re: A NEW WAY OF MEASURING THE CHARTS?:
Hi Kent,
Just in case you haven't seen this I thought I'd pass it along.
It's from a company called Big Champagne who claims they have a better mouse trap.
They may be on to something.
Bill
http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1672176/print
Here's what noted Media Analyst Jerry Del Colliano had to say about this new way of measuring the charts ...
THE ULTIMATE CHART - NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET
When I took over as program director at a major market top 40 station, the first record promotion man to visit me walked in, sat down (with the door open) and pulled out a checkbook.
He said, “how much do you want?”
It’s not like I was naive about payola, but his frankness was still disconcerting.
Maybe because I am an east coast guy I am not that always so trusting.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked (maybe even loved) those Runyonesque characters who pushed program directors to play music they were paid to work.
However, I didn’t always believe them.
When they sat in my office and pulled out Billboard to show me the “bullet” the record they were working "earned" this week, I would take the magazine and page through to see if their label bought any full page ads. Maybe the label bought the "bullet", I thought.
I told you I was not that trusting.
However, I, like a lot of program directors, lived and died by local research that our stations conducted.
Still, creative record promoters would bring free albums, gifts or God knows what to the various record stores in the listening area so that these stores would report hyped sales that exaggerated the record's real sales performance when the station called.
Listener input was important but I caught the labels paying people to call in and request their songs over and over again. All's fair in love and the record business. It was all part of the game.
I liked Radio & Records because I could track what other stations like mine were adding and how songs were moving up and down the charts. But at no time did I ever believe music charts like the ones in Billboard really mattered to anyone other than the labels and the artists.
Still true today.
Which is why I was so pleased to see my friend Eric Garland of Big Champagne debut The Ultimate Chart based on online streams and social networking services – not just sales and airplay.
Now this chart has the potential to mean something to everyone – after all what is a music chart in this day and age that doesn’t adequately factor in online and social networking? That’s right, Billboard.
Here’s how The Ultimate Chart does it.
They measure legitimate music services such as YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. The strategy is sound because there are so many more things that are relevant to what makes music successful than primarily record sales and airplay. There is also television, ring tones and other ways to judge success.
If you study The Ultimate Chart you will see discrepancies between the results they report and Billboard – as it should be.
In a recent New York Times article on The Ultimate Chart, the writer said,
“For the week that ended July 11, Billboard’s Hot 100 had Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” at No. 1 and Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” at No. 2. The Ultimate Chart, measuring the week to July 13, had those songs in reverse order. But No. 3 on the Ultimate Chart — Shakira’s World Cup song, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” — is a distant No. 39 on Billboard; the Ultimate’s No. 4, Eminem’s “Not Afraid,” is No. 11.
The most notable disparity is Justin Bieber’s “Baby,” which is No. 5 on the Ultimate Chart; on the Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 5 in February, but fell off the chart entirely in June.
That would seem to indicate the continued popularity of the song — or at least of Mr. Bieber — on social-media networks even if downloads and radio play have cooled. For artists and record companies, that extra attention can mean the difference between a blip and a long-lasting hit”.
Being number one can also be a disadvantage – I’m speaking of Billboard now.
While they play with their methodology, Billboard has not seen fit to embrace the Ultimate Chart’s approach. Billboard several years ago relented a bit when it started factoring in AOL and Yahoo in their chart compilation but have been slow to reflect the radical swing to online and social networking influences.
The labels show a willingness to look at all type of data that on the surface would indicate that they, indeed, have open minds.
In reality, record labels only use the data that helps them sell an artist or product. So if it were delivered to them by Charles Manson and it showed upward growth of their artist(s) then the chart is good.
I’m kidding – I'm kidding.
What this Billboard challenge tells us is what we’ve been saying all along – that the music industry has changed even if the labels have not.
Consumers can like an artist, cherry pick a tune, go to a concert (or not as the concert industry is beginning to find out), buy merchandise and more without having to have a top ten song.
In the music industry, a song that has earned its “bullet” in Billboard shows the most growth.
Example: debuting on the charts at #39 with a "bullet" is euphoria.
Number one with a "bullet" means the song is so big it is not yet out of juice – something we see a lot less of these days.
With that in mind, Eric Garland’s Big Champagne if it successfully turns the focus on how real people consume music and not how the record industry wishes they did, then I would say it earned a number one with a "bullet" for The Ultimate Chart.
-- Jerry Del Colliano
re: THE OLDE DISC JOCKEY ALMANAC:
Hi Kent,
I think your readers, in particular, will enjoy The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac. It is information I started collecting years ago while working at Oldies radio stations and discovering that everything available in the marketplace was focused on newer music and younger celebrities. The scope of it has expanded in recent years but, at its heart, my database -- and now its online extension, the Almanac -- is a place for mature listeners and readers who appreciate that not all important and interesting music and events happened in the last ten years.
Continued success (and fun) with Forgotten Hits!
Bob Dearborn
It's a very cool site, Bob ... and I think with so many jocks on the list, they'll find your site a constant source of information! (kk)
re: KEITH:
George Fischoff, writer of Keith's big hit, has an unusual off-Broadway musical that's currently running in New York: http://gauguinthemusical.com/
David Lewis
Hey Kent,
I never knew that The Hollies had originally written that song. I thought it was written by Fogelberg and it is one of my favorites of his. I've never heard the Hollies or Keith versions.
Thank You,
Eddie Burke,
Orange, CT
Keith's was the first version I ever heard of this ... it was a fair-sized hit here in Chicago back in 1967. I love the Dan Fogelberg / Tim Weisberg version, too ... I think they did an outstanding job with this one. The Hollies' original was the one I discovered last ... but I totally enjoy all three of these arrangements and interpretations. A good song is a good song is a good song ... so how come nobody plays this one?!?!? (See, that's what Forgotten Hits is all about!!!) kk
Veerrrry interestink ... especially the version by Keith.
I hadn't heard his or the Hollies' version before. I still prefer the one from the twin sons of different mothers.
Dube
re: PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS:
It appears that the link you posted to sign a petition urging Jann Wenner to add the Raiders to the R&RHOF is both unconnected to the band and actually a device placed here by an outside entity to get people to sign up for junk e-mail. The Raiders, of course, should have been inducted years ago, but Jann Wenner, as we all know, will only allow the induction of people he happens to personally like. I'm not sure, but it appears that Jann still holds a decades-old grudge against the Raiders for having the audacity to release an anti-drug song ("Kicks," in 1965) and fool hipper-than-thou FM radio programmers (and Rolling Stone) in 1969 by releasing a Raiders album under the name Pink Puzz. The hipper than thou raved about the wonderful new LP by a hot new group until they discovered that Pink Puzz was actually The Raiders -- an AM radio supergroup FM had previously refused to play. Under any name, the LP commercially released as "Alias Pink Puzz" is still great and tracks like "Let Me" (from it) fully deserved all the heavy FM airplay they got -- before being yanked off the air as suddenly "uncool." The rest of us, of course, knew just how terrific "Let Me" was and is -- and it sold a million.
Gary Theroux
The Raiders link was provided by a reader ... I never personally went there ... but I'm surprised to hear it's not legit as this guy used to roadie for the band and his best intention is to have the group finally recognized for their musical contributions to The History Of Rock And Roll ... so I don't quite get that.
Meanwhile, "Let Me" is a GREAT, long-forgotten Paul Revere and the Raiders hit ... so many of their latter-day singles are completely ignored by oldies radio today ... but tracks like "I Had A Dream", "Too Much Talk", "Don't Take It So Hard", "Let Me" and "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" are all GREAT tracks worthy of a spin now and again ... and nearly ALL of these were Top 20 Hits in the first place! (kk)
re: BOBBY HEBB:
KK,
With the recent passing of singer Bobby Hebb, I would like to know if anyone remembers an instrumental recording of his song by a group called THE NEW BREED. It came out one year later on the Jamie record label. It did fairly well here in OKC. I don't know how it did nationally without going to check it.
Larry
Although it was recorded by hundreds of artists, Bobby Hebb had the only charted version of "Sunny" ... evidently The New Breed edition was a regional hit down Oklahoma-way. Anybody got a copy of this to share? (kk)
Photograph: David Redfern / Redferns
I don't know if you caught this picture, obit and article from the UK ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/aug/05/bobby-hebb-obituary
Bill
Bobby Hebb obituary: US singer-songwriter whose greatest hit -- much recorded by others -- was "Sunny" --Richard Williams Guardian.co UK
Bobby Hebb wrote Sunny as a reaction to the murder in 1963 of his brother, a day after President Kennedy’s assassination.
The summer of 1966 was full of new songs that seemed to radiate sunshine Рamong them Manfred Mann's Pretty Flamingo, the Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City, the Beach Boys' God Only Knows, the Kinks' Sunny Afternoon, Chris Montez's The More I See You, Bob Lind's Elusive Butterfly and the Sandpipers' Guantanamera Рbut none has lasted better than Sunny, written and recorded by the singer Bobby Hebb, who has died of lung cancer, aged 72.Hebb's recording sold 1m copies in the US and the song went on to become one of the most frequently played and performed of its era. The hundreds of artists who recorded their own versions include Marvin Gaye, Dusty Springfield, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra (with Duke Ellington), Cher, Jos̩ Feliciano, Wes Montgomery, James Brown, the Ventures, the Four Seasons, Nancy Wilson, Jimmy Smith, the Four Tops, Booker T and the MGs and
Boney M.
The original, however, remains unquestionably the greatest: two minutes and 44 seconds of unrepeatable pop-soul alchemy, recorded almost as an afterthought at the end of a session in which greater attention had been paid to other songs. A two-second snare-drum roll, an irresistibly cool bass figure, the mentholated chimes of a vibraphone, and a guitar and a hi-hat italicising the backbeat introduced Hebb's light-toned but unmistakably ardent voice, soon buttressed by a purring horn section, kicking drums and cooing backup vocals. It was a gift to discotheques everywhere.
Hebb, a struggling songwriter, had written the song several years earlier, and its lyric provoked speculation. "Very few people know what I really meant when I said 'Sunny'," he told an interviewer from Nashville Scene. "Who I was talking to, or what I was talking about ... that still remains a mystery because it can be taken in quite a few ways." But the answer was, he continued, quite straightforward: "'Sunny' is your disposition. You either have a sunny disposition or you have a lousy disposition."
He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of blind musicians, and he and his brother Harold, who was six years older, performed on the street as part of the family's washboard band, Hebb's Kitchen Cabinet Orchestra, while they were still children. In his teens, Hebb became the only black member of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys, playing the spoons and other instruments, at a time when commercial country music was an exclusively white preserve.
It was in the jazz and R&B clubs of north Nashville, however, that he was spending most of his time, playing the guitar and trumpet, which he had learned during military service with the US navy. He is said to have appeared on a Bo Diddley recording, Diddley Daddy, during a trip to Chicago in 1955, singing back-up or playing spoons, but there is no aural evidence of the latter. He also sang with a doo-wop group, the Hi-Fis, played on sessions with Kid King's Combo for the Excello label, accompanying the singers Jimmy Church and Earl Gaines, and made his debut recordings under his own name for the disc jockey John Richbourg's Rich Records.
In 1961 he moved to New York, where he found a more congenial artistic climate. Sunny would be written there, partly as a reaction to the death of his brother, who was murdered outside a Nashville nightclub in November 1963, the day after John F Kennedy's assassination. "I needed to pick myself up," Hebb said. The song came to him one morning when he had just returned to his home in Harlem from an all-night music session and a bout of heavy drinking, the sight of a purple dawn being its immediate inspiration.
First recorded in 1965 by a Japanese singer, Mieko Hirota, it was also featured on an album by the vibraphonist Dave Pike that year before Hebb was finally persuaded to record it by his producer, Jerry Ross. "It was done as the last thing on the session, when we only had a few minutes left," Hebb told Goldmine magazine. The result went to No 2 in Billboard's top 40 pop charts and No 12 in the British hit parade, where it fought off competition from Georgie Fame's instant cover version. Later, in 1966, Hebb joined the Beatles' third tour of the US, their final live appearances, sharing the bill with the Ronettes, the Cyrkle and the Remains. Hebb never managed to repeat the magic of Sunny, although some of his subsequent singles, including A Satisfied Mind, Love Me and Love Love Love, became favourites with northern soul fans in the UK. One further hit came his way as a composer when A Natural Man won a Grammy for Lou Rawls in 1971. Alcoholism, later overcome, hindered his performing career, which petered out in the early 1970s. Later in that decade, there was an attempt to squeeze an extra ounce of juice out of his greatest hit when he released a disco version titled Sunny '76. In 2004, soon after moving back to his home town, he appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in 49 years and was featured in a Country Music Hall of Fame exhibition titled Night Train to Memphis: Music City Rhythm and Blues 1945-1970. The following year he recorded his first album in 35 years, That's All I Wanna Know, and in 2008 he made a short tour of Japan. His last years were spent in Nashville.
He is survived by his daughter, Kitoto, and four sisters.
• Bobby (Robert Von) Hebb, singer and songwriter, born 26 July 1938; died 3 August 2010
re: SAM COOKE:
Sam Cooke - Another Saturday Night - 1963 (recorded on / at ... later)
First off, I reported two different Sam Cooke, Remastered DSD CDs, by ABKCO, had the Stereo channels reversed with whatever songs they shared. Well, I was in ERROR!
Allow me to explain, because, you (and others, too) may have a similar problem.
I "ripped" one CD, then attempted to "rip" the other. However, the CD player had a problem reading the second CD, so I used the second CD player in a Dell computer. That's where the Stereo channels were reversed!! I later took the two CDs to work to verify my suspicion! They both (Stereo channels) were correct when played in a common, single CD player!
I asked myself, how long have I been swapping Stereo channels? Probably a long time, since I believe the CD player I usually use has the Stereo channels reversed!! I also asked myself, how are you able to know what is correct? The bottom line is, you can't!!! Okay, you can use the law of average and try various CD players, but since I'm a perfectionist, I bought a Test CD that defines Left and Right Stereo channels!!
This appears to be a common CD player problem, since, during my Internet investigation, I found instances of CD ripping software that allows you to swap CD Stereo channels!! To the best of my knowledge, there is no easy way to electrically swap the Stereo channels of an internal computer CD ( / DVD) Player!
For most people, this doesn't present a problem; who cares what content is in the Stereo channels, as long as it's different! However, I like to keep things technically correct, and since your hearing capabilities aren't exactly the same in both ears, it could present a problem!!
Anyway, as I previously mentioned, unlike other Sam Cooke songs, this particular song was actually remixed from the session tape. Sounds more detailed than other Sam Cooke CDs I have. When you find alternate versions, that's a sign the Session tapes were discovered. Unlike their pride and joy - Elvis, RCA (or BMG) seems to have discarded most of Sam's session recording tapes!
Notice - horns, sax solo and backing vocals are in the Left Stereo channel. Notice - Sam sometimes sings "chick" but backing vocals sing "someone". Notice - the lyric change in the opening of the song between the alternate and hit versions!
Edited Hit Version, unknown Take # ...
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/satnight-r.mp3
Alternate Version, Take #8 ...
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/satnight.mp3
Best,
John
Hi Kent ...
I ran across a story in the August 13th edition of Goldmine (music collector's magazine) that August 12th is Vinyl Record Day and thought you would be interested.
The date was apparently selected to coincide with the anniversary of Thomas Edison's invention in 1877 of the phonograph. Gary Frieberg of California came up with the celebration in 2002. The purpose is said to increase awareness of the importance of preserving our audio history
Do you remember your first vinyl music? Of course I had a few Beatles' 45's and LPs in the 60's that I would love to own now. Some of the first records I purchased go back to the late 50's including Laurie London's "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands," Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans" and "Sink the Bismark," and Connie Francis' "Lipstick On Your Collar."
Just thought this list would be interested.
Enjoy!
Chris Jones
We're ALL about those "First 45's", Chris ... just check out the listings on our website!!! (Where we just posted YOUR list, too!!!) kk
re: WOODSTOCK:
Wow ... has it REALLY been a year since we did our 40 Year Anniversary Tribute to Woodstock?!?!? Man, where did the year go?!?!?
You can relive the whole experience right here:
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2009_08_09_archive.html
re: GOODBYE TO LOVE:
>>>We heard Tony Peluso talking about his incredible guitar solo on "Goodbye To Love" ... while this is now a common practice on power ballads (and has been for YEARS), this was the FIRST time such a solo had been attempted. (kk)
And I venture to say that it's probably still the only one with such beautiful vocal harmony behind it.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
re: JAY AND THE AMERICANS:
I've always been a big fan of Jay & the Americans, but am a little torn over this story. The guy that actually sang all the songs - Jay Black, had a lot of gambling debts and was forced to sell the name of the group, which a backup singer bought. They immediately brought in "another Jay" that had been singing the songs in a tribute band and "Jay & the Americans" are back in business, but the original singer, Jay Black is out in the cold! Good for the new JAY ... but sucks for the REAL JAY ... you decide!
Wild Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRHqbAEEt60&feature=related
This is a tough call ... Jay Black (the so-called "Real" Jay) was forced to sell out his connection to the band to pay off those gambling debts ... that was a court-mandated decision. (Black reportedly said at one point "But I don't have anything of value" to which the judge came up with THIS solution.) But Jay Black wasn't the ORIGINAL Jay in Jay and the Americans ... that distinction belongs to Jay Traynor, who still performs his only "Americans" hit "She Cried" when he sings with The Tokens. The lion's share of the Jay and the Americans hits came under the reign of Jay Black (real name David Blatt) ... and Black still performs these songs (in a voice that is absolutely INCREDIBLE for a man who is 72 years old!) ... so we DO have the choice as to which Jay we want to see in concert ... Traynor (with The Tokens), Black (doing the songs the way they sounded on the records as a solo act), or "New" Jay (Jon Reinke), who performs with the original Americans in concert today.
For the complete story on how he obtained the rights to do so (it really is fascinating!), check out "Chapter 3" of the Jay and the Americans Story here:
Click here: Jay and the Americans
re: PERHAPS SOMEBODY WILL BE WILLING TO SHELL OUT THIS KIND OF MONEY ... IN THE YEAR 2525!!!:
Kent ...
Check out the prices on sale of some of these famous guitars.
Frank B.
Zager latest musician to sell famous strings - Omaha.com
If you have a quarter-million dollars, Denny Zager has a deal for you.
The Lincoln guitarist and singer is offering up his guitar for $252,500 on eBay.
Zager was half of Zager & Evans, a pop duo in the ’60s and ’70s, and helped write “In the Year 2525,” the No. 1 pop hit for six weeks in 1969 and one of the biggest one-hit wonders ever.
The guitar up for sale is the ’60s-era Yamaha FG 300 acoustic that Zager used to record and perform “In the Year 2525.” He also used it for years after that.
Zager’s far from the first famous guy to sell a guitar, either while living or posthumously. There’s Eric Clapton’s black Stratocaster, George Harrison’s Gibson from his Beatles days, the guitar Jimi Hendrix famously lit on fire in 1967 and more. See Page 2E for a list of some famous guitars, and what they sold for:
» Denny Zager’s Yamaha FG 300 — $252,500 (asking price, 2010)
» Eric Clapton’s black Fender Stratocaster nicknamed “Blackie” — $959,500 (2004) » Kurt Cobain of Nirvana’s smashed ’70s Fender Mustang — $100,000 (2008)
» Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Fender Stratocaster — $168,000 (2006)
» Jimi Hendrix’s scorched 1965 Fender Stratocaster — $493,638 (2008)
» Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple’s 1974 Fender Stratocaster — $17,925
» George Harrison of the Beatles’ 1964 Gibson SG — $567,500 (2004)
» Prince’s custom yellow electric Cloud — $7,993 (2005)
» Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones’ ’60s 12-string Harmony acoustic — $33,460 (2004)
» Pete Townshend of the Who’s 1967 Gibson SG Special — $64,219 (2008)
» John Lennon of the Beatles’ 1958 Hofner Senator Guitar — $337,226 (2009)
» Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead’s ’60s Gibson SG Special — $41,825 (2004)
» John Lennon and George Harrison’s custom 1996 Vox Kensington — $210,347 (2004)
A little steep for my budget, Frank, but thanks for sharing! (I'm still waiting for my FREE guitar to show up from Danelectro!!! lol) All kidding aside, Anthony Marc, owner of Danelectro, sent me some really cool pedals and a mini-amp, along with a VERY nice hand-written note:
"Hello, Brother Kent,
I thought you might enjoy this 'Mini Amp'.
I know it is not a guitar, but hopefully you will have fun with it!
Best Regards,
Brother Tony
P.S. Enjoy the pedals, too!"
What a VERY, very nice, sweet thing to do ... thank you, Brother Tony, I truly do appreciate it. (You DO know I was just kidding around, right?!?!? lol) Just didn't want to let this pass without at least letting the readers know and sending along a public Thank You. (kk)
re: A COUPLE OF COOL VIDEOS:
Here's one of Forgotten Hits' favorites on youTube ...
I'm not sure, but is Charlene doing a toned-down Joe Cocker?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezBWBf36724
David Lewis
Here's Bill Haley on the David Frost Show from 1969!
DJ Stu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sviQEWaHQkg
We were watching Haley in the film "Rock Around The Clock" the other night on TCM ... LOTS of vintage rock and roll flicks aired last week, including "Bye Bye Birdie", "Elvis On Tour", "Jailhouse Rock", "Don't Knock The Twist" and several others ... all showing in PRISTINE condition. Yeah, most of 'em are dated ... but they sure are fun to watch. (kk)
Check the website for upcoming showtimes:
Click here: Turner Classic Movie Monthly Schedule and Featured Movie Stars from our Classic Movie Program
And, with the anniversary of Elvis' death tomorrow ... (can you believe it's really been 33 years since Elvis died?!?!?) ... you'll find ALL kinds of Elvis movies and specials across the television dial. (kk)
Kent ...
Check out this 4 year old kid. I'm trying to remember what I was doing when I was 4.
Frank B.
HOWARD DRUM SHOW
re: FORGOTTEN HITS REVIEWS:
Hey Kent,
I picked up a copy of Elvis On Tour this past week. It's the first time it has been released on dvd. It was one of the first video cassettes I bought back in the early 80s. I own a lot of the Elvis concert releases, and I have always thought this was one of the best because of the behind the scenes footage.
Phil - Wrco
There seems to be a really big push on for this one .. especially the BluRay Version. (I REFUSE to succumb to the BluRay phenomena ... I've re-bought all of this stuff three or four times already!!! lol) Ironically, this thing just comes out on DVD to all kinds of fanfare and then one of the cable channels runs it for FREE this past weekend!
We ALMOST tied in a trip to Graceland into one of our recent long road trips ... but decided to wait until we could better plan a proper trip to Memphis to see some of the OTHER cool sites along the way, too. (Drove around the area a little bit 'tho ... ya know, it doesn't just doesn't seem right to me to have a street named after Dr. Martin Luther King in the city in which he was shot and killed!!! I mean, I know that there are "Martin Luther King Drives" and "Ways" throughout the USA ... but having one in Memphis just seems wrong to me!!!) kk
With the passing of Bobby Hebb this week the last thing I should be doing is reviewing this series of DVDs, Final 24 … but being devoted to Janis Joplin, I had to give this one a spin.
There are a batch of these “Final 24″ discs focusing on major musicians with some questionable characters and their stories thrown in to boot: Anna Nicole Smith, David Koresh, Nicole Brown Simpson, Sid Vicious, Gianni Versace (the subject of a Marty Balin song from his new album Blue Highway; actually the first single), John Belushi and Keith Moon.
As these things go, I was surprised at how well it is put together, despite its morbid aspect. There are valid and credible people talking on-camera including Sam Andrew and John Till, the two guitarists who were with her (separately) from the beginning of her fame to the conclusion. Andrew was in Big Brother & The Holding Company and half of Kozmic Blues Band. John Till played one date with Andrew together onstage passing the mantle, so to speak, to Till who was the sole guitarist from the latter part of Kozmic Blues Band right up to Joplin’s passing. It should be noted that the stylistically different but equally brilliant James Gurley, who left us December 20, 2009, was part of the two guitar blast of Big Brother & The Holding Company (check out the book review published recently on TMR Zoo). Author of Buried Alive (and Joplin’s publicist) Myra Friedman and road manager John Cooke (who has written liner notes on the Sony CD re-releases) are also included on this viewable re-telling of the last day in Janis Joplin’s life. However … conspiracy theories do abound and what is on this disc is in direct conflict with two other possible scenarios that can be found in one of the books out there (“Scars of Sweet Paradise”, I believe) as well as the usual public investigations on the web.
Marty Balin has told me during interviews that he was with Janis during her last 24 hours … believable because they shared the same girlfriend, Peggy Caserta. Caserta wrote “Goin’ Down With Janis”, a sordid 1974 paperback. According to legend (or “the internets”) Caserta and Joplin’s male fiance’ – Seth Morgan – were not around on the fateful evening of October 3, 1970 and Joplin was depressed with both of them missing. Now other sources on the web claim that the Joplin family keeps some things from going public, keeping a tight lid on the public face of Janis Joplin. This, of course, adds to the intrigue. As Joplin’s 40th anniversary is coming up this October, and with a new perspective on the passing of Joplin on October 4, 1970, Blind Owl Al Wilson (September 3, 1970) and Jimi Hendrix (September 18, 1970). Hendrix and Canned Heat performed at The “Super Concert ’70″ at Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany on September 4, 1970 – the band put on a plane allegedly when Wilson couldn’t be found. The gig featured Jimi Hendrix, Procol Harum, Ten Years After, Cat Mother (a band Hendrix had produced which had a minor hit in America), Cold Blood, Murphy Blend and the Wilson-less Canned Heat.
I bring all this up because – though the narrator does his chilling Twilight Zone voice – there was a lot of territory that still goes uncovered. A big question for me is this: if Janis Joplin had already injected the smack when she went to talk to the clerk at the hotel desk, what if there was foul play? Wouldn’t she have been overcome by a so-called “hot shot” if she couldn’t tolerate it? I do have information from credible sources which might show up in a future story but the “Final 24″ here, though surprisingly informative and – because of that – important, is still not the full story.
by Steve Tomassetti
-- submitted by Ken Voss
It's not often you see an autobiography appear from someone who's been dead for eight years - especially when the work is as important to music fans as a first-hand account of the fatal accident that took the life of Eddie Cochran.
So when "Summertime Blues: A True Rock & Roll Adventure With Eddie Cochran" as written by Eddie's fiancé, songwriter Sharon Sheeley (Ravenhawk Books; ISBN: 978-1-893660-18-2) appeared, it was easy to be a little surprised - and excited.
The book is seeing the light of day now through the efforts of Sharon's son, Shannon Burg, who told me the accounts came from Sharon's journal, which she had intended to publish in book form before her death.
The main theme of the book is the love affair between Sharon and Eddie, whom she termed her "soulmate." The first time she met Eddie (in the Everly Brothers' hotel room), she said to herself, "One day, I'm going to marry that boy." Sadly, it was not to be. While traveling to the London airport on Easter Sunday, 1960 for a return to the States during a break in his British tour, Eddie was killed when their car blew a tire and crashed into a lamppost. Headliner Gene Vincent, Eddie's good friend, suffered a broken collarbone and ribs. Sharon's legs and back were broken and she credited her faith and a miracle that, despite doctor's opinions to the contrary, she ever walked again. In fact, she was clinically dead herself for three minutes and had what she said was an out-of-body experience. Her painful efforts to come to grips with her husband-to-be's death and her ultimate forgiveness of the driver responsible for the accident are poignantly expressed.
But while the two lovers set the tone for the book, there are countless other great tales in "Summertime Blues." We hear how Sharon wrote "Poor Little Fool" after dating Don Everly, then being warned by Phil that his brother was married. She then conned Ricky Nelson into recording the song by claiming Elvis was planning to do so upon his return from the Army.
Speaking of the King, Sharon recounts a date with Elvis to see the movie, "Pajama Game," that ended abruptly when he was spotted by the theatre-goers. The arrogant Paul Anka gets "tarred" (with cold cream) and feathered by LaVern Baker when "Little Miss Sharecropper" has enough of Paul's antics. There's also the story of how Eddie, Freddie Cannon and Jack Scott rescued Sharon from a lecherous hotel house detective. The book shows us the real Johnny and Dorsey Burnette, Buddy Holly and even a side of Chuck Berry most have never seen. Plus there are seventy pages of photographs and memorabilia.
Unfortunately, though there's a small epilogue, the book ends shortly after Eddie's death, leaving the reader craving more. For example, though disk jockey and "Shindig" TV host Jimmy O'Neill is a part of Sharon's story, their five year marriage in the sixties is absent from the book, as is her songwriting collaboration with Jackie DeShannon on hits like "Dum Dum" by Brenda Lee. Sharon's son tells me a sequel may yet see the light of day and, with the care he's shown in preserving Sharon and Eddie's story, I'm hopeful that will indeed happen.
-- Ron Smith / oldiesmusic.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1893660184/ref=nosim/oldiesmusicA/
Here's a recent posting from John Rook, Eddie's childhood friend. Rook credits Cochran with giving him the inspiration to get into radio, a challenge that provided an incredible career for him. Be sure to click on some of the links in John's tribute for even MORE of the story.
Eddie Cochran: Fifty Years and we still “Don’t Forget” him.
Unlike most of the world today, America is transfixed on youth. Those names of the past largely go unnoticed in our society. It’s a change from how it was during a time when some of us recall history was taught in schools and we appreciated learning about earlier times. Now America concentrates on little past last Saturday.
In foreign society, it’s a much different world where those names of the past continue to be recognized. So it was when the BBC paid tribute to my close friend of all those years ago, Eddie Cochran, an early inductee in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, who died fifty years ago this week in a terrible car crash in England.
During a moving hour long tribute to him, the BBC report told of how he influenced dozens of rock’s biggest names including , Paul McCartney, George Harrison, The Who and Rod Stewart, youthful fans of Eddie Cochran.
Largely because he and many rock recording stars of the 50's he introduced me to might benefit, Eddie encouraged me to enter a career in radio, giving up traveling with him that would have placed me in the same car in which he died at just 21 years of age.
Ironic that he would sign every autograph with “Don’t Forget Me” ... and how following the death of his friend Buddy Holly, Eddie instructed me what to do should the same fate be his.
Memories of my days with Eddie are here:
Click here: The Cochran Connection - Eddie Cochran Fanzine
Photo’s are here: Click here: Eddie
and the BBC tribute is here: Click here: Eddie Cochran- Something Else
and England's The Sun is here: Click here: Tribute to rock 'n' roll icon Eddie Cochran The Sun Showbiz Music
I miss you pal ...
John
And here's what John had to say about Sharon Sheeley ...
Kent,
Sharon was my close friend and was so until the day she died.
In the years since Eddie Cochran's passing Sharon and I often relived the days we had with him. She suffered more than her share of heartbreak and pain.
I miss her.
John Rook
I had no idea that she had such a successful songwriting career ... there's just NO telling what kind of "beautiful music" these two might have made together had Eddie survived that car crash.
Here's a great page devoted to some of her accomplishments:
Click here: Sharon Sheeley
David Salidor, Micky Dolenz's publicist, sent me an advance pressing of Micky's new Carole King Tribute CD "King For A Day" last week. It won't be available to the public until August 24th ... but it's a CD that fans of Micky's and Carole's music will DEFINITELY want to pick up and add to their collections.
Watch for a complete review next week ... in fact, we might even be able to share a word or two from the Mick-ster himself! Stay Tuned!!! (kk)
re: UP-COMING AND RECENT EVENTS:
The schedule for Schaumburg's Septemberfest has finally been announced ... headlining on the Main Stage on Saturday, September 4th, will be Jim Peterik and The Ides Of March (we gave you a couple of not-so-subtle hints on that one!) followed by The Buckinghams. On Sunday, September 5th, you can catch Foghat live in concert from 8:30 - 10 pm, followed by Schaumburg's Fireworks Display. Closing things out on Labor Day Monday, September 6th, will be The Gin Blossoms.
Speaking of The Buckinghams, a couple of the "formerly of"'s will be performing together in concert on Friday, August 27th (hey, that's my birthday!!!) at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, IL. That's the night that Brock and Abrams (with special guest star Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight) are opening up for Paul Revere and the Raiders!!! Abrams (of Brock and Abrams) is Bobby Abrams, long-time guitarist for The Buckinghams ... and the new drummer for Paul Revere and the Raiders is the recently Bucks-departed Tommy Scheckel (Other Brock and Abrams appearances are listed on the website: www.bobabrams.com ... and you'll find Paul Revere and the Raiders tour dates listed on THEIR website, Click here: Paul Revere & the Raiders) Both Tommy and Bobby spent close to 25 years as part of The Buckinghams band.
The Buckinghams were recently part of The Happy Together Again Reunion Show, which has played to RAVE reviews across the country. We were even fortunate enough to be able to post messages from Carl Giammarese of The Bucks and Howard Kaylan of The Turtles along the way to let fans know how things were going from the OTHER side of the stage ... ALL good news ... until we got THIS email the other day:
Hi Kent,
I'm a long time reader of the Forgotten Hits page and this is my first posting.
I just wanted to make a comment on the recent two shows I saw of the this year's "Happy Together" tour featuring The Turtles, etc. The shows I saw were at the Cape Cod Melody Tent and South Shore Music Circus.
One of the acts I went specifically to see, Rob Grill and The Grassroots. were listed in the ads, the handbill and in the marquee as one of the featured acts. Much to my chagrin, when the Grassroots were announced, there was no Rob Grill! There was a singer who was not named, who was slightly "plumper" than Rob and had a higher voice, who was for sure not Rob. Most people didn't realize that he wasn't an original or later member of the group. It was a total rip off that it wasn't even mentioned that Rob Grill wasn't appearing. The only "member" who was in any incarnation (a later one) of the group was the guitarist Dusty. It was decietful and dishonest for the people promoting the show not to announce Rob Grill was not there and just putting on the shill group, hoping that they would get away with it since most people wouldn't know the difference. The problem is some of us DID know the difference and were pretty upset that we had been taken advantage of.
We had heard later that Grill was on the first leg of the tour and had some throat problems. Had they simply announced that at the show, I'm sure folks would have understood. To just put the shill band on was just plain underhanded and has soured me from going to any more of those type shows.
On top of that I had read (on Forgotten Hits) that the artists were doing autograph signings after the shows on the first leg of the tour. At our two shows they announced they weren't going to be signing, even though they were hanging out at the backstage clubhouse area till fairly late after the show. They had pre-signed items at the merchandise table. I managed to get a few autographs from the Buckinghams right after their set and Mark Volman actually chatted with us for about ten minutes and signed.
On Saturday night, Mark Lindsay opened the door of the clubhouse to leave, saw the three people standing there with Raider items and then closed the door again. To his credit, the next night he accepted items to be brought to the backstage clubhouse to be signed. I just didn't understand how they could do the signings at the other shows and decide to not sign toward the end of the tour. I should have demanded my money back for them trying to fool us with a fake act but hiding from the fans who have been loyal to them for over 40 years just was not right either.
Of course, I'm never going to go to any shows featuring any of the groups / acts on the tour again since they were all complicit in the Grassroots lie. Someone should have said something from the stage. They should be thankful there's still fans that come out to see them and support them with our hard earned dollars. Spending a few minutes after a show signing for their fans is a pretty small way of showing their appreciation for the loyalty.
Thanks,
Lenny Scolletta
Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. Obviously, Rob Grill is having health problems again. (Several years ago after multiple hip replacement surgeries, Sonny Geraci of The Outsiders filled some of Grill's dates, singing the hits of both The Grass Roots and his own collection ... fans didn't really feel cheated as they were still treated to a great show by a bona fide oldies performer.) With enforcement like The Truth In Music Act in place, The Grass Roots certainly placed themselves in legal jeopardy by taking the low road. However, not knowing ANY of the circumstances (for all I know, Grill took ill hours before the show was scheduled to start and this was the ONLY way for the band to perform), it really isn't fair to comment. However, with as many bad reviews as I've heard about The Grass Roots recently, I can only say "Buyer Beware" when purchasing tickets for these shows.
From everything I've heard, Mark Lindsay, on the other hand, has been THRILLED doing these shows and is LOVING the fan reaction to his set. (I've also been told that he's been the highlight of many of these shows and is in FINE voice and spirit.) He also recently told Scott Shannon on The True Oldies Channel that for the first time in a VERY long time he is open to some sort of a Paul Revere and the Raiders Reunion, including as many original members as possible, should they be able to work something out. This is GREAT news as Paul and Mark have not been "the best of friends" for many, many years.
I am glad to hear that our buddies in The Buckinghams and The Turtles were cordial and cooperative ... again, these guys have personally told me how much fun they are having doing this concert series ... and already looking forward to doing it again next year! (kk)
And we just heard about a "Cruise Night and Rock And Roll Show" at The Willowbrook Ballroom and Route 66 Dance Club in Willow Springs, IL. They're calling it "Rockin' The Ballroom", Summer of 2010's HOTTEST Summer Event! More details are below:
Host: Willowbrook Ballroom & Route 66 Dance Club
Phone: 708-839-1000
When: Saturday, August 21 from 07:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Where: Willowbrook Ballroom - Grand Ballroom
8900 Archer Ave. Willow Springs, IL 60480
Summer of 2010's Hottest Event - "Rockin' The Ballroom"
CRUISE NIGHT AND ROCK N' ROLL SHOW
Please try to come out and support this charity event.
SATURDAY AUGUST 21ST - DOORS OPEN 7:00 P.M.
The Willowbrook Ballroom & The Route 66 Dance Club is hosting a Cruise Night and Rock N' Roll Show
Hosted by: The Goodfellas Car Club - Cruise Night begins at 6:00 p.m. Sharp.
Classic Cars and Bikes shall have a designated area to park.
PERFORMANCES BY TWO OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN EARLY ROOTS ROCK BANDS: Vinyl Covers and The Del Souls
Dance Awards to best guy, gal and couple dancers
50 / 50 CASH DOOR PRIZE - 1/2 THE PROCEEDS SHALL BE DONATED TO RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE BY THE GOODFELLAS CAR CLUB.
THIS EVENT CAN ONLY BE A SUCCESS WITH YOUR SUPPORT. PLEASE MARK THE DATE AND SUPPORT THIS VERY WORTHY EVENT.
For more information about Ronald McDonald House please click on the following website link: http://rmhc.org/who-we-are/mission-and-vision/
On Monday night I got to see a fantastic (free) outdoor concert in Merrick, Long Island.
This was brought to you by Lar Entertainment
Thrilling entertainment on stage with:
Emil Stuccio & The Classics
John Kuse & The Excellents
Joe Favale & The Emotions
Randy & The Rainbows
Jimmy Gallagher & The Passions
It's hard to pick just one great group, but my biggest thrill was seeing Jimmy Gallagher reunited with his group from Brooklyn, NY. The group has three original members.
How great they are.
Those of you who live in or near North Brunswick, New Jersey - Stuart Pushkin will be having his monthly doo wop club meeting.
DJ Stu Weiss
Hi Kent!
Wanted you to be one of the first to know that my dad has just signed with John A. Jackson (The Big Heat - Alan Freed Story ... made into a tv movie) and American Bandstand, Dick Clark and the Rise of a Rock 'N' Roll Empire to write his memoirs. Simon and Shuster wants the major part of the manuscript by the late fall. Greg Taylor -- Hollywood screenwriter -- has expressed interest in possibly doing a film:
"I see Charlie's story as rock n roll's answer to 'Its A Wonderful Life'", he said!
I'll send an offical announcement shortly so you can share it with the masses ... but wanted to give you an advance "heads up" on this major deal!
Thanks again for all that you do with Forgotten Hits to keep this great music alive ... and let the fans know about the latest events in the lives of their favorite stars.
Charlie Gracie, Jr.
I'd like to recommend an incredible a cappella group I saw the other night - Straight No Chaser. Friends of mine all over the country have been seeing them and they will be at Harrah's in Atlantic City all summer. Ten guys who met at University of Indiana, someone put them on a youtube clip - and now they are a phenomenon! They did a show of music through the decades, but my favorite was the 50's, when they went through all the best doowop songs ever!
Then last night I went to see a wonderful show in Ocean City, NJ - Ricky Nelson's sons Gunnar and Matthew and two former members of the Stone Canyon Band. Great flashbacks from their family videos,and they nailed just about every song. It's just that I don't know why I always feel like the youngest person in the audience at these oldies shows!
Click here: Ricky Nelson Remembered - 25th Anniversary Tour
Eileen
Get ready for lots more of those oldies fundraising specials on PBS stations – the 50s / 60s Oldies Board of Radio-Info.com has news about producer T.J. Lubinsky, who will supply nine more specials for PBS member stations. The shows are based on T.J.’s Pittsburgh-produced concerts and here’s a preview of coming attractions – “Aretha Franklin Presents: Soul Rewind”, for August 2010. “John Sebastian Presents: Folk Rewind” for December, “My Music: Rock, Pop and Doo Wop (March 2011), and “The Last Doo Wop Show on Earth” (December 2012). The 50s / 60s Board is particularly excited about the news that Lubinsky’s TJL Productions now has a pipeline to the archives of Dick Clark Productions. Lubinsky himself says “On the surface, our programs are about music, but like the best PBS programs, they’re about connecting viewers with something important, something truly meaningful in their lives.” Talk about it on 50s / 60s Board.
Tom Taylor / Taylor On Radio
We recently told you about a KILLER PBS Show coming up in November, featuring many of our favorite '60's artists. (For a complete list, scroll or click back to our July 3rd posting.) Great to hear that they are doing so much to help keep this great music alive. That's what we're all about ... and we support ANYBODY else out there dedicated to preserving this musical era. (kk)
re: ROCK CON:
Got any RockCon photos or stories to share?
Due to our recent "road trips", we're running WAY behind on our follow-up feature to the big event ... which just means that you guys now have extra time to submit your photos and stories.
We'll try to put something together in about a week to ten days ... so get your stuff in NOW!!!
(We'd love to hear from some of you artists, too ... how was this whole experience? What would you like to see done differently in the future? Did this provide a good opportunity to meet with your fans?)
Who knows ... we just might try to put one of these together right here in Chicago. (In fact, I've already been talking to Charles Rosenay about it!) So let us know your thoughts ... what worked and what didn't ... what would you like to change ... and readers, which artists would YOU like to see at one of these events?
Keep the ideas comin', folks ... and we'll see what we can do! (kk)
re: SUMMER SONGS:
I've really been enjoying the songs on your list of summer songs. I listen to a couple of them every day on YouTube. On the honorable mention list, one band is listed incorrectly. "There's No Surf In Cleveland" is by the Euclid Beach Band (not Euclid Street Band). The song is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4diS3khW-5k
Lois Dixon
Livonia, Michigan
(formerly of Cleveland, Ohio)
You are ABSOLUTELY right ... obviously, an error / oversight on my part. Consider it fixed. (We certainly should know better ... we've featured this song and this artist several times over the years in Forgotten Hits! Thanks for the correction!) kk
re: BRIAN WILSON:
Greetings, Kent ...
Just a quick note to you and your esteemed readers / contributors.
I just created a new Facebook "Like" page: "Put Brian Wilson and Quincy Jones in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame." I've had great response in the first few hours. Not that it will do any good, but at least it gets the message out there.
A lot of the folks have already sent the link on to their Facebook friends. There's little we can do but we have to do our best to 'right the wrong.' Of course, Brian Wilson and Quincy Jones are just the tip of the iceberg but they stand out as blaring omissions of two creative geniuses who have delighted and inspired us spanning six (Brian) and seven (Quincy) decades.
Hope you're having a great summer of 'fun, fun, fun.'
Fred / Treasure Isle Recorders, Inc.
"Music City, USA"
Don't even get me started on The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame again!!! Brian (already inducted as a member of The Beach Boys) and Quincy both certainly deserve recognition for their efforts ... (note my mention of Marty Robbins below, too!) ... but the petitions mean NOTHING to the powers that be on the nominating committee ... they already know who REALLY belongs and who doesn't ... that's why guys like Leonard Cohen and Afrika Bambaataa have been recognized with nominations and inductions over "nobodies" like Brian Wilson and Quincy Jones ... I mean REALLY ... what did THESE guys ever do of note that could POSSIBLY compete with the musical contributions of Cohen and Bamba-Lamba Ding Dong?!?!? (kk)
... and, speaking of Brian Wilson ...
Brian Wilson is offering a VERY limited package for his biggest fans on his website today! Be one of only 300 people to purchase a limited and NUMBERED copy of the new album on vinyl!
Numbered vinyl album of Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
Instantly download "Can't Take That Away From Me" in high quality Mp3 or FLAC audio
Physical CD of Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
Full Digital download of Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin on Aug 17th
Go to www.brianwilson.com to hear clips from the album and see his newly launched site. Thank you for all of your support!
-Team Brian Wilson
re: MARTY ROBBINS:
>>>Sixty years ago this week, Marty Robbins recorded "Don't Worry" and inadvertently created a new sound -- the fuzz tone (Diane)
>>>The engineer at that session was Glenn Snoddy, one of Nashville's most creative and well-known sound engineers since the late 1940s. Glenn designed a circuit that re-created that "accidental" fuzz, took it to Gibson, and Gibson used his design for their first commercially available fuzzboxes. (David)
>>>Amazing to think that the fuzztone, such an integral part of rock and roll recordings for DECADES, got its start quite by accident on a COUNTRY record!!! Amazing! (Of course, back then ... in the PRE-segregated days of rock and roll ... when country music still made an impression on The Top 40 Pop and Rock and Roll Charts ... Robbins had THREE Top Three Pop Hits ... "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)" reached #3 on both Billboard's and Cash Box's Top 100 Chart, "El Paso" went all the way to #1 in Billboard, and "Don't Worry" peaked at #3 in both publications as well. It also went to #1 here in Chi-Town.) With the distinction of the introduction of the "fuzz bass", Robbins should be inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... if only in the "Early Influences" category ... they are SORELY lacking in Country Artists on their roster, despite their claim to recognize ALL phases of the music that helped to create the "hybrid" known as Rock And Roll. (kk)
IIRC, Robbins also had the first hit penned by the team of Burt Bacharach & Hal David - "The Story Of Life", 1957; #30 on Hot 100, #1 c & w.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
Interesting ... I always think of the first Bacharach / David Hit as being "The Blob" by The Five Blobs!!! Now THAT'S a classic!!! (Who knew?!?!?) kk
re: AL MARTINO:
Kent,
I recently paid tribute to my long time pal Al Martino on my johnrook.com website.
Right below the "books" you find a link to what I think could become a giant
song for senior married couples. In the days of top 40, "Thank You" would have
been a top ten hit. But that was when artists like Al Martino actually got airplay.
John
Thanks for letting us feature this one here today ...
re: FINAL EMAIL:
All of our Forgotten Hits Subscribers received an email this weekend announcing that we are discontinuing our email newsletter service ... the list has simply grown too large to maintain ... and, for the most part, all we end up sending out these days are reminders to check the website anyway. By now hopefully ALL of you have bookmarked our sites and are checking them frequently. (Although we're not posting every day anymore, we do typically post two or three new entries every week ... and sometimes more.) We still want your comments and memories so please continue to use our email addresses to correspond with us ... (otherwise we won't have anything to run in The Sunday Comments Pages!!! lol)Email us at: forgottenhits@aol.com or kk@forgottenhits.com ...
And visit us on the web at:
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com (for all the latest postings)
or
http://forgottenhits.com (for many of our archived articles, series and specialty countdowns and readerpolls)
Meanwhile, please help us by continuing to spread the word about what we do here ... and thank you, as always, for your on-going support. (kk)
Thank you for your many years of brightening my in-box with your e-mails.
I'll still be visiting the site regularly!
God Bless!
Lea Mea
It has been great reading your mails over the years. I met you and Frannie at a RocsBBq in Long Beach California years ago.
Just saved your website to my fav places.
Take care!
Donna (Fleetwoodgirl ) from the Music Oldies room years ago
Thank you for adding me to your mailing list. I am an avid record collector and I really enjoy your stuff. I've been collecting records since 1964. I have a lot that are older than that now. Thank you very much.
Rock on,
Mark
Thanks, Mark ... you'll just have to remember to check the websites from now on to see all the latest postings! (kk)
I plead guilty ... I rely on your reminder every week to check the site. I have too much going on to think about doing it on my own. I do, every week, read every single thing that has been posted, and I have gotten so much enjoyment all these years reading and listening to everything you send us. As long as you promise to keep posting, I promise to keep emailing you stuff to put in! You have been a trooper through all this, but I can imagine how aggravating it is to try to mail when things keep bouncing back. Please know I appreciate all the work and dedication you have been doing!
Eileen
That's all we're asking you guys to do ... bookmark the site ... and check back regularly! Thanks! (kk)
THAT'S TOO BAD ... YOUR SITE WAS THE BEST!
GOOD LUCK IN THE FUTURE
FREDDY "BOOM BOOM" CANNON
The site will keep going ... we're just not going to be emailing updates anymore ... our hope is that everyone will continue to visit the web pages, which is where everything will be posted from now on.
Thanks for your continued support, Freddy ... it means a lot ... and please tell the OTHER artists you come in contact with that we would value THEIR participation as well. You've shared some GREAT stories with Forgotten Hits over the years and I hope you will continue to do so ...
When you see something of interest posted on the web page, feel free to email me and share your thoughts and memories ... THAT'S what makes this whole thing work so well!
Thanks again! (kk)
Hi Kent,
Thank you for all the work you have done with the website and information posting. It's great that you have so many people requesting the information but sad that it's too hard to maintain.
I will keep checking the great stuff you have!!
Thanks again!
Judi G.
KK,
I want you to know that I just got through book-marking your website and I will check it every day even though I know you won't have anything new posted on it. I really enjoy it. If you think that there is anything I might be able to help you with with any kind of song, let me know.
Good luck,
Larry
We'll still be posting several times a week ... so please check back often. We're just not going to be sending out email reminders anymore ... so all you folks out there will have to remember to go to the site from time to time to see what's new.
Thanks for all your support and participation so far ... I hope you'll continue to do so ... I really appreciate it! (kk)
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano
Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication. It has not gone unnoticed!
I will continue to check the websites to be sure.
Linette :D
Kent,
You've done a great job with this site. So much info. I will continue to check the site regularly. Once again, thanks for doing what you do by keeping us all in tune with this wonderful world of music.
Dave Zane
{the Buckinghams}
Say it ain't so!!!!!
I guess it's the end of an era in some ways.
I kind of had a feeling that you might stop sending out stuff. You've had so many problems with AOL. At least the site itself will still be up. People will just have to take the initiative and look for it, instead of waiting for a prompt.
Take Care ~
Ed Pond
It IS the end of an era in many ways ... we started Forgotten Hits back in 1999 with an email that went out to 35 oldies music fans from the AOL Oldies Music Chat Room ... and it has grown and grown from that into what is now an unmanageable list. Up until two years ago we were still doing everything by email ... and, after numerous AOL problems ... all the crack-downs on spam ... etc, etc, etc ... we FINALLY started the websites ... and that's pretty much where everything has been posted ever since. This was just the next logical progression. Hopefully, you've all been going there anyway ... now you just need to remember to do so on your own.
On a related note ... thanks to everybody for being so understanding on this ... let's face it, Ed ... they coulda all gone Pond on me!!! (lol) kk
Kent;
I can understand where the effort expended would overwhelm you. I’ll look for the postings.
Thanks for keeping us R&R folk fully informed, nice job!
Clark Weber
Yes, Bill & I will ALWAYS ENJOY RECEIVING THE EMAILS!!
We listen to KFRC 1550 AM with Scott Shannon (crazy guy!!!!!!!!)
Again, we will ALWAYS enjoy your emails!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please, don't ever wonder if we enjoyed your emails --- the answer will ALWAYS BE ... YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your favorite email clients,
Lynda & Bill
Thanks for the kind words ... and PLEASE continue to check the website for all the latest goings-on. (I know for most of you it was SO convenient to have Forgotten Hits delivered right to your mail box every day ... but it's just become unmanageable to do so anymore ... plus SO many new readers have discovered our service by having our work published on the web (where the whole world can see it!!! lol) Hey, we passed 400,000 visitors a week or two ago ... so this REALLY seems to be the way to go. Thanks to all who have helped support our efforts over the years ... and helped to spread the good word of mouth ... we REALLY do appreciate it. (kk)
