Tom Cuddy sent us this news clip from last April when it was
first announced that Chubby Checker was being inducted into The Rock And Roll
Hall Of Fame this year …
As I’ve said before, I think Chubby was genuinely hurt by
the fact that The Rock Hall had ignored him for so many years.(He’s been eligible since the organization
founded in 1985 … and never once made the ballot in 40 years until now!)So he told his manager to book him the night
of the live ceremony so that he didn’t have to be there … but could instead be
out there doing what he loves best … entertaining his fans who have stuck with
him for the past 65 years.
Ron Onesti asked him about it after the show and ceremony at
The Des Plaines Theatre on July 27th …
“C’mon, Chubby, it’s The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame!”But Chubby didn’t seem fazed by it.He wanted to be able to tell The Hall that he
had a gig that night … and couldn’t make it to the ceremony … and instructed
his long-time manager to make sure that that happened.(No location for this performance currently shows
on his tour schedule for November 7th … but it will be soon.)
Chubby Checker on Finally
Twisting His Way Into the Rock Hall of Fame: ‘Everybody’s Made a Whole Lotta
Money Off Chubby. Give the Man Some Credit!’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Source: Variety:https://share.google/vzq4pTM75TRR9CYXK
David Salidor sent us these pictures from Micky Dolenz’s
appearance at The Des Plaines Theatre’s 100th Birthday Party on August
9th …
One of Ron Onesti, Micky and Priscilla Presley …
And one of Micky and Priscilla alone
And Jim Roup sent us a few pictures of Jane Morgan, too …
who passed away a little over week ago at the age of 101 …
Remembering popular singer Jane Morgan who passed away at
101 years old on August 4, 2025. I caught her at Spago in Hollywood with
friends like singer/songwriter Carole Bayer-Sager and First lady Barbara Bush.
She made the hip Roxy scene, too!
From Noise 11, Brian Wilson is finally laid to rest …
Bobby Whitlock, a founding member of Derek and the Dominoes,
passed away on Sunday, August 10th.From his manager and publicist Carol Kaye:“With profound sadness, the family of Bobby
Whitlock announces his passing at 1:20 am on August 10th after a brief illness. He
passed in his home in Texas, surrounded by family.”He was 77 years old.
Whitlock bears the distinction of having played on
three of the most important albums in rock and roll history: “Layla and Other
Assorted Love Songs,” “All Things Must Pass” (the foundation of Derek and the
Dominoes was built during George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” sessions) and (uncredited) “Exile on Main Street.”He also toured
with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends (which is where he formed his friendship with Eric
Clapton and George Harrison) as well as playing on several Stax
recordings made in the late 1960’s.
Whitlock is credited with songwriting co-credit on seven of “Layla”’s
fourteen tracks.(kk)
Some confusing news about British rocker Dave Edmunds, who
made The Top Three with his 1971 remake of “I Hear You Knocking.”
Back on July 29th, it was reported (by Dave’s
wife) that he had “died in my arms” from cardiac arrest.Several times during her post she referred to
her husband as “dead.”However, Edmunds
was actually revived by a nurse who had performed “heavy duty CPR” … making him
NOT dead!!!
His wife Cici took to posting again on August 8th,
this time stating that her husband had a “operation/procedure” the day before
that “went really well” and “will help him in case he has another cardiac
arrest.”(Maybe the knocking Dave was
referring to was on heaven’s door!)
Best as we can tell, he is now in recovery and doing very
well.Cici also reports that this new
procedure “prevents him from being so affected by it and gives him support. A
defibrillator and shock wave in case it’s needed. Beyond delighted, he got
these devices put into him. He is recovering really well, considering what he’s
been through. If that works well, they’ll discharge him. I’m beyond words with
excitement and gratitude. Thank you, everyone, for your support and lovely
posts. It means the world to myself and to Dave. I’ll show him [your] posts
when he is ready. It will help his recovery greatly.”Hopefully Dave’s next comment will mirror his
follow-up single to “I Hear You Knocking” … “I’m Comin’ Home.” (kk)
Bill Carroll thanked us for our review of his new “Ranking
The ‘60’s 2.0” book …
And teased that a ‘50’s book may also be coming!
Kent:
What a wonderful review. It touches exactly what I
was trying to accomplish: All the information, cut every way a music
aficionado would want to see it done, with enough interesting other stuff
that it wasn't just a lookup book, it was an interesting read.
You've made the point consistently over the years that these are
contemporaneous rankings, and you're right. In fact, the process is
designed to determine how much a record stood out from its peers in
time, and compare overachievers in different eras.
I
did add a couple of tables this time about how the '60s hits have held
up in the streaming era, realizing there's a bit of apples-to-oranges
there. But 50-60 years later, only 11 of the top 100 Spotify streams
are from pre-1964. (p.201-202)
What you do with Forgotten Hits is remarkable, and I find
myself recommending it to everyone I interact with on the books. It's
great work.
Not the last in the series ... the '50s are uncharted
territory.
Best regards,
Bill
And that’s going to be quite a task!
A ‘50’s book would be great - and a bit more challenging
since Billboard published multiple charts for most of the decade. (And
would it be the WHOLE decade?Or just
“The Rock Era” after “Rock Around The Clock” changed everything in 1955?)
The Best Sellers In Stores charts along with their Top 100
charts that began in late 1955 are probably the best representation of any
given record’s popularity before the Hot 100 began in August of ‘58 - more
so than the Jukebox and Disc Jockey charts – but this will require a different
weighting system for sure!
But I’d sure love to see it.Good luck!(kk)
You are absolutely correct. The 50s has to be two
books in one: 1950 - 1954 and 1955 - 1959. I've broken my pick on trying
to harmonize them.
And you didn't mention that a 20-record chart could have
five versions of the same song ...
Bill
Yikes!That’s
true.(I wish you patience!)kk
In
FHs, Chris Darrow triggered what, revealed over the years, is a fairly
well known and common, yet only occasionally mentioned favorite memory
of nighttime radio listening experienced by so many of us when we were
just kids when he wrote ~~~
>>>"Late at night I would have to listen to ( the radio ) under the covers of my bed in my room."
It's
interesting to me that this singular thread in the fabric of so many of
us during our younger years, only gets a quiet, but well-deserved,
attention in semi-regular rarity! If a survey was taken of who each of
us listened to like that back then, I would imagine it would make quite
an impressive list of many well, and perhaps some even lesser known, Air
Personalities of that time who contributed to the History of Rock Radio
as we remember it! I know I have mine!
Chuck Buell!
When I first started doing Forgotten Hits some 857 years ago I mentioned that I used to listen to my radio under my pillow every night long after my parents thought I had gone to bed (and was supposed to be asleep.) It became a nightly obsession.
At the time, I thought I was the only one ... but the amount of mail I received afterwards blew me away ... seems like EVERYBODY did this. (And here I thought I was so clever and unique!)
I've come to the conclusion that ANY and ALL of us who grew up during the Top 40 Rock and Roll Era likely did the same ... and I don't think our parents ever knew. (Because let's face it ... before rock and roll, what would THEY have listened to till damn near midnight?!?!)
It is a common bond or thread as you suggest ... and the proof is in the volume of kindred spirits I've encountered in all these 857 years since. (kk)
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
8/11/65 – The Beatles’ movie “Help!” opens in New York, two
weeks after its London premier
Also on 8/11, Bobby Goldsboro is a special guest on Shindig!
The ABC show's line-up also features Glen Campbell, The Righteous Brothers,
Sonny and Cher, The Ronettes and Billy Preston, who performs Hound Dog.
Also on 8/11, riots break out in Watts and will last for six
days
The rest of the world finally caught up to the story about Chubby Checker's special induction ceremony into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which was held at The Des Plaines Theatre a couple of weeks ago.
But, thanks to a special scoop handed down by Des Plaines Theatre CEO Ron Onesti, Forgotten Hits Readers knew about it before it even happened!!!
And not only that, we offered special tickets to all of the "locals" on our list to see it happen live!
Tom Cuddy sent us a couple of links as the story spread about Chubby refusing to go to the ceremony and booking a gig that night instead ...
... but that was already old news to Forgotten Hits Readers.
And, since we were there to watch this special induction, here's a clip of the ceremony, which will be edited into the live broadcast when it airs in November. (kk)
By the way, the historic Des Plaines Theatre celebrated its 100th birthday this weekend with a special parade and concert taking the audience thru the decades. Special guests included Micky Dolenz, Jim Peterik of The Ides Of March, Danny Seraphine, original drummer for the rock group Chicago and, Priscilla Presley, all of whom took part in the festivities.
There is ALWAYS something happening at The Des Plaines Theatre ... and its sister showcase theater, The Arcada.
A second Guess Who reunion date has been announced. It’ll take place on January 31st at
the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, ON.More dates are expected to be announced shortly.
The band is now fronted by both Burton Cummings and Randy
Bachman, who recently won back the rights to the group’s name.They previously announced that they would “break
in” the new act at sea as part of The Rock Legends Cruise.This Canadian date actually precedes the
cruise, which sets sail on February 23rd.
We recently ran reviews of both Burton Cummings’ solo show
in Skokie, IL, as well as the Bachman-Turner Overdrive appearance in Elk Grove
at the end of last month.You can find
these reviews here:
Bachman and Cummings are teaming up for what they’re calling
a 2 ½ hour show of the biggest hits of The Guess Who as well as their solo
accomplishments.Should be quite the
show to see!(kk)
On August 15th, The New York Mets will pay
tribute to The Beatles’ first appearance at Shea Stadium sixty years earlier
with a special pre-game concert by 1964, one of the premier Beatles tribute
bands on the circuit.
The Beatles set a concert attendance record at the time when
they played to 55,000 fans. The first 15,000 fans thru the gates on the 15th
will receive a replica concert ticket from their 1965 show there.(Naturally, Forgotten Hits will ALSO pay
tribute on August 15th as part of our on-going 60 YEARS AGO TODAY feature.)kk
Re: Making Mariage Work
By Henry VIII
This is a very short read.
It says:
I'm Henry VIII, I am.
I care not!
However, I have found other
books of interest:
"The Game of Love"
by Catherine of Aragon
"Easy Come, Easy Go"
by Anne Boleyn
"Jean" - a nickname
for Jane
by Jane Seymour
"This Door Swings Both
Ways"
by Anne of Cleves
"Runaround Sue"
by Catherine Howard
"I Will Survive"
by Catherine Parr
Enjoy your summer reading!
Shelley
by Catherine Howard
From Tom Cuddy …
Dion & The Belmonts | Dion
DiMucci | Chazz Palminteri Show | EP 236
In this week’s episode of The
Chazz Palminteri Show, I sit down with the legendary Dion DiMucci, the voice
behind hits like Runaround Sue, The Wanderer, and one of the biggest
inspirations behind A Bronx Tale. We talk about growing up in the Bronx, the
early days of rock and roll, the changing face of the music industry, and the
cultural heartbeat that shaped both of our lives. We also cover: Dion’s rise to
fame with The Belmonts, how Bronx culture shaped his music and mine, the real
stories behind Runaround Sue and The Wanderer, what it means to stay grounded
after decades of success, his perspective on faith, recovery, and reinvention,
the lasting legacy of doo-wop and old-school soul.
This episode is a celebration of
two Bronx boys, music, memories, and the magic of staying true to your roots.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe! Let us know your favorite Dion
track or a memory tied to his music in the comments!
You can catch the whole show via the link above(kk)
"Easy Come, Easy Go,"
the Jan and Dean vehicle you remembered from 1965, was a feature film, not a TV
series, per Wikipedia. (link) It also starred the ubiquitous '60s British film
comic actor Terry-Thomas.
It references an article from the Australian site
Filmink (link) which identified the
other injured person in the train accident as its director, Barry Shear, who
had a TON of TV director credits, which likely led to you thinking it was a
series.
Paramount would hang on to the
title for an unrelated movie in 1967, oddly directed by another TV veteran,
John Rich, which starred ... Elvis Presley!
Shear's first two directing
credits, verified by IMDb and mentioned in this article at WeirdWildRealm.com (link),
came in 1945 with two "Soundies,"
forerunner of TV music videos (Wikipedia), which played on a jukebox-like
player, the "Panoram," built by Mills Novelty Company from
Chicago!
Bob Frable
In my never ending quest to watch every movie ever made by
Elvis Presley (trust me, it ain’t easy!!!), I just happened to watch “Easy
Come, Easy Go” last week.
It starts out a whole lot better than it ends, straying from
the tried-and-true, repetitive plot of most of Elvis’ movies. The King stars as
a Navy underwater specialist who is trained at disabling mines.While deep diving to investigate one, he also
happens to come across the remains of a ship that sunk ages ago and is believed
to have treasure on board.Other divers
become curious to see why Presley keeps going back to this particular spot and
soon the chase is on to see who can get to the treasure first.(Let me warn you … if this sounds even the
slightest bit enticing, it’s about ten times worse than you can possibly
imagine!)
There are a couple of tolerable songs but, other than that,
not much else worth watching (other than a shapely go-go dancer, who puts her
all into every exhibit.)kk
One of the biggest records Brian
Hyland had in the OKC area was his 1970 song LONELY TEARDROPS, a remake of the
old Jackie Wilson tune.
Larry
Yep, that one followed his Top Three remake of “Gypsy Woman”
in 1971.It ultimately reached #35 in
Record World but stopped at #54 in Billboard.(kk)
Speaking of Brian Hyland and Elvis Presley, I was in the
audience at The International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same night that
Brian Hyland was there.Actually, Brian Hyland
and Del Shannon were there together at the show. You hear Elvis do the intro of
both of them and then sing "Runaway." Pix of Brian and Del with Elvis
are out there on the web.
EDITOR’S NOTE:Yes, I
snagged this one (best quality I could find – which ain’t sayin’ much!!!)
The Elvis midnight show I saw was recorded by RCA that
night.It was later released on CD as “Elvis
All Shook Up.” When the show ended, we thought it was over. But no ...
Elvis returns to the stage and says, "Would you like
to hear some more?" Sure!
He performed the song "Rubberneckin'" but stopped
the band at one point to try another take since the tape was rolling. This is
the song you hear on “Elvis All Shook Up.”Also, the "Are you Lonesome Tonight?" laughing version came
from this show.This was the August
26th midnight show.After the show, I
heard The Ike and Tina Turner Revue, who were playing in the lounge that
night.
Jim Roup
Man, what a show!
“All Shook Up” must be a bootleg recording of the show.I have a special FTD 2-CD version and, after
doing a little bit of digging, I found that BOTH shows for all five appearances
at The International, August 22nd - August 26th, were recorded and, as I
suspected, the best takes for each song were then edited together for release
as the "In Person At The International Hotel" album.
My 2-CD FTD copy has the original LP release (tracks
recorded at multiple shows) ... the COMPLETE August 22nd Dinner Show ... and
some bonus extras, including "Runaway" (which ended up on his NEXT
LP, "On Stage, February, 1970," even 'tho it was recorded back in
August of '69) ... and "Rubberneckin'," which came from the August
26th Midnight Show that you attended.
COOL!!!
I saw Elvis a total of three times - but never in Vegas,
which would have been the ultimate dream show to see. The first time
(1972) he was appearing at The Chicago Stadium ... and there was an electricity
in the air when he came out that I have never experienced before or
since. Simply amazing, just knowing who he was ... and all that he had
done.(kk)
Congrats on seeing Elvis! Three times! 👍
I caught Ringo Starr's All Star Band's first tour at that
venue out in Hoffman Estates. I bet you saw shows there. A funny story ...
My old pal Steve got a job as a student karate teacher at
Ed Parker's Karate Studio in West L.A.
As a joke, I told him, “Don't be surprised if you meet
Elvis.”
One day, Ed told Steve “I want you to come back to my
private office.” Sure enough, Elvis was relaxing in a chair. Ed casually said
to Steve, "Oh, that's Elvis."He
got a fast Hello and was very surprised!
Jim Roup
I would LOVED to have met Elvis under such relaxed
circumstances … away from the spotlight and the need to be “in character.”I’ve read SO much on the man … and feel there
are very few who actually got to know him … the REAL him, I mean.(kk)
Kent,
I was just now notified that
singer Jane Morgan has passed away at the age of 101. The person who told me
thought that she had passed away years ago. I always did like her 1959 song
WITH OPEN ARMS.
Larry Neal
We’re going WAY back to look at the hits of Jane Morgan.Her biggest rock era hit was “Fascination”
(#5, 1957) … but she also hit The National Top Ten with “Two Different Worlds”
in 1956. (#10 in Music Vendor but only #41 in Billboard)“With Open Arms” came out in 1959 and peaked
at #39.Wow, 101 years old!Not bad!
I also see that she was married to talent manager Jerry
Weintraub for FIFTY YEARS (or half her life) until his death in 2015!(kk)
Hi Kent,
Nice work on Ed Sullivan stories ...
Happy Belated birthday to Pat Smear of Nirvana and Foo Fighters
fame. Seen here goofing on Sunset Strip.
Jim Roup
After a long battle with cancer, vocalist Terry Reid passed
away last week at the age of 75.
Terry was guitarist Jimmy Page’s first choice to be the lead
singer of the new group he was forming, Led Zeppelin.Reid famously turned the gig down as he had a
tour of his own coming up and felt he couldn’t devote adequate time to both
projects.Instead, he recommended a new,
young vocalist by the name of Robert Plant and the rest, as they say, is
history.(Obviously highly regarded by
his peers, Reid reportedly previously turned down the lead vocalist position
with Deep Purple.He just may be the
greatest “coulda been” rock stars of all time!)
As a solo artist, he had already opened for acts like Jethro
Tull, Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones in the UK, where he was known as
“Superlungs.”That respect still loomed
large … in the early 2000s, Reid headlined a residency at a Los Angeles club,
the Joint, where his guests included Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Eric Burdon
and Roger Daltrey.
Goodbye to one of the finest voices we never knew!(kk)
Remembering Terry Reid, who passed away a few days ago. Saw him in
the late 60's at The Whisky and opening for The Rolling Stones in '69. Got to
know him a bit. He wanted me to set up this photo of him at The Whisky A Go Go
Anniversary show.
Jim Roup
From Timmy …
Concert Poster Of The Day / 1970
And look at some of the acts still to come!!! (kk)
You might enjoy this 1964 great
piece of British TV from Feb 8, 1964! That was the day before the fabs'
first US Sullivan appearance. Here, we get half an hour of pure 60s Brit
comedy and lodged in the middle, two EXCELLENT live appearances by the
Stones. They do a Beatles tune we know was their first and you get to see
them raw and alive in this performance with Brian playing NORMAL (unusual for
him later) group instruments -- first electric and then switching to acoustic
guitar as well as singing some back up, too! At the end, there is a skit
where the normal cast is joking about the Stones a little (14:20 in) and
saying "The Brits don’t have an ear for a good
tune." That was a bit like when they appeared on Red Skelton
here in '64 and the Stones did not appreciate his jokingly critical comments
about them. Also, I paused it at 13:58 to look at the radio dial
they showed. The dial seemed similar to ours with going from 530 to 1600,
but maybe was different bands possible thru that little plastic wheel in
center? Then there is the push button settings TV set (15:45 in) with ALL
UHF frequencies and one turning knob for the on off/volume. Here, most TV
stations then were VHF. Now, we have both pretty equally, I think.
All in all, interesting AND informative!
Really nice quality for this vintage.I always liked their version of “You Better
Move On,” an Arthur Alexander tune that hit #19 here in The States in 1962.(This guy seems to have had a much greater
impact in The UK than he did here in the US, with The Beatles covering his tune
“Anna,” too, for their first LP.)Thanks, Clark.(kk)
Listen to a SPECIAL NEW PODCAST
EPISODE with David Leaf (along with Mark Dillon & Phil Miglioratti)
Days after Brian Wilson
passed away - and on his birthday - his biographer and good friend David Leaf
returned for part one of a special two-part episode.
David shares his recollections
of Brian's challenging recent years.
This
September, the Surf Ballroom & Museum will unveil ‘Not Fade Away: The
Immersive Surf Ballroom Experience’ – a permanent first-of-its-kind
experience honoring the legacy of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The
Big Bopper” Richardson in Clear Lake, Iowa. Opening festivities kick off on
Thursday, September 4, with a book signing and special preview, leading up to
the full exhibit debut and ribbon cutting on Sunday, September 7 – what would
have been Buddy Holly’s 88th birthday. Housed in the newly-completed Music
Enrichment Center (MEC) adjacent to the historic Surf Ballroom, ‘Not Fade
Away’ is more than an exhibit — it’s a transformative, multi-sensory
journey through the birth of rock 'n' roll and the timeless sound that changed
American music forever. Through immersive digital storytelling, historic
artifacts, restored audio, and original archival materials, guests will walk in
the footsteps of legends.
A
press release from 2911 Media further describes the endeavor:
“Not Fade Away reflects the power of public-private
partnership and our shared commitment to preserving and promoting Clear Lake’s
unique place in American music history,” said Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb.
“This project brings national attention, educational opportunity, and cultural
significance to our community. It’s an investment not only in heritage, but in
our future.”
“This is a moment years in the making,” said Brian
Luallen, CEO of the Surf Ballroom & Museum. “We’ve combined cutting-edge
technology with the soul of rock ‘n’ roll to tell a story that is as moving as
it is unforgettable. ‘Not Fade Away’ honors the legacy of the artists who
helped define a generation—and reminds us why their music still matters today.”
Never-before-seen artifacts on display at the Surf Music
Experience Center include:
Les Paul innovations:
·One of only two existing prototypes
for the solid body electric guitar called
·“The Log,” hand built by Les Paul in
approximately 1937
·Les Paul's original handwritten plans
for the very first 8-track tape recording device
·Les Paul's original 8-track console,
which revolutionized modern recording
·1970 custom Gibson guitar owned and
played by Les Paul
·Les Paul's signature groundbreaking
“Paulverizer,” one of only three in existence
Celebrity musician artifacts:
·Guitar signed by Buddy Holly while on
the 1959 Winter Dance Party Tour
·Les Paul guitar owned and played by
Slash, former lead guitarist of Guns ‘n’ Roses
·Les Paul guitar owned and played by
Warren Haynes, formerly of the Allman Brothers
·Stratocaster signed by legendary blues
guitarist Buddy Guy
·BB King signed "Lucille"
guitar
·Willie Nelson signed guitar
·Don McLean signed American Pie LP and
guitar
·Accordion owned and played by Lawrence
Welk
·Leather top hat worn by Slash
Personal effects of Holly,
Valens, and Richardson:
·Microphone used by Buddy Holly at his
last performance at The Surf Ballroom in 1959
·Red corduroy jacket Buddy Holly wore
during his last performance in San Antonio, TX
·Original camera that was used to take
the Pulitzer-nominated photos of the fatal plane crash on Feb 3, 1959, that
killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson
·Hand-tooled leather wallet owned by
Ritchie Valens and recovered from the crash
·Briefcase owned by J.P. "The Big
Bopper" Richardson and recovered from the crash
·A pair of cufflinks owned by Buddy
Holly and recovered from the crash
·Ritchie Valens original Del-Fi Gold
Record for "La Bamba" and "Donna"
·Upright bass from the final
performance of Buddy Holly’s band, The Crickets
For
the board of the North Iowa Cultural Center & Museum (NICCM), the nonprofit
that owns and operates the Surf Ballroom, the launch is deeply personal.
“This isn’t just about music,” said Jeff Nicholas,
President of NICCM’s Board of Directors. “It’s about memory, emotion, and the
voices that continue to echo across generations. With ‘Not Fade Away,’ we’re
creating a space where history comes alive—and where our children and
grandchildren can understand just how powerful one song, one show, or one
moment can be.”
The
experience is offered in multiple ticket tiers, including exclusive VIP
packages that provide access to the Surf Ballroom, immersive gallery, and
the historic Carl Fox House, once home to the Surf’s founder. Ticket prices
start at $19 and group rates are available. Admission is discounted for
city and Cerro Gordo county residents, as well as military veterans,
seniors and kids. A full schedule of opening events will be released in the
coming weeks.
The
legendary Surf Ballroom & Museum is one of only four music venues in
the United States designated as a National Historic Landmark. Best known as
the final performance site of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big
Bopper, the Surf has welcomed generations of musical artists and fans since
1933. Today, it is a vibrant year-round venue that amplifies the legacy of
music culture, education and performance – it’s where the music lives. The
Surf is operated by the North Iowa Cultural Center & Museum, a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, and will expand its offerings with the new Music
Experience Center (MEC), an immersive attraction, artifact exhibit and
event space, opening September 2025. For tickets, event details and more
information, visit https://surfballroom.com/mec-immersive-experience-tour/. ‘Not Fade Away’ will operate year-round
and includes educational and group tour components. Surf Ballroom &
Museum 460 North Shore Drive Clear Lake, Iowa 50428
(641) 357-6151 surfballroom.com.”
February 3, 2025 was
the 66th anniversary of tragic airplane crash that subsequently
became known as “The Day the Music Died,” sadly referenced in Don McLean’s
song, “American Pie.” Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson aka The
Big Bopper died along with pilot Roger Peterson.
After a February 2,
1959 “Winter Dance Party” show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens
and J.P. Richardson took off from the Mason City airport, in a three-passenger
airplane that Holly chartered piloted by Roger Peterson during inclement weather.
It crashed into a cornfield in nearby Macon City, Iowa, just minutes after
take-off.
I will
always remember the February 3, 1959 front page headline in The Los Angeles Times-Mirror, a daily
newspaper who reported this accident.
Ritchie
Valens’ death was a very big regional loss. He was from Pacoima, a suburb in
Southern California. Ritchie’s records were very popular in Los Angeles and the
surrounding communities. It was KFWB-AM deejay Gene Weed who first spun his
music and the radio station held what seemed like an all-day shiva celebrating
the life of Valens, whose record label, Del-Fi, was based in Hollywood.
I saw
footage of Buddy Holly once on Dick Clark’s American
Bandstand, and earlier, when Holly was on The Ed Sullivan Show in
1958. Holly’s records were also spun on Southern California AM radio
station KFWB. “Chantilly Lace” by The Big Bopper was a national hit.
In my
1998 interview with Dick Clark, I asked who was the most requested recording
artist for licensing?
“Buddy
Holly.The irony there was that we once
did a retrospective show for ABC, and I had an editor in from San Francisco who
lost the Buddy Holly footage.Never
found it.The only Buddy Holly footage
we have of him doing ‘Peggy Sue’ is from The Arthur Murray Dance Party.I’m still a friend of Mrs. Murray and her
former husband who passed on.I told
her, ‘Let me have your tapes.You’ll own
them always. We’ll just administrate them and we’ll take good care of them and
store them in various formats so they won’t get lost.”
On February 3, 1999, I
interviewed Keith Richards around a Rolling Stones concert in San Diego. We
talked primarily about his just released Wingless
Angels album.
However, it wasn’t
lost on each of us that 42 years earlier, Buddy Holly, one of his musical
heroes, passed. An early hit record of the Rolling Stones was “Not Fade Away,”
produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, was the B-side to Buddy Holly’s 1957 chart hit
“Oh Boy!”
In March 1958, 14-year
old Mick Jagger saw his first rock concert in London at the Woolwich, Granada.
“Not Fade Away” made a big impression.
Keith and I had a
brief discussion how some music, like his Wingless Angeles endeavour or the
sounds of the legendary Sun Records label, or anything by Holly and Eddie
Cochran makes immediate impact and a connection on your soul, even decades
after initial airplay or retail discovery.
“It sticks. I think because it’s timeless music I call it ‘marrow
music.’Not even bone music.It strikes to the marrow.It’s like a faint echo . . . The body
responds to it and I don’t know why…”
“La
Sangre Llama” (The Blood Calls).
The music and recorded
catalogue of Buddy Holly never died, and the sonic legacy of Ritchie Valens has
continued. “Chantilly Lace” is constantly heard daily on oldies and classic
rock radio stations. Humourist and songwriter J.P. Richardson, pka The Big Bopper,
wrote “White Lighting” that George Jones recorded, and penned “Running Bear”
for Johnny Horton. J.P. Richardson is in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Singer/songwriter McLean acknowledged the
event in his 1971 hit tune “American Pie.”
Now, almost 40 years after
its 1987 theatrical release, La Bamba, the biopic of Ritchie Valens, is
getting a remake of the Luis Valdez written and directed film. In 2023, Variety
reported that Sony Pictures and Mucho Mas Media are in development of a new
version. Oscar-nominated writer José Rivera, known for The Motorcycle
Diaries and On the Road, will pen the script, and Valdez will serve
as an executive producer.
In January 2025, as ongoing fires engulf and
devastate the entire region of Southern California, the Ritchie Valens
Recreation Center at the Ritchie Valens Park in Pacoima on 10736 Laurel Canyon
Blvd. is serving as shelter and evacuation center for the now homeless victims
that are affected by the wildfires.
In Southern California during 2017, a stretch
of the Golden State (5) Freeway, is called The Ritchie Valens Memorial Highway,
located between the 170 and 118 freeways was named for the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame inductee.
Last decade I asked two friends of mine, author/music historian,
Roger Steffens, and the late multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Chris Darrow,
to share their concert memories of witnessing Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens
perform.
Roger
Steffens: At Christmas 1957 I went to my first rock and
roll show, Alan Freed's giant Christmas
Jubilee of Stars at the Paramount Theater on Times Square. The run broke
all attendance records, including the previous best, a Frank Sinatra tour in
1944.My friends and I had to lie to our parents, because they were sure we
would be mugged if we went to a show where a lot of black kids were going to
be.
“So, we told them we were going to Hackensack
to see a movie, but got on the bus to the Port Authority instead and walked the
few blocks to the Paramount, which had a line stretching three times around the
block.
“The show included Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis
(back to back), the teenage Everly Brothers, the Teenagers, Lee Andrews and the
Hearts (with Questlove's father), Danny and the Juniors, The Dubs (dear to my
reggae soul) and eight others. Most of the second line performers got only one
or two songs each, but Buddy Holly and the Crickets got five, because they were
on the charts under both names at the time. They were all dressed in tuxedos,
and played with a stand-up bass.
“The audience went wild for Buddy, clapping
along with his rhythms, and singing along with his parade of hits. I remember
watching Alan Freed's 5-6 pm Rock and
Roll Party TV show on WABD, Channel 5, in New York City.
“He interviewed Buddy about the national tour
they had done together in 1956, during which they flew in a small plane to get
to a gig, and encountered severe turbulence. Buddy recalled the ‘woop-woop’ as
the plane fell and climbed and fell again. What a premonition!
“It was one of the saddest days of my youth
when we learned of that terrible crash that took his life, and the first time I
cried over the loss of a performer. Odd that one of the final releases during
his short lifetime was ‘It Doesn't Matter Anymore.’”
Chris
Darrow: I saw Ritchie Valens a month before his death
in Pomona at the Rainbow Gardens, an all-wooden building, with a low ceiling
that was just south of the YMCA in Pomona, California. It later was to burn to
the ground.
“I was from a mixed race white
and Hispanic neighborhood in Claremont, called Arbol Verde. My best friend
Roger Palos was Mexican, and he and I were both learning to play guitar and we
would sing together a lot.The songs
that we learned that were not from the folk music genre, were popular songs
mainly by Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Ritchie
Valens.For some reason our favorite
song of Ritchie’s was not ‘La Bamba’ or ‘Oh, Donna’ but ‘Hi – Tone.’We just loved that song.
“I was 15 and in the ninth grade
and was not allowed to go out many places by myself at night.I was attending a private school in
Claremont, called Webb, which had sons of famous people in my class.Chris Mitchum, son of Robert, Chris Reynolds,
his father owned the L.A. Angels professional baseball team, Tom Mitchell,
whose father invented the Mitchell 35mm movie camera and Bob Washburn, whose
dad was the head of 7UP.
“Since I wasn’t driving yet, it
took a lot for my folks to let me go into the dark part of Pomona to see a rock
‘n’ roll show in 1959.My parents
weren’t square but my mom always worried about me.
‘“I went with Roger Palos and
Jon Dearborn to the concert, and it was kind of a pilgrimage for us. Since I
really identified with the Mexican culture and wasn’t afraid, I couldn’t wait
to see one of my main men, Ritchie Valens.After all he was only 17 and not much older than Roger and me.I wore my bright, red corduroy coat with
silver buttons that my Grandma Darrow had made for me that Christmas.I also wore white bucks, white pants and red
argyle socks.I looked sharp!
“I’m not sure who the house band
was, but it could have been Manual and the Renegades, or the Mixtures, for they
both used to be regulars at the Rainbow Gardens. I was very excited and hadn’t
been to too many concerts before this.
“I listened to a lot of radio at
the time and because of the heavy Mexican influence in my life, I got turned on
to KDAY with Art Laboe, who would broadcast live from Scribner’s Drive-In, and
Ol’ HH -Hunter Hancock- who had a great show called Harlem Matinee.These were
the guys that the Mexicans listened to on the radio.I was also into KFWB, with Al Jarvis, Bill
Balance and Ted Quillan, and Dick Hugg ‘Huggy Boy’ on KGFJ.He was on so late at night that I would have
to listen to him under the covers of my bed in my room.So what is now called Doo-Wop was big with
me, as well as the white dominated music so prevalent on major radio stations
of the time.The Oldies but Goodies albums by Laboe on Original Sound were right up
my alley.
“I was really into dancing at
the time and had a chance to dance a few numbers with some strangers at the
show.The opening act for Ritchie was
Jan & Dean; possibly really Jan & Arnie. In those days no one had their
own bands and acts would use house bands as their own.Either the band didn’t like Jan & Dean or
they just didn’t care.Before they could
get through the first song, which sounded awful, Jan stopped, ran off the stage
followed by Dean, and plowed through the locked stage door and out into the
night.Jan just kicked it open like some
thug in a movie.I was so shocked and
dumbstruck by this.They never came
back.
“After the commotion died down
and it was time for Ritchie to come on.He whirled in, probably from some other gig earlier that night, and I
went right up next to the edge of the stage.He was a pretty big guy and loomed on-stage with a graceful power.He was not overtly hard core in his
presentation but was very soulful and I ate it up.There was a tenderness and sweetness about
him, even as he rocked.The house band
knew his stuff and did a great job on the songs.He did ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Oh, Donna’ and even
played my favorite song, ‘Hi-Tone.’
“I liken Ritchie to another L.A.
guy, Eddie Cochran.Both had the soul
and drive of the Sun /Clovis, New Mexico records, but they were from our own
backyard.As soon as Ritchie finished,
he was whisked off in a flash.There was
no chance to say ‘hello’ or offer a handshake, but I was ecstatic over the
event.
“The house band played on to
people doing The Stomp and I was awarded a prize for being one of the five
best- dressed guys of the night.A
perfect end to a perfect evening.
“I read somewhere that Frank
Zappa saw Ritchie in Pomona, so he was probably there, too.A month after the gig I was at school and
heard about the deaths of Ritchie, Buddy and The Big Bopper.I was crushed and went off by myself and
cried like a baby.It was the first time
I remember crying for someone who had died.Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly were like gods to me at the time and
could do no wrong.It was one of the
great losses in rock and roll history.”
