A couple of weeks ago, while discussing another topic entirely, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon let us know that Arnie “Woo-Woo” Ginsburg was very sick.
Still, it came as a surprise to hear that Ginsburg died last Friday, June 26th, after a long battle with cancer.
FH Reader Geoff Lambert tells us …
Arnie "Woo, Woo" Ginsberg, the legendary Boston disc jockey, passed away on the 26th of June after battling cancer at the age of ninety three. He was also known, like Alan Freed, for the record hops that he held at local venues. He became so popular, that it was only a matter of time before his totally recognizable voice was heard not only advertising his radio station but for local businesses as well.
Arnie "Woo, Woo" Ginsberg, the legendary Boston disc jockey, passed away on the 26th of June after battling cancer at the age of ninety three. He was also known, like Alan Freed, for the record hops that he held at local venues. He became so popular, that it was only a matter of time before his totally recognizable voice was heard not only advertising his radio station but for local businesses as well.
Being a high profile DJ from Boston, he became friends with Freddy Cannon … so friendly, in fact, that Freddy did a promotional song for him.
My introduction to him was from the series of American issued Cruisin’ albums. The 1961 issue featured him and gave the listener to ability to hear the way his shows used to be heard complete with adverts., He was born on August the 5th 1926 in Massachusetts.
Geoff
Ginsburg pioneered the use of sound effects during his program … his very nickname “Woo Woo” came from the sound of a train whistle, sent in by a fan. (It fit in well with his radio program, which was called The Night Train.)
His voice, not the typical, seasoned DJ voice that has dominated radio since The Top 40 Era began, was more of a high-pitched whine, which helped to make him stand out among all the other jocks on the air competing for the ears of their teenage audience. (Ginsburg did many on-air radio spots for local business establishments … including one called The Adventure Car Hop. The restaurant joint even named “The Ginsburger” after him. Owners of the establishment claimed that Arnie’s commercials were capable of bringing as many as two thousand teenagers into the restaurant on a typical summer night!
Ginsburg has been credited with breaking the novelty hits “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight” and “The Monster Mash” … as well as Bobby Vinton’s #1 Hit “Roses Are Red.” His distinctive voice and style made him a natural for the “Cruisn’” album series, recreating the sound of Top 40 Radio during Rock And Roll’s infancy.
While he testified during the infamous payola hearings, he was never charged with any wrong doing, despite admitting that he had accepted “$4400 in monetary gifts” from record promoters over a three year period. He also said that none of this influenced the music he would play and promote on his show.
Every major city had their major radio stars … jocks who came into their bedrooms or over their car radios every night, playing the music we loved the best. Arnie “Woo Woo” Ginsburg was certainly one of the best … and Boston will long remember his contribution to The History Of Rock And Roll. (kk)
I asked Freddy Cannon to please say a few words about his dear, dear friend, Arnie Ginsburg.
These two go back to the very beginning of Freddy’s career … in fact, “Boom Boom” even recorded special pieces of promotional music for Arnie’s shows.
Here is what he had to say …
THANKS, KENT –
YES, HE WAS THE VERY FIRST DJ TO PLAY TALLAHASSEE LASSIE, EVEN BEFORE IT WENT NATIONAL. HE HELPED ME SO MUCH WITH RECORD HOPS AND LIVE SHOWS ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND. BOSTON LOVED HIM AND SO DID I.
HE WAS ONE OF A KIND … VERY SPECIAL. HE COULD HEAR A HIT RECORD WHEN HE GOT THE DJ COPY … GREAT EARS … NOT TOO MANY COULD TO THAT.
HE WILL BE MISSED BY HIS FANS AND YES BY, ME!
ARNIE WOO WOO GISBURG WAS A TRUE RADIO LEGEND.
THANK YOU, KENT, FOR LETTING ME TALK ABOUT HIM.
I’M SAD, BUT I THINK OF ALL THE SHOWS AND INTERVIEWS I DID WITH HIM OVER THE YEARS AND I’M HAPPY TO HAVE KNOWN HIM.
SEE YA, WOO WOO!
YOUR FRIEND,
FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON
As many of you may already know, Freddy does some beautiful pencil drawings … in fact, a few of our list members have purchased these before … and he just sent this along to share with everyone …
KENT,
I DON’T KNOW IF EVERYONE KNOWS THAT I DRAW IN PENCIL.
THIS IS ARNIE GISBURG … I DREW HIM TODAY.
THIS IS GOING TO THE STATION IN BOSTON, THE NEW WMEX … HOPE YOU LIKE IT. DICK CLARK’S WIFE SAID THAT I’M THE ONLY ONE SHE KNOWS WHO DRAWS IN PENCIL, OTHER THAN TONY BENNETT. PLEASE LET EVERYONE KNOW.
THANKS!
FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON
When we first showcased some of Freddy’s drawings a few years back in FH, several people ordered some. Here’s a link to that vintage piece …
And also a link to ordering Freddy’s biography, written with another one of our Forgotten Hits buddies, Mr. Mark Bego …
Several readers wrote in to tell about Benny Mardones’ death yesterday. (Oddly enough, we had just featured Benny last week performing “United We Stand!!!”)
Of course his BIG hit was “Into The Night” … a Top 20 smash TWICE!!! … first in 1980 (#9 in Record World, #11 in Billboard) and then again nine years later in 1989 when it peaked at #20.
Over the years, more than a few readers have written in to say that they were more than a little “creeped out” by the fact that a then (1980) 33 year old Mardones was singing about a sixteen year old (hell, even RINGO doesn’t do that anymore!!! Lol) but there is absolutely NO denying his powerful voice and conviction in delivering this song.
Mardones was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease back in 2000. He last performed the song in 2017 at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New York … but just last year the song was revived once again when a remixed version went to #35 on Billboard’s Dance Club Chart.
FH Reader John LaPuzza sent us this announcement …
I am deeply saddened to announce that Benny Mardones, artist and writer of 3x Billboard Charted Record “INTO THE NIGHT,” has died at 73.
Benny died peacefully at 1:15 am in his home in Menifee, CA, on June 29, 2020 with his loving wife at his side. He died from complications of Parkinson’s disease. In addition to his wife Jane, Benny is survived by his son Michael and sister Louise. Benny was born Ruben Armand Mardones in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 9, 1946, and his father, Ruben Mardones, Sr., was from Santiago, Chile.
Benny Mardones is a name you might not be familiar with, but as soon as you hear the first “signature” chords of "Into The Night," you will instantly know the song and the artist. He exploded onto the music scene in 1980 and was quickly nicknamed "The Voice," a title earned because of his incredible range as well as his soulful and passionate performances. "Into The Night" has been played over 8 Million times and to this day is still one of the most frequently played rock tunes in America.
As part of his legacy, Benny’s final wish and his ultimate gift was to donate his body after-death to Parkinson’s for advanced medical research and education.
"I have lost my husband and the love of my life. Not a day went by without Benny telling me how much he loved me. When he knew the end was coming and near coma, he would ask me to come close and struggle to sing “I’ve Got You.” For the last 12 years, he would often surprise me with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers and a note attached saying in Danish “Jeg Elsker Dig” (I Love You)," said his wife Jane.
A Memorial Service will be announced in the near future.
Congratulations to Bob Dylan, who this week becomes the first artist in pop music history to chart at least one new Top 40 Album in every decade from the 1960’s thru the 2020’s.
His latest release, “Rough And Rowdy Ways,” debuts this week at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart. (In 2009, his album “Together Through Life” went all the way to #1. “Rough And Rowdy Ways” marks Dylan’s 23rd Top Ten Album … and 50th Top 40 LP release!)
Bob Dylan made his Billboard Top 200 debut nearly 57 years ago with the LP “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” which premiered on the chart dated September 7th, 1963. During his long-standing career, he placed eight albums in Billboard’s Top 40 in the ‘60’s, fourteen albums in the ‘70’s, seven in the ‘80’s, four in the ‘90’s, seven in he ‘00’s, nine in the ‘10’s and now his first in the ‘20’s.
You may recall that anticipation for this release was first fueled a couple of months ago when a 17-minute track, “Murder Most Foul” (written about the Kennedy assassination) was released. (We featured it here in Forgotten Hits way back then.)
What a remarkable career this man has had. (kk)
Now it’s The Rolling Stones threatening legal action if President Trump continues to use their music in unauthorized and unlicensed ways to further his campaign. (This has been going on for years … and they’re not putting up with it any longer.)
In a statement released Sunday, The Stones said that “BMI have notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that the unauthorized use of their songs will constitute a breach of its licensing agreement. If Donald Trump disregards the exclusion and persists, then he would face a lawsuit for breaking the embargo and playing music that has not been licensed."
Hi Kent,
Just read this fun story in The Smithsonian Magazine about George Harrison visiting his sister in Benton, IL, in 1963. It chronicles how she pushed the local radio station and record stores to play the, then unknown, Beatles 45's George brought over from England.
I noticed you included her efforts in your research but wonder if this article provides any new information ...(?)
For Truth. Justice. And the Blue Jay Way.
Phil
Although I’ve never actually met Louise Harrison, I have noticed that the stories of her involvement of trying to get the “locals” in Benton, IL to pay attention to her brother’s records from English have gotten a little bit more embellished over the passing of time. (The two had a falling-out later in life but reportedly reconciled shortly before George’s death in 2001.)
Many thought that if she really HAD gotten one of the local stations down there to play one of The Beatles’ records during George’s visit in September, it may have been the first time a Beatles record was ever played in America … even if it meant that virtually NOBODY heard it.
But our research dug even further back … to February of 1963, in fact … when Dick Biondi played The Beatles’ #1 UK Hit “Please Please Me” on his program. (WLS even charted this released … with the band’s name misspelled with two “T’s” … for two weeks that winter.)
You can read ALL about it here … in our first landmark series, “Who Played The First Beatles Record In America.” (kk)
One of your readers mentioned Buster Brown's 1960 revival of "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby." That song, of course, featured in the World War II movie "Follow The Boys," was originally both a pop and R&B smash for Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee Louis Jordan in 1944.
Gary Theroux
"The History of Rock 'n' Roll"
Hi Kent -
Thanks for including my very first single "Don't Stand Up In A Canoe" on your Summer Songs list. It was written by the same guys who wrote Brian Hyland’s hit record "Itsy Bitsy Yellow Poka Dot Bikini." A year later, they wrote "Leader of the Laundromat" for the Detergents.
I am putting together a September release of Cartoon Songs, including unreleased Archies, Spiderman and The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan.
Praying this virus lets up and all the performers can get back on the road entertaining the fans once again.
Stay safe and we'll meet again.
Ron Dante
Hope all is well, Kent –
I assume when most of your readers see this signature, they simply keep reading. I stop and say out loud, “whoa!”
>>>Danny Prosseda - Lead Guitar (The Aladdins, Household Sponge, Head Shop)
Would you mind forwarding Danny my email address? I’d like to learn more about his bands. The Household Sponge (I knew they had morphed into Head Shop) in particular had a great 45. I don’t recall the Aladdins connection.
Also ... I love to see the Teddy & The Pandas mentions. I was in contact with the band and their archivist, Bob Wallis, for years and they have several unreleased recordings that are also pretty great. They were a very talented group and well worthy of the Forgotten Hits coverage.
Thank you!
Best,
Mike Dugo
Happy to pass along your info, Mike.
(Forgotten Hits Readers may remember that many years ago Mike, who used to run the awesome 60sGarageBands.com website, put together our countdown of The Top 50 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands, based on votes received by our readers. You can catch that entire series here:
Be sure to check it out if this is one of your favorite ‘60’s genres! (kk)
Harvey Kubernik has just written a piece on the brand new Johnny Cash release, “The Complete Mercury Recordings, 1986 – 1991” and the new Greatest Hits Album “Easy Rider: The Best Of The Mercury Recordings.”
Here is just a brief preview …
If you like to see more, drop us a line and we’ll forward it along …
Or check out your favorite source for new music and order a copy for your collection! (kk)
JOHNNY CASH’S MERCURY RECORDS NOW OUT VIA MERCURY / UME
HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO RE-EXAMINE THIS PERIOD OF THE GREAT JOHNNY CASH’S CAREER WITH A SUITE OF NEWLY REMASTERED RELEASES INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE SIX ALBUM VINYL AND CD BOX SETS, THE COMPLETE MERCURY RECORDINGS 1986-1991, AND A NEW GREATEST HITS SET,
EASY RIDER: THE BEST OF THE MERCURY RECORDINGS;
CASH’S MERCURY ALBUMS REISSUED ON VINYL
Harvey Kubernik on Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan By Harvey Kubernik © 2020
In the mid-1980s as Johnny Cash found himself between labels, Mercury Records snatched up the country legend for what would end up being a prolific string of six albums in five years.
The records, released from 1986 to 1991, were a diverse collection that included a notable reunion with fellow Sun Records alumni Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, star-studded collaborations with Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr. and others, inspired takes on songs from Elvis Costello, Guy Clark and Harry Chapin, the Man in Black revisiting his classic hits, and some of the finest songs ever written by Cash. Despite the quality of material, Cash’s stint with Mercury has never been revisited — until now.
The Mercury / UMe record label announcement touted “Cash's often overlooked and underappreciated chapter of his body of work is now available for revisiting with a suite releases via Mercury / UMe including a comprehensive new box set, The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991, and a new greatest hits album, Easy Rider: The Best Of The Mercury Recordings, a newly assembled collection that compiles 24 highlights selected from Cash's Mercury catalog. Easy Rider is available to stream now or as a single CD or double LP.
“The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991, available digitally, on 7CD or 7LP on 180-gram vinyl, collects all six albums – Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming (1986), Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town (1987), Water from the Wells of Home (1988), Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series (1988), Boom Chicka Boom (1990) and The Mystery of Life (1991), and – that Cash recorded during his Mercury tenure and presents them together for the first time in a slipcase emblazoned with the distinctive bold Cash logo,” detailed the Mercury / UMe label statement.
All of the albums have been remastered from the original Mercury master tapes by noted engineer Kevin Reeves at UMG Studios Nashville. The set was assembled by Grammy Award-winning producer Bill Levenson and features extensive new liner notes by veteran music journalist Scott Schinder.
I've been reading all of the comments about the race relation "problem" we're facing, and I agree with your feelings 100%.
I've never been partial to anyone's race or religion; I accept people for who they are, not what they look like.
But one thing that's always plagued me are these two old TV shows from the 1950s that ran concurrently, and lasted for about the same length of time.
I've never been partial to anyone's race or religion; I accept people for who they are, not what they look like.
But one thing that's always plagued me are these two old TV shows from the 1950s that ran concurrently, and lasted for about the same length of time.
The two shows were basically the same; they revolved around a couple of buddies who were decent human beings, worked hard, lived in lower-middle class surroundings, and were always coming up with crazy schemes to make tons of money and create better lives for themselves and their wives. Neither of the pairs ever succeeded, but were always digging their holes deeper and deeper, ending up looking like fools.
Pretty much self-explanatory, but I’m talking about "Amos and Andy" and "The Honeymooners."
Pretty much self-explanatory, but I’m talking about "Amos and Andy" and "The Honeymooners."
As a kid, in the early 1950s, I saw every episode of both shows, many times, over and over. The Honeymooners ran in its first run from '55 to '57, I believe, and Amos & Andy from '53 to '55. Then they ran in reruns, seemingly forever.
But around 1965, the NAACP stepped in and ordered that the Amos & Andy reruns be taken off the air.
But around 1965, the NAACP stepped in and ordered that the Amos & Andy reruns be taken off the air.
Why?
Because, as I read it in one story, it made black people look stupid and ignorant, or something to that extent.
"Amos & Andy" didn't exactly show these two guys in the best of lights, but they weren't criminals or anything like that. They were just Sad Sacks who didn't think things out enough before diving into crazy schemes heads-first.
Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton were white versions of Amos and Andy, but nobody every complained about THEM being stupid or weird, or anything like that. They remained in syndication for decades. They might still be on cable somewhere.
If we can't learn to laugh at ourselves for being goofy and making silly mistakes, then there should be an awfully large number of TV shows being removed for being offensive. Step back and think about all of the family-oriented sitcoms that have run on US TV since the 50s. A goodly number of them revolve around families where stupid things are being done on a regular basis.
Mike Wolstein
"Amos & Andy" didn't exactly show these two guys in the best of lights, but they weren't criminals or anything like that. They were just Sad Sacks who didn't think things out enough before diving into crazy schemes heads-first.
Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton were white versions of Amos and Andy, but nobody every complained about THEM being stupid or weird, or anything like that. They remained in syndication for decades. They might still be on cable somewhere.
If we can't learn to laugh at ourselves for being goofy and making silly mistakes, then there should be an awfully large number of TV shows being removed for being offensive. Step back and think about all of the family-oriented sitcoms that have run on US TV since the 50s. A goodly number of them revolve around families where stupid things are being done on a regular basis.
Mike Wolstein
Without opening up a whole NEW can of worms, (too late!), I guess I just don’t understand the logic of trying to present these television characters with some sense of “acceptable normalcy” and then have them act over the top ridiculous in those roles. This has been happening with the way black characters have been portrayed on television since the beginning of time (primarily on television sitcoms, as we have seen MANY fine, fine dramas featuring black actors in exemplary roles) but now even more so when presenting gay characters.
If you want society to accept this alternative lifestyle as a normal way of life in today’s world, then why write these characters as so flamboyantly, over-the-top gay? It’s as if this seems to be the only way to draw extra attention to themselves. If they were presented as “normal” and NOT out of the ordinary, more of society would come to accept them as such.
But instead this BIG deal is made about these two guys kissing and these two guys are in love … when, in fact, in heterosexual relationships, it is NEVER portrayed this way. (OMG, this boy kissed THAT girl!!!) It doesn't need to be pointed out ... it just IS!!!
Show this as a normal way of life and more and more people will come around to accepting it as such. Show it as over-the-top stereotypes and be prepared for things to continue as they have throughout time ... and the very concept of "gay" will continue to isolate these characters from the rest of society as NOT normal and not fitting in. (Honestly, I don’t understand why more and more of these actors don’t put their foot down and DEMAND that their characters be better written.)
Sadly, part of the reason seems to be an inherent need to draw this attention to themselves. Why? Why can’t ALL relationships be presented as they really are? He loves her, he kisses her, he marries her … He loves HIM, he kisses him, he marries him. Why does it have to be any more than that? Straight people don't walk around saying "Look at me ... I'm straight" yet FAR too many gay television personalities seem to feel the need to draw attention to themselves and say, "Look at me ... I'm different ... I'm special." You'll have a MUCH easier time convincing mainstream America that you are "normal" (which is the way you claim you want to be treated) if you simply start ACTING normal and stop playing up the need for attention to focus on what it is that makes you "different." You can't say, "I want to be treated like any other human being ... and then go over the top in the most flamboyant way possible to show yourself in a completely different light! Try showing things in a perfectly acceptable and presentable manner AS normal and then you really CAN start to change the way people think … and finally break some of these mental barriers down. (kk)
*****
On this date in 1970:
June 30th – Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati opens
Speaking of "On This Date in 1970," be sure to stop by THIS SATURDAY (on the 4th of July) to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of a Radio Milestone Event. (And get your votes in NOW for your Summer Favorites ... the deadline is right around the corner!) kk
