A Monday Morning Quickie / 60 Years Ago Today: August 11th, 1965

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 27^th …

“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 7^th … 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 100^th Birthday Party on August 9^th …

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 …

https://www.noise11.com/news/the-legacy-of-brian-wilson-finally-laid-to-rest-20250809

Bobby Whitlock, a founding member of Derek and the Dominoes, passed away on Sunday, August 10^th.  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 29^th, 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 8^th, 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