60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
1/19/66 – NBC runs a 30 minute special, hosted by country music phenomenon (who is also doing quite a nice job of crossing over to the pop charts!), Roger Miller. The ratings are good ... and Miller proves to be such a likeable host ... that soon he is hosting his own weekly television series for the network.
Man, my mom LOVED Roger Miller … and as most kids did back then … when there were only three channels and one TV set … WE watched what SHE watched … and I grew to love him, too. (Of course, she was already playing all of his albums around the house anyway … so it was pretty hard to escape!)
My favorite part of the show was at the end when Roger would ask the audience for a subject and then make up a song on the spot … sort of a Whose Line Is It Anyway DECADES before its time!
A little bit of Roger Miller humor …
Also on 1/19, Columbia Records releases “Homeward Bound” as the next Simon and Garfunkel single. (While I never really cared for “The Sounds Of Silence,” this one blew me away … and all of a sudden I was paying attention to this hot new duo, too.)
