THE BIONDI BASH:
Hoping that some of you will join us for Dick Biondi’s Birthday Bash THIS SUNDAY at 2 pm Central Time … it should be a blast!
Featuring appearances by The New Colony Six, Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams, Jim Peterik of The Ides Of March, Dennis Tufano, original lead singer of The Buckinghams, Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight, Marshall Thompson and The Chi-Lites, The Chicago Experience, American English, Ronnie Rice, Frankie Avalon, Tommy James, Tommy Roe, Neil Sedaka, Tony Orlando, Bill Medley, actor Joe Montagna, Tom Doody of The Cryan’ Shames and Robert Lamm, Lee Loughnane and Jimmy Pankow of Chicago … and many, many more.
Join your hosts Pam Pulice, Joe Farina, Scott Mackay, John Records Landecker, Ron Onesti and more here:
https://www.facebook.com/TheDickBiondiFilm
Dick Biondi turns 88 years young on Sunday, September
13th! Still waiting for good news regarding the biography film.
Hopefully, it'll be out by early spring. Keep your ears to the ground!
Happy birthday, Dick! And many, many more!
Mike Wolstein
(Dick Biondi, Ronnie Rice, Mike Wolstein)
When I decided to do a short Dick Biondi video tribute, my only challenge was how to keep it under three hours! Lol!
I had ten minutes to pay homage to one of my all time heroes ... hope you enjoy it.
I’m proud to be a part of the Sunday celebration with so many others that owe Dick so much. Please tune in.
Thanks, Kent, for getting the word out. You’re the best!
Jimbo
Dick is still with us, right? I only say that because I haven’t heard one word nor seen the wild guy in years!
He seemed to just drop off the radio … no word … no reason … just poof! And he was gone.
Jeff James
Dick is still with us … although in failing health these past few years. (All the more reason to get this film out there NOW while he's still around to enjoy it ... and all the attention it will likely generate.)
I don’t know if he’ll be taking part in some fashion on Sunday or not … but it WOULD be nice for him to see the great turn-out and praise heaped upon him!!!
After all those years at WLS, they just cut him loose without even the chance to say goodbye to all his devoted fans and listeners. Downright cruel and insensitive. (This after delegating him to an on-air shift that was WAY past all of our bedtimes, never even giving him a chance to reach his most devoted audience. This whole experience REALLY soured me on WLS and what it has become vs. the station that Biondi helped build into what it once was.)
Dick LIVED to be on the air. (I swear, he told me one time, that he wanted to die on the air … he just never wanted to leave. It’s all he knew and it’s all he loved.) A real shame.
So all the more reason to celebrate all that he gave us before the Corporate Big-Wigs got in the way! Hope you can be there on Sunday for the big celebration. (kk)
Your last sentence sums it up and you’re right on … Corporate Crap-Ola!!!!!
Hell, I make fun on the air of those so called “Radio In Charge People” all the time … useless!
Jeff
Hi Kent,
Thanks so much for being part of the Dick Biondi day celebration and for getting the word out for us. You’re always a great supporter and friend to the Dick Biondi project and we appreciate you so much.
To all the people whose lives have been touched by Dick Biondi, please join us to celebrate Dick‘s 88th birthday this Sunday at 2 PM until the music ends. To keep up with our progress on the film, subscribe to our newsletter at DickBiondiFilm.com.
We are truly excited to share a very special afternoon of music, radio memories of Dick Biondi, and more.
Pam Pulice
Director of “The Voice That Rocked America: the Dick Biondi Story”
Music fans can connect via the link above. (kk)
OTHER DEE JAYS IN THE NEWS:
I couldn’t have been more pleased than to have heard from Ron Riley, another WLS Radio Legend, this week who will be taping a short testimonial for the Biondi Bash. (Ron has worked successfully in broadcasting ever since leaving the radio airwaves … for the past 30-something years as a TV weatherman, first in Baltimore and, for about 26 years now, in Washington, D.C. WLS Jock Brant Miller has made a very similar transition here in Chicago!)
Ron was always my favorite WLS Jock during my formative AM Radio years in the mid-‘60’s … and has participated with Forgotten Hits from time to time over the past four or five years. SO glad that we were able to help make this connection for Pam’s birthday celebration. (kk)
And, as it turns out, King B, Ron Britain, ALSO celebrated a birthday milestone recently … and FH Reader and regular contributor Clark Besch is hoping to send some birthday greetings his way as well.
If you got some Ron Britain memories to share, please drop Clark a line at this special email address: wlsclark89@gmail.com.
Britain ruled the Chicago evening airwaves in ’66 and ’67 with his irreverent style of broadcasting … perhaps Chicago’s first psychedelic (or woud that be PSYCHO-delic???) deejay of this era. (kk)
Hey Tulu's, they are having a big Dick Biondi 88th birthday party this Sunday. I don't want to take away from that, but WCFL's Ron Britain is also having a birthday this week and I was hoping to get some birthday wishes for HIM as well. IF you have some specific HAPPY memories of Ron or his show or some FUN interaction with him, please tell it to me and I will pass all along to him. Please include your name and location if possible. Apologies if you did not know him or remember his shows. I have been friends with Ron and Peach for several years now and just wanted to give him a special greeting a bit smaller than Dick Biondi's one, I guess. haha
Here';s a list of the stations he was on in his long career.
Thank you all for reading and HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON AND DICK and many more!!!!
P.S. Your email will not be given out to anyone. :)
Ron Britain
WHAS [Louisville KY] 1949
WKLO-TV [Louisville] 1953 - ancr
WINN [Louisville] 1953
WKAY [Bowling Green KY] 1954
WIEL [Elizabethtown KY] 1955
WSAZ-TV [Huntington WV] 1956 - ancr/on camera
WFMT-TV [Ft. Monmouth NJ] 1957 - ancr/on camera
WLBS [Monmouth/Ocean NJ] 1957
WKAZ-TV [Charleston WV] 1959 - ancr/on camera
WSAI [Cincinnati OH] 1960
WHK [Cleveland OH] 1964
WCFL [Chicago] 1965
WIND [Chicago] 1970
KCMO [Kansas City MO] 1974
WLS-FM [Chicago] 1974
WKRC [Cincinnati] 1976
[Chicago] 1978
Satellite Music Net [Chicago] 1980 - ancr/on camera
WJMK [Chicago] 1984
WTMX [Chicago] 1992-1994
WRLL [Chicago] 2002-2003
Clark also tells us ...
“Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll” was Steve King's opening bumper music on WLS in the early 70's, but I THINK he played John Baldry's version. That would be odd since Crow's version charted on WLS and not the original, but I THINK he used Baldry's for his show opener.
Clark Besch
I don’t really recall that … so I asked Steve … and this is what he told me …
Hi Kent,
The version of "Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock & Roll" that I used a snippet of in my WLS show intro was Long John Baldry's. Even though it was rarely played in Chicago, I was familiar with it from my days at WNAP, in Indianapolis. With all due respect to Crow, I just loved Long John's version and thought it had the punch I wanted to start the show.
Stay safe,
Steve King
http://www.steveandjohnnie.com
So I guess now MY next most obvious question would have to be was “The KING of Rock And Roll” specifically selected for the Steve KING Show??? (Inquiring minds want to know.)
In all these years, this was my first one-on-one encounter
with Steve King! Hoping to hear more
from Steve (and Johnnie) in the future here in Forgotten Hits! (kk)
In case you haven't heard yet, Cousin Brucie is back on 77WABC radio.
When, you ask???
Tonight's the Night!!!
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm EST
Be There or Be Square!
Unfortunately "tonight" was last SATURDAY Night. (Sorry we missed it … well, not really)
But you’ll get your chance to tune in and listen again TOMORROW night (9/12).
Bruce Morrow quit Sirius / XM several weeks ago but is now back on the air on WABC in New York City.
Great news for some of you out there. (As for me, I’ve never been much of a fan … but am happy to pass along this info for all of you out there who are!) I’ve been told by a few people that you had to hear Cousin Brucie back in the day to truly appreciate him and his impact on the early rock and roll scene … and I get that. One could certainly say the same about Dick Biondi, probably the first most relevant rock and roll jock in Chicago back in the early ‘60’s. I’m just not convinced that EITHER jock should have continued on beyond the point their talents had clearly diminished on the air … and listening to Brucie these days … for ME anyway … is just plain painful. (kk)
From Frank B, your FORGOTTEN HITS East Coast Reporter
After 46 years, Cousin Brucie returns to WABC-77 AM in New York.
He said that every time he arrives at a new station, “Maybelline” by Chuck Berry is always the first song he plays. Not a bad choice.
He opened the show with this jingle Frankie Valli & Bob Guadio made for him in 1965.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBWVLIz6pqI
He talked to the station owner and wished him a Happy Birthday.
Then a bunch of congrats and welcome back phone calls.
The whole thing seems to me like an odd combination –
Talk shows all week and then on Saturday night you get three hours of Rock & Roll.
If anybody is interested, a replay of "COUSIN BRUCIE's ROCK & ROLL PARTY" airs tomorrow night (Sunday) from 6 to 9 PM.
He'll be on Saturday nights in his new, regular time slot of 6 - 9 PM.
Frank B.
UPDATE:
kk ...
Rich guy John Catsimatidis bought WABC about a year ago.
This is strictly a long shot guess on my part ...
I think signing Cousin Brucie was the first step to turn the station from talk back to music.
About a month ago, they did a charity music event that did well.
From listening to them talk, it was John who approached Bruce.
If you own a talk radio station, why would you want to play music only once a week?
Let’s see if I'm right.
Frank B.
ALSO IN THE NEWS LAST WEEK:
Due to our Summer Countdown and a series of pre-posts, we fell a bit behind again last week in the way of current news …
But did you see what vandals did to Graceland?
Got these photos in Geoff Lambert’s weekly newsletter and couldn’t believe my eyes!
Frannie and I drove thru this section of Memphis a couple of years ago and couldn’t believe how seedy the neighborhood has become …
Downright scary looking in parts.
You would think that a bit of policing might help to clean things up there … and prevent things like THIS from happening!
Truly a shame … but hopefully they’ll have things restored to order soon. (kk)
It sure is a shame ...
But looting and defacing property is not the answer to our problems and will never be. Peaceful protest is the answer, or the other side will say "See, see they are savages."
It is tragic moments like these that remind me of parallels to the late 60's ...
Peaceful protest of the war with hundreds of thousands were marred by the actions of a few thousands.
While most of us left after the marches, these asses (I am being nice now) marred it for all of us by defacing property and looting and throwing bottles at the police. How do I know? I was there and saw it all in our great town.
Love and peace, Kent!
Mike De Martino
YES ... SICKENING ...
I'M ACTUALLY ON THERE SOMEWHERE!!!
STAY SAFE ...
MGB
Insanity in action.
Gary Theroux
SAD … WLM TOO
Floyd
Man, I tell ya, Kent ... the lack of respect from little pukes like this bunch is sickening ...
I guess as long as the criminals everywhere are coddled, and never have to be held accountable for their actions, this kind of crap will go on.
I know in my area, it won't be tolerated ... the first and second amendment are honored and enforced here ...
Just sayin'.
:O)
"By
the people ... for the people."
Stay safe and well my friend.
Barry
YES, I SAW IT. It’s already been cleaned.
Frank B.
Frank sent me a video after the cleaning so that’s good news.
Still I don’t get the point of all of this.
In what corner of the twisted minds of the people who do these sorts of things do they feel that their point is being made in a positive way that can actually help to change things by doing something like this? (And seriously, what did Elvis ever do to you??? Why are you destroying HIS property???)
I’m all for having
a voice and being heard … but damaging and destroying property that isn’t yours
… breaking out store windows as an excuse to steal … how does THAT portray your
cause in a brighter light? Can you
REALLY not see how ridiculously wrong this is? The motto you're preaching is One Wrong Deserves Another ... is that REALLY the message you're trying to send? Because that's the way it's coming out!
You want our attention? Fine. Then organize an event where you can speak your voices clearly and intelligently as to the need for change. Things are so COMPLETELY out of hand right now I think you’ll find that the majority of your audience AGREES with you … we need to DO something to stop this violence and reel in the crazy.
But acting MORE
crazy accomplishes NOTHING … and most will find your process SO out of balance
as to NOT want to stop and help support your cause. Crazy breeds crazy … and accomplishes NOTHING
… except more hatred and violence. (kk)
Elvis protecting his wall …
From Frank B by way of Wild Wayne
THIS AND THAT:
With all the Jimi Hendrix milestones making our Fifty Years Ago Today Calendar of late, we thought this would be a good one to share …
It’s Jimi making an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show … and looking totally fit and in control.
It’s actually a VERY good, light-hearted interview that touches on Jimi’s military career, his playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock and also how he views himself when it comes to “superstar guitarists.” Quite entertaining.
This episode first ran on September 9th, 1970 … so pretty much EXACTLY fifty years ago today. Incredible to think that just nine days later he would be dead.
Read the full Best Classic Bands article here: https://bestclassicbands.com/hendrix-dick-cavett-anthem-12-27-15/
And watch for a brand new, deluxe Jimi Hendrix “Live In Maui” box set coming out on November 20th.
The set consists of both audio and video recordings of this event, described by Sam Stone as “near mythic.”
More details here:
Bill Pursell passed away over the weekend. He scored The Top Ten Instrumental Hit “Our Winter Love” in 1963. He was 94 and succumbed to complications tied to Covid-19 and pneumonia.
We also lost Ron Bell, founding member of Kool and the Gang, on Wednesday …
And, of course, Emma Peel … the incredible Mrs. Peel, Diana Rigg, yesterday …
Probably just as well known today for her role on “Game Of Thrones” as she was for OUR memories of her in “The Avengers” back in the ‘60’s.
(In between, she also became the ONLY “Mrs. James Bond” in the film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”
Tying in nicely with our recent mention of Bill Carroll’s new book “Ranking The Albums: The Stereo LP Era: 1963 – 1989” comes this report from Billboard Magazine showing the list of artists who posted 26 or more weeks at #1 on their Top 200 Albums Chart.
Incredibly, only 22 acts have done it, with Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass kicking things off with 26 weeks on top (I would have thought more … true of a few names on this list, such as Led Zeppelin with 29, The Eagles with 30, The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac, each with 38 … especially considering that their “Rumours” LP alone accounted for 31 of those weeks! … Elton John, 39.)
Then again, there are several acts whose numbers are staggering … The Kingston Trio placed fifth with 46 weeks at #1?!?! Michael Jackson had 51 weeks on top, one shy of Garth Brooks’ 52 weeks (???) And, of course, some of the recent acts who have certainly reaped the benefit of albums staying on the chart longer due to less competition: Taylor Swift (46 weeks), Adele and Eminem (34), Drake (27).
Then there are a few head-scratchers like Harry Belafonte and The Monkees each logging 37 weeks on top … The Monkees I remember … between the end of 1966 and the end of 1967, their first four LPs sat on top for 37 weeks out of a possible 60. One of those LPs, “More Of The Monkees,” was #1 for eighteen weeks all on its own … that’s three more weeks on top than The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” released that same year!!!
Prince with 35, compared to Bruce Springsteen’s 29? Meanwhile, Michael Jackson logged 51 weeks on top.
The top two acts??? Not too hard to figure out …
Elvis came in at #2 with 67 weeks at #1 … while The Beatles scored nearly TWICE that many, earning 132 weeks in the #1 position. The previously mentioned “Sgt. Pepper” LP was their longest running #1 hit, spending fifteen weeks on the top of the chart.
You can check out the complete list (with more commentary) here:
And, speaking of Bill Carroll’s new book, my copy came yesterday … and it’s massive!!!
While I haven’t really had a chance to dig in yet (although Bill did send me some preliminary pages along the way), the amount of detail here is staggering.
And it’s almost impossible to argue with the methodology he used to come up with the list of the biggest and the best … if only because it’s nearly impossible to decipher what any of this really means!!! (lol)
Bill’s background in the field of science inspires him to create charts and graphs to track the trajectory of all these hit LP’s … and, simply put, it’s a lot to digest, even for the most serious and ardent fan of the charts.
But there is no denying the amount of research that went into determining the final results. (And virtually ALL of it is cross-referenced in every conceivable way to allow you to find EXACTLY the information you’re looking for.)
You can order your copy thru Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ranking-Albums-Stereo-Era-1963-1989/dp/0578739305/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bill+carroll+ranking+the+albums&qid=1599822068&s=books&sr=1-1
And get perhaps a better overview of the book here: https://ranking.rocks/the-albums
MORE THIS WEEKEND …
Hope to see you then …
AND at the Biondi
Bash on Sunday! (kk)
