Boy, June has been brutal!
We just lost another one of the good ones ...
Lou Christie passed away on Wednesday, June 18th, after a brief illness.
Lou was a very good friend of Forgotten Hits. I only got to meet him one time but we talked quite a while that day as well as previously and afterwards ... he loved what we were doing in Forgotten Hits ... and even had his own website where he would feature songs that he felt SHOULD have been hits but never got the chance ... sort of a Dave The Rave "Relics and Rarities" and Sam Tallerico "Lost And Found Oldies" site where Lou, the ARTIST, picked the hits that should have been ... including a few of his own!He was a very kind and generous man ... over the years, he sent me numerous gifts, completely out of the blue, never asking for anything in return in the way of promotion, something we were always happy to give for such a great artist. For years I tried to persuade the Happy Together powers that be that Lou would have been a PERFECT fit for their format ...
Come out with the "one fits all / generic" back-up band and bang out four or five of his biggest hits ... it was a natural match made in heaven ... but it never happened.
He was still in fine voice the last time I saw him perform at an Italian Festival in Addison, IL, a few years ago. Just recently he announced that we wasn't going to be doing any more touring, but might still do an occasional gig near home in the Pittsburgh area should the opportunity present itself. (After seeing him perform at The Italian Festival, I always tried to get him to come back here, too, to perform at either the Arcada or Des Plaines Theatre ... I know that he and Ron Onesti were very close as well ... but it just never happened.)
I am very sad today. We will miss you, Lou. (kk)
Lou's records always charted higher here in Chicago than they did nationally ... see our LOUR CHRISTIE HIT LIST below for more details.
THE LOU CHRISTIE HIT LIST
1963 - The Gypsy Cried (US - #16 / CHI - EX)
1963 - Two Faces Have I (US - #3 CHI - #1)
1963 - How Many Teardrops (US - #41 CHI - #19)
1966 - Lightning Strikes (US - #1 / CHI - #1)
1966 - Outside The Gates Of Heaven (US - #45 CHI - #17)
1966 - Rhapsody In The Rain (US - #16 / CHI - #14)
1967 - Shake Hands And Walk Away Crying (US - #95 / CHI - #22)
1969 - I'm Gonna Make You Mine (US - #5 CHI - #2)
A Forgotten Hits review ...
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2015/08/lou-christie.html
Lou Christie was a down to earth guy and an amazingly gifted singer/songwriter. He possessed one of the best falsettos in pop music history. As you have said in the past, he would have been perfect for the Happy Together Tour. I hope he was able to finish his autobiography before passing as I can't wait to read it.Tom Cuddy
https://w42st.com/post/lou-christie-obituary/
This past weekend brought us the anniversaries of the deaths
of two great industry giants who dedicated their lives to bringing us the
countdowns of our generation …
June 14th marked three years since the passing of
Joel Whitburn, whose Record Research books cataloged the history of the
Billboard Charts, eventually expanding to including the Cash Box and Record
World charts as well.
And June 15th made it ELEVEN years since we lost
Casey Kasem, host of American Top 40, the syndicated radio program that brought Billboard’s 40 biggest hits into our homes every week. (Another AT40 anniversary is coming up … it
premiered on the 4th of July, 1970 … 55 years ago!)
Both of these men provided milestone after milestone in my
life growing up in the ‘70’s. Today,
their achievements mark the end of an era.
You can still hear Casey’s countdowns on Sirius XM’s ‘70’s
Channel. Meanwhile, Record Research is seeking to liquidate every last piece of existing inventory they have on
hand … there will be no new books … and unfortunately we were not successful in
finding a new home for Joel’s amazing collection of every charted record. I haven’t heard from his daughter Kim in a
while now … and can only presume that this one-of-a-kind collection will be
making its way to auction sometime soon (if it hasn’t already.)
The charts just don’t mean as much today as they did then …
and the audience that appreciated this dedication and devotion has, for all
intents and purposes, “aged out” here in the 2020’s. It’s too bad, really, as amassing a
collection along these lines represented a life’s work. SOMEBODY should have been willing to step
forward and preserve it for the uniqueness it represents. (kk)
Here's a great recap of The Songwriters Hall Of Fame
ceremony, courtesy of Tom Cuddy (and Variety!)
A bittersweet moment as Mike Love accepted his award just
two days after the passing of his famous collaborator, Brian Wilson.
Other names of note:
The Doobie Brothers three principle songwriters, Tom Johnston, Patrick
Simmons and Michael McDonald and George Clinton.
You’ll find the full recap here: https://variety.com/2025/music/concert-reviews/gracie-abrams-garth-brooks-mike-love-songwriters-hall-of-fame-1236430683/
More Brian Wilson kudos …
As expected, the first of three Billboard “Forever Number
One” articles saluting The Beach Boys’ Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart came
out today …
https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-beach-boys-i-get-around-forever-number-one-hot-100-hit-1235999655/
Look for follow-up pieces later this week saluting “Help Me
Rhonda” and “Good Vibrations.” (No
mention is made of “Kokomo,” their smash comeback single from 1988 … but that
may be because Brian Wilson didn’t have a hand in writing that one, nor did he
sing on it. (kk)
Here are The Beach Boys performing live at the PNC Bank Arts
Center this past weekend …
Featuring John Stamos and a Brian Wilson Tribute (at 0:45
into the show)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-5mSQT2i9s
This one from Darian Sahanaja, leader of Brian’s band, who
faithfully reproduced all of Brian’s studio wizardry live on stage
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/brian-wilson-darian-sahanaja-salute-solo-band-beach-boys-1236432399/#utm_campaign=syndication&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=referral
Also from Tom Cuddy …
Brian Wilson’s Friend Remembers
First Night “Pop Genius Turned Up At The Door For A Pizza”
https://deadline.com/2025/06/brian-wilson-david-leaf-tribute-friends-pizza-1236434341/#utm_campaign=syndication&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=referral
Harvey sent us a Brian Wilson pizza story, too https://www.thetimes.com/article/6f1f5d2d-72fa-4ab1-b8b5-b726d157907d?shareToken=8e945c458f4697591f9af0862a88fff6
Video Beat has some great, rare Beach Boys videos available
for sale …
Use the search engine tool at the top of the page
https://www.thevideobeat.com/
Harvey Kubernik sent in several cool Brian Wilson shots, too
…
Above Two Photos - Credit: ©
Capitol Photo Archives
Additional visuals Courtesy of
Gary Pig Gold
%20in%20car%20Venice%20Beach-May%2029,%201986%20copy_2x3_300dpi.jpg)
Brian Wilson Photo By Henry
Diltz, Courtesy of Gary Strobl
Meanwhile, “The Sons Of Beatles” (Here Comes The Sons???) have recorded a new track called “Rip
Off” and a sneak-peek has been circulating on the internet for the past couple of days. (The track is not yet available for streaming.)
James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon contributed vocals to
Zak Starkey’s band Mantra Of The Cosmos' latest recording.
(Dhani Harrison isn’t present, which is kind of a shame, but hey … who
ever thought we’d get THIS close to a “Sons Of Beatles” reunion?!?!)
James and Sean have recorded together before … but it sounds
like this collaboration was instigated by Zak Starkey, who’s been in and out of
The Who a couple of times this past month.
As mentioned, the full recording hasn’t been released yet … and I doubt that
it’ll do “Now And Then” numbers at the sales counter whenever it is … but I think it's still kinda cool
that they’d even consider putting something like this together for the fans to
enjoy! (kk)
Listen here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK6WpHFMVdy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=9d30cf16-c183-41e4-bc58-179d48ac0921
UPDATE:
(because for whatever reason, there always seems to be more to the story when it comes to Zak Starkey!!!)
Even after all this recent Who hub-bub, Zak Starkey still
hasn’t learned the fine art of what to offer up in the way of commentary in
regard to his work with his former cohorts The Who OR this new project that
features Beatle offspring James McCartney and Sean Ono Lennon.
Some prime quotes as proof in point:
For starters, Zak says his "super-group" Mantra Of The Cosmos (which also includes
Happy Mondays stars Shaun Ryder and Bez and former Oasis bassist Andy Bell) do
not sound anything like the Fab Four.
He recently told "The Telegraph" when asked if the track would have a "Fab Four Sound": “No it’s not. It’s like Mantra Of The Cosmos with them in
it. It’s Sean of the Cosmos and James of the Cosmos, it’s still my band. If we had spent three years sleeping on flea
infested mattresses in the back room of a Hamburg club it might have chemistry. But we have been swaddled in silken robes in
houses so big that it’s too far to go and make a piece of toast – seen?”
Zak goes on to tell “The Telegraph” that he isn’t as wealthy
as the other children of the Beatles. The
59-year-old drummer is the eldest of Ringo’s three children with late
hairdresser Maureen Cox and he’s adamant he doesn’t have the same kind of
wealth as the other Beatles offspring, because they inherited money from their
parents while Zak’s mum died penniless in 1994.
(The fact that John and Paul also earned song writing royalties for an
incredible catalog of music evidently had nothing to do with it!)
He told the newspaper: “[The others have] loads of money
because their dads are dead. James’ mum [Linda McCartney] is dead. Left him a
lot of money. [But] my mum died skint
with a whole desk-full of brown envelopes that she never opened because she
spent all her money on her friends.”
Playing it up even further, Zak – who recently lost his gig drumming with The Who –
added of his financial woes: “And now I haven’t got a job.”
Starkey was let go by the band earlier this year before
being welcomed back and then dismissed once again. The way Roger Daltrey painted it, Zak’s
departure was due to disagreements over his performance at a gig at the Royal
Albert Hall in London in April … but Starkey is convinced that it was really
the product of tensions that have plagued the band for years.
Zak claims The Who’s Pete Townshend went along with the
decision to part ways with the drummer for a second time because he didn’t want
to disagree with frontman, Sir Roger Daltrey.
He told “The Telegraph”: “What happened was I got it right
and Roger [Daltrey] got it wrong … I watched the show and I can’t find any
dropped beats. Then Pete had to go along with it because Pete’s had 60 years of
arguing with Roger …
“I don’t blame anyone. I blame The Who because they’re
unpredictable, aggressive and fucking insane.”
He went on to reveal that he’s written to music legend Bob
Dylan to ask if he needs a drummer, but hasn’t heard back from him.
However, according to Starkey, his drumming days with The
Who might not be over for good.
“I spoke to Roger last week and he said: ‘Don’t take your
drums out of [The Who’s] warehouse yet in case we need you’. I said: ‘Best let
me know.'” (Starkey also says he turned
down a chance to tour with Oasis because of the upcoming Who gig which then
fell apart before his very eyes.)
As to why George Harrison’s son Dhani (also a musician) wasn’t
asked to participate in this Mantra Of The Cosmos special recording project,
Zak was a bit vague (and not especially kind) in this regard, too.
When "The Telegraph" reporter suggested that he should have reached out to Dhani Harrison, Starkey said: “No I don’t. Why do I?” (Zak comes across as a really nice guy, right?!?! Somehow I'm just not feeling as sorry for him now as I was a few weeks ago!) kk
From Tom Cuddy …
Chuck Negron (This photo was put
up for Father's Day by Chuck's family on Facebook)
A few weeks ago we told you about a special farewell concert that
REO Speedwagon was putting on in Champaign, Illinois, honoring the legacy of
the group that hailed from there – and how lead singer Kevin Cronin couldn’t
participate because he was already booked on his own solo tour appearing with
Don Felder and Styx. The word was that
the date couldn’t be changed and so the concert would have to go on without
him. (Cronin and REO did not part on the best of terms earlier last year.)
So they recruited original lead singer Terry Luttrell to
handle this special gig … and then after the concert this past Saturday Night, Terry fell asleep at
the wheel when driving back from Champaign and rolled and totaled his car. Reports are saying that it’s a miracle that
he was able to walk away from the accident.
(Talk about rolling with the changes!!!)
Saturday night's reunion show was dubbed "Honoring the
Legacy of REO Speedwagon: A Concert Event – Back Where it All Began." The reunion placed Luttrell back on stage with
original REO keyboardist Neal Doughty and drummer Alan Gratzer, all of whom performed together
on the very first REO album. Also taking
part were '70’s guitarist Steve Scorfina, long-time bassist Bruce Hall and
early-'70s singer Mike Murphy, among others.
Hall explained that "This event was created to provide
the founding fathers, original singers and classic REO lineup a chance to
reunite and say a proper goodbye. It
also provides a chance to honor the memory of late band members Gary Richrath
and Gregg Philbin." It was known in
advance that Kevin Cronin, the group’s longest-running frontman, was performing
that same night with Styx in Bend, Oregon, and would be unable to participate.
As for the accident, “it just happened" according to Luttrell. "I nodded off. I rolled the car over, and I
woke up and I was in a cocoon [of airbags]. Unfortunately, it totaled the
car."
He blamed his lack of sleep on long autograph sessions, both
at the concert after-party and then later at the hotel, where he said there were at least another 40 more fans waiting to see the band. "It was just sign, sign, sign." He estimates that he didn't get to bed until
4:30 AM and was back on the road by 7 AM.
The accident occurred on Interstate 57.
All things considered, Luttrell, he was really quite fortunate, suffering only a cracked sternum from the
deployment of his vehicle's airbag. He spent the next couple of days at a local hospital recuperating. "I was able to get up and get out of the car," he
told the Champaign News-Gazette. "I have a little back pain and neck pain.
It's nothing that can't be overcome." (kk)
Carol Kaye, legendary bassist of The Wrecking Crew (only don’t
call them that in front of her!) will NOT be attending The Rock And Roll induction
ceremony later this year.
Several members of The Wrecking Crew have been previously
inducted, but Kaye has always objected to the tag, stating that they were NEVER
referred to by that name at the time they were chalking up thousands of recordings. (Carol estimates that she appears on close to
10,000 recordings made during the ‘60’s, including hit records credited to The
Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, Nancy Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel and
countless others.) She has always
maintained that The Wrecking Crew name is something that drummer Hal Blaine
came up with later … and she even refused to cooperate with Denny Tedesco’s
Wrecking Crew documentary for this same reason.
In an official statement, she said: "People have been
asking: NO, I won't be there. I am
declining the RRHOF awards show ... turning it down because it wasn't
something that reflects the work that studio musicians do and did in the golden
era of the 1960s recording hits."
When you’re a session musician, "You are always part of
a TEAM, not a solo artist at all. There
were always 350-400 studio musicians (AFM Local 47 Hollywood) working in the
busy 1960s, and called that ONLY. Since the 1930’s, I was never a
'wrecker' at all — that's a terrible insulting name."
Best known as a bassist, Kaye started her career as a
guitarist. She only switched to bass “out
of necessity” to book gigs. "Just
so you know, as a working jazz musician (soloing jazz guitar work) in the 1950’s
working since 1949, I was accidentally asked to record records by producer
Bumps Blackwell in 1957, got into recording good music with Sam Cooke, other
artists and then accidentally played on a Fender Precision Bass in mid-1963 when
someone didn't show up for a session. I
never played bass in my life, but being an experienced recording guitarist, it
was plain to see that three bass players hired to play 'dum-de-dum' on record
dates wasn't getting it. It was easy for me to invent good bass lines. As a
jazz musician, you invent every note you play, and they used a lot of jazz
musicians (and former big-band experienced musicians on all those rock and pop
dates too)."
She went on to explain that she doesn’t believe The Rock And
Roll Hall Of Fame properly acknowledge the group contributions of the myriad
sessions musicians with whom she worked. "I refuse to be part of a process
that is something else rather than what I believe in, for others' benefit and
not reflecting on the truth. We all
enjoyed working with EACH OTHER. Thank you for understanding."
The 90-year-old bassist is being inducted as part of the
Musical Excellence category and will still be honored and acknowledged by The Rock Hall whether he's present at the ceremony November 8th or not. (kk)
Just an FYI …
I am at the Happy Together
concert tonight … and they DID announce that due to health issues Mark Volman
would not be appearing tonight. But the show doesn't start till 7:30 so if you
have not come in early, you would not have heard it.
Shelley
This is what I have been hearing. Instead of making it part of the band introductions
or opening ceremony announcement, you have to be in your seat 30-60 minutes
early in order to hear this announcement … and even then if you can hear it
over the constant hum of the crowd getting ready for the show.
Too bad … as I think these artists (and these fans) deserve
a better acknowledgement than this … but at least they can say they’re letting
the audience know (well after they’ve already purchased their tickets, mind
you!) kk
Sabrina Carpenter’s new single “Manchild” debuted at #1 in
Billboard this week. She is DEFINITELY
on a roll … and I’ve gotta say I like her attitude!
Meanwhile, Mariah Carey’s new song “Type Dangerous”
(featured here last week) also debuted on the chart this week, at #95. Billboard is touting this as Mariah’s 50th
Hot 100 charted single … but Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles book, 1990 – 2022,
shows that she passed that milestone a few years ago … and that’s not even
counting the multiple appearances of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
If it reaches #1, it’ll be her 20th record to do
so, tying The Beatles for most Hot 100 #1 Records. (She’s been chasing that dream since
2008!) Again, this total does not
include the multiple times here Christmas single has topped the chart (which
now stands at SIX, I believe.) kk
Kent,
Hope you had a Happy Father's Day.
It's been several years since I've
heard Paul Petersen's MY DAD on the radio. So, what else is new? How about
COLOR HIM FATHER by the Winstons?
My daughter got for me for Father's
Day the three books (volumes) edited by Carl Mann called RADIO MUSIC SURVEYS
1955-1960, 1960-1965, and 1965-1970. A very good read and must have for your
readers who are really into weekly radio surveys of stations across the
country. Sort of reminded me of the newspaper DISCoveries where, in their issue
dated July, 1991, they featured radio station surveys through their pages. I
remember when Carl Mann was working at KOMA here in the city, I would call him
up about every time he was on the air and discuss very, very briefly a record
or two. Made requests as well. He won't remember me since he had a lot of
listeners who did the same thing. Have a good week.
Larry
Hearing good things about Carl’s books … we’ve run promos
for these several times now.
I only heard “Color Him Father” on Father’s Day … it came on as we were pulling out of the restaurant parking lot after going out
for breakfast Sunday Morning. Funny, ‘cause that’s not
a song you heard a lot here in Chicago when it was out, although it does look
like it made The Top Ten on both of our local surveys in 1969.
“My Dad” is always a good one (see Frank B’s note below)
And I seem to remember that we did a Father’s Day Sweet 16 a few years ago, too …
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2022/06/daddy-issues.html
KENT ...
Wild Wayne did an interview with Paul
Petersen for Father’s Day
Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Originally Wrote "MY DAD" In The Past Tense.
That Wouldn't Work On The Donna
Reed Show So They Changed It.
Paul Said He Wasn't Able To Hit
Some Notes In "MY DAD."
At The Recording Session, He Was
Able To Hit Notes Half An Octave Higher Than Ever Before.
Brian Wilson Songs Wayne Played =
Surf + Cars + Girls
"SURFIN'” (Beach Boys First
Recording)
"SHUT DOWN" / "SURFER
GIRL" / "I GET AROUND" / "GOOD VIBRATIONS" / "GOD
ONLY KNOWS" ( My Favorite )
He Closed The Show With "THE
WARMTH OF THE SUN."
R I P BRIAN WILSON.
FRANK B.
We’ve got a link for that one, too! (lol)
kk
https://fhstoriesbehindthesongs.blogspot.com/
From Tom Cuddy …
CBS News: Harry Chapin:
Songwriter, activist and father
https://youtu.be/Bt6RTWbpeuM?si=9AqZfDSrzwEvqv0u
Cherry Red / Esoteric Records is releasing a special, deluxe
edition set of Jack Bruce’s second solo album, “Harmony Row,” as a 2-CD / 2-BluRay
box set at the end of this month (June 27th)
The original master tapes have been newly remastered and
mixed and the special box set will also include an additional 34 bonus tracks
drawn from Stephen W. Tayler’s new 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Mixes of the
album, a Blue-Ray video featuring Jack Bruce’s 1971 concert for the Granada TV
Show “Out Front” as well as the 1972 German TV documentary “Swing In.” It also comes with an illustrated book an
essay by Sid Smith.
The album was first released in July of 1971 and followed Bruce’s
successful and influential first solo album, “Songs for a Tailor.” Per the press release:
Once again, Jack’s intention was to make a record distinctly
diverse from the music he had recorded with Cream, and ‘Harmony Row’ expanded
even further on the musical palate he explored on ‘Songs for a Tailor’
featuring compositions which drew stylistically on jazz, folk, classical, rock
and Eastern musical influences.
Joining the recording sessions at London’s Command Studios were
guitarist Chris Spedding and drummer John Marshall, with Jack singing and
playing piano, organ, bass guitar and cello. ‘Harmony Row’ was highly acclaimed
upon its release and is now rightly regarded as a masterpiece and one of Jack’s
seminal works.
This box set edition of this special album features the original
1971 album mix (newly remastered from the original master tapes), along with
wonderful new stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes of the album by Stephen W
Tayler (from the original 16-track master tapes) and previously unreleased
session out-takes and demos. The set also includes a marvellous performance in
1971 by Jack and a band featuring Graham Bond (organ, vocals), Chris Spedding
& John Marshall for the Granada TV show Out Front and a documentary on Jack
made for the German TV series Swing In, first broadcast in 1972. It also
features an illustrated book with a new essay by Sid Smith and is the
definitive version of this classic album.
Many years ago when I had a mail-order record business I was
invited to a special “launch party” by the record distributor for a new artist
who was releasing his first album (and playing at one of the downtown clubs here in Chicago.)
While I had never heard of the guy (or any of his music), I
wanted to go because (A) I had never been invited to an event like this before
and (B) because a good friend of mine HAD heard the new music and thought the
guy was great.
The artist turned out to be Marshall Crenshaw who, despite a
very loyal cult following, really only had legitimate Top 40 Hit (“Someday Someway,”
#23, 1982.)
He had also portrayed John Lennon in the stage show “Beatlemania”
and Buddy Holly in the movie “La Bamba” … so the feeling was that this guy was
really going places.
I ended up buying two or three of his albums and can rattle
off at least half a dozen favorites, but overall he never seemed to really
catch on with the masses.
Incredibly, that was 40+ years ago already. Crenshaw recently regained the rights to his
first two album releases … and now has captured the rights to some of his
special EP’s as well, which he’s re-releasing on CD in August. (kk)
More details here: https://theseconddisc.com/2025/06/18/marshall-crenshaw-from-the-hellhole-remixed-ep-tracks/
Some new photos to share from Jim Roup …
Hey everybody, Boy George just had a birthday 🎆 🎇🎂!!!!. Seen here
doing an in store gig at Tower Records in Hollywood, California.
Happy Birthday 🎈 🎂! greetings to Carol Kane, who you don't see much anymore on TV or movies.
This is basically true ... but, ironically, we just saw her in an episode of "Poker Face" a week or two ago! (kk)
Remembering Harry Nilsson on his Birthday!🎇🎂🎉🎊 June 15th. He was
in the company of Dr. Timothy Leary this night at Nicky Blair's on the Sunset
Strip.
Harry and Tim were asking me where the hip places around town were
that night. I have a funny story of having drinks with Harry one afternoon in
Studio City.
Jim Roup
.jpg)
%20in%20car%20Venice%20Beach-May%2029,%201986%20copy_2x3_300dpi.jpg)
