GREAT NEWS!
Due to popular demand (or perhaps more accurately, public outrage) The Beatles’ “Anthology 4” is now ALSO being made available as a stand-alone release. (YAY!!! Score one for the good guys, most of whom have spent untold dollars buying, rebuying and the rebuying yet again all available Beatles product over the past 60+ years.) You can preorder your copy now thru all of the usual sources. (kk)
MICKY DOLENZ ON THE PASSING OF BOBBY HART:
Another great is gone.
Bobby Hart, who along with Tommy Boyce, penned and produced some of The Monkees' greatest hits not only made a vital contribution to the popular success of The Monkees, but even more importantly to the essence, the very spirit of the entire venture.
His talent, charisma, good humor and calmness in the face of what at times was nothing less than a maniacal roller coaster ride often brought a sense of peace that heartened everyone around him. He was the stillness that is the eye of the hurricane.
Rest in peace, Bobby.
M
Micky and Davy both stayed in touch with Bobby Hart for years after The Monkees’ television series ended. In fact, I saw Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart (The Guys That Sang ‘Em And The Guys That Wrote ‘Em) a few times in the late ‘70s. Their one album for Capitol was a fun romp of music … and their live LP (originally only available as a Japanese import) showed the depth of their songwriting catalog.
Micky has been the Last Monkee Standing for a couple of years now … but his fans still love him and make it out to every concert. Who knew this music would be everlasting! (kk)
Timmy provided this link to a great story in Variety …
https://variety.com/2025/music/obituaries-people-news/bobby-hart-dead-songwriter-monkees-1236517972/
Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval has posted his tribute to Bobby Hart …
https://mailchi.mp/beatlandbooks/2025-mar-parlogram-11037424?e=cc980e7aff
Maybe now we can FINALLY see the Boyce and Hart documentary that’s been in storage for the past few decades (???) The timing couldn’t be better to pay tribute to these two great songwriters who brought us so much joy over the years. (kk)
I wonder how many people saw or remember this video for the first Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart single …
I really thought this one should have been a hit! (kk)
I know with the recent news of Bobby Hart's passing, you touched on Boyce and Hart's contributions to TV and Movie themes, in addition to their general songwriting accomplishments ...
One thing you may not know about the duo is that they have still have the honor of having one of the longest running -- if not THE longest running television theme song for nearly 60+ years: The Theme to Days Of Our Lives.
Like sands of time, so are these little trivia tidbits!
Regards,
Uncle T. Jay
Yep, definitely much more career coverage in our dedicated web page … https://fhboyceandhart.blogspot.com/
(be sure to click on the “Older Posts” tab at the bottom of the page for our exclusive interview with Bobby Hart) …
where we touched on this remarkable accomplishment in greater detail …
'60's FLASHBACK:
In 1965, they would write the TV Theme that would secure their bank accounts for all of the rest of the days of their lives. The 30-second musical clip that began every episode of THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES has been running five days a week for over 60 years now, the longest, continuing running drama on television. It just may be their crowning achievement as songwriters.
When they were first approached to write the theme, they were asked to come up with something that sounded like SUNRISE, SUNSET from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. After submitting several different pieces for the theme (all of which were quickly rejected), they came up with the theme you still hear today. However, according to BOBBY HART, even though he and TOMMY wrote the theme together, when the copyright was belatedly registered by the publisher in 1976, the name CHARLES ALBERTINE was added to the songwriting credits. (ALBERTINE had written several other pieces of television music and nobody seems to know for sure just how this turn of events happened ... however, at the same time, BOYCE AND HART's names were also added to several pieces of music that ALBERTINE had written that they had absolutely NOTHING at all to do with!!!) BOBBY says that ALBERTINE has been cut in for 12 1/2% of the royalties since 1976 and, when TOMMY was still alive, he never really wanted to rock the boat. "ALBERTINE's widow is probably living on that money and we should just be thankful that we're getting what we're getting." After TOMMY died in 1994, BOBBY decided to honor his partner's wishes and the publishing arrangement has never been challenged nor altered.
FH: Let's talk a little bit about The Days Of Our Lives Theme … how did you come to be asked to write this piece of music? What’s the deal on the royalties today?
BH: Being under contract to a music publishing arm of a movie and TV studio, we were sent out on a lot of TV and movie assignments. Same way we got the Monkees project. The Theme still earns me about $16,000 a year for NBC’s use five days a week, but much more for its use in films and TV shows.
More Micky news …
Micky Dolenz will join in an ‘In Conversation’ event 10-2 for the forthcoming Genesis Publications book on the enduring legacy of Buddy Holly entitled WORD OF LOVE, in LA, hosted by The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation and Genesis Publications in partnership with Teen Cancer America to celebrate the Los Angeles launch the book. Also attending will be with Henry Diltz and Eddie Vedder, with the panel moderated by journalist Edna Gunderson.
The event will also pay tribute to the iconic Don McLean on his 80th birthday.
I’m kinda diggin’ the new Aerosmith single done with Yungblud … Steven Tyler still sounding pretty good to me! (kk)
As a fan of Casey Kasem's classic "American Top 40" shows from the 1970s and 1980s (still rerun on hundreds of stations and the IHeartRadio app), I can't help but point out the (at least) two Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts where Casey appeared in character ... in 1974, when "AT40" was counting down the current Billboard rankings each week, he appeared as a comic parody of Adolf Hitler during a roast of Don Rickles (a near-regular participant as a "roaster"), and did a spotless imitation of Peter Falk as "Columbo" on a show honouring another TV detective, "Kojak" star Telly Savalas, both in 1974! (I'll let you find the YouTubes of these)
Bob Frable
Sonny Curtis has passed away.
A member of Buddy Holly's Crickets (and carrying on the group after Buddy's death), Curtis also wrote The Everly Brothers / Anne Murray hit "Walk Right Back" as well as the garage band classic "I Fought The Law," a Top Ten Hit for The Bobby Fuller Four in 1966. He also co-wrote the Leo Sayer / Bobby Vee hit "More Than I Can Say." In his post-rock and roll career, Sonny wrote the popular theme song for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Love Is All Around," which he also sang. (kk)
Beatles News from Geoff Lambert’s weekly music sheet …
John Lennon’s killer denied parole for 14th time
Seventy year old Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon outside John’s Manhattan apartment in 1980 and is serving twenty-years-to-life sentence in New York, has been denied parole for a fourteenth time, according to New York prison officials. He appeared before a parole board on 27th August, and the decision was recently posted online by the state department of corrections and community supervision. Chapman was arrested within minutes of the shooting, sitting near the scene with a copy of JD Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye. His next parole hearing is in February 2027. John Lennon was 40 years old.
Sir Paul McCartney delivered a moment in London a few nights ago that fans are already calling historic. Halfway through his set at the O2 Arena, as a small group of protesters tried to disrupt the show with chants, The Beatles legend didn’t argue, didn’t scold, and didn’t storm off. Instead, he gently strummed his guitar and began to sing Let it be. At first, it was only Paul — his voice soft, almost trembling — but within moments, the entire arena of 20,000 rose together, their voices carrying the anthem of hope like a wave of unity. The chants dissolved. Tears streamed down faces. Strangers embraced. Paul didn’t just save the concert — he turned chaos into one of the most unforgettable moments of his career. A legend showing the world that music, not anger, is still the greatest weapon of all …
Geoff also shared this …
An article in Cash Box magazine September the 17th 1955:
Alan Freed Rocks ’N’ Rolls To The Tune of $178,000 Gross For One Week Stand At Brooklyn Paramount
NEW YORK — Alan Freed, with his First Anniversary Rock ’n’ Roll Party, broke the all-time record gross for both the Brooklyn and New York Paramount Theatres with a whopping take of $178,000. This topped the previous high set by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis some years ago when they reached the $147,000 mark at the New York Paramount. This reviewer has been through the teen age hysteria that existed from 1936 through 1945 when the kids danced in the aisles to the music of Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey and others, but never have these eyes seen fanatical exuberance such as the type displayed at Alan Freed’s sensational 1st Anniversary Rock ‘n’ Roll program, a package show unveiled this past week at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. As we approached the theatre, hundreds were milling about and the crowd was almost completely around the two block area which is the girth of the Paramount. The lines were four abreast. We managed to get backstage only to find Freed out on the fire escape waving to the youngsters cheering him from the streets. During his broadcast from backstage of his WINS Rock and Roll show, he had to tell his audience to stop coming to the theatre that evening because of the jam up.
To get on Geoff’s mailing list for his weekly newsletter, just shoot him an email at:
geoff.lambert@btinternet.com …
And tell him you heard about it in Forgotten Hits! (kk)
September 13th birthday 🎈🎂 greetings to Jacqueline Bisset and bass player, record producer Don Was, seen here with George Martin at a Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel event.
Happy Birthday 🎁🎂! September 16th to The Lovin' Spoonful's drummer Joe Butler! And remembering Lauren Bacall on her September 16th 🎂, too!
Happy 85th birthday 🎈🎂! to Bill Medley, seen here at The Roxy in West Hollywood.
Jim Roup
Part Two of Pray For Surf’s David Leaf Interview has finally been posted … more info here:
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Hard to believe but Farm Aid turned 40 this weekend!
FH Reader Clark Besch remembers attending one of their very first fund-raiser concerts …
We were at this event at our football stadium on THIS DAY in 1987. (9/19)
Lots of top acts, hot day and night. Shown all day on MTV and night part on ABC. Dick Clark cut the concert off at 10 PM, so Neil Young came back out and did 20 minutes more and we all sang "This Land is Your Land" at end. 38 years ago -- actually seems longer!
40th anniversary event is 9/20 -- shown on farmaid.org starting at 11:30 AM Saturday in Minneapolis. It will also be broadcast for first time ever on CNN! Cool to see the same headliners 38 years later!
Feel free to help the farmers with donations if you wish, as the government sure won’t.
Remember the 87 event:
This Day in History - September 19: Willie Nelson held FarmAid III in Lincoln
The line up for the 40th anniversary event:
https://www.farmaid.org/blog/how-to-watch-farm-aid-40-on-september-20/
