This Thursday (February 23rd) marks the EIGHTH Anniversary of Me-TV-FM Radio ... the little station that could ... and did.
Starting with just a weak signal and broadcasting in Chicago only (where you usually had to contend with the station fading in and out a good percentage of the time), Me-TV-FM has grown into a worldwide streaming network with listeners literally around the world enjoying their unique brand of programming. (We've been touting these guys since Day One ... and they just keep getting better.)
Me-TV-FM proved what WE'VE been saying for the past 25 years ...
The music fans out there DO remember all of these great hits they listened to growing up, well above and beyond the same 200-300 songs that MOST oldies stations had been playing for decades. Me met the challenge and programmed outside the box ... and now you're likely to hear just about anything on their station ... heavy on the 60's and '70's ... with just the right mix of '50's and '80's ... but ALL Timeless and Memorable Music.
The listeners and the fans have spoken ...
We LOVE our Me-TV-FM!!! (kk)
There just seems to be no end to these lately ...
Sunday’s death announcements included Munch, Comedian / Actor Richard Belzer, who entertained us for decades as both a stand-up comic and in his dramatic role on “Homicide: Life In The Streets” and then “Law And Order,” where his character John Munch lived on.
No cause of death was given. Belzer was 78. (kk)
I also received several emails on Sunday from readers who had heard that Chuck Jackson had passed away … but checking numerous times over a period of several hours, I could not find an official confirmation of this. (Chuck is/was [?] 85 … so it wouldn’t be a total shock … it was just especially sad that this could have happened so close to Burt Bacharach’s passing. Burt, of course, wrote Chuck’s biggest hit, “Any Day Now.” [#12*, 1962])
*Please Note: Here is another instance where there was a sizable chart discrepancy as to the size hit “Any Day Now” really was. Cash Box charted the record at #12, listing it for 17 weeks. Music Vendor pegged it at a #15 peak during its 15 week chart run … while Billboard only listed the record for 12 weeks and showed it stopping at #23. Personally, I would definitely consider this to be a Top 20 record.
Although he charted a total of 37 times, he only had one other Top 40 Hit … and that was his first release, “I Don’t Want To Cry.” It, too, performed better in Cash Box and Music Vendor than it did in Billboard, peaking at #24, #25 and #36 respectively. Cash Box again charted the record the longest … 12 weeks, compared to only 7 in Billboard. (kk)
UPDATE: I did see a post early Monday Morning stating that Chuck had died ... but it, too, was unconfirmed. And then the news services finally picked up on the story, saying that Chuck had actually died back on the 16th ... so the word is now official. (See, we knew that if we just hung in there long enough, notification of his passing would come any day now.) kk
I was just told that singer
Chuck Jackson passed away a few days ago at the age of 85. I always did
like his follow-up to I DON'T WANT TO CRY, IT NEVER HAPPENS IN REAL
LIFE. And of course who could forget ANY DAY NOW?
Larry
"It Never Happens In Real Life" peaked at #46 in Billboard as the follow-up to Chuck's break-through hit "I Don't Want To Cry." (This record actually DID perform better in Billboard than in the other trades, where it topped out at #79 and #85 ... again a HUGE discrepancy as where this record placed on the charts.) kk
More from Tom Cuddy ...
https://bestclassicbands.com/chuck-jackson-obituary-singer-2-20-23/
and ...
Much as I love and admire Roger Friedman's work, I would beg to differ with his assessment of Chuck Jackson's career here ...
"I Keep Forgettin', "Any Day Now" and "I Don't Want To Cry" hardly qualified as "major, major hits" ...
Jackson's version of "I Keep Forgettin'" stalled at #48 in Cash Box (and again fared even lower in Billboard, peaking at #55.) It was Michael McDonald's version that put this song on the map and everybody's radar. McDonald scored a Top Five smash with this tune in 1982 after breaking away from The Doobie Brothers and making this his first solo chart hit.
It also doesn't help that Friedman spelled Scepter Records' name wrong in his article. (Jackson's releases were actually on the Wand record label, a Scepter subsidiary.)
And, speaking of Burt Bacharach ... and Tom Cuddy … I also received THIS from Tom ...
One great songwriter paying tribute to another …
Here are Jimmy Webb’s thoughts on Burt Bacharach passing …
“Baby It’s You” by The Shirelles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKgkDxnG9Z8
is one of the first songs I remember that Burt Bacharach composed. His music deeply affected me. I could hear his classical training in the cadences, polyrhythms, and arrangements. I was 15 and I was hooked on Burt. He was my school. Bacharach and David were the pinnacle I aspired to.
I studied him and them. I learned about chords from listening to Burt’s songs on the radio. I tried to write like him (listen to my song “The Girl’s Song” by The Fifth Dimension). He was integral to my informal songwriting education.
When I was 22 years old and had several hits under my belt, I sent Burt a letter and told him that my songwriting success was born from listening to him. I told in that letter how much I respected him and owed him.
Years later, an acquaintance of mine visited Burt in his NYC apartment; he shared that my letter was hanging by the fireplace in the living room! My hero, my teacher had my letter framed!
Not too long ago, in LA at a George Martin tribute, I was backstage along with Burt as we waited to go on. I asked, “Is it true you have my letter over your fireplace?” He answered, “I sure do.” I put my arm around him, and we sat quietly in our world of song. We were kindred souls that traveled the same road. It was a moment of peaceful silent sharing.
As life model, a fellow traveler in this creative world, he was something stable and important that I could hold onto. I am bereft at the thought that he isn’t with us anymore. But in the same breath, what a mark he -- and Hal and Dionne -- made on the world!
JLW
Boy, fans of Del Shannon are in for a REAL treat ...
Edsel Records has put together a 12-CD Box Set of ALL of Del Shannon's collected recordings ...
Everything from his first hit "Runaway" through his recordings produced by Tom Petty. (Shannon was rumored to have been considered as Roy Orbison's replacement in The Traveling Wilburys after The Big O passed away.)
The Box Set, titled "Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium," covers ALL of Del Shannon's chart hits and features material from all of the various labels he recorded for after leaving Big Top ... including Amy, Liberty, ABC / Dunhill, United Artists, Warner Brothers and MCA. And, in addition to some of his posthumously released sessions, you'll also find a dozen previously unreleased tracks in its offering. This box is REALLY going to be something ... and it's later out this week!
As Del himself might say, "Hats Off To Edsel!"
You'll find the complete track listing here:
https://theseconddisc.com/2023/02/20/hats-off-to-del-shannon-in-new-12cd-box-set/ (kk)
Hi Kent –
I just uploaded this little piece to the Dick Biondi FB page, but not everyone visits that site … so, here ya go.
Hope you and your readers like it.
Mike
=====================================================
ON THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 23RD, 1963, DICK BIONDI PLAYED A RECORD THAT WAS BROUGHT
TO WLS BY THE FOLKS AT VEE JAY RECORDS, A SMALL CHICAGO LABEL THAT HAD PRODUCED
MUSIC BY MANY WELL-KNOWN GROUPS OF THE 1950S AND EARLY 60S. THE RECORD
WAS BY A GROUP WHOSE NAME WAS UNKNOWN ANYWHERE BUT IN THE U.K.: "THE BEATTLES" (THAT WAS THE WAY IT
WAS SPELLED ON THE LABEL).
DICK PLAYED THE TUNE, CALLED "PLEASE PLEASE ME," ON HIS SHOW THAT
EVENING AND BY DOING SO, HIS ICON STATUS WAS BUMPED UP BY A FEW NOTCHES. (THOSE
"BUMPS" DIDN'T ARISE UNTIL THE "BEATTLES" FINALLY BECAME
NOTICED HERE, IN FEBRUARY, 1964, ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW.)
THE TUNE GOT LITTLE ATTENTION. DICK DIDN'T GIVE UP: HE KNEW THE "BEATTLES"
WERE SPECIAL, AND AFTER AIRING THE TUNE NUMEROUS TIMES, IT HOPPED ONTO THE WLS
SILVER DOLLAR SURVEY FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 8, 1963, AT #40. THE NEXT WEEK IT
JUMPED TO #35, AND THAT ENDED ITS RUN.
AS WE SAY, THE REST IS HISTORY.
kk:
Kathy Young was Cousin Brucie’s guest on Saturday Night –
Here are some of the new things that I learned --
The First Song That Kathy Young Sang Around The House (at 5 Years Old) was "HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?"
And, When She Was Just 5 Years Old, She Already Knew That She Was Going To Be A Professional Singer.
"A THOUSAND STARS" Was #1 On Her 15th Birthday.
Kathy Married One Of The Walker Brothers & Moved To England -- They Were Very Popular There.
She Got Divorced & Moved Back To The U.S. … Then Got Married For The Second Time & Became An Orange Grower.
Divorced For The Second Time And Then Went Back To Music To Earn A Living.
In 1993, A Promoter Contacted Her Manager ... Said He Wanted Her On A Planned Rock & Roll Show.
She Called Promoter ... Sorry, Too Late For This Show ... Maybe Next Year.
Wait A Minute ... Somebody Dropped Out Of The Show ... Kathy Young Was Hired As Their Replacement.
June 3 = Kathy Young's Next Show In Pittsburgh.
Kathy Young's First Professional Show Was In San Pedro, California.
She Showed Up ... But The Innocents Were Nowhere To Be Found.
Turns Out They Were In A Car Accident On The Way To The Show …
So The Safaris Backed Her Up.
Don't You Just Love A Happy Ending?
Probably More Than You Wanted To Know About Kathy Young.
Cousin Brucie Says It Sounds Like A Movie & She Should Write A Book.
By Now, You're Probably Sick Of Hearing Me Talk About Cousin Brucie ...
But on 2/18/23, Cousin Brucie Interviewed Kathy Young. She Said She Was 15 Years Old When "A Thousand Stars" Was # 1.
Next Week (on 2/25 23), Cousin Brucie Will Be Talking To Dodie Stevens.
She Was 13 Years Old When "Tan Shoes & Pink Shoe Laces" Was A Hit (1959) --
And She Was 8 Years Old When She Made Her First Recording, "MERRY GO ROUND."
What's Next ... "BABY SITTIN' BOOGIE?"
FB
Noise 11
posted this piece about a duet recorded between Dolly Parton and Olivia
Newton-John. It's a cover of Dolly’s 1973 #1 Hit “Jolene,” a track that Olivia had also recorded earlier in her career.
In their words:
Dolly Parton wrote ‘Jolene’ and recorded the song on May 22, 1973, in Nashville at RCA Studio B. The song became Dolly’s second number one country hit in the USA.
Olivia Newton-John recorded the song in 1976 for her ‘Come On Over’ album. It was released as the final single off the album and reached no 29 in Australia and no 11 in Japan.
Olivia Newton-John’s final recording was a re-recording of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene,’ performed as a duet with Dolly Parton.
Two such distinctive voices … this is just beautiful. (kk)
We made our first-ever stop at Cane’s for a quick dinner the other night –
Not much to choose from really … the only thing on the menu is chicken strips!!!
You just have to decide if you want 2, 3 or 4 … or 3 spread across a bun as sort of a “fake” chicken sandwich!
(Judging by the length of the line at the drive-thru every time we’ve ever passed by, we figured we must be missing something really good … and rather than face the wait of that ridiculous line, we decided to dine in instead. Now that we have, I can honestly say that I'm not quite sure what the appeal is … and, as far as chicken strips go, I don’t think theirs would even make my Top Five list.)
In fact, the only reason I’m mentioning it at all is NOT because of their “fine cuisine” … but rather because of the decor and atmosphere we experienced while “dining in.”
The first thing you notice when you walk in the place is three very large, silver disco balls hanging from the ceiling, all lit up and spinning under special lighting.
Then, in the corner, is a portrait of Elvis, circa 1973 …
But over the sound system, it's the music of AC/DC that is blasting!!!
Talk about diversity!!!
The soundtrack stayed classic rock the whole time we were there … everything from AC/DC to Pat Benatar to The Clash and a few other of the tried and true Classic Rock Artists one would expect to find on our TOP 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS OF ALL TIME list.
Just an odd mix of atmosphere, to say the least. (Too bad the food wasn’t better … we might be inclined to visit again!)
Or maybe not …
The clientele
was young and very loud – there was a table of 20 (!!!) right in the center of
the room, completely filled with probably high school-aged kids … and most of
the other tables were occupied with more of the same … a rather rowdy crowd for
a Saturday Night fast-food place, especially if you're just a couple of old folks ducking in to grab a quick dinner. Hard to carry on a conversation in these surroundings!
I just think we’re more likely to drive thru Popeye’s next time we’ve got the urge for chicken strips … closer, faster and a whole lot tastier! (But I WILL mix the AC/DC / Elvis / Disco mix!!! Lol) kk
HITTING THE POST: For as long as we’ve been doing this, we have striven to maintain a 6 am Chicago Time posting time for all new material … but are finding this harder and harder to maintain these days due to personal schedule changes.
So, moving forward, our NEW goal is to post at 7 AM Chicago Time instead. Unfortunately, this means that “early risers” will have to wait an our longer to digest each morning’s edition of Forgotten Hits … but it WILL make life just a LITTLE bit easier on this end. (Unfortunately, it ALSO means less proof-reading time for me as by 7 am, I am already a good ways into my commute to work … but we’ll fix things on the fly as needed when we get home each night.)
For consistency’s sake, even pre-posts will now have a 7 am post time. (The Sunday Comments typically went up at 7 am anyway, so you won’t see much change there.)
Sorry for any inconvenience this may present … but it’s all part of our evolving schedule change … and we’re trying to adapt as best we can. (kk)
A final smiler from Chuck Buell …
A doctor walks into the exam room and meets a husband and wife sitting there.
"What seems to be the problem?" the
Doctor asks.
"Well, every time my husband opens his mouth, he can only sing," says
the wife.
"OK. I'd like to hear that from your husband," says the doctor.
The husband shrugs, opens his mouth and sings,
"Well, she's all you'd ever want, She's the kind I like to flaunt and take to dinner,
But she always knows her place. She's got style, She's got grace, She's a winner. She's a Lady."
"Interesting," says the doctor. "Let's
try it again."
The husband once again opens his mouth and sings,
"What's new, Pussycat? Whoa, whoa, What's new, Pussycat?"
"Hmmmmmmmmm. Once more, please," says the doctor.
Again the husband opens his mouth and sings,
"My, my, my Delilah. Why, why, why Delilah? I could see, that girl was no good for me, but I was lost like a slave that no man could free."
"Well, I think I've heard enough," says the doctor.
"Well? What's the diagnosis?" asks the
wife.
"I'd say it's an acute case of TJS … Tom Jones Syndrome," says the
doctor.
"Is it rare?" asks the wife.
"It's not unusual." the doctor replies!
(And yes, you WILL be singing these songs in your head all day long!!!)
