ART GARFUNKEL - A Guest Concert Review

There has been much talk these past few months about Paul Simon embarking on his farewell tour ... early reports state that it's a must-see event.  (Opening night he came back for three encores ... a total of NINE SONGS!!!  Who does that?!?!  That's almost a whole 'nother show all by itself!)

But there's been very little fanfare for Art Garfunkel's current tour ... despite the fact that literally every single show is selling out across the boards.  

I had the good fortune to see both Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in their early solo days ... Paul during his 1972 "Rhymin' Simon" tour and Art shortly thereafter when he was touring behind his "Breakway" album, still one of my all-time faves.

But I never had the chance to see the two of them together.  (Their last stop here in Chicago was at Comiskey Park ages ago ... and, incredibly, I couldn't find ANYBODY who wanted to go see the show with me ... despite knowing full well that this would likely be their last go-round as a duo.  I still regret missing it to this day.)

But I did get to see the Madison Square Garden DVD ... and despite all the bad blood that may have circled around them in the nearly fifty years since their 1970 break-up, they were able to pull it all together, set their differences aside, and put on an amazing, goosebump-inducing show.

Today, East Coast Forgotten Hits Field Reporter Shelley Sweet-Tufano tells us about the Art Garfunkel show she saw last week in Tarrytown.  (Art's recent shows at Chicago's City Winery were immediate sell-outs ... so I missed those, too!)  As such, today I get to live vicariously through Shelley's words ... and suggest that you do the same.  (kk)

******

 

When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy ….

Running scared, laying low …

Asking only workman’s wages …  

Ah yes, ‘The Boxer’ ... but also a peek into Art Garfunkel’s early musical career?  

They told me the sound check lasted much longer than planned, and therefore the doors for the 8:00 pm concert would not open till 7:30pm. Then I get the “rules”:  

THE SHOW IS COMPLETELY SOLD OUT. 

DON’T TRY TO CHANGE YOUR SEAT. 

HE DOESN’T WANT MOVEMENT ONCE THE CONCERT BEGINS. AND NO PICTURES.

The usher says it all with a smile. 

I can see the stage clearly from my balcony seat and I am finally seeing half of my son’s favorite duo live. Should I get my feathers ruffled? I smooth them down, and smile.  

When he walks out on the stage, alone, at 8:12pm there is thunderous applause. History walking before us. He is followed soon after by Dave MacKay and Tab Laven. As he addresses us, the audience, he explains his show. There are songs (thank goodness, and expected) but poems from his book, “what is it all but luminous,” (not a mistake … all lower case) will thread their way through the show.  

Art’s voice has most certainly returned in force. I believe it was around 2010 that he felt he had lost it, and retreated inward, waiting (as he states) for it to return. At 76 years young, with Paul Simon retiring, he has thrown himself back into his musical work. As he brings up in the second half of the show, “There are two ways to bring music to the world: recordings and performing.” While he would love to spend time in the studio, as he used to, working and perfecting a song … what do you do with it after that? “I’m not going on MTV. I guess I would do a Youtube. So I perform.” YAY! For us! And just maybe that is why our favorite Forgotten Hits artists DO keep performing. I like to think it is for us, but now I see it is equally for them.  

As Art reads a poem from his book, he comments, “That’s a little pompous. I can change that.” 

Highlights of the first act:

                April Come She Will

                The Boxer

                Moment In Time

                All I Know (a piano solo by Dave MacKay that took my breath away … no vocals, but wow!)

                Scarborough Fair

                The Side of the Hill

                In The Shadows (written after 9/11)

                Homeward Bound (inserting “Tarrytown” as the destination)

There are a couple more, but apparently I was listening without writing.  

After intermission, Art begins with Gershwin: ‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.’  You can imagine Art’s voice swirling this song around the heads of his audience. So romantic. As I watch the people jump up for standing ovations on songs, I notice the men are jumping up first, their wives looking up at them with the, “I never thought you got this like I did” look. 

Continuing on:

                Real Emotional Girl by Randy Newman

                For Emily Whenever I May Find Her

                A wedding song Art sang as a child in the synagogue

                Bridge Over Troubled Water …original melody.   (Did you know there was one BEFORE the recording?)

                Kathy’s Song

                Sounds of Silence … with the most amazing  / powerful arrangement of guitar and keyboards! 

As an encore, Art uses ‘Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep,’ ending with “Goodnight Tarrytown.”  

The poems from Art’s book are speckled with song, both actual and potential. “I’m having a great time,” he tells us.   

With so much in the gossip columns about this duo and their differences, I am both surprised and impressed that Art speaks SO HIGHLY of Paul Simon throughout the concert. No, I did not expect him to speak negatively, but he might not have referenced him at all had he chosen. My favorite statement of the night from the stage: “I chase after the goosebumps.”  

I sure experienced them … over and over. 

Simon and Garfunkel were our cutting edge when it came to duo harmonies, love songs (notice all the women who got their names in the titles), protest and basic life lessons that could be put into words and melody.  OK, son of mine … wait till you see your Fathers’ Day and Birthday gifts. Good timing for me on this concert, Mr. Garfunkel.  

A summer rarity ... and in June we return to Tarrytown for The Happy Together Tour.  

-- Shelley J Sweet-Tufano

 

The Sunday Comments ( 05 - 27 - 18 )

Dick Biondi:  
I’m sorry, but you cannot fire Dick Biondi. That term will never apply. You cannot terminate a spirit as strong as his. You cannot compare him to anyone else on radio.  
How can you put an expiration date on a legend?
A legend lives forever, changing the world for everyone in the range of his voice. Dick would never buy into his own divinity, which makes him even more divine. 
He is a burning star in the galaxy of rock and roll ... and nothing can stop him from shining. 
Dick, we are all thinking of you right now.  And loving you forever.  
Jim Peterik and all the Ides of March

Kent -

I enjoyed your tribute to Dick Biondi. It’s hard to believe that I never had the pleasure of meeting Dick, having worked in only one market at the same time and that was your city .

Without question, Dick is truly a Radio Icon and should be remembered for the impact he had on the industry. (Hey, we should all be as fortunate to have as long a run as Dick had in a very tough business.)

Keep your fingers crossed, Chicago … maybe someone will come along and welcome him with open arms.

Then again, Dick might say “Thanks but no thanks!”

Either way, thanks Dick, for a magnificent career.

Johnny Holliday

Hi Kent, 
GREAT NEWS! 
We just received a very generous donation from Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band! We are honored to have Paul in the film, and especially grateful because this means we can get back to piecing together our story.  Paul’s generosity gets us one step closer to the finish line.  
We are actively seeking our passion partners … people who believe in our mission and want to help us bring the Dick Biondi story to PBS. Now, more than ever, knowing Dick will not be returning to the airwaves at 94.7 WLS-FM, we feel it is vital to finish this project in a timely fashion.  If any of your readers would like their name, group, or company associated with “The Voice That Rocked America: The Dick Biondi Story,” please have them call me at 630-670-8411.  Or visit our Donate page https://www.dickbiondifilm.com/donate/.

Kent, we are screening our new 20 minute prevue followed by a Q&A at select venues around Chicagoland and getting a lot of great reactions from people in spite of it being a work in progress.  We’ve got two  screenings booked and are planning more.  Hope to see you at one. You never know who’s gonna show up, like John Landecker who surprised me at the Michigan City Library last Sunday.  John calls himself the Dick Biondi Ambassador and has been a great supporter of the project. Of course John’s in the film along with so many great, great personalities.  What a journey this has been for me to get to know all these DJs and artists I grew up listening to.  Incredible. 
June 5th - 1:00 PM - Fremont Library - 1170 N Midlothian Rd - Mundelein, IL 60060
July 1^st - 2:00 PM - Sulzer Library - 4455 N Lincoln Ave - Chicago, IL 60625 with Special Guest Ronnie Rice, who will talk about Dick’s impact on the music of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s
As always Kent, thanks for keeping us informed and keeping the music alive.
Pam Pulice
Director, The Dick Biondi Film 
(630) 670-8411 
Film website
Daily Herald article 
Tax deductible donations  
All donations to this project are tax- deductible and will be received through our fiscal sponsor, Chicago Filmmakers, which is a Non-Profit 501(c) 3 organization. 
Checks can be made payable to Chicago Filmmakers — write Dick Biondi Project in memo line.
Mail to: 
Dick Biondi Project c/o Chicago Filmmakers
5720 N. Ridge Avenue 
Chicago, IL 60660    
If you’ve got some comments you’d like to make about the storied career of Dick Biondi, please send them along … and we’ll make sure he sees them! (kk)

Radio … And The Charts:

Hi Kent,

Some very cool stuff about the 1956 charts, both in Cash Box and the Chicago papers.  Just as soon as the Tribune listings were "found," I called off the bloodhounds which I had in search of the mysterious newspaper weekly article that I had attributed to the American.

Now, you're saying that the American (or somebody else) had a column with Top Tens???  In other words, two different newspapers doing this at the same time, in the same city?  THAT is something I've never heard of!

Now I need to find out which stations reported into the American?  Were there any that didn't appear in the Trib at all?  (I curiously noticed that WLS never reported there.)  I'm thinking of guys like WHFC Cicero, WENR, who knows maybe even an FM station, etc.??  Does anybody know anything about the column in the American at all?

I may have to order that Whitburn 1956 book just to see what the reporting form looked like - and, especially if it's filled out, I'm wondering if somebody's sitting out there with a bunch of those from all over.  It wouldn't take all that big of a stack for me to be offering $10K or more.

Frank Merrill

These mid-to-late ‘50’s charts predated WLS's switch over to Top 40 so no, they would not have been reporting ...

I'm still shocked that WCFL was playing the popular hits at the time ... had no idea this was going.

I seem to remember them being in The American ...

Chicago had FOUR daily newspapers back then … besides the two “majors,” The Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times, we also had The Daily News and The American (both of which were afternoon newspapers … remember THOSE days???  Now a major city is lucky to have ONE daily newspaper … and it’s likely something that very few people read.)

The fact that The Tribune charts that I have typically only show about the Top 5 Records as reported in by the participating stations leads me to believe that there was a second listing of some sort … because the charts I’m referring to are definitely Top Ten Lists.  (I've included a couple of scans below … unfortunately, they’re not of very high quality … mine are all copies of copies of copies ... and I have a VERY limited collection at that ... but this tells me that there was definitely more than one source for this information.  (kk)

Actually, I was more surprised to see rock and roll in the WBBM reports.  Is it possible that one of these stations had something like a Saturday Morning Top 10 or 20 Countdown - and no other rock and roll was played during the day?  Did either of the newspapers have radio schedules, which may have shown such a show?  But if it's just a bunch of names, you can't always tell what kind of music was playing.

I'm thinking of something like the WGN show (with Phil Collins!!!) which may have been just a couple hours per week in isolation.  I'm also thinking about things like that Budweiser show that ran on stations that didn't play any rock and roll otherwise, like KTAR in Phoenix.

I don't think there are many (any?) people who really know the extent that many stations may have done some form of rock and roll for very limited hours.  I think it's kind of the same thing that made WJR show up with a Top Ten back in 1956 in the paper.

In the paper in some places, I've also seen reports that were clearly NON-rock and roll lists, where something like "Firefly" by Tony Bennett was too raucous for them.

Frank

Kent,
I have to make a little correction to Clark Weber's comments.
Yes, WJJD gave up rock, but the reason was not a poor nighttime signal, but rather a non-existent nighttime signal. In those days, WJJD had to sign off the air at sunset, Salt Lake City time. We'll save the reason for another day, but during the summer, they'd still be on at 9:30, an hour or so after most daytimers in the area were signed off. Still, WJJD's bedtime never went much past 9:45, even on the summer solstice.
Also,  WJJD didn't segue from rock right into country. They adopted an MOR format in 1962 and went country a couple of years later.
Thank you, Clark, for reminding us of some of the talent heard on WJJD back then. But I don't think you mentioned that Ron Riley worked there. So I hope the Riley - Weber feud hasn't reignited.
Bill Fortune

We told you how Me-TV-FM is running their “Summer Of Me” special this weekend (it’s on the air right now here in Chicago!), featuring tunes selected by Forgotten Hits Readers several years ago that compiled a list of Top 100 Summer Favorites.  (You can check out the complete list here: http://forgottenhits.com/your_all-time_summer_favorites) 

The year this feature first premiered, eight different radio stations ran countdowns featuring all or part of our research results.  Because each station programmed their own countdown individually for their target audience, it was neat to listen in and see what types of different approaches they took when revealing the winners.  (Difficult, too, as on a couple of occasions, this list was on against itself in different markets!!!)

Now, in addition to Me-TV-FM featuring Summer Favorites all summer long, we got word that donrecordsradio.com is going to countdown the complete list as well … in its entirety … (and hopefully even feature a few of the cool “extras” that also received a significant amount of votes.)

More details below … and we’ll let you know when it’ll air so you can tune in and listen.

(Hey … Phil Nee … wanna do this for one of your Those Were The Days programs?  Maybe tie it into the official First Day Of Summer?  And Scott Shannon, too … you made a REALLY big deal out of our list when we first released it … and then ran follow-up specials for a few years after that … at one point, even polling your own audience to see what favorites THEY came up with.  How about doing a full-blown True Oldies Channel Summer Weekend to feature the 100+ songs that made our list?)  kk

Hi Kent,

To start with, I love your website! I'm a retired radio guy living in Lincoln, NE. 

Thank to your kind permission, I am putting together a summer special featuring The Top 100 Summer Hits as selected by your readers.  The special would focus on some of the stories behind the songs and artists.  (Naturally, I will reference your website and your poll in doing so.)

The special will stream on my website donrecordsradio.com.

Thank you again for your consideration … and I’ll be sure to let you know when you can catch this special.

Don 'Records' Ludden

(Records Truly Is Not My Middle Name)

Helping Out Our Readers:

Hi kk -

I grew up during the 70’s  listening to a song originally written and performed by Simon & Garfunkel, ”Bridge Over Troubled Water”  … nut the version I’m most trying to find was an instrumental by an orchestra, or the album by the name of “Franne and Tasha.”

I appreciate any help you could give.

Noah Reeder

I did a little bit of searching but came up empty … maybe one of our readers can find something for you.  Stay tuned ! (kk)

This And That:

We recently told you about a Royal Guardsmen Reunion Concert held down in St. Petersburg, Florida.  In fact, thanks to FH List Member Barry Winslow, we were even able to share some pretty awesome pix.

Then, this past week, we ran across a clip that FH Reader Clark Besch had sent in a while ago featuring The Royal Guardsmen performing an Army radio ad … so we just HAD to share it!!!

I sent a copy to Barry who responded …

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

Forgot about that one ...

Dear Lord, that was too much.
Thanks, Kent … that made my morning.
I don't know how you keep it going, Kent, but carry on, my friend. 

Hope you have a super Memorial Day ... maybe even get a chance to relax ... lol!
Bless ya, my friend
Barry

If Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman are touring, I'm there.

Jack

This one is truly baffling … I got the PR announcement and checked out the details … but knew I could run the listing until Tuesday or Wednesday … so when I prepped that posting, I referred back to the link and all of the information was gone.  I then did several searches and there was virtually nothing online about this tour … and every single one of the links that I was able to find that WAS about the tour, were also disabled.

I emailed Roger McGuinn to ask him about it but haven’t heard anything back as of yet … if he responds, I’ll be sure to pass the information along.  And if anybody out there knows what the heck is going on, please enlighten us as well!  (kk)

Hey Kent,

I have always felt that "Get Together" by The Youngbloods was THE song that brought the '60s decade to a close. The earliest versions were recorded in 1964, by the Kingston Trio and David Crosby. The trio released it on their "Back in Town" live album, titled "Let's Get Together", while Crosby's version remained a demo for a while. I like The Youngbloods' version the best, as it is more dramatic and reflective of the times, but the '64 recordings are interesting in their own right. (The very beginning of Crosby's, sounds like "Twist and Shout"!)

- John LaPuzza  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eif5tF-j_Vc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSL_ErrCE5k

We Five had a minor hit with this in 1965 (#31) but I agree that The Youngbloods best capture the spirit and feel of the song.  (Their original release in 1967 tanked (#62) … but the 1969 rerelease (spurred on by its use in a television advertising campaign) pushed it all the way to #4 in all three major trade publications.  Great tune.  (kk)

JOHN LENNON: Postal Stamp in September

There will sixteen differently colored versions of a 1974 photo on a replica 45-RPM record sleeve. 

The John Lennon postage stamp will go on sale September 7th.

The special series will be printed on a replica 45 - RPM record sleeve.

Artwork released by the U.S. Postal Service shows sixteen different color variations of a 1974 image by noted photographer Bob Gruen. The original black-and-white photograph has been treated in gradations of color. Lennon’s signature appears at the top of the stamps.  “USA,” the peace symbol and the Forever denomination appear along the bottom. 

A different photo appears on the back side of the panel -- a 1971 image by Peter Fordham that originally promoted John's Imagine album.  
--Submitted by Tom Cuddy

Hi all,

I am trying hard to regain my LIVING room and my bookshelf is mostly done (yeah, metal one, but ... ).  Been working on getting this place livable to some extent.  Anyway, if you'd like to see my book collection (many of yours are larger, I'm sure), here's a good example along with my decades old bookends custom made for me in the 70's.  If you are from Chicago, these will interest you.  About ten 45s set into a wooden cut, glued in place with appropriate A sides showing.  I can switch them around to show other sides when I wish.  NOW, all I need is the Cryan’ Shames book.  When is that one coming from Hooke, Toad, Fairs or SOMEONE????!!!  How about an NC6 book too, Mr. Graffia???  I am VERY happy to say that some of these books are by friends of mine, too!!!

Clark Besch

I bought tickets for last November’s show and held on to them. I’m sure

the 13 month wait will be worth it!

Joe Malin

Bob Seger Just Made The Announcement You've Been Waiting 8 Long Months To Hear

Bob Seger 2018/19 Tour Dates
11/24 (Original date 10/142017) — Kansas City, Sprint Center
11/27 (10/10) — Des Moines, Iowa, Wells Fargo Arena
11/30 (10/12) — Scottrade Center, St. Louis
12/12 (11/15) — XCEL Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minn.
12/14 (11/17) — Rosemont, Ill., Allstate Arena
12/20 (10/05) — Greenville, S.C., Bon Secours Wellness Arena
12/22 (10/07) — Atlanta, Infinite Energy Arena
1/19 (9/30) — Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Arena
1/29 (11/13) — Billings, Mont., Rimrock Auto Arena
1/31 (11/7) — Boise, Idaho, Ford Center
2/15 (10/28) — Phoenix, Talking Stick Resort Arena
2/17 (10/26) — Denver, Pepsi Center
2/23 (11/4) — The Forum, Inglewood, Calif.

Sixties Psychedelic-Rock Legends The Chocolate Watchband Release Two New “Far Out” Singles

San Jose, CA - When discussing legendary psychedelic garage bands of the 1960s, the Chocolate Watchband is at the top of the list. The Chocolate Watchband formed in San Jose in 1965. The band's music was described as “a blend of 1960s-style garage and psychedelic rock with a distinguishable 'Rolling Stones' San Francisco sound. Produced by Ed Cobb, the group's early music combined the influences of blues with a psychedelic edge that featured terse lyrics and instrumental experimentation. The Chocolate Watchband appeared in the 1967 film “Riot On Sunset Strip” and the 1968 film “The Love Ins.” The band released three highly acclaimed LPs from 1967 to 1969 before disbanding in 1970. In 1999, they reunited at the San Diego event 66 / 99 in San Diego, CA, organized by musician / journalist Mike Stax. They continue to play today at garage rock festivals in Europe as well as the States with Little Steven, The Yardbirds, Love, The Zombies, Bo Diddly, Iggy Pop, the Strawberry Alarm Clock and the Electric Prunes.
Now much to the excitement of the band's fans around the globe, the Chocolate Watchband are releasing two new singles destined to be classics! - “Judgment Day” and “Secret Rendezvous”! The tracks were recorded in 2017 at Kingdom Voice Productions, Santa Clara, CA.

 
Says lead vocalist and founding member David Aguilar, “I wrote 'Judgment Day' as the country was still in recovery after every dollar you might have had invested suddenly tanked thanks to Wall Street. People were getting laid off, they were moving backwards in income, homes were being foreclosed on. Families were living in their cars. It was a terrible time for the American dream. But this was pure opportunity for those who enjoyed stratospheric wealth. Wall Street gangsters, bailed out by American taxpayers, were rewarded for their massive greed and stupidity. They immediately started buying up everything they could, hotels, new corporate jets, restaurants chains, radio stations, small businesses, big businesses, casinos, 300+ acre ranches with 16,000 square foot homes in compounds near Aspen, on Long Island, or in Florida. Their trophy wives were pampered like pet poodles.
“It resulted in the anger that put the current president into the White House. And it's ironic, Judgment Day didn't come for the political party that remains the mouthpiece for the fat cats. And now the White House is filled with more Wall Streeters! The Who were wrong, Americans can get fooled again!



“'Secret Rendezvous' changed names a few times, lyrics were quick and fast, the whole song came from the opening riff … I recorded it in about 40 minutes. I like songs like this - they write themselves as you track it. I recorded drums and guitar together, added bass, horns, cowbell, (yeah say it - “more cowbell”) and vocals. When the band got a hold of it, they ripped it! I can't wait to sing this song on stage!”


Watch the band's new live video “I'm Not Like Everybody Else” (the Acid Test 5/7/16): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8OJ9SAr77s&feature=youtu.be

The Chocolate Watchband:
David Aguilar - Lead Vocals, harmonica, percussion, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars
Gary Andrijasivich - Drums, backing vocals, percussion
Tim Abbott - Lead guitar, sitar, backing vocals
Derek See - Guitars, backing vocals
Alec Palao - Bass

Tim Abbott - Engineer / co-producer,
Ross Peterson - Mix Engineer / co-producer
Joey White - Mastering Engineer

To purchase “Judgement Day” single: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/judgement-day-single/1384988843
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3GJN8Y

To purchase “Secret Rendezvous” single: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/secret-rendezvous-single/1385018605
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3GDT1F

Spotify:
“Judgement Day”: https://open.spotify.com/album/5eMrgSJN4Eapy8DZsmbd40
“Secret Rendezvous”: https://open.spotify.com/album/3v7ZALFFucwVrzEp6g3UOC

For more information:
The Chocolate Watchband official band website: http://www.thechocolatewatchband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chocolatewatchband/

THE SATURDAY SURVEY - May 26th

5-25-68 WDGY Minneapolis, Minnesota

WDGY and KDWB went toe to toe throughout the 60's as the great top 40 stations battle of the twin cities.  It's great seeing the NC6 up near the top here and Robert John's Lou Christie imitation at #15.  The local Minneapolis band, T.C. Atlantic, ranks appropriately at #20 with their local Candy Floss Records release "20 Years Ago (in Speedy's Kitchen)."  Sounding quite British, the 45 would make enough local noise to be bought and released nationally by Parrot Records, ala the Ides of March break in '66 from Chicago with "You Wouldn't Listen."
-- Clark Besch

*Survey courtesy Gary Pfeifer and ARSA site

Yes, The New Colony Six jump from #12 to #4 on this Minneapolis chart with their hit "I Will Always Think About You" ... it had already hit #1 here in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. 

In fact, this chart looks pretty similar to the way these songs ranked here in Chi-Town.

A personal "Forgotten Hit" favorite would have to be "The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp" by O.C. Smith, who would go on to top the charts all over the country a few months later with his version of "Little Green Apples," a song we've already seen on our 1968 charts as performed by Roger Miller.


Other big movers this week include The Ohio Express (up eleven spots from #13 to #2) with "Yummy Yummy Yummy," "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris, which climbs sixteen spots from #26 to #10, "Master Jack" by Four Jacks and a Jill (#22 to #13) and Clark's mentioned Robert John track, "If You Don't Want My Love" (up from #29 to #15), a move of fourteen places.







BONUS CHART:
WCFL distributed its last chart in stores with the survey dated "Week Ending May 23, 1968."

After skipping a week, they began shipping large poster versions of their surveys for in-store displays only.  (WLS would do the same thing for part of 1972 and 1973.)

Fortunately, there were enough of us crazy chart collectors out there to go into the stores and write down the results of each chart posted every week!  (Yep, we were WAY into our hobby!!!)  What the heck ... we were still going into the stores to pick up the WLS Survey anyway!

As such, with a few gaps missing here and there (some of which may be because WCFL simply didn't post a chart for those weeks) we still have a virtually complete collection of all of our local Top 40 Surveys from 1960 - 1985.  (WCFL would resume printing and distributing the weekly charts in 1970 ... and carry on until they signed off the air in February of 1976 with a chart they labeled "fini 1976."  (They flipped to a "World's Most Beautiful Music" format the week after that ... and Super Jock Larry Lujack was under contract to continue with this new shift.  Thankfully, he was eventually able to negotiate his way out of this spot and return to WLS where he once again became one of the top Top 40 Jocks on the air.) 

In any event, it seemed only fitting to run a copy of the last 1968 WCFL Chart ever published as part of this year's Saturday Surveys / 50 Year Flashback Feature ... so here it is!!!

Both The Buckinghams and The Cryan' Shames have "Chicago Premiers" this week, with "Back In Love Again" and "Young Birds Fly" respectively.



Our Local Heroes are also represented on the chart this week by The American Breed (#30 - "Ready, Willing And Able") and Spanky And Our Gang (#19 - "Like To Get To Know You") while Tommy James and the Shondells hold down the top spot with "Mony Mony," a record that spent three weeks at #1 on the WCFL chart.

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Here's what was happening in music news, this week in '68 ... 

5/22/68 – Cream earns a gold record for their album “Disraeli Gears”

5/23/68 - The Beatles’ second Apple Boutique opens, 161 New Kings Road, London  

5/24/68 - Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull arrested for drugs ... again ... in London  

5/25/68 – Simon and Garfunkel’s album “Bookends” hits the #1 Spot on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart, knocking their own Soundtrack Album to “The Graduate” out of the top spot in the process!  

5/26/68: Spanky and Our Gang and Nancy Sinatra make another appearance together on The Ed Sullivan Show, each performing several songs that NOBODY cares about!  

Also on 5/26 – Little Willie John dies of pneumonia while locked up in a Washington State Prison.

Today We’re Heading Into Charted (and Uncharted) Territory

As mentioned yesterday, Dick Biondi has officially been terminated by WLS Radio, the station he helped put on the map back in 1960.

At 85 years of age (some would say 88), Biondi has certainly fulfilled his lifelong dream of being a disc jockey … a thousand times over … yet there is still a veil of sadness here in The Windy City to hear that he will not be returning to the airwaves again (unless another station in town happens to pick him up through his final ride off into the sunset.)

The general tone of the dozens and dozens of emails we received today echo the sentiment of “The End Of An Era” … Biondi came along at a time when rock and roll was still fairly new and there weren’t a lot of rules yet in broadcasting.  Despite the age difference, he immediately appealed to the teenage audience who bought rock and roll records, went to concerts and came out to the many record hops held all around The Windy City.

He pioneered a style of broadcasting that brought out the rebel in dozens of disc jockeys who followed him down the road of prominence in the radio industry.

I’ve known Dick for many years now, first interviewing him for our feature on “Who Played The First Beatles Record In The United States” series that ran nearly twenty years ago and helped put Forgotten Hits on the map.  (The answer to that question, by the way, IS Dick Biondi!!!)

I’ve been to dozens of events he’s MC’d over the years … everything from toy drives to pizza parlors to amusement parks to car washes … to record hops and concerts he has mc’d.  A nicer human being you’re not going to meet.

Biondi has felt the love of this great city for nearly sixty years … and embraced it right back … he is in every sense of the word a radio icon.

Which is all the more reason this documentary about his career needs to be made.

We heard from Pam Pulice this morning after she read the news in Robert Feder’s column … she has spear-headed this project and is executive producing the film.

She sent me this note, which was also posted on the various websites devoted to raising funds for this film …

We just read the sad news, folks. We are sorry to hear that Dick will not be coming back to 94.7 WLS FM. We will work even harder to finish our tribute to Dick and we thank Marv Nyren, vice president and market manager of Cumulus Chicago, for supporting our mission. 
Dick, if you're reading this, we love you and send prayers for your restored health. Friends, if you have something to say to Dick, please leave your messages and we will pass them on. Please share this with your friends. 
Pam

http://forgottenhits.com/who_played_the_very_first_beatles_record_in_america

You can read the full Robert Feder column here:

http://www.robertfeder.com/2018/05/24/wls-cuts-ties-dick-biondi/?utm_source=new%20post%20alert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=main%20content&utm_campaign=%2F2018%2F05%2F24%2Fwls-cuts-ties-dick-biondi%2F

>>>Hi Kent,

We’ve just recently introduced a new book series that should be of interest to your readers, especially those fans of the Saturday Survey feature.  It’s Cash Box Regional Hits 1956.  Cash Box published numerous regional charts, mostly from DJs at various radio stations across the country.  Joel has spent a lot of time personally researching each and every chart and picked out the ones that never made it to the national charts.  Talk about “forgotten hits,” this book is chock full of them!  Lots of great doo-wop, rockabilly and novelty hits are included.  After Joel dug out these treasures, I got them entered in our database and the end result is a fun, colorful look at some very obscure and, in some cases, very valuable records (many of which have full color photos in the book).  I especially love seeing the different radio stations and disc jockey names, along with the retail store names.

Here’s a look at the 1956 volume, now on sale and coming in stock this week.  We also have 1957 and 1958 in the works, with hopefully more to follow.

https://www.recordresearch.com/pop/cash_box_regional_hits_1956.php

Paul Haney / Record Research

>>>I’m curious … do individual Top Ten Charts exist for each week for the radio stations reporting in?  I would love to see THOSE in addition to Joel’s recap … especially for our local charts here in Chicago.  (kk)

Hi Kent, 

Cash Box began publishing Top 10 charts from various radio disc jockeys with their issue dated October 23, 1948.  The final charts were published in the issue dated June 25, 1960.  Cash Box provided a form which the DJ could fill out and send in (a photo of one of these forms is shown at the beginning of our 1956 book).  Each week, Cash Box would rotate the stations in and out, so unfortunately there is no complete weekly run for a station for a given time period.  Sometimes they even ran charts from two different DJs at the same station!  What’s great about these charts is that this is from the time before many stations published their own surveys.  Also, there are many smaller markets represented.  I guess by 1960, many stations were printing their own weekly surveys, thus Cash Box felt it was no longer necessary to print these charts.  So, the farthest we could go with this series is 1960, but we could always work backwards starting with 1955, if there is enough interest from our customers.

Paul Haney / Record Research

>>>I was QUITE surprised to see WCFL playing rock and roll music in 1956!!!  I had absolutely NO idea that this was the case.  (Guess I’m going to have a little deeper in my CFL Research!!!)  kk

Kent;

One of your reader’s wanted to know if WCFL was rockin' and rollin' before WLS. Not that I recall. They had Dan Sorkin playing comedy album cuts and jazz in the morning and Sid McCoy on the overnight show. However in the late 50’s WJJD took a crack at rock and roll with some first class jocks ... Jim Lounsberry, Sid Roberts and Stan Dale who later became a newsman at WLS … and they made a dent in the Chicago rock market.  However, their nighttime signal was so poor that by the 1960’s, the station eventually gave up and went country.

WGN hired a dj from Cleveland during the late 50’s  and convinced Coca Cola to sponsor an evening rock and roll show on WGN called the “Coca Cola Hi-Fi Show” hosted by a guy who secretly hated rock and roll named Wally Phillips. WIND also had a great DJ lineup about that same time and were well into Chuck Berry and Elvis!   

However when WLS entered the rock market in 1960, they offered some things no one else did … a huge signal and a great dial position at 890 … they played the song Alley Oop continually for 24 hours the first day on the air and introduced a nighttime maniacal Jerry Lewis-like character named Dick Biondi. Every teenager within radio earshot scooped him up, loved his irreverent persona and suddenly he owned Chicago’s nighttime radio. The result was that for the next 20 years, WLS was in like a tall dog in a kennel!

Clark Weber

Back in 1956 (the dawn of The Rock And Roll Era), one of the newspapers in town (I believe it was The Chicago American … jeez, when’s the last time you heard THAT name?!?!?) used to publish a Weekly Top Ten List in their Friday edition.

It sounds somewhat similar to what Paul Haney is describing above … often the “top picks” by some of the local jocks working for stations that were, a good four or five years ahead of WLS, trying to cash in on the latest musical fad.

Among those stations were WIND, WGN, WAIT and WJJD.  Wally Phillips, Howard Miller, Bernie Allen, Del Clark, Sid Roberts, Milo Hamilton (who would eventually end up working at WCFL as a sportscaster, doing the color commentary on The Chicago White Sox games), and a few others were featured with their weekly picks. 

I have never seen WCFL listed here before … in 1956 … ten years before they gave WLS a run for the money in the teenage Top 40 Market … but looking at the sample pages contained in Joel Whitburn’s new book, it shows that ‘CFL was playing cuts like “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins!  (Who’dathunkit?!?!)

Then, in June of ’56, WJJD published their first “Forty Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago” chart … for the week ending June 11^th … Survey #1 showed “Moonglow” by George Cates as the #1 Record here in Chicago.  (Actually, most of The Top Ten was pretty tame … with artists like The Four Lads, Pat Boone, The Four Aces, The Fontane Sisters and The Chordettes holding down positions.  (The only two Top Ten Rockers were Carl Perkins (“Blue Suede Shoes,” #7) and Elvis Presley (“Heartbreak Hotel,” #9.) 

Vic Damone, Tony Bennett, Teresa Brewer, Perry Como and Nat “King” Cole helped to fill out the rest of the list … but there was SOME life on the chart, thanks to hits by The Platters, Bill Haley and the Coments and Chuck Berry.

The WJJD Charts would continue through the early sixties before they flipped formats to an All-Country line-up, which they were actually quite successful at.  (The Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago charts would continue through the first few weeks of 1966 before disappearing forever.)

Still, I’ve never heard WCFL mentioned in this context (or timeframe!) before … so it’s REALLY cool to see them listed in Joel Whitburn’s new book. (kk)

Years ago, Ron Smith (www.oldiesmusic.com) sent us copies of the radio station charts that The Chicago Tribune ran each week.  (These covered the years 1956 thru 1958.  These were much shorter representations of what each radio station considered to be the (typically) Top 5 Records in Chicago … and once again, WCFL is represented … so there is much more to their rock and roll history than I had imagined.  (kk)

Speaking of the charts, I was doing some research on another project the other day and saw something I just couldn’t believe … so I wrote to Joel Whitburn at Record Research to see if perhaps this was an oversight that needed to be corrected.  Boy, was I surprised by facts on this one!!!

Here’s our conversation …

Hi Joel –  

I am working on a new project tonight and was VERY surprised to see that 1992 - Cetera, Peter - Restless Heart never charted in Cash Box???  Can this be true??? 
This was a #35 Hit in Billboard … and is a song we still here in Chicago all the time. 
Is this perhaps an oversight?  (At first I thought maybe it went beyond the scope of your Cash Box book … but I see that The Cash Box Top 100 collects their chart information through 1996 … so that can’t be it!  (kk)

It's partially true:  “Restless Heart” by Peter Cetera only managed to hit #101 in Cash Box (it’s on page 32 of the Looking Ahead book). 
Joel

Wow! That’s about as major a spread as I’ve seen / didn’t it chart like 70 positions higher in billboard?!?!   (kk)

Yes ... 66 positions higher in Billboard to be exact!

Joel

I then got this from FH Regular Paul Haney as a further explanation …

Hi Kent, 

Joel forwarded your e-mail to me and I sent a brief answer back.  However, I’d like to expand on it a bit.

There were some very strange things going on chart-wise with Cash Box in 1992.

Besides “Restless Heart” only peaking at #101, “You Could Be Mine” by Guns N’ Roses (#29 in BB) only peaked at #104 in Cash Box.

Also, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” by Spin Doctors (#17 in BB) and “Nothin’ To Hide” by Poco (#39 in BB) didn’t chart in Cash Box AT ALL!

And then there’s the whole “The Letter” fiasco with Wayne Newton.  Yes, somehow that “song” made it all the way to #1 in Cash Box for one week (without even “Bubbling Under” in Billboard) and it actually booted Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” from the #1 spot!

Paul

The whole Wayne Newton controversy has been going on for years!  (I’m told that it was virtually impossible to buy a copy of this record … yet it went all the way to #1 in Cash Box without ever even charting at all in Billboard Magazine … WTF?!?!)  And it charted in Cash Box for 31 WEEKS … without EVER breaking through on Billboard’s Hot 100 or Bubbling Under Chart?!?!  (Some SERIOUS money must have exchanged hands under the table on this one!!!)

I asked Cash Box Chart Guru Randy Price for his thoughts on this record …

Kent,
For anyone who is not familiar with the details of this "phenomenon," this Wikipedia page provides the details of how Wayne Newton came to write and record "The Letter."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Letter_(Wayne_Newton_song)

The song was available at the time (1992) only on his Moods & Moments LP and a promo cassette single. In addition, a video of Wayne performing the song was in medium rotation on The Nashville Network cable channel. 
I have no first-hand knowledge of how this song came to be a No. 1 charting single on the Cash Box Country and Pop singles charts, but my understanding is that it was a personal favor to Wayne by then Cash Box owner and publisher George Albert, who died in 1997. 
– Randy Price

I'm wondering how many of you out there have ever even heard this song before.  How on earth did it reach #1 in Cash Box Magazine … and never chart at all in Billboard?  (kk)

Hi Kent, 

I was looking at some of my old surveys today and found this information on one from WBBM for the week ending May 12, 1973. 

I know there are a lot of Ides of March fans that read Forgotten Hits so if you’ve never seen this before, I thought you would enjoy it.  The surveys fold out and this was on the back.   

Also, last week I found a handbill that I had forgotten about that has The Ides of March, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show and Rare Earth on it.  Just thought you and your readers might find this interesting if you haven’t seen it before. 

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written.  I hope all is well. 

Les Peterson

Hi Les ... Always good to hear from you whenever you’re able to check in.
Incredibly, The Ides Of March and Megan McDonough are still connected all these 40+ years later.  She was one of the guest performer at last year's Christmas Concert at The Arcada Theatre!  (kk)

And, speaking of The Ides Of March, our FH Buddy JR Russ (who runs the awesome WCFL Oldies Website we keep telling you about) played a cut that caught my attention the other night … so I just HAD to share it with you …

Here’s King B … Ron Britain … bringing us right into The Ides Of March’s #1 Hit “Vehicle”!!!  (kk)

Wow!!!  

Thanks for sending, Kent. It sounds so good. How could that be from AM radio? Is that a board tape?

Ron Britain was awesome. Is he alive!?

Also would you be willing to post the Ides current schedule for the year! (There’s not that many shows so you may have room!  Lol!)

Thx, my friend.  

Jimbo 

I believe that’s right from the WCFL master tapes … enhanced and mixed for stereo by JR Russ, who runs the awesome WCLFChicago.com website.  We’ve been talking about ways to expand and improve the station … SO much good stuff on there already … no telling how far this could go!

Ron Britain is still alive but despite our best efforts we have yet to connect with him.  (Clark Besch speaks to him somewhat regularly … and thanks to this new ‘CFL connection, I’ve met a few other people who correspond with him as well.  I’m hoping he’ll climb onboard should we be able to take this internet station a little farther.

ALWAYS happy to help promote The Ides’ shows … you simply can’t have a better time at a concert … so should new dates be added, please let us know this so we can pass those along to our readers as well.

As of right now, here’s what’s currently on the agenda …

July 7^th – Hoover Auditorium – Lakeside, OH

July 21^st – Sheffield Garden Walk – Chicago, IL

July 27^th – Wood Dale Prairie Fest – Wood Dale, IL

July 28^th – Brookfield Zoo – Brookfield, IL

August 25^th – DeKalb Corn Fest – DeKalb, IL

December 15^th – The Arcada Theatre – St. Charles, IL

(This is the Annual Ides Of March Christmas Show … not to be missed!)

You can also catch The Ides at these Cornerstones Of Rock shows …

June 28^th – Milwaukee Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI

November 24^th – The Arcada Theatre – St. Charles, IL
(They act as the "house band" for these shows, backing up Chicago legends Jimy Sohns of The Shadows of Knight along with key members of The New Colony Six and The Cryan' Shames.  They also perform their own set of hits before turning the stage over to The Buckinghams to close the show.  EVERY show thus far has been a sell-out ... so get your tickets early for this one!!!)

And Jim Peterik’s World Stage …

October 6th – Moraine Valley Community College – Palos Hills, IL

Next year The Ides Of March will be part of the Flower Power Cruise (March 30^th thru April 6^th) … and then Jim does his Annual World Stage Show at Wentz Hall in Naperville on January 12^th.

Kent,

I am doing a story on your site in my newsletter this Sunday.

You provide a great service. Keep up the good work. I’ll send you a copy.

In harmony,

Glen

Glen Fisher

Doo Wop Revival

Sunday 8 pm

WJCT 89.9 FM

Doo Wop Ramblings Newsletter

To Subscribe:  doowop.revival@yahoo.com
Well, thank you, Glen!  Please do send me a copy of your newsletter ... I'd love to see it!  (kk)

Don't miss The Saturday Survey tomorrow in Forgotten Hits ...
This week we travel to Minnesota ... and have another "Bonus Chart" to share with you as well!

And be sure to watch for our weekly Sunday Comments Page, too!  (kk)