Sunday, January 22, 2012

The Sunday Comments ( 01 - 22 - 12 )


re:  NEED MY DAILY FIX OF FORGOTTEN HITS!:

Hi Kent, 
Has your site been down or is my PC that’s not updating?
Thanks,
– Dereck Staines
We have had a number of distractions and "real life" dramas going on here these past two weeks ... but I'm still trying to post whenever I can.  Normally I'd say check the website every day just to see what's there ... but last week we even missed a couple of "Sound Advice" columns ... and that's never happened before.  
I'm doing my best to keep up but sometimes it's difficult to feel creative and inspired when in reality it feels as if your whole world is crumbling around you.  Doing my best to keep things going ... but lately each and every day seems to present another insurmountable challenge.  (And those are the GOOD days!!!)  
Thank you all for your patience and understanding ... 
Hopefully there are brighter days ahead.
kk 

Special thanks to Charles Amann III for giving us a GREAT plug on his awesome American Bandstand Website.  Hop on over and browse around a bit ... all kinds of great Bandstand memorabilia and memories to be found.  (In fact, he's already got a book deal in the works ... and Bandstand fans will want to jump on this one!  (kk)
Much Thanks, Kent ...
When the book is released this year, I'll be sure to give you a heads up as it is about to arrive on the shelves.
Again, thanks for all you do. Your site is really special.
Best regards,
Charles 

Hello Kent:
As I was perusing around your Forgotten Hits website / blog I came upon an idea for a series that I haven’t seen done yet.  How about one on the groups that have sort of the “big band” or “lots of horns and brass” sound?  You know the main groups in this, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago , Chase, Tower of Power, Lighthouse, TJB and I’m sure there must be more.  You would know better than I of other groups that would fit into this category.
This would be a bit different and quite interesting.  If this sounds like something you would do I can get you some email addresses of a couple of people that are very well versed in the history of BS&T.  I’m sure they would be willing to share with you stories and the like. 
Great website, great blog.  Keep up the good work.
Pete Heger 
Thanks, Pete!  You're right ... we've never really done a series of this nature.  Let's put it out the masses ... is this something you guys out there might like to participate in?  Make it more of a "Readers Forum" ... you guys supply the details and the memories and we'll provide the posting and sounding board?  Let us know.  (kk)


re:  YOU'RE SO VAIN:
>>>After 40 years of guessing and wondering, Carly Simon has revealed who her iconic "You're So Vain" song is written about.  (We almost don't want to tell you. The mystery is what makes the song!)  Ah well, it's out there already. The song, which was rumored for years to be about one of her ex-boyfriends (like Warren Beatty or Mick Jagger), was actually written about gay record label boss David Geffen.  The answer came to fans after Carly admitted the name of the Vain person was whispered in the new acoustic version of the song off her upcoming album Never Been Gone. After listening to it, sources say the singer whispers Geffen's name backwards on the track.  (Renfield)  
And so what would that sound like? 
Divad Neffeg?
Has anyone heard "Paul is dead" on the track? 
Sorry.  If this is the way Carly has chosen to reveal the secret, then fine, but I pictured Warren entering with the scarf on and then Mick strutting around.  Will try to replace my visuals now.
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano 

re:  GEORGE HARRISON:
We got this notification too late to include it in our special Saturday Beatles-related Comments Page (scroll down below if you missed it!) ... but wanted to be sure to draw attention to it today.
George Harrison: Living In The Material World (A Martin Scorsese Picture) has been earned FOUR prestigious film nominations.  First it received The Critics Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature ... and now it has been nominated by The British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for Best Documentary ... Director Martin Scorsese has been nominated by The Director's Guild Of America (DGA) for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries ... and the film's editor David Tedeschi has been nominated by The American Cinema Editors (ACE) in the Best Edited Documentary category.
And I still haven't seen it yet!!!  (Unreal!!!)  Tried to watch it during a "Free HBO" Weekend (but naturally it wasn't airing then!) ... but the DVD release is due out in February to coincide with George's birthday ... so we're hoping to pick it up then!  (kk) 

re:  KENNY ROGERS:  
A few weeks back we told you about a brand new book coming out telling the story of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. 
Here are a few more details ... along with another excellent Jeremy Roberts interview:  
Click here: I Found A Reason: Rediscovering the legacy of Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - National Pop Culture | Examiner.c

Click here: Heed The Call: Listening to the music of Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - National Pop Culture | Examiner.com
We did a Kenny Rogers feature a few years back (when Forgotten Hits was still in its email newsletter configuration) ... maybe we'll run that again down the road so that this information is permanently posted on the web.  (kk)   

re:  THE FIFTH ESTATE:
Hi Kent - Enjoying FH as usual.
Visual Radio in Boston asked me on for an interview about The Fifth Estate and the new Time Tunnel record primarily, but a lot of 60s history in there also.
It's 40 min or so, so I don't expect with the schedule you have that you'd have time for all this .. but it does at least scratch the surface about us, The 5E, and what was going on in the 60s as it related to us.  Thought it might be of some interest both as to that musical decade and a little as to how we did the record.
Ken Evans
Great to see you guys getting some press for the new release ... we, too, have heard good things from those who have heard the new CD.  No time to watch this tonight ... but maybe over the weekend.  (And I'm quite sure some of our readers will check it out, too, so thanks for sending!)  kk 

And, in other "New Releases" news ...

re:  NEW RELEASES:  
HENDRIX LOST AND FOUND DEPT.  
A BBC radio performance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience from August 24, 1967, has recently been unearthed by the U.K.-based Top Sounds Records. 
The Experience performed “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” on host Simon Dee’s BBC TV program Dee Time. Dee had become tremendously popular at the time having been part of the pirate Radio Caroline entourage before joining the BBC where he hosted the twice weekly TV chat show Dee Time. 
Licensing material from the BBC archives, Top Sounds has been digging through the vaults, having previously released three, “excavations” as they call it, of 1960s and early 1970s BBC radio session anthologies in their Shapes And Sounds series.  
This time around Radio Tymes (TSSCD006) delves into the lost and found of British Pop on TV and radio.  (http://topsoundsrecords.co.uk/radio_tymes.html)  
Sourced from professionally recorded reel to reel tapes and BBC transcription discs, Radio Tymes presents these rare recordings from some of the 60s top British bands, and indeed some groups who would find wider acclaim during the following decade.  
Track list for the disc includes:

DEEP PURPLE – The Painter(7/6/69 BBC radio show Chris Grant’s Tasty Pop Sundae) 2.45

YARDBIRDS – Think About It(3/10/68 BBC radio show Top Gear)

THE MOVE - So You Want To Be A Rock N Roll Star(10/1/67 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.36

TOMORROW featuring KEITH WEST - My White Bicycle(10/1/67 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.33

LOVE SCULPTURE - Do I Still Figure In Your Life(4/21/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.25

YARDBIRDS - White Summer(3/10/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 4.29

THE MOVE - Cherry Blossom Clinic(10/1/67 BBC radio show Top Gear) 2.23 

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST - Night(8/4/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 3.30 

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - Burning Of The Midnight Lamp(8/24/67 BBC TV show Dee Time) 3.57

LOVE SCULPTURE - The Inner Light(3/9/69 BBC radio show Top Gear) 4.01

DEEP PURPLE - Hush(6/30/68 BBC radio show Top Gear) 3.56  

All the music has been professionally restored, with the Deep Purple tunes having been worked on at Abbey Road Studios no, and the results of restoring music from old reel to reel tapes in particular is startling to say the least. Radio Tymes is a legitimate collection licensed from the BBC and the relevant record companies, and as per usual the LP comes with a 16 page booklet whilst the CD has a 32-page book full of illustrations and information. Available on both CD and vinyl (TSLP006).

 


On January 22, 2012, "Under African Skies," the new Joe Berlinger-directed documentary chronicling the creation and lasting influence of Paul Simon's classic Graceland, will premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, kicking off a year's long celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of Simon's musical and cultural achievement. One of the most eagerly anticipated documentaries of the year, "Under African Skies" is slated for international film festival screenings and a limited theatrical run, as well as airings on A&E, following its Sundance premiere.  
The story of the making of Graceland, and the controversy created when Simon went to South Africa to record with local artists, is told in "Under African Skies," the new full-length documentary from two-time Emmy and Peabody Award winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger ("Brother's Keeper," "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," the West Memphis Three / "Paradise Lost" trilogy) and producers @radical.media and A&E IndieFilms.
More here: 
This track available as a 'Free' Download in memory of Tim Bowen, Philadelphia musician, artist.
The track features alto saxophonist, Ed Palermo (of Frank Zappa Big Band- see info below). 
Featuring: Ed Palermo - alto sax (of Frank Zappa Big Band - see below),  Ernie Trionfo - lead guitar, Su Teears (of Clutch Cargo) - backing vocals, Lynda McLaughlin - backing vocals, Marty Ahearn - bass, George Manney - drums, producer, Tim Bowen - guitar, lead vocal RIP 1953-2012.  Recorded at Geo Sound Studio, Philadelphia. http://www.GeoSound.org
All Music Guide
Biography by Bradley Torreano 
Frankie & the Avalons were the first post-millennium project from Tim Bowen, one of the establishing forces of the Philadelphia garage scene via the band, The Boneheads. Using Bowen's previous experience in the genre and adding a touch of irony to the mix, Frankie & the Avalons became the poppiest project he had been a part of, but with a campy twist. Bringing in producer George Manney to play the drums, Bowen turned to two different vocalists to complete the lineup. Both Su Teears and New York-based Lynda McLaughlin handled the vocal duties and often harmonized to produce hypnotic, interesting variations on the melodies within. Their first single was released in 2002. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frankie--the-avalons-p541466 
The Ed Palermo Big Band is a big band that has been active for nearly 30 years playing the compositions and arrangements of their leader and namesake Ed Palermo. They are best known for the arrangements of the music of Frank Zappa that Palermo has prepared for them. To date they have released two LP records of original content and three CDs of arrangements of Frank Zappa music. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Palermo_Big_Ban 
Regards,
George Manney
And our "Spotlight New Release of the Week" goes to Mel Carter!   
Read on!

re:  MEL CARTER:  
>>>Mel Carter, who delivered one of the most memorable ballads of the 60s, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” has just released a new self produced CD titled “The Other Standards.”  The Cincinnati born singer-actor says the 12 tunes included on the new release “is a collection of standards I grew up listening to. I have always admired the artists who made these songs popular.” Among the tunes “Carterized” are “Goody Goody,” the Frankie Lymon 1958 smash; “Crying in the Chapel,” having been popularized by everyone from the Orioles in the 50s to Elvis Presley in the 60s and “Cry Me A River,” a Julie London favorite.  (Tom Cuddy)  
Mel Carter is a *great* singer and nearly all but the first of his Hot 100 chart singles were remakes. He also did a great remake of "I Only Have Eyes For You" in the mid-70's that made the A/C chart. 
Gary E. Myers / MusicGem  
I always enjoyed the tone of his voice ... and honestly "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me' has grown to become one of my all-time '60's favorites.  (I couldn't STAND this song when it first came out ... I wanted rock and roll, dammit!!!  But I have certainly come to love and appreciate it in the years since ... and it's one of those extremely rare oldies that I've never gotten tired of hearing ... so I let it play virtually every time it comes on the radio!)  kk 

Hi Kent,
"What's On Your Mind" has always been one of my favorite Mel Carter songs. Thought you might want to hear it.
Carrie

Nope, I'm not familiar with this one ... evidently it never charted.  Pretty song 'though!
From what I've been told over the years, Mel Carter was quite the "prankster / cut-up" on the old Dick Clark Caravan tour buses ... I've heard that from several artists who shared the road with him back in the day.  Cool to see that he's still making new music!  (kk) 

Kent:
Here's an mp3 of Mel Carter's new single ... CRYING IN THE CHAPEL.  The video will be filmed later this week in Hollywood and once it is edited, I'll get you a copy to post.
Mel will also be interviewed this Saturday, January 21st, on 77 WABC Radio in New York from 7 - 9 pm.  The interview will be streamed at:  www.wabcradio.comThanks.
-- Tom Cuddy
 
Thanks, Tom.  As you can see, we've got some Mel Carter fans on the list ... great to hear him in such good voice ... can't wait to see the video! (kk)  

And today I received a very nice, pleasant surprise!  I just received a copy of the new CD along with a handwritten note from Mel Carter, thanking me for my consideration in featuring two of the tracks.  (Now THAT'S a class act by a class performer!)  A VERY nice personal touch, not unlike a phone call I received several years ago from Al Martino after Forgotten Hits "Sneak Peeked" his brand new release.  Very, very cool!
In addition to the "Crying In The Chapel" track mentioned above, Mel asked that we also feature "Goody Goody", the old Frankie Lymon hit ... so here's that one, too!  (kk)


re:  DION:
The Facebook link doesn't work ... are they presuming we've logged in before going to it?  More reasons why I HATE FB!
Bob in Jersey
I tried it a couple of times, too, without success ... not quite sure what the deal is ... but I'm not on Facebook either so I don't really have an alternate "in"!  Sorry!  (kk)
 
re:  DEEJAY RECORDS:
>>>After reading Sunday's comments, I thought of something I might do ... I am going to get out my charts and see how many DJ's here in OKC put out a vinyl record while they were working for the local top 40 radio station at the time. It'll be interesting to see how high it got on the local charts. Needless to say, if a certain jock did make a record, it was never played on a competing radio station.  (Larry)
>>>We had a few of them do it here, too ... and some of the more successful ones are well-documented.  One of my favorite '70's radio memories came while listening to the above-mentioned John "Records" Landecker playing down the biggest hits on WLS (where radio rival / competitor Steve Dahl had topped the charts with his Rod Stewart parody "Do You Think I'm Disco") ... instead of announcing the artist, the record was always referred to as being by "Teenage Radiation", which was the name of Dahl's back-up band.  And, as you mentioned, it NEVER actually got played on the air ... but one night (after it came in at #1 again), Landecker fittingly blew the record up on the air, in tribute to Dahl's infamous Sox Park Disco Demolition debacle!  All I can tell you is it made for GREAT radio!!!  (kk)
In regards to local top 40 DJ's that came out with their own record, I decided to check the ones here in OKC. Of course none of these made the national charts and needless to say, none were played on a competing radio station. I realize that probably 99 & 44/100% of your readers (maybe 100 %) wouldn't be interested in this, but a few comments anyway if I may.
The following DJ's at the time they made the record worked for top 40 radio station WKY 930AM at the time, while their competitor at the time was cross town KOMA 1520AM.
1. Danny Williams -- ALL AMERICAN GIRL / FIDEL CASTRO ROCK (1959)
2. Danny Williams -- DECK OF CARDS / IF JESUS CAME TO YOUR HOUSE (1959)
3. Dale Wehba -- RUSSIAN ROULETTE / SCREWDRIVER (1958)
4. Dale Wehba -- SCREWDRIVER / RUSSIAN ROULETTE (1963)
5. Dale Wehba -- I LOVE YOU DARLING / BABY (1962)
6. Don Wallace -- MY DAD / THE SQUARE (1965)
7. Ronnie Kaye -- THE KING IS DEAD (1977)
Numbers 1 and 2 by Danny Williams (not the singer from 1964 who recorded WHITE ON WHITE) worked mornings for many many years on WKY. Song #1 was a answer / parody of Bill Parsons' ALL AMERICAN BOY while the flip was a  parody of Castro's takeover in Cuba back in 1959.
Wink Martindale's version of DECK OF CARDS was never played on WKY because they played and pushed Danny Williams' version. The Number 6 Don Wallace's song was the Paul Peterson song from years earlier while number 7 was a tribute to the passing of Elvis.
Larry
Steve Dahl is probably the one who charted most successfully here ... and he charted on a competing radio station's list (which is pretty much unheard of!)  In addition, he regularly recorded parodies that were heard on his program but not commercially released.  The recently-returned Jonathan Brandmeier had a HUGELY successful recording and touring career ... his shows regularly sold out (and were often the hottest ticket it town).  Even the aforementioned John "Records" Landecker did a Dickie Goodman-type cut-in record called "Press My Conference" that we featured a long, long time ago in Forgotten Hits.  Heck, Super Jock himself, Larry Lujack, released a God-Awful record called "The Diary Of A Mad Streaker", trying to catch on with that crazy '70's fad.  (He also released a best-selling book called "Super Jock" which, from what I understand, now commands big bucks on eBay and the used book circuit.)  These are probably the most famous ones of my generation anyway ... but jocks have been doing this since the beginning of rock and roll.  (You may remember a guy by the name of The Big Bopper, for example!)  Even George Jones started first in radio before launching his enormously successful country singing career.  (Lately the trend seems to be going the other way ... now it's these artists who are scoring their own radio shows, long after their peak singing careers are over.)  kk
 
re:  ON THE RADIO:
Kent ...
Do you know what day it is?  (1/20/12)
I guess I'm too late to make today's edition of Forgotten Hits.
Happy National DJ Day to all Disc Jockeys among your readers.
It's also the day Alan Freed died, 1965.
Frank B.
Happy Belated DJ DAY to all the jocks who became such a big part of our lives.  (kk)
 
And congratulations to our FH Buddy ... and long-time Chicago-area deejay Scott Childers for his recent promotion at WSSR-FM. 
Scott also monitors this EXCELLENT WLS Tribute site:
You'll find the whole story here:
 
And it looks like John "Records" Landecker has landed on his feet over at WLS-FM.  According to Robert Feder's Friday column, John is the new "evening jock" at the station, airing from 6 - 11 PM, pushing Dick Biondi into the 11 PM - 2 AM slot (and shortening Greg Brown's program to 2:30 - 6 PM ... which, I guess, in effect shortens Scott Shannon's stint, too ... Shannon will now air here locally (in material recorded exclusively for WLS) from 10:15 am - 2:30.  Rumors that Landecker was going to be the new mid-day host were apparently unfounded ... but Landecker has LONG been a Chicagoland radio favorite ... so here's hoping this new arrangement works out well for everybody concerned.  (I've also heard that Dick Biondi may get a weekend program dedicated to remembering the glorious history of WLS-AM ... still waiting for the final details on this one.)  kk
 
I just read your comments from December 29. I can't wait to read your take on WLS's decision to bring back John Landecker and move Dick Biondi to a late-night spot and cut Greg Brown's hours. These are both popular deejays. I'm not sure the audience is going to view it as a good move. I wrote to give them feedback, although I'm not going to hold my breath for a response. It's about that almighty dollar. I hope it serves them well. 
Connie 
 
And, in a related email ...
 
You recently referred to Greg Brown and Dick Biondi as sounding "tired" ... do you think your comments had anything to do with WLS's decision to revamp their deejay lineup, cutting Greg Brown's hours, moving Dick Biondi to the 11 PM to 2 AM time slot and adding John Landecker back into the mix? 
Andy
LOL ... no ... I do NOT think ANY of my comments ever influence ANYTHING that happens in radio.  (Jeez, if it were ONLY that easy ... there are SO many things we could fix!!!)  But thanks for the flattering supposition ... if Forgotten Hits had just one-tenth the power to influence and change, many (if not most) of our readers would find radio a more pleasant experience these days!  (kk)
 
WLS-FM - - - Don't Break The Heart That Loves You!!!!!!!
Oh, wait!!! WLS-FM wouldn't know that song, because they never play it!!!
Anyway, in the words of Connie Francis, WLS-FM has broke my heart.  I'm NOT HAPPY with these new changes:  http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/2215-john-records-landecker-returns-full-time-to-wls-fm-biondi-brown-hours-cut
The hours are bizarre and, although I like Landecker, I got SICK of his HORRIBLE Into the 70's show.  Naturally, I was excited to see it gone a few weeks ago.  But now to hear of Brown and Biondi taking cuts --- I DON'T THINK SO!!!!  What about the Friday Night Request Party???
I'm not listening to Landecker do it (if he even would)!  And by the time our dear friend The Wild-Itralian plays "Good Night Sweetheart" at 2 AM, who will be listening?
Of course we still have our Dave Fogel, who although I like as a person, I don't like his show.
And we have the incredibly annoying voice tracked Shannon whose every other word is CHICAGO, for Pete's Sake he's in NEW YORK!!!!!!  Shannon was incredible as the TOC, but that's gone too.
I left 103.9 after they took away my shifts of Jeff James, and now I might leave 94.7 for a while.  K-Hits ... looks like you're up!
AJK, The Youngest Oldies Freak Around
Greg Brown and Dick Biondi are Chicago radio institutions. When Magic 104 closed a few years ago (to make way for the ill-fated Jack-FM), there was a HUGE public outrage displayed for messing with our favorite jocks.  Both of these guys have huge, loyal followings.
(I'll never forget Bob Stroud saluting these guys on his program after word got out about the Jack-FM take-over ... a VERY classy thing to do for a competing radio station and I give MAJOR kudos to Bob for making that statement.)
I've NEVER been a Dave Fogel fan (and have made that known since he first signed on here) ... I never thought much of Scott MacKay or Brant Miller in this slot either ... but MacKay has been reborn and rejuvenated on The River (95.9) and I thoroughly enjoy listening to him now ... now I tune in for a little while every single morning!  
Landecker would have made an excellent morning jock for the station (and then they wouldn't have had to mess with anybody else's schedule!)  He did a GREAT job hosting mornings for Magic 104 way back when and we really enjoyed waking up to his program.  (He also used to do a thing at 5:30 in the morning  where he'd play nothing but obscurities and listener requests for a half hour, which we viewed as "must listen" radio at the time.)
Personally, I prefer Tom O'Toole and Danny Lake over both Greg Brown and Dick Biondi and wish they could have gotten more air time out of the deal ... but Biondi's Friday Night All Request Show should have been left intact.  (Talk about hearing music you completely forgotten about!!!)  To give up Biondi's largest listening audience just doesn't make any sense to me at all.
As for Scott Shannon, he is one of the most talented jocks on the planet ... if they would just let Scott Shannon BE Scott Shannon ... instead of simply giving the station call letters 15 times per hour ... he could brighten up the whole day.  Honestly, I've hated his "local slant" ever since it started ... because it serves the station only ... and not the disc jockey or the listening audience.  Let Shannon do his thing (the way only HE knows how to do it) and keep the personality alive on the dial.
We all miss Jeff James over at Y103.9 ... Jim Shea, too ... I think we've all learned that too much Tom Kent is NOT a good thing ... and I barely tune in at all anymore.  And for me, K-Hits just plays WAY to many '80's tracks (since they promote being our '60's, '70's and '80's station.)  There isn't even anything close to an even distribution of music spread out between these three decades.  And the fact is, you're NEVER going to hear any surprises here ... their playlist is the most predictable of all.
I say we give Landecker a chance ... if he can get back anywhere near to where he was at his peak, he will provide fun and entertaining radio.  (But then again in order for THAT to happen, WLS-FM would have to allow their jocks to TALK once in a while ... and that does NOT seem to be the current policy at the station.)  kk 
 
From the Chicagoland Radio and Media article:
WLS-FM has given its fans a "Good News / Bad News" situation today. The good news is the full-time return of John Records Landecker to its airwaves, returning to the nighttime hours that first made him a household name on WLS-AM in the 1970s. The bad news is that to make room for Landecker's shift, hours are being cut back from station mainstays Dick Biondi and Greg Brown and their shifts are moving. The changes all take effect on this coming Monday, January 23rd.
John Landecker's return to full-time status is not a surprise at all. Just last week, it was reported HERE that he had left his full-time job at Michigan City, IN's WIMS-AM to focus on his new part-time job with Chicago's WLS-FM. At WLS-FM, he had been working Saturday and Sunday shifts, as well as being a weekday fill-in host. For the most part, he had been filling in on the midday shift, which is the one daytime shift done via voice-tracking from New York by True Oldies Channel boss Scott Shannon. Landecker had been filling in for that shift pretty consistently since the week after Christmas, including on days when Shannon was not really on vacation and was available to work. It was widely assumed that Landecker was being groomed to take over that shift in the very near future.
What was indeed a surprise was the shift that was given to Landecker. Instead of the available midday shift, a new evening shift was created for him, giving him the hours of Monday - Friday 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm.
As mentioned here last week, Landecker's return to WLS was a triple reunion. He was a DJ on the station, after it had flipped from Alternative Rock to Oldies and was still known as WZZN-FM. He was there for just over a year as its afternoon host before parting ways with the station in 2007. It also reunited him with Jan Jeffries, who was Landecker's Program Director at WAGO-FM. Jeffries is the Senior Vice President of Programming for Cumulus Media, as well as now the acting PD for WLS-FM since forcing out the former PD in October. The two worked well together in the past and wanted to work together once again at WLS-FM. Perhaps biggest of all, the move reunites Landecker with the famous WLS call letters, which he was most associated with in the 1970s.
With this afternoon's announcement of John Landecker's new time shift on WLS-FM, it becomes a quadruple reunion. From 1972-1981, it was primarily the evening shift on WLS-AM that turned John Landecker from DJ to superstar legend. For the most part, Landecker worked from 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm on WLS-AM. He will now be doing the same hours (only until 11:00pm), hoping to reignite some of that nighttime magic.
In an interview with the industry website All Access today, John Landecker said: "I am just so grateful for this opportunity that Jan has given me and am so psyched to do this. Totally reminiscent of when the Big 89 was in play in the '70s. I don't know of any other situation or opportunity like this. The calls of the heritage AM station on FM, the same music, the jocks and the programmer who knows how to put this together. I start on Monday and can't wait to get started."
Unfortunately, the great news of Landecker's return to WLS nights is tempered with the bad news for the legion of fans of Dick Biondi and Greg Brown. To make room for this new airshift for John Landecker, Dick Biondi now loses one hour per night from his show and has been pushed into the extremely late hours of 11:00 pm - 2:00 am, far later than the time many of his longtime fans can listen. Greg Brown will now have to end one hour earlier each weekday -- 6:00 pm, instead of 7:00 pm -- to make room for Landecker. To help make up some of that lost time, Greg Brown's afternoon show will now start 30 minutes earlier, at 2:30 pm. It is a net loss of 2.5 hours per week for Brown.
For Radio Hall of Famer and living legend Dick Biondi, it is a net loss of 5 hours per week, plus he is now forced to work into the wee hours of the morning. To help make up some of the lost air time for Biondi, he is being offered the chance to do a weekly one-hour weekend special (most likely pre-taped in advance), which will focus on the history of WLS-AM's Musicradio years from the 1960s and 1970s. This special will begin in February.
Still, many are seeing these new changes as a slight against the beloved Dick Biondi. Although he turns 80 years old later this year, he still has the energy and excitement of a DJ a fraction of his age. He has said many times that he has no plans on retiring. With the man still sharp and on top of his game, listeners have no desire to have him retire anytime soon, either. Now that his hours have been cut back and shifted to a less desirable time slot, one has to wonder if the fairly new ownership and management of WLS-FM isn't trying to force the hand of Biondi and make him consider taking the retirement he previously hasn't wished to take.
Dick Biondi has been with WLS-FM / WZZN-FM since 2006. He first joined WLS-AM and Chicago radio back in 1960. Greg Brown joined WLS-FM / WZZN-FM in 2007, after being a fixture on Chicagoland radio since 1974.
Not seeing any changes at this time is the WLS-FM morning show with Dave Fogel and Marti Jones, who will continue to work their regular shift (with the odd times) of weekdays 5:30 am - 10:15 am. Scott Shannon's syndicated and voice-tracked True Oldies Channel programming in mid-days will only be losing a half hour (2:30 pm - 3:00 pm) and three hours from the overnight shift, which Dick Biondi is now being forced to occupy.
-- Chicagoland Radio and Media
A couple of corrections to this ... Scott Shannon's Monday - Friday mid-day show is NOT a syndicated broadcast of his True Oldies Channel show but rather material recorded exclusively for the Chicagoland audience.  (Frankly, it doesn't work ... Shannon is MUCH more at ease and entertaining doing what he does best on The True Oldies Channel.)  Typically, after midnight, WLS-FM used to run Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel until Dave Fogel picked up the reigns at 5:30 ... and they used to run a "True Oldies Showcase" on the weekends.  I'm not really sure where either of these programs fall into the new mix.    Honestly, if you want to listen to Scott Shannon ... and many of us DO ... you'll do a WHOLE lot better to listen online and catch him in his real element rather than the watered down version airing on WLS-FM.  FAR more entertaining ... and with a GREAT music selection.  (Incredibly, despite all the references above to Shannon voicetracking his voice from New York to be aired here, Scott used to have the highest ratings of ANY of the WLS-FM jocks, proving that his old show was superior to what we were getting here locally.)  Unfortunately, he has since been reduced to simply giving out the call letters (often 9-15 times per hour!) with about one or two lines of "ad lib" thrown in per hour ... what a COMPLETE waste of his extraordinary talent! (I go back to my original rant from a few months back ... isn't there ANY other outlet here in Chicago that can pick up and give us back The True Oldies Channel???  We miss it!!!  And we want it back!)  Scott Shannon single-handedly SAVED the oldies for the Chicago market ... and now we have THREE stations embracing this format.  Give us back the BEST one ... the guys who shares the passion ... and move on!  (kk)
 
Kent ...
What's WCBS-FM doing this weekend?
Frank B.
Should make for an interesting mix of music.  One of our readers, Don Effenberger, came up with a theme concept for The True Oldies Channel a year or two back called "First And Foremost" ... it was kinda cool because you heard the first chart hit by an artist (usually their first national Top 40 hit), followed up by the biggest hit of their career ... thus "First ... and Foremost".  To use the WCBS-FM example, Don's concept would have featured "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Hey Jude".  I suppose we could take issue with The Beatles in general ... their first chart hit, of course was "Love Me Do" back in England ... but "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was, indeed, the song that broke the band here in America.  As for their LAST hit, I would have figured "The Long And Winding Road", a #1 Record in 1970.  (Honestly, it was probably more of an afterthought ... "Let It Be" was most likely the last INTENDED single ... but EITHER of these would have fit as at least at this point, the band was still together.)  If you're going to stretch the boundaries and include "Free As A Bird" (a #6 Hit from the first "Anthology" CD in 1996, recording by adding Paul's, George's and Ringo's parts to an old John Lennon demo recording), then why wouldn't you include their ACTUAL last hit, "Real Love", which went to #11 a few months later?!?!?  We could debate this forever ... but I still LOVE the idea that WCBS-FM goes through so much trouble to come up with a new and inventive way to present the music every single weekend!  (kk)

re:  BRAGGING RIGHTS:
Kent ...
The only reason I'm sending you this song is to brag about my current hometown, Valley Stream, New York. This big 1958 hit was recorded by The Aquatones from Valley Stream, New York. Now you can talk about Chicago, if you want to get even. LoL!!
Frank B.
 
re:  ON THE LOCAL SCENE:
I got a call from our FH Buddy Quent Lang the other day ... and he was all excited about a brand new show coming up in a couple of weeks at a place called SPACE in Evanston.  Quent (and his former Mauds bandmate Mike Flynn) are performing in a new band featuring top Chicago-area session musicians called Crash Landing ... and it sounds like this is going to be quite a show.  (The guys have put together some brand new arrangements of some long-forgotten classic rockers that you just don't hear anymore ... but will be instantly recognizable the minute you hear them.)  Personally, I can't wait to check 'em out.
All the details can be found here:  http://evanstonspace.com/?Month=2&Year=2012
Kent:
I will again be reuniting with my Mauds band mate, Mike Flynn, for a show at SPACE in Evanston on Saturday, February 4th. Mike has assembled some of the top Chicago session musicians for what promises to be a very enjoyable tour de force of  Classic Rock . The band is called CRASH LANDING ... here are more details.
Hope you and our old fans can join us !!!!!
Quent Lang
 
re:  71 YEARS OF TOP TEN HITS!:
YOU are the first to know about our upcoming new edition, Top 10 Pop Hits 1940-2011!  The first edition sold out in just nine months and it spawned a series!  A lot of musical ground is covered in this artist-by-artist listing of every Top 10 hit on Billboard's pop singles charts, from radio's earliest swing stars to the latest YouTube sensations.  It's the book with something for everyone.  And it can be yours at $7 off the regular price ($24.95) for just $17.95 plus you can still take advantage of our current promotion 'Get More, Save More'!  This very low price and the extra savings end January 31, 2012, so order today.
Joel Whitburn
Click on over to Joel's Record Research Website for all the details:
 
re:  DRUMMER:
And how about a smile to end your reading experience this Sunday?  (We started off all "doom and gloom" ... I figured that this was the LEAST I could do!!!)
I got this from Fred Glickstein of The Flock, who tells me that "this was actually ... (allegedly) ... on Craigslist:
Looking for someone special who would kill my drummer for $100.00.
Do not fear any negative consequences for this act.
Any self respecting law enforcement agency would gladly turn the other cheek once they hear this guy "play" ...
I am tired of hearing his 70's style fills put in the wrong spot and ending one half beat early or late depending on how much he's had to drink.
I am tired of him standing up behind his drums between songs and ripping his shirt off and flexing his muscles at wedding receptions where we were hired to play Air Supply, Carpenters, and Ann Murray songs because "chicks dig the pecs, dude".
I am tired of him showing up 20 minutes late for rehearsals, then pouting until someone helps him load in his drums, then taking 30 minutes to set them up and needing a smoke break every 15 minutes, then wanting to leave early because "this chick is so fine, I can't say no, and she knows record people dude, so it's for the band."
I am totally done with him calling me up at midnight to play me some damned jazz fusion album from 1981, crying and saying how we shouldn't have sold out to "the man" and asking if I know anyone who can get him some weed knowing full well I smoked twice in '69 and never touched it after that.
I am sick of him farting on stage where the drum mics pick it up and thinking it's funny.
I am tired of kicking off slow ballads at well under 80 bpm only to have them morph into the methamphetimine version of flight of the bumble bee, because that's the tempo he "feels" it at.
I am tired of having to carry jumper cables to the gig because "I must have left the dome light on again, dude," instead of admitting his '84 Oldsmobile is a worn out piece of crap.
I am tired of him asking when he's gonna get a drum solo.
I am tired of paying his tab at restaurants because "that chick must have stole my wallet man, but it was worth it 'cause she was a phreak".
I will not move my amp again so he can put another new cymbal on the stage, because "when we learn some fusion I'll need this sound".........
Please ... somebody kill this motherfgucketr.
I can't do it because he's my brother and mom would be so pissed —
even though she too thinks the band would probably sound better.
 
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Saturday, January 21, 2012

A Few Beatles ... And Beatles-Related ... Comments

One of our most-read, most-quoted and best-loved early series, "Who Played The First Beatles Record In America", still has folks talking ten years later.
We've received a number of challenges to our findings during this time ... but no "concrete evidence" to disprove our theory that Dick Biondi (of Chicago's very own WLS) was the First Disc Jockey in America to play a Beatles record on the air.  (In fact, "Please Please Me" ... by the mis-spelled Beattles ... charted for a couple of weeks in early March of 1963, the earliest CHARTED Beatles U.S. appearance we've been able to find.)
But we just came across a new finding that has gotten our attention ... read on ...  

re:  WHO PLAYED THE FIRST BEATLES RECORD IN AMERICA:

FH Reader Randy Price sent me this note that he saw posted on Mike Callahan's "Both Sides Now" website, regarding an early playing of "Please Please Me" in the Philadelphia area ...

In Philadelphia, "She Loves You" made WIBG's Top 99 list for September 23, 1963.  It spent one week at position #81 (or perhaps two weeks; WIBG compiled its lists weekly at the time, but published them biweekly).  The station also played "Please Please Me" sometime in mid-February 1963, though it didn't chart;  I wrote the title down on the back of the 2/11/63 list. WIBG's lists included lots of records that didn't chart nationally.
Alex McNeil
We've had a couple of other folks tell us that they remember hearing "Please Please Me" in Philadelphia, too, as (in their words) MOST new records were first broken there.  (I still tend to believe the story that Vee Jay Records, literally right down the street from WLS 890 AM, probably WALKED the record over, hot off the presses, prior to mailing it out to anybody else ... but we could be wrong!)  The fact that Alex wrote it on the back of the 2/11 survey is the intriguing part ... that would be about two weeks before Dick Biondi played it on his WLS radio program ... and recently discovered paperwork indicates that Vee Jay Records OFFICIALLY released this single on February 7th ... and NOT the 20th as has been so often reported.  If WIBG jumped on this literally the day it came it, it is entirely possible that they were the first ... now we need some back-up.  (Sam Lit has been stating this for years but we've never received any documentation.  Surely SOMEBODY must have something in the archives that can back this up???)  Alex's survey notation is impressive, however ... so I'm prepared to pursue this even further if ANYBODY out there can get me some concrete evidence or documentation!  (kk)
And another Beatles milestone, too!  The Cavern celebrates its 55th birthday!!!
Kent ...

How many times did the Beatles appear at The Cavern Club?  Click this link to find out.
Frank B.



re:  PAUL McCARTNEY:
We ran the complete track listing for Paul McCartney's upcoming CD of (mostly) standards the other day.  Macca has been wanting to do an album like this for over twenty years ... and has pushed it back several times. (Probably each time Rod Stewart ... or Barry Manilow ... or any one of countless others ... released THEIR tribute to the "greats"!!!)
Ironically in the same issue that we told you about the songs that'll be featured on Paul McCartney's new release, we ALSO told you about a Mel Carter CD of similar content and inspiration.  (But, in Paul's defense, he has also stated on the record while promoting this new release that THESE are the songs that greatly influenced the early writing styles of Lennon and McCartney ... kinda surprising in that The Beatles were formed at the birth of Elvis, Buddy Holly and Rock And Roll!) 
But, without question, McCartney has embraced ALL kinds of different musical genres over the many years of his career ... so this one still bears listening.  (And he's written a couple of new tunes that "fit the mood" as well ... and resurrected one of MY favorites, "My Baby's Request" from the Wings / "Back To The Egg" album from the late '70's.)
Frequent Forgotten Hits contributor Gary Theroux offers an in-depth look at the history of some of the tracks that McCartney has chosen to honor on this new release.  Here's a fascinating look back at the history of some of these tunes:
Regarding the new Paul McCartney CD, I am sure that for a lot of people, the CD's title -- "Kisses On The Bottom" -- will make them think ol' Paul is referring to one way of earning the favor of your employer.  
It's actually a lyric line from "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter," which was a hit 55 years ago (in 1957) for Billy Williams: "I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter / And make believe it came from you / I'm gonna write words oh so sweet / They're gonna knock me off my feet / A lotta kisses on the bottom / I'll be glad I got 'em ..."
Like most of the other tunes on that CD, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down ..." is actually a composition of far deeper vintage.  The song was originally a 1935 hit for Fats Waller and then a 1936 hit for The Boswell Sisters.  Five years before the Billy Williams version, one of those sisters -- Connee -- recut the song and scored with it as a solo single.
As this is an album made up of (mostly) classic tunes Paul has long admired, here's a bit of background on the other selections:
“Home (When Shadows Fall)” as written in 1931 by Peter Van Steeden, Jeff Clarkson and Harry Clarkson and became a hit for bandleader Van Steeden (with a vocal by Dick Robertson) in 1932.  Louis Armstrong scored with a cover version that year, Nat "King" Cole did the same in 1950 and Sam Cooke included his version of the song on his 1964 "Ain't That Good News" LP. 
“It’s Only A Paper Moon” was originally introduced on Broadway in the play "The Great Magoo" under the title "If You Believe in Me."  The first hit versions were in 1933 for Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (vocal by Bob Lawrence) and Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards.  Benny Goodman and Ella Fitzgerald each had hits with the song in 1945.  
“More I Cannot Wish You” is a Frank Loesser composition from the 1950 Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls." 
“The Glory Of Love” was originally a 1936 #1 hit for Benny Goodman & his Orchestra with vocalist Helen Ward.  
“We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)” was a 1940 hit for Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with vocalist Frank Sinatra.  The next year the song hit #1 for The Ink Spots, the group later emulated by The Platters.
“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” (a tune from the film "The Harvey Girls") was written by and a #1 hit for Johnny Mercer in 1945.  Three cover versions -- one each by Kay Kyser, Artie Shaw and Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters -- also scored that year.   
“My Valentine” is a new McCartney composition.
“Always” was written in 1925 by Irving Berlin as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin, to whom he assigned all royalties.   It had been intended for inclusion in the Marx Brothers' Broadway show "The Coconuts" but was pulled from the score by Berlin during the out-of-town tryouts.  Regardless, five hit versions charted in 1926, the biggest being chart-toppers by bandleaders George Olsen and Vincent Lopez.   
“My Very Good Friend The Milkman” was written in 1934 by Johnny Burke and Harold Spina, who also composed the Fats Waller classic "You're Not The Only Oyster in The Stew."  While never a chart hit, "My Very Good Friend ..." was recorded by Waller as well as -- Eric Clapton!  Now THOSE two would make for an interesting musical mash-up!  
“Bye Bye Blackbird” was one of the 1920s' most iconic tunes -- and certainly a sensation in 1926.  There were four hit versions that year, the biggest being a #1 recording by "The Voice of the Southland," Gene Austin.
“Get Yourself Another Fool” was written by Frank Heywood and Monroe Tucker and was originally a 1949 R&B hit for Charles Brown. 
“The Inch Worm” was another Frank Loesser composition.  Danny Kaye made it famous by singing it in the 1952 film "Hans Christian Anderson."  Seventeen years later, under Paul McCartney's direction, Mary Hopkin cut a memorable version for her 1969 "Postcard" LP.  
“Only Our Hearts” is the other new McCartney composition on the CD.  
Bonus Tracks:
“Baby’s Request” is a McCartney song he first recorded for his 1979 "Back To The Egg" Wings LP.
“My One and Only Love” was written in 1952 by Bob Mellin and Guy Wood.  It became a minor hit for Frank Sinatra in 1953.  Five years later WGN DJ Franklyn MacCormack included a moving spoken word version on his Liberty LP "The Torch is Still Burning." 
Gary Theroux    
Interestingly enough, we featured Billy Williams' hit "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter" several weeks ago as "Today's Forgotten Hit" ... I've always loved that one (and think it would STILL sound great coming out of your radio quite unexpectedly once in a while.)  The aforementioned Barry Manilow also cut a pretty good rendition of this one.  Cool that McCartney thought enough of "The Inch Worm" to produce a version on Mary Hopkins' first Apple album way back when ... and then cut his own version all these years later

Honestly, I'm not sure how well this new release will go over ... it may be something more for the "die hard" fans than the general public.  We got THIS email from FH Reader Clark Besch the other day, too ... safe to say he's probably not going to buy it!!! (kk)
Can 2012 start any worse?  Paul McCartney becomes the new Rod Stewart?  A CD of "STANDARDS"???  Didn't Ringo try this 40 years ago with "Beaucoups of Blues"?  I guess Ringo was WAY ahead of his time!  I am going back to my Yellow Sub and STAY THERE!  1966, here I come! 
Clark Besch
Actually, it was "Sentimental Journey" ... and I think that some of those tracks worked pretty well.  McCartney produced "Stardust" for Ringo's first solo LP ... and the title track ... (a personal favorite ... I especially like how Ringo pronounces "Sent - ee - mental"!!! lol) ... was produced by Richard Perry ... and Ringo enjoyed working with him so much, he brought him onboard to produce his first REAL rock and roll solo album ... "Ringo" ... in 1973 ... and the LP went all the way to #1!!!
McCartney recorded a duet with Tony Bennett a few years back ... and really it is the kind of "parlour music" you know he listened to with his old man growing up in Liverpool.  (Hey, it helped inspire things like "When I'm Sixty Four", "Your Mother Should Know" and "Honey Pie", too!  So this REALLY isn't anything new!)
My personal feeling is that McCartney hasn't released anything "memorable" since "Flowers In The Dirt" ... and that was a long, long time ago.  (By memorable I mean songs that stick in your head and can be recalled at a moment's notice.  Yes, there have been highlights here and there since then ... but NOTHING of "commercial value" like we're used to hearing from this guy!)  Still, I'm curious to hear it ... and (as a die-hard McCartney fan) will most likely buy this one just like I have all of the others!  (kk)
Kent ...
Instead of slowing down and heading toward retirement, Paul McCartney seems to working harder now than when he was a Beatle.
Now comes word of a possible Olympics Concert, according to MSN.
Several months ago we reported that Paul (AND RINGO!) were in negotiations to appear TOGETHER at the 2012 Olympics in London (and were working out all of the details and logistics in order to do so.)
So now Forgotten Hits is scooping MSN!!! (How cool is THAT?!?!?)  kk
 
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Friday, January 20, 2012

More Bobby


The other day, Forgotten Hits Reader Frank B. (a proud Bobby Darin fan) asked about Bobby's marriage-go-round with (and after) Sandra Dee. 


As promised, here are some edited excerpts from our Forgotten Hits Bobby Darin Series from a few years back.  (No, it's still not posted on the website yet ... but this is better than nothing, right?!?!?)

>>>A friend of mine told me he that he was watching TCM. Between movies they were talking about Bobby Darin. After Bobby Darin & Sandra Dee got divorced, they said that Sandra Dee never re-married. Bobby Darin did get married again. I don't remember that. Can you tell me if it's true?  (Frank B.)

Here's the scoop ... as reported in our month-long Bobby Darin Series a while back: 

At the end of the Summer of 1960, Bobby Darin was signed to appear in a key supporting role in the motion picture "Come September", behind Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida in the lead roles, along with America's Sweetheart, dream-girl-next-door Sandra Dee as his love interest.  Bobby had NO idea just how much this role would change his life!  Darin even wrote the title song for the film.

By 1960, 16 year old Sandra Dee had already made seven motion pictures, including the classics "Gidget" and "A Summer Place".  She was a bonafide movie star and, on the very first day Bobby was introduced to her, he asked her to marry him.  Her reply was, "Not today."  Bobby never stopped trying and over the three months they spent together making "Come September", he asked her again several more times ... eventually winning her over.

Shortly after the picture wrapped, Bobby and Sandy were married ... in old pal Don Kirshner's apartment at three in the morning on December 1, 1960, to avoid the hounding press.  One year later, they had a son, who they named Dodd, which was Bobby's nickname while growing up.

(Ironically, despite not having a father figure at home while he was growing up, Bobby's first words were "Da Da", which, in light of these extremely strange circumstances, was quite awkward.  Rather than deal with this situation, his family turned this expression into the word "Dodd", which then became Bobby's nickname ... by which he was referred to by family members for his entire childhood.  Years later, when Bobby had a son of his own, he named him Dodd Darin.)


Although Bobby wanted a pure and innocent girl for his totally devoted wife, he was hardly a monk ... always believing that he only had a short time to live, he was determined to have as much fun sexually as he could in the time he had left.  No matter how strong his feelings may have been for Connie Francis, Joann Campbell or Sandra Dee, (all of whom he professed his undying love to, proposing to each one), Bobby continued to have sex with other women.  One well-circulated story is that at the age of 18, he was taken under the wing of a dancer, an older woman, who asked him to play bongos in her act and travel with her to South America.  They never went to South America, but for the best part of two years, Darin lived with this woman as her "boy-toy."  Every time he tried to leave, she threatened to commit suicide and, in fact, on two occasions Bobby saved her life from such an attempt.  After two years of craziness, he finally left and, years later, the woman DID succeed in killing herself.  After the relationship ended, Bobby publicly said, "Before I met her, I was just like any kid in the Bronx.  Afterward, I was the most disillusioned human being in the world ... but I was no kid."

Sandra Dee was EXACTLY what Bobby was looking for ... a sweet, innocent, pure, beautiful girl (who just happened to be a movie star!)  Bobby had previously proposed to both Connie Fracis and Joann Campbell, who also fit this description, but neither one of these two other girls were willing to put their careers on hold and remain in the shadow of Bobby's spotlight.

Over the years, Sandra Dee has admitted to having been sexually abused as a young girl by her step-father and becoming both anorexic and an alcoholic.  The pressure of always looking thin for her modeling (and later, movie) career forced her to eat nothing more than a salad for most meals.  In fact, Sandra can attribute her first taste of alcohol to sitting at the head table at one of Bobby's concert performances.  (Bobby insisted that she be there at EVERY show ... sitting right up front where the audience could see his beautiful, loyal, "trophy" wife.)  After putting her own career on hold to appease her husband, she was quickly up to several drinks a night ... medicine to endure Bobby's night-after-night repetitive stage act no doubt.  She quit for about a year when she found out she was pregnant ... but then started back in full force again once the baby was born.

When Sandra Dee was just 15 years old, her stepfather told "American Weekly" magazine that he married Sandra's mother " ... just to get to Sandy."  In fact, truer words may never have been spoken.  Dee says her stepfather began sexually molesting and abusing her as early as the age of five when she used to sleep between her parents in bed.  Amazingly, she never told her mother (but always suspected that she must have known ... to her dying day, Dee's mother said she had no idea and even insinuated that Sandy may have made the whole thing up.)  The truth was, she loved her stepfather and was pleased at how happy he made her mother.  She used to say "When WE married daddy ... " something truly ironic in hindsight.

Perhaps just as ironically, there has been speculation for years that the way Bobby Darin finally got Sandra Dee to go out with him while filming in Italy was to first win over Sandy's mother.  There has even been some speculation that they were intimate ... something that even Sandra Dee acknowledges COULD be a possibility.

During the courtship process, Bobby began sending Sandy 18 YELLOW ROSES every day.  (This would, coincidentally, become the name of one of his biggest hit records in 1963.)  Bobby's composition certainly had a country feel to it and it would have felt every bit at home if sung by Marty Robbins or Roy Orbison ... but it was a Top Ten Bobby Darin hit all the way!  It followed his #3 Country-Flavored Hit "You're The Reason I'm Living" (certainly a nod to Ray Charles and his country hits like "I Cant' Stop Loving You") up the charts. 



Sandra Dee was next scheduled to star in the teen movie "Tammy Tell Me True" when she realized that she was pregnant.  In fact, with virtually NO film experience under his belt, Bobby went in to renegotiate Sandy's film contract (and successfully did so, I might add!)  The fact that Sandra Dee was also the nation's Number One Box Office Female at the time probably didn't hurt either!!!  (Darin just couldn't understand how he could earn $25,000+ per week performing in nightclubs yet Sandy only earned $50,000 a YEAR as a contract player.)

Bobby and Sandra's marriage began to show problems right at the start.  Once the honeymoon was over, the honeymoon was over so-to-speak.  Bobby immediately went back to work and was soon touring the country again.  Sandy still wanted "18 Yellow Roses" to arrive every day.  He wanted her at all of his appearances ... not only to cheer him on but also to be able to show her off.  He also wanted Sandy to entertain many of the celebrities in the audience who showed up each night to catch his performances.  Soon, the animosity began to spill over.  Often, backstage right before Bobby was scheduled to go on, Sandra would make a snide comment about his toupee being on crooked ... just enough to alter his focus prior to his big opening number.

Over the years, they would have several periods of separation, but would always seem to get back together again.  Their doomed marriage was often the cover story on many of the movie tabloids of the day.  Nearly as often, the Darins would file lawsuits against these publications in an effort to maintain some level of privacy in their personal lives.

Bobby needed to command all the attention and needed "down" time after his performances ... he would have his closest friends with him backstage and Sandra was never able to accept this part of their life.  SHE wanted to be the center of Bobby's attention and often made comments about his "hanger-on" friends.  Once (and only once), Bobby was so upset he slapped Sandra hard and sent her flying across the room, telling her to NEVER insult his friends again.  By 1964, Bobby and Sandra had split up so often that, when it came time to send out invitations for one of their big Hollywood parties, several of the invited celebrity guests called first to see whether or not they were actually together that weekend or not!!!

When Sandra started making movies again, Bobby became jealous of her successful movie career ... he wanted to be a big movie star, too, and many feel he only pursued music as the springboard to making movies.  After three years of marriage, Sandra was still only 19 years old!  When the opportunity came to costar with Warren Beatty in the film "That Funny Feeling", Bobby became jealous and told her that "Once you grow up, you won't need me anymore."  (The movie rags at the time were full of stories about the "secret" love affair between Sandra Dee and Warren Beatty.  Dee denies that anything ever happened.)  Beatty ultimately backed out of the film ... and Sandy recommended to the studio execs that Bobby take over the lead role.  Darin was torn between taking a role his wife got for him ... and being the lead actor in a major motion picture.  His ego quickly got the better of him and soon he and his wife were costarring together in the film.  Sandy had hoped that working together would strengthen their marriage ... instead, shortly thereafter, Bobby announced that he didn't "want to be married anymore," packed his belongings, and left.

In fact, it seemed that every time Sandy was about to start work on another movie, Bobby felt it was time to leave.  Whether it was a case of feeling threatened by her movie career ... or jealousy ... no one can say for sure ... but by 1966 it was over for good.

On March 7, 1967, Bobby and Sandra were officially divorced.  Bobby's declaration that "I don't want to be married anymore" was the crux of the case ... no further explanation ever came up.  Surprisingly, over the next several years, Bobby and Sandy would still be together many times ... Bobby even stayed at the house on several extended occasions, and proclaimed to the press that they were happier now than when they were married.  But Sandra Dee was not happy ... the only man she ever loved was gone. 

Jump ahead six years and, after being released from yet another hospital stay, Bobby asked Andrea Yaeger, , a woman he had been seeing for some time, to marry him.  She reluctantly agreed ... Bobby hadn't been himself a lot of the time lately ... he would concoct ridiculously elaborate scenarios in his head about being betrayed by the people closest to him and had very erratic behavior patterns and anger spells ... in fact, by October, just three and a half  months after their wedding, Bobby was already filing divorce papers.

The day after the papers were filed, October 3, 1973, Bobby was admitted back into Cedars of Lebanon for congestive heart failure.  This time, his heart would have to be stopped and restarted ... once again, he survived.  Bobby was thin and gray ... he was down to about 120 pounds and looked haggard.  He could barely speak.  He was having massive personality and mood swings and on October 23rd, he went to his lawyer to change his will, leaving his entire estate to his son Dodd.  It was worded in such a way that Dodd would only receive the interest and income earned from the estate until he turned 65, not the principal ... he didn't want to just hand it all over on a silver platter ... Bobby wanted Dodd to learn to set his own goals and achieve them.  (Years later, Dodd would write "Dream Lovers:  The Magnificent Shattered Lives Of Bobby Darin And Sandra Dee", a biography of both his famous parents ... and an excellent read and source of information for this Forgotten Hits special piece on Bobby Darin.)  The following day, October 24th, Bobby's divorce was granted.   

EPILOG:  In November of 1973, Bobby went to New York to say goodbye to some of his oldest and dearest friends.  On December 10th, he was back in the hospital with congestive heart failure again.  Bobby knew that this was going to be his final trip.  On the 12th, his sister Vee was called and told to get out to Los Angeles right away.  (Fittingly, when she came to visit, she brought Bobby coloring books ... a childhood passion from his sickly past.)  They spent several days together, talking about all the things they had been through ... yet, even on his deathbed, the identity of Bobby's real father was never revealed.  

The 16th was Dodd's birthday.  He called to wish his son a happy birthday but could barely speak ... he was nearly delirious, crying on the phone with the realization that he would not see his son again ... he'd never see him grow up ... and that he was going to die.  Dodd wrote his father a note ... a goodbye note from a loving son ... that Vee delivered to her brother.  Bobby had left a trunk sealed at Sandy's house years before ... with strict instructions that it was not to be opened until after his death.  Inside were several precious family mementos ... photos ... papers ... even a lock of Dodd's baby hair ... all the things that really meant something to Bobby during his life.

Two days later, he slipped into a coma.  On December 18, 1973, his heart stopped beating.  Through electroshock treatment, they were able to revive him,  yet he remained in a coma.  Bobby had previously refused to allow the doctors to perform a catherization of the heart but now, hovering near death and unconscious, Vee gave her permission for the procedure to be done. 

The catherization showed that one of the valves in Bobby's heart was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced.  It was doubtful that Bobby was strong enough to survive such an operation.  It was agreed that if Bobby made it through the night, they would open him up the following day and see what they could do.  Bobby did survive the night and exploratory surgery the next morning showed that the left side of his heart was infected.  However, too much of his heart had already been cut away during the first operation to allow any more to be done now.  Bobby was hooked up to a heart and lung machine while the doctors worked feverishly to remove the infection and replace the malfunctioning valve.  Amazingly, Bobby's heart began beating on its own.  Shortly after midnight, he regained consciousness for a brief time and became hysterical.  His heart stopped again, causing his kidneys to fail and brain damage occur.  He was quickly hooked up to a heart massager ... it was the only thing keeping Bobby alive.  However, it was decided that Bobby was just too weak to make it ... he was, for all purposes, already dead.  Making what she later described as the "hardest and easiest decision of my life," his sister Vee then instructed doctors to pull the plug.  Bobby was pronounced dead in the early morning of December 20, 1973.  Bobby's revised will left very explicit instructions that there was to be no viewing and no burial ... per his wishes, his body was left to medical research.  

Sandra Dee never remarried and says Bobby Darin is the only man she's ever truly loved.  

In 1990, he was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Bobby used to talk of dying on stage ... that this would be his ultimate triumph ... to die before a packed house.  His closest friends and relatives never really believed (or wanted to believe) just how sick he really was ... he'd go up on stage and give the performance of a lifetime and then collapse backstage ... and then do it all over again the next night and the night after that.  Bobby Darin truly was one-of-a-kind of our generation, bridging the gaps between rock and roll, folk hero and all around entertainer ... and his music will live on forever.
kk
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