“She Let’s Her Hair Down” by Don Young did well in Milwaukee, too. It got to #10 on WRIT!
I also remember those old WIND Top 1000 Posters. A Big Record Store in downtown Milwaukee called “Radio Doctors” carried those along with the regular surveys of the day. I ended up with about 50 of them over time! Early on, they were the pink color and later on they had black & white issues. Good Memories.
Ken
Hi, Kent!
Thanks for the great memories of WIND ... from early '76 to late '78 I always had my desk radio set to WIND ... Connie was wonderful!
I still remember her sign off ... if my Polish is still good, it means "Poland will never die," or something close to that. Clark Weber was indeed out there, and also another amateur radio buddy, Stu Collins, who I'd chat with on the way to work via the 2-meter ham band.
It's just a theory, but everyone I've met (three so far) with the last name of Collins who works in radio uses that name because Collins was the best ham radio gear ever made. ;-)
Also, thanks to Connie for mentioning Jeff Duntemann, who I used to chat with at the flea market in Palatine. I wondered whatever happened to him. Hi, Jeff, if you're out there.
Regarding the Super Bowl, although it was kind of corny, the song I remember best from that time frame was a Super Bowl parody, a takeoff on Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing". ".... Nothing can stop the ... refrigerator, nothing can stop William Perr---rrrry!"
Mike Wolstein
Thanks for the great memories of WIND ... from early '76 to late '78 I always had my desk radio set to WIND ... Connie was wonderful!
I still remember her sign off ... if my Polish is still good, it means "Poland will never die," or something close to that. Clark Weber was indeed out there, and also another amateur radio buddy, Stu Collins, who I'd chat with on the way to work via the 2-meter ham band.
It's just a theory, but everyone I've met (three so far) with the last name of Collins who works in radio uses that name because Collins was the best ham radio gear ever made. ;-)
Also, thanks to Connie for mentioning Jeff Duntemann, who I used to chat with at the flea market in Palatine. I wondered whatever happened to him. Hi, Jeff, if you're out there.
Regarding the Super Bowl, although it was kind of corny, the song I remember best from that time frame was a Super Bowl parody, a takeoff on Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing". ".... Nothing can stop the ... refrigerator, nothing can stop William Perr---rrrry!"
Mike Wolstein
Jeff has been a Forgotten Hits Reader for a long, long time … although he hasn’t lived in the area for AGES!
Yes, our Super Bowl Fever was pretty rampant back in 1986! (And what an exciting game it was, too!) The ONLY downside was that the incredible Walter Payton wasn’t able to score a touchdown … and was held to just 61 yards. But even that was OK in the long run because he FINALLY got his chance to play in a Super Bowl. (And who didn’t love seeing the VERY colorful Refrigerator Perry score a touchdown!!!) kk
Here's a photo of me and Walter Payton from many, many years ago when he came to our Open House at work. (We were printing his official Hall Of Fame Poster and he came out and signed 34 of them, which we then had framed and matted to give away as door prizes. How long ago? Well my two daughters who are posing there with him will be turning 35 and 32 this year! (kk)
Hi Kent ...
Ken Voss's WIND survey of 1,000 POP songs and Billboard's 1956-1975 were very informative. I was interested to see that the results of both surveys were alike in voting for 5 of the top 6 songs. I was thinking that the WIND station survey is in the Chicago area and regional tastes may not coincide with the NYC region's taste in music ... but the Billboard survey, which is national, confirmed that the audience tastes in music at the time were very similar.
Billboard's survey is based on sales while WIND's was based on voting, I believe ... correct me if I am wrong.
The listening audience disagreed on what number 4 should be, ie, "Don't Be Cruel" vs. "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White." "The Twist," "Hey Jude," "Mack The Knife," "Tossin' and Turnin'," and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" were all pretty much on target with both surveys. However, "I'm a Believer" came in either #7 or #8. It was the only discrepancy. The rest of the top ten list was different on both surveys.
Anyhow, what is it about "The Twist" that it ranked #1 on both surveys?!!! I could never figure that one out. I guess it was a dance craze at the time; similar to the "Lindy Hop" from the 1920's. And the Beatles best song is "Hey Jude?" I would have picked "I Want To Hold Your Hand." "Mack The Knife" was a radical departure from music at that time. And speaking of "Mack," it was a spring board for The Beatles’ violent song "I Am The Walrus" and "Stagger Lee" by Lloyd Price, etc. … violent songs. (Perhaps the forerunners of some of today's rap music.)
I am surprised that "Mack" scored so high in the top five songs. "Mack" has an interesting history. Its original appearance was in the "Three Penny Opera" from 1928. I hear a haunting melody when I think of it.
And speaking of surveys, I would be interested in at least seeing the top 500 songs of your survey. My computer can’t handle the entire 3,333 songs, but if you can send me a "snippet," that would be wonderful.
By the way, your survey was a gargantuan task to put together compared to the two other surveys. There are not many would take on this task. Kudos!
Thanks for your blog, Kent.
PS: Was wondering if you may have considered doing a survey this summer of favorite "Summer Songs." Just something to consider. (Perhaps just 100 of them. )
PPS: I can’t help myself with analyzing your two surveys. I have a liberal arts degree and analyzing data was part of my course of study.
To be clear, the WIND list was NOT a reflection of these records’ popularity here in Chicago … nor was it a fan-voted ranking.
This is a list the station put together on their own (and, from the sounds of things, very indicative of what they were playing on the air at the time … although somehow I just can’t imagine Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” playing alongside tunes by Patti Page, Lawrence Welk, The Brothers Four and Jimmy Dorsey. Somebody’s going to have to provide me with audio of this before I’ll believe it! lol)
That being said, I did a bit of research as well.
A total of 142 songs were common to The Top 200 on both lists … and HALF that total fell within ten places of each other. (In fact, EIGHT records placed identically in both charts, including HALF of The Top Ten. The highest match was “Yesterday” at #183 on both charts.)
This would indicate that WIND and Billboard used similar (if not identical) research tools to assemble their lists. (Incredible to think that WIND employed this method four years BEFORE Billboard did!!!) In addition, 23 songs appeared on Billboard’s Top 200 that were released AFTER WIND’s Top 1000 Chart was compiled in 1972. That leaves only 35 titles ranking noticeably differently between the two lists.
Some of these titles are listed below.
There were also quite a few huge discrepancies between the two lists. Elvis Presley seems to be the hardest hit (perhaps because WIND was only looking at these songs’ Hot 100 status??? If so, that beat Billboard’s precedent by about four decades!!! Their Top 100 Chart and Best Sellers Chart set the benchmark for measuring music popularity in the first three years of The Rock Era prior to launching the “official” Hot 100.)
Still here are the best examples of where The King got slighted:
Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog – BB – 4 / WIND = 26
Jailhouse Rock – BB – 14 / WIND – 39
Love Me Tender – BB – 20 / WIND – 100
Heartbreak Hotel – BB – 31 / WND – 51
All Shook Up – BB – 44 / WIND – 19 (a rare instance where WIND charted an Elvis record higher than Billboard did)
Teddy Bear – BB – 62 / WIND – 42
But Elvis wasn’t the only one …
These tunes measured up by discrepancies of upwards over 100 points!
Alone Again (Naturally) – BB – 16 / WIND – 387
Monster Mash – BB – 37 / WIND – 338 (Keep in mind that WIND’s tally doesn’t include the record’s 1973 rerelease)
Go Away Little Girl – Donny Osmond – BB – 169 / WIND – 60 (huh?!?!)
Indian Reservation – BB – 170 / WIND - 50
A Brand New Key (BB – 73 / WIND – 711 … that’s a spread of 638 places!)
Without You by Nilsson (BB – 130 / WIND – 579 … a difference of 34 places)
A Horse With No Name (BB – 148 / WIND – 820 … a 672 point discrepancy!)
Tequila – The Champs (BB – 174 WIND – 76)
There were also a couple of glaring omissions:
“Monday, Monday” by The Mamas and the Papas placed at #172 on Billboard’s list … and “Bye Bye Love” by The Everly Brothers came in at #182 … but neither of these titles made WIND’s Top 1000 at all! That seems almost impossible!
Now, to answer some of your questions …
“The Twist” routinely comes in at #1 on these lists because it is the ONLY record in rock and roll history to reach #1 on the charts TWICE … first in 1960 and then again in 1962. NO other record has accomplished this feat.
As for “Hey Jude” and “Mack The Knife,” both of these records topped the chart for nine weeks, a pretty unheard of accomplishment back in the days when records were on and off the charts in about twelve weeks total! (Today, a record can be #1 for six months!!! Which is why I always get frustrated when people lump all these stats together and try to compare then and now.) Back in OUR day, an artist often released four singles (and sometimes as many as THREE ALBUMS) in a single year!!! These days, it takes three years just to make one LP.
What most amazes me is that WIND was able to come up with this accurate a list four years BEFORE Billboard took on such a project. (It’s almost as if Billboard “borrowed” their criteria!)
That’s why songs like “I’m A Believer,” “Theme from ‘A Summer Place,’” “Singing The Blues” and “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White” scored so high on both lists. Using strictly Billboard’s criteria, these records were #1 for 7, 9, 9 and 10 weeks respectively. (That’s why I don’t understand “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog” placing so low … it topped the chart for ELEVEN weeks …. Or “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie For, an 8-week #1 Record … yet it placed at #47 on the WIND list … and didn’t make Billboard’s list at all. (Now how can THAT be?!?!?) Another big #1 Record from this era was “The Battle Of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton, which topped the chart for six weeks in Billboard and nine weeks in Cash Box.
If you check out the link below, it’ll show you The Top 200 Records of The Beatles Era, 1964 – 1970, based on the TOTAL number of weeks spent in the #1 position on all three national charts COMBINED. And you’ll also see that in THIS instance, you’re correct … “I Want To Hold Your Hand” tops “Hey Jude” as the biggest #1 Record of this era. (In fact, The Beatles have FOUR of The Top Ten Records in this regard.)
As for Summer Songs, these have been documented on the site for ages …
Both a chart based on readers’ votes as their All-Time Summer Favorites … AND an official ranking as determined by the same criteria as above … the Top Songs for EVERY Summer, 1955 – 1980, based on the performance of these records during the months of June, July and August for each of these years.
(Simply scroll down the menu on the left hand side of the page to view each individual year.)
Maybe it’s time to put together a similar list of Top 1000 #1 Records from 1955 – 1985, based on the TOTAL number of weeks spent at #1 in all three trades to offer a better picture of just show these tunes really shake out. (The only problem with that method is that there were an awful lot of #2 Records that deserve to be on such a list but won’t be due to the strictness of this criteria. Right off the top of my head, I can’t even imagine a list that didn’t include Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” for example.)
Oh well … a project for another day … I can barely keep up with what I’m doing right now!!! (lol) kk
Congratulations on putting together such a massive piece of work! Outstanding job! It would be cool to have a file of the finished, complete list to be able to download and review ;)
Doc
It’s coming … really, it is … but right now it’s one of those things I can barely keep up with!!! (It’s a gargantuan task … even though Dann Isbell was kind enough to supply the rankings with album titles and years, I’m still having a hell of a time organizing this into the format I want to share … not to mention proof-reading and fact-checking … and trying to keep up with the daily flow of mail … and our 1970 Calendar.) But it really IS coming … I promise. (I just hope by the time it’s finally ready to share, people will still give a damn about it! Lol) kk
kk:
Here’s a touching Darin Family Clip from 1/30/2010 … Dodd Darin accepting his father Bobby’s Grammy Life Time Achievement Award
FB
From Dennis Tufano, a guy who has been paying tribute to Bobby Darin for several years now, by way of FH Reader Shelley Tufano (no relation) …
A Celebration of the Life of Marty Grebb
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Calamigos Beach Club
26025 Pacific Coast Hwy
More details to follow
And here’s the latest news on another very famous Chicagoan named Dennis, courtesy of FH Reader Tom Cuddy …
This sounds like a REALLY good album. I know that Jim Peterik and Dennis DeYoung poured their hearts and souls into making it … and the bonus of a Julian Lennon duet is just the icing on the cake! Can’t wait to hear the whole thing. (kk)
Hi Kent –
Here’s an archived concert review your readers might enjoy …
The Kingston Trio, July 3, 1979, Milwaukee Summerfest
In 1979, Milwaukee Summerfest was nothing like it is today.
It was still completely undeveloped. They threw up some tents and temporary
stages and the main stage was on the north edge of the grounds facing west with
no seats, just uncovered benches. There were small sections of asphalt here and
there, but most of the pathways were pea gravel and the rest was maybe grass, I
guess, except when it rained and then it turned to mud. And it did rain on 7/3/79.
My wife, myself, my buddy Larry and his wife had all gone
down to Summerfest for the day. We always traveled to Milwaukee on that weekend
as it was my father-in-law’s birthday, the day after the 4th of July.
We were basically walking around frequenting the many beer
tents and we stumbled onto a small side stage that advertised that The Kingston
Trio was scheduled to play there in a few minutes. We had no idea that they
were even going to be there.
About that time, it started to pour. There was absolutely no
place to go. There were portable tables and chairs in front of the stage, set
up for people to sit at during the shows. The tables were covered with plastic
table clothes. I deemed this as a waterproof material so we grabbed our beers
and all climbed under one of the tables which worked as a makeshift tent, only
you had to sit on the ground.
As it turns out, we had the only dry seats for the show.
During lulls in the storm, we would take turns running out for more beer. I
really did not think I was going to like The Kingston Trio at the time, that
was until they started playing.
The Kingston Trio came along at a time when I really hadn’t
formulated any strong opinions on music so I must have listened to all of their
songs on the radio. As they headed into their set, I soon realized that not
only did I know every song, I also knew every word, as did everyone else. At
this time, the spaces under all of the tables were full. Their performance was
absolutely perfect. About the time they hit “Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley”
the entire crowd was singing along with every song from under the tables and
any other shelter they could find. It was an absolute blast and one of the best
times I have ever had.
But the day was not over.
I think the show might have ended in the middle of the
afternoon. The Beach Boys were scheduled on the main stage at, I think, 4:00
pm. The rain stopped right before this time and we came out from under our
tables and headed over to that stage. As it turns out the entire place was
packed without a space to stand or sit anywhere. These fans had opted to sit in
the rain for good seats and we had not so we had none. We were still determined
to see the show.
In the rear center of the crowd was a raised platform with
all of the sound control equipment on it. There was maybe two guys up there and
plenty of more room. There was a little path in the crowd leading up to this
platform. As we were devoid of concerns at this time, I looked at Larry and
said, ”Why would we want to be anywhere other than there?”
We all walked up to the sound platform and stepped up and
proceeded to watch the show from there. On several occasions the sound guys
politely asked us to leave and on each occasion, we just kept on rockin’ and
politely ignored them or declined.
Larry can best be described as the power forward on our rec
basketball team so he was the biggest guy on the platform. We ended up staying
there for the entire show which was great, as most Beach Boy shows are.
We then said goodbye to our newfound friends and departed.
What a day. Two great shows under “Woodstock” conditions in
Milwaukee. We still talk about that Kingston Trio show to this day.
Robert Campbell
Lead singer Carl Wayne left The Move at the end of January, 1970. If you connect the dots, they lead to the creation of The Electric Light Orchestra.
Formed in 1966, The Move was a beat supergroup made up of some of Birmingham's (UK) best musicians. Lead guitarist/songwriter Roy Wood was able to persuade his good Brummie mate, Jeff Lynne, to join The Move as Wayne's replacement. Lynne had been lead singer/songwriter for The Idle Race. That band is best remembered in the UK for the novelty single, "Skeleton And The Roundabout." It was Wood's idea to use Beatles' studio songs like "I Am The Walrus" as a template to create sort of a pop/rock orchestration that could perform original songs live. The Beatles themselves didn't think that was possible, even for them. Lynne, a Beatles' fanatic, was intrigued enough to accept multi-instrumentalist Wood's offer.
The Move would continue its UK chart success with Wood and Lynne sharing lead vocals. It would be a couple of years before The Electric Light Orchestra was ready for prime time. The name was a play on The Midlands Light Orchestra.
Wood never intended to dissolve The Move, as ELO was meant to be a side project. But in 1972 an ELO album was released, a debut single cracked the UK top ten, and The Move was kaput.
When ELO started out by playing UK small venues, audience response was tepid at best. Technical problems with amplification of cellos and violins persisted. So Wood quickly lost interest and split from ELO that summer. He formed a retro pop band called Wizzard.
Fifties-style pop and glam rock were big genres on the UK pop scene in the first half of the seventies. Wood painted his face long before the band Kiss and also released successful solo records. Lynne watched as Wood had hit after hit in the UK, including two number ones in 1973. In 1975, the John Lennon inspired "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" was finally the breakthrough top ten record in the US by Lynne that catapulted ELO into becoming one of the most prolific transatlantic hitmakers of the decade. It was never released as a single in the UK.
Mike G
It’s just mind-blowing to me to think that ELO never released “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” as a single back home in the UK … what a GREAT track!
One of my favorite ELO stories is that after the band was signed to United Artists Records here in The States and it was decided that they were going to release their first Electric Light Orchestra album, an intern/assistant was told to get the record company on the line in England and find out the name of the band’s first album as it was released over there … they wanted to duplicate the effort here and give them a proper launch.
But after repeated phone call attempts, the poor guy was never able to get ahold of anybody. Knowing that his boss was going to be looking for this information first thing in the morning, he figured he had better cover his butt and leave his boss a note that despite a gallant effort, he was never able to gather the information his boss had requested.
Figuring that he’d try again tomorrow, he left his boss a post-it note explaining the situation … it simply said “No answer.”
When his boss came in the next day, he just assumed that “No Answer” was the name of the LP … and, incredibly, THAT’S the way their first album was released here in America! (AMAZING!!!) kk
Eric Burdon has finally been given rights to perform as The Animals
Another legal battle closed.
HARRY HARRISON:
HI KENT,
I DID A MORNING INTERVIEW WITH HARRY BACK IN THE ‘90S.
NANCY SINATRA AND I WERE VISTING CHILDREN HOSPITALS IN NY.
HE WAS A GREAT HOST AND YOU KNOW WHY?
BECAUSE HE LISTENED TO HIS GUESTS.
I LOVED GOING TO THE HOSPITALS … AND HE HELPED PROMOTE IT.
YOUR ROCK AND ROLL FRIEND,
FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON
I see a mention of Harry Harrison passing. Did you know he got his start at WCFL in Chicago?
Harry Harrison, Jr. was born on September 20th, 1930, in Chicago to Harry, Sr. and Mary (McKenna) Harrison.
Harry attended a seminary, intending to become a priest, but he decided to make broadcasting his career after spending nearly a year as a teenager glued to the radio while bedridden with rheumatic fever.
Once he recovered, he job-hunted from station to station until he landed a summer intern stint at WCFL in Chicago. He remained there eight months. In 1954, he joined WPEO in Peoria, where he became program director, hosted a show in which he began his morning routine, and transformed the station into the top rated in its market.
Harrison’s radio program had played so well in Peoria, Ill., that in 1958, when he was still in his 20s, WMCA brought him to New York. He went on to become the only D.J. to broadcast, in succession, on three of the top music stations in the city. He was a WMCA Good Guy and a WABC All-American — the clubby team names adopted by the stations to brand their announcers — and a morning drive-time host for WCBS, 101.1 FM, until he retired from full-time broadcasting in 2003.
Ken Voss
kk …
Harry Harrison's Funeral will be on 2/3/20 … seems fitting for a DJ's funeral to be on "THE DAY THE MISIC DIED."
Here is Harry’s obituary, written by his daughter Patti …
On WABC (AM), Harry Was Called An " ALL-AMERICAN."
When Harry Harrison Was On WMCA (AM), he was called a "GOOD GUY."
Kent , did you ever listen to Harry in his early days? He started in Peoria, IL.
Here’s a look back at WCBS-FM, Today and Yesterday …
TODAY = Scott + Patty + John + Sue + Louie
YESTERDAY = Harry + Debra + Mr G. + Phil + Al
TODAY = Doo-Wop / Jack / Classic Rock
YESTERDAY = Doo-Wop / Jack / Never Came Back
TODAY = Digital
YESTERDAY = Vinyl
TODAY = Patty Is Scott's Radio Wife
YESTERDAY = Patti Is Harry's Real Life Wife
TODAY = Two jobs ... Weatherman John - WCBS Radio & CBS TV
YESTERDAY = Two jobs ... Weatherman Mr G. - WCBS Radio & WPIX TV
Are all weatherman greedy taking two jobs?
I used to make insulting comments like this about Mr G. and Harry would read them on the radio.
TODAY = Everybody is too friendly.
YESTERDAY = I miss those old insulting radio days.
Here’s some rare footage, starting in your neighborhood …
I don't know if you were listening yesterday when Rewound Radio featured Harry Harrison in their Dee Jay Hall Of Fame segment, but I thought this was a great story.
I forget the year ... but there was a blizzard in the New York area.
Harry lived in New Jersey -- a 45 minute drive to New York at 3 0'Clock in the morning. Harry finds that he can't get his car out of the garage … so he decides to start walking to work, hitching rides along the way.
His wife, Pretty Patty, is chasing after him in her bathrobe yelling "YOU’RE CRAZY – YOU’RE CRAZY!"
Harry was late, but he made it ... and then wound up covering other shifts for DJ's who couldn't make it through the snow.
FB
