50th Anniversary, “Abbey Road” (arguably The Beatles’ best album) out paced all other music available to take home top honors in this area. (You’ll find an upcoming piece running in Forgotten Hits called “Is The Music Of The Beatles Still Relevant In 2020” in February (February 9th, to be exact, the anniversary of the group’s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.) Based on this latest piece of evidence, I’d have to say that the answer to THAT question is a resounding “Yes!” (kk)
I was looking at a Chicago area "memories" blog and they featured this.
Got me all misty. I was about 17 at this time.
It’s the NC6 on "Kiddie a Go-Go". I used to see Jack Mulqueen at the Hillside record shows back in the 80s.
Mike Wolstein
Yes, we’ve run this clip several times before … wish they would have done one of their bigger hits on the program … “I Confess” would have been awesome to see! (kk)
My favorite Lesley Gore song at the moment is “Look Of Love” ... not one you ever hear.
It’s the NC6 on "Kiddie a Go-Go". I used to see Jack Mulqueen at the Hillside record shows back in the 80s.
Mike Wolstein
Yes, we’ve run this clip several times before … wish they would have done one of their bigger hits on the program … “I Confess” would have been awesome to see! (kk)
My favorite Lesley Gore song at the moment is “Look Of Love” ... not one you ever hear.
Ken Freck
I just heard Sam Tallerico play “We Know We’re In Love” by Lesley Gore this past weekend … what a GREAT song from early ’66 … another one of those that certainly should have been a bigger hit. (It peaked at #58 in Record World and stopped 20 points lower in Billboard!) You’ll find LOTS of great undiscovered Lesley Gore songs out there if you search for them. (The girl could sing!!!) kk
I just heard Sam Tallerico play “We Know We’re In Love” by Lesley Gore this past weekend … what a GREAT song from early ’66 … another one of those that certainly should have been a bigger hit. (It peaked at #58 in Record World and stopped 20 points lower in Billboard!) You’ll find LOTS of great undiscovered Lesley Gore songs out there if you search for them. (The girl could sing!!!) kk
