Chicago radio legend Bob Stroud officially retired (again) last week on WDRV … this time he says it’s for good. (Stroud DID step down from his mid-day show several years ago … but continued to prerecord daily features like Ten at 10 and One 45 at 1:45 and his weekly Rock And Roll Roots radio program.)
Tuesday, June 30th, he played what he said would be his final Ten at 10 feature … this time featuring 10 Great Songs … From 25 Years … the length of time he’s been with the station. (Stroud’s local legacy dates back considerably further than this, however … he’d already been an FM fixture on a variety of local FM rockers long before helping to launch The Drive back in 2001.)
According to Sean Ross’ column “Ross On Radio,” Bob’s final ten were:
Aliotta Hayes & Jeremiah, “Lake Shore Drive (L.S.D.)” — CS&N’ish local anthem that became a staple of local rock radio, but unknown in most other markets.
David Bowie, “D.J.”
Elton John, “Friends”
Cryan’ Shames, “Sugar and Spice” — top 5 Chicago hit from 1966; Stroud became the band’s lead singer in the early 2000s; they opened for Joe Cocker at the Drive’s first-anniversary show, providing a segue to …
Jim Steinman, “Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through”
Bruce Springsteen, “Glory Days” — Stroud sang the national anthem for the White Sox in their 2005 championship year.
Beatles, “In My Life”
Raspberries, “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” — often a radio/industry person’s favorite Raspberries song.
Blues Brothers, “Sweet Home Chicago”
Jimmy Buffett, “Lovely Cruise” — lesser-known song from Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude; Buffett was a core artist at Stroud’s first station, WQSR (Quad 102.5) Sarasota, Fla., now Tampa’s WHPT; Stroud’s WQSR mentor Steve Huntington later became PD of Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville; he died in early June. (He also thanked WDRV manager Keith Lawless and programmer Keith Hastings.)
Bob has been a long-time friend of Forgotten Hits … and we have been enjoying his radio programs for over forty five years. (In fact, his endorsement of OUR work has adorned the Forgotten Hits Home Page for decades now:
Thanks for all you do. I continue to read each and every Forgotten
Hits, start to finish, faithfully!
Bob Stroud
Rock And Roll Roots
WDRV-FM / Chicago
We followed him from WMET to The Loop (WLUP), WCKG, 94.7, WXRT and finally to The Drive (WDRV), where we set an alarm to listen to him launch the station back in 2001. We went to all of his “Rock And Roll Roots” release parties and even saw him singing live with The Cryan’ Shames more than a handful of times. You can definitely count me amongst your truest fans.
Best of luck to you, Bob … ENJOY!!! (kk)
Hey all,
Bob Stroud, 50 years a legend in Chicago Radio, is retiring and the below article shows his final top 10 at 10 list. (He played these every morning thru his years at WDRV.)
I am so proud to have known this man and call him a friend for 20 of the 50 years he's been on Chicago radio. It's no wonder he is in the radio Hall of Fame and has a Marconi, too, I believe.
Here's the story today: https://radioinsight.com/blogs/361537/when-djs-actually-are-what-p-play/
Bob not only played the songs of the local bands on the Drive, but he SANG them live often with the bands, at one time being the Cryan Shames' lead singer for a few years in the early 2000s. Below is a clip of him at a Borders Books Roots FINAL Volume 12 unveiling party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA3b7F1R39U
Here, he sings with the Ides of March's Jim Peterik and the Buckinghams' Carl Giammarese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tsIaS366k8
and here with the New Colony 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYXEFc74c7Y
Bob is what Chicago classic radio has thrived on since the 1960s Souvenir Weekends on WLS to today. I was so lucky to have been allowed to help with his last six or so "Rock N Roll Roots" CD sets, of which there were 12 in all. These 12 volumes gathered over 100 of Chicago's legendary 45s and songs dealing with the city from the great music history of the 60s and 70s. Many are STILL not on CD elsewhere!
This adventure not only was a ton of effort by Bob and his staff (as well as funded much by Borders Books) with the profits going to local charity organizations! Bob had to get labels to donate their licensing for each track, which was sometimes impossible to achieve and many WERE eventually accomplished due to Bob's dogged resilience to get THAT track he wanted. Sometimes, he did not even know HOW to get a track he wanted. Add to that the fact that fan voting for songs they wished to find on a Roots CD entered in as well. It was a magical event each time that culminated in CD release parties each volume at Borders with locals featured on THAT volume singing live at the events. Just one more amazing job Bob did besides being a great DJ.
That all said, IF you are still reading, Volume 12 ended the series in 2010. Very few likely have them all, but I still do. When Bob was thinking of retiring in 2020, I put together a video on my own youtube channel showing EVERY 45 he got on those 12 volumes PLUS what could have been Volume 13! I went back thru our emails over the CD years and found the songs he had TRIED to get but was never able to license and made my own Volume 13 (at end of video) and sent it off to Bob. He enjoyed it. I will share it with you now. If nothing else, it shows the work that went into licensing this huge stack of 45s using no money to get them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7La9qpy4HbI
I hope he can read this still and if you have any wishes or memories to send Bob, you can send to me and I'll try to pass them along.
Clark Besch
I just read about this earlier today ... I can't believe I didn't know ahead of time and missed his last show ... I feel really bad about that but honestly I haven't listened to The Drive in ages ... they’re playing far too much "non-classic-rock" from the '80's and beyond for my tastes. Definitely would have tuned in had I known 'tho ...
I still remember setting my alarm so I could be there the instant The Drive first signed on the air back in 2001 ... it was always one of my go-to stations in the car (back when I used to drive back and forth to work!) Weird ... now that I'm home all day, I probably listen to less music than ever ... absolutely thought the opposite would be the case! Guess those 45 minute commutes to and from work each day really helped to pass the time musically … I was able to devote my uninterrupted attention!
Bob’s a great guy and we wish him well. (kk)
More on Chicago Radio below …
Kent,
Regarding your July 1st, 1966, WLS survey, at number 16 is "Race With the Wind." Now there's a song you don't hear every day. Talk about a forgotten hit. I tried to get a copy of that for years. Now, of course, with the internet, you can hear it any time you want.
Have you ever done a piece on the Robbs?
Dave
Hoffman Estates
Actually, we’ve done several … but here’s one that kind of recaps the majority of them … https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2010/05/wrapping-things-up-in-wisconsin-with.html
The Robbs were known as “The Kings Of ‘Bubbling Under’” … SIX times they failed to crack The Hot 100 on Billboard’s Pop Singles Chart … but recorded some VERY commercial music during this time. They were on the covers of all the teeny-bopper magazines at the time, thanks to being regularly featured on Dick Clark’s “Where The Action Is” after school music program.
“Race With The Wind” (#103, 1966) was probably their best known track (although “Bittersweet” made it to #1 in Texas the following year … yet MISSED Billboard’s list, peaking instead at #117 in Cash Box), “Rapid Transit” (#123, 1967), “Movin’” (#131, 1969), “Last Of The Wine” (#114, 1970) and “I’ll Never Get Enough” (#106, 1970) and then, under the name Cherokee (which was also the name of the recording studio they started out in California), “Girl, I’ve Got News For You” (#116, 1971). Kk
Wow! You Wouldn’t Listen at number 9!!
We were in amazing company. Those were the days, my friend.
Thanks, Kent, for sending.
Jim and The Ides Of March
Rock on!!
Jimbo
Noise 11 is reporting that Deep Purple has just released their 24th studio album … and have no plans on retiring.
The current line-up consists of Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover on bass, Ian Paice on drums, Don Airey on keyboards and Simon McBride on guitar. Gillan and Glover first joined Deep Purple back in 1969 and although both have left the band on multiple occasions. Ian Paice was an original founding member of the band in 1968, left in 1976 and then returned with Gillan and Glover to reform the band in 1984. (Gillan left again in 1989 but has been back since 1992.) In 2002, keyboardist Don Airey joined the fold and “newbie” Simon McBride came onboard in 2022.
(You practically need a scorecard to keep track … check out this history!):
Ian Gillan: 1969–1973, 1984–1989, 1992–present
Roger Glover: 1969–1973, 1984–present
Ian Pace: 1968–1976, 1984–present
Don Airey: 2002–present
Simon McBride: 2022-present
The new LP is called “Splat!” and features country artist / yacht rocker Keith Urban on guitar on one of its tracks, “Diablo.” (The entire LP was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee … their fourth to be recorded there at The Tracking Room, and Urban, who owns the recording facility, just happened to be there one night when the band was recording.)
Deep Purple first caught America’s attention when they released heavy metal versions of “Hush” and “Kentucky Woman” here in 1968, unexpected interpretations of previous hits by the likes of Billy Joe Royal and Neil Diamond! They then seemed to disappear from the charts for about five years until they came back with their all-time biggest hit, “Smoke On The Water,” in 1973. (kk)
UPDATE: For many years now, Yacht Rocker Christopher Cross has told the story about how he sat in for famed Deep Purple Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore at a show in San Antonio, Texas, in 1970, when Blackmore found himself too ill to perform. It sounds like one of the greatest mismatches in rock and roll history … but by 1970 Cross was already establishing himself as a guitar player of great renown in the Texas area … and the promoter thought that by asking Cross to step in, it would prevent him from having to cancel the show. Cross said he has run into Blackmore several times over the years since and that Ritchie has told him that he was the only musician to ever substitute for him while he was a member of Deep Purple.
Now, some fifty-something years later, with a brand new album to promote, Deep Purple Bassist Roger Glover says he has absolutely no recollection of this event taking place … but admits it COULD have, assuming Christopher’s memory is better than his own. (An event of this magnitude would certainly loom larger in Cross’ memory than it would in the mind of the group’s bassist.)
It all makes for some pretty interesting reading in Noise 11 …
https://www.noise11.com/news/deep-purple-christopher-cross-san-antonio-concert-mystery-20260703 (kk)
September 24th - State Theater, Easton PA
September 25th - Bethel Woods, Bethel, NY
September 27th - PNC Garden Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
September 28th - Anthem, Washington DC
September 30th - MGM at Fenway, Boston, MA
October 1st - Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, NY
October 3rd - Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, ME
October 4th - Toyota Oakdale Theater, Wallingford, CT
October 6th - American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA
October 7th - Palace Theater, Albany, NY
If you happen to attend any of these events, drop us a line with your review!!!
And watch for OUR review of The Guess Who, coming up tomorrow in Forgotten Hits. (kk)
Speaking of live shows, Herb Alpert set a Hollywood Bowl record last week when he headlined a concert there on July 5th.
That's approximately 59 YEARS since he first performed there for two nights in September of 1967. And, by all accounts, it was a great show.
Alpert, now 91, has been back out on the road with a new Tijuana Brass ... and Billboard posted this review earlier this week ...
The set list: “The Lonely Bull (El solo toro)”; “The Work Song”; “Memories of Madrid”; “Whipped Cream”; “Spanish Flea”; “Ladyfingers”; “Lollipops and Roses”; “Bittersweet Samba”; “Mexican Shuffle”; “Tangerine”; “(I’m Getting’) Sentimental Over You”; “Love Potion No. 9”; “This Guy’s in Love With You”; “Route 101”; “Rise” (the extended 12" version!); “A Taste of Honey”; “Zorba the Greek”; “Smile”; “Casino Royale Theme”; “What Now My Love”; “A banda”; “Tijuana Taxi”; “Up Cherry Street”
(boy would this have been a great show to see!!!) kk
Celebrity-biographer MARK BEGO had been working on a Village People-biography when he received the news that the group's original lead singer, Victor Willis, had suddenly passed away this past week, of a short illness.Bego has enjoyed quite a Village People adventure over the years, following the group since their inception in 1978 (and their very first album, the self-titled Village People), once was roommates at separate times with original members Glenn Hughes and Randy Jones, and was able to observe first-hand the formation of the group with original producers Jacques Morali and Henri Bello.
Says Bego, “Jacques and Henri recorded the first Village People album without a formal group formed, so when it became a sudden disco hit, they had to go about casting a six-member group. They held a casting call, like The Monkees had, back in 1966.”
Bego was also the first person to interview the group for CUE magazine and has that original tape from 1978. He also attended Willis’ wedding reception, when the singer married Phylicia Rashad in 1978, and knows the full story. He penned a book Macho Man with the group's original cowboy, Randy Jones in 2008.
dis
As expected, the Michael Jackson biopic has gone on to pass the Freddy Mercury / Queen biopic, "Bohemian Rhapsody," to become the largest grossing music biopic of all time. Bego has published two books on Michael Jackson but could not get either of them re-released in time to cash in on this latest round of Michaelmania. However, plans to retell some of those stories about life on the road with The Jacksons are already in the works right here in Forgotten Hits. Stay tuned!
He also wrote a book on Madonna ...
Her new LP is being called one of her greatest of all time ... and we found a used copy of Bego's book "Blonde Ambition" available to order (if you move quickly!) ... see the link below ...
On the tenth anniversary of Carole King’s “Tapestry” concert in Hyde Park, she posted the complete concert video on YouTube …
https://youtu.be/HOs9iFWgXUg?si=YGSlfyT9z356Lm66
Incredibly, since its 1971 release, she had never performed the LP in its entirety until July 4th, 2016! (And then, despite her reluctance to perform in front of a live audience, she chose to do it in front of 65,000 people!)
This is an EXCELLENT concert, beautifully filmed. To my ears, Carole has never sounded better ... I've watched the whole thing a couple of times already! (lol) The fact that she was 74 years old when this was recorded is even more testament to her talent. (And to watch her strap on a guitar to play "Smackwater Jack," another of my album favorites, was a real treat. I don't think I ever even knew that she played guitar, she was always so tied to her piano!) After the "Tapestry" performance is completed, Carole does a selection of songs from her incredible hits catalog. This is really quite a show!
"Tapestry" hit me at an exact, key pivotal moment in my life when it was first released in 1971. I probably wore thru three copies of that LP I played it so much ... it didn't leave my turntable for months. In fact, despite the literally THOUSANDS of times I've heard it since, I have never once in my life turned off "It's To Late." That song is burned into a specific moment of time in my life and I still embrace it to this day.
King had already proven herself as a songwriter ... her one and only reasonably charted hit under her own name came in 1962 when "It Might As Well Rain Until September" peaked at #22.
She never really had a burning urge or desire to step out front as a performer, having already proven herself as a hit record making machine as a songwriter ... her talent allowed her to become a barometer for any of the current trends at the time. It didn't matter who the artist was, Carole could write for them, in their style, and put another notch in each of their hit record belts.
But then after groups like The Beatles hit, bands started writing their own songs ... they didn't have to go to the "hit factory" anymore to gain their shot at an audience.
When the album was first released in 1971 I was just graduating from high school ... my future was as uncertain as its ever been. (I only learned a few months before graduation that despite acceptance letters from a number of colleges, my parents hadn't set anything aside for me to further my education ... they just couldn't afford it ... so the decision was made that I should go to work somewhere for a couple of years and see if I could save up enough money to put myself thru school if it so happened that after joining the workforce, this was still something I wanted to do with my life. Once I started working and earning money, I was able to get an apartment and buy a new car. College was put on the back-burner, never to be considered again. It was a difficult and defining moment.)
And it wasn't just MY life that was changing ... the '60's were over ... The Beatles had split up and each member was now releasing their own solo records. This was a VERY big deal for a music guy like me. Most of my high school friends were gone, living on campus somewhere away from home. It felt like in every regard, a chapter had ended ... the book was closed ... and new, unknown challenges awaited me.
At 18, my name and social security number were entered into the draft ... at a time when opposition to the war was gaining at an incredible speed. My birthday was drawn as the 31st choice in the draft bingo machine. I was sent downtown for my physical and was waiting further instructions. (Talk about changing your life with zero control! As if things weren't confusing enough already, now I had to wonder what jungle I may land in!)
It was a scary and confusing time ... and in my memory, "Tapestry" stands as a defining moment. (I was fortunate ... in January of 1973, just before I was scheduled to report for duty, President Nixon abolished the draft. People can say whatever they want about the man ... but I'll always feel that in some way he saved my life. Sadly, we've all learned the hard way that we could do far worse.)
I can still listen to "Tapestry" and enjoy it for all of the GOOD memories that it brought me. There are moments during this concert that were very emotional for me ... perhaps never more so than when Carole sang "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" with her daughter, Louise Goffin. I will never hear the song the same way again.
Highly recommended ... watch this concert and enjoy just a small portion of the joy her music has brought us all over the years. (kk)
UPDATE: According to Bill Carroll's book "Ranking The Rock Writers," Carole King has written 127 charted Hot 100 hits ... that's good enough for 13th place on the all-time list.
(You can find an alphabetical listing of all of them here:
https://www.caroleking.com/discography/songs) kk
A new Micky Dolenz interview has just been posted and while at times it does feel a little bit rushed, it also covers some new ground … and even talks about his new CD …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFiQm2Es02E
Micky has recorded more than a few songs written by Carole King over the years ... "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Sometime In The Morning" immediately come to mind ... but several years ago he recorded an entire album's worth of material.
