Hope you all enjoyed your long, three-day weekend ...
AND NOW IT'S TIME TO JOIN US FOR A BOUNTIFUL EDITION OF TUESDAY THIS AND THAT!!!
Bruce Springsteen has postponed some more shows ... this time due to "vocal issues" ... as part of his current European Tour.
Four shows thus far have been affected: Marseille in France, Prague in the Czech Republic and two shows in Milan, Italy.
The official statement released by Springsteen's camp says:
Following yesterday’s postponement in Marseille due to
vocal issues, further examination and consulting has led doctors to
determine that Bruce should not perform for the next ten days. With this
in mind, additional postponements are required for Airport Letnany in
Prague (originally scheduled for May 28) and San Siro Stadium in Milan
(originally scheduled for June 1 and 3). New dates for these shows will
be announced shortly. Those wishing a refund will be able to obtain it
at their original point of purchase. Bruce is recuperating comfortably,
and he and the E Street Band look forward to resuming their hugely
successful European stadium tour on June 12 in Madrid at the magnificent
Civitas Metropolitan.
This tour has been plagued by health issue-related delays since it first launched a year ago. (The Boss even got Covid along the way.)
Hopefully everybody is feeling better soon ... and he can get back to it! (kk)
>>>5/26/64 - Marianne
Faithful recorded the first song that Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith
Richards ever wrote together, "As Tears Go By." (kk)
Are you sure that's accurate? Gene Pitney
released the Jagger-Richards song "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday" in
January, 1964. It had to have been written at least six
months before "As Tears Go By" … that must have been the first song
they wrote together.
Randy Price
According to Andrew Loog
Oldham, The Stones’ Manager at the time, he locked the two of them in a room
and told them they weren't coming out until they had written something together
... and "As Tears Go By" was the result. (Actually, they wrote it as “As Time Goes By”
… but knowing that this was the title of the song that played such a big part
in the film “Casablanca,” Oldham changed the title to “As TEARS Go By” … and
that’s the way it was sung from that point forward. He even took a cowriting credit for doing so!!!)
Andrew knew that in order
to compete, The Rolling Stones had to create their own material … they couldn’t
just keep recycling old blues and R&B tunes and stand a chance of holding
their own on the pop charts … so he literally FORCED them to write together. But “As Tears Go By” didn’t really fit The
Stones’ MO either … they weren’t really doing ballads yet … so they gave it to
Marianne Faithfull to help launch her career … which it did. It became her biggest hit. The Rolling Stones would release their own
version a year later … and score a #3 US Hit (in Cash Box.)
All things considered, it’s pretty amazing
really ... not a bad first effort! (kk)
And, speaking of The Rolling Stones, they continue to mix up their set list as they cross America on tour. For the first time, "Tell Me Straight" from the "Hackney Diamonds" has been performed, giving Keith Richards as many as THREE lead vocals in the set, which must be an unprecedented amount!
In addition to "Shattered" being added (as we told you the other day), they have now also performed "Doo Doo Doo Heartbreaker" from "Goats Head Soup," 'Bitch" from "Sticky Fingers" and their old standard "Midnight Rambler" from "Let It Bleed."
I think it's exciting not knowing just what you may hear at a Stones concert, circa 2024 ... and it's got to be a lot more fun for the band as well! (kk)
Anyone notice that Elvis had THREE top 40 chart records this week in '64
while Beatlemania was so hot? Two on one 45 and the other had the top 40
hit plus his version of "Suspicion," which was at 33 by Terry Stafford.
Elvis wasn't dead in 64, but he WAS snowed under.
Clark Besch
Besides the two-sided hit split between #'s 25 and 31 ("Viva Las Vegas" and Elvis' version of "What'd I Say"), The King was also at #34 with "Kiss Me Quick" on RCA's Gold Standard label.
And the flipside of THAT record was Elvis' original version of "Suspicion," now a HUGE hit for Elvis-sound-alike Terry Stafford, released to cash in on some of THAT sales momentum. (It didn't work.) kk
George Harrison’s son Dhani joined
Eric Clapton on stage last Thursday Night (May 23rd) at Royal Albert
Hall to perform his father’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” sung by
Clapton and the old Slowhand stand-by “Before You Accuse Me.”
Clapton and Harrison remained best
friends, despite ultimately sharing the same wife. (kk)
Michael McDonald has been all over
the talk circuit promoting his new book, written with comedian Paul Reiser.
Tom Cuddy sent us this recent,
entertaining exchange …
Michael McDonald,
Silken-Voiced Yacht-Rock Icon, Talks About Writing His Life Story With Paul
Reiser (Yes, That Paul Reiser)
https://www.gq.com/story/yacht-rock-icon-michael-mcdonald
And FH Reader Timmy tells us …
Doug Ingle, the lead vocalist, organist and primary
composer of the band Iron Butterfly, has died at the age of 78.
The rocker’s passing was confirmed by his son, Doug Ingle Jr., via social
media.
"It's with a heavy heart & great sadness to announce the passing of my
Father Doug Ingle. Dad passed away peacefully [Friday] evening [May 24] in the
presence of family,” he wrote. "Thank You Dad for being a father, teacher
and friend. Cherished loving memories I will carry the rest of my days moving
forward in this journey of life. Love you Dad".
Released in June 1968, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida became a multi-platinum triumph,
spending 81 weeks in the U.S. Top 10. The album is best remembered for its
title track, a sprawling explosion of psychedelic rock – written by Ingle –
which originally lasted over 17 minutes in length. The radio version of the
song, trimmed down to a tidy three minutes, became a Top 40 hit and remains one
of the most influential tunes of its era. In the decades since its release,
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" has been covered by everyone from Slayer to The
Simpsons.
Iron Butterfly soon found themselves touring with some of the ‘60s greatest
acts, including the Doors, Cream, the Who, Buffalo Springfield and Janis
Joplin. Ingle’s group was booked to play the legendary Woodstock festival in
1969, but ended up getting stranded at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
Iron Butterfly released two more studio albums during Ingle’s tenure, 1969’s
Ball and 1970’s Metamorphosis. They were never able to match the commercial
success of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida or its title track.
Iron Butterfly broke up in 1971, but reunited three years later. Ingle did not
take part and was not involved in their two later LPs.
Shortly after his time in Iron Butterfly, Ingle discover that mismanagement and
unpaid taxes had left him in serious debt.
“I was a child among men,” Ingle later recalled to the Los Angeles Times. “I
was dealing with people who were competent but not necessarily (working) in my
interest. I took the luxury of playing ostrich. I didn’t involve myself at the
business level at all. I just went out and performed. It was, ‘Isn’t life
great?’ Then everything crashed down. I still maintain life is great, but now I
base it on something (real) rather than wishful thinking.”
Ingle was forced to sell his home and most of his possessions to pay off debts.
He spent several years managing a recreational vehicle park in the Los Angeles
National Forest.
In 1978, Ingle rejoined Iron Butterfly and toured with the band. He would
continue to do so throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Ingle officially retired from
performing in 1999.
(It just doesn't sound right at only three minutes, does it???) kk
Long lost and forgotten Lou
Christie tracks from the late ‘60’s have been collected on a new compilation
called “Gypsy Bells: Columbia Recordings, 1967.”
In fact, 13 of these 19 tracks have
never before been released, sitting in the vault for the past 57 years. (The CD also includes five bonus remixes)
Lou has long been a friend of
Forgotten Hits … and I couldn’t help but wonder how he felt about all of these
tracks finally being released.
You’ll find a great review and
exploration of these tracks here:
https://theseconddisc.com/2024/05/21/self-expression-lou-christies-gypsy-bells-collects-rare-unreleased-columbia-sides/
Much like they did with Pete Ham’s
demos, Y&T Music is now releasing home recordings made by Tom Evans, Ham’s
counterpart (and sometimes writing partner) in Badfinger.
Badfinger Legend Tom Evans Rare Home Recordings “I Am
Myself” Available On Y&T Music June 5, 2024!
“I Am Myself” is a collection of never-before-heard
home demo recordings by Liverpool’s Tom Evans, bassist and co-lead singer of
the iconic power pop group Badfinger. It will be released as a limited-edition
CD by Y&T Music and available on all streaming platforms on June 5, 2024 to
celebrate what would have been Tommy’s 77th birthday.
Like his Badfinger bandmate Pete Ham, Tom Evans was
a prolific songwriter; he gave the quartet many of their greatest ‘deep cuts,’
including “Money,” “It’s Over,” “Believe Me” and “Blind Owl.” Evans and Ham
co-wrote “Without You,” which went to No. 1 for both Harry Nilsson and Mariah
Carey, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest pop ballads of all
time.
He sang lead on “Come And Get It,” Badfinger’s
smash hit debut, written and produced by Paul McCartney; his soaring tenor
voice made “Maybe Tomorrow,” recorded for the Beatles’ Apple Records when they
were still calling themselves The Iveys, an international sensation.
Among the 21 tracks on “I Am Myself,” two went on
to be recorded by The Iveys/Badfinger: “Fisherman,” and “No Escaping Your
Love”.
Performed mainly on acoustic or electric guitar,
with frequent vocal and instrumental overdubs, the album’s freewheeling
musicality, lyrical playfulness and clever song-construction showcase Tommy’s
songwriting talents at an early period in his musical career.
“I Am Myself” came to be after a long review of
material. While reviewing Iveys demo recordings, Tom Brennan discovered that
there was more than enough material of Tom Evans’ solo recordings to put
together a robust album. Before Brennan could even present the idea, mastering
engineer Kevin McElligott proposed the idea of a Tom Evans solo album.
McElligott felt strongly that the time was long overdue for Tommy’s demos to
have a formal release: “Such a supremely talented singer/songwriter who struck
an emotional chord within so many. I felt a real strong responsibility to
Marianne, Stephen and the Badfinger community to bring these songs out sounding
as best they can. This is just the beginning of hopefully many more releases.
It’s an honor for me to sit down and work on these tracks. I do hope everyone
enjoys this release.” Everything just came together like it was meant to be.
Badfinger historian Dan Matovina made the initial digital transfers. The
recordings were then compiled & edited by Tom Brennan, and restored &
mastered by Kevin McElligott.
Stephen and Marianne spent time listening to these
songs during the process of putting this project together, as well as
contributing photos to this album. Tim Boyle gave permission to use some of his
pictures for this project and was excited to hear about a new Tommy album, as
he is an Evans family friend and worked closely with the band as a booking
agent and an assistant for many years.
Released with the full support and cooperation of
the Evans Estate, “I Am Myself” is a limited edition of 1,000 CDs. An art print
of a rare early photo of Tom is included.
Earlier in 2024, Y&T Music issued “Gwent
Gardens,” a collection of unreleased demo recordings by the late Pete Ham.
“I AM MYSELF” TRACK LISTING:
1. Hello
2. I Am Myself
3. Our First Night Together
4. Water Lily
5. Goldfish
6. How Does It Feel (original demo)
7. Honey Lovin’ Ways
8. Uncle C
9. I Should Have Loved You (original demo)
10. Fisherman (original demo)
11. Dancing Girl
12. I Don’t Want The Bother
13. Handsome Malcolm
14. In My World Of Yesterday
15. No Escaping Your Love (original demo)
16. Good Times Together
17. The Leaves
18. Stay By Me, Baby
19. A Simple Song
20. Wine, Women And Song
21. I Am Myself (reprise)
To purchase: https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Myself-Tom-Evans/dp/B0D49ZFQ7X/
For more information:
https://www.badfingerlibrary.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@TomEvansSolo
www.ytmusiconline.com
Little Steven says he’s
afraid Classic Rock is going to disappear …
Licensing fees are just
too expensive for movie makers to consider their use anymore. (I don’t know
about that … I’ve noticed recently that our classic tunes are all over tv …
I’ll sometimes hear as many as three of “our tunes” during just one commercial
break!)
Anyway, here is what
Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Stree Band has to say on the topic …
“Right now, because the record industry
is dead, there’s no more record sales other than Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Films and television shows have become the
best way for recording artists to make money. However, even that has become
problematic because musicians have upped their licensing fees in order to
survive.
“You got a bunch of whatever, 25
year-olds with a song list with a number next to it, so if you want to make a
movie or TV show, you ask for the song, they look at the number and they charge
you that number, which is always high because there's no other income.”
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, because
classic rock music offers material that’s recognizable to a wide swath of
listeners, it's often the most-licensed genre of music. However, Van Zandt
believes the filmmakers will pull away from classic rock in the face of soaring
licensing costs, thus removing an important avenue for songs to be exposed to
new listeners.
“This is a real problem. And I think 10
years from now, 20 years from now, it's going to be a problem because all this
music is going to die if it's not promoted and heard. It's going to be like, Motown who? Rolling
Stones who?”
Van Zandt suggested law changes around
licensing music as a compromise to keep filmmakers and musicians happy. He then
noted how different the modern landscape is compared to when the E Street Band
and Bruce Springsteen got started.
“When we got started, music in movies was
free. It was free. Martin Scorsese
didn’t even ask for permission to put [the Ronettes’] ‘Be My Baby’ in Mean Streets because it was free. And
people thought of it as promoting the records. Nobody’s promoting the records
anymore.”
Van Zandt says shows like the popular
series Stranger Things can
bring new attention to classic tracks. The guitarist insisted such licensing is
vital for classic rock's continuing survival.
“When our generation goes, who’s going to
know about this stuff?”
Van Zandt’s interview was done with Bill
Maher on Club Random, as reprinted in Ultimate Classic Rock, which we have
quoted from here.
Personally, I feel the exact opposite …
I think Classic Rock Music will live on
forever simply BECAUSE of its constant use and relatability in television
commercials, movies and TV shows. It’s
literally EVERYWHERE these days. And I’m
always blown away when some creative advertising agency digs deeps and pulls
out a hidden gem of a track and finds a way to resurrect it again.
I think Classic Rock is stronger than
ever! (kk)
I mean, you guys had no difficulty at all
in selecting your Top 3333 All-Time Favorite and Essential Classic Rock Songs a
few years ago …
https://classicrockessentials.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-top-3333-most-essential-classic.html
No matter WHAT generation you grew up in, your life was touched and enriched by the music of Richard and Robert Sherman.
The Sherman Brothers wrote the scores to dozens of Disney films ... and their work even branched out and spread to the pop charts as well.
A VERY flattering piece commemorating their work can be found at the link below.
Mentioned are the entire score to the hit film "Mary Poppins," as well as the bulk of "The Jungle Book," "The Parent Trap," "The Aristocats" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks."
In addition, The Sherman Brothers wrote music for the Winnie The Pooh shorts, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Charlotte's Web" and the Disneyland classics "It's A Small World" "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room."
Their pop credits include "You're Sixteen" by Johnny Burnette and Ringo Starr, "Let's Get Together" by Hayley Mills (from "The Parent Trap"), "Tall Paul" for Annette Funicello and the incomparable "The Monkey's Uncle," sung by The Beach Boys in the film of the same name.
Yes these, and many, many more. (Check out the list via the link below)
https://theseconddisc.com/2024/05/26/in-memoriam-richard-m-sherman-1928-2024/
Thought that this might be something to display ... lots of music stuff here. So sad to hear of Bill Walton's passing this weekend ... hope you got the chance to see him play against
the Bulls.
Harvey K
Bill Walton
by Harvey Kubernik
© 2002, 2024
I first really met Basketball Hall Of
Famer Bill Walton in 1970 when he had just entered UCLA from Helix High School
in San Diego and I was attending West Los Angeles Junior College, before I
graduated from San Diego State University.
No, it wasn’t near a basketball court, but standing in line for a
Traffic concert at The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. It was hard not to ignore
a six foot eleven inch guy with red hair who wanted to talk about the Grateful
Dead, Doors, and the Rolling Stones.
At the time, Bill might have been asked to
leave his college dorm for playing his music too loud.
I recall also attending a 1971 Neil Young
UCLA concert at Royce Hall with Bill and his Bruin teammate Greg Lee. I saw
Walton and his Bruin frosh team play a bunch of basketball games at Pauley
Pavilion, leading the team to a perfect 30-0 record. He didn’t drive. He had a
bike on campus.
We would chat at the UCLA Research Library
and around various rock concerts 1970-1974, and we rarely discussed basketball.
Music was his fuel food before games on the hard wood.
Walton used to play Bob Dylan albums
before his Bruin games. I went to a practice one afternoon, and there was
Walton reciting to himself Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” around the free throw
line. In college and professionally, he was a better than average big man at the
charity stripe. Before games he would play albums for hours in a ritual that
must have reinforced his desire to express himself and win in the process. This
was before our Walkman society. He’d blast sounds and move to the swirling
organ of Doors’ Ray Manzarek; he’d smile and comprehend the soft acoustic
playing of Neil Young. He’d want to hear “Franklin Towers” one more time from
the Dead. He’d analyze the album credits to the Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed
constantly. The record player needle always seemed to be stuck on the “Midnight
Rambler” track.
I wasn’t an athlete, but Bill knew I knew
basketball and rock music, and he brought me to meet the legendary UCLA
basketball coach John Wooden at his condo in Encino, Ca.
I also wasn’t an avid Grateful Dead fan or
tape collector. I saw them a handful of times, and interviewed Jerry Garcia
once. Over the decades if I bought seats to a music event, Walton would often
be in my row.
Walton
learned that passing is really the rebellious act. He explained to me that the
best passers are also the best shooters. That is an instruction I apply to the
articles and books I do, especially when I choose to document in the
multi-voice narrative. I lead the fast break and pass the action, implementing
a team, instead of making the expedition strictly about myself. And, other
voices are heard and felt. We all score.
I attended a Bob Marley and Wailers Santa
Monica Civic Auditorium show with him in the ‘70s. We sat together at a 1984
Springsteen Sports Arena show. Bill’s contract with The L.A. Clippers provided
him with tickets for Sports Arena concerts. He was happy I was writing about
music, “’cause you feel it.”
It’s really a fascinating and unique
experience viewing a basketball game on TV with Bill. It was obvious that he knew
the players on the screen as well as the refs, the executives, the owners, and
the equipment people. He’s just as opinionated in real life just as he is
behind the microphone. He is a student of the game of basketball. The teachings
of UCLA basketball coach John R. Wooden influence him constantly.
Bill Walton was a three-time All-American
all three years he played varsity ball, during which the UCLA team compiled a
record of 86-4. The #1 draft choice of the Portland Trailblazers in 1974, his
professional career was stunted by frequent injuries, but he did manage to lead
Portland to an NBA title in ’77 and was the league’s MVP the following year. As
a member of the Boston Celtics’ ’85-’86 champions, he was winner of the NBA’s
prestigious Sixth Man Award. He also played for the San Diego/L.A. Clippers
’79-’85.
He might be the only basketball player to
have won two championship rings each at the high school, college and NBA levels.
I was one of the names he thanked and
acknowledged in his book Nothing But Net (Hyperion) published in
1994.
In 1993, HITS magazine asked me to
interview Bill Walton about his life and journey inside basketball and his
passionate links to rock ‘n’ roll. His tastes tend to lean toward “classic”
rock, and Walton also enjoys classical music.
We talked in an apartment in Westwood, a
mile from UCLA, and I later drove him to the Los Angeles Sports Arena where he
was working a Clipper’s game on TV. Naturally, I stayed for the event and sat
with Dr. Timothy Leary, a friend of Bill’s. We later all went out to eat at Le
Dome after the game.
Q: What are some of the similarities between the
Grateful Dead and a basketball team?
A: Creativity, team, work, speed. You don’t know what’s
gonna happen from one moment to the next. It’s not scripted. The Grateful Dead
are like a basketball team in that the guys who stir the drink are different
every day and there’s a tremendous inter-team competition. I’ve seen it be Bob
Weir or Mickey Hart, Danny Ainge or Scott Wedman. Basketball teams play in many
of the same arenas as the Dead do. It’s really fun when I go to a game now as
an announcer and the security guards and ushers will stop me and say, “Bill,
what are you doing here? The Dead aren’t playing tonight.”
The Celtics always teased me
about being a Deadhead. Naturally, none of them had ever been to a Grateful
Dead show. So, one night, I took Kevin McHale and Larry Bird to a Dead gig in
Boston for my birthday. Afterwards, some of the band and crew came over to one
of the Celtics’ practices. Mickey Hart even wears a Celtic warm-up jacket in
the video of the Dead’s “Touch Of Grey.”
Later in the season, the Dead
were going to play outside Boston, and I talked to the guys and they made
special arrangements so the team could be seated in an area near the stage for
the show. Just about the whole Celtics team came, even Chief (Robert Parrish),
but Danny Ainge’s wife wouldn’t let him come. There was a moment when Jerry
Garcia looked over at Larry Bird and started to play, like “This is how we do
it,” and they went on to jam for four hours. It was a magic moment for me
because the Grateful Dead have been such a huge part of my life for over 20
years, and I think my friends and teammates finally got it.
When I played in Portland, I was friends
with the some of the PA announcers at the Coliseum. I would bring Dead tapes and
cassettes to be played before the game. When we came out for the warm-ups,
they’d play “Truckin.” When I was in Boston, the organist at the Garden learned
to play a bunch of Dead songs.
Q: How would you compare Jerry Garcia and Larry Bird?
A: Brilliance in performance is the main similarity.
Commitment. Passion for work. Jerry Garcia is not one of those guys who sits
around thinkin’, Gee .. I just can’t wait for this to be over.” He just wants to
work everyday. For people like Garcia and Bird, there’s never enough. A lot of
guys wish there were 82 games each season and some wish there were 50. Garcia
and Bird both have the hunger, desire and creativity to never be satisfied.
They will always believe they can do it better. The real beauty of Garcia and
Bird is that when they see somebody else has gotten it done, they come back the
next time better than ever. I just saw Jerry’s first show after a long hiatus
and, at 50, he is playing better than ever.
Q: Does the increasing use of rock music during
basketball games affect the players?
A: Music has a big role in
the game. It creates and atmosphere. When you pipe in that loud pounding bass
drum and rock music, you’re talkin’ like Spinal Tap said, “To 11.” Music
gets the fans going and great home crowds help your performance. The crowd
knows it has a role in helping the team win. You can’t put a number on it. No
matter how far you’ve gone, they can take you farther. My own jukebox is wired to
my home stereo system, with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and the
Grateful Dead all plugged in.
Many years ago, Chet Coppock, a good friend of Forgotten Hits and a legendary sportscaster here in Chicago, was doing color commentary during a Bears game at Soldier Field and before the game he texted me to let me know that he and his fellow sportscasters were discussing that morning's edition of Forgotten Hits before the game.
I was completely blown away ... here these guys are already on the air ... on tv no less ... about to call the Bears game ... but before things got started, they were debating some of the comments made in that morning's edition. (I wish I had documented which specific issue he was referring to.)
But to top it off, DURING the game he continued to text me questions and comments about the posting! He had all the guys chiming in ... these sports nuts who were every bit as big music fans! (And Chet himself was a GIANT in that regard ... he went to more shows than I did ... and early on, in his college days, even roadied for The New Colony Six!)
Anyway, I've never forgotten not only how good it made ME feel that day ... but how satisfying it was to know that what we had written had provided enough food for conversation to carry them thru the game!!! (kk)
HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
I have known and had dealings with Frank Merrill for a good 50+ years now ...
So I just HAD to share this entire conversation with all our radio enthusiasts out there!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
Do
you have any information about when WJJD abandoned Top 40? Am I
correct that I remember them still on that format in the 1963-64 era? I
think my memories are too vivid for that to have been 1961; also pretty
sure I remember the PM drive show as the Bumper-to-Bumper Club.
Does
any of this ring any bells? If they changed to MOR in 1961 or
thereabouts (as wikipedia says), is it possible that their PM drive
announcer was "energetic enough" to seem like a Top 40 announcer?
Very
confused here...I know they stopped printing surveys (with their call
letters) in 1961 or late 1960. Were the Hits of Greater Chicago surveys
still WJJD surveys incognito?
Frank
The Top Tunes of Greater Chicago replaced the WJJD Survey - but matched it exactly in format ... they simply took the WJJD logo off the top and replaced it with the new type reading "Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago." The script type off to the top right (Forty Top Tunes of Greater Chicago") remained the same as it was before.
The LAST survey issued with WJJD's name on it was for the week of March
7, 1960 ... the very next week (March 14th), the headline banner was replaced with "Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago."
Previously, the WJJD chart always boasted The Top 40 Tunes PLUS a good twenty "New Records To Watch" ... but on the March 14th chart, those were replaced with a list of "Best Selling Albums" instead. (For those of you out there keeping score, on their April 18th chart, the next batch of singles were back, only now referred to as "Up 'n' Coming.")
I have to think that the format change must have taken place at this time as well, because the photos of the jocks that always adorned each survey were now gone, replaced instead by photos of some of the top recording artists of the day. (I've posted pictures of the two weeks in question below.)
You'll notice that the copyright rights also change ... from Plough Broadcasting (which most definitely owned WJJD) to Livingston & Associates ... again signifying a break with the past.
WJJD's Top 40 years were before my time - I only knew the station as a country station - and that would have been in the mid-'60's.
I would think any format change (I wasn't aware of them ever being MOR) would coincide with their name coming off the survey.
I have a complete collection of WJJD Surveys (minus one) beginning with the very first one ever issued (for the week of June 11, 1956). It is even designated as "Survey No. 1."
But for some reason, Survey No. 2 has eluded me (and apparently ALL collectors) since it was issued June 18th ... to the point that most of us wonder if it ever really existed. (The survey dated Week of June 25, 1956) picks up as "Survey #3.)
If ANYBODY out there can prove that it DOES exist ... and has a copy to share ... I SURE would love to get a copy ...
even a xerox would suffice! (kk)
I guess the main question about WJJD #2, is how
"Transfusion" was credited, right?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: "Transfusion" on Survey #1 is credited to The Four Jokers ... on Survey #3, it is shown instead by Nervous Norvus. - kk]
Comparing #1 and #3, is there
anything entirely unaccounted for, like a "missing" number or two for
something that might have been like #28 for one week and gone?
Next
time you do a newsletter (do you, anymore? - I don't see them), maybe
you could ask my WJJD question. I REALLY don't remember a MOR format for
them, and I SHOULD, because I'm talking about my radio station knowledge
from when I was quite young, around 1971 or so. That's when somebody
could have come up to me and said "Frank, here's some pencils and a notebook, write down every AM radio station in [insert state here], including their community-of-license and day/night powers or daytime-only, and I'll come back in three hours"
and my accuracy would have likely exceeded 95%. By that time I was
also familiar with The Hits of Greater Chicago sheets, and I presumed
that they were WJJD surveys incognito, even back then.
Just
seems highly-unlikely to me that I would have thought that in such
early days, with the radio station knowledge that I had, if WJJD was MOR
format after 1960 or 1961.
EVEN MORE SO if the last "WJJD survey" was March 7, 1960!
I mean, there's NO way they would possibly ABANDON Top 40, being the
ONLY station with such a format full time, more than half a year before
WLS would dive in, right? The only way I can possibly think they were
MOR in like 1962 and late 1964, etc., would be if they maintained their
Top 40 style of announcers all the way through, and I think I would have
still remembered they were really MOR because that was scant years ago
at the time.
Furthermore, ARSA (the surveys site) considers the Hits sheets to be WJJD surveys.
Really
would like a true answer (I mean, SOMEBODY still knows!) to this weird
quandary. I just find it so bizarre that, other than on ARSA and the
(erroneous?) Wikipedia entry, the internet seems to think that there was
NO SUCH THING as WJJD for those few years??
Frank
There are no more emailed newsletters - haven’t done those in YEARS! But
I post damn near daily on the website so you really need to check it
out! We’ve been doing The Saturday Survey every week now
since 11/22/63 ... it's all part of our 60 YEARS AGO TODAY feature.
I will run your inquiry and see what we get back - but my past experience shows very little response on the WJJD side.
kk
So readers, what say you? Can ANYBODY out there shed any light on this? Sure would like to know once and for all. (kk)
And then this ...
How interesting!
Now,
somebody on Radio Discussions posts that he used to listen to WJJD
(from Michigan) in the late 50s to 1962 era and they were Top 40 at that
time. Somebody else posts an article from Billboard in 1965 saying
they were changing to country, from a middle of the road format. I'm
more confused than ever.
I distinctly remember listening to them at
sundown for entertainment, and as such I can't imagine
they were pure MOR in 1963-64, like YEAH I did appreciate Dean Martin
and Buck Owens along with Motown and The Beatles, but would the MOR
stuff alone have been good enough for me to consider WJJD as a good
station to listen to?
Did they maintain a Top 40 type presentation of AC or MOR stuff around 1964? My memory can't discern quite those nuances.
Were
they maybe "chicken rock" (later a/k/a "hard AC") or possibly even "Top
40" during AFTERNOON DRIVE and maybe MOR otherwise? Maybe not even at
sunset in the summer which is long after PM drive, so maybe I listened
just in the winter? I don't remember if my listening was SEASONAL or
not, but I "swear" I remember Top 40 on them.
Why
is any "research" AT ALL about their programming in the first half of
the 1960s, other than the partial-sentence reference to MOR in Wikipedia
and with ARSA counting the "Hits..." sheets as WJJD surveys, so
nonexistent? That's just bizarre to me. I mean, I could understand
such a dearth of research on a station like KOLJ in Quanah, Texas or
something.
Frank
UPDATE:
Hi Frank -
And here's another Chicagoland chart anomaly ...
In addition to the second WJJD chart missing, the THIRD WLS Silver Dollar Survey, dated October 23rd, also apparently never made it to the streets!
For some crazy reason, WLS released their first Top 40 Chart with a date of October 14th ...
Their SECOND chart was dated October 15th (which made absolutely NO sense at all) ...
And then they never (apparently) released a chart dated 10/21, 10/22 or 10/23 ...
Or did they?
No one has EVER found or even seen a copy ...
But THIS is the chart that ran in the Tobin Matthews ad in Billboard!
(see below)
They HAD to get this picture from somewhere (and it's clearly dated October 23rd.) In addition, The Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago chart is printed right along side it!
This was a #1 Record here in Chicago.
So we now have TWO major charts missing from Chicago radio history ...
The second WJJD chart and the third WLS Silver Dollar Survey ...
NEITHER of these have ever turned up in over sixty years of searching for it ... and believe me, I'm not the only one who's been looking for them!!!
Who knows, maybe our correspondence will spark something on either or BOTH of these mysteriously missing charts!!!
(It's been a while since we last asked ... and new people are still discovering Forgotten Hits every single day ...
So
let's see where this inquiry leads us.)
We're also asking if anybody out there can pinpoint exactly when WJJD
OFFICIALLY switched over from Top 40 to some other format, be it Easy
Listening / Middle Of The Road / Adult Contemporary or Country ... which
is what they are most remembered for.)
Hope to hear from some of you soon on this! (kk)
I
didn't know that there was a Billboard ad [for the Tobin Matthews record] that showed a
portion of WLS #3!! That's crazy!!! But it also tells us that #3 surely existed IN
SOME FORM.
Frank
And then, late last night ...
WE HAVE AN ANSWER!
Though somebody finally came up with a DEFINITIVE answer,
it might be interesting to go ahead and post something about WJJD,
though I no longer have a question. It would at least put that missing
puzzle piece in, at last. This (and my response) represent some early
60s WJJD history that "just nobody" seemed to know.
(Strange,
that doesn't really look like Tribune-type article writing. It looks
more like something from a weekly columnist, maybe. Did the Tribune
have a weekly radio columnist or something?)
Frank
*********************
Chicago Tribune August 9, 1962
WJJD
banned rock n roll, switched to a new good music format and darned if
General Manager Boyd Lawler didn't install an I.B.M. electronic brain to
plan the daily record, hour by hour.
Looks like a REAL ANSWER, at last! Mystery solved.
(I'm amazed that somebody happened to have the article!)
So, I guess
WJJD made enough impression on me in my youth, that I can vividly
remember Top 40 on them though it ended in 1962. YAY, this was just
getting real strange ... the true answer is that they had Top 40 *AND* MOR
periods between 1960 and 1965.
So
I'm a little surprised that I remember them quite THAT well - enough to
have made me think that I was surely listening to them with Top 40 in
at least 1963, if not even 1964. Apparently not, and most likely I just
ignored them after summer 1962, but the memory persisted.
My
personal development from (say) early 1962 to the beginning of 1965 was
a massive gulf of time, though after this many decades that previous
gulf has shrunken almost to a singularity, lol.
But, then, I also have vivid memories of Dick Biondi on WLS, and he was gone in Spring, 1963. For me, radio was a BIG DEAL.
Frank
Absolutely we're still going to run it ...
Some great radio history for all to share.
(And besides, we're still looking for those long-missing WLS and WJJD charts!!!) kk
