Seriously? The surviving Beach Boys are considering a 60th Anniversary for next year that would include Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks … after the way the 50th Anniversary reunion went down?!?!?
Why on EARTH (other than purely for the money) would ANY of them consider such a venture? By all appearances, they blatantly hate each other … and the last tour ended as a complete disaster. (Talk about your bad press!!!)
Now I’ll admit that it breaks my heart that we weren’t able to see the 50th Anniversary Show when it came to Chicago. The video of these shows is really quite amazing, as are the live recordings released on CD after the tour wrapped up.
But the way they all treated each other at the end was atrocious … and flat out embarrassing. At first it felt like everyone was primed to do a second album … and then the rug was pulled right out from everything, leave the band members squabbling and saying horrible things about each other again.
Too bad they have lost sight of the magic of the music … and how much joy it brings to their fans who have stayed with them for these past sixty years. Everything looked SO promising at the beginning … and the “That’s Why God Made The Radio” album and single were top notch … seems like they could have ridden that wave a little bit longer and kept the good vibrations coming. Too bad they decided to shut down everything instead and put an end to our collective fun fun fun. Wouldn’t it be nice if they would do it again as friends rather than heroes and villains? God only knows if we’ll ever be able to say that I can hear music from these guys again … and it’s ok. Unless something RADICAL changes, I think I’ll probably just sit this one out … and hang out in my room, savoring the memories. (kk)
Hi Kent,
I hope you and your family are well … Crazy times.
The Buckinghams, like all our contemporaries, have had March, April, May and June either cancelled or moved to late in the year. We still have part of July and a very busy August in place, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see those dates moved or postponed. I must say that I am very pleased with the leadership shown by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Governor Pritzker at handling this pandemic. They have met this daunting challenge head on!
I just wanted to mention that I, like many artists, are posting videos. I have chosen some of my favorite songs when I pick up my acoustic and sing ... everything from our Buckinghams hits to Beatle songs. No frills … just me playing into my iPhone. I like to talk to everyone a little before I play the songs. I think our fans enjoy it by the response I’m getting, and it’s also very therapeutic for me. They are posted on You Tube and my Facebook page.
Please stay safe and be well,
Carl Giammarese
The Buckinghams
Happy to pass this along … I think SO many of us are using the music as an escape mentally, at least temporarily, for all the “real world” stuff going on around us. I’m sure a few of our readers will want to check out what you’ve been doing. Thanks, Carl! (kk)
Here's a copy of the brand new, “quarantine” / acoustic version of The Ides Of March tune “Friends Like You” … quite a departure from the amped up version that appears on their new “Play On” album … but I’ve gotta tell you, this thing sounds SMOOTH!!!
Check it out:
Check it out:
More Jim Peterik news here ...
Here's the link to a brand-new collaboration between Chicago's Robert Lamm and Jim. The caption explains what it's about. Enjoy! And please spread the word!
Paul Braun
I just LOVE the feel of this one … a light and breezy jazzy feel with a much more subdued guitar solo by Jimbo than we’re accustomed to hearing … I really dig it. (Wondering if Robert Lamm took part in the recording as well or just the songwriting part of the equation.) I, too, like the little bit of horn drop-ins that help to give it that “Chicago feel.” And an appropriate message for these difficult times, for sure! (kk)
And here’s a look at “The Story Behind The Song” for Survivor’s #1 Hit “Eye Of The Tiger” … as told by co-writer Frankie Sullivan this time …
https://americansongwriter.com/survivor-eye-of-the-tiger-rocky-behind-the-song/
I can still recall the thrill of attending my first Guess Who concert at the SIU Arena in Carbondale. It took place on Oct. 9th, 1970, four days after the release of the Share the Land LP. Needless to say, they brought the house down. One of the best concerts I've ever been to.
Mike Wolstein
This is a VERY rare recording indeed … and you’re right, the quality is OUTSTANDING to have survived all these years. (It’s hard to listen to, ‘tho, because I want to SEE them do this!!! Lol)
What a great website! (I'm an old fart and my music is from the mid-50s to the early 70s, so it touches lots of memories)
I can still recall the thrill of attending my first Guess Who concert at the SIU Arena in Carbondale. It took place on Oct. 9th, 1970, four days after the release of the Share the Land LP. Needless to say, they brought the house down. One of the best concerts I've ever been to.
Mike Wolstein
As a life-long fan, I’ve had the privilege of seeing The Guess Who numerous times over the years, as well as solo shows by both Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings … EVERY single one has been a complete delight. Can’t wait for Randy and Burton to team up for their brief reunion tour once the pandemic ban has been lifted. We’ve already got EXCELLENT tickets for this one … and have been waiting YEARS to see the two of them perform together again. (Ironically, the last time we saw Randy and Burton together was the Guess Who reunion tour in 2001 … right after 9-11. So sad that these amazing concert memories will always be tied to two of the greatest tragedies of our lifetimes.) kk
UPDATE: We have just been informed that the Bachman-Cummings concert has now been rescheduled for June 12th, 2021 here in Chicago ... over a year away. Bummer! (Guess I should stop holding my breath now!!!) kk
The other day we mentioned the resurgence of drive-in movie theaters as a means of still enjoying entertainment while social distancing.
Now comes the idea of holding live concerts “a the drive-in” … allowing a crowd of fans to enjoy the show from their cars, safely separated from other spectators. (Damn, honey, we need to open up a drive-in theater STAT!!!)
I don’t know how well it’ll all go over … or even if it does, how long it’ll last … but I just LOVE the idea that people are thinking outside the box on this kind of stuff to get things rolling with the so-called “new normal.”
Kent,
What a sad day in the world of music with the loss of Little Richard.
Little Richard was one of the early artists that was part of cooking up the original recipe of Rock n' Roll! And by the response from Rock n' Roll Royalty you have assembled in your outstanding Forgotten Hits Memorial Tribute to Little Richard, you could tell how much he is loved and respected by his fellow musicians and fans. I wonder if he truly knew how much he was held in such high regard? I can only hope so.
If ever there was an artist that captured the essence of Rock n' Roll, it was Little Richard! The talent, the music, the rebellion, the innovation, the performances, the human condition with his battle between deity and the devil, his likeability, his tongue-in-cheek ability to be so candid tempered with his humor -- it was all Little Richard! It wasn't just his talent, music, and influence that seemed to have left an impression on everyone. Beneath all the fame, glamour, and glitter, he treated people the way everyone wants to be treated -- with love and respect. I think everyone not only loved Little Richard, but they loved and respected Richard Wayne Penniman even more. And, that's why there was such an outpouring and overwhelming response from everyone when they heard of his passing.
I was glad Norah O'Donnell and CBS came through with a tribute to Little Richard during the Monday 5 o'clock News whereas ABC and Richard Muir and NBC and Lester Holt dropped the ball. Sometimes when you live long enough, despite your fame and influence "in an office on the top floor," someone decides what makes and what doesn't make the cut. I was happy a Jerry Stiller tribute made all three newscasts but was more than a little disappointed a Little Richard tribute didn't. But then again, now we know how Farrah Fawcett felt, passing away the same day as Michael Jackson -- "there just wasn't quite enough fame and time for two in the newscast."
I was lucky enough to have seen Little Richard in person, and his performance was excellent. A great show! His song "Lucille" remains my favorite Rock n' Roll song of all time!
Again, thank-you, Kent, for your outstanding Forgotten Hits Tribute and your assembling of all the accolades and homage in honoring Little Richard. It was so great to read the words of just a sampling of the musicians, fans, and friends that had loved, respected, and appreciated him and his music throughout his long and legendary career. What a tribute, I am sure Little Richard Wayne Penniman loved it. And, he certainly deserved each and every kind word. "Oooh my soul, Great Gosh' A'mighty!"
Peace,
Tim Kiley
I was blown away by the outpouring of comments honoring Little Richard and his incredible influence on the music we love. I was glad we were able to share them with oldies fans all over the world (even if we did have to wait a couple of days in order to do so due to scheduling conflicts. Sometimes that’s the downside of “writing ahead”!!!)
Check out this next email … talk about a rock and roll history lesson!!!
And then be sure to read Pat Boone’s interview with Billboard, too. (You'll find the link below) kk)
Hi there everyone,
As so many others have said, Little Richard was a true rock and roll pioneer. He was light years ahead of his time, and influenced so many important recording artists after him, that the list reads like a who's who of rock stars.
I was too young to remember his records when they first came out, but probably around 1960 or 1961, I started hearing Little Richard songs as oldies, and then. for Christmas of 1963, I inherited my Uncle Fred's record collection. Uncle Fred was my Dad's brother, and he was a teenager in the fifties, and he gave me his copies
of Lucille, Good Golly Miss Molly and Long Tall Sally. Anyway, Little Richard was a true innovater, and he will truly be missed.
One of the unfortunate things about fifties technology, is that although high fidelity existed, (yes, people had hi-fi sets before stereo), TV did NOT have hi-fi sound, and the TV performances of rock and roll performers from the fifties sound pretty poor by today's standards. Even the video wasn't that great, because the only way to save TV shows was to take a picture of the show, as it was being aired on TV. These were called Kinescopes and, as you might have guessed, the video was pretty grainy and the audio wasn't much better. TV sets weren't all that great back then either, and of course the majority of programming was in black and white. Video tape had actually been invented, but it took a while for it to become widespread and for TV networks to start saving their programs on video tape.
But what I have here, is a radio program from Australia from January of 1957. It was called the Jack Davey Ampol program, which was aired over Australia's national MacQuarie network. Incidentally, Ampol was a kind of oil that was used on cars and trucks. Anyway, at this time, there was obviously a major American tour performing in Australia, and on this program of January 18, 1957, the rock performers in this half hour show were Gene Vincent and the Bluecaps, Little Richard and Eddie Cochran. Keep in mind that this was before his blockbuster hit, Summertime Blues.
What stands out though, is how nice sounding a recording this is for 1957. This was obviously not recorded from someone's AM radio in Australia. This was a board quality aircheck, and it catches some of America's early rock and roll acts while they were still in their prime.
Incidentally, just for your information, the rock and roll artists on the previous week's show, the week of January 11th, included Bill Haley and his Comets, the Platters and Freddy Bell and the Bell Boys. Now, Freddy Bell and the Bell Boys have sort of gotten lost with time. They were not quite as big or well remembered as the other recording acts. But they were a real hot act in Vegas, and it was Freddy Bell and the Bell Boys that totally changed the lyrics of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's Hound Dog from the blues number by Willie Mae (Big Mama)
Thornton in 1953, to the version that Elvis recorded in 1956. Only Freddy Bell and the Bell Boys sang the song in a rather slow tempo, but they were the ones to introduce the lyrics "You ain't never caught a rabit and you ain't no friend of mine" to the song.
Anyway, Little Richard sings two songs and then Jack Davey interviews him, and that is most interesting, especially since this is a very early 1957 interview.
I hope you enjoy this very rare and surprisingly decent quality 1957 Little Richard recording from my own personal archives.
Thanks, Kent, for allowing me to share this with your worldwide musical
family. I think oldies fans will really appreciate and enjoy it.
Sam Ward in Canada
This is a VERY rare recording indeed … and you’re right, the quality is OUTSTANDING to have survived all these years. (It’s hard to listen to, ‘tho, because I want to SEE them do this!!! Lol)
Thanks so much for sending … hopefully others will discover this fine piece of rock and roll history. (kk)
Conspicuously absent from all the Little Richard testimonials was any type of statement from Pat Boone, who launched his Pop / Top 40 career covering popular R&B tunes in a much more “sanitized” style.
Boone spoke to Billboard Magazine several days after Little Richard’s death to discuss how their careers crossed paths in the earliest days of Rock and Roll …
After Little Richard’s death, Billboard also acknowledged several other stars whose careers took off in the ‘50’s that are still here with us today.
Among them Pat Boone, Paul Anka, Connie Francis, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Don Everly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion (whose brand new album we just told you about last week), Frankie Avalon, Lloyd Price and others (including Vera Lynn, who is now 103!!!)
You can read the full article here:
Hey Folks,
Please take a moment to check out my Youtube channel. I’m still working to upload more content including live performances and interviews. The music playlists are a work in progress as well, but still fun.
Please subscribe to the channel and “like” videos. It helps me.
I hope you enjoy it!! (Link is below)
Sincerely,
Danny
PS - Our son Ryan has been invaluable in putting these together but if you don’t like them, blame him!
Some good stuff here, Danny, especially some of the rare interviews otherwise lost forever. Bookmark this page, folks, and watch for future updates … or subscribe as Danny suggests. (kk) Please take a moment to check out my Youtube channel. I’m still working to upload more content including live performances and interviews. The music playlists are a work in progress as well, but still fun.
Please subscribe to the channel and “like” videos. It helps me.
I hope you enjoy it!! (Link is below)
Sincerely,
Danny
PS - Our son Ryan has been invaluable in putting these together but if you don’t like them, blame him!
What a great website! (I'm an old fart and my music is from the mid-50s to the early 70s, so it touches lots of memories)
I came to your site to read about the song Little Honda by the Hondells (the song had just come up on rotation on one of my playlists and I realized I knew nothing about the group)
Anyway, that led me to the Monday, November 23, 2009, entry on your site (which I found very interesting.)
I kept reading and got to the bit from Artie Wayne about his memories from the weekend of the JFK assassination.
I realize that Mr. Wayne has since died and there is no reason to correct his memory at this point, but when I was reading his recollection, one bit jumped out at me --
“Joey Powers and I were riding into the city from the airport, listening to a new record by the Beatles, “I Want To Hold Your Hand!” on the radio.”
The reason that statement struck me was because it has long been my understanding (dating back to my youth when I heard the song on local radio) that the first time "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was played in the US was in mid-December, 1963, and that it was first aired on a local DC-area station (WWDC).
Here's a story from the Washington Post giving that history:
Bill Brew
I remember correcting Artie about that statement at the time when he first submitted his piece.
Funnily enough, the record wasn’t even released in ENGLAND until the following week (November 29th) … so NOBODY would have been playing it here Stateside on November 22nd.
The history of Beatles radio airplay here in The States has been a convoluted mess for a long, long time now.
That’s what inspired me to dig a whole lot deeper several years ago and determine once and for all … despite NUMEROUS erroneous claims by others for having done so … WHO PLAYED THE FIRST BEATLES RECORD IN AMERICA.
You can find that complete text here:
I think you’ll find it to be pretty fascinating reading …
And a FAR more accurate, historically correct accounting. (kk)
Nifty history –
I listened to Biondi at some point in my misspent youth (I would have sworn it was from WLS but it appears he may have been gone from Chicago before I became a WLS listener in late '63.) While WWDC wasn't the first station to play the Beatles in the US, that recounting does give the station and DJ their due for helping to kick off the group's success in the US.
I smiled at the discussion of the Beatles’ concert in DC (the venue was the Washington Coliseum by then but had always been Uline Arena to me, growing up in the area.) I was back at school when the concert was scheduled. My high school girlfriend had stayed in the DC area for school and she got two tickets to the concert. She called me at school and asked if I wanted to come home to see it. I gave the invite a quick thought but it was a ten-hour or so bus/train trip from school so I turned it down.
Bill
I’ve recounted many times my one and only chance to see The Beatles live back in 1965. My cousins all had tickets to see them at Comiskey Park … and actually had a ticket to spare. Knowing I was a major fan, they offered to take me with them … but my Dad put the kibosh on that dream-come-true plan because it meant that he would have had to make the 90 minute round trip to Deerfield to pick me up the following day. That was 55 years ago … and he’s been gone since 1977 … but I’ve still never forgiven him. (lol) kk
More on The Beatles’ film “Let It Be” …
Hi Kent,
I, too, saw Let It Be the first time around and already knew songs from bootlegs.
I think the single had the best version of Let It Be. I actually didn't mind the orchestration on The Long and Winding Road ... I like it with or without. I can see both sides. Considering the songs and mood of The Beatles at that point, I don’t think that Phil Spector did any worse of a job than anyone else probably would have done. To me a lot of the album just isn't that good. I think that Get Back and Don't Let Me Down saw their best versions on the single.
When I watched the movie, I didn't get the feeling of hostility that many folks did. It just seemed to be a band going through all the creation and aggravation that you go through when making an album.
Bill
The only sign of tension that I felt came across in the film upon first viewing was that scene between George and Paul where George basically told him “I’ll play whatever you want me to play … or I won’t play at all if you don’t want me to.” Otherwise, I agree … I enjoyed the “Fly on the Wall” opportunity to see the greatest band in history hard at work making their next new album. And there were also quite a few light-hearted moments as well. (Jeez, the fact that the resurrected “One After 909” for the first time in eleven years was worth the price of admission alone … and John and Paul were DEFINITELY having fun singing that one again.)
I also like the version of “Two Of Us” where John and Paul again play off each other after Paul goes into his short Elvis impersonation … I sure hope that makes the new cut as that was one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie!
I’m really looking forward to seeing what Peter Jackson does with all the newly available footage … but I hope that they also keep the original film intact for historical purposes. (The fact that it has been unavailable for so long implies that there is very little love for the first cut of the film.)
I will also say that I felt the movie came across very much as Paul’s movie … he seemed to be the main focus in most of the scenes. (That reminds me of another short sequence where George and Ringo are working out the chord changes to “Octopus’ Garden,” a song that wouldn’t show up until the “Abbey Road” album. John comes in and sits down at the drums, playing with the hi-hat pedal while lighting a cigarette and poking a bit of fun at the lyrics. But when Paul enters the room, the other three all stop immediately … almost as if they were afraid of being reprimanded by “the school master” before getting down to business for the day at hand. In this instance, it felt like Paul had really distanced himself from the rest of the band.)
In hindsight, they should have all taken some time off to work on solo projects and then come back together every now and again to be The Beatles again. This has worked successfully for several other bands who came later. John and Ringo had already started filming movie roles … George had composed the soundtrack to “Wonderwall” … and even Paul did “The Family Way” back in 1967. I think if they had all allowed themselves to enjoy other interests outside the band, they may have appreciated working together again whenever the time was right, recording a new album because they WANTED to and not because they HAD to. (kk)
Sadly, we lost Astrid Kirchherr this past week. Beatles fans know that Astrid played a big part in Beatles folklore from their early days of performing in Hamburg, Germany, and is credited with giving them their first mop-top haircuts. (She gained fame as the first person to photograph The Beatles … and some of her Early Beatles photographs are legendary, including one where she took a shot of the boys in a half-shaded, silhouette pose, which inspired the cover of The Beatles’ second British album, “With The Beatles,” released here in The States as “Meet The Beatles.”)
When the then five Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe) first performed in Germany in 1960, Astrid caught the group with her then-boyfriend Klaus Voormann. Once she met Stu, however, it was love at first sight … so much so that Stu decided to stay in Germany and pursue a painting career rather than return to Liverpool with the last of the lads, ultimately leading Paul to pick up the bass in order to take his place. (Ringo Starr, of course, replaced Pete Best a couple of years later and the new foursome went on to capture the hearts of the entire world.)
Astrid was 81. (kk)
Another one bites the dust …
We lost Jorge Santana yesterday. ;-(
Mike Wolstein
Mike Wolstein
Sadly for all of his life, Jorge Santana was most famous for being the brother of Carlos Santana … which had to be tough. He performed with the group Malo, who had a hit with one our favorite songs from the ‘70’s, “Suavecito.” (#12, 1972.) This was one of our “courtin’ songs” when Frannie and I first met … and we STILL love it just as much today. A definite WOW Song if there ever was one. (I loved the song “Suavecito” so much back in ’72 that drove all the way out to The Rockford Armory just to see Malo perform it … every bit of a 90+ minute drive. I had also bought the album … along with the single … so that I could enjoy both the long and the short 45 edit of the song. I remember not being all that impressed with the album … and even less so with their live show … but this song has ALWAYS been one of my all-time favorites … a very definite “moment in time” song for me.) kk
More on Jorge Santana here: https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/jorge-santana-dies-at-68-carlos-santana-brother-rip/
FH Reader Ken Voss tells us that we also lost singer / songwriter Moon Martin last week …
Although he did have his own Top 30 Pop Hit in 1970 (“Rolene,” #28), Martin is probably best known for some of the songs he wrote that were performed by other artists, such as Robert Palmer’s #9 Hit from 1979, “Bad Case Of Loving You.” According to the link above, Martin used to perform as part of Linda Ronstadt’s back-up band … and passed up a chance to join The Eagles when Glenn Frey and Don Henley split away to form their own band. (First time I’ve heard THAT story!) kk
Hi Kent!
I assume you heard of the passing of Clark Weber a few days ago … RIP.
I saw it in the regular obit section of the Sunday Chicago Tribune. (It was only an obit, not a feature story like the Little Richard one, RIP, one of my faves of all time).
I was surprised I did not hear about his passing on local Chicago tv news. Perhaps Ch 9 mentioned.
If you mentioned it in your blog, sorry, I did not have a chance to read it yet. Busy working from home!
Hope you and your family are ok!
Goldie
Hi Goldie!
Clark Weber passed away back on March 7th (over two months ago), appropriately at the age of 89. (I’m wondering if what you saw was something about a celebration of life, which was talked about at the time. Of course, since then, ALL public gatherings have been cancelled, so the family never had the opportunity to give Clark a proper send-off.)
We DID cover it at the time (and in several subsequent days due to the volume of comments we received from readers and fans.)
No, he never got Little Richard-type coverage. In fact, I was pushing for a Rewound Radio Dee Jay Hall Of Fame segment but Allan Sniffen said he didn’t have enough airchecks available to do a whole show … even after we sent him quite a few that were submitted by our readers.
Clark never really had the rock and roll persona and appeal of some of his contemporaries at the station. Early on, it was Dick Biondi who drew most of the attention … and then by the time The British Invasion hit, the biggest stars on WLS were Ron Riley and Art Roberts … but Clark always maintained a very steady, loyal following, even has he changed stations throughout his career, always managing to stay right here in The Windy City …. Virually UNHEARD in the deejay world! As such, he likely wasn’t followed and recorded as much, as he also tended to play more of the middle-of-the-road, soft rock tracks that appealed to the parents more so than the teenagers typically listening to the station.
That being said, he was a good friend and a great supporter of our efforts here at Forgotten Hits … and we will miss him. (kk)
And for those wondering about the status of the upcoming Dick Biondi Documentary, here’s the latest from our FH Buddy Joe Farina, who tells us …
Hi Kent,
Joe Farina, Director of Communications and Marketing here with updates
on the Dick Biondi Film. The Dick Biondi Film team hopes everyone out
there is healthy and safe. Do you mind putting this in your next newsletter?
Thank you!
We have created an Official Dick Biondi Film Facebook Group! We encourage everyone to check it out and become a member. The group is dedicated to Dick Biondi and the Dick Biondi Film. We are posting videos, pictures and stories from Dick Biondi fans from around the globe.
To join the group just click on the link below:
For the last few weeks we have started Biondi Zoom Chat sessions on the Official Dick Biondi Facebook page. We've had incredible guests on so far. The likes of Ron Romero and Scott Childers have been our shows. We have more special guests joining us in the upcoming weeks including Ronnie Rice and Dean Milano. Check out the Official Dick Biondi Film Page for these chat shows as well as Watch Parties and updates on the film. A lot of exciting stuff happening!
We are planning another fundraiser for the film! Once we get to a better place with the COVID-19 pandemic, our team will sort out all of the specific details. Last year's Good Times fundraiser was a tremendous success and we anticipate the next one will be a tremendous success as well. We are EXCITED about what lies ahead.
Also, The Official Dick Biondi Film is actively pursuing photographs, footage and media of all types of Dick Biondi. Please send to Director and Producer, Pamela Enzweiler-Pulice, at thedickbiondifilm@gmail.com.
Lastly, we'd like to acknowledge Lynn and Doug Steffen as our newest sponsor. They are both wonderful people and LOVE Dick Biondi! Thank you, Lynn and Doug! We're thrilled to have you as a sponsor!
The Dick Biondi Film team wishes everyone the very best. Stay happy, healthy and safe. We thank our fans and supporters of our film!
Best Wishes,
Joe Farina
Director of Communications and Marketing
Reel Stories Productions / Dick Biondi Film
www.dickbiondifilm.com
www.facebook.com/TheDickBiondiFilm
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors: Paul Shaffer, Onesti Entertainment, VC Plumbers, Douglas and Lynn Steffen, The Village of Bolingbrook and Roger C. Claar, Mayor, Hagerty Insurance and the Italian American Executives of Transportation.
Media Support: MeTV-FM, In a Nutshell TV Show, 95.9 The River.
Acknowledgements: Newcity Magazine, Randolph Street Market,
www.WCFLchicago.com, We The Italians, Lawyers for the Creative Arts and
the Illinois Film Office.
Thank you to all of our supporters!
Damn, Joe … I was hoping you were going to tell me that with all this abundance of unexpected downtime, you and Pam have finally finished the final edit of the film and it’s all ready to go, just waiting for movie theaters to open again!!! (lol)
I know it’s been a pain-staking process … but we’ve been waiting YEARS now to see this thing finally see the light of day. Here’s hoping you’re extremely close and that this last little bit of fundraising will push things over the top. (I know Pam had told me earlier that special screenings were going to be set up prior to the final edit to gauge crowd reaction and raise more funds to hopefully allow additional material to be added. Can’t wait to make it out to one of those! If this pandemic goes on much longer, we may have to rent (or open) a drive-in theater in order to make that happen!!!) kk
And this from Pam …
Hi Kent,
I’m glad to see how prolific you are during this crazy quarantine. Keeping in touch is so important at times like this and I thank you for all you’re doing to keep us connected.
Everybody take care, be safe, and come and join our new official Dick Biondi Film group on Facebook. You can post pictures, tell stories, and reminisce about the rock ‘n’ roll days of the Wild I-Tralian.
Keep up the great work, Kent!
Pam Enzweiler-Pulice
Russ Giguere, an original founding member of The Association, has a new book out called “Along Comes The Association: Beyond Folk Rock And Three-Piece Suits” which sounds kind of interesting. (I have not read this yet … they neglected to send me a copy! … LOL … but Joe Marchese has a full review here in The Second Disc … https://theseconddisc.com/2020/05/11/book-review-along-comes-the-association-beyond-folk-rock-and-three-piece-suits-by-russ-giguere/
Here are some other positive reviews from some folks in the know:
“Russ and the Association were multitalented, intelligent men who played beautiful, melodic music, harmonized like angels, dressed like Cary Grant and partied harder than the Rolling Stones!”
―Danny Hutton, Three Dog Night
“Russ was always the front man for the group, always the sex symbol of The Association!”
―Joe Butler, The Lovin’ Spoonful
“[The Association] is one of my all time favorite vocal bands. I loved working with them!”
―Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
“The Association stands out as one of the best musical groups and friends I ever had.”
―Tommy Smothers, Smothers Brothers
“The Association is a group of singers that, each with distinct unique voice, marvelously blend together into a sound, vocally smooth as silk, harmonically rich as cream! It stands to reason that their individual life stories, ones that fostered their musical talents and expressions, [read] as fine as their sound.”
―Mason Williams, of “Classical Gas” fame and writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live
“When we were on the Legends for Liberty Tour in 1985, they would introduce the Association and the other guys would take the stage while Russ waited in the wings. The music started, but Russ still waited―until, at the last minute, he would come running out at full speed, leap over the monitors, and hit the floor on the downbeat of the vocal. It was a magical moment. He was always a consummate showman and I was lucky enough to have seen him in his heyday.”
―Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere & the Raiders
“Listening to The Association singing ‘Requiem for the Masses’ put me into harmony heaven.”
―Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane, Spanky and Our Gang
"The Association came out of the folk era, so they were more a pop vocal group than a rock band. But they were very influential, and sounded very fresh in the sixties. I loved them, on record or live!”
―Bernie Leadon, of The Eagles
―Danny Hutton, Three Dog Night
“Russ was always the front man for the group, always the sex symbol of The Association!”
―Joe Butler, The Lovin’ Spoonful
“[The Association] is one of my all time favorite vocal bands. I loved working with them!”
―Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
“The Association stands out as one of the best musical groups and friends I ever had.”
―Tommy Smothers, Smothers Brothers
“The Association is a group of singers that, each with distinct unique voice, marvelously blend together into a sound, vocally smooth as silk, harmonically rich as cream! It stands to reason that their individual life stories, ones that fostered their musical talents and expressions, [read] as fine as their sound.”
―Mason Williams, of “Classical Gas” fame and writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live
“When we were on the Legends for Liberty Tour in 1985, they would introduce the Association and the other guys would take the stage while Russ waited in the wings. The music started, but Russ still waited―until, at the last minute, he would come running out at full speed, leap over the monitors, and hit the floor on the downbeat of the vocal. It was a magical moment. He was always a consummate showman and I was lucky enough to have seen him in his heyday.”
―Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere & the Raiders
“Listening to The Association singing ‘Requiem for the Masses’ put me into harmony heaven.”
―Elaine “Spanky” McFarlane, Spanky and Our Gang
"The Association came out of the folk era, so they were more a pop vocal group than a rock band. But they were very influential, and sounded very fresh in the sixties. I loved them, on record or live!”
―Bernie Leadon, of The Eagles
(OK, fine … I’ll order my own copy … although an autographed edition sure would make a nice addition to my massive music book library! Hint hint) kk
Hi Kent,
I was going through some old papers and found this souvenir of my time at WCFL.
When Mutual bought WHN, they asked me to work with WCFL as well and I convinced them to change it from talk back to music.
Ed
I was going through some old papers and found this souvenir of my time at WCFL.
When Mutual bought WHN, they asked me to work with WCFL as well and I convinced them to change it from talk back to music.
Ed
And be sure to check out our 50th Anniversary WCFL Chart tomorrow in Forgotten Hits! (kk)
