The first U.S. date of the Randy Bachman / Burton Cummings Guess Who Reunion Tour has been announced …
The guys will be performing March 1st at The Hard Rock Café in Hollywood, Florida. More dates are expected to be announced soon.
Meanwhile, Tom Cuddy sent us this GREAT interview with Randy and Burton …
The Guess Who on getting their name back: 'Finally it’s over'
https://youtu.be/FZn99f9WeTo?si=ji5amVdYtHVnLL69
Great news about Billy Joel! Thanks for sharing. Hoping I might get to see him one more time.
Jeff
Great piece on Ron Dante. My father worked for Decca Records and I well remember hearing "Tracy" the week before it came out. Been a fan ever since - exemplary work!
D
Thanks, David. For being twenty years old, I think this piece holds up very well … everything you could possibly want to know about the great Ron Dante! (kk)
Hi, Kent ...
Regarding Jeff Barry, whom you have mentions of during your various interviews with Ron Dante, I recently posted a great interview with Jeff on my youtube channel, which was recorded decades ago. You will probably find it interesting.
Timmy
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqzrFHIbeqE
Kent,
Enjoyed the feature today on Ron Dante. I think sometimes through the years one forgets that he (they) had other records besides SUGAR, SUGAR like BANG SHANG A LANG, WHO'S YOUR BABY, etc.
I am glad you asked the question WHO'S THAT BANGIN' ON THE PIANO? Would you believe the answer he gave, Lee Pockriss, reminded me of a record!
For the week of March 12, 1959, here in OKC, the novelty record THE CHICK peaked at #8. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. Done on Columbia records with a flip being VALENTINA, MY VALENTINA.
Have a Happy New Year.
Larry
“The Chick” was a minor hit for Lee and Paul (Pockriss and Vance) that spent one week at #100 in Billboard. It bubbled under in Music Vendor but climbed to #8 during a three week run in Cash Box. This song didn’t chart here in Chicago so I wasn’t familiar with it. Just listened … God, it’s awful!!! (lol) kk
More new Beatles-related collections are on their way!
While the vaults appear to be pretty well mined for the “Anthology” series, there are still some new releases on the horizon to whet the appetite of all serious Beatles fans and collectors.
First up is this new three-volume series titled “George Martin: The Scores.”
(The project was announced last weekend as a means to celebrate what would have been George Martin’s 100th birthday on January 3rd.)
The three volumes of books span more than 40 years of Martin’s studio work and will feature life-size reproductions of music he orchestrated and annotated in studio sessions with The Beatles and others. (They come from George’s own personal archives and have been offered with his full cooperation … the project having started before his passing in 2016.) Material is expected to include manuscripts and notations to The Beatles’ “Yesterday,” “A Day In The Life,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Here Comes the Sun,” along with additional material from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the “White Album” and “Abbey Road” as well as the orchestration Martin did for Paul McCartney’s James Bond theme tune “Live and Let Die.”
Volume One begins in 1965 when Martin, after years as a staff producer for EMI, formed his own Associated Independent Recording (AIR) – and ends with the recording of Pepper. Volume Two kicks off in September, 1967, and ends during the recording of “The Beatles,” (The White Album). The Third Volume begins with “Abbey Road” and continues thru 2006. Paul McCartney, who continued to frequently collaborate with Martin after The Beatles’ 1970 breakup, has penned a new foreword to the set. New commentary on the works, described as “accessible even to individuals who do not read music,” are printed throughout; even more exciting for fans, several arrangements have been exclusively re-recorded for this set at Studio Two in Abbey Road, and presented in multitrack form for an in-depth listening experience.
“George Martin: The Scores,” printed by Curvebender Publishing, will be available in three formats: a standard edition, offering the three volumes in a slipcase and the re-recording multitracks on a USB drive; a deluxe edition, offering the volumes and USB drive in a clamshell box with additional collectibles, including a standalone replica of one of the scores, a conductor’s baton, and a CD/Blu-ray offering the final mixes of the re-recordings and behind-the-scenes footage of their completion; and finally, a “signature edition” which adds to the deluxe edition a page signed by Martin before his passing.
You can pre-order the various versions of George Martin: The Scores at Curvebender’s official site. The publisher has also announced plans for a 20th anniversary expansion of Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew’s book “Recording The Beatles,” their 2006 deep dive into the technical side of the group’s recording sessions, covering equipment, technique and personnel alongside illustrations and unseen photos from the sessions.
Meanwhile, George’s son Miles Martin, who has been restoring Beatles tracks for all of the recent deluxe reissues issued over the past decade or so, recently commented as to what may or may not be left in the vaults in the way of unheard, unreleased Beatles music.
While he acknowledges that a substantial body of music recorded during the Get Back sessions remains unreleased, Martin says that “the catalogue of fully realized, unheard Beatles songs is effectively complete,” even though dedicated fans and collectors continue to debate what still exists, unheard outside the documentaries themselves.
Personally, I think what we’d MOST like to hear are some of the oldies / rock and roll covers they warmed up with like “Rip It Up” / “Shake, Rattle, & Roll,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Kansas City” / “Miss Ann” / “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” "You've Really Got A Hold On Me," "The Walk," "Ain't She Sweet" and “Save The Last Dance For Me,” all of which were featured in little snippets captured in the released films “Let It Be” and “Get Back.” These tracks made such an impression on The Beatles as young musicians when they featured them all as part of their stage act while performing in Hamburg and at The Cavern club. They even played a few of their OWN oldies while warming up for that day's session. The original concept of the “Get Back” album was to capture The Beatles as they were, raw and without embellishment, in the recording studio getting ready to prepare their next album release. Instead, fans have been denied access to these tracks for the past 55 years in the way of any formal release. (Most of us diehard fans had hoped that more of the studio sessions recorded for the “Get Back” / “Let It Be” film project would finally be released when the anniversary “Let It Be” box set was issued … but instead we got four or five alternate recordings of the same songs already available.) A TON of unreleased studio jams and rehearsals still exist that have never been shared with the fans … and this just doesn’t seem right. (Even the original film “Let It Be” DVD remains unavailable, despite its recent showing on Disney+ last year.)
May I suggest then the "Get Back Sessions" box, FINALLY featuring all of the '50's rock and roll, warm-up jam sessions the band did, much of which was captured on film between the two documentaries but none of which has ever officially been released. How about Paul literally writing "Get Back" while he was waiting for the others to show up to rehearse? The "Elvis" vocal version of "Two Of Us," proving just how much fun Paul and John were still having in 1969 despite the legal battles that were soon to emerge. Ringo and George working out the chord sequence to "Octopus' Garden" with John Lennon hopping on drums at the end. And how about all of the early rehearsals for songs that would eventually turn up on each of their early solo albums ... things like George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and “Isn’t It A Pity,” both of which were passed over by The Fab Four in 1969 before becoming cornerstone tracks of his 1970 solo debut. John Lennon rehearsed “Gimme Some Truth” and “Child Of Nature,” a song that would eventually be rewritten as “Jealous Guy.” Paul McCartney introduced “Another Day,” “Teddy Boy,” “Junk” and “The Back Seat Of My Car." Even early rehearsals of material that wound up on "Abbey Road" would be nice to feature. (If a couple of these overlapped with the "Abbey Road" box, who cares ... it's not like they didn't double down on a couple of box set reissues in order to complete the "Anthology 4" CD!)
Giles Martin may maintain that “no finished Beatles songs remain undiscovered,” but these are tracks that we all KNOW exist that could easily fill a new box set, cleaned up and enhanced with the same new recording technology that made the two films shown on Disney+ such a pleasure to watch.
Let's not forget that as recently as a couple of weeks ago we shared early unissued recordings of The Beatles doing “Misery” and “Love Of The Loved” from 1963. (Rumor has it that they had been looking for this early take of "Misery" but didn't find it in time to include on the "Anthology 4" CD.) Most of us didn’t even know these tracks existed until recently.
And there's more ...
Also springing from the “Get Back” sessions, fans are waiting for recordings of early Lennon - McCartney compositions like “Too Bad About Sorrows,” "Watching Rainbows," "You Know What To Do" and “Just Fun” to finally emerge. Other incomplete ideas include “Because I Know You Love Me So,” “Thinking Of Linking” and “Commonwealth,” a Lennon - McCartney jam recorded during the “Get Back” warm-up sessions which reflect the social tensions of the time. (On the other hand, Paul's "Pakistani" lyrics to "Get Back" may not be politically correct to release at this time.) Some of these tracks have been bootlegged for decades now … but still have never had a formal, “official” release by Apple.
Other titles from the Get Back sessions include “Madman” (also known as “Madman A-Comin’”), a Lennon track rumored to be somewhat thematically related to “Mean Mr. Mustard” … and “Everybody’s Got Soul,” a Lennon-led improvisation. Also somewhere in the can is Paul McCartney’s piano-driven instrumental “The Palace Of The King Of The Birds.”
Miles says that “the archival mission is nearing its natural conclusion.” His role, he has said, “is not to endlessly excavate, but to present what exists with clarity and respect.” (He also singles out "Helter Skelter," stating that the 27 minute version isn't forthcoming as the takes released up to this point accurately show the various directions this song took along the way to its final version.) Fans still want to hear "Carnival Of Light," however, which Paul now says in hindsight is likely "very overrated." (Recorded at the time of "Sgt. Pepper," he said it was his attempt at being avant-garde ... to which George replied, "More like avant-garbage." lol!)
Martin is next focusing on the four upcoming Beatles films, each centered on an individual band member, showing the group’s history from the four different perspectives. (A Rolling Stones documentary from a few years ago did an EXCELLENT job of doing this, one each for Mick, Keith, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts.) Miles is currently collaborating with director Sam Mendes on the four upcoming films.
Fans have also not-so-patiently been waiting for the anniversary “Rubber Soul” box set … a natural to fit with the previously released “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper,” White Album and “Let It Be” collections. However, this project doesn’t even seem to be on Miles Martin’s agenda at this time, already long overdue based on its 50th, 55th and 60th anniversaries. We can hope that some of these sessions tracks will finally be released … but based on Martin’s comments, he seems to feel that the well of completed, unheard songs has finally run dry. (kk)
Here’s A Story From The Wild Wayne Files …
Years Ago, JoAnn Campbell Sent Wild Wayne A Christmas Card.
Included Was A Request For "LOST IN THE 50's TONIGHT," Written By Mike Reid & Troy Seals.
It Turns Out That JoAnn Was Married To Troy Seals.
This Song Was The #1 Country Song Of The Year In 1985 And Also Won A Grammy.
Turns Out That Troy Is A Famous Country Music Songwriter … In The Country Music Hall Of Fame.
I Don't Know Troy --- I Do Know JoAnn. We Used To Call Her "THE BLONDE BOMB SHELL" …
"WAIT A MINUTE" + "THE GIRL FROM WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN" + "HAPPY NEW YEAR, BABY" Are Just Some Of Her Recordings.
If I'm Not Mistaken, She Almost Married Bobby Darin .
Cousin Brucie Interviewed Petula Clark About Her Auto-Biography, "IS THAT YOU, PETULA" -- John Lennon Quote.
Name On Birth Certificate = Sally. Her Father Made Up The Name Petula.
Her Husband Died Last Year. They Talked All About Her Book.
Only One Problem -- Book Is Not Available In The US And She Doesn't Know When It Will Be!
One Interesting Story ...
She Did A Concert In Canada.
Her Idea Was To Sing Some Songs In French And Some Songs In English.
Sounds Like A Good Idea, Right?
WRONG!
When She Sang In French, The English Speaking People Didn't Like It.
When She Sang In English, The French Speaking people Didn't Like It.
Sunday Night Wild Wayne Plays His 50th Anniversary Flashback Interview Ellie Greenwich.
And This Week, Cousin Brucie Talkd To Mitch Ryder, Who Told Him That He Originally Planned To Be An Animator For Disney.
His Mother Bought Him A Transistor Radio.
He Heard Little Richard Sing & Changed Career Plans.
Ryder Will Be Touring Europe In February & Recording A New Album.
Mitch Said That He Recorded More Albums In Europe Than In The USA.
His First Recording Was 1961 ... He Was A Sophomore In High School.
After The European Tour, Mitch Will Be Back Home For The "MY GENERATION TOUR" With Gary Lewis, The Lovin' Spoonful & Others.
FRANK B.
When we first announced Petula’s autobiography, we explained how confusing it was that you couldn’t actually order a copy here in The States at this time … yet other advertisements said that you could. (You can’t.) Not sure why they wouldn’t want to release it here … Petula was popular all over the world … and had fifteen American Top 40 Hits during The British Invasion. (kk)
And, speaking of interviews, watch for this one …
UNCUT, FEBRUARY, 2026 – The Monkees’ 60th anniversary story; MICKY DOLENZ interviewed by Peter Shepherd Watts
Happy belated birthday 🥳🎂 to musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer Van Dyke Parks on January 3rd! He’s seen here with John Sebastian at McCabe’s Guitar Shop.
Jim Roup
I love it when all this stuff just randomly comes together!!!
I no sooner received Jim Roup's photo when Harvey Kubernik wrote in to tell me about a brand new book coming out in February spotlighting McCabe’s Guitar Shop! What are the odds???
A decade after Gerald McCabe opened up a guitar repair shop in Santa Monica, California, legendary folk musicians Elizabeth Cotten and Mike Seeger came looking for a way to earn money to get back home. Their inaugural performance kick-started a concert series that has featured some of the world’s finest musicians — including Doc Watson, Jackson Browne, Bill Monroe and Linda Ronstadt — in one of the most intimate performance spaces on the West Coast. Enjoy behind the scenes stories from Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal, Janis Ian , Richard Thompson, John Hiatt, Harvey Kubernik, Arlo Guthrie and many more. Author Peter Lesser shares the unique history of the venue and the performers who played live at McCabe’s Guitar Shop.
HK
Speaking of books ...
>>>I’m sure Gary Myers’ book on the Wisconsin scene, “Do You Hear The Beat,” would shed even more light on The Legends. Maybe we’ll hear from him after we post this. He’s been a long-time Forgotten Hits reader and contributor. (kk)
Hi Kent –
I found a message from September about the passing of Gary Myers. Some oldies buddies of mine were remembering him. I thought I would let you know.
Phil Nee
Happy New Year, Kent.
I’m sad to report that Gary Myers passed away in September. As you know, he was truly a great guy. In addition to his books on Wisconsin rock and roll, he was a member of the Portraits in the ‘60s, and he was gracious enough to let me transfer his reels to create a Portraits CD. He was always willing to answer any questions, and his research on local rock and roll roots invaluable.
I presume others might also note this field you, but I wanted to ensure that you were aware.
Cheers,
Mike Dugo
Sorry to hear this sad news. It has been several years since I’ve heard from Gary but he was certainly one of the most-informed on the local Wisconsin rock music scene. I could have sworn he sent me a copy of his book YEARS ago … but if he did, I sure can’t find it. (kk)
Bob Weir, founding member of The Grateful Dead, has passed away ...
Gotta say I hadn't even suspected this was in the cards.
>>>A brand new television station launches in Chicago. (January 4, 1966) It's WFLD, Channel 32, and requires a special UHF antenna. That station still exists today and is Chicago's Fox Network." (kk)
Sometime shortly after its mid-1960s launch, legendary WLS On-Air Radio Personality Art Roberts once hosted a weekly TV show on that station, “The Swinging Majority.” Its format actually escapes me now! But in my fading memories, I do remember filling in for him as host ( once ) in the later 1960s for one reason or another.
In those days of Kinescopes, I’m not sure there’s a copy of his TV Show hosting available anywhere, tho! (During that time, the powers that be did not anticipate any future market for TV reruns, home video sales, digital streaming or Forgotten Hits Postings even with early national television broadcasts like Johnny Carson and the Tonight Show!)
CB
I’m not finding ANY existing video from “The Swinging Majority,” even checking the Chicago Museum of Broadcasting, where they have nearly 100,000 hours of broadcasting available to view at their facility. (We should stop there on your next trip to Chicago … their catalog is quite overwhelming.) However, most of it seems to be more toward local broadcasts like “Bozo’s Circus,” “The Ray Rayner Show,” “Garfield Goose,” “Family Classics” and such. (We did find The New Colony Six’s appearance on “Kiddie A-Go-Go” there several years ago, however!) You may also remember “Kup’s Show” from when you were here broadcasting on The Big 89 back in the day. (kk)
If you happened to listen to Rewound Radio's "Dee Jay Hall Of Fame" yesterday, spotlighting Super Jock Larry Lujack, you heard Allan Sniffen announce the two-week salute coming up March 7th and March 14th to WCFL / Super 'CFL ... timing nicely to WCFL's last Top 40 broadcast before switching over to the Beautiful Music format. This series of upcoming clips will also include Lujack's final sign-off at the station as a Top 40 jock. (He actually stayed on for a bit due to contract obligations before returning to WLS for another great run beginning in 1976.) This sounds like "Must Listen" radio to me ... and a tip of the hat to Rewound Radio for recognizing and promoting just how great Top 40 Radio was here in the '60's and '70's with two powerhouse 50,000 watt stations battling it out for listeners. Look for the annual WLS / WCFL Rewound Labor Day Weekend again as well! (kk)
From Timmy … remembering “Happening ’68!”
This revised Happy Together Tour logo is starting to pop up.
What happened to The Fortunes?
Any hunch on what’s going on???
Tom Cuddy
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I’m doing some digging but so far everything I’ve found still shows The Fortunes as part of the tour. (We were told earlier that they’d be performing on their own as a complete band rather than using the back-up band that’s covering everybody else in the lineup. This would require some kind of a set change-over so likely The Fortunes would be opening the second half of the show.) With eight acts this year: Ron Dante, The Cowsills, The Vogues, The Association, The Fortunes, The Troggs, Gary Puckett and Jason Scheff, this promises to be a longer, more encompassing show. We also heard that each act would be performing a Turtles song as part of their set, all coming together after Ron Dante closes his set to sing “Happy Together.” If I learn anything new, I’ll surely report it here. (kk)
UPDATE: I can't believe they redid the poster because of this ...
Because EVERYTHING I've found shows The Fortunes as part of the show -
But, per a reliable source, I can tell you that The Fortunes will be joining the tour around a week in - they had other dates already booked - and (as I mentioned before) they will be backing themselves up as a complete band unit, so they will not be using the back-up musicians that the rest of the acts will be using, thus figuring that they will open the second half of the show so they can do a set change-over.
As to each act performing a Turtles song, this has not been confirmed. Ron Dante will be performing several Turtles songs as part of his set, accompanied by their band leader, Godfrey Townsend, much as they did last year when Mark Volman had to bow out. (Because he passed away, this leaves NO actual Turtles in the act anymore.)
That’s the latest and the greatest. Can’t wait to see the whole show! (kk)
JEOPARDY –
CATEGORY: #1 Hit Songs Of The 90's.
I Am Happy To Report That I Could Not Answer One Question Correctly.
FRANK B.
Wild radio station promotions and wacky dj stunts were all the rage back in the early days of rock and roll … so Timmy’s piece on Stay Awake-A-Thons seemed like perfect fodder for those of us who grew up listening to the radio under our pillow when we were supposed to be sleeping back in the day.
If you’ve got some special memories of this time … whether it be as a radio station promoter, a disc jockey or a listener enjoying it all … please share your stories with our readers and we’ll write a follow-up piece. Just drop me a line at kk@forgottenhits.com … we’d love to hear from you! (kk)
Like this, from Chuck Buell ...
>>>In San Bernardino, we put a sleeping pill in the coffee of the jock across town who was doing a marathon in a store window! (Don Elliot)
I've also heard stories about putting laxatives in cookies "delivered from a listener" during those events.
Today, I would think those actions might result in the filing of criminal charges!
As for me, besides a half dozen times remaining awake for a little over 24 hours straight being a main co-host for the March of Dimes and Easter Seals TV marathons, there were a couple of instances, I did stay awake for an entire Program Director's Jock Meeting.
CB ( which stands for "Catnap Boy!" )
