Saturday, June 26, 2021

DICK BIONDI

After receiving the email below from FH Reader Marcie Vanneste, we were inspired to do a brand new Dick Biondi feature, digging a bit deeper into his incredible career in radio ... as well as sharing some big, upcoming news about the Dick Biondi Film Documentary.

This is the email that started it all ...

>>>Yes, I loved WLS Chicago with Dick Biondi!!!!!  He took me thru all three years of high school till he got bumped for that mini-skirt joke, which would be 5th grade humor, possibly even 4th.  Why do “they” let crap on radio today and yet Dick got cut short?  (Marcie Vanneste)

 

Well, Kent, Dick and I had a great visit when he was on WBBM-FM during the mid-80s.  Early one morning before his show, probably around 2:00 AM in his WBBM office, I had my cassette recorder, turned it on, and we talked for more than an hour.  The conversation turned out to be his audio-biography up to that time.  One of the topics we discussed was 'what happened to his WLS gig?' 

Back during 1968, he had told me about the supposed mini-skirt joke that got him fired, which he may have told on-air shortly before he disappeared from the Big 89, but I had never heard his version of the real story.  So, here is an audio excerpt from that night when he explained what really happened.

Jon Morgan

For decades, people have speculated as to what the “off color” joke was that Biondi told that got him fired … and several have even offered up their own versions as to what he supposedly said.

(It’s funny because in all these years, I’ve never heard it referred to as “the mini-skirt joke.”  Biondi was fired in May of 1963 … and I didn’t think that the mini-skirt really took off until a few years later.  I guess I always associated it as more of a mid-‘60’s fashion thing.)

In his book “Rock And Roll Radio:  The Fun Years, 1955 – 1975,” Clark Weber put to rest the long-standing rumor about Dick’s off-color remark …

We can now put to rest, once and for all, one of the greatest urban myths related to Dick Biondi and the supposed story of why he got fired from WLS.

To this day, I still run into people who tell me the tired tale that they were listening the night Biondi supposedly told an off-color story on the air that caused him to be fired.  The undeniable fact is that it just didn’t happen.  I was there and became an eyewitness to the incident. In fact, here’s what did happen …

There was a disagreement between Dick and WLS management over the increase in the commercial load during his show.  He had monstrous ratings, and it seemed that every sponsor in the country wanted to reach that audience and was willing to pay any price that WLS would charge for commercial time on his show.  As it turns out, an American Dairy Association’s advertisement happened to be the one additional ad that broke the camel’s back.

Biondi went on the air one night in 1963, saw the added commercial, and became irate.  Armend Belli, the WLS Sales Manager, tried to calm him down, but Dick was very unhappy.  I had just come off my “Silver Dollar Survey Show” when I heard what appeared to be a loud commotion in the hall.  Dick was making it clear to Armend, in no uncertain terms, that he didn’t want to have so many advertisements because they were forcing him to interrupt the flow of music on his program.  Program Director Gene Taylor intervened and tried to calm down the situation, and finally suggested to Dick that he go home and just cool off.  Biondi did go home, but the next day, May 2, 1963, three years to the day he had begun at WLS, he was fired.  Station Manager Ralph Beaudin had tried to sort out the situation but ended up firing Dick.

It was highly regrettable for Dick, and for WLS, because he had become so popular with his own national audience and was our “Pied Piper.”  The kids loved Dick, and his listeners have always been very loyal because Biondi prided himself on looking out for his listeners … and he felt an obligation to take care of their welfare (i.e. just too many commercials.)  However, WLS resisted Biondi’s reaction to the added commercials and made clear to him that the station was determined to maintain its position on the number of advertisements.  It was a situation that had gotten out of hand, and Dick’s career was affected by the event.

So, simply put, there was no dirty story … just a misguided understanding of the situation.  And, despite his great popularity at WLS, Dick was fired by the station.  Dick Biondi has also been inducted into three Halls of Fame:  The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, The Radio Hall Of Fame and The Museum of Broadcast Communications Hall Of Fame.

Clark Weber

In an interview with Stew Salowitz for his book “Chicago’s Personality Radio:  The WLS Disc Jockeys of the Early 1960s”, Original WLS Program Director Gene Taylor had this to say about Dick Biondi …

Biondi was one of those extremely difficult people to work with, and he was an immense talent.  Boy, if there ever was a Pied Piper of Hamelin, it’s Dick Biondi.

He could, on the air, tell kids to wear one white sock and one black sock to school the next day and we’d get calls from parochial schools and school board members about how this guy was leading their students and their teen-agers down the paths of sin by making them do things like that.  And then there were his peanut butter pizzas, and people would order them or bring them up to the radio station for him.

He was one hell of a talent.  He had a tendency, in my mind’s eye, at that time to have a lot of highs and a lot of lows.  When he was high, he was sensational … when he was low, he was the most depressed human being in the world.  It was kind of a battle constantly to keep him from getting too high or too low and to keep him on an even keel, where he wound up producing on the air the kind of things that you needed.  Even when he was depressed, he sounded good on the air, but he could be a little miserable to live with once in a while.  As a matter of fact, I’m the guy who fired him!

There have been all sorts of strange stories that have made the rounds on why Dick Biondi got fired, the general perception being that he said something really rotten on the air, and that simply wasn’t the circumstance at all.  Most of the things he said maybe were little double entendre jokes, stuff like that, which caused no major problems for us.  Primarily, Biondi got fired because the two of us got into a shouting match one day over something … who the hell knows what it was?  He hated commercials, and it might even have been that there were too many commercials on his show, and we got into a shouting match at each other and it came down to a point where it was best for everybody to part company.  You can’t have disc jockeys telling program directors how to run radio stations, and at the top of their lungs, and that’s kind of the way it was going, with the rest of the staff standing out in the hallway, listening through the door, to see what was happening.

Biondi’s response to all of this (in the same publication) was:

Stew Salowitz:  There are a few things in radio that can wear a disc jockey out, like having eighteen minutes of commercials an hour …

Dick Biondi:  Well, it was that, but it was the principle behind it.  Even today with the bottom line, they don’t put that many commercials.  You put five minutes of news, five minutes of something else that was talk-oriented  - to me, it was dumb because it was taking up time from the records.  And then twenty one minutes of commercials.  So you figure you’ve got thirty one minutes of talk or commercials and then you’re supposed to play records and maintain some sort of an audience.  That didn’t make sense to me … so I fought it

SS: And that was the real reason for your being fired at WLS?

DB:  Definitely.  That’s the fight that I had with the sales manager.  We literally came to, well, I went after him with a letter opener.  I was going to stab him … I didn’t care … I saw red and lost control.  The engineers and whoever wrestled me down, wrestled him down and they told us all to go home.  I guess they mean to go home and cool it.  I took it as being fired and that was it.  I never came back.

There was no denying how big Dick’s audience was … while on the air, he would tell the kids driving around in their cars to honk their horns and you would hear horns blasting all over the city.  Biondi used to give Taylor and upper management at the station a hard time on the air all the time. (Picture Howard Stern in the movie “Private Parts” talking about his boss, “Pig Vomit” … only fifteen years earlier!)  It made for fun radio … and one time, he told his listeners that the Program Director had just bought a new car, described what color it was and where he would be driving at a given point in time, and then encouraged his listeners to throw rocks at the car if they saw it pass them by on the street!  It’s a wonder he wasn’t jailed … and that nobody got hurt!

Still, despite being reported otherwise, Biondi’s beef wasn’t with Gene Taylor … he says he and Gene were “best buddies.”  The real beef was with WLS’ Sales Manager, Armend Belli, who felt Biondi would be taking money out of his pocket if they cut back on the number of ads they ran each hour during his show.  I get it … if your whole income is based on sales commission … and you’re selling top dollar spots on the hottest show in town … you don’t want ANYBODY limiting your earning potential.  But Dick was there to entertain the kids.  His live record hops drew capacity crowds.  He put on his show for THEM … and wanted the program to flow in the creative manner in which he was trying to present it.

Biondi was, without a doubt, the Top Jock in the City of Chicago at the time … he had more listeners than anybody … (it has been estimated that at his peak, Dick captured as much as 80% of the entire listening audience of The Windy City!!!) … and, as such, his show was the PRIME spot for advertisers.  Problem is, Dick didn’t want to play commercials … he wanted to be able to play more music and talk to the kids on the air.  But WLS could charge a premium for advertising on Dick’s show and, as a result, he was soon airing more commercials than anybody … and, as we all know, radio is a BUSINESS … and companies willing to pay top dollar for a spot on Dick’s show, where their ad would be heard by more listeners than anywhere else, were filling up his timeslot.  (Biondi used to say that he was lucky to be able to play two or three records per hour … I don’t know if it was ever really THAT bad … but he DID bring in an awful lot of money for the station.)

Over the years, after hearing SO many variations on the story as to WHAT Biondi said on the air that was so offensive … and how he was told to go home, meaning EXACTLY that … go home, cool down, relax, and then come back tomorrow in a better frame of mind and do a good show, which Dick took to mean “Go home … for good … you’re fired!”, it’s nice to see that all parties concerned have settled in on ONE version of the story now, agreeing that the whole episode was likely just one big misunderstanding.  Kudos to Dick Biondi for standing on his principles … to the point of even being willing to give up his job in defense of them.

Biondi left WLS and headed out to the West Coast to work for KRLA … (I wonder how many commercials he had to play on THAT show!!!) … and, after playing the VERY first Beatles record in America in February of 1963, was now introducing The Fab Four for their live concert at The Hollywood Bowl.  (He will be forever tied to the earliest stages of their development here in The States, yet is rarely mentioned in this regard, falling WELL into the shadows behind disc jockeys like Murray The K and a few others.)

By the way, you can read the whole story of Who Played The First Beatles Record in America right here:  http://forgottenhits.com/who_played_the_very_first_beatles_record_in_america

Dick Biondi was one of the original seven disc jockeys hired at WLS 890 when the station flipped to its Top 40 format … but in reality, he was really only there for three years.  (He first signed on the air on May 2, 1960 … and was fired EXACTLY three years later on May 2, 1963.)  He came back to Chicago in 1967 to work for the competition, WCFL, during what has to go down as one of the greatest radio wars in history.  The two 50,000 watt Top 40 stations battled it out for listeners for nearly a decade (until “Super ‘CFL” finally threw in the towel and flipped to an Easy Listening / World’s Most Beautiful Music format.)  Jocks often changed stations in order to keep popular names on the air here in Chicago.  They were often lured for more money in the hopes that they would bring their listening audience with them and, as a result, MOST of the jocks on the air from 1967 – 1975 ended up working at both stations, even if it was just for a very brief time.

Biondi would come back to WLS (ABC Radio) on the FM side of things, playing oldies for a couple more decades from the 1980’s and beyond.  (This meant that he was playing the songs that he had played when they were brand new releases many years before.)  Along the way, he met many of pop music’s biggest stars … and they would often call into his program to talk.

The Dick Biondi Documentary has been in the works for close to a decade now.  Pam Pulice, an original Biondi listener from his FIRST go’round at WLS here in Chicago, has been raising funds to finally push this thing over the top.  (She even knitted the sweater that Dick is wearing on the cover of his “Favorites” album!) 

Besides being heard from coast to coast via WLS’ powerful 50,000 watt signal at night, Biondi actually had his own shows from coast to coast, breaking out in a big way first in Buffalo, New York, and then later at KRLA in Los Angeles after the whole WLS firing debacle.  In between, he spent DECADES here in Middle America, playin’ the hits on WLS AM and FM.

There is quite a story to be told … and this film NEEDS to be made … so please help in any way you can.  (Donations are being accepted RIGHT NOW at:  https://www.dickbiondifilm.com/)

Pam brings us up to date on a few other announcements …

Hi Kent,

I’m delighted to tell you that the “urban legend” surrounding Biondi’s firing from WLS-AM in May, 1960, will be detailed in our documentary film, “The Voice That Rocked America:  The Dick Biondi Story.”  The events that unfolded on that day will be told by veteran WLS deejay Bob Hale, who remembers it well, Dave Fogel, Scott Childers, John Landecker, Tony Lossano, Art Vuolo, Dennis Tufano, and, most importantly, Dick himself.  It’s a great story and I’m not going to give it away.  Suffice to say, it will put to rest this tale that has been circulating for over 50 years.

For all you Biondi and music fans, Ron Onesti is about to make a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT … https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=4699854886704920&set=a.262570470433406.  

Ron has been with us through this entire seven year journey.  

He was the first to show our Teaser on the stage of the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.  He’s provided backstage access to interview the great Tony Orlando, Bobby Rydell, Paul Shaffer, and many others.  He’s invited us to speak at many Cornerstones of Rock concerts. Ron helped us raise funds at our Good Times Fundraiser in 2019.  And right now, Ron is putting all the pieces together for a big event to help us get to the finish line.   This is going to be something really special with many surprise guests!!!!  And we can’t wait!

Special thanks to Jim Peterik, Carl Giammarese, Dennis Tufano, Ray Graffia and Bruce Mattey, Ronnie Rice, Jimy Sohns, Tom Doody, Jim Pilster, Ted Aliotta, and all of the Cornerstones of Rock artists who have graciously helped with this labor of love.  If I’ve learned one thing from making my movie, it’s that it takes a community.  And I’ve been blessed to have the support of an incredible community of artists, entertainers, people in the media, and fans.  

Director of Communications and Marketing, Joe Farina and I are absolutely over the top excited about what’s about to come down.  I wish I could say more.  

If you want to stay in the loop, sign up for our newsletter https://www.dickbiondifilm.com/contact.

Kent, as always, thanks for all you do.    

Stay well everybody!  And stay tuned for the BIG NEWS.  

Pam Pulice,

Director

The Voice That Rocked America:  The Dick Biondi Story

https://www.dickbiondifilm.com/

We’ll be there, Pam … just tell us where and when!!!  (kk)

[And I hope I didn’t let the cat out of the bag with all of today’s commentary.  It just goes to show how, after nearly sixty years, this story is still circulating and still generating interest.  Again, another reason why THIS FILM NEEDS TO BE MADE!!!]

kk

Friday, June 25, 2021

The Friday Flash

Elton John has announced what he is calling his “final tour dates ever” of North America and Europe with the “most spectacular production I’ve ever had.”  (See his official announcement / news release below.)

A stadium tour that will take him through several countries (and continents!) will resume on September 1st of this year and conclude during the first quarter of 2023.  (Wow … that’s quite a tour!!!  Take a look at this list!!!  No rest for the wicked!)

It looks like he’ll swing thru Chicago twice … first in February of next year for a couple of shows at The United Center … and then back again in August for an outdoor show at Soldier Field.  (Frannie has never seen Elton John live … so there’s a part of me that wants to be there for his final curtain call … but let’s face it, his voice has been pretty “iffy” for years now … I can’t imagine a hectic-paced tour like this is going to do it any favors.  I know he wants to say goodbye and go out in a VERY big way … but I just can’t even imagine what the undertaking involved with putting together what will amount to a 20 month farewell will do to him … this is likely more than an artist one-third his age could keep up with!!!)  More power to you, Elton!  Enjoy the ride.  (kk) 

Elton John Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour

Remaining 2021 Dates:

September 1st, 3rd and 4th – Berlin, DE – Mercedes Benz Arena
September 7th and 8th – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
September 11th, 12th and 14th – Hamburg, DE – Barclaycard Arena
September 17th and 18th – Stockholm, SE – Tele2 Arena
September 21st and 22nd – Helsinki, FI – Hartwall Arena
September 22nd – Helsinki, FI – Hartwall Arena
September 25th and 26th – Oslo, NO – Telenor Arena
September 28th – Copehnhagen, DK – Royal Arena
September 30th – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
October 2nd – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
October 5th and 6th – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion
October 8th – Mannheim, DE – SAP Arena
October 10th, 12th and 13th – Paris, France – AccorHotels Arena
October 16th and 17th – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
October 22nd and 23rd – Barcelona, ES – Palau Sant Jordi
Oct 23 – Barcelona, ES – Palau Sant Jordi
An extended residency with shows on November 2nd, 3rd,7th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th in London, UK, at The O2
(with a quick stop on November 5th in Leeds, UK, at The First Direct Arena
November 19th – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena
November 21st, 23rd and 24th – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena
November 27th and 28th – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
And then back to Manchester Arena in Manchester, UK, for a show on December 1st

December 3rd and 4th – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
December 6th – Belfast, UK – The SSE Arena
December 9th and 10th – Aberdeen, UK – P&J Live
December 13th and 14th – Glasgow, UK – The SSE Hydro

2022 Dates

January 19th – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
January 21st and 22nd – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
January 25th and 26th – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
January 29th – N. Little Rock, AR – Verizon Arena
January 30th – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
February 1st – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
February 4th and 5th – Chicago, IL – United Center
February 8th and 9th – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
February 14th and 15th – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
February 18th and 19th – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
February 22nd and 23rd – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
February 25th – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
March 1st and 2nd – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
March 5th and 6th – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Coliseum
March 19th – Fargo, ND – Fargodome
March 22nd and 23rd – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
March 26th – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
March 27th – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
March 30th – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
April 1st – Indianapolis, IN – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
April 2nd – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
April 5th – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
April 8th – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
April 9th – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
April 12th – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
April 13th – Hershey, PA – Giant Center
April 16th – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
April 19th – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
April 20th – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
April 23rd – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Arena
April 24th – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
April 27th – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
April 28th – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena

May 27th – Frankfurt – Deutsche Bank Park
May 29th – Leipzig – Red Bull Arena
June 4th – Milan – San Siro Stadium
June 7th – Horsens – CASA Arena
June 9th – Arnhem – Gelredome
June 11th – Paris – La Defense Arena
June 15th – Norwich – Carrow Road
June 17th – Liverpool – Arnfield Stadium
June 19th – Sunderland – Stadium of Light
June 22nd – Bristol – Ashton Gate Stadium
June 29th – Swansea – Liberty Stadium

July 15th – Philadelphia, PA – Citizens Bank Park
July 18th – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
July 23rd – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
July 28th – Foxboro, MA – Gillette Stadium
July 30th – Cleveland, OH – Progressive Field
August 5th – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
August 7th – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
September 10th – Syracuse, NY – Carrier Dome
September 16th – Pittsburgh, PA – PNC Park
September 18th – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium
September 22nd – Atlanta, GA – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
September 24th – Washington, DC – Nationals Park
September 30th – Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field
October 2nd – Nashville, TN – Nissan Stadium
October 21st – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
October 29th – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
November 4th – Houston, TX – Minute Maid Park
November 12th – Phoenix, AZ – Chase Field
And then the whole thing culminates on November 19th and 20th with shows in Los Angeles, CA, at Dodger Stadium, home to MANY an Elton John Concert Event in the past.  (And this completes his last ever show on American soil.)

2023
January 27th and 28th – Auckland, NZ – Mt. Smart Stadium

(More Australian dates are expected to be announced)

And, since we’re posting tour schedules, ZZ Top has finally resumed their Covid-Interrupted Tour (and will be adding even more dates along the way.)

Here’s the latest itinerary …

Confirmed ZZ Top tour dates:

(More dates to be added – check zztop.com for current tour info)

2021

July 16 - Manchester, IA - Delaware County Fair

        17 - Mt Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort

        18 - Louisville, KY - Waterfront Park 

        21 - Evansville, IN - Ford Center

        23 - New Lenox, IL - Village Commons

        24 - Goshen, IN - Elkhart County 4-H Fair

        25 - Corbin, KY - Corbin Arena

        28 - Simpsonville, SC - CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park

        30 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

        31 - Valdosta, GA  - Wild Adventures

Aug   1 - Brandon, MS - Brandon Amphitheater

          3 - Little Rock, AR - First Security Amphitheater

          4 - Alexandria, LA - Rapides Paris Coliseum

          6 - Camdenton, MO - Lake Ozarks Amphitheatre

          7 - Washington, MO - Washington Town & Country Fair

          8 - Bonner Springs, KS - Azura Amphitheater 

         11 - Sturgis, SD - Buffalo Chip Campground

         12 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center

         14 - Reno, NV - Reno Ballroom - Silver Legacy Casino

         15 - Grande Ronde, OR - Spirit Mountain Casino

         17 - Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion

         19 -  Maryville, WA - Tulalip Amphitheater

         20 - Lewiston, ID - Clearwater River Casino

         21 - Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater 

         24 -  Englewood, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater

Sept 11 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest – Henry Maier Festival Park 

         12 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center 

         14 - Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights

         15 -  Cedar Rapids, IA – Alliant Energy PowerHouse

         17 -  Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cover at Harrah’s Casino 

         18 -  Pryor, OK - Born & Raised Festival

         19 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre

         21 - Charleston, WV - Charleston Coliseum 

         22 - Doswell, VA - Meadow Event Park 

         23 - Frederick, MD - Frederick Fairgrounds

         25 -  Watertown, NY - Watertown Fairgrounds Baseball Diamond 

         26 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

         28 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston Performing Arts Center

         30 - Macon, GA - Macon City Auditorium @ The Macon Centreplex 

    Oct  1 - Tupelo, MS - BancorpSouth Arena

            2 - Lake Charles, LA - Golden Nugget

            4 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena

            8 - Las Vegas, NV - The Venetian Theatre

            9 - Las Vegas, NV - The Venetian Theatre

          10 -  Scottsdale, AZ - Talking Stick Resort 

          13 - Las Vegas, NV - The Venetian Theatre

          15 - Las Vegas, NV - The Venetian Theatre

          16 - Las Vegas, NV - The Venetian Theatre

   Nov  6 - Key West, FL - Key West Amphitheater

            9 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

          11 -  Orlando, FL - Hard Rock International 

          13 - Fort Myers, FL - Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall

          14 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre

          16 - Melbourne, FL - King Center for the Performing Arts

          17 -  Savannah, GA - Johnny Mercer Theater

          20 - Wilmington, NC - Cape Fear Community College

          21- Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center 

          23 - Chattanooga, TN - Tivoli Theatre

          27 - Lubbock, TX - Buddy Holly Center 

          28 - Lubbock, TX - Buddy Holly Center

Dec  3 - Biloxi, MS - IP Casino Resort and Hotel

         4 - Shreveport, LA - Municipal Auditorium

         5 - Wichita Falls, TX - Memorial Auditorium 

         7 - Abilene, TX - Taylor County Coliseum 

       11 -  El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre

       12 - Midland, TX - Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center

2022

April 23 - Abborsford, BC - Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre

          24 - Penticton, BC - South Okanagen Events Centre

          26 - Kamloops, BC - Sandman Centre

          27 -  Lethbridge, AB - ENMAX Centre

          29 - Saskatoon, SK -  SaskTel Center

          30 - Enoch, AB - River Cree Resort  & Casino

May    3 - Brandon, MB - Keystone Centre 

            4 - Niagara Falls, ON - Fallsview Casino Resort

            8 - Laval, QC - Place Bell

          10 - Halifax, NS - Halifax Scotiabank Centre

          13 - St. John’s, NL - Mile One Centre 

          14 - St. John’s, NL - Mile One Centre

LOTS of buzz for Harvey Kubernik’s new book on Jimi Hendrix, “Voodoo Child.”

Written with his brother Kenneth, the book will feature comments from all kinds of people who crossed paths with Jimi back in the day … and is chock full of previously unpublished, never-before-seen photographs.  Sounds like a keeper!  (kk)


A new book about Jimi Hendrix that features discussions with his contemporaries, including fellow musicians and other scene-makers, is coming this fall.

Acclaimed rock music journalists and authors Harvey Kubernik and Kenneth Kubernik celebrate the legendary artist’s life, music and legacy with Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child, coming October 19, 2021, from Sterling Publishing.

Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child includes previously unpublished excerpts from interviews with the recording, producing and engineering principals from throughout Hendrix ’s career, with a focus on his music. Among those featured are Dick Clark, Andrew Loog Oldham, composer Mike Stoller, Steve Cropper, Chris Hillman, photographer Henry Diltz, Dave Mason, producer Jerry Wexler, Electric Lady Studios engineer Eddie Kramer, Love guitarist Johnny Echols, Don Wilson of the Ventures, Brian Auger, TV and film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Jim Keltner, and many more.

Writer-photographer Heather Harris says of the book, “You’ll be happily immersed … in no time. It is mega-content bursting at the seams.”

She adds, “Most all of its myriad photographs are entirely new to the public, including those telltale little square Kodak Instamatic shots of the band interacting with fans and peers alike, or oddities like fans splashing about in the reflecting pool fronting the stage of the Hollywood Bowl while the Experience [performed].

“Eddie Kramer, Nels Cline and Billy Cox so thoroughly codify why Hendrix sounded like Hendrix that the music will swirl in your head all the while that you’re reading. Which is precisely what a superior music book should do.”

We’ve run exclusive photos of Jimi Hendrix before in Forgotten Hits, taken at a small venue (The Scene) where he played in Milwaukee back in the mid-to-late ‘60’s.  Forgotten Hits Reader Jean Theel sent these to us back in 2001 … and they, too, are one-of-a-kinds … truly candid shots.  (kk)







And, of course, you can't EVER talk about Jimi Hendrix without mentioning The Monkees, right???

Micky Dolenz talks some more about his new “Dolenz Sings Nesmith” album … and the upcoming Monkees Farewell Tour he’s doing with Michael Nesmith …

https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/micky-dolenz-interview-monkees-farewell-tour-dolenz-sings-nesmith/?mc_cid=e59eb519b1&mc_eid=f8f75f98ed

This sounds like fun …

A “watch from home” musical featuring all of your favorite tv themes from back in the day.  Discount tickets for $12.50 puts this right in your living room!

https://www.goldstar.com/events/online/dont-touch-that-dial-the-golden-age-of-tv-theme-songs-online-tickets?mal=1

We certainly have spent our fair share of time talking about TV Themes here in Forgotten Hits.  (You can find the most recent list of your all-time favorites here:

http://forgottenhits.com/your_top_100_all-time_favorite_tv_themes_based_on_our_2020_poll

And, speaking of Forgotten Hits features that just live on and on, it was REALLY cool to run across this website last week while searching for something else …

https://thjkoc.net/2020/04/03/we-are-the-champions/

It’s a critique of our TOP 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS OF ALL-TIME List.  (Keep in mind, this list is the result of our polling your favorites and then tabulating YOUR votes to determine the all-time favorites.

There will always be room for discussion on this topic … I just wish some of the Premier Classic Rock Radio Stations would spend an hour here looking over the titles … and then a few more hours spicing up their own station’s play list.  There are just SO many INCREDIBLY good songs that continue to get ignored in favor of playing “More Than A Feeling” 24 times a week … and CONSTANT airplay of the same dozen Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith songs, “Night Moves,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Layla,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Black Water.”  (These artists DID record other tunes, you know, right???)

We probably still get about 10-12 requests a week for copies of our final countdown list.  (You can request your copy, too, if you don’t already have it, by simply dropping me an email at kk@forgottenhits.com … and we’ll send it along.

Or you can just look it over right here …

https://classicrockessentials.blogspot.com/

And, since EVERY list is made to be scrutinized and debated, how about THIS list published in Billboard Magazine this week, spotlighting The Top 100 Car Songs.

(Boy, did they miss the boat on this one!!!)

But that’s just some old guy who loves songs from the ‘60’s talkin’!!!

Check it out for yourself and see what you think …

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/9591317/greatest-car-songs-all-time-top-100/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_term=daily_digest

Earlier in the week we ran a couple of Foo Fighters videos showing the band performing a couple of Bee Gees tunes (and quite well, too, I might add … scroll back to Monday’s post if you missed it.)

Five Gibb classics will be released on their special Record Store Day album “Hail Satin” under the moniker The Dee Gees (as in David Grohl.)

Well, David Grohl and Company performed a live concert last weekend at Madison Square Garden to a sold out, fully vaccinated crowd … and the reviews have been sensational.  (Dave Chapelle even showed up to help them out with one!)

You can read more about it (and see a couple of cool videos from the show) here:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/foo-fighters-dave-chapelle-vaccinated-b1869588.html?fbclid=IwAR2H7R9yEcWIeBnLUZkOsKNQs_H-EA-LXBRfDOlzKWCjGQM5cdoE9xJhTVk

Remember when “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” came out in 1972 and nobody could believe it was The Hollies?  (In fact, if anything, MOST people thought that this must be the new record by Creedence Clearwater Revival … and it really did kind of have that sound … although when you listen to it now, after having it pounded into your head for the past fifty years, you cannot help but wonder how you ever thought that.  But … it still doesn’t really sound like The Hollies either!)

Reportedly originally conceived as a solo single for Hollies lead singer Allan Clarke (he had been writing material outside the band with Roger Cook at the time), they decided to do it instead as a group single … and it became the biggest hit The Hollies ever had, reaching #1 in both Cash Box and Record World Magazine and peaking at #2 in Billboard.  (That’s a #1 in my book!)

Yet no matter how many THOUSANDS of times you may have heard this song, do you REALLY know the lyrics???

Best Classic Bands wondered the same thing … and came up with this little tutorial.  (Let me know how many YOU got right … I failed MISERABLY!!!)

https://bestclassicbands.com/hollies-long-cool-woman-7-15-20/

And you’ve REALLY gotta wonder what planet this guy is from!!!

I stumbled across this YouTube video this morning because the title, Top 10 60s Songs You Forgot Were Awesome, caught my eye.  According to Nostalgic Nick, these are some of the great songs “you may not have heard in years” … “Happy Together” by The Turtles … “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells … “Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In” by The Fifth Dimension … What the hell is this guy talking about?!?!?  We hear these songs EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!  He goes on to describe these as songs that “rarely get paid today … “The House Of The Rising Sun,” “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’,” “96 Tears” … Forgotten?!?!? In what world?!?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVTPBCAzM8c&t=228s

Yet, incredibly, this clips has nearly a million and a half views!!!

I guess if you want TRULY Forgotten Hits, you’ll just have to continue to come here!  (kk)

A new live version of “Susie Cincinnati” by The Beach Boys has just been posted on YouTube.  It comes from the brand new “Feel Flows” box set, a look back at the sessions that created the “Sunflower” and “Surf’s Up” albums, coming out next month.

Check out the newly-released live version of Susie Cincinnati from Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf's Up Sessions 1969–1971:

https://youtu.be/HCJCB57gHhM
Written/lead vocal by Al Jardine
Pre-order Feel Flows here: 
https://thebeachboys.lnk.to/FeelFlows