This is the first time I’ve watched The Grammy Awards all the way thru in YEARS!!!
I found the program well-paced, fun and interesting, and never had the urge to turn away, even tho I wasn’t especially familiar with all of the music being featured.
I think Trevor Noah did an acceptable job of hosting, getting off a few zingers in the process … and the artists seemed to accept him in his role.
Grammy viewership was up 34% over last year’s show, the highest since the pre-pandemic days of 2020. (If they still released the Grammy Nominated Songs and Artists like they used to, I absolutely would have ordered a copy that night!)
Meanwhile, a record number of fans DID download Tracy Chapman’s version of “Fast Car” … enough to make it the #1 Song on iTunes the following day.
The full clip is definitely worth seeing … but it’s been impossible to find! Luke’s backstory on what the song has meant to him is all a must see …
Watch this first …
And then check out this clip that I finally found posted on The Official Grammy Website … https://www.grammy.com/news/luke-combs-tracy-chapman-fast-car-2024-grammys-performance
One VERY big surprise was the appearance of Celine Dion who, as we all know, has been suffering some medical issues these past few years.
But Celine bravely came out and presented The Album Of The Year Award (to Taylor Swift, the record breaking FOURTH time she has won this award!). All in all, it was a very exciting and emotional night. If you missed it, you can probably catch it streaming on Paramount Plus for a limited time. (kk)
>>>MC5 have earned the rep as one of rock’s original punk bands, even tho their brief moment in the sun came in 1969 with their minor hit “Kick Out The Jams.” (#61 in Record World … but only #82 in Billboard.) Still, they were the pride of Detroit there for a while … and Jann Wenner wanted them in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame so badly, he made sure their name made the ballot SIX TIMES … yet they still never garnered enough votes to make the cut. (Guess nobody else out there … as in just out EVERYBODY … didn’t feel they deserved it!) Personally, I don’t think you should be allowed more than three times on the ballot … if they don’t vote you in by then, you’re off the list. Then again, MOST people probably feel MC5 are more deserving than The Guess Who or Jethro Tull or Tommy James and the Shondells or The Turtles or Three Dog Night … or any of the countless others who have shown up on our Deserving And Denied list. (For the record, MC5 never showed up there either!) kk
As I have stated previously, in order to assess or properly pass judgement on The MC5, you had to attend one or more, in my case, of their live performances. Sorry you missed them.
Robert Campbell
Hey Kent,
Just a great song from Wayne Kramer’s solo career …
https://youtu.be/Um8eUPo2Z7I?si=_NBQtzGCZsLs0Orh
We told you about Micky Dolenz’s appearances this weekend at The Fest For Beatles Fans, the first time he’s done one of these events in YEARS!
Well, last Friday, Micky performed his first show of the new year …
Micky Dolenz performed his first show of the year Friday night at the New Hope Winery in New Hope, PA with 100% of the proceeds going to charity.
Michael Tearson from WMGK introduced him to the SRO crowd.
Dolenz opened the show with “Last Train To Clarksville” and peppered the set with some surprises like “For What It’s Worth” and “Sometime In The Morning.”
Photos by Jodi Ritzen
We didn’t have a spot to plug Clark Besch’s radio show last Saturday …
But the GOOD news is, you can still catch it thru the podcast links right on this same site.
Here are a few words from Clark …
Hello, all my legendary Chicago music / radio friends!
I hope you might consider joining me for an hour of radio fun …
There will be Chicago band legends and my guest will be WLS' legendary Ron Riley! You'll hear some bits from Chicago bands like The New Colony Six, The Buckinghams, The Cryan’ Shames, The Daughters of Eve and Saturday's Children, too!
Hope you can tune in.
Thanks!
WLSClark Besch
Yeah, it's me with another blatant self-promotion of my new radio show on NYC's WFMU-FM! Time to take the DeLorean back in time for the good old Top 40 radio days of the 60's and 70s. It was the time of 2 1/2 minute pop music gems and legendary DJs (including an interview with my all-time fave 60's WLS DJ!) who made life exciting!
This time, my show will concentrate on the more melodic side of the decade with bad focus on the mostly non-hits from my Kansas, Chicago and Lincoln youth days, with UK faves as well. I won't forget the ladies, as we hear from solo, duet and an all female band. We'll have contests, requests filled (HOW? This show is on tape!), unreleased songs, Beatles memories, WFMU Superstars including my Artificial Intelligence buddy, and even some baseball!
How do I cram all of this and 44 songs into 1 hour? Easy, I recorded it all on my old reel to reel machine at 1 7/8 speed and play it back at 15 IPS speed! (Just joking).
You can catch my show here: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/136445
Just click on the "Pop Up" thing shown below and it will open a new window where you can just hit "Play," and if you have your sound on, you should be able hear.
Looks like this on the site above:
Let's go back and have some fun!
HEY, is that Taylor Swift in that 1962 Pepsi ad above? You don't have to be old to ”think young!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WnuZCqIUyQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yarv7_iFX4
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1587331865/?ref_=tt_vi_i_1
Shelly shared in FH:
>>>Just to get Chuck wired up, I am sending this "who really cares?" information ...
The recorder was initially called the fipple-flute . . . Henry VIII is said to have had a collection of more than twenty recorders . . . Recorders were so popular that it was once a standard household item . . .
yada yada yada . . .
( Read this in your Best Casey Kasem impersonation ~~~ )
"And now this from the Forgotten Hits Long Distance Dedication Department, Chicago, Illinois Division ...
'Dear Casey,
Would you please play this special dedication for Shelly Sweet-Tufano from Kent and Chuck? Maybe when she hears it, she'll know this song's question will never become an issue.'
OK, Shelly, this one is for you."
Harvey Kubernik tells us about a new Beatles book ...
Blue Jade Press has just published Helen Marketti's collection of interviews with Beatles' insiders for her book, "The Long and Winding Phone."
Angie McCartney, Nancy Andrews, Chris O'Dell and Harvey Kubernik provided book testimonials. “Pete Best, Peter Asher, Denny Laine, Pattie Boyd, Jenny Boyd, May Pang, Julian Lennon and Brian Ray are among the witnesses Helen Marketti has interviewed," writes Kubernik. "Some reflections pre-date The Beatles February, 1964, USA arrival to New York and the landmark "Ed Sullivan Show" booking.
The men and women in Helen’s exploration bring something new to the legacy of the Beatles. Enjoy her navigational results with those who were there and now share with us insider memories of the Beatles’ glow and the aftermath that remains 60 years on.”
Just so I'm clear ...
Country Superstar Toby Keith has died ...
King Charles has cancer ...
And the biggest crisis the world is worried about today is where Taylor Swift will be able to park her private plane for The Super Bowl.
Does that sound about right???
Jeez! (kk)
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
2/8/64 – After all the fuss about what the lyrics of “Louie Louie” are really all about, the publishers of the tune offer $1000 to anyone who can find any suggestive lyrics in the song.
Despite being banned on a number of radio stations around the country, the record still went to #1 on two of the three national charts. Billboard was the lone hold-out, peaking it at #2 for six weeks thanks to that Singing Nun!!!
(Funny ... nobody ever questioned what SHE was singing about ...
And it wasn't even in English, so who really knew?!?!) kk
