(Scroll back to our Sunday Comments Page to see how you can take part in the online festivities.)
Meanwhile, we’ve got ANOTHER Beatles anniversary of significance to celebrate this week, too.
It was 63 years ago Monday, July 6th, that John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the very first time. That innocent meeting would change the face of music forever.
Mark Lapidos, originator of Beatlefest / The Fest For Beatles Fans, put it this way:
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1957
It started out as a regular day in Liverpool, England. The tiny one column Foradvert in the local paper announced the Woolton Parish Church Garden Fete. The Grand Dance Featured The George Edwards Band and The Quarry Men Skiffle Group. It was quite unassuming, headed by a 16 year old boy named John Lennon. John's friend and neighbor, Ivan Vaughan, went to a different school where he was friends with a 15 years old boy named Paul McCartney, who just happened to have been born on the same day as Ivan. He knew that Paul loved music, so Ivan invited Paul to the Fete to meet John. Books have been written about this moment, which, in my opinion, is THE big bang theory of music history. Who could have ever predicted that these two boys would, in the next decade, become the greatest songwriters the world has ever known? Every story has to start somewhere, and so it was 63 years ago today, July 6, 1957, that our heroes met. George joined in 1958 and Ringo in 1962 completing The Beatles.
Mark Lapidos
The big news yesterday, of course, was the death of Charlie Daniels.
kk:
Charlie Daniels, of 'Devil Went Down to Georgia' fame, dies at 83
Do we play the version that says SOB?
FB
Daniels died Monday morning after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 83.
Charlie had built quite a reputation for himself as a Nashville sessions man before he began to have hits under his own name. (In the late ‘60’s, he performed on Bob Dylan’s legendary “Nashville Skyline” album … and would, over the years, contribute to two other Dylan LPs. In 1970 he was one of the many cracker-jack Nashville musicians who played on birthday boy Ringo Starr’s “Beaucoups Of Blues” album.)
But then in 1973 his own career took off, scoring first with the novelty hit “Uneasy Rider,” #9. (I just heard this one the other day!) Five more National Top 40 Pop Hits followed: “The South’s Gonna Do It” (#26, 1975 … and a pretty authentic country track to cross over to the pop charts), “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” (#3, 1979 … and his signature tune … EVERYBODY knew who Charlie Daniels was after THIS one!), “In America” (#10, 1980), “The Legend Of Wooley Swamp” (#23, 1980) and “Still In Saigon” (#22, 1982, a track we’ve featured several times before in Forgotten Hits.) He also had fourteen Top 40 Country Hits, with “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” going all the way to #1.
Ironically, we had just posted the notice about this year’s Volunteer Jam being cancelled due to Covid-19 on Sunday. The annual event began in 1974 and over the years featured everybody from Willie Nelson to Billy Joel to Garth Brooks to The Allman Brothers Band to Little Richard on the bill.
His career saw Daniels become a member of The Country Music Hall Of Fame, The Grand Ole Opry, a Grammy Winner and a movie star when his band was selected to perform in the classic John Travolta film “Urban Cowboy.” He even appeared in a Geico television commercial when the announcer asked, “Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?” … and then demonstrated that, in fact, he does. (Some might even go so far as to say that Charlie just may have been the best that’s ever been.) He will be missed. (kk)
We lost Charlie Daniels today at the age of 83. So sad.
I knew his Volunteer Jam had been cancelled this year. He's been doing it since early 70's. I wondered what will happen with any airplay for "The South's Gonna Do It" now. Great song, but likely banned.
Also passing today was Ennio Morricone, 91. His Eastwood spaghetti western themes and whole movie scores were THE BEST! "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" is "premiering" this week on MeTV!
Clark Besch
Clark Besch
Let’s hope this show can go off as planned.
Orland Park is running two major summer concert events this year.
The first one, scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 22nd, will feature Tommy James and the Shondells along with The Cornerstones Of Rock (The Buckinghams, The Ides Of March, The Cryan’ Shames, The New Colony Six and The Shadows Of Knight)
The second one is scheduled for Saturday, September 12th and will feature Blue Oyster Cult, Mark Farner’s American Band and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Tickets for BOTH events are only $60 for non-residents and, of course, everything is subject to change based on the latest status of Covid-19.
More information here: https://orlandpark.org/services/recreation/concert-series
Ron Onesti is doing a live Q&A with Dennis DeYoung, formerly of Styx, and you’re invited to join in and participate.
It’ll all happen THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT (July 8th) …
And wait till you see what they’ve done with The Arcada Theatre. Talk about your silver linings! While the whole Covid-19 thing has thrown everybody for a loop and shut down music venues from coast to coast, Ron has taken advantage of the “down time” to do some SERIOUS remodeling to the theater. (You won’t recognize it when you’re finally able to go back!) Watch for a special feature, coming soon to Forgotten Hits. (kk)
SiriusXM took a vote from their listeners on 60’s on 6, on who are the Top 200 American Artists. I presume it was a 60’s decade selection, but as I was not aware of it until they hit #18 on July 4th, I do not know.
Here are numbers 18-1.
18. The Four Tops
17. The Association
16. Paul Revere and the Raiders
15. Jay and the Americans
14. Tommy James and the Shondells
13. Three Dog Night
12. The Monkees
11.The Temptations
10. The Supremes
9. Roy Orbison
8. The Righteous Brothers
7. The Mamas and the Papas
6. Creedence Clearwater Revival
5. Neil Diamond
4. Elvis Presley
3. Simon and Garfunkel
2. Frankie Vallee and the Four Seasons
1. The Beach Boys
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
There were ALL kinds of special countdowns over the 4th of July Weekend … and it’s probably a pretty safe bet that they counted down these Top 200 Picks at least two or three times during the course of the 3-Day Weekend.
I was really enjoying The Top 700 Hits Of The ‘70’s on SiriusXM’s 70’s Channel … also determined by listeners’ votes. (The first 200 songs of these countdowns always seem to be the most interesting as these aren’t the songs you already hear 20+ times a week!) kk
Hi Kent:
Regarding the People’s Fair event, it just proves our hippies were as stupid as everyone else’s hippies! LOL.
Steel Wheelchairs was funny!
Ken Freck
Oh Buddy ... the Steel Wheelchair Tour pic is just too funny ... LOL … thanks!
Barry Winslow
Special thanks to FH Reader Mike Wolstein for sending that one in ... it made quite a few people smile this weekend! (kk)
Clark Besch just happened to send this American Bandstand clip in honor of The 4th of July … featuring FIVE Americans. Thought you would enjoy the song the kids are dancing to before Dick Clark breaks away to do a quick interview with Mike Rabon, who has also chimed in in Forgotten Hits from time to time! (kk)
Clark Besch just happened to send this American Bandstand clip in honor of The 4th of July … featuring FIVE Americans. Thought you would enjoy the song the kids are dancing to before Dick Clark breaks away to do a quick interview with Mike Rabon, who has also chimed in in Forgotten Hits from time to time! (kk)
FH Reader Geoff Baker sent us this blurb about Max Crook, cowriter of the Del Shannon #1 Hit “Runaway,” who we lost this past week …
Max Crook, who will forever be remembered for his contribution to one of the greatest records ever made, died on July the 1st, 2020 at the age of 83.
The record in question was Runaway, which he co-wrote with Del Shannon, with its Musitron synthesizer, which was a three octave keyboard which he built and used to great effect as the soloist who played that incredible bridge for the first time on that recording. He also played on most of the hits that Del is remembered for before he and his family moved to California, where he worked as a burglar alarm installer and for the local fire station.
He also recorded instrumentals under the name Maximillian. In fact, some early pressings of Runaway had The Snake by Maximillian on the “B” side in error.
In the seventies, he was tempted back by Del and together with Brian Hyland recorded the hit Gypsy Woman. He was born on November 2nd, 1936 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Hi Kent –
I just listened to that early Tommy James recording of “Judy” for the first time today. Steve Lawrence's "Pretty Blue Eyes"(1960) immediately jumped into my mind. What do you think?
Clive
I see a bit of a similarity, yes ... for sure … but this was also pretty much the sound of the day back then. (kk)
Tom Cuddy sent us this preview of a new Gordon Lightfoot film profile coming out …
Freddy Cannon sent us copies of a few more of his drawings.
See something you like? Let us know and we’ll make it happen.
The drawings are $40 each … and we’re still working out the deals for a VERY special, EXCLUSIVE Forgotten Hits drawing / auction. Stay tuned. (kk)
HI KENT –
HERE ARE FOUR MORE PICS:
ROY ORBISON, BUDDY HOLLY, EDDIE COCHRAN AND DAVID BOWIE
FREDDY
I happened to catch this clip on The Best Of Ed Sullivan the other night.
This group must have disappeared without a trace …
But I thought they did a VERY credible version of this Laura Nyro tune, also a hit for The Fifth Dimension and Thelma Houston.
Check out The Sugar Shoppe:
Check out The Sugar Shoppe:
(Look closely and you’ll see that the male singer is a very young Victor Garber, who would go on to have a very successful acting career.)
Wikipedia says The Fifth Dimension “borrowed” The Sugar Shoppe’s arrangement. In that it came out nearly a full year later, they very well could be right. The Fifth Dimension’s version made it all the way to #18 in Record World (#27 in Billboard) … while The Sugar Shoppe’s version never charted at all. Too bad … I think it’s pretty damn good! (Thelma Houston’s version came out between the two … it peaked at #59 in Record World in January of 1970 … #74 in Billboard … but it was a #18 hit here in Chicago.) kk
And, since we're over here on YouTube, here's one that's worth another look …
An amazing performance. (Looks like even the Led Zeppelin guys liked it! Lol) kk
