Just a quickie (albeit late) responding comment re:
tittie talk: If your wife doesn't object, who gives a hoot(er) if
anyone else does? One of the things I find charming about you, dear
husband, is your humor: sometimes juvenile, silly, often witty, and without
malice. You include phrases, comments, and the like from our own conversations
and share them with your readers. That's just who we are. There are disturbing events happening pretty much
everywhere in our own country. Save your offense for those injustices.
Appreciate light, levity, and even a little lowbrow humor when you find it. Love
you, kk.
The Mrs.
(I know we said that we were closing this topic ... but c'mon ... I couldn't not print THIS one ... I have to sleep with this woman!!!) kk
Hi Kent -
This week has been one filled with so much "bad" news
thanks to all the violence taking place across the USA. In tough times like this
I play songs like "A Ray Of Hope" by the Rascals, "A Change Is Gonna Come" by
Sam Cooke and "What The World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon just to try
to stay positive. Even a song from 2003 like "Where Is The Love?" by the Black
Eyed Peas is a good one for those of us wanting to spread a message of love and
understanding. Santiago Paradoa Miami, Florida It really seems to be a crazy time - like we've lost a handle on things
overall and lost perspective on all that's really important in life. (I'm sure
I sound like a crotchety old man on this but there's a lot more too it than
this ... and I think most of "normal America" would agree that things are TRULY out of
hand.) kk
Here's another link to Jim Peterik's new song, which we featured the other
day ... "We All Bleed Red", inspired by the recent events in Orlando ...
>>>down the soft-rock / middle-of-the-road path
that many feel delayed their Rock And Roll Hall of Fame consideration.
(kk) Poor Peter Cetera - That dude sure takes a lot of crap from Chicago
fans. The
reason they were delayed is because the critics despised them. As much as fans
of old Chicago love to blame 80s Chicago, if the critics thought 80s Chicago was
wussy, they thought 70s Chicago was wussy and pretentious. As
for Cetera causing trouble over the Hall of Fame, ask yourself
this:
Donnie Dacus was in the audience as was Laudir Deleveria - neither
was invited on stage or mentioned in speeches Bill Champlin and Dawayne Bailey weren't invited at all nor
thanked in speeches And
Danny Seraphine was asked to "sit out" on Does Anybody Really Know What Time It
Is so Tris could take that one. David Foster and Jimmy Guercio
weren't thanked in speeches Factor that in and do you think
maybe the problem wasn't limited to Cetera? Mark Rathwell
>>>The first few times I heard that song I thought
they were singing "Purty Little Love Song" as
kind of a southern drawl take on "Pretty Little Love Song" ... and I swear I
STILL hear it that way today ... or at least that's what I sing when I sing
along!!! Listen to it with that thought in mind the next time you hear it and
see if you don't see how it fits, too! (kk)
Hey Kent, Just a little note about the Marshall Tucker Band song,
"Heard It In a Love Song". It DOES sound like your ears' version, "Purdy Little
Love Song". My ears heard it as "Hurtin' In a Love Song", and I thought it was
that way through the concert we saw, waiting for the group to perform it. Even
as age has set in, I know Doug Gray could have pulled it off, vocally. Encores
are important to a concert. It lets the audience show their appreciation. Oh
well. Maybe next time, if we get to hear them again. - John LaPuzza
The Blu-Ray edition of The Complete
Monkees Television Series is now shipping from Rhino Records. It includes TONS
of never-before-seen extras and beautifully remastered editions of every
television episode, their TV Special "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee", their
cult-film classic "Head", old Kellogg's television commercials, commentary from
all four Monkees and lots, lots more. (This is almost enough to make me finally
break down and get a blu-ray player!!! But I've already bought the complete
series on VHS and DVD ... still to see this kind of a digital upgrade is VERY
tempting!) It also includes a special 45 rpm pressing of "Star Collector" /
"Goin' Down" with a picture sleeve. The run is limited to 10,000 numbered
copies ... so my guess is these won't last long. More information here: http://monkeesstore.warnermusic.com/music/the-monkees-complete-tv-series-blu-ray.html?cmpid=mk/2016July8/body&eml=2016July8/3618890/6134371&etsubid=39432925
Kent,
At long last I've got an
official conformation. There will be a survey convention, Saturday 9/10, starting
about 1:30 thru the rest of the afternoon. This is part of other events going on
at the hotel, all geared for radio geeks, that weekend. However if you are just
interested in the surveys, there is no admission charge.
It takes place at the
Hyatt Place Kansas City, Missouri Airport at 7600 NW 97th Terrace. I will be there.
Hopefully if there are any FH readers who live in the general area, they can
come by too.
1955 - Pat Boone's version of the Fats Domino tune "Ain't That A Shame" debuts on The Billboard Pop Singles Chart. Boone will become a huge factor in bridging the gap between parents and teenagers over this new-fangled fad called rock and roll, helping to make it acceptable to white-bread middle America, most of whom were still offended by what was then considered "race music".
1956 - Dick Clark officially becomes the host of of "Bandstand" in Philadelphia, a local television series aimed at the teenagers in the area at the dawn of the rock and roll era. This program will eventually become syndicated as "American Bandstand" and shown all over the country to an audience that will stay captivated for the next thirty years.
1956 - Bill Haley and His Cometswere denied permission to play at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey. After trouble at Asbury Park on June 30th, the city passed an ordinance prohibiting live stage performances of rock 'n' roll, claiming that this music "encouraged juvenile delinquency and inspired young females in lewd bathing suits to perform obscene dances on the city's beaches."
1957 - Singer Bobby Helms records "My Special Angel" at Owen Bradley's Quonset Hut studio in Nashville. The Anita Kerr Singers handle the background vocals.
1957 - Elvis Presley's second film, "Loving You," co-starring Lizabeth Scott and Wendell Corey, opened in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters. Elvis did not attend the Memphis premier because he was given a special showing the night before.
1958 - Johnny Cash signs with Columbia Records.
1959 - The Drifters record "Dance With Me" with Ben E. King on lead vocals.
1962 - Bob Dylan records "Blowin' In The Wind" at Columbia Studios in New York City.
1968 - I love the way Bob Dearborn reports this one on his Olde Disc Jockey Almanac site so I'm going with it verbatim: Co-lead singerDavid Ruffinexited the Temptations. His cocaine abuse, missed shows, financial disputes with Motown head Berry Gordy, and the group's refusal to change their name to "David Ruffin and the Temptations" were all factors in the decision. Dennis Edwards, formerly of the Contours, replaced him in the group. Ruffin later began showing up, uninvited, at Temptations concerts and taking the stage to sing the hits he made famous, causing the group to tighten its security measures.
1969 - The Beatles begin recording "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" for their upcoming "Abbey Road" album. The song would be completed on August 6th. This track became a real point of contention with John Lennon (who did not participate in the recordings) as an example of Paul McCartney's overindulgence in recording a simple track. At one point he declared that "the band spent more money on this song than any other on the 'Abbey Road' album."
1972 - Speaking of Paul McCartney, he and his new band Wings began their first European tour with an appearance at Chateauvillion in the south of France. (They had already done a few spot, "surprise" appearances at various universities in England but this was to be a full-on tour.) Paul still wasn't performing any Beatles material at this point ... and the first Wings album, "Wild Life", was critically panned and not a big commercial success. Incredibly a show in France scheduled for July 14th had to be cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Today ... some 44 years later ... McCartney continues to perform to record-breaking, sold-out crowds around the world ... but the launch of Wings seemed somewhat unpromising at first.
1974 - Crosby, Stills and Nash begin their reunion tour at The Coliseum in Seattle.
1977 - Our good Forgotten Hits Buddy Alan O'Day reaches #1 with his single "Undercover Angel". (Sadly we lost Alan a few years ago) Although this was his biggest solo hit, Alan also wrote the #1 Record "Angie Baby" for Helen Reddy and the #3 Hit "Rock And Roll Heaven" for The Righteous Brothers. 1978 - The Rolling Stones make a surprise visit to the home of Willie Dixon right here in Chicago. Dixon takes them to The Quiet Knight, a local club (and one of my favorite hang-outs in the early '70's) to see Muddy Waters perform. Dixon and The Stones join Muddy on stage to perform a couple of their favorite Waters songs. (Sure woulda been cool to be there THAT night!!!)
1983 - The Police begin an eight week stay at the top of The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart with their classic stalker song "Every Breath I Take". 1990 - The Stones make our calendar again in 1990 when, for the first time in over 26 years, they have to cancel some upcoming performances after Keith Richards' inflamed finger became septic during a show in Glasgow, Scotland. (July 9th was also an important date in Mick Jagger's personal history when, on this date in 1999, his marriage to model Jerry Hall is annulled.)
1995 - The Grateful Dead perform their last concert with Jerry Garcia, right here in Chicago at Soldier Field. Garcia will die a month later of a heart attack while in rehab.
1999 - Elton John has a pacemaker implanted in a London hospital.
2012 - Our recent Forgotten Hits interviewee, Bobby Rydell, undergoes liver and kidney transplant surgery. He pulls through beautifully (and will be appearing here in Chi-Town on November 26th at The Arcada Theatre!)
Jimy Sohns and The Shadows Of Knight The other day we told you about a VERY special Shadows Of Knight gig coming up in August ...
Now, here are all the details ... courtesy of Jimy Sohns himself ...
Thanks, Kent, here's the info ... You can purchase tickets here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=6761785 Location of show: HOME - House of Music and Entertainment 1227 N Rand Rd. Arlington Heights, IL On August 20th, come celebrate this once in a lifetime event, with the reunion of four of the original Shadows of Knight. For the first time in 49 years, JIMY SOHNS, JERRY MCGEORGE, HAWK WOLINSKI, and TOM SCHIFFOUR will be sharing the stage. ONE NIGHT ONLY. Do not miss this amazing event. This will be an amazing birthday present for me. The flow of the show, in order: Kevin Lee and the Kings The Shadows of Knight (current lineup) The Shadows of Knight (original lineup) Ticket Prices: General Admission (Standing Only): $10 Floor Seating $15 VIP Booth $250 Don't miss this VERY special event as Jimy Sohns returns to the stage! Hope to see some of you out there! (kk)
And, while we're on the topic of "Local Heroes", check out the brand new Jim Peterik video just sent into us by Jim for his new song "We All Bleed Red", commemorating the recent tragic Orlando shootings. (Jim tells us his new "Caught Up In You" video will be ready in about three weeks ... so be sure to watch for that one here, too!) kk
Hi Kent!
Beside my Facebook page, you are the first to receive my latest song and lyric video, We All Bleed Red. It is my reaction to the Orlando shootings and similar tragic events that have been happening all over the world. Feel free to post this. Hope you like the song and message.
Keep Rocking!
Jimbo
And don't forget Jim will be performing his new CD "The Songs", a reimagining of all his classics, at Space in Evanston on July 17th! (kk)
Time Flies When You're Having Fun! From Davie Allan ...
"The Wild Angels" film was released 50 years ago this month (7-20-66) and the soundtrack hit it's peak (#17 in the nation) on 10-15-66. DA Davie Allan and The Arrows
>>>FIVE YEARS AGO (2011) : 2. Rolling In The Deep - Adele (kk)
This cracked me up - Rolling in the Deep was five years already????
It's like when I'm running my Melody games and say "This is a "newer song", and someone will say"Um, that was from 1988"
How quickly the years go by!!!
Eileen
July 6th marked the 59th anniversary of the day that 16-year old John Lennon met 15-year old Paul McCartney for the very first time when Paul attended a Quarrymen concert at Church Fete in Liverpool. Paul impressed John after the show when he performed Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock". John later admitted he had to make a difficult decision that day about inviting Paul to join his band ... did he allow someone to come in who was a better guitarist and better looking, who could potentially steal some of his thunder, for the overall good of the band. Fortunately, John trusted his better instincts that day and together the duo became quite famous. (kk)
This And That Hey Kent ... Just a note to say thanks for the heads up on Joel Whitburn's 1955 - 2015 pop singles book. Just received it today and MAN!!!!!!!!! It's just loaded! This is my 7th edition of the top 40 singles, and to me it's the best one yet ... just wish the printing was a bit larger. It's a great book for anybody that's into Billboard top 40 record charts for the last 60 years. And its STILL great reading for an old radio jock like myself to enjoy. I''m not a big fan of today's music ... but it's still nice to see who's leading the charts at any given era. So once again THANKS and as always THANKS for all you continue to do with FH!!
Pete Garrison (peteysmoke)
This is an EXTREMELY attractive looking revision ... the books get bigger and bigger due to the constant updating ... (if you think the type is small on this one,check out the new Top Ten books! lol) Expanding the page format to 8.5 x 11 has certainly helped ... but there is just SO much information that has to be contained between this covers, I imagine some creativity has to go into making it all fit. Still, it's an AWESOME edition.
And, we'll be giving away a copy (a $90 value!) to one lucky Forgotten Hits Reader. Just drop us a line inorder to enter for your chance to win a copy. Or, better yet, head on over to the Record Research website and order your copy today! (kk)
Enjoyed your commentary you had in today's FH. The writing and wording pertaining to the subject matter of a few days ago was great. Reading it reminded me of one final record and that one record is the instrumental out of 1963 by a group known as the Busters and that was called BUST OUT.
Larry
Carole King made a triumphant return to The UK last week where she performed her #1 Album "Tapestry" in its entirety, along with a string of other hits she has written over the years. FH Reader Tom Cuddy sent us this story from BBC.com ... http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36700451
Tom also sent us this piece of news ...
Stephen Bishop of "On and On"fame will release a new album, Blueprint, on July 29th. It includes a remake of his 1983 Tootsie soundtrack hit "It Might Be You" as well as a version of "Holy Mother," which he co-wrote with Eric Clapton in 1986.
I have always loved "It Might Be You" ... not sure it really needs to be remade ... but it's great to hear that Stephen has been back in the studio. We missed our chance to see him here a few months ago ... that's a show I would have liked to attend. (kk)
Sad to hear of the passing of Noel Neill, everybody's favorite Lois Lane from the old "Adventures of Superman" television series starring George Reeves. She was the last surviving member of the classic cast. (Young Jimmy Olsen left us last year at the age of 87 ... Noel was 95.) Ironically, the anniversary of the death of George Reeves (still under suspicious circumstances although officially ruled at the time a suicide) was on June 16th ... that happened 57 years ago! (kk)
That comment I made about Bobby Rydell using "some old studio guy drummer" on his Wild One record, that old studio guy just happens to be Gary Chester (I checked it out). He's a fantbulously fantastic studio drummer of that period. Pretty much the East Coast equivalents of Hal Blaine out on the Left Coast. Gary also did the drum track for The Isely's Twist and Shout.
Any drummer who did those tracks is just fantastically OK with me. Those are some of the best and most basic underlying rock and roll drum tracks of not only that whole period, but probably they set the example for the next 30 years for sure and still a large part today.
Hey - that's probably why I chose to use that type treatment all through The Fifth Estate's recent Time Tunnel album. Especially on our Crazy Little Thing which is played "open handed" and phrased very much the way I imagine Gary would have played it on Wild One.
But I was right on one thing in particular. Gary was an "old studio guy". When Wild One was recorded, he was 36. Of course, looking at it from our teen age perspective then that was ancient. Today I guess I'm the old guy. Nevertheless I think I did get a couple of interesting wrinkles into our tune he never quite got to. Well I guess I should have, I've had an extra 50 some years to figure that out!!!
And, speaking of Furvus (ourFH Buddy Ken Evans from The Fifth Estate) ...
Got this from FH Reader MickeyCooksey so I forwarded it to our buddy Ken "Furvus" Evans of The Fifth Estate ... just in case they might want the opportunity to pick this up for posterity's sake ...
Hey Kent,
I waiting on photos but I thought I would let you know that a friend has the original Harpsichord used in the Fifth Estate / "Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead" video, which he got it from the keyboard player years ago and he is now planning on selling it. He offered it a while back to the members on the band and they sounded interested for history's sake but never followed through.
When I get the photos I will send with all the info.
I passed along the information to Ken "Furv" Evans, who was the original drummer for The Fifth Estate,and has been a long-time Forgotten Hits contributor. I told him that I didn't know if any further discussions ever took place in this regard (or if this had enough sentimental value to make it worth his while) ... I just hated to see it go, just in case any of the guys did have an interest.
Let's see if he gets back in touch with you ... keep me posted! (Hey, and if HE doesn't want it, maybe somebody ELSE on the list might be interested!) kk
Hey Kent -
You should be out having a fantastic Fourth Weekend not worrying about our old harpsichord!!?? But appreciate the effort for sure.
I think I heard from this fellow a couple of years ago and I asked the guys if we wanted it back. After all it probably is the first "traveling" rock and roll harpsichord ever. We even played with The Left Bank several times and they never traveled with anything but an electric piano that I ever saw. And when we played a date at the Alabama Memorial Auditorium with the Turtles and The Lovin Spoonful, John Sebastian's auto harp would not work so he did the show on Wayne's piano and harpsichord. That was the last, as I understand it, full show The Spoonful ever did together in their original form. That is also the show where we are doing and Wayne is singing Corina Corina on our Live, Loud and Lo-Fi album. That was the final night of The Spoonful. They were having some great rift between them. Their equipment wasn't working right and that harpsichord was right in the middle of all that. So it has some history - if that was the real exact one?
But when the guys said they wouldn't mind recovering it and I spoke with the fellow who had it, I had him describe it to me and by the color, which he said was original and the dimensions - it didn't appear to be the true one - Wayne and I built! The one in the video - film actually then. So we didn't do anything about it.
Now these days the band just did a very successful show to a full house and standing O, two Saturdays ago at Stage One in Fairfield, CT.
We have a great keyboardist with us now and do a good deal of that sort of thing again - BUT (unfortunately for me - because I'm a true, true realist in music - nothing a band itself didn't play on themselves counts to me as a hit or even music by that band at least - and that leaves out 80% of the old hits - and that applies to the instruments being original as well - I'm not a fan of the replace them with electronic SOUND) and that means that harpsichord as well. I really like the original sound of the original instrument, not the cheap or not so cheap electronic imitation. But that is what the band is using these days - as it stays in tune at least when carrying it around.
So I don't think the band is interested in what he has. Although, if it were the real one, there might be something to it??? I guess I should talk with him again. Maybe he can send me an image of it?
That Mickey who wrote you isn't Mickey Cooksey by any chance?? He's been in touch any number of times. But I didn't think he was the rockin harpsichord fellow.
Furv
PS - Do you know what in the old days we called a standing O. We called it a "Standing Ovulation." We got a lot of those. But that was a while ago wasn't it?? We're probably past all that now. I don't know though - feels like yesterday to me. AND I think there was one the other night.
I've had artists tell me that getting a Standing O today means SO much more than it did back then ... because we all realize how much harder it is to get up and down out of our seats these days! (lol) I'll hook you and Mickey up and you can hammer out the logistics of whether or not this is even the real deal. Good luck! (kk)
A couple of other ATLANTIC singles failed and soon BOBBY was in jeopardy of losing his recording contract again. He knew that time was running out and the pressure was on, so he went out to try to sell himself to another record label. This time it was BRUNSWICK RECORDS (ironically, a subsidiary of DECCA!) who responded but, due to BOBBY still being under contract with ATLANTIC, they decided to release a single under the name of THE DING DONGS. It looked like BOBBY's next release would be his own tune, EARLY IN THE MORNING. However, before this single hit the streets, fate was about to step in. While that single was being readied for release, BOBBY was down to his last shot at ATLANTIC. One day, at MURRAY KAUFMAN's apartment, MURRAY THE K received a call from his mother JEAN MURRAY, who also just happened to be a songwriter. Over the phone, she suggested the song title of SPLISH SPLASH, TAKE A BATH. KAUFMAN groaned and then laughed ... nobody could write a song with THAT title ... and went off to take a shower. The ever-determined BOBBY DARIN said that HE could write a song with that title and, less than an hour later, had composed his first hit record! DARIN knew that he had captured the teen sound and excitedly took the song to ATLANTIC. Virtually EVERYBODY there hated it ... co-founder HERB ABRAMSON, who had produced all of BOBBY's ATLANTIC releases to date, said he'd take a pass. JERRY WEXLER, one of the greatest ears in music history, called it garbage. But AHMET ERTEGUN decided to produce the record himself and when they were done, BOBBY felt that, while it may not be a great song ... or even a great recording ... it WAS what the kids wanted to hear in 1958. He was right ... SPLISH SPLASH shot up the charts, eventually hitting #2 in Cash Box Magazine. (It peaked at #3 in Billboard). BOBBY was on his way. (ERTEGUN wasn't taking any chances on DARIN's last chance, however ... at a recording session already booked for MORGANNA KING, AHMET brought the musicians in a little early and had her rhythm section back BOBBY on three tracks, trying to capture more of the excitement BOBBY had shown him while banging on the piano outside ERTEGUN's office ... something he felt HERB had been unable to capture on record at this point. In 90 minutes, DARIN cut three tracks, including both SPLISH SPLASH and QUEEN OF THE HOP, his first two Top Ten Hits! Time well-spent indeed!) As soon as SPLISH SPLASH hit the charts, BRUNSWICK rushed out EARLY IN THE MORNING, trying to cash in on DARIN's hot sound. However, due to contract stipulations (and the common sense that ATLANTIC would most certainly sue them if they tried to release a record with BOBBY DARIN's name on it), they chose to release the single as THE DING DONGS. Nobody at ATLANTIC RECORDS was fooled ... they KNEW it was BOBBY on the recording, and quickly put a halt to the release and purchased the master for their own label. So as not to conflict with the momentum of SPLISH SPLASH's chart performance, ATLANTIC released the tune as being by THE RINKY DINKS!!! EARLY IN THE MORNING finally peaked at #24 on the Billboard Chart. Still believing the song was a hit, DECCA released a nearly identical arrangement and had their OWN teen sensation BUDDY HOLLY record a version, which was quickly released on the CORAL label, striking while the iron was still hot. BUDDY's version peaked at #25 in Cash Box! (Incredibly, HOLLY, known for composing some of the greatest music ever to come out of rock's early years, would have hit singles with songs written by fellow teen idols BOBBY DARIN ... EARLY IN THE MORNING ... and PAUL ANKA ... IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE ... early in his career!) Amazingly, the B-Side of BOTH the DARIN single and the HOLLY single was NOW WE'RE ONE ... another BOBBY DARIN original composition! (By the way, an original BRUNSWICK pressing showing THE DING DONGS as the recording artist is worth well over $100 today!) Once it became common knowledge that EARLY IN THE MORNING was really a BOBBY DARIN record, later pressings showed the artist as BOBBY DARIN AND THE RINKY DINKS. Despite any implied competition between the two, BOBBY DARIN did several dates in early 1959 with BUDDY HOLLY AND THE CRICKETS ... and was even invited to join them on their fateful winter tour ... BOBBY had to decline because of previous commitments. (In hindsight, none of Bobby's health issues would have had any impact on the outcome of that flight.) BOBBY DARIN toured with a virtual who's-who of late '50's rock stars ... besides BUDDY HOLLY, he also hit the road with FRANKIE AVALON, THE COASTERS, DUANE EDDY, DION AND THE BELMONTS, JIMMY CLANTON, girlfriend JOANN CAMPBELL and CLYDE McPHATTER. And that's fellow '50's teen pop star NEIL SEDAKA playing piano on BOBBY DARIN's hit DREAM LOVER ... as well as its B-Side BULLMOOSE. (kk)
Hey Kent, Last Saturday night, we decided to take in a concert at the local casino of The Marshall Tucker Band. To be honest, I've not been a real fan the band, or any Southern rock groups over the years for that matter, but I was very curious to hear what the old guys sounded like these days. On each side of the stage, there were big lighted posters of the band's members and, in the center, there was no doubt who the leader, Marshall Tucker, was. The players were all accomplished musicians and I have no regrets attending. They were also fun to watch and the leader was funny and had good interaction with the audience. When he would tell a joke, I'd ask my girlfriend if she heard what Marshall just said! My only complaint was that some of the songs became long jam sessions, especially between the two guitarists and I would have preferred more songs, shorter in length. "Can't You See" was their last song, and everybody was waiting for them to do it. I thought they would come back for an encore to play "Heard It In A Love Song", as it was the lead singer's (and band's) biggest hit, but it didn't happen. I don't know if the casino gave them a time restriction or if it was the fans who didn't cheer them back on that prevented their return to the stage. When I got home, I tried to learn as much about the group as possible because I knew NOTHING about them. I found out that the lead singer's real name is not Marshall Tucker, but Doug Gray! He is the only original member who's still in the band. When the group was first formed, they rented a space for rehearsal, that was previously rented by a blind piano tuner named Marshall Tucker, and his name was engraved on the key of the door lock. The guys thought the name had a nice ring to it, so they went with it. In the future, when Gray decides he's had enough of touring, I wonder what the other five players will do. They can't legally use the name that's in place now, without at least one original member still in the group. Let me suggest, "The Tucker Marshall Band"! Here is a video featuring the REAL Marshall Tucker; a pretty neat guy and very good musician, himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz8KAGVNurw - John LaPuzza How does The Marshall Tucker Band perform a concert and NOT play their all-time biggest hit, "Heard It In A Love Song"?!?! That just doesn't make ANY sense!!! "Can't You See" may have proven to be the all-time classic over time, but even releasing it a couple of times as a single still never achieved better than a #70 chart showing. (Kind of like "The Weight" by The Band ... this is the song they're best known for today but when it was first released as a single, it didn't even crack The Top 50.) "Heard It In A Love Song", however, was a bonafide Top Ten Record in 1977.(I've told the story before about how the first few times I heard that song I thought they were singing "Purty Little Love Song" as kind of a southern drawl take on "Pretty Little Love Song" ... and I swear I STILL hear it that way today ... or at least that's what I sing when I sing along!!!) Listen to it with that thought in mind the next time you hear it and see if you don't see how it fits, too! Interesting story about how the band got its name ... I had not heard that one before. (kk)
Although we easily could have milked this topic for another issue or two (I received eight brand new titillating emails within thirty minutes of Tuesday's posting ... and at least a dozen more since), we've decided to drop our recent discussion and get back to keeping you abreast of the latest oldies news instead.
Sure, Bob and I could have gone tit for tat for a few more rounds ... but by the time it would all finally be over, my fear is we'd both end up looking like a couple of boobs ... so why not take the high road and just abandon this discussion altogether.
Now I already know that there are knockers out there who will criticize us for ever even going down this path in the first place ... But the truth is it's not about how many points you rack up ... or waiting to see who'll go bust first ... Forgotten Hits is supposed to be about the music.
So let's focus our headlights elsewhere ...
Damn the torpedoes, fire the bazookas and release the balloons ... let's celebrate our love of music. And Bob, next time you're in Chicago (which I know you sometimes are), dinner's on me. (I'm thinking Hooters, how 'bout you???)
Together we'll make a nice pair.
I can see it all now ...
Me (after polishing off a couple of jugs of wine and a bowl of melons, focusing on three exceptionally well-endowed waitresses standing by the bar): Hey Bob, which one of those three young ladies would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?
Bob: I dunno ... probably the one who knows the most about fixing elevators
Peter Cetera put on a very impressive show at Lion's Park in Elk Grove Village on Monday Night, The 4th of July, 2016 ... and the crowd absolutely loved it. And you couldn't have asked for better ambience ... a nice, cool night (albeit under cloudy skies) and, without question, the most organized concert we've ever been to in Elk Grove Village ... they need to bring this mindset to some of their other summer concert series events. It all made for the perfect spot to celebrate our nation's birthday.
The program was originally billed with Cetera taking the stage at 8:00 and a fireworks display scheduled for 9:15 ... so we pretty much went into this knowing that we'd only be treated to a one hour show.
WRONG!!!
After a bunch of pre-show festivities and announcements, Cetera took the stage at 8:10 ... and then proceeded to rock the house until just after 10:00, offering up a nice mix and wide variety of solo hits and songs he made famous during his time with Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers, Chicago. [One sometimes forgets that after leaving Chicago in 1985, Cetera went on to have half a dozen more Top 40 Hits under his own name, including back-to-back #1 Records with "Glory Of Love" (1986) and "The Next Time I Fall" (with Amy Grant, 1986), both of which he performed Monday Night.]
In fact, "Glory Of Love" was one of the vocal highlights of the evening. He later told an interesting story about how Producer David Foster kept after him to help write a song for the new Kenny Rogers album he was producing ... pressed for time (and with Cetera packed and ready to leave the country for a couple of weeks), they quickly whipped up a little ditty called "You're The Inspiration", which Kenny then proceeded to turn down, causing Peter to record it with Chicago instead, who went on to have a #3 Hit with the record in 1985. (He performed it flawlessly at the 4th of July celebration concert. Also performed to perfection were "Stay The Night", "If You Leave Me Now", "Save Me" and "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", which closed the show.)
Cetera's encore consisted of three Chicago favorites: "I'm A Man", "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and "25 or 6 to 4". Other Chicago tunes performed that night included "Baby What A Big Surprise", "Along Comes A Woman", "Dialogue" and a REAL surprise, "Wishing You Were Here". (Brian Wilson's band needs to learn this one and stick it in their set list ... a GREAT chance for one of the other talented vocalists to shine on stage while the band still provides those trademark Beach Boys harmonies!)
Cetera was backed by an outstanding seven piece band (with, incredibly, no horn section!), all accomplished Nashville musicians. Femalevocalist Tania Hancehroff handled the Cher and Amy Grant duets and then brought the house down with her red-hot rendition of The Beatles' "Oh! Darling", which was followed by a killer version of "Come Together", sung by guitarist Chris Rodriguez. Other musicians included Boh Cooper on keyboards, Steve Brewster on drums, Joe Chemay on bass, Tony Obrohta on guitar, Jonathan Hamby on keyboards.
If Peter's voice seemed a little mellower on some of the ballads (missing the occasional little extra "pop" here and there), he more than made up for it on the rockers ... again a very pleasant concert surprise since it was Cetera's partnership with David Foster that took Chicago down the soft-rock / middle-of-the-road path that many feel delayed their Rock And Roll Hall of Fame consideration.
It's a shame Cetera had to cause such a ruckus over the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony ... he wrote or co-wrote twelve of the group's first 40 chart hits while he was still a member (but surprisingly NOT some of the ones you might think were his ... "25 or 6 to 4", one of Cetera's signature tunes, for example, was actually written by Robert Lamm and James Pankow; "Dialogue" was written by Robert Lamm; "Just You And Me", "Old Days" and "Searchin' So Long" were written by James Pankow, yet all bear the unmistakable voice of Peter Cetera on lead vocal.)
COMPLETE SET LIST:
Restless Heart Baby What A Big Surprise One Good Woman Glory Of Love Apple In Your Daddy's Eye After All Stay The Night Next Time I Fall You're The Inspiration
BAND INTRODUCTION Wishing You Were Here The End of Camelot Along Comes A Woman
If You Leave Me Now
PETER TAKES A SHORT BREAK: Oh Darling - Tanya Hancehroff, lead vocal Come Together - Chris Rodriguez, lead vocal A very brief Jimi Hendrix rendition of the Star Spangled Banner Intro, which leads into an extended jam ...
before Peter returns to sing ... Save Me Hard Habit To Break - last #1 with Chicago with Bill Champlain Dialogue Hard To Say I'm Sorry / Getaway
ENCORE: I'm A Man Feeling Stronger Every Day 25 or 6 to 4
Half in jest, Peter suggested that if you're going to watch ONE Chicago video from the MTV days, make it this one ...
"Stay The Night", a #16 Hit from 1984
Cetera has a number of concert dates lined up (including three nights in Nashville, he's stellar band's home base) ... highly recommended if he happens to be heading in your direction ... visit http://petercetera.com/tour/ for more information
By the way, Foreigner will be appearing at this same venue on Sunday, July 17th. Book-ending that date are concerts by LeAnn Rimes (July 12th) and Michael McDonald (July 26th) as part of the regular Elk Grove Village Summer Classics Concert Series held on the Village Green. Come on out and join in the celebration of Elk Grove Village's 60th Birthday!
