Lots Of Monday Goodies!

Locals have the chance to see the final cut of the Dick Biondi Documentary ”The Voice That Rocked America” … at a special screening on January 25^th at The Moonlight Theatre in St. Charles, IL.  More details below from Pam Pulice …

Dear friends,
As we approach the busy holidays, here's a January outing guaranteed to chase away the winter blues. Here is your chance to see the award-winning documentary film dedicated to groundbreaking radio personality Dick Biondi and Chicago rock 'n' roll radio, and enjoy live entertainment by Chicago rockers Joe Cantafio and Bob Blom, emceed by DJ and Radio Historian Scott Childers. 

Date: Sunday January 25 2026
Time: 2:00 CDT, Doors open at 1:00 pm
Where: The Moonlight Theatre 
7 S. 2nd Ave St. Charles, IL 60174
630-549-0072

Tickets are $25. Seating is limited so book now! 
Proceeds will go to the Dick Biondi Film project.

 

About the Moonlight Theatre:
A live music, comedy and entertainment venue located in historic downtown St. Charles, IL. Built in 1900, the theater has been lovingly restored by owners Joseph Mennella and Nancy Fioramonti-Mennella featuring professional theatre, music acts, cabaret, stand-up comedy, improv, and workshops. Their kitchen provides an assortment of delicious food and a full service bar which serves cocktails, beer and soda.

Hope to see you there!  (kk)

Timmy sent us this cool Doors billboard from back in the day …

Nothing wrong with a little self-promotion, right???  (kk)

kk …

As You Can Guess, All My Favorite Shows Will Be Playing Christmas Music This Week.

TUESDAY = Ken Kojak's 1960's Jukebox Revue

FRIDAY = Brooklyn Billy's Memories Of Yesterday

SATURDAY = Glen Fisher's Doo-Wop Revival

SUNDAY = Wild Wayne's Memory Machine

SATURDAY = Cousin Brucie's Rock & Roll Party

Cousin Brucie Plays Top 50 Christmas Songs.

Don't Know About You, Kent, But I Love Countdowns.

Only One Problem ... Listeners Won't Be Able To Call In With Requests.

So Instead, Cousin Brucie Has His Listeners Call In And Announce Song And # On The Countdown.

BAD IDEA …

All The Callers Want To Say "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and "HAPPY HANUKKAH" and More.

Not One Of Them Calls And Gives The Song And # And Hangs Up.

My Favorite All-Time Christmas Show Was Norm N. Nite On WCBS-FM.

He Would Play All Original Versions Of Christmas Classics.

FB

Hot of the heels of The Happy Together Tour 2026 announcement, comes this from Tom Cuddy …

https://www.themygenerationtour.com/

The Lovin’ Spoonful with Terry Sylvester just played here last week … cool that they’ll be hitting a bunch of cities with this lineup, now including our FH Buddy Gary Lewis!  (kk)

Another Moment in Forgotten Hits History thanks to our Forgotten Hits Historian, Chuck Buell!

Which brings to mind the attached clip from "Back to the Future!" 

CB! ( which stands for "Curator Boy!" )

And here's more from Santa's Head Elf, our own Forgotten Hitter, Chuck Buell!

Well, I'm apparently and definitely not in the minority here for still liking Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You," because her song is once again dominating the 2025 Holiday Season Music Playlists!  You go, Girl!

The charts certainly bear this out ...

As I type this, Mariah is #1 again!!!  This week's Billboard Chart shows "All I Want For Christmas Is You" at #1, Wham!'s "Last Christmas" at #2, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee at #3, "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms at #4, "Santa Tell Me" by Ariana Grande at #8, "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire - Merry Christmas To You)" by Nat "King" Cole at #9 and "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" by Andy Williams at #10.  You'll find 23 more Christmas-related song in this week's Top 40.  That means that 30 of this week's Top 40 Hits are Christmas tunes!  (kk)

Now, if you are one who has grown a little tired of hearing Maria each year-end, perhaps a Different, Fun presentation injection is what you might need.  Attached, for instance, is the "Postmodern Jukebox's 1940s" interpretation with their signature style of her song.

And, funnily enough, what could be a better way for them to kick it off than with the familiar "Dum Dum Dum Dum" opening of the Chordettes' 1954 non-holiday hit, "Mr. Sandman!"

What?! you ask. What's the connection?!  Well, here's why that works!

Songwriter Pat Ballard was so impressed with the success of “Mr. Sandman” that he was inspired to rework his lyrics into a holiday theme the following year, coming up with “Mr. Santa,” a song covered by any number of female country artists in the ‘70’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s … But FIRST recorded by Dorothy Collins back in 1955. (Unfortunately, this one wasn’t a hit … in fact, it didn’t chart at all!) And now, because most of you in the majority are no doubt not be familiar with that song, I've also attached that for you too!

So, hit 'em!  And enjoy 'em!

CB  ( which stands for "Christmas-Hits Boy!" )

May I propose one more???

The similarly titled "All I Want For Christmas Is You" ... which predated Mariah's hit by several years ... by Vince Vance and the Valiants, featuring an INCREDIBLE lead vocal by Lisa Burgess Stewart (who now records under the name Lisa Layne) ...

You rarely get to hear THIS one on the radio anymore ... and that's a real shame ... 'cause this is a killer record deserving of its own notoriety.  (kk) 

By the way, my FAVORITE use of “Mr. Sandman” comes from the film classic “Eight Heads In A Duffle Bag!!!” (kk) 

And from Shelley ... 

Amid the cold, the illnesses and the holiday rushes comes Peter Asher with his new show. Peter Asher, without video, but with stories and songs. The idea came from his recent European tour with Graham Nash. On December 12, 2025, I drove to one of my favorite places: Katherine Hepburn Performance Center OR SIMPLY The Kate. The museum is featuring wedding dresses connected to Ms. Hepburn in movies and the one she wore to her own wedding. Light displays are on the lawn. Village lamp posts are decorated in green and white lights, and the air is crisp. This is a Friday night after a school day of wiping noses, avoiding coughs and taking students to the nurse for temp checks. I am so ready for entertainment!

I have been trying to get the name of the piano/vocals/guitar player from last night. When Peter announced Aubrey Richmond, who was playing violin/mandolin/vocals, the audience began to clap, and the name of the talented piano player went unheard. They were both very impressive in talent and backing up our Peter Asher.

There is no better audience for a complete detailed review than Forgotten Hits. We love detail information and learning the particulars of the music. However, I will not be doing that because there is the possibility that many of you will go to the show and that will be better than anything I can write. I will pick one song and story here to give to you. And still there will be many who will already know it.

Del Shannon wrote and sang his own compositions, but he also wrote songs for others. One such song he specifically wrote for The Searchers. Great group and this would have been a great song for them, but ... they listened to it and turned it down. "Just don't think it is right for us." Really? (thought a young Peter Asher listening in another room backstage) He quickly got over the insult of not having the song written for Peter and Gordon and asked Mr. Shannon, "Could we record that song?" Del Shannon agreed and gave it to them, saying he would not give it to anyone else until they returned to the UK next month and recorded it. They were all in Australia at the time. The song? 

I GO TO PIECES

Peter thinks The Searchers would have been wonderful on this with their twang guitar sound, but history shows that Peter and Gordon brought it to the top of the charts and nailed it. 

Here are the songs we heard last night. Remember there are stories and writers connected with each one.

Crying In the Rain

A Paul McCartney demo recording

Nobody I Know

True Love Ways

Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore

I Go to Pieces

Lady Godiva

You've Got a Friend

World Without Love

A captive audience at a very entertaining show. Thank you, Peter! PLEASE come back soon.

If there is anyone who absolutely must know more or all of the stories, have Kent let me know.

Shelley J Sweet-Tufano

NE Correspondent

Forgotten Hits

I've seen Peter's show a couple of times now (once with Jeremy Clyde, which was very entertaining)  

Much as I love him, my problem is he just seems to ramble on and on at times ... doesn't know when to quit!

Pacing, Peter!!!  Just give us the good stuff!  (kk)

Hahaha! Yep! This show was just less than an hour and a half. He commented at the beginning that he says, "to make a long story short" and proceeds to lengthen it. However, tonight it seemed as though each piece fit together with little in the way of rabbit trails. He said he learned a lot touring with Graham Nash. (????)

Gotta tell you Peter's joke:

"It's a good thing The Beatles came when they did and not in our present time. They would never have been able to enter the US. Trump would've put a very high tariff on them."

The Sunday Comments ( 12 - 14 - 25 )

Happy 100th Birthday to one of my all-time faves, Dick Van Dyke! (We're going to a special theater screening of his birthday celebration later this afternoon.)

Even 'tho I know 'em all by heart, I still find myself watching (and laughing at) the old Dick Van Dyke Show reruns every night ... we probably still watch one or two a week!

What a career this man has had ... and by all indications, he's still going strong.  (Dick Van Dyke as James Bond???  I can't even picture it ... but it was on the table at one point in time!)

We love ya!  (kk) 

Another Billboard record was broken this week as Frank Sinatra hit the #1 spot on their Adult Contemporary Chart with the electronically-created duet with Pentatonix, “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” a song he first recorded back in 1960.

It becomes Sinatra’s seventh Adult Contemporary #1 Hit … and the first one since the chart dated September 30th, 1967, when “The World We Knew (Over and Over)” wrapped up its five-week reign at the top.  In fact, Ol’ Blue Eyes scored FIVE straight #1 Adult Contemporary Hits in a row when that single followed “Somethin’ Stupid,” (a duet with his daughter Nancy), “That’s Life,” “Summer Wind” and “Strangers in the Night.”  (He also topped that chart with “It Was a Very Good Year” in February of 1966.)  This new chart-topper creates the new longest break ever between Adult Contemporary #1's: 58 years, two months and three weeks.

Carrying it a step further, Sinatra now also claims the longest span of ruling The Adult Contemporary Chart: 59 years, 10 months and two weeks, dating back to the first week at #1 for “It Was a Very Good Year” in 1966. And as if all of this isn't enough, Sinatra also had the very first Adult Contemporary #1 Hit on July 17, 1961, when he version of “Granada” topped the then brand new inaugural chart.  That brings his reign to 64 years and five months overall.  Incredible!

(This after last week’s announcement that Connie Francis’ “Pretty Little Baby” was crowned the TikTok song of the year!)

Looks like everything old is new again!

Here’s the official Happy Together Tour line-up for 2026 … released on December 12th ...

Boy, Shelley really scooped EVERYBODY on this one … 

She sent me the list back on November 30^th, but because we were in Vegas at the time, I had no way to post it.

They sure are shaking things up a bit this year ... I guess Ron Dante now IS The Turtles (who aren't even mentioned as the headliners this time around ... who does that title fall to now?  The Cowsills?)

Jason Scheff will really rock thing up on stage - but it looks like he'll be performing the hits he wasn't on!!!  (What a shame)  Doesn't really matter to me - as long as he's still in fine voice, he will absolutely steal the show.

The British touch with The Troggs and The Fortunes should be very interesting ... yeah, I think we'll probably go to this one.

I haven’t seen the 2026 Happy Together schedule yet … but I imagine things will be finalized shortly after the first of the year.  (kk)

Tom Cuddy sent us this health update from Ray Stevens, who suffered a heart attack back in July of this year …

Ray has always been one of my favorites … we wish him a healthy recovery.  (He’s another one I’ve always wanted to see live in concert that has never timed out right for us … hopefully he’ll be able to return to the stage next year.)  kk

Speaking of favorites …

>>>You’re talking to a HUGE, MAJOR Rick Nelson fan here … he’s most definitely one of my top faves of all time  (kk)

I'm also a huge Rick(y) Nelson fan.

I was very fortunate to see him live a few months before his death - and in a very unlikely locale.

I flew to Maine in the summer of 1985 to spend some time with an older family member who lived there while I was on vacation from teaching high school.  We landed in Bangor, rented a car, and had lunch where I briefly met Steven King before driving to Ellsworth, Maine.

As my mom and I drove into the small town of Ellsworth, Maine, we passed a small club with a sign saying, "Rick Nelson appearing" ... and on a date two nights before we were scheduled to fly back to Texas.

My mom's aunt's house was three blocks from the club.

I had to stand the entire show; all seats were taken and the place was packed.

What a wonderful memory.

Now I need to go play some of his music as this day begins in my 2025 world.

Brad

I was fortunate enough to see Rick perform in concert about half a dozen times … including, ironically, once on New Year’s Eve at The Park West here in Chicago.  He literally played every kind of place imaginable ... from a fancy club to a typical rock venue to a pizza parlor converted into a banquet hall for that night’s event … he has ALWAYS been one of my all-time favorites.  I’ve got copies of all of his Ozzie and Harriett TV performances as well as tv specials, guest spots, live concerts, movies and more … unfortunately all on the nearly obsolete vhs format (although I will admit to dragging out my vhs copy of ‘The Rutles’ to watch after the latest Beatles Anthology series just ran on Disney+!  Lol)  I’ve got WAY too much of this stuff collected over the years to just leave it all stored in boxes in the garage!  (kk)

Roger Daltrey is the latest rock star to be knighted.  (No word on whether or not Zak Starkey was invited then disinvited then invited and then disinvited to the ceremony.)  Also knighted this year were soccer star David Beckham and actor Gary Oldman. (We love him in “Slow Horses!”)  Actress Elaine Paige received the female equivalent and is now a dame ... which could have been FAR more confusing had that award gone to Ellen / Elliot Page, who I guess could have won BOTH awards, right???  Musician Steve Winwood and songwriter Graham Gouldman were both awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music … an honor that turned the whole world upside down when The Beatles won the first one sixty years ago!  (kk)

Now this, from our Forgotten Hits self-proclaimed "Person of the Hour???" Chuck Buell!  HA!

One of the two TIME Magazine's 2025 "Person" of the Year covers has just been announced.

 

In 1982, TIME named its first inanimate object as "(          )" of the Year." 

 

 

Time Magazine had been naming a "Man of the Year" since 1927, but broke tradition in 1982 to name the computer "Machine of the Year."

Ironically, the writer of the story wrote it on a typewriter since TIME's newsroom would not get computers equipped with a Word Processor for another year! 

 

Now, if I have the 'time,' one of my new projects for the New Year will be attempting to establish a new word for the "2026 Word of the Year."

  

"Comperson."   /kəm-pərs(ə)n/

A rendering of a human created by using a Computer and Artificial Intelligence!

CB ( which, obviously here, stands for "Computer Boy!" )