Just a few weeks ago Rewound Radio presented a salute to Dick Biondi, with six hours of vintage radio from one of the best known DJs in America … and the hits just keep on comin!’
We are just one month away from Labor Day Weekend and the Second Annual WLS/WCFL Rewound on RewoundRadio. The comments we had from listeners last year were fantastic, and we are using that energy to bring you “another weekend that’s better” with your favorite jocks and music from the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s … 25 years of Chicago’s best radio.
Most of the weekend will consist of “new” shows that we have acquired and polished up for air. We even have a few “inside radio” stories from those who lived them, including Lyle Dean and Charlie Van Dyke. Many of the WLS and WCFL DJs have jumped on board to promote this throwback weekend, including our good friend Chuck Buell, as well as Kris Erik Stevens, Fred Winston, Chuck Knapp, John Landecker and practically everyone else who is still with us today.
Go ahead, be a kid again … and join us for three big days over Labor Day Weekend on RewoundRadio.com.
Ted Gorden Smucker
I cannot believe a whole year has gone by ... how is that even possible?!?!
Sure can't wait to hear what you've got in store for us this year.
One of the guys I had talked to (who had about 18 hours of airchecks from various times at both stations) was Jack Levin, who just recently passed away ... we were never able to connect and make anything happen with that ... and now I wonder what will happen with all of those tapes. So sad.
Again, I feel bad that I couldn't be more involved this year ... but I am absolutely confident that whatever you've put together will COMPLETELY blow me away!
Really looking forward to this! (kk)
I did talk with Jack Levin on the phone. I was going to meet with him on the way to my granddaughter's softball tourney in Evansville, and the day before I was to meet him, his wife emailed me that he was in the hospital. That was a shock, but I didn't know he had passed. Very sad.
The show is progressing very well. We have had almost all of the WLS and WCFL jocks that are still with us communicate with us and do some voice tracks. Almost everyone is very much on board ... some of the DJs have become good friends from all of this. I now have around 70 promos from last year and this year that the jocks have voiced and we have produced.
Ted
That’s right – I forgot that I had passed along your information to Jack and suggested that he talk directly to you about these tapes as I knew my schedule would not allow me to commit to pushing things forward. Who knows … maybe they’ll find their way into WLS/WCFL Rewound III!!! (kk)
Here's a brand new promo featuring John Records Landecker and Ted Gorden Smucker on this year's WLS/WCFL Rewound: /s/ynzulycfro04btl1hpfkhoziwr5vztpc
Friday, August 4th, marked the 65th Anniversary of The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart. (First #1? Why, “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson, of course!)
It has been the benchmark standard ever since … and is the most-quoted source for chart information cited today. (Here in Forgotten Hits, we use the consensus of all three trade publications: Billboard, Cash Box and Record World … when decrying a record’s peak position.)
The old saying that “It ain’t #1 until it’s #1 in Billboard” be damned … we have seen over the years that Billboard has missed declaring any number of deserving hits #1 status. (Stop by tomorrow for a look at some of the biggest anomalies. We found at least 50 that were denied a deserving #1 berth.) kk
And, speaking of The Billboard Charts, we just got an update from Paul Haney regarding the brand new Record Research book, bringing the chart’s history up-to-date, 1990 – 2022 …
https://www.recordresearch.com/
The other day we told you about the insanely generous bonuses that Taylor Swift passed out to her crew to show her appreciation for the incredible job they’ve been doing on her mammoth “Eras” tour.
Billboard Magazine ran this story about one of the truck drivers who was the recipient of a life-changing, $100,000 bonus …
A Concert "Review" from Chuck Buell?! He hasn't been to a major concert since that Eagles concert in the Summer of 2018!
Adult Son Craig and I went to see Rod Stewart in Concert the other night. The first time I have ever seen him and being a Big Fan of his style, songs and the stories they tell since his Maggie May days, I felt it was just long overdue.
And what a Great Night! What could be better than “Two Cool Guys Loose on the Town,” starting with a pre-concert Rib Eye Steak Dinner with a couple of Beers at a Great Steakhouse, close-up concert seats similar to watching “from the wings” and seeing an artist who is a True Consummate, Entertainment Professional! It was a Wonderfully Memorable Evening for both my Son and me!
Even struggling just a bit early on, sitting for a moment and after acknowledging the challenges of performing a show in our infamous Thin Denver High Altitude Air, he never really faltered keeping his energy present and was solidly “in voice,” sounding just like he always has while he and his ensemble gave us an outstanding full-on two-hour show!
He has such a Super Catalogue of Forgotten Hits and we think he sang them all except for maybe one! The Audio Production was excellent and at a “Studio Quality Level!”
His six Extremely Talented Supporting Singers were impressive, contributing beautifully to the songs they should, danced remarkably to others, also at times individually played keyboard, drums, including a Big Bass Drum, a couple of violins, a lady on Harp and had three featured solo spots where they handled a Pointer Sisters Song, “I’m So Excited,” Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” and one other flawlessly displaying that they could handle presenting a show of their own. Just terrific!
For me personally, it was truly a “Gold Record” Event!
On a scale of one to five “Maggies,” I give the whole show Five Maggies!
CB (which stands for Concert Boy)
And, speaking of concerts …
>>>Meanwhile, Timmy sent us this clip of The Beatles performing at Circus Krone in Munich, Germany, 1966. Incredible quality (both picture and sound) … and something I’ve never seen before in all these years. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laQ2CndwCeM
(kk)
AGREED!
As I watched, I couldn't help but see the white shirt and tie crowd of men surrounding the back of the stage. Just standing. So. I knew they were not stage crew. Too many anyway. Then when the concert ended, they moved into positions on the stage to stand shoulder to shoulder against the crowded audience. Oh yeah! Beatlemania! I forgot.
Shelley
We don’t have plans to see The Happy Together Tour when it hits our area this year … but after Shelley’s great review and all of the wonderful things other readers have been saying about it, now I kinda wish we were.
(Scroll back to last Friday’s post in case you missed it)
What REALLY blew me away in Shelley’s tale was the bit about Gary Puckett and the Union Gap having to change the lyrics to their big hit “Young Girl” when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. In all these years, I had NEVER heard that story before … or noticed the change … but there it was, clear as day, in the video that I posted. (With all the stories about The Rolling Stones having to change their lyrics to “Let’s Spend The Night Together” … and The Doors refusing to change theirs to “Light My Fire,” I guess Gary Puckett just didn’t rank up there with “the bad boys of rock and roll” (Mick and Morrison) to ever have his story circulate.
But still, I have seen Gary Puckett live at LEAST eight or nine times … and he has never told that story before during any of the shows that we saw … so it came as quite a surprise.
Like I always say, I will never cease to be amazed by how much we DON’T know about this music of our era … and how these new discoveries continue to enlighten us, even some 50-60 years later. While Forgotten Hits often presents the opportunity to teach others about the great Top 40 Era, I find that I am still learning something new myself along the way, time after time after time. (kk)
Did you realize that you posted my Happy Together review last year on August 4th? And now again, one year later ...
Shelley
Nope … I had no idea …
Maybe we should just turn this into an annual event! (lol) kk
Speaking of concerts, we were looking forward to going to the Brian Hyland / Little Peggy March show at The Arcada Theatre on Saturday, August 19th because as an added bonus, Book Author, Viet Nam Vet, Frequent Forgotten Hits Contributor and current owner of that famed, autographed guitar Jim Nowoc was going to be there to take part in a very special ceremony.
The plan was for Jim to present that guitar, with over 200 signatures on it, to Ron Onesti, CEO of The Arcada Theatre, prior to that evening’s concert event as a donation to the theater, to be displayed in the front lobby from that point forward. (It would have been a very fitting donation, as a number of these signatures were collected right there at this very theater over the years!)
But I just got word from Brian Hyland that this show, (now called "A Special Salute To Dick Clark,") has been postponed!
No new date for a rescheduled show has been announced yet as of this time ... so we'll have to let you know once we hear more. (The very first 45 I every bought with my own money was Brian Hyland's #1 Hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" in 1960, the PERFECT tune to capture the ear of a young, seven year old boy!) kk
http://forgottenhits.com/first_45s
We'll pass along more details on this show as they become available. Meanwhile, you can order your copy of Jim's book ... a very interesting life ... here:
Looks like rock and roll retirement may not be all it’s cracked up to be …
Last week we told you that Paul Simon was bored and wanted to start doing shows again, provided something could be rigged up to improve his hearing on stage …
And now this week Lynyrd Skynyrd announced that “maybe we were wrong” about retiring. (A brand new Skynyrd box set is on the way, celebrating "Fyfty" years of music together.)
This band has certainly endured their share of heartbreak along the way. (As recently as a few months ago, founding member Gary Rossington passed away. He was the last surviving founding member of the band.) Their tragic plane crash in 1977 cost them Ronnie Van Zant and Steve and Cassie Gaines. Numerous members have come and gone in the years since, including Ronnie’s brother Johnny. (kk)
Former Kinks keyboardist John Gosling has passed. John was with the band from 1970 – 1978 and played on their hits “Lola” (#7, 1970), “Apeman” (#33, 1971) and “A Rock And Roll Fantasy” (#30, 1978)
He joined the band just as they were recording the track “Lola,” which would turn out to become a quick, big comeback hit of sorts for them. (Prior to John joining the band, a lot of the keyboard parts on The Kinks’ recordings were handled by studio session whiz Nicky Hopkins … or by Ray Davies himself.) During his tenure with the band, he performed on a total of ten Kinks albums. (kk)
Be sure to stop back tomorrow to read our piece on Certified #1 Hits ... that were NOT #1 in Billboard! (kk)
