Guess who’s about to have her first Hot 100 chart hit in 56 years …
Check out this new article from Billboard Magazine …
Much like her sisterhood counterpart of the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s, Brenda Lee (who hit #1 on The Hot 100 a couple of years ago with her 64 year old Christmas hit, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”), Connie Francis is poised to debut on their Hot 100 Chart thanks to a song off of an album she released back in 1962. (Maybe, much like Chubby Checker’s induction this year, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame will FINALLY see fit to induct Francis alongside Brenda Lee, who got in as part of The Class of 2001.) Connie is another one LONG overdue for recognition … can’t we PLEASE do something about this while she’s still with us? (Connie turns 87 this December.)
Incredibly, this song,"Pretty Little Baby," was never released as a single at the time (which is quite a surprise as it seems to have “pop hit” written all over it!) kk
More here: https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/connie-francis-pretty-little-baby-viral-hit-tiktok-
Also in Billboard, news about Robbie Krieger’s new limited edition book, “Night Divides The Day: The Doors Anthology.”
The book boasts over 800 photographs and illustrations, much of which have never been seen before.
Collectors’ editions will be signed by Krieger and be limited to 2000 copies (at $495 each.) The collectors’ edition also comes with a special pressing of a Doors 45 featuring rare demos of “Hello, I Love You” and “Moonlight Drive.” There’ll also be a “standard” edition going for $75.
Krieger told Billboard:
“It really shows you a lot of the hidden Doors stuff that a lot of people don’t know about. Just seeing the old pictures — a lot of pictures I’ve never seen, which is pretty cool. And reading a lot of interviews, stuff that I’ve forgotten all about …To go back in time and read the original stuff that you might have forgotten about or had the wrong idea of, it is nice to have everything in one (book) like this. I think it’s really done well.
“It’s amazing. Even 20 years ago, the 40th anniversary, I was telling people I couldn’t imagine this happening. The only ones that have beaten us are the Stones and the Beatles, pretty much. There’s plenty of groups out there who were formed around the same time as we did, and they don’t have the (continuing) interest that we do. It’s definitely (because of) the songs, the words and the music. It was just an amazing combination of people, the four of us, who came together, and it probably happens once every 60 years. We don’t take it for granted.”
Talking about the old Billboard charts, we got this this week from Frank B ...
kk ...
CHECK THIS OUT ON YOU TUBE ---
Every Billboard #1 Hit (1950 - 1959) With Video.
T - Tromboybk / 23 Minutes & 38 Seconds,
If You Want To Go Back Even Further, He Starts With (1940 - 1958) ... Before The Hot 100.
FB
Technically, MOST of these charts would have been before The Hot 100 ... that didn't officially start until August of 1958. I didn't run thru these and check them for accuracy, but my first reaction when reading this was that at only 23 minutes, this doesn't seem to be anywhere near enough time to play this many #1 hits! (Turns out, that's because they're all just brief clips ... which is still saying something to find material this old existing in ANY form! A whole lotta work and research went into putting these clips together!) kk
Does this spell the end of the Smokey's Soul Town Channel on Sirius/XM?
It's one of those things you really hope isn't true ... and you just don't want to believe ... but we have seen so many of our icons fall in the past, it's hard to just dismiss it.
Smokey Robinson (who placed 65 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart between 1958 and 1989, both as a solo artist and as the leader of his group The Miracles) has been formally accused of charges of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment by four women who previously worked for him.
Robinson has been a pillar of the music community for decades ... if found guilty, this is would be a TERRIBLE way to end a career. Civil and criminal charges have been filed ... so this isn't going away anytime soon. (Smokey actually stole some headlines away from P. Diddy this past week. On the other hand, knowing the way THAT sick fuck thinks, I guess it gives Diddy something new to aspire to, no matter how old he gets!) kk
Got this press release from David Salidor regarding John Cafferty’s comeback status …
JOHN CAFFERTY JOINS RICK SPRINGFIELD’S I WANT MY 80s TOUR ON MAY 28 - WITH WANG CHUNG; JOHN WAITE; and PAUL YOUNG
John Cafferty, who’s just released his first new album (Sound of Waves) in 37 years with the Beaver Brown Band, joins the first-third of Rick Springfield’s I Want My 80s tour on May 28 in Clearwater, Florida at Ruth Eckerd Hall.
Cafferty, who celebrated the release of the album with an exclusive performance at The Cutting Room in New York City, has been the recipient of much new media, including Billboard; The Irish Examiner; Stereogum; iHeart Media; E Street Radio (SiriusXM); True Hollywood Talk; Best Classic Bands; CBS FM; Forgotten Hits; and Times Square Chronicles.
Cafferty and the band achieved mainstream success in the ‘80s with the “Eddie and the Cruisers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Eddie and the Cruisers was a 1983 American musical drama film directed by Martin Davidson with the screenplay written by the director and Arlene Davidson, based on the novel by P. F. Kluge.
Cafferty’s soulful, raspy voice propelled the movie’s theme “On the Dark Side” to #1 on the Billboard Rock charts and the MTV video charts, while the movie’s second hit, “Tender Years,” rose into the Top 10 of the Billboard AC charts.
Said Cafferty in the Irish Examiner: “We had a wonderful opportunity for a few years in the ‘80s to be able to make records and to be in sync with what was going on with both radio and MTV. And as you know, music sort of moves on. It evolves and revolves. Styles and trends change. When that happened with us in the late ‘80s, we just went back to what we’d been doing before. We were a band that had been together for like 10 plus years before we made records, we went back to being a band for many years after we made records. We never stopped. We never stopped playing; we just weren’t in the record business anymore.”
The title track from the group’s 1985 album, “Tough All Over” became their second #1 on the Billboard Rock Charts and the song “C-I-T-Y” reached the Billboard Top 20.
Over the years, John has placed 35 songs in major motion pictures. They included Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky “IV” and “Cobra.” The Farrelly Brothers hit films “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb and Dumber Too,” & “Eddie and the Cruisers” I and II.
The lead single from the group’s new album is “Day In the Sun,” which was spotlighted in Peter Farrelly’s film “Rick Stanicky.”
Cafferty also added that his continued association with Bruce Springsteen was a factor in completing the new album Sound of Waves (via Moonstone Music): “The fact that he was a friend and offered so much encouragement both in the early days and even in recent years. I mean, you’re talking about a one in a billion songwriter. The guy plays stadiums in front of people who know every word to every song that he’s written. He’s an immense talent. For him to come and sit in with us and be on stage with us and talk to me about songwriting, talking shop, talking old rock and roll records, what we liked about ’em and, “Hey, do you remember the words to this? You remember the chords to that? And the drum sound to this?” It’s so much fun. I always saw it as a wonderful thing for us.”
Reflecting on the new album Cafferty added: “Musically, the whole album is sort of a reflection of the music that we grew up with. It’s colored by much of the fifties and sixties music that inspired us to put instruments in our hands. We wear our influences on our sleeves. But there are colors from that music, sounds from that music or production styles that pay homage to the music we grew up with. We come from a tradition of rock and roll based in R&B and blues, and that’s how that tradition was passed on. People heard it, they picked it up, put their spin on it and left the breadcrumbs so that the person next in line could hear what you did and then find what influenced you.”
John’s making his first trip out to Chicago in over thirty years to appear at The Arcada Theatre on November 2nd (and we can’t wait!) Tickets for this show are available here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/54529262/john-cafferty-beaver-brown-band-stcharles-the-arcada-theatre?_gl=1*7avv9l*_ga*MTU3NTc4NTcxLjE3NDUwOTI2ODM.*_ga_LVWJGZKQ1Z*czE3NDcyMTE0NTEkbzYkZzEkdDE3NDcyMTE0NjckajAkbDAkaDA.
And, speaking of Bruce Springsteen, he's apparently been butting heads with our Commander In Chief while overseas entertaining. Seems The Boss isn't very happy with many of Trump's policies here at home ... so our Fearless Leader responded in what seems to be the only way he knows how to ... spouting off with nasty insults, name-calling and threats (just like any other eight year old would do!)
So much for "Freedom Of Speech" ...
While we try REALLY hard to keep politics out of Forgotten Hits, Trump doesn't seem to feel ANY responsibility to adhere to or uphold long-standing US policies and processes, many on which this country was founded. That's bad enough ... but then to blurt out his ridiculous drivel and name-calling, which has always been his defense (how dignified, professional and inspirational for a country leader to do so), one has to wonder just where we're really headed.
Now don't get me wrong ... I have NEVER been in favor of artists trying to sway their audiences into a particular way of thinking ... ("Since you like ME and you like my music, you should believe what I believe and react accordingly") ... I've never gone for it and I never will. Every person here was born with free will to make up their own minds ... I don't think ANYBODY has the right (politician, musician or Average Joe on the street) to try and sway somebody's opinion to win them over to their own agenda.
But seriously, Mr. President, stop the playground bullying and live up to the title you fought so hard to regain. Act like a man and a leader instead of a nine year old punk. (What's he going to do next ... deny Springsteen re-entry into the country???) How truly sad it is, the way we must be perceived around the rest of the world. Trump's REAL agenda seems to be seeing how far he can take it bullying the whole world, in the process alienating EVERY other country regarding their support of the USA. It's just REALLY hard to be Proud To Be American right now. (One of our readers mentioned a couple of weeks ago that if all of a sudden aliens landed from outer space and grabbed a bunch of us, it would likely be considered more of a rescue mission than an abduction!) kk
Trump on Springsteen:
"Never liked him, never liked his music … he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country. If I wasn’t elected, it would have been GONE by now! Sleepy Joe didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing, but Springsteen is 'dumb as a rock.'" (NOTE: His punctuation, not mine ... clearly, a highly-educated man wrote this - kk)
So let’s fact-check THAT statement … If Trump hadn’t stepped in some 100+ days ago, America would have been gone by now. Yeah, that sounds about right. (How does ANYBODY believe this shit?!?!) kk
Herb Alpert’s out on the road making great sounds again in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the “Whipped Cream … And Other Delights” album. (He’s even reformed The Tijuana Brass for the occasion!)
We ran a clip for CBS Morning the other day … and now here’s a whole BBC television special honoring The Beat Of The Brass
BBC Legends: Herb Alpert, Tijuana Brass And Other Delights documentary
https://youtu.be/us4TBtlbrcQ?si=m1SW1Gose9D7ha4x
Also from Tom Cuddy …
Daryl Hall Slams 'Jerk Offs' Who
Started Yacht Rock
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/daryl-hall-slams-jerk-offs-yacht-rock/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fentertainment
Daryl always was a class act! But in this case, much of what he says is true … it seems like today’s artists either really LOVE the Yacht Rock classification (and the fact that it keeps their music playing literally non-stop throughout the day) or the detest it. Daryl seems to be bunking on the latter deck. (kk)
Harvey Kubernik reminds us about the great music laid down at Gold Star Studios in the ‘60’s …
https://bestclassicbands.com/gold-star-recording-studios-3-12-22/
Look for a Harvey Kubernik / Bob Dylan Birthday Tribute running next week in Forgotten hits. (kk)
A day after this year’s Farm Aid line-up was announced (featuring Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and others, September 20th in Minneapolis) former Journey frontman Steve Perry released this clip of him and Willie dueting on a countryfied version of Journey’s classic hit “Faithfully. (And, speaking of Bob Dylan ... C’mon … don’tcha think he's going to find a way to show up at Farm Aid this year … especially being in Minnesota and all!!!) kk
Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand leaked the duet she cut with Paul McCartney on Macca's "My Valentine" for her new "Partners" album, out June 27th. (I guess this one's being considered one of McCartney's recent classics.)
While it is especially painful for me to hear McCartney barely able to croak out a note, you won't find two bigger '60's icons recording together than these two. (kk)
That LRK label reminded me of the old Decca-label-logo:
DIS
Happy 77th Birthday 🎂🎈 to Steve Winwood seen here backstage after a Traffic concert at Universal Amphitheater
Belated Birthday Greetings 🎈🎂! to Richie Furay, seen here at The Troubadour in L.A. holding his book
Jim Roup
Here’s a fundraiser for a good cause …
Great if you can help out … and see a great show! (kk)
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