Some serious catching up to do today due to newly scheduled features and preposts this past week and a half ... so let's get right to it!
Robert Feder is reporting that WLS Radio,“The Big 89” Top 40 giant, was selected this past week for induction into The Iowa Rock Hall of Fame. (WLS was also inducted into The Illinois Rock Hall Of Fame last year.)
“WLS is a huge part of the rock music history of the entire
Midwest, and it had a profound impact on Iowa,” said Clay Norris, executive
director of the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association. “Even the AM station’s
daytime signal can be heard in much of eastern Iowa where two thirds of the
population lives. At night, it was heard all over the state.” The station will
be inducted over Labor Day weekend.
(With WLS 890, now a faltering talk station, currently
sitting in 27th place in the Chicagoland Radio Ratings with a 0.8
share, they might want to give some thought to airing clips from their golden
years when they were considered one of the top rock and roll radio stations in
the nation. Of course, I’ve been saying
this for years … and former ‘LS jocks Bob Sirott and John Landecker are now
enjoying new audiences over at WGN … but I’ll bet with the right promotion and
someone knowledgeable enough to go through their extensive and exhaustive
library of old clips, this station could triple its share in less than a
year.)
Who’d be the right guy to put that all together? Well, I can think of a few people actually …
and I’ve got Chuck Buell and Kris Erik Stevens on speed dial!!! (kk)
While the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Museum has enlisted WLS as an original member, the Iowa Hall now entering WLS in!!!
In
recognition of its glorious past as “The Big 89,” WLS, the former Top 40 mecca,
was chosen this week for induction in the Iowa Rock Hall of Fame. The 2022 honorees will be inducted over Labor Day
weekend.
Clark
Besch
Also from Clark … regarding our shared love of Top 40 Radio …
Guys,
I got this message below from a buddy in BOSSTOWN who tells me 740 AM in Canada is NOT the only AM out there blasting the oldies and music!
Dear
Clark:
I just
want to tell you that recently WMEX 1510 AM, once the headquarters of Arnie
"Woo Woo" Ginsberg, has been resurrected as an oldies station. I've
been listening to it in my car the past few months & I've enjoyed listening
to it. Besides the usual suspects, they play interesting stuff like "Eight
Miles High" & "Heroes and Villains". The power goes down at
night & they do switch to TVLand Radio, but it's great listening to it.
They even have a countdown show on weekends based on the old WMEX giveaway charts.
Here's their website (they also stream):
https://wmexboston.com
I have
been listening this morning and have heard a fairly good variety of oldies from
the 50's to early 80's. Stereo/mono online … Stereo a
little wonky sometimes. No totally obscure stuff, but a few
surprises. Certainly playing the WMEX PAMS jingles of 60's is
welcome. They have some good chatter including trivia (today Stealers
Wheel, played "Stuck in Middle") and a segment called "Spin Back,"
in which they play a small part of a song backwards and want to know what it
is. Today's I did not know and it was a Doobies hit.
They
said today was the issue date of "Please Please Me" / "Ask Me
Why" in ‘63 on VJ 598 (Beattles version). Actually, I think
that MAY be wrong??
Poll
questions of day for celebs: This is Jimmy Jay (DJ): https://www.rewindshow.com/default.html
Callers on air for poll question person -- that IS kinda cool to hear memories from listeners. They will have Jimmy ON this afternoon live. Also played some TV theme songs, news and sports. Biographies of artists on the website while song plays on occasion.
Besides that, here's a sample of
their songs they played in an hour:
‘50’s: "Sh-Boom" and Chuck Berry’s "Back
in the USA;" “Standing on the Corner," "The Big Hurt,"
"Silhouettes"
‘60's: "Ticket to Ride," “Elenore,"
"Who's Making Love," "Little Children,"
"Bernadette," "Born to be Wild," "Jimmy Mack,"
"Daydream Believer," "Cant Find the Time" (Orpheus), "Oh
Me Oh My" By Lulu, "Love (Can Make You Happy)" (Mercy)
‘70's: "I
Am woman," Smokey's "Being With You," "Love The One You're With,"
"After The Love Is Gone," "Wasted Days & Wasted Nights,"
"Cold as Ice," "Wild Night" (a 1974 Martha Reeves cover of
Van Morrison! Odd choice!)
‘80's: "I Love You"-Climax Blues Band
(!!!)
Of
course, besides Ginsberg, they had LARRY LUJACK for a few months in early ‘67!
Thanks, JOE, for the info. MUSIC on AM again is always
a welcome thing. One less political station on the AM dial always
welcomed.
Clark Besch
Sean Ross, who writes the “Ross On
Radio” column, shared his New Year’s Eve experience giving a final listen to a
couple of great oldies stations …
On New Year's Eve, I heard three hours of incredible radio.
Unfortunately, it was the sign-off of WGVU (Real Oldies)
Grand Rapids, Mich. I was glad to take a "Final Listen" … and it
prompted some thoughts on when "local" just isn't enough.
When WGVU-AM Grand Rapids, Mich., launched
its “Real Oldies” format in 2009, there had already been a handful of AM stations
specializing in the music disenfranchised by larger market Oldies FMs. At that
moment, it was pre-Beatles songs that needed a home, although Oldies was on the
verge of rebranding as “Classic Hits” and time would continue to march on,
systematically disenfranchising the late ‘60s, the early ‘70s, and even much of
the late ‘70s that’s not Classic Rock.
These days,
FM Classic Hits stations are centered in the ‘80s and pushing into the ‘90s or
early ‘00s. A few, like the recently rebranded KBAY
San Jose, have circled back to become the gold-based ACs that most
markets had before the Oldies format exploded in the late ‘80s / early ‘90s.
The “Real Oldies” movement that began in the early ‘00s has had several up-and-down
cycles. (WSAN Allentown, Pa., one of the first in 2001, became one of the
latest to return in 2021.)
Thanks to
the FM translator-driven success stories of stations like KDRI (The Drive) Tucson, Ariz., and WECK
Buffalo, N.Y., there are no
shortage of places to hear the ’60s and ‘70s on
broadcast radio.
Even without
streaming, I’ve had WMTR Morristown, N.J., almost continuously
since the first boom, and I now have Scott Shannon’s “True Oldies Channel” on
WCBS-FM’s HD3 outlet. But there was still a twinge of sadness at Grand Valley
State University’s announcement that WGVU-AM will sign-off both frequencies on
Jan. 7, another pair of AMs whose real estate make them worth more dark than
alive.
When Real Oldies 1480 launched, it seemed like public radio
could be a viable home for the format, particularly given T.J. Lubinsky’s
public TV success with Oldies. WGVU belonged to that group of stations I came
to call “Oldies XL,” even deeper than some of its counterparts, especially on
songs with a heritage on Grand Rapids radio. For a while, there was a monthly
newsletter with a feature spotlighting regional hits like “You Haven’t Seen My
Love” by the Ones or “Flower Garden” by Nick Lampe.
WGVU’s announcement pointed out that there were now two
places to hear similar music in Grand Rapids.
There’s mainstream Classic Hits WFGR, but also iHeart’s WBFX (101.3
Big FM) playing the current syndicated version of
Real Oldies, now a ‘60s and early ‘70s format, not that different from where FM
Classic Hits was in 2009. It’s the same music now heard on WSAN’s second run at
the format.
I took a Final Listen to Real Oldies on December 29. As had been the case throughout the station’s history, its presentation was more akin to public radio (NPR news at :00, local news at :30) than “boss radio.” Afternoon host Rob Sanford’s breaks were between the songs, not over the intros. (One of his stories was the Lending Tree survey that 36% of Americans took on personal debt as a result of the holidays.) Here’s Real Oldies 1480 at 3 p.m.:
- Ricky Nelson, “Hello Mary Lou”
- Bobby Rydell, “Forget Him”
- Shirley Ellis, “The Nitty Gritty”
- Jimmy Gilmer & Fireballs, “Sugar Shack”
- Sam Cooke, “Sugar Dumpling” (his final posthumous top 40 hit from
1965)
- Classics IV, “Spooky”
- Third Booth, “I Need Love” (scorching 1968 garage rock classic that
was No. 4 in Grand Rapids and No. 2 at WLS Chicago)
- Stevie Wonder, “Signed,
Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours’
- Rita Coolidge, “(Your
Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher”
- Four Tops, “Keeper of the
Castle”
- Rascals, “You Better Run”
- Walker Brothers, “The Sun
Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”
- Neil Diamond, “Kentucky
Woman”
- Mariah Carey, “All I Want
For Christmas (Is You)”
- Herb Alpert, “This Guy’s
In Love With You”
- Gerry & Pacemakers, “Ferry
Cross the Mersey”
- Melanie, “Lay Down
(Candles in the Rain)”
- Jr. Walker & All Stars, “Cleo’s
Back” (instrumental played up to NPR news, most of which was heard; the
previous hour had been “You’ve Got to Pay the Price,” only
a few seconds of which actually played).
Sean also tells us about an Australian station offering a wide range of variety …
Last year,
Classic Hits 4KQ Brisbane, Australia, was
the only music AM anywhere in the world to hit No. 1 in the ratings, according
to Radioinsight ratings expert Chris Huff. Over the course of the year, it
averaged a 10-share. It did that without an FM translator of the sort that has
allowed Oldies / Classic Hits stations (most of them older-leaning) to
proliferate in the U.S., although Australia’s more viable digital radio tier
does level the playing field somewhat.
4KQ has been
a regular presence in this column for the last decade. Its “Friday Night Fever”
(‘70s/’80s) and “Jukebox Saturday Night” (‘50s through early ‘70s) are heard in
the U.S. on those respective mornings, East Coast time. “JBSN” in particular is
regularly No. 1 in its timeslot. Along with MD Brent James’ oldies
compilations, the show has been a part of my Australian
rock’n’roll education, but it’s also a reliable place to hear American and
British hits that aren’t common on the radio anymore.
In the time
I’ve been writing about 4KQ, owner ARN’s Classic Hits FMs in Melbourne and
Sydney have become ratings powerhouses as well. Recently, ARN acquired the
smaller-market Grant Broadcasting, which owns enough FM stations in earshot of
Brisbane that 4KQ will have to be spun off. No new buyer has been named and not
every logical candidate would necessarily be committed to Classic Hits.
So it’s time for a
“Fresh Listen” to 4KQ. In its regular format, 4KQ’s center lane is the ‘70s,
but it still has more of a ‘60s component than most of its counterparts. (ARN’s
FM Classic Hits stations have long reached well into the ‘90s, long before most
U.S. stations began doing the same.) Currently, the station is doing five daily
hour-long spotlights to various years, billed as “25 Years in 25 Days” during
Australia’s holiday summer break.
Here’s 4KQ at 11
a.m., Jan. 12 as its “25 Years in 25 Days” feature salutes 1975:
- David Essex, “Gonna Make You a Star”
- Doobie Brothers, “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me)”
- Neil Sedaka, “Laughter in the Rain”
- Skyhooks, “Ego (Is Not a Dirty Word)”
- Splinter, “Costafine Town”
- Abba, “Mamma Mia”
- Sweet, “Peppermint Twist”—the Joey Dee & the Starlighters
hit; one of several examples of songs by international acts that became
Australia-only hits
- Kevin Johnson, “Man of the 20th Century”
- Queen, “Killer Queen”
- Railroad Gin, “You Told the World”
- Leo Sayer, “Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)”
- Eagles, “Lyin’ Eyes”
- Jamie Dunn, “Jamie Come Home”
- Little River Band, “Curiosity (Killed the Cat)—reggae-tinged hit a year
before their U.S. chart debut
- Elton John, “Island Girl”
And here’s the
station in regular format at Noon:
- Fleetwood Mac, “Don’t Stop”
- Neil Diamond, “Sweet Caroline”
- Patti Smith Group, “Because the Night”
- Blondie, “Call Me”
- Amii Stewart, “Knock on Wood”
- Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun”
- Earth, Wind & Fire, “September”
- Bob Seger, “Fire Lake” (with a “lost classic” stager)
- Hot Chocolate, “Every 1’s a Winner”
- Beach Boys, “Little Deuce Coupe”
- America, “Sister Golden Hair”
- Seal, “Crazy”
- Norman Greenbaum, “Spirit in the Sky”
Here’s Friday Night
Fever at 8 p.m.:
- Anita Ward, “Ring My Bell”
- Squeeze, “Cool for Cats”
- Kim Wilde, “View from a Bridge”
- Rolling Stones, “Start Me Up”
- Bee Gees, “More Than a Woman”
- Ian Dury & Blockheads, “Hit Me with Your Rhythm
Stick”
- Dolly Parton, “Baby I’m Burning”
- Kiss, “Sure Know Something”
- Abba, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”
- M, “Pop
Muzik”
- Boney M, “Daddy Cool”
- Electric Light Orchestra, “Rock and Roll is King”
- Christie Allen, “Goose Bumps”
- Chantoozies, “Wanna Be Up”
- Madonna, “Into the Groove”
- Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”
Here’s “Jukebox
Saturday Night” at 6 p.m. on January 8. There are a lot of 2:00-2:30 songs in
this commercial-free hour:
- Roy Head & Traits, “Treat Her Right”
- Easybeats “I’ll Make You Happy”
- Ray Charles, “Hit the Road Jack”
- Buchanan Brothers, “Son of a Lovin’ Man”
- Chuck Berry, “School Days”
- Booker T & M.G.s, “Time is Tight”
- Archies, “Jingle Jangle”
- Beatles, “Please Mr. Postman”
- Box Tops, “The Letter”
- Elvis Presley, “Return to Sender”
- Sam Cooke, “Cousin of Mine”
- Fifth Estate, “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead”
- Del Shannon, “Hats Off to Larry”
- Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, “Don’t You Know”—1964
rocker by the artist whose U.S. moment came 15 years later with “Children
of the Sun”
- Rob E G, “5-4-3-2-1 Zero!”—space-age 1962 instrumental
- Somebody’s Image, “Hide and Seek”
- Bev Harrell, “Come On Over to Our Place”
- Love Machine, “Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands”—rockin’ cover of the
1962 Bill Anderson country hit
- Jerry Lee Lewis, “Great Balls of Fire”
- Kinks, “Dead End Street”
- Surfaris, “Point Panic”
- Royal Guardsman, “Airplay Song”
- Little Richard, “Long Tall Sally”
- Searchers, “Sweets For My Sweet”
Fans of Internet Radio shows like Dave The Rave’s Relics and Rarities and Mason Ramsey’s Rock And Roll Heaven and Sam Tallerico’s Lost And Found Oldies … along with stations like Top Shelf Oldies, Live 365 and the like, have had the pleasure of hearing (and discovering) rarities like these over the past decade and more. It goes well beyond “pushing the envelope” or stepping outside the box … it’s like Pirate Radio of the Millennium!
But you’ve still got to mix in a certain amount of
familiar tunes in order to hold an audience … and finding that proper balance can be
tricky. Some listeners ONLY tune in to
hear the rarest of the rare stuff … they’ve already burned out on the
repetitive airplay of the past two or three decades where terrestrial radio
beat these songs to death. But others
are there for the variety … that’s the drawing card. Discovering some cool new music, mixed in
with some of your favorites along with a few surprises … (some might call them
Forgotten Hits!)
Radio has ruined the listening experience for so many
people now that a concept like this sounds fresh, new and exciting. (We’ve only been preaching this for 23 years
now!!!) kk
LOOK FOR MUCH MORE CHART TALK ON FRIDAY IN FORGOTTEN HITS!
BY THE WAY, WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!
As of yet, we still haven’t been able to locate a Top
40 Survey from Vermont … and the time window is quickly closing!
The ideal date would cover August 14th …
But right now we’ll take ANYTHING between July and
December.
(We do have a back-up plan for this … but I would
just hate to see Vermont be the ONLY state not represented in our
Coast-To-Coast Countdown!)
So … if anybody out there knows anybody out there who
might be able to help us in this regard, PLEASE have them contact me just as
soon as possible.
Thank you very much.
(kk)
More Of The Monkees …
Harvey Kubernik interviews Micky Dolenz …
The Monkees.
From One Who Was There… | UglyThings Magazine (ugly-things.com)
kk …
Cousin Brucie Spoke To Connie Francis Last
Night. He Said When He Talks To Her He Feels He's In The Presence Of ROYALTY.
Brucie Asked Her:
"As You Look Back On Your Career, What
Are You Most Proud Of?"
Connie Answered "My Three Week Tour Of
Viet Nam, 1967.” She Said She Has Never
Felt More Needed. She Wanted To Stay Longer. Other Musicians Wanted To Get Home
For The Holidays. She Wrote Down The Phone Numbers Of 500 Soldiers. When She
Got Back To The States, She Called All Their Families.
Her Favorite Song? = "MAMA." Cousin Brucie’s Listeners Voted For
"WHERE THE BOYS ARE.”
Songs She Had The Chance To Record and Turned
Down? = "DANKE SCHOEN" + "NEVER
ON SUNDAY" + "ANGEL OF THE MORNING" + “STRANGERS IN THE
NIGHT" To Name A Few.
Also, on JULY 14, 2021, Cousin Brucie Was The
Last One To Interview Ronnie Spector. They
Must've Been Close Friends. You Could Hear It In His Voice When He Talked About
Her and Her Husband.
FB
Now that sound like a
really good show.
One of the best autobiographies
I have ever read was Connie’s … just entertaining as can be from start to
finish …
She wrote it as
“Chapter One” … and I have been waiting for Chapter Two ever since!!! (Her book came out in 2017 … and I see that hardcover copies are now selling on Amazon for $150-$300! Gotta buy these when they come out,
people!!! But there IS a Kindle edition
available for $11.49 … and you can buy a bunch of brand new Kindles for your whole entire family with the money you’ll save on this purchase!!!)
kk
One of my best friends has been
telling me about Status Quo for a number of years now. He had the privilege of
traveling the world in the music business so he was well aware of their success
in other countries. He also really liked their music. As I was still unaware of
them I asked him to dig up some of his favorite songs which he did. Attached
are (4) good videos with (4) good songs performed before live audiences so that
you can see size of the crowds they draw as well. The videos are filmed at
various stages of their career. These are great rock songs and appear to be
performed with a minimal number of pick ups. This is a good introduction for readers,
like myself, who really know little about them. You have to wonder how many
good bands there are like this who just happened to fly below the US
radar.
Rain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_mHSGlyRa0
Caroline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt_JOI19BCQ
Whatever You Want: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGUeRbHWNZ4
Down Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1gYJDQXPOk
Also try Roadhouse Blues, Roll Over
Lay Down
Robert Campbell
Ron Onesti’s got a GREAT double bill coming up
on April 24th …
Tony Orlando … with Marilyn McCoo and Billy
Davis, Jr. …
Some of the greatest voices of the ‘60’s and
‘70’s.
Tickets available now here: Tony
Orlando // Marilyn McCoo // Billy Davis Jr at The Arcada Theatre on Apr 24,
2022 3:00 PM (etix.com)
You can also catch Richard Marx on February 11th,
Jay and the Americans with Paul Revere’s Raiders on April 3rd, Herman’s
Hermits starring Peter Noone on May 15th, Shawn Cassidy on June 19th
and Ted Nugent July 23rd and 24th.
Brother
Kent:
My
book "No Strings Attached" [My life growing up with the birth of rock
and roll] should go to the printer mid- February. I'm eager to get a copy sent your way.
I
continue to be an avid supporter of Forgotten Hits and have always appreciated
your responses to my articles and reviews I've sent you over the years.
Next
concert for Sharon and me should be Davis, Jr., McCoo and Orlando at Ron's
Arcada.
Continued
success.
"Guitar"
Jim Nowoc
Yeah, I’ve got my eye
on that one, too! (We’ve seen them both
before … but this is one heck of a double bill … and with a 3:00 start time,
I’ll even get home before my bedtime!)
Looking forward to
reading your book (and hopefully seeing and hearingsome up-close stories and photos
of your amazing traveling signed guitar!)
Please keep us up to
date. Thanks, Jim! (kk)
You’ll find a GREAT
interview with Ronnie Spector here:
Ronnie
Spector Talks About ‘Be My Baby’ and Her Biggest Influence | Best Classic Bands
Gotta read her book (if you can find it!!!) Hopefully, this will be reissued now that she
has passed. (kk)
Phil Nee sent us this
clip of him talking to Eddie Money about how Eddie asked Ronnie to be on his
record “Take Me Home Tonight) …
You can hear Phil’s classic interviews every Saturday during 2022 in Forgotten Hits. This week he’ll be talking to Jack Scott! (kk)
kk …
Bowzer's 20th Anniversary Show Has Been Moved
From This Sunday To February 20, 2022 ( COVID STRIKES AGAIN! )
There Are Some Nice Clips Of Bowzer &
Ronnie On You Tube from the Sha-Na-Na TV Show.
FB
This is an EXCELLENT
performance … one of my favorites … and Ronnie is sexy as hell!!! We’ve run it
before in Forgotten Hits … but certainly worth running again! kk)
So strange to think that Ronnie and Phil Spector died almost exactly one year apart. (kk)
Yesterday, we lost a true rock and roll legend - Ronnie Spector. Her voice transcended all forms of music and The Ronettes’ Be My Baby in 1963 not only became one of the biggest hits of 1963, it became one of the top rock songs of all time. Brian Wilson calls it the greatest Rock and Roll song, period!! John Lennon recorded a version for his Rock and Roll Album sessions. Ronnie and her group befriended The Beatles in London just before their arrival in the States in February, 1964.
We were so honored to have Ronnie as a Very
Special Guest at both our FESTS (NY & CHI) in 2009. She was the first
artist on our stage who was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her talks were
electric, and definitely no holds barred. She performed some of her classics
with Liverpool on the main stage. I clearly remember her Friday afternoon
rehearsal with the band. Ronnie broke the ice when, after the first and only
run through of Be My
Baby, she turned to the band and said, "You guys sounded just
like the record!" Ronnie was also an Apple Recording Artist and recorded
George's Try Some Buy
Some in 1971, produced
by George and Phil Spector. We asked her if she would perform it on our
stage and she said yes. She hardly ever performed the song in concert. Her
performances on our stage were purely magical, something all attendees will
never forget.
Ronnie was full of energy and so down to
earth. That is why The Beatles, especially John & George, got along with
her so well. Our hearts go out to her family as the entire music world mourns
with them.
It was an absolute honor for us to get to meet
Ronnie and be able to have her grace our stage. She will certainly be
missed.
Mark Lapidos
The Fest For Beatles Fans
Like walking in the rain ...
https://popdiggers.com/ronnie-spector-1943-2022/
Gary Pig Gold
Hi, my name is Ryan, I just finished
reading the Phil Spector series.
I would like to know, have you ever
examined Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes’s “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”
from Dirty Dancing? Someone on rateyourmusic.com said it was
influenced by Phil Spector, so I want to know what your thoughts on it are.
Ryan
I guess I never really thought about it that way … but Phil Spector
worked with The Righteous Brothers during the peak of their career so there is
no question that Bill Medley was influenced by him. (Listen to their recording of “Unchained
Melody,” which Bill produced at the time because Phil said he “didn’t produce
B-Sides.” Clearly, they had found the
sound and the formula for success with Spector’s production of “You’ve Lost
That Lovin’ Feeling” … so when The Righteous Brothers jumped ship and moved to
another label the following year, they recreated that magic with what has got
to be the greatest follow-up record ever, “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration.”
“Dirty Dancing” came some thirty years later … and I’m not sure how
much say Medley had in the production of that record … but yeah, I guess I can
hear a little bit of influence, which I can only believe was an intentional nod
to the so-called master. (Keep in mind that Medley and Spector had been out of
the spotlight for over a decade by this point.)
Interesting question … let’s see if we get any more feedback on
it. (kk)
Well, we know Medley
was only involved in the singing. The song was written by Frankie Previte,
composed by Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz, and produced by
Michael Lloyd. If you heard the demo, it was much lighter than the final track.
Apparently, Donna
Summer and Joe Esposito were supposed to record it, but Summer didn't like the
movie's title. Medley was then asked to record it, but he held off for the same
reason, plus he wanted to see the birth of his daughter. Jennifer Warnes was
recruited instead, and she wanted to do it with him, so he accepted.
Another thing was that
"Be My Baby" was used for the open, so I think it seemed like a
reasonable bookend to get another Philles alumnus to conclude the film. It seemed
like the choice to pick Bill Medley reoriented the direction of the track to
have a quasi-Wall of Sound – though I think if it had been produced by Spector
or Brian Wilson or some other person influenced by it, it would have sounded
far more different than what came out.
Ryan
Hi Kent,
Man, so sorry to hear about Ronnie. I can truly
relate ... and will pray for her family.
Thanks for keeping everyone informed. You are awesome, my friend.
God bless ya
Barry
First of all, this was a great edition in so many ways. Obviously, everything about Ronnie Spector, but I had not heard anything about Dwayne Hickman's death. Of course, I remember Dobie Gillis, but my favorite memory of him is his role in Cat Ballou.
Also, the list of songs from 1971 ... OMG … SO
many great songs!!! I can't believe it's been so long ago.
Anyway, many thanks. Especially and most
importantly to me, for letting me know about Dwayne Hickman.
Shirley
Hi Kent,
What a GREAT tribute to Ronnie Spector! The Ronettes were 'The Bad Girls of Rock ’n’ Roll."
I have "Be My Baby" in my juke box. What a voice and sound. She is with her sister Estelle now. I don't know if Nedra is still alive?
Carolyn
As far as I can see,
Nedra is still alive. After leaving the
group in 1972, she returned to perform at their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Induction in 2007. (kk)
GERRY GRANAHAN = Gerry Was A New York Songwriter, Who Supplied Many Local Groups With Their Material. In May 1958 , He Tried It As A Vocalist With The Recording "No Chemise Please," Which Became A Hit On Sunbeam Records. (Norm N. Nite).
With All The Work You Do On Forgotten Hits Plus Your Job, Where Do You Find The Time To Read Any Books?
FB
Let’s just say I do a lot of bathroom reading … (which is why some of the mammoth, oversized books released recently have become quite a problem for me!)
Now, you may call it disgusting … but I call it multi-tasking! (kk)
More on Gerry Granahan from Tom Cuddy …
Gerald J. Granahan, age 89, of East Greenwich, RI, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, January 10, 2022. He was the husband of Mary Lou (Kiernan) Granahan.
Born in Pittston, PA, a son of the late Patrick Henry and Helen (Clisham) Granahan, he lived in East Greenwich for the last 20 years.
Mr. Granahan, a singer / songwriter / producer, started his career as the demo singer for Elvis Presley ("Jailhouse Rock" and "Teddy Bear"), then soon moved on to be a pop / rock sensation. He earned four Gold Records in the late 1950s before moving behind the desk to become one of the most successful record producers of the 1960s.
Most notable: “Click-Clack” by Dicky Doo & The Don’t’s, “You Were Mine” by The Fireflies, and “No Chemise, Please” under his own name. And who can forget "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu"?
He then moved behind the scenes to become one of the youngest record executives in history, first at his own Caprice Records and then at two major labels, United Artists, Paramount and Dot, where he continued to produce dozens of hits in the ’60s and early 1970s, including smash hits by Jay & The Americans and Patty Duke. He also produced the original recording of the songs "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" as recorded by James Ray and "My Boyfriend's Back" as recorded by The Angels.
Later in his career, Granahan served as Vice President of Dot Records and Paramount Records. Today, Spotify describes him as, "one of the more influential producers of Pop / Rock on the East Coast." For decades he performed as Dicky Doo and the Don't’s featuring Gerry Granahan. He and his wife Mary Lou, a Rhode Island native, continued to travel and perform on the east coast and raised their three children: Gerrianne Genga, an actor / singer / choreographer, Tara Granahan, a talk show host on WPRO, and the late Tommy Granahan. Gerry was inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Gerrianne Granahan Genga (Richard A. Genga, Jr.) of East Greenwich and Tara Granahan Keane (Ernest J. Keane) of Exeter; four grandchildren, Jordan Genga, Jade Genga, Morgan LeKites, and Madison LeKites; and … Jared Cannone.
He was the father of the late Thomas Kiernan Granahan, and the brother of the late Joseph Donnelly, Paul Donnelly, Vincent (Brick) Granahan, Anna Granahan, Patrick (Buddy) Granahan, Rosemary Granahan Tischler, and Harold Granahan.
His funeral will be held on Saturday, January 15, at 8:45 a.m. from the Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Spring Green, Warwick, RI, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Mercy Church, Fourth Avenue, East Greenwich. Visiting hours will be on Friday, January 14, from 4-7 p.m. Burial will be in St. Patrick Cemetery, East Greenwich.
Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Memphis, TN.
To leave condolence messages, please visit www.barrettandcotter.com
Another death we were made aware of this past week was that of R. Dean Taylor of “Indiana Wants Me” fame. (Depending on which source you choose to believe, Taylor either died on January 7th or January 10th … but due to preposts all last week, this is the first chance we’ve had to mention it.)
R. Dean Taylor topped the National
Charts with this one in 1970 (despite a #5 peak in Billboard) … a GREAT One-Hit
Wonder for sure.
Taylor was one of those rare White
Artists signed to the Motown Record Label thru its Rare Earth subsidiary. (And he was Canadian to boot!) In addition to writing his own #1 Hit, he
also cowrote the #1 single “Love Child” for The Supremes, as well as their
follow-up hit “I’m Living In Shame” … and “All I Need” for The
Temptations. Ironically, his Canadian #1
Hit was “Gotta See Jane,” released the following year. It failed to click here in America, peaking
at #48 in Cash Box and #67 in Billboard.
He reportedly died on January 10th
at the age of 82 and no cause of death was given. (I have since read that he may have died as
early as January 7th … he was apparently briefly hospitalized with
Covid a year ago, recovered but had lived at home under hospice care ever
since.) kk
And sadly, the list goes on from
here …
kk …
Kojak Just Told Me That Sonny Turner Of The Platters Died.
FB
Sonny Turner, the last link to the legendary R&B vocal
group the Platters to headline in Las Vegas, died Thursday at his home in Los
Angeles. He was 83.
R&B
legend Sonny Turner of the Platters dies at 83 | Las Vegas Review-Journal
(reviewjournal.com)
And then, the very next day …
kk …
This has got to be the worst week ever …
Wild Wayne just told me that Fred Parris of The Five Satins passed away today.
FB
Fred
Parris, ‘In the Still of the Night’ Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 85 – Billboard
Like I’ve said, a
REALLY tough start to 2022.
“In The Still Of The
Night” is one of the classic early rock and doo-wop songs of all time. Although it only peaked at #24 when it was
first released in 1956, it has been used in SO many films and commercials since
that every generation to come along since then is familiar with the song … and
it still sounds just as beautiful today as it did back then. (It has also been re-released several times
over the years.) The Five Satins had one
other Top 40 Hit with their follow-up release, “To The Aisle,” which peaked at
#25 the following year.
As for The Platters
(who I already know is Frank B’s favorite group of all time … actually,, I’ve heard that
he’s quite the doo-wop fan …), Sonny Turner joined the group in 1959, after
their first big wave of success when their original lead singer, Tony Williams,
left to pursue a solo career … and he continued to sing with The Platters for
decades.
While not present for
their biggest hits (“Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “The Magic Touch,”
“Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes) he was upfront on their mid-‘60’s
comeback hits “I Love You 1000 Times (#31, 1966) and “With This Ring” (#14,
1967) kk
Oom Papa Mau Mau
Another one bites
the dust. We lost Dallas Frazier yesterday. ;-(
One of his hit tunes reminds me of ... well ...
Mike
p.s. I like her better without the getup. Am I sane?
Kent,
You may already know this, but I found out
late last night that longtime DJ Ralph Emery has passed away. He made two
records that hit our top 40 radio surveys back when, the answer records TOUGH
TOP CAT and HELLO FOOL, both on Liberty. At one time he was married to Skeeter
"THE END OF THE WORLD" Davis.
Larry
Harvey Kubernik also
told us about the passing of DJ Michael Robin Jackson, an L.A. talk radio
personality who broadcast for more than 32 years at KABC Radio. Jackson died on Saturday, the 16th,
from Parkinson's. He was 87.
And here in Chicago we're mourning the loss of long-time sportscaster Les Grobstein, a fixture at WLS for decades. He passed away this past weekend at 82. With all the ribbing he took from guys like Larry Lujack and Steve Dahl, you've got to consider HIM to be a pretty good sport, too.
2022 has been absolutely BRUTAL so
far … and we’re still less than three weeks in! It seems like rarely a day has
gone by so far where we haven’t lost somebody that was part of our lives from
afar. Very sad. (kk)
Here’s a much closer look at the brand new Rolling Stones stamps collection being issued in the UK …
Beatles Fans!
Here is quite an amazing discovery! Early take of Please Please Me and From Me To You the day AFTER my 7th birthday!!! Beatlemania at its' finest. Don't pop the P's guys. :)
Recording:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O21QmWNmxC42_Gn8ln-YA9ApWOFz0WiF/view
Story:
https://www.discoverdade.com/rock/lost-1963-beatles-performance-unearthed/
Clark
From Tom Cuddy …
The one and only time Harry Nilsson sang 'Without You' live …
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-only-time-harry-nilsson-sang-without-you-live/
LOVE Harry Nilsson …
Here’s a fun video for all of you to enjoy …
I really enjoyed your Sweet 16 feature this weekend. Thank you for bringing it back.
Tom
We last did the Sweet
16 back in 2016 (in honor of the new year … God, it seems almost impossible
that it was this long ago!!!)
Remember 2016? When we were still free of worldwide
pandemics??? Over our lifetimes we have been told and threatened about all the
things that would destroy our great planet but nobody ever mentioned anything
like this! As we enter into Year Three
of having to wear masks, I’m more convinced than ever that this really IS the
“new normal” … and that we and our children and our children’s children will be
wearing masks till the end of time … unless somebody can come up with a way to just
zap the atmosphere in order to rid it of this deadly and poisonous disease.
But on a much happier
note, The Sweet 16 can be used as a great programming idea for stations looking
to liven up an hour of their broadcast day every month. And several of these ideas have enough song
titles available to create an entire weekend of special programming. Just ask us … we’ll even help you pull it
together. (kk)
In 1987, while I
watched the record shop owners pulling vinyl from their shelves and replacing
it with CDs, I told them that vinyl would come back soon, with a passion.
They all laughed at me. They ain't laughin' no more.
Here's the Bloom County strip from Christmas Day
1985.
Check out this new line
of designer boots …
They come from The Jimi
Hendrix Collection (and I just KNOW Jim Peterik is going to want at least of
each!!! The purple really sells it,
don’tcha think?!?!)
JOHN FLUEVOG SHOES JOINS FORCES WITH EXPERIENCE HENDRIX,
L.L.C. TO LAUNCH A NEW COLLECTION INSPIRED BY JIMI HENDRIX (The Jimi Hendrix Collection
will be available at Fluevog stores everywhere and on
line at Fluevog.com beginning January 27, 2022)
|
