KENT –
CONGRATULATIONS, SIX MILLION VISITORS MAN!
I am so happy for you.
Wow! 22 Years of educating and "Wowing" your viewers.
"Way to Go, Kent!"
Sandy
Kent -
Six million … WOW! … what a feat … Congratulations!
I love Johnny Maestro.
When you have an extra 70 minutes, check out the 2004 Johnny Maestro Summer Concert video ... XCELLENT!!!
Mike De Martino
Kent:
What a surprise when watching HBO’s new documentary about Tina Turner last week they referenced her arrival in Vegas to kick start her career after leaving Ike. The doc then cuts to the Vegas strip in 1974 when Elvis was headlining the Hilton, and on the same marquee it was fun to see Freddy Cannon, Jackie Wilson and the Coasters listed. I freeze framed my TV to send you the photo I’ve attached.
I really enjoyed the Tina documentary. I learned a few facts I wasn’t aware of and they featured some later day interviews with Ike I had never seen.
I had the pleasure multiple times in my radio career to work with Tina. She was one of the classiest ladies — ever.
During my years as VP of Programming at New York’s WPLJ-FM, I would have a large assortment of candy in my office, so DJs could get a sugar boost during their shifts and many times artists would sample it. One of my offerings was those hot red Atomic Fireballs that you probably remember from your youth. Both times she visited the station she asked if she could have a couple. The first time, she mentioned in passing she hadn’t seen fireballs in years and liked them. I said take a stash and put them in your pocketbook. They’ll stay tasty for months while she’s traveling. As they say, Tina was like a little kid in a candy store!
-Tom Cuddy
And here’s a shot taken during one of Tina's visits to New York's WPLJ-FM, with FH Reader Tom Cuddy. (Thanks, Tom!!!) kk
We heard from a few readers over the weekend about a special show that DJ Dusty Rhodes did on Easter Sunday Evening … part of his weekly look back at 1960s radio around the country … except THIS week he was spotlighting the summer of 1962 as heard on WLS in Chicago. In addition to the songs heard on the radio back then, his show will also feature airchecks, vintage jingles and all the hits as they happened. Dusty’s show airs from 5 PM to 11 PM Central time on www.z98fm.com so even if you missed THIS one, it sounds like this might be a cool place to be on Sunday Nights.
I checked the website and didn’t see any kind of link to a rebroadcast or podcast … nor did I see a way to contact Dusty to ask him about it … but if you grew up listening to WLS virtually ANYWHERE in the country at that time (to quote Wolfman Jack, “Where Were You in ’62???”), as you could hear it literally from coast to coast at night, this might be for you. (Definitely the early stages of WLS’ Top 40 / Rock Years … but vintage jocks like Gene Taylor, Dick Biondi, Clark Weber and more were regularly featured.)
If somebody can offer more information, please let us know, as I’ve got a feeling several of our readers would LOVE to hear this program. (kk)
Maybe this had been mentioned on FH in the past, pre-six million view days, but the organ outro coda of "Indian Reservation" duplicates the organ outro of Janis Ian's "Society's Child." I THINK that is because session keyboardist Artie Wayne played on both recordings (?)
I love perusing Super Charts for those tunes that SHOULD be aired on Oldies formatted radio stations ...
BJ Thomas got HEAVY airplay where I reside (New Haven, CT area) but you won't hear it except for specialized programs. Ditto for the Staple Singers’ "Heavy Makes You Happy," a local #1 hit that was a fave spin during our grade school lunchbreak dance time. Brenda and the Tabulations’ "Right On The Tip Of My Tongue" is another FH tune you rarely hear nowadays ... a desert island disc for me, it still sounds amazing. They had a pile of great 45s despite only having one other big pop chart hit in '67, "Dry Your Eyes."
Mike Markesich
When Mark Lindsay recorded “Indian Reservation,” he used all studio musicians from The Wrecking Crew. (Paul Revere, himself a very accomplished keyboard player, did not partake in the recording session for this song, nor did any of the other Raiders.)
After they listened to the playback, Lindsay felt that the song needed something else at the end.
The keyboard player at the session (Artie Butler, not Artie Wayne) suggested “What about something like this?” and then played a near note-for-note duplicate of the organ sound that ends Janis Ian’s “Society’s Child” from 1967.
Lindsay apparently recognized it immediately and was concerned that they might get in trouble for lifting it.
“No worries,” Butler replied … “I played the organ on that session … so this is my riff” … and so it was added to the end of Paul Revere and the Raiders’ only #1 Hit.
It became the biggest hit record Columbia Records had ever had … until some guy named Michael Jackson came along with a song called “Billie Jean.” (That’s OK … Paul Revere and the Raiders were the first rock band signed to the Columbia record label … so they still hold that distinction. Keep in mind that prior to this time the label was built around the musical tastes of Mitch Miller of “Sing Along With Mitch” fame!!!)
BTW #1: Artie Wayne was a long-time, close personal friend of Forgotten Hits, but he made his mark as a songwriter and song-pusher and not a session musician.
BTW #2: We have a special tribute to Mark Lindsay, Paul Revere and the Raiders and “Indian Reservation” coming up in June … be sure to stick around for that one! (kk)
With the passing of We Five member Jerry Burgan and Forgotten Hits revisiting Kent's story on them, I thought I'd throw my two cents in, too.
Like many, I was captured by their great folk hit, "You Were On My Mind" in 1965. As the song builds to that incredible finale, it just gives that magical feeling of joy that music gives us. The song came at the end of fall, 1965 -- a perfect time to fit into the fledgling folk scene of the period.
Some might think the We Five were jumping on the Simon and Garfunkel or Byrds bandwagon, but their hit actually preceded those two artists’ first hits. There were CERTAINLY those who came before them, like Peter, Paul and Mary and We Five’s Mike Stewart's brother's band, the Kingston Trio, but this was a new sounding folk scene.
Soon after their first, the We Five's version of "Let's Get Together" would roll up the charts to #30 and soon disappear from our thoughts due to the success of the Youngbloods' version in ‘67 and ’69, as well as the Cryan’ Shames' great rendition on 1969's "Synthesis," sung by drummer Al Dawson. The We Five version was the FIRST hit version.
The group was on TV all the time for a year.
Hullabaloo featured this awesome track live:
[What ... no 'Hang On Soupy' reference here??? - kk]
That's Jerry coming in as the last part of the three-part harmony section. The candle burned out for the We Five, but their music is still unique and beautiful. Here is their "fake" live version of "You Were On My Mind" that we taped off Bob Hope's October 20, 1965, TV special as well as the true live version of the great "You Let A Love Burn Out," from our 1965 reel recordings off our TV set in Dodge City.
Less than two weeks
later, the We Five would play on a bill that featured Paul Revere and the
Raiders and The Byrds at the Arie Crown Theater.
WCFL's Jim Stagg "Stagg Line" segment of his afternoon radio show was just getting off the ground as WCFL had only been Top 40 a few months. Jim interviewed Mike Stewart of the We Five as the stage was being prepared for the concert that night. Attached is my reel tape of the interview, uncut, showing how it got interrupted a few times by people working on the setup. Jim edited his piece for air to six minutes, but this is the whole fifteen minute piece with all the warts included. Like the Simon and Garfunkel interview posted this week on FH, it gives an insight into pop music of 55 years ago.
Lastly, Al Dawson of the Cryan’ Shames and Dave Carter and George Pall of the Cryan’ Shames, Saturday's Children and The Blackstones are still very active these days. Dave and George are planning a Saturday's Children reunion with some special additions (sadly, we lost Jeff Boyan aka Geoff Bryan and Ron Holder in the last decade) to fill out the great 60's band.
Al Dawson has been playing a lot and still performs "Let’s Get Together" live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPoh4Khd2pY
Alan has posted the raw Shames track (as well as others from Synthesis) on his youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF45mFxQc6M
It is well worth checking out AND if you liked the We Five, Al's original music on his site is awesome as well!
Next, my own taste of glory when the interview with my 1960's WLS hero Ron Riley was posted last night. I was a small part of the interview done last week. It was great meeting Ron Riley virtually IN PERSON! Here's link if you wish ... one hour long, ‘tho.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CfCA8MvyRU
PLEASE feel free to donate what you can to Ron's documentary if you remember him:
Also, thank you for running my 1966 taped interview with Simon & Garfunkle by WCFL's Jim Stagg, which can now be heard in Forgotten Hits.
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2021/04/simon-and-garfunkel-circa-1966.html
Clark Besch
After all this time, James Corden is now saying that Paul McCartney nearly backed out of their Carpool Karaoke segment several times.
I think most would agree that it was one of the most successful and popular of these bits ever aired (even airing a second time as its own television special!) … and most likely can assume at least SOME of the credit for taking Paul’s new album at the time, “Egypt Station,” all the way to #1.
Still, it’s kinda hard to believe that Paul at any point had cold feet prior to the broadcast … or that he would actually play the "I'm a Beatle" card … but still an interesting article nonetheless.
Still, a bit of "bad form" on Corden's part ... and I don't see McCartney taking to kindly to it. That very well could be the last and only time he'll consider doing the show.
And, speaking of Paul McCartney ...
Hi Kent!
Best wishes for a Happy Easter to you and yours. Hope you are staying well.
Speaking of McCartney, I just wanted to make a comment on a McCartney album. It's 51 years this month since McCartney's first solo album, “McCartney,” debuted on April 17, 1970. (I never bought the "Ram" album.)
I truly enjoyed the "McCartney" solo album, however. I especially loved the album cover. It was an inspiration to see what a family man Paul had become.
He was every young girl's dream, holding his little baby in his jacket so lovingly with her little head peeking out, from his jacket and him smiling ear to ear. We all wanted to have a man like Paul for a husband and a father of our child. He was so happy to be a proud daddy and so loving of his new baby. Linda took the pic so it was a family affair. I enjoy that cover till today.
And musically, I liked all of the songs so much that I can still remember most of them today. To me personally, it was a big transition from the drug taking psychedelic music the band was previously immersed into. It was inspirational for those who wanted to go the traditional route, marriage, family, etc. The album cover was groundbreaking in a sense ... being a family man was not in vogue in the record business. In fact, I think if you were married, it was kept a secret. This was so not to disappoint the teen girls who were the biggest fan base.
Anyhow, thinking of you and best wishes for a blessed Easter!
Sandy
None of McCartney’s follow up solo albums (McCartney II and the recently released McCartney III) have ever measured up musically to this first one in my opinion. Other than a couple of the instrumentals (Kreen Akrore anyone???) I still love virtually all of the tracks. (kk)
>>>Pilot, of course, scored a Top Five Hit with “Magic” back in 1975 … and then disappeared from the US charts. (kk)
Pilot may have disappeared, but almost every day I hear a prescription medicine commercial that sounds just like their song "Magic" ... "Oh! Oh! Oh! Ozempic!":
I wonder if the band is making any money from this. I hope so.
Ed Erxleben
Yep … literally EVERY day for me … and, quite often, several times a day!
Since the song was written by Pilot members David Paton and Bill Lyall (who died of AIDS in 1989), one can only hope that the families of both these fine musicians are being properly compensated. Together, they created what can only be described as a piece of “timeless and memorable music.” (kk)
DIDJAKNOW?: After Pilot disbanded, David Paton went on to work with The Alan Parsons Project for years.
Last week we told you about the first single from the new “Dolenz Sings Nesmith” CD. Well, 7A Records has finally released a brief promo video to announce the first single, “Different Drum” / “Propinquity.” (We were curious as to why this wasn’t available in time to run with our original release notice!!!)
Anyway, here it is now … with Micky putting a little different spin on the track we already all know and love …
In addition, Micky Dolenz will be appearing at STEEL CITY CON ("The Comic Con of Pittsburgh") June 11-13, 2021
Also slated to appear: William Shatner, Jon Lovitz,
Loretta Swit,
Jamie Farr,
Jesse Ventura,
Robert Carradine
, Curtis Armstrong,
Skeet Ulrich and many more.
More info here: https://www.steelcitycon.com/
Hey, kk … C.Z. here.
Got lucky on Saturday afternoon.
While fast-forwarding, I noticed a commercial for Saturday Night Live -- a show I've avoided for decades. Only this night? The guest band was St. Vincent, who over the past few years, have single-handedly restored my faith in rock's evolution. Excellent musicians, especially singer / composer / guitarist Annie Clark.
Check out their performances (two songs). Perhaps you'll even get to see the most beautiful commercial ever made (for Adobe Photoshop); the one accompanied by The Rolling Stones' She's A Rainbow.
You HAVE to see this.
Claude Zwyer
I’ve seen a bit of press for this so I will have to check it out. (Yes, that “She’s A Rainbow” commercial is awesome!)
I looked on YouTube and could only find individual clips of the two songs they performed … but the word on the street is that this band is really hot … and definitely worth checking out.
I know Saturday Night Live streams On Demand … so this should be a relatively easy one to see. (I did watch the Britney Spears “cold opening” … I guess I just haven’t EVER really found this show all that entertaining overall … so tuning in solely to see the special musical guest has been my main purpose for decades now! Lol)
Thanks, Claude! (kk)
>>>Chuck Buell Seekers Seeking! OK, Kent, I realize this is a very long shot, but back in the late 60s - early 70s, I voiced the taglines for a number of Coca Cola radio commercials that were sung by a variety of Pop Singers of the time. I do have some of those I did along with other such Coke spots as voiced by other guys then. But the weird thing is, I have not been able to locate the series I did for the New Seekers, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” as sung to their “Teach the World to Sing” song. (Yeah, I too thought I would have gotten a copy then along with the other acts, but alas, No!) I have come across those Seekers Coca Cola radio commercials over the years, but my tagline isn’t on them! I dunno why. Hence my Query. (And my Quandary!) I'd like to put out to the Forgotten Hits Community to see if anyone might have a copy of those commercials, with my tagline, in their archives by any chance. Thanx! (Chuck Buell)
Hello Kent,
I'm the guy with a ton of Coke jingles and I believe I have Chuck's tags at the end of The New Seekers' Buy The World a Coke jingle and others, too.
I'll be honest with you ...
Living in Ottawa, ON, Canada, I am not that familiar with Mr. Buell ... but I am pretty certain I have many others with his tag lines, though.
Thanks,
Brad Howard
(the Coca-Cola jingles guy)
P.S. You may give Mr. Buell my email. I'd love to hear from him about his Coca-Cola jingles.
I didn’t think that was Chuck, but I forwarded them on to him for verification just in case. (Then again, at this point I’m not even sure if I’m really even hearing this or if it’s all in Don Draper’s head?!?!)
As it turns out, these ARE the spots he has been looking for for decades. (Once again, the Forgotten Hits Team comes through!!!) He and Brad have already talked ... and somebody else sent him a copy as well. (kk)
