Even More Of Your Comments ...

As mentioned the other day, we have been absolutely SWAMPED with comments since the new year started.
Don't get me wrong ... I couldn't be happier ... and we're going to get to as many as we can ... but I'm having to scramble here a little bit to revamp what I thought was a pretty easy schedule for our 2019 kick-off.

(Sorry, Shelley ... but that means I had to bump you today ... but I promise that we'll try to get to all three of your concert reviews next week.  If things time out right, we'll do a complete Shelley-fest and knock 'em out 1, 2, 3.)

Meanwhile, let's keep this thing rolling!

Another sad death to report. FH Reader Ken Voss just sent us this UK clipping about Dean Ford, lead singer of Marmalade, who had the Top Ten Hit here in the States, "Reflections Of My Life" in 1970.  (The group had a long and successful British career that just never spilled over across the pond.  Their Greatest Hits CD is a real gem.)
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/marmalade-singer-dean-ford-dead-13804339 

A few years ago, Ford re-recorded his biggest US hit and we featured it numerous times here in Forgotten Hits.  It is just strikingly beautiful and has brought a tear to my eye more than once ... and certainly will again today in light of this very sad news.  (I remember making a comment after first hearing this that Ford should team up with Barry Gibb and hit the road together.  His voice is so "Robin-like" and I thought the two would really play well off one another.)
Please give this one another viewing today ... it's absolutely wonderful.  (kk)

Marmalade Vocal Legend Dean Ford Passes 

December 31, 2018 

It is with great regret to announce the sudden passing on December 31, 2018 of Dean Ford, aka Thomas McAleese, the former Marmalade lead vocalist of countless hit songs over the latter 60s and early 70s era, most notably the iconic ballad “Reflections Of My Life,” his co-write with Junior Campbell. That song lives in the hearts of many and was a soothing lament for many a Vietnam veteran. He had just recently released a solo double CD entitled This Scottish Heart, often stating “this is so exciting,” as the reviews poured in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGUI9JLO6kk 

Fernando Perdomo, his fellow stage musician and producer of his previous CD, Feel My Heartbeat, recalls “Every vocal Dean did oozed with love and tenderness. I will miss his kindness and warmth. A joy to work with and an inspiration.” Dean was born on September 5, 1946. 

“Years old when Pat and I went to see him singing with the Monarchs at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow. Just his little guy with big ears and big hands, but from the moment he opened his mouth to sing Roy Orbison’s 'In Dreams', me, Pat, and the whole of Barrowland knew he was something special… He was an exceptional talent and I am privileged and proud to have performed with him, and to have written songs with him… some of which apparently still mean something, to many, all over the world. I loved him dearly” - Junior Campbell 

Dean Ford This Scottish Heart: http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/product_details/16131

Billy
Glass Onyon Promotions

Marmalade had nearly a dozen Top 40 UK charted hits between 1968 and 1976, including EIGHT that made The Top Ten:  "Lovin' Things" (a GREAT version of the song that was a hit here in The States for The Grass Roots), #4, 1968; "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (#1, 1969 ... and a hit here for Arthur Conley ... this would have made a great Beatles single, too); "Baby, Make It Soon" (#9, 1969); "Reflections Of My Life" (#3, 1970); "Rainbow" (#3, 1970); "Back On The Road" (#6, 1971); "Radancer" (#6, 1972) and "Falling Apart At The Seams" (#9, 1976).  All of these appear on their Greatest Hits CD, "The Very Best Of" ... well worth checking out.  (kk)

First off, happy new year to you and yours, and all the great folks who read this blog.
1969 brings back lots of great memories, and I'd like to add a few words about my interest in and love of the Beatles, but in a somewhat strange way.  
Some of my listening time in early '69 was spent trying to decipher all of those weird sounds, words, and other nuances that were embedded within the grooves of Beatles' LPs - those which attempted to make us believe that Paul was dead.  There were signs that pointed to Paul's demise in earlier LPs, within pictures and lyrics (especially in the booklet in the Magical Mystery Tour LP), but those were embellished by the crazy stuff we found on the "White Album". 
Some examples:
At the end of "I'm So Tired", the music drops off sharply, and John is heard "mumbling" something that sounds like French.  Played backward, it is not difficult to hear what sounds like John saying "Paul is dead now - miss him, miss him, miss him".  Maybe I'm hallucinating.  
"Revolution Number Nine" contains a wealth of "clues," the first, and easiest to decode, is the phrase "Number Nine" becoming "Turn me on, dead man", when played in reverse.  Then, later on, there's Paul making a strange sound: "Hm-CHUH"; backwards, it's "I was doomed".  At about the same time, you hear Paul making muttering sounds that make it appear that he is in pain.  Also, we hear sirens, people running around in a panic, and other craziness.
What fun we had back then!
Mike Wolstein

Happy new year to both of you!  

So glad to see the 1969 WLS charts will be featured weekly.  I have many of them and am missing a few.  Thanks to you and Jack Levin, who I knew many years ago, for doing this.  
Clay Pasternack

You'll find the first one posted here on Sunday!  (kk) 
 

Hi Kent:  

My Top 5 in 1969: 

1.   Honky Tonk Women - Stones 

2.   Hot Smoke & Sasafrass - Bubble Puppy 

3.   Badge - Cream 

4.   Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival   

5.   (a tie) Bad Moon Rising - CCR and Crimson & Clover - Tommy James and the Shondells (unless you count it as ’68)

Ken

I haven't given any real thought to my Top 1969 Favorites ... will have to do that.  Hey, Mark Dawson ... wanna do another favorites countdown show for '69???  (kk)

Kent, 
You are probably already aware that Nick and I are part of the 2019 Happy Together tour. We are excited to once again be a part of it!  I’d be happy to talk about our return to the tour at some point.  
All the best,
Carl
The Buckinghams

Actually yes - we’ve announced it a couple of times now.

Heard you met up with Alex Valdez of The Yellow Balloon in Tucson / guess you guys toured together back in '67 as part of one of those large package shows.

We recently reconnected Barry Winslow of The Royal Guardsmen with his one time touring mate, Tommy James, at a show in Branson.

SO cool to be able to help make these connections!

Would love to talk more about Happy Together ... what is this like your 6th or 7th tour??? 

And we also just announced the new lead singer of Paul Reveres Raiders - a local guy named Dave Huizinga who fronted the local oldies band Generation. Tommy and the Raiders will be back for a fund-raising show here in March. Lots going on with the music that shaped our lives way back when.

Good health and prosperity in 2019!  (kk)  

Speaking of that Alex Valdez / Carl Giammarese reconnection ... here is what Alex sent us ... along with a GREAT photo! 

I went to the Buckinghams, Grass Roots, Box Tops show in Tucson. I was glad for the nostalgic revisit to the good period in life. All the guys were good and they put on a good show. Carl and Nick are still in charge after all these years.  It was good to be back in Chicago for a small time. I have to give special kudos to Dave Zane who is a good showman and guitar player with the Bucks. 

Below is a picture of an ageless Carl and an old Balloon.  It was good to see him and enjoy a brief chat.  More time to reminisce would have been nice, maybe next time.  

Happy New Year to everyone.

Alex Valdez 
Yellow Balloon 

Kent, 
Yes, met Alex Valdez ... his daughter Alexis was the entertainer director at the Desert Diamond Casino.  We played there December 22nd with the Box Tops and the Grass Roots as part of our American Pop package. It’s a great package that has successfully gone out together for a while now.  
Yeah, 6 or 7 times now, I think on the Happy Together tour ... we first did it back in 1985! I’d be happy to talk about it anytime.  
Best of luck to Paul Revere’s Raiders and their new lead singer. 
Happy New Year! 
Carl  

Hi Kent:  
First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family!  I look forward to your insightful commentary throughout the coming year.  
Second, thank you for mentioning our “Remembering 1969” 50^th anniversary feature which we’ll be doing the first week of 2019.  Then, on January 13 & 14, we’ll be marking the 40^th anniversary of the Chicago Blizzard of ’79 with songs that helped get us through those two major snow days.  Looking forward to running into you at a few shows over the next 12 months.  Should be another fun year!
All the best -
Rick 
Rick O’Dell
Program Director
Me-TV-FM

kk - 

My nieces went to the Billy Joel concert on New Year's Eve. He fell off the piano. Told the audience he wasn't drunk. 

How can a "PIANO MAN" fall off the piano? 

Kevin James ("King Of Queens") was surprise guest. 

He came out dressed as a woman, while Billy sang "Uptown Girl." 

FB

Hey, it was New Year's Eve.  He was probably just celebrating with everyone else!

The Billy Joel Channel is back on Sirius / XM for another brief spell.  I've got to say, I really enjoy hearing him talk about the stories behind the songs, "Piano Man" in particular.  (Sure, we all know that this is a bit of biographical song about Billy's early days working as a piano man in a bar ... but when he talks about at first thinking in terms of writing a book ... and then recounts the events of any given Saturday ... and the lyrics just flow ... it's just flat out entertaining.)

I've still never seen him ... have had tickets THREE TIMES but never made it to any of those shows.  Would love to catch him next time he's in town ... just preferably NOT at Wrigley Field ... and, hopefully, in an upright position!  (kk)

Kent,

First I hope you have a Happy New Year and continued best in the year of 1969 to come.  

I liked your showing of FB's shows that he used to go to. You are right in that one doesn't see line-ups like that anymore. But the one thing that stuck out in my mind when I read over the lineup of talent, was the artist listed at the bottom on the right. That of Lada Edmond. Kent, there is a name I haven't heard in years. I believe her last name is misspelled on the notice as well as the Jr. being absent from her name. I offhand never knew of another woman with the Jr. being in their name. I thought her only claim to fame was as one of the go-go dances there on the mid-sixties show HULLABALOO. I didn't know she made any records. Speaking of HULLABALOO, wasn't there a group called the Hullabaloos that had a record in 1965 on Roulette called I'M GONNA LOVE YOU TOO b/w PARTY DOLL? Not to be outdone, the show SHINDIG had a group called the Shindogs.

Larry Neal

We got quite a few "likes" for Frank's poster, showing Jackie Wilson, The Four Seasons and more.  Well this concert certainly predates "Hullabaloo" by a few years ... so I don't know if she was a performer as a singer or as a dancer ... but my guess would be the latter.  (I just don't think it was referred to as "Go Go Dancing" at that point.  What could be more glorious than dancing in a cage?!?!  lol)  kk 

That poster featuring the charismatic Jackie Wilson is worth the price of admission. I saw Jackie in the late 60’s after Higher and Higher and The Who Who Song, a great tune that went nowhere.

Do you hear the same talk about the Stones I do? Their second show at Soldier Field will shut down the band’s fifty plus year career.

Best Stones anthem … Gimme Shelter

Best Rocker … (a tie) … Sympathy For The Devil and Jumpin’ Jack Flash.

Best Tear Jerker … Out Of Years off Voodoo Lounge.

Keep on rockin’, Kent ... U da man!

Chet Coppock    

Hey Kent ...

This should be a fun year for me via Forgotten Hits ...

Will try and help you out with info/stuff whenever I can ---

Kris Erik Stevens 

PS Funny Fred Winston just called me this morning with New Year wishes ...

We were both friends and saddened by the news and loss of “Mean Gene” Okerlund today.

We three all worked together at KOIL Omaha.

Hi Kris - Happy New Year!

Would LOVE your input! 

I've been trying to get Fred to participate for years!  He could add SO much to what we do here.  (Maybe you can give him a little nudge for me!)  kk

That sounds like Fred ... known him forever ... love the guy.  However, talking about himself/participating ... not his favorite forte.  Will run it by him next time we talk ... don’t hold your breath. 

Kris Erik

More tomorrow ...

See you then!  (kk)

More Of Your Brand New Comments - Part Two

Lots more comments came in after yesterday's post ... so we've added several of them into today's batch ... with more to come next week ... so keep 'em comin', folks!

We're still reeling from all the losses of 2018 ... Aretha Franklin, the Queen Of Soul, Hugh Masekela, Dennis Edwards of The Temptations, Russ Regan, who discovered both Neil Diamond and Elton John (and a host of others), DJ Fontana, Elvis' first drummer, Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane / Starship, Rick Hall, owner of Fame Studios, Joe Osborne, bassist of The Wrecking Crew, Nokie Edwards of The Ventures, Eddie Willis, guitarist for The Funk Brothers, Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ray Thomas of The Moody Blues, Mickey Jones of The First Edition, singer Vince Martin, Delores O'Riordan of The Cranberries, Jim Rodford of Argent, Jazz Singer Nancy Wilson, Beatles' Engineer Geoff Emerick, Pat Torpey of Mr. Big, Russ Solomon, founder of the Tower Records chain, blues guitarists Otis Rush, Eddy Clearwater and Matt Murphy, rock author Jerry Hopkins, Joe Jackson, father of The Jackson Five, Janet, LaToya, et al, Alan Longmuir of The Bay City Rollers, Adrian Cronauer, a DJ for Armed Forces Radio (on whom the film "Good Morning, Viet Nam" was based, Hugh McDowell of Electric Light Orchestra  ... and then, on New Year's Eve, Ray "Eyepatch" Sawyer of Dr. Hook ... and now, on only the second day of the new year, we've lost Bob Einstein and Daryl Dragon.

I first became aware of Einstein as part of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, where he also worked as a comedy writer.  He was a GREAT, deadpan comic, who also played the recurring role of Officer Judy.  Years later, he reinvented himself as Super Dave Osborne, the unfortunate daredevil who captivated a whole new audience ... and most recently he's been part of Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."  Brother of comedian Albert Brooks (another favorite of mine), he will be missed.

Daryl Dragon, of course, was one half of the hit pop duo The Captain and Tennille, who captured the hearts of music fans everywhere with their nine Top 40 Hits released between 1975 and 1979.  Three of these went all the way to #1, with "Love Will Keep Us Together" (written by Neil Sedaka) becoming the biggest hit of 1975.  Other chart hits included "The Way I Want To Touch You" (#3, 1975), "Lonely Night (Angel Face)," #1, 1976, "Shop Around" (#4, 1976), "Muskrat Love" (#2, 1976), "Can't Stop Dancin'" (#13, 1977), "You Never Done It Like That" (#6, 1978), "You Need A Woman Tonight" (#36, 1979, and "Do That To Me One More Time" (#1, 1979.)

Daryl had been sick for awhile and the couple (who also hosted their own TV show back in the '70's) recently filed for divorce as a means of financially taking care of Toni (rather than stick her with his mounting medical bills.)

The couple met shortly before teaming up for a tour with The Beach Boys (Tennille was officially a "Beach Girl" for awhile, playing keyboards and singing background vocals.)  Dragon was dubbed "The Captain" by Mike Love while touring with The Beach Boys because of the hats he used to wear on stage. (kk)   

Some sad new on New Year's Eve ...

We've been talking quite a bit about Dr. Hook lately in Forgotten Hits ... 

A version of the band featuring lead vocalist Dennis Locorriere has been touring very successfully in Europe lately ... and we've been talking with Ron Onesti about booking the band for The Arcada Theatre, should they decide to add some tour dates Stateside.

I was under the impression that Ray Sawyer had been the primary lead singer of the band ... but readers pointed out that, other than their smash hit "The Cover Of The Rolling Stone," it was Dennis who sang lead on all the hits.  We even bemoaned the fact that it was too bad the two couldn't get back together to enjoy this newfound appreciation of their music.

Well, Ray Sawyer passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 81 ... so that's another reunion that'll never take place.

Although the cause of death was not revealed, you can read more about it here:
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/ray-sawyer-dr-hook-dies/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=newsletter_4572276



JOE OSBORN WAS THE MAN THAT I REFERRED TO AS THE GENTLE GIANT OF THE FENDER BASS.  HE PLAYED HIS GENTLE MAGICAL BASS ON SO MANY HIT’S THAT WE DID TOGETHER, WE WERE LIKE A MAGIC DUO.
JOE NEVER TALKED A LOT … PEOPLE FORGET THAT HE WAS ROCKIN’ WITH RICKY NELSON BEFORE THE PEOPLE EVEN KNEW WHAT ROCK AND ROLL MEANT DURING THE ROCK TRANSITION IN THE 50’S!!!
JOE WAS MY GIANT PARTNER IN MAKING HITS!!!  JUST TURN ON YOUR FAVORITE POP / ROCK RADIO STATION … AND YOU’LL BE LISTENING TO JOE OSBORN PERFORMING HIS MAJESTIC SOUND, ALL OVER THE WORLD.
HE WILL BE SORELY MISSED BY EVERYONE.
GOD BLESS JOE OSBORN!!!  
HAL BLAINE  

Kent,

Here’s a vote for “Blue Christmas” by Daffy Duck as the Best Christmas Song Ever. It’s a classic that doesn’t get enough airplay.

Thanks for all you do for us fans of the foundational music of Rock and Roll.

Bob Verbos

I've heard the Porky Pig one (which is VERY good) ... but never the Daffy Duck version.  I'm sure it's just as fun.  (Maybe the B-Side???)  kk

 

HI KENT, 

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
HOPE WE SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR.
IF YOU TALK TO RON AT THE ARCADA, TELL HIM I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY THERE AGAIN THIS SUMMER. GIVE HIM MY PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS. I WILL BRING SVENGOOLIE AND DO IT AGAIN.
THANKS!
(HAVE A BOOM BOOM CHRISTMAS)
FREDDY CANNON

Actually, I have already talked to Ron about having you, Lou Christie and Jay Siegel back to The Arcada this year.  (Boy would THAT be a kick-ass line-up or what?!?!)  Stay tuned!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday.  (kk)

Hi Kent,
Happy New Year to you, Frannie, and everyone in your Family.  Congratulations again to you & Forgotten Hits as you enter your 20th year, and thank-you for the meeting place where the music, composers, artists, producers, managers, agents, promoters, and music aficionados all gather "after the show!"  

Happy Birthday to Burton Cummings today (December 31st) as he headlines the Canadian New Year's Eve Countdown broadcast live on the CBC and live-streamed tonight on YouTube.  I definitely won't miss that performance.  Pretty nice compliment to headline a national broadcast to celebrate a 71st birthday!   

Loved all the 1968 info, also love the music surveys from the different towns big and small.  

Just a note ... when I saw the music survey from KQWB in Fargo, it brought back a flood of memories as my former brother-in-law Barry Chase worked there before he went on to WQXI and Z-93 in Atlanta.  It reminds you that "everybody is from somewhere."  KQWB was a kick-ass 10,000 watt AM rocker day-timer back in the day.  A bevy of talent worked there to include Barry Chase, Chuck Knapp (WLS, WRKO, WFIL, KS95), and Shadoe Stevens (KHJ, KMET-Los Angeles, American Top 40, voice of the Craig Ferguson show, voice actor, television actor, Hollywood Squares, and a laundry list of other career credits)  I used to listen to Shadoe when he was known as Jefferson Kaye when he worked at KILO - Grand Forks.  Another talent at the station was Chuck Dann (also known as Chuck Riley, KOMA, CKY-Winnipeg, WKYC-Cleveland, WIBC-Indianapolis, and Los Angeles voice-over artist.)  KQWB was one fine-sounding radio station.  

Again Kent, Happy New Year ... and keep up the great infotainment ... I look forward to more great reads!

Peace,

Tim Kiley

Long-time Forgotten Hits Reader Sandy Lorenz sent us this interesting article about The Chipmunks, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of their breakthrough #1 Hit from 1958, "The Chipmunk Song," recorded by Ross Bagdasarian, better known as David Seville ...

"The Chipmunk Song" Turns 60: Secrets of a Holiday Novelty Smash

 

Courtesy of Ron Hicklin 

The Eligibles in 1963 (from left: Bob Zwirn, Ron Hicklin, Stan Farber and 
Al Capps). The Chipmunk trio and their hot-head mentor, David Seville, 
were all originally voiced by Bagdasarian.

Ross Bagdasarian was an Armenian-American grape farmer who moved his family to Hollywood with big acting dreams. Instead, he became one of the biggest music phenomenons of the 1960s, earning Grammys, the admiration of The Beatles and millions of fans charmed by his high-pitched rodent singing trio.  

In every interview he ever gave, singer-songwriter Ross Bagdasarian took sole credit not only for his 1958 holiday hit "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," but also for all the musical performances by the rodent trio — Alvin, Simon and Theodore — that came before his death in 1972. But as the high-pitched phenom exploded, spawning dozens of albums, a TV series and multiple films, the songwriter called in ringers — who've been silent until now about this quirky chapter in their careers. 

Bagdasarian, a frustrated actor (Alfred Hitchcock put him at the piano in Rear Window) and sometime songwriter (he co-wrote the catchy 1951 tune "Come on-a My House," made popular by Rosemary Clooney) who was then in his 40s, experimented with a reel-to-reel tape recorder to re-create the sound technique that MGM had used to produce The Wizard of Oz's Munchkin voices 20 years earlier. In short, the process involves recording a voice at half-speed and playing it back at normal speed, which raises the pitch (the trick: a laboriously slow delivery of the lyrics). 

The result achieved a wacky sound he managed to sell to the then-struggling Liberty Records, which gambled on the gimmicky song he called "The Witch Doctor." Whatever spell it cast was a potent one: Listeners loved the simple duet to the tune of 5 million records sold in a matter of weeks. Appearances by Bagdasarian on TV's American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show followed. "The Witch Doctor" also resuscitated Liberty Records, and they wanted more.  

"I decided to try for a Christmas song," Bagdasarian explained to Teen magazine in 1960. "I thought of a melody on my way to work and I went to the studio and whistled it into a tape machine so that it wouldn't be forgotten. Since I can't read or write music, I whistle into tape machines.  

"Then I wrote the words and decided the singers should be animals or maybe even insects. I don't know why, but that's what I decided."  

He nixed the concept of singing mice or rabbits and even butterflies to finally settle on chipmunks, which he named after Liberty Records executives Alvin Bennett, Simon Waronker and Theodore "Ted" Keep.  

Miles of multitracked tape later (all voices and harmonies recorded solo by Bagdasarian), "The Chipmunk Song" became a sensation that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earned three Grammys at the inaugural 1959 awards and sold 25 million records by the mid-1960s. When albums (like 1964's The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits, sanctioned by the Fab Four) and TV's animated The Alvin Show followed, it became too much for Bagdasarian: He engaged session singers, though he never copped to the hired help.  

Speaking about the work for the first time, Ron Hicklin, 80 — a member of guy-group The Eligibles that took over the harmonizing on five albums — remembers the strain of those L.A. recording sessions, including one nerve-racking day in August 1965. "One of my strongest memories was when we were recording at RCA on Ivar and Sunset in Hollywood," Hicklin says, "and we were inside doing the Chipmunks when the Watts riots were breaking out at the time. We'd heard there were snipers on top of the Knickerbocker Hotel shooting at people. When we finished the session, I was with Ross and he was walking nervously with his back to the wall on the outside of the building, looking everywhere to get to our cars, and Ross had a .45 handgun with a shoulder holster that he was licensed to carry. I remember laughing later how here we were inside recording Chipmunks and then going outside with Ross, who's packing a pistol."  

Hicklin likes to describe his unique professional niche as "a ghost singer." He and additional experienced singers who worked on the Chipmunks albums (including Stan Farber, Al Capps, Bob Zwirn, Buzz Cason and Gene Morford in different configurations) hopped from gig to gig supplying background vocals for albums, TV show themes, films and commercials at a break-neck pace. Their voices brought themes for classic TV shows from Happy Days and The Monkees to The Jetsons and Batman (whose memorable two-word theme was penned by Neal Hefti).  

"With Ross and The Chipmunks, it would be maddening work," says Hicklin. "It was a long, involved process. We'd sing in slow motion for everything. It was one of the hardest things we had to do. What was a four-bar phrase for The Beatles became an eight-bar phrase. You'd run out of breath. The sheer work of doing it was remarkable." Farber, 81, remembers fighting to restrict the vibrato that's intrinsic in a trained singer but wouldn't sound right the sped-up final track. "Vibrato would ruin the sound of it and if you did it, the words would come out like machine gun fire. You had to sing a very straight tone," Farber explains, adding "Ross was there and would supervise, but he had done his stuff alone. We didn't sing with him."  

The session singers were not assigned any particular character, he says, "because when it was completed, all the voices sounded about the same. It didn't matter. Basically, we came in and did our job because Ross got tired and he got old — and rich."  

These Eligibles harbor no regrets. "I didn't seek any celebrity," says Hicklin, now retired in Palm Springs. "I just wanted to do the best job I could in all of my work. I have fantastic memories from that period. I mean, one day I was working at Capitol Records and Frank Sinatra walked into the studio and approached me. He came up to me with some sheet music and said, 'Kid, how does this go?' Sinatra didn't read music. I had to sing it for him. He thanked me and left. How do you top that? I walked among kings."  

And Chipmunks.    

A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

Kent, 

I remember that I shared this with you last New Years, but it seemed timely to do so again what with Nancy Wilson's recent transition December 13th.  

Her career spanned over five decades, from the mid–1950s until her retirement in the early–2010s.  She was 81. 

One of my favorite songs of hers was “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” from the mid-1960s. 

Johnny Mathis also did a version of it which was pretty cool, too. 

What I did last year was edit their two songs together.  It's attached. 

Happy New Year, Pal! 

Chuck "Cool Yule" Buell!

Hi kk,

Happy 2019. 

Here's a unique 60s item for the new year.  

A few of us 60s dinosaurs who were still in radio in the 1980s received complimentary calendars from MPL Music Publishing, handlers of Paul McCartney's interests.  In 1985, they sent out the Linda McCartney Music Makers calendar featuring her own photography of great artists of the 60s. Just mentioning this because 1985 calendars work for the year 2019, too.  So, on my wall is January's Janis Joplin, belting one out, above my computer screen.  Other great shots include Hendrix, Morrison, Jefferson Airplane, Ringo, George Harrison, and of course, Paul.  It's big, hangs almost two feet, and Linda was a very good photographer who had access to these greats.

Want one?  Surprisingly they still show up on EBay at fairly reasonable prices.

Have a great year. 

Carl Mann
Omaha

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MUSIC-MAKERS-1985-PROMO-CALENDAR-LINDA-PAUL-MCCARTNEY-MPL-BEATLES-HENDRIX-DOORS/380881946551?hash=item58ae5547b7:g:AYoAAOxygPtSzZF9:rk:1:pf:0

Congratulations to Dave Huizinga (pronounced Hi-Zinga), new lead singer of Paul Revere's Raiders.  While we've known about this impending move for a few weeks now, the band made the announcement official on New Year's Day, Darren Dowler apparently having moved on to other gigs at sea.
We've known about Dave for several years now, as he was the lead singer of two of Chicago's best oldies bands, Generation and The New Invaders.  Tommy Scheckel tells us that Dave fits right in with all the crazy antics that go on every time the band hits the stage ... although since the death of their leader, Paul Revere, a few years ago, they seem to be focusing a bit more on the music these days than the crazy show-biz aspect of their stage show.  (With 21 Top 50 Hits, they've got a pretty extensive catalog to choose from!)  Anxious to see the band in action again! (kk)

And, speaking of Paul Revere's Raiders, we just got word about an Easter Seals Fund-Raising Concert they'll be doing here in Chicago on March 23rd at the Athenaeum Theatre.  

It will be a great show starring Paul Revere’s Raiders with Special Guests Ronnie Rice, Ray Graffia and Denny Sarokin,  who had the #1 song in 1967, Come On Down to My Boat with his band Every Mother’s Son and, in later years, toured with Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band.  

Proceeds of the show will benefit the EasterSeals so we hope to have a full house for this show.

You are welcome to guest co-host the show.  

Regards

Rocky Colletti   

More info here:  https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/10363562

(More details as we get closer to the event)

 

"Bohemian Rhapsody" will officially be released on home video on February 12th. We'll be pre-ordering our copy later today!  
Incredibly, it's still playing in theaters and raking in the big bucks ... Oscar nominations will be announced in a couple of weeks and Rami Malek  
The big chain stores each have their special merchandising package to offer ... if you buy the film from Target, it'll come with a 24-page booklet showing the making of the film ... Walmart shoppers will get a free t-shirt with their copy of the disk ... and Best Buy's version will come packaged in a steelbook.  (So does that mean we have to buy THREE copies?!?!  Plus the one I was going to pre-order from Amazon???)  kk

As first tipped here 3 1/2 months ago (Robert Feder ran the story on December 23rd so we definitely scooped him on this one!) Mancow Muller is back on the radio here in Chicago ... and on WLS-AM to boot!  (While this hardly seems like a fit on the surface, this very well may be a long-term career move for the Mancow.  Steve Dahl, who severed his ties with the station two weeks ago, now has a 40-year career on Chicago radio thanks to broadening his horizons beyond the teen prank age that first started his career.)  
While I've never been a Mancow fan, I'm curious enough to tune in and listen, just to see what he does with it.  His first show airs tomorrow morning at 5 am.  (kk)

Paul McCartney released a new single on New Year's Day.  Honestly, it's nothing special ... more special effects than substance (and even those can't mask how weak his voice is at this stage of the game.  I honestly don't know how he's going to make it thru another world tour without it giving out completely!)
Titled "Get Enough," you can listen to it here if you're interested ... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=w5mswZOxczY

>>>For the sake of accuracy, Clark Besch was wrong about The Hollies tune on the KOOK Saturday Survey.  I was living in London at the time and "Listen To Me" was not a cover of the Buddy Holly tune. An honest assumption, I suppose, but it was penned by UK songwriter Tony Hazzard. It reached #11 in the UK.  (Mike Gentry)
Kent and all,
I could have sworn the Hollies song was the Buddy Holly song.  I shoulda checked my facts better!  I guess sometimes, it's best not to "Listen to me!" 

As to Robert Campbell's comments on Jeff Boyan and the Blackstones, MOST have never heard of them, let alone HP Lovecraft or Saturday's Children, but to some Chicagoans AND ME, these bands were awesome and Jeff was a big part of them. 

Here's a couple of Blackstones songs (there were only a few 45s by this great band) that show the early stages of some great talents.  "Never Feel the Pain" would be covered by the Rivieras ("California Sun" group) in ‘65 and "You Don't Know Better" would be carried with the guys into Saturday's Children in 1966 when it was released by them, too.

Clark Besch

Hi Kent, 

I don't think I've thought about The Banana Splits more than twice since the show aired. We had fun watching the intro and closing on YouTube after you mentioned it the other day. And by the way, it was great meeting you and Frannie in person and visiting the Nashville Honky Tonks when you were in town. We're usually listening to rock and roll cover bands around town, but after stopping in at the clubs downtown and seeing the amazing talent playing country music there, Sandra said "We need to do this more often." So we'll be doing it more often. Happy New Year to you and yours - and thank you again for all the effort you put into FH!

David Lewis

We had a great time, too, and are already talking about when we might be able to come back.

I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen an episode of The Banana Splits ... but Frannie was a fan.  Their one chart record, "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" spent exactly one week at #96 on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart in 1969 ... and then disappeared forever.  (kk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yqAaejuRn8

I have a collection of old commercials and public service announcements

on record.  They were to be discarded after the run dates, so that makes

them pretty rare.  I am sending you 8 :30 ads for the Air Force that ran

50 years ago.

Phil Nee

I have to admit that it was a bit odd to hear "foreigner" Barry Gibb doing a PSA for The U.S. Air Force!!!  And I'm not sure Gladys Knight could have read her piece any slower if she tried!  (lol)  But this was common practice back then as a way to reach the kids ... have their contemporaries speak to them in any brain-washing fashion possible, I guess!

Thanks, Phil ... I believe these truly are quite the collectors' items.  (kk)

Sedaka's "Star Crossed Lovers" has LONG been a favorite of mine. 

I actually sent it out to a group of folks on my "tunes list" a couple of years ago, and got some very positive feedback.  Folks who liked Sedaka and thought they knew ALL his hits (OK, this wasn't a hit in the traditional sense) were quite pleased to hear it and obtain the MP3 file.

I've spent the last year exploring the incredible "Lost Jukebox" series of CDs.  I've downloaded 60 of them, (at about 28 songs per disc) and am less than a quarter of the way through them.  (If you're not familiar with this collection, you should check it out.)

Thanks for all your dedication through the years.

Brad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBmKT46r6VI

I’m not familiar with the “Lost Jukebox” series … please tell us more.  (I don’t see anything listed on Amazon for this.)

“Star-Crossed Lovers” bubbled under in Record World only for nine weeks in 1969, never climbing any higher than #115.  (The video I saw on YouTube said this was a #1 Record in Australia.)

Frannie fell in love with a Neil Sedaka song a few years ago that I think we’ve featured here once or twice … another “non-hit” but a very beautiful melody.  It’s called “Alone At Last” … and it bubbled under in Billboard, peaking at #104.

Thanks to The British Invasion, I think Neil was cheated out of at least half a dozen hits that would have scored well on the charts at any other time.  We’ve seen him in concert a couple of times now and he’s just an incredibly likeable guy.  (kk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atle54olFSg

Lou Gramm, former lead singer of Foreigner, announced his retirement from the stage after a concert in upstate New York on December 29th.  Fans are still trying to interpret exactly what he meant ... he said this was his last "solo show" and basically that you had to know when to call it quits ... but rumors of a Foreigner reunion tour are still making the rounds.  Gramm was scheduled to appear at The Arcada Theatre in April with John Payne, one-time lead singer of Asia.  No official word of cancellation of this event ... but it is anticipated.  (kk) 

Kent, 
Congrats on the 20th anniversary of Forgotten Hits -- a great mix of memories, music and info. 
By the way, one trend you may notice during 1969 is the rise of the studio (only) group. It would be a trend that would make the 'producer' of records the real star (something that continues to this day).  Songs that fall into that category were the following Top 10 hits in 1969: Sugar, Sugar (The Archies), Tracy (The Cuff Links), Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' (Crazy Elephant) and Soulful Strut (Young-Holt Unlimited). 
Looking forward to this re-cap of 1969. 
Happy New Year, 
Joe Cantello 
Roswell, Ga   

Happy New Year, Kent - 
Thanks for all the terrific newsletters.  
Regards -  
Geoff Dorsett
Radio Presenter 

 

Hey Kent, 

I could resist sending this to you, as "The Time Machine" (1960) is my all-time favorite sci-fi flick. 

- John

Hey, we're doing our part to keep this great music alive ... so Happy Old Year indeed!  (kk)

Please bookmark this site and remember to check it daily ... ALL kinds of really great things coming up in Forgotten Hits! (kk) 

>>>You'll find a 1969 WLS Teaser, courtesy of Chuck Buell, on Saturday  (kk)  
HA!   A "Teaser" for a Teaser!  That could be a case of "overkill" overkill!!   {:~}  
CB
It looks like you're going to have to share your space on Saturday ... 
We got SO many new comments after our Wednesday Comments Page ran that we're going to have to "double-up" again to get thru them all.  (Hopefully today's page will be just as motivating!)
That's OK, folks ... we love it!  So keep 'em coming! (kk)