Soul Street

November 4, 2015, 3:30 am

What happens when Soul Street crosses Broadway?

Well you get one FUNKY Street!!!

A little Soul Patrol today in Forgotten Hits!

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60 Years Of Soul Hits (Part 1)

November 5, 2015, 4:15 am

≫ Next: 60 Years Of Soul Hits - Part 2

≪ Previous: Soul Street

I'm still feeling soulful this morning ...

So let's take a look back at The Top Ten R&B Soul Hits for the month of November ... circa 1955, 1960 and 1965 ...

1955:

#10 - Maybelline - Chuck Berry

# 9 - Blackjack / Greenbacks - Ray Charles

# 8 - Don't Start Me Talkin' - Sonny Boy Williamson

# 7 - All By Myself - Fats Domino

# 6 - All Around The World - Little Willie John

# 5 - Play It Fair - LaVern Baker

# 4 - I Hear You Knocking - Smiley Lewis

# 3 - Hands Off - Jay McShann and Priscilla Bowman

# 2 - At My Front Door - The El Dorados

# 1 - Only You - The Platters

Rock and Roll was brand new ... and Chuck Berry, The Grandfather of Rock And Roll, was first making his mark with his big cross-over hit "Maybelline" ... but the R&B / Soul / Black stations were still quite separate from traditional, mainstream radio in 1955, playing what only a few years before was still being referred to as "Race Music".

The ONLY hit common to both the R&B Top Ten and the Pop Top Ten this month was "Only You" by The Platters. (It ranked at #6 on the Pop Chart for the month of November, 1955).

That's not to say that these R&B hits weren't making themselves known to the white audience ... they were just being presented a little differently.

Pat Boone charted at #10 with his white bread version of "At My Front Door" ... and Gale Storm had the #8 hit of the month with her clean and pure version of "I Hear You Knocking".

1960:

#10 - A Fool In Love - Ike and Tina Turner

# 9 - Kiddio - Brook Benton

# 8 - Last Date - Floyd Cramer

# 7 - New Orleans - Gary "US" Bonds

# 6 - Stay - Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs

# 5 - My Dearest Darling - Etta James

# 4 - Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles

# 3 - Save The Last Dance For Me - The Drifters

# 2 - He Will Break Your Heart - Jerry Butler

# 1 - Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go - Hank Ballard and the Midnighters

Radio was experiencing lots more common ground by 1960 .. "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Georgia On My Mind" and "Stay" are all in The Pop Top Ten for the month of November, too.

Perhaps MOST surprising is the cross-over hit "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer ... a white, Nashville session pianist who has a Top Ten Hit on BOTH charts this month. (Not sure how folks found this one so "soulful" in 1960 ... but evidently they did!) This one followed the "contray rule", crossing over from the Pop Chart to the R&B Chart. (That wasn't really so unusual back in the day ... early hits by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Everly Brothers regularly made their mark on both charts ... but Floyd Cramer?!?!?)

1965:

#10 - Make Me Your Baby - Barbara Lewis

# 9 - Think - Jimmy McCracklin

# 8 - Cleo's Back - Jr. Walker and the All-Stars

# 7 - I Got You - James Brown

# 6 - Take Me In Your Arms - Kim Weston

# 5 - A Lover's Concerto - The Toys

# 4 - My Baby - The Temptations

# 3 - My Girl Has Gone - The Miracles

# 2 - Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye

# 1 - Rescue Me - Fontella Bass

The biggest surprise here has gotta be "A Lover's Concerto" charting so high on the R&B Chart. Based on a classical piece, this one evidently had mass appeal ... it also toppedthe pop charts.

Lots of Motown this month, too, as Jr. Walker and the All-Stars, Kim Weston, The Temptations, The Miracles and Marvin Gaye are all represented with Top Ten Hits ... that's half the chart! (The Doobie Brothers would rework "Take Me In Your Arms" as a rock track a decade later and have some success with it.) Gaye and Weston would team up a couple of years later for the timeless hit "It Takes Two".

*****

Tomorrow in Forgotten Hits we'll take a look at The Top Ten Soul Hits of November, 1970, 1975 and 1980.

These charts are based on a book put together by Joe Edwards, who collected the weekly chart data from Billboard Magazine and then accumulated those points on a month by month basis, ultimately ranking The Top Ten Pop and R&B Hits for every year, 1950 - 1980.

Glancing through the book today we find the nearly 300 pages of trivia questions riddled with mistakes ... but the chart data as a monthly popularity consensus is quite valuable ... and cause for celebration for at least a couple of days in Forgotten Hits.

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60 Years Of Soul Hits - Part 2

November 6, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: 50 Year Flashback - November 9, 1965

≪ Previous: 60 Years Of Soul Hits (Part 1)

We continue our look back at the Biggest Soul Hits of November ... today flashing back to 1970, 1975 and 1980.

1970:
#10 - Ungena Za Ulimwengu - The Temptations
# 9 - Part Time Love - Anne Peebles
# 8 - Stand By Your Man - Candi Staton
# 7 - The Tears Of A Clown - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
# 6 - 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 25 - 30 Years Of Love - The Presidents

# 5 - I Am Somebody - Johnnie Taylor
# 4 - Heaven Help Us All - Stevie Wonder

# 3 - Engine # 9 - Wilson Pickett
# 2 - Super Bad - James Brown

# 1 - I'll Be There - The Jackson Five

Four more Motown acts dominate The Top Ten for the month of November, 1970 ... The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, newcomers The Jackson Five and The Miracles (now billing themselves as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles).

"Ungena Za Ulimwengu" barely made a dent on the pop charts ... and check out The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, at #2.

1975:
#10 - I Want'a Do Something Freaky To You - Leon Haywood

# 9 - To Each His Own - Faith, Hope And Charity
# 8 - Change With The Times - Van McCoy
# 7 - I Love Music - The O'Jays
# 6 - Sweet Sticky Thing - The Ohio Players

# 5 - That's The Way I Like It - KC and the Sunshine Band
# 4 - Same Thing It Took - The Impressions
# 3 - Low Rider - War
# 2 - Let's Do It Again - The Staple Singers

# 1 - Fly, Robin, Fly - The Silver Convention

While there are still quite a few cross-over hits in this month's Top Ten, the sounds are shifting ... disco is in its infancy stage, led by The Silver Convention, KC and the Sunshine Band and The Ohio Players (who also have the #1 Album for this month in 1975, "Honey").

"The Sound Of Young America" (also known as "The Motown / Motor City Sound") is giving way to The Sound Of Philadelphia. Not a single Motown Act is represented in this month's Top Ten Soul Hits ... but The O'Jays are in at #7 with their big hit "I Love Music".

1980:
#10 - I Need Your Lovin' - Teena Marie
# 9 - Celebration - Kool and the Gang
# 8 - Uptown - Prince
# 7 - Love T.K.O. - Teddy Pendergrass

# 6 - Funkin' For Jamaica - Tom Browne
# 5 - I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
# 4 - Another One Bites The Dust - Queen

# 3 - More Bounce To The Ounce - Zapp
# 2 - Lovely One - The Jacksons

# 1 - Master Blaster - Stevie Wonder

The Jackson Five (now known as The Jacksons ... and recording for Epic Records) have a big hit in November of 1980 with "Lovely One". Motown veterans Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross are also well represented in The Top Ten. And Prince is starting to make a name for himself, too.

But perhaps the biggest surprise is the #4 Record this month ... play that funky music, white boys ... as Queen ... from ENGLAND no less!!! ... have a HUGE cross-over hit (going the OTHER direction) with "Another One Bites The Dust".

We hope you have enjoyed our little look back at The Top Ten Soul Hits for November, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975 and 1980. Again, charts are based on data compiled from the weekly Billboard Soul and R&B Charts by Joe Edwards in his book "Top 10's And Trivia of Rock And Roll And Rhythm And Blues, 1950 - 1980".

The book is long out of print, but you can still find copies for sale on Amazon.com ...
http://www.amazon.com/Trivia-Rock-Rhythm-Blues-1950-1980/dp/9992283602/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446611435&sr=1-5&keywords=joe+edwards+rock+and+roll

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50 Year Flashback - November 9, 1965

November 9, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Tuesday This And That

≪ Previous: 60 Years Of Soul Hits - Part 2

Judging by the weeks listed column, it looks to me like KRLA just launched their new weekly Top Thirty Tune-Dex survey the week before. (How's THIS for getting in on the ground floor of things?!?!?)

Actually, when you add in the Teen-Toppers "Up And Comers", this becomes a pretty comprehensive chart, listing the Top 50 songs in the Los Angeles area.

They're showing "Still I'm Sad" as the A-Side of the new Yardbirds single, with a very strong showing at #4. Incredibly this one didn't chart nationally, favoring "I'm A Man" instead as the hit side of the record.

One of last week's featured tunes, "Pied Piper" by The Changin' Times, sits at #13 (up from #24 the week before).

Brand new on the chart is "Over And Over" by The Dave Clark Five ... it premiers at #30 ... and one of our '60's favorites, "Lies" by The Knickerbockers, makes the Up And Comers list.

And check out that picture of KRLA Disc Jockey Bob Eubanks ... a few years later he'll be hosting The Newlywed Game!

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Tuesday This And That

November 10, 2015, 3:41 am

≫ Next: Thursday This And That

≪ Previous: 50 Year Flashback - November 9, 1965

Playing some serious catch-up again this week so please bear with me ...

Here's what I was able to get read for a Tuesday Edition of This And That ...

re: Funky Street:
Kent,

Great idea for Wednesday's FH. What would you call a gentleman who was taking a stroll down FUNKY STREET? Why, a SOUL MAN of course. FUNKY STREET undoubtedly has to be located in FUNKYTOWN. Of course, FUNKY STREET, I guess, could be located in FUNKY NASSAU. Those little patches of dirt coming out of the ground are caused by FUNKY WORMS. A popular dance would be the FUNKY CHICKEN ... just ask Rufus Thomas.

Kent, I'll think I'll stop with these for now. I know what you're thinking! Why did I start them to begin with. Have a great day.

Larry Neal
After a response like that, if I were the vindictive type, I'd probably tell you to Get The Funk Out Ma Face ... but I'll let it ride because I like your style. (Those other guys walking down Funky Street must be Archie Bell and the Drells ... because you they dance just as good as they walk!) kk

re: On The Radio:

Kent:

Thanks for the wonderful mention about the 50th anniversary of the master FM antenna atop the Empire State Building. I didn't expect you to post it, but I see why you did!!!
Our afternoon star "Broadway" Bill Lee was on hand during the playing of "FM" by Steely Dan as it was simulcast on CBS-FM 101.1 in the Greatest City In The World.
By the way, the original King Kong film was made in 1933 when the Empire State Building was just completed. If you look at the film, there was NO antenna atop the building. There were connections to have blimps land there to float. But no antenna until the TV antenna was installed and the FM part added in 1965. By the way, that movie is my all-time fave. In fact, I purchased a CD several years ago of the original soundtrack -- all of it -- from the film ... music by Max Steiner. Here it is from Youtube!! Still gives me chills today. This is perfection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB8X8CH3m7Y Thanks again ... and keep up the great work you do.

BE BIG!
Big Jay Sorensen

WCBS-FM

www.BigJaySorensen.com

Thanks, Jay ... and don't forget to check out Jay's weekly "this week in history" column of the wcbsfm website: http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/tag/this-week-in-history/

This was a segment I did on my Tuesday morning WATD radio show. I am featuring Girls and Guys from the oldies era who had their first record go to #1 on their first try. I thought I would share this show with your readers. I am the youngest guy playing the Oldies.
Sincerely
Kevin Boles WATD FM
website: www.kevinbolesoldiesfan.com
Here is a link to download the show if you like:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c5ne56i95sr40ka/At%20The%20Hop%20November%203rd.mp3?dl=0
Enjoy!

On my last three trips to Chicago, I've listened to ME-TV-FM for at least a couple hours at a time. To be honest, it would be a fifth option, at best, for me. It's too soft rock for me.
Jack

Song-for-song, variety-wise, it's still the #1 button in both of our cars ... the repetition gets to me sometimes (I swear I heard "Emotion" by Samantha Sang eleven times last week ... and I was only in the car about fifteen or sixteen times!) ... and there's still WAY too much "filler" that isn't either "timeless" or "memorable" (no matter what their slogan says) ... but I love the surprises. At least once or twice EVERY single day I hear something new that I haven't heard them play before ... which means they're still expanding their playlist regularly, adding new features. (What they NEED to do is drop the repeat circulation of several others in the same process to make each day a new and unique listening experience.) As I've said many times before, it doesn't even have to be what I would consider a "great" song ... just something DIFFERENT that we haven't heard in awhile. Two cases in point this past week ... "Penny Lover" by Lionel Richie (I don't think I've heard that since it was out) and "Peaceful" by Helen Reddy (not one of my favorites but different enough to get me to listen to it all the way through).
And, yes, by way of these examples, still WAY too middle-of-the-road / soft rock for your tastes, I'm sure ... but I've always enjoyed VARIETY in radio ... I'm hearing more '50's and early '60's tunes and more "forgotten hits" all the time ... so it's our "go to" station ... but, as we've maintained all along, still in need of some serious "fine-tuning" and tweaking.
By the way, we've heard from several readers who say they have a hard time picking it up. We drove all weekend again and heard a crystal-clear signal until about 107 miles outside of Chicago ... pretty darn good in my book! We pick it up just fine in all our regular daily travels ... and wake up to it every morning on the clock radio (and quite often fall asleep to it at night, too, unless it's the Saturday Night Dance Party! lol) kk

re: Roy Orbison:
Last week we told you all about the new Roy Orbison box set being released covering his years with MGM Records.

We also told you about his never-before-released album "One Of The Lonely Ones", recorded in 1969, recently discovered by his sons and now available for public consumption for the very first time.

But what we DIDN'T know was just how personal this album really was.

FH Reader Bob Merlis sent us these two reviews / press releases explaining exactly what prompted Roy to record this LP.

When his boys died in a fire, Roy Orbison recorded a secret album
by Rebecca Wilson, founder and publisher of Starts at Sixty

In 1969, two of Roy Orbison’s sons died in a tragic house fire. Just months after they died, Orbison recorded an album that addressed the trauma, and was thought to have been lost forever until it was discovered by his sons.

If you loved Roy Orbison 50 years ago, then you’ll be excited to hear that this month MGM are releasing a secret, “lost” album from 1969 that was never released.

Now restored by sound engineers, Orbison lovers can now experience the 12 new tracks digitally, on CD and on 180-gram vinyl. It is being released next month,

The album is a culmination of many dark years in Orbison’s life. In 1966, just two years before two of his three children died in the house fire, his wife Claudette, who he married in 1957, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Two years on, when his Hendersonville house burned down, he sold the lot to his best friend, Johnny Cash (whose house later also burned to the ground). Roy found himself unable to write songs for a while, but maintained a positive outlook and continued touring.

It is coming to life at the same time as a massive release of Orbison’s songs, as an 11 album box set featuring 152 tracks that were published by MGM from 1965 to 1973. It is a series of his songs that has been “out of print” for decades, and now it will be available digitally for the first time, as well as a 13 CD set, and a 14 vinyl disc set.

The new album is called One of the Lonely Ones.

It is being released by MGM, approximately 50 years ago after the rock legend signed with them.

The box set is being released as “The MGM Years” and includes all 11 albums the late musician recorded for MGM (from 1965 to 1973) as well as a collection of non-album singles and B-sides and the soundtrack to The Fastest Guitar Alive, the only film he ever starred in.

The first 500 physical The MGM Years box sets pre-ordered through Orbison’s official store will be bundled with a copy of One of the Lonely Ones.

Did you know Orbison had been through such bleak years? Do you have his early albums?

The MGM Years Box Set:

1) There Is Only One Roy Orbison (1965)
2) The Orbison Way (1966)
3) The Classic Roy Orbison (1966)
4) Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson (1967)
5) The Fastest Guitar Alive (Soundtrack) (1967)
6) Cry Softly Lonely One (1967)
7) Roy Orbison’s Many Moods (1969)
8) Hank Williams the Roy Orbison Way (1970)
9) The Big O (1970)
10) Roy Orbison Sings (1972)
11) Memphis (1972)
12) Milestones (1973)
13) MGM B-Sides And Singles (2015) (2 discs in vinyl box set, 1 disc in CD box set)

One of the Lonely Ones Track List:

1) You’ll Never Walk Alone
2) Say No More
3) Leaving Makes the Rain Come Down
4) Laurie
5) Sweet Memories
6) One of the Lonely Ones
7) Child Woman, Woman Child
8) The Defector
9) Give Up
10) Little Girl (In the Big City)
11) After Tonight
12) I Will Always

And, from Agence France-Presse (which we suspect was translated from French) ...

Tragic new album by the late Roy Orbison due out

‘One of the Lonely Ones’, a previously unreleased album from 1969, will go on sale on December 4

Roy Orbison, the legendary rockabilly singer whose life was marked by tragedy, has a new album coming out nearly 30 years after his death.

Orbison was best known for the 1964 hit Oh, Pretty Woman, but worked prolifically on music as he coped with deaths in his family.

Orbison’s estate announced Monday that One of the Lonely Ones, a previously unreleased album from 1969, will go on sale on December 4.

The album was thought to be lost, but was found by Orbison’s sons and restored by sound engineers.

Orbison recorded the album months after two of his sons died in a fire at his home in Tennessee while he was touring England.

His wife Claudette — whom he had married, divorced and remarried — had died in 1966 in a motorcycle accident involving Orbison.

Much of the unreleased album deals with the trauma, including the title track, in which he sings, “I’d rather be dead and done / Than to be what I’ve become / One of the lonely ones.”

Orbison’s estate is also releasing on December 4 a box set of 13 CDs, or 14 records, of the singer-guitarist’s work on MGM Records.

Orbison had signed to MGM in 1965, when he was seen as a great hope for American artists faced with the British Invasion led by The Beatles.

He recorded frenetically for MGM, putting out 11 studio albums between 1965 and 1973 as well as a soundtrack for The Fastest Guitar Alive, a movie in which Orbison starred.

The MGM Years box set features restored editions of the previously released but out-of-print albums as well as singles and B-sides.

Orbison enjoyed a career revival in his life’s final months as he joined the Traveling Wilburys supergroup that included Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Tom Petty.

He died in 1988 at age 52 of a heart attack linked to exhaustion.

re: Arnie Karr
Speaking of loss, we heard that our longtime FH Friend Arnie Karr passed away last week.

Hi Kent,
I'm not sure if you've heard the news or not, but our longtime friend (and FH reader / contributor) Arnie Karr passed away yesterday from liver cancer at the age of 62. I was just re-reading some of the comments regarding Last Kiss that Arnie had contributed to. I'll miss him dearly.
-- Tom Diehl

If Arnie wasn't one of the first 35 Forgotten Hits Readers, he was pretty darn close ... seems like he'd been a list member forever. We all met back in the old AOL Oldies Music Chat and Trivia Room (as did Tom and I when I think he was about twelve! Just kidding, Tom ... but you WERE the youngest ... yet one of the most knowledgeable ... oldies freaks in the room at the time ... and that's saying a lot since JacoFan was probably in his early 20's at the time and could already recite verbatim the entire history of rock and roll dating back to the 1890's!!!)

A few years later, Arnie (who played with a band that billed itself as "The Cavaliers" ... and sometimes J. Frank Wilson's Cavaliers) ... contacted me because he felt some inner turmoil about the fact that the band he was musical director of (although actually led by Leo Lucas, who claimed that J. Frank Wilson gave him the rights to the band on his death bed ... and also falsely claimed that he performed on the original recording of their #1 Hit "Last Kiss") may, in fact, have had no legal right whatsoever to the use of the name ... and were, in the process, deceiving the public into thinking they were something that they were not.

It was Arnie's conflicted plea that got me to investigatethe true history of J. Frank Wilson and Cavaliers and their timeless classic "Last Kiss"in the first place ... and what a completely INSANE process that turned out to be. (At one point I remember writing something along the lines of "J. Frank Wilson and his 35-piece back-up band The Cavaliers ... based on how many musicians have since claimed to have been on that recording ... which also included the entire Philadelphia Eagles Football Team and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir" ... walked into a small Texas recording studio in 1964 and proceeded to record the #1 Hit 'Last Kiss'.)

You can find the complete (and extremely hard to follow!) story of "The Last Kiss" here ... aptly described as "The Incredible Convoluted Story Behind 'Last Kiss'") Have aspirin handy ... you'll need it!

http://forgottenhits.com/last_kiss_the_incredible_convoluted_story_behind_this_1_classic_hit

It is, without a doubt, one of our most-read and highly debated pieces ever published.

Over the years, I've been contacted by countless people claiming to have been involved with the recording of this hit and stating that they were one-time members of The Cavaliers ... we've even heard from TWO people claiming to be J. Frank Wilson's illegitimate children ... and reported on another guy who was going out making live appearances and performances as J. Frank Wilson, YEARS after the REAL J. Frank Wilson had passed away ... the list goes on and on and on. A few years ago we ran a feature by Sid Holmes, who published a book detailing HIS understanding of the REAL circumstances behind this recording ... and all of the twisted history that followed ... and Sid told us that our account was the most accurate representation of the actual events that he had ever read.

Speaking of our FH Buddy Arnie Karr, Frannie also sent me this very nice obituary from Facebook. The fact that Arnie earned a living as a journalist ... and entrusted me to do the digging on the "Last Kiss" story is quite a compliment to our efforts here. We last spoke about two years ago ... I had no idea that he was even sick (and apparently neither did very many others which, from the sounds of things, was exactly his intent) ... although over the past two weeks I did hear rumblings about some concern regarding his health. Still I had no idea it was this far along.

We'll miss you, Arnie ... you were a good friend to FH. Thanks for including us in your life. (kk)

Here's a shot of Arnie Karr as WE knew him ...

Behind the keyboards in this photo, we dubbed him "Smiling Arnie"!!!

Arnold J. Karr, senior financial editor at Women’s Wear Daily, who spent the better part of his 40-year career at Fairchild Publications, primarily at WWD and its brother publication, DNR, died Friday from liver cancer. He was 62. Funeral services were held Sunday in Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Karr, a highly respected and beloved editor with a keen journalistic instinct, prolific writing ability and well-rounded experience, was also an adjunct professor of journalism at the Fashion Institute of Technology and an accomplished musician known for his keyboard play, notably the accordion.

Karr held several posts and responsibilities over the years at WWD, most recently including coverage of the denim market, development of research pieces, and financial reporting.

“Arnie’s colleagues at WWD are all heartbroken by his passing,” said WWD editor in chief Ed Nardoza. “He was a bold, funny, high-powered force in our newsroom. A smart, consummate journalist, gifted professional musician and a natural teacher, Arnie had a rare instinct for mentoring inexperienced reporters who came to him with little more than a hunger for a career in journalism. Time and again, we saw Arnie turn WWD’s young staffers into real reporters. We’ll miss his patience, his empathy, his journalism and his irrepressible humor.”

Karr was born on May 24, 1953, in Franklin Square, N.Y. After graduating from Valley Stream North High School in Valley Stream, N.Y., he received his bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1975.

He began his journalism career immediately thereafter, joining DNR in 1976 as shirts and sweaters editor, and transferring to the paper’s Los Angeles bureau as West Coast editor the following year. After a brief stint as editor of Men’s Apparel News, he rejoined DNR in New York as apparel and retail editor in 1980, and was subsequently promoted to associate editor. Karr was to subsequently return to Los Angeles to run his own public relations company, which included such clients as Bugle Boy Industries and the MAGIC trade show. He returned to Fairchild once again in 2007, serving as senior online editor and then financial editor.

During his career, Karr built strong relationships throughout the fashion industry thanks to his charismatic personality, friendly demeanor and strong journalistic standards.

“I am truly saddened by Arnie’s death, and the world of fashion reporting has lost a true talent, someone who loved the industry and the people in the industry so much,” said Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer of Levi Straus & Co.

Emanuel Chirico, coo of PVH Corp., said, “Arnie was a great supporter and friend of PVH. We will miss his understanding and coverage of our company and his ongoing support to articulate our ever-changing story.”

“Arnie Karr is one of those very special and very rare people,” said Dana Telsey, chief executive officer of Telsey Advisory Group. “Always ready to help in any way, always full of optimism, and always a way of putting the situation into context and perspective that shows he gets it.”

Allan Ellinger, senior managing partner at MMG Inc., said: “I always thought of Arnie as sort of a Renaissance guy because of his ability to write, his intuitive understanding of business and his love of music.”

During his off time, Karr taught journalism for more than 25 years at FIT, proudly helping to mold the next generation of reporters and editors. With his booming baritone voice, he also played in a series of bands that generally focused on music from the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. He was adept at many instruments, had a vast knowledge of musical history, and exhibited the same passion about music that he brought to all his endeavors.
His father Norman, a fashion industry public relations executive who helmed The Fashion Association and initiated numerous industry charity events, including The American Image Awards, died in 2009. Karr is survived by his wife, Rhea; a son, Daniel; his mother, Selma, and a sister, Joanne Skop.

re: Danbury Fields Forever:
A couple of months ago we told you all about the special Beatles event "Danbury Fields Forever" ... in fact our FH Buddy Gary Theroux was one of the hosts for yet another one of Charles Rosenay's killer tributes to The Fab Four. Afterwards we asked Charles for a few comments ... but by then he was already off across the pond with one of his Liverpool Tours. However, he's back now ... and planning more special Beatles events ... and recently weighed in on Danbury Fields Forever ...

Dear Kent,
Yes, I remembered!!!
Shame on me. I love Forgotten Hits, and you are so good about printing what I send you.
For some reason I'm very good about getting the word out about my shows, but not following up with you. I think it's because I get so psyched for my upcoming events and can't stop thinking about them, and while the fan is me wants to talk about the show that has just taken place, the promoter in me has moved on to the "next big thing." After the August festival, I was already hard at work promoting a Lennon 75th birthday concert. Anyway, below - better late than never - is a report on the "Danbury Fields Forever" Fab 4 Music Festival co-written by Robin Roberts.
Cheers,

Charles

The Fab 4 Music Festival “Danbury Fields Forever” took place at Ives Concert Park in Danbury, CT, on Saturday, August 15, 2015. Designed to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the historic first Shea Stadium concert, the festival was held exactly 50 years ago to the date. Produced by Liverpool Productions (“NYC Fab 50” – the Beatles fiftieth anniversary events in New York, the Magical History Tours to Liverpool), the extravaganza also served as a tribute to Sid Bernstein, who produced the Shea Stadium concert(s) and to Grammy Award-Winner Dennis Ferrante, who was John Lennon’s recording engineer and passed away two months prior. Ferrante had come to past concerts in Connecticut, and was a friend of the festival. When fans entered the festival grounds, they were greeted by two banners with the faces of Sid Bernstein and Dennis Ferrante.

Doors opened at Noon and the star-students from a New York-based School of Rock began the day with a surprisingly tight set of rockin’ Beatles classics. They were followed by Westchester’s Strictly Beatles, who played the year before under the name BeatleHead. It seemed that there were a few member changes, and the band wasn’t as dynamic as the previous year.

Some bands were invited back, and others made their debut. Two solo acts who’d never played this event before completely energized the crowd, delivering their Beatle covers from two separate spectrums. Soul / R&B powerhouse singer Nekita Waller totally owned the stage. Entertaining audiences since her debut at the Apollo as a child, her credits include sharing the stage with BB King, the O’Jays, Ruben Studdard and others. With such great pipes and such a terrific personality, why isn't she already a superstar?

Eric Herbst from the band Dizzyfish was the next soloist. The singer / songwriter / guitarist had recently opened for the Steve Miller Band, and his acoustic renditions were a joy to listen to. Eric actually had one of those six degrees of separation connections to The Beatles ... in 2008, he recorded an album of his original music with Alan White of the band Yes. Alan played drums on John Lennon’s “Instant Karma” and on George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” albums.

AfterFabplayed rocking renditions of songs from the Beatles’ solo years, proving that the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo fit in such a setting alongside The Beatles’ group classics. The Massachusetts band were one of the day’s two acts to specialize in solo material, and they were very well-received.

Two Connecticut bands,The Navels and NumberNinerocked the crowd as they played songs from the entire Beatles catalog. The Navels are fronted by a great female vocalist, backed by great musicians who not only delivered great versions of Beatles standards but also looked like they were true fans having fun on stage. Their repertoire spanned early standards right up to “Hey Jude.” NumberNine were more like a Fab Faux-esque ensemble, recreating more intricate numbers with precise instrumentation and arrangements.

Next up was Long Island’s Penny Lane, who performed songs from the “Sgt. Pepper” album, no easy task for a quartet, and they looked splendid in their colorful Pepperoutfits. Their vocals were excellent, and the crowd responded enthusiastically.

The Blue Meaniestook the stage next and really got the crowd on their feet. After delivering spot-on versions of songs from “Help!” and other 1965 Beatles favorites, the Staten Island / New Jersey band, known for their tributes to The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Monkees, surprised the crowd when they announced their special guest, Hilton Valentine. Rock & Roll Hall-of-Fame guitarist with The Animals, Hilton Valentine was the festival's Special Guest of Honor, but was not expected to perform. He spent the entire day meeting fans, signing autographs and answering questions about The Beatles, The Animals and the British Invasion. With the Blue Meanies, he played a rousing blues style guitar to some of the Animals’ hits and other well-known blues numbers. The man can certainly rock, and well-deserves his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This was the second year in a row that a British Invasion musician was Special Guest at the Fab 4 Music Festival. In 2014, Herman's Hermits bass player and founding member Karl Green made a rare appearance (but did not perform).

Connecticut's The Hofnersclosed the show with an amazing note-for-note recreation of the Beatles’ August 15, 1965 Shea Stadium concert. The band wore the Shea Stadium jackets and ran up to the stage in the same manner as the Beatles did all those years ago. No one was sitting during their performance. This is the same band that has headlined “Danbury Fields Forever” every year, with drummer Mike "Ringo" Streeto, and they continue to impress audiences as one of the foremost Beatles tribute bands on the circuit.

In-between acts, host Ken Michaels (of the “Every Little Thing” radio show) and Beatles historian Gary Theroux (rewoundradio.com’s “History of Rock & Roll”) entertained the crowd with stories and trivia.

Scattered around the park were lifesize Beatles banners and artwork by the famed Beatles artist Shannon McDonald. Beatles authors Candy Leonard (“Beatleness”), Jere Hester (“Raising A Beatles Baby”), and Vika Winters (“The Little Girl From Yesterday”) were there promoting their books along with other vendors selling Beatles merchandise. Food and drink were plentiful, with one vendor getting into the spirit of the festival using Beatles references to name the sandwiches offered.

There was an after-party at a local hotel, where fans had a sing-along led by Dave Pal from the band "Beatlemania Again," who also guested with The Hofners.

If you missed “Danbury Fields Forever” this year, don’t miss the next one.

It’s worth a trip from anywhere.

www.Fab4MusicFestival.com

Email:info@fab4musicfestival.com

Or Call: (203) 795-4737

And, speaking of The Fab Four ...

>>>Judging by the weeks listed column, it looks to me like KRLA just launched their new weekly Top Thirty Tune-Dex survey the week before. (How's THIS for getting in on the ground floor of things?!?!?) kk

Here's a KRLA survey from a year earlier. They hadn't just started issuing surveys.

Jack

Funny because the '65 chart we featured on Monday showed EVERY record's "weeks played" as either a 1 or 2 (or a brand new premier) ... so they must have "reset" the playlist or something.

But check out this chart from 1964!!! Frickin' AMAZING ... The Beatles hold an INCREDIBLE TEN of the Top 15 spots ... and many of these are LP tracks! Who would have thought that by September of '64 they would still be exhibiting THIS kind of chart clout!

You'll find The Fab Four at #1 with "I'll Be Back" (from "Beatles '65" ... or, on import "A Hard Day's Night"), #2 with "Things We Said Today" (from "Something New" ... or the "A Hard Day's Night import), #4 - "And I Love Her" (from both "Something New AND "A Hard Day's Night"), #7 - If I Fell (also from both of the above albums), #9 - "Matchbox" (from "Something New"), #11 - "Any Time At All" (from "Something New"), #12 - "A Hard Days Night" (from the United Artists Soundtrack ... and out as a single at the time), "#13 - "When I Get Home" (from "Something New"), #14 - "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" (from both "Something New" and "A Hard Day's Night"), #15 - "Slow Down" (also from "Something New" ... and now out as a single) and then way down at the bottom at #31, "I Should Have Known Better", the B-Side to "A Hard Day's Night" and also featured on the soundtrack album. (In between you'll find "Ringo For President" by The Young World Singers at #5, "From A Window" by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas at #16 (a song written by Lennon and McCartney), "A Letter From Elaina" narrated by the one and only Casey Kasem (and all about The Beatles) and, WAY down at #57, "I Don't Want To See You Again" by Peter and Gordon, another Lennon-McCartney composition. A full nine months into Beatlemania and this is unheard of! (Then again they DO refer to themselves as "The Original Beatle Station" for Los Angeles. (In addition to moving on to "The Newlywed Game", DJ Bob Eubanks also introduced The Beatles at The Hollywood Bowl that year ... along with (former) Chicago's own Dick Biondi, the first deejay to play a Beatles record in America!!! (kk)

re: This And That:
Kent ...
According to Ron Smith's great book --
11/5/1971 = Al Dvorin first says "Elvis Has Left The Building."
Frank B.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DPhnBBfAgE

(Best Elvis voice): Thank you very much ...

for sending in this little tidbit, Frank! (kk)

Johnny Mathis made the news last week when his Hollywood Hills home was destroyed by fire ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3301383/Johnny-Mathis-home-Hollywood-Hills-damaged-fire.html

FH Reader Tom Cuddy sent us this recent interview (pre-fire) with the 80-year-old music legend ... http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2015/11/06/wonderful-wonderful-an-interview-with-johnny-mathis/#sthash.BAN1mzMu.dpbs

Big stories this past week about The Eagles postponing their Kennedy Center Honors until 2016 so that Glenn Frey can have some emergency intestinal surgery done ...

And John Lennon's long lost (stolen) guitar fetching big bucks in auction ...

http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2015/11/glenn-frey-to-have-major-surgery-eagles.html?utm_source=VVN+Music+E-Mail+Subscribers&utm_campaign=62cb587735-November+5%2C+2015+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a4dfe0b50-62cb587735-89761121

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/john-lennons-

And, speaking of The Eagles, Don Henley "shared the love" during a recent solo appearance ... check out THIS story, sent in by FH Reader Tom Cuddy ...

Don Henley had an outspoken Eagles fan ejected from his solo gig Saturday night in Detroit. Henley is on the road supporting his first country album, Cass County.

On Sunday, Henley described the incident: "I was starting to introduce the band and was just about to introduce [guitarist] Steuart [Smith] when some guy in the front row, right in front of Steuart, yelled out ‘Don Felder.’ So, I called him out. But he wasn’t finished. He blurted out, ‘Don Felder taught Tom Petty how to play the guitar!’ I said, ‘O.K., that’s it. You’re outta here’ -- and I had security escort him out. The audience cheered.”

Henley said he "did exactly what Glenn [Frey] would have wanted me to do in his hometown. Told them that (Friday) was Glenn’s birthday and that that was my birthday present to Glenn. They went wild.”

At the show, Henley made sure to call the guy a rude name and promised him a "full refund...in dollars and in karma." He told the audience, "I have three teenagers at home and usually I’m a pretty patient guy, but sometimes you go over the line."

Smith replaced Felder in the Eagles' touring band after the band severed ties with him in 2001.

If you've seen the Eagles documentary "The History Of The Eagles", you know that there's no love lost between Frey and Felder ... explosive moments captured on stage are shared in the film ... kind of ironic in a way, isn't it Don ... that The Eagles were so willing to share some of their OWN Dirty Laundry??? (kk)

Also from Tom Cuddy ...

A star-studded celebration has been announced for Sam Moore’s 80th birthday.

Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, Michael McDonald, Randy Jackson and Don Henley will take the stage November 21st at the Fillmore/Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach. Besides the milestone birthday -- which actually took place October 12th -- this is also Sam’s 60th year as a recording artist and performer.

Bon Jovi dueted with Moore on the track "Lookin' for a Love" from Sam's 2006 album Overnight Sensational.
The show will benefit the Soul, Arts and Music Foundation. THE SAM was founded with the goals of engagement, education and inspiration of children.

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a special studio session with Dion, who was working on his new album, scheduled for release in February. Unfortunately, we couldn't go (it WAS, after all, in New York City!!! lol), but here's the latest word on that new LP ... which also features a brand new duet recorded with Paul Simon!

Bob Merlis tells us ...

DION DIMUCCI RETURNS TO RECORDING:

“NEW YORK IS MY HOME’ DUET WITH PAUL SIMON

SET FOR RELEASE THIS WEEK ...

FULL ALBUM OUT IN FEBRUARY

Never one to rest on his laurels, rock ’n’ roll legend Dion (DiMucci) recently returned to the studio to record a new album that will be released this coming February.

Produced by Jimmy Vivino, seen nightly leading The Basic Cable Band on Conan, the album will be issued by Richard Gotteher’s Instant Records through The Orchard on February 16. “New York Is My Home,” the album’s title track, will be available this Friday, November 13. It’s a duet with fellow New Yorker Paul Simon. He is seen with Dion in a video for the song that was shot on the streets of New York in late October by David Niles.

The song was written by Dion and initially recorded as a solo effort. He noted, “Early on, I knew I had to sing it with Paul Simon. We share a love for rock ’n’ roll street music, the say it was done when we were kids. I knew Paul would ‘get’ this song. And he did. Soon after I sent it to him called and said he’d become obsessed with it and added his own distinct touches to the production. He’s from Queens, I’m from the Bronx; we’re both at home in New York. This was a labor of love for us.”

Dion, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 by the late Lou Reed, commented on the new track, “It’s my ‘street rock ’n’ roll song,” my love song to the city and my girl.” He continued, “What can I say? For me, God’s country is never gonna mean canyons and forests. Its gonna have sirens and subways and crowds of people. I love the style and the way the city moves — all acceptance and love — the music seeping up from the streets. To my eyes the city is pure; it lifts me to a higher reality. I experience the fullness of life in New York. It’s all here.”

Pre-order Dion’s New York Is My Home album (includes immediate digital download of the single): http://radi.al/NYIsMyHomeDionandPaul

re: Wanna Go See Richard Marx?:
Forgotten Hits Readers who are part of our "Locals List" just learned about a chance to score free tickets to see Richard Marx, live in concert at The Genesee Theatre on Friday, December 4th.

If you happen to live in the area and are able to attend this show, we'd like to invite you to play along, too! Full details are below. (And then be sure to send us your name and email information so we can add you to the local list for future concert opportunities!)

Here's The Scoop: Thanks to Colleen Rogalski of The Genesee Theatre, we've come up with an interesting way to give away several pairs of tickets to see Chicago-born and bred Richard Marx when he hits The Genesee Theatre on Friday, December 4th, for an 8:00 show ...

We can't wait to see it ...and we'd like to take a few Forgotten Hits Readers with us to the show.

So ... in order to do so ... we've put together a good old-fashioned contest ... with a twist ...

Tell us ... in 25 words or less ... why you'd like to attend The Richard Marx Concert ...

But somewhere within those 25 words you have got to include the title of one of Marx's fourteen Top 20 Hits. (clever, eh???)

Between 1987 and 1994, Richard Marx hit Billboard's Top 20 an incredible FOURTEEN times ... and THREE of those hits went all the way to #1. (In fact, Marx's first seven chart hits ALL made The Top Five! And he'd do it again ... two more times ... after that!)

Get your entries in quickly because this show is just a few weeks away. (And, as always, please don't enter if you can't actually attend the concert ... we hate giving away unused tickets ... nor is it fair to deprive someone else the chance of going.)

Email me here at ForgottenHits@aol.com ... and we'll announce the winners by November 20th.

This should be a great show ... don't miss your chance to see it.

Here's my all-time favorite Richard Marx song ...

Which, by the way, now makes "hazard" ineligible for your official entry!!!

You can purchase tickets for Richard Marx ... or several other great up-coming shows ... here:

http://www.geneseetheatre.com/events/all

↧

Thursday This And That

November 12, 2015, 9:29 am

≫ Next: Brian Wilson Concert Review

≪ Previous: Tuesday This And That

I'm off today ... so how about a Nooner?!?!

Still recovering from the INCREDIBLE Brian Wilson concert last night ... if everything goes according to plan, we should have a review up on the site sometime tomorrow.

Meanwhile, here are a few of the things that have been on your minds since we last posted ...

We've been waiting for more word on Jeff Lynne's upcoming US Tour ... after an announcement several months ago, all of a sudden the prospect seems to have disappeared from the web.

However, now with a brand new album out ("Alone In The Universe", recorded as Jeff Lynne's ELO) the idea of Jeff touring again in support of this new release has become much more likely. (In fact, a quick check of Pollstar already shows a European Tour booked for April of 2016 ... could the US be far behind?)

We've been BIG fans for a long time ... and his recently released "Live In Hyde Park" DVD along with the new video for the single "When I Was A Boy" (both of which won RAVE reviews here in Forgotten Hits) ... have only helped to fuel the fire.

Jeff did a one-off live show at Porchester Hall in London this past week, featuring many of the songs he included in his Hyde Park set as well as four tracks from the new album.

Vintage Vinyl News reports:

Jeff Lynne's ELO, formerly known as the Electric Light Orchestra, officially launched their new album on Monday night in an intimate show at Porchester Hall in London.
The new album, Alone in the Universe, will be out this coming Friday and is the band's thirteenth studio album (fourteenth if you count theXanadu soundtrack) and their first since 2001's Zoom.
The set list for the night wasn't that different from the show that they performed last year in Hyde Park with the removal of Ma-Ma-Ma-Belle, 10538 Overture and the Traveling Wilbury's Handle With Care and the addition of four songs from the new album.

The set list:

All Over the World (from the soundtrack to Xanadu, 1980)

Evil Woman (from Face the Music, 1975)

Showdown (from On the Third Day, 1973)

Turn to Stone (from Out of the Blue, 1977)

When I Was a Boy (from Alone in the Universe, 2015)

Living Thing (from A New World Record, 1976)

One Step at a Time (from Alone in the Universe, 2015)

Strange Magic (from Face the Music, 1975)

Don't Bring Me Down (from Discovery, 1979)

Steppin' Out (from Out of the Blue, 1977)

Sweet Talkin' Woman (from Out of the Blue, 1977)

Can't Get It Out Of My Head (from Eldorado, 1974)

When the Night Comes (from Alone in the Universe, 2015)

Ain't It a Drag (from Alone in the Universe, 2015)

Rock 'n' Roll is King (from Secret Messages, 1983)

Telephone Line (from A New World Record, 1976)

Mr. Blue Sky (from Out of the Blue, 1977)

Roll Over Beethoven (from Electric Light Orchestra 2, 1973)

Can you believe that Olivia Newton-John currently has the #1 Dance Track in the nation?!?!

Well, it's true ...

Her remake of her previous #1 Pop Hit "Magic" (from the movie "Xanadu") ... now called "You Have To Believe" ... and recorded with her daughter Chloe, sits on top of the Dance Chart this week! Olivia first topped Billboard's Pop Chart with this track for four weeks back in 1980.

Here's a look at the remake:

Sorry to hear of the passing of Arnie Karr. He was a class act. I think I remember reading that besides the Cavaliers, he was also affiliated with Steam, Of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" fame.

Ed Erxleben
Yes, he was ... although this, too, was one of those questionable (bogus?) groups in that none of the performing members were on the recording of that #1 Hit. (Then again even back in 1969 when Steam was at its peak, a "fake" band was sent out on the road because, for all intents and purposes, the recording was made by an assembled group of studio musicians.)
Lead singer Gary DeCarlo has been back out on the road again recently, performing as part of a "lead singers" show that often includes other artists like Ron Dante, Dennis Tufano and Tony Burrows ... actually, a VERY interesting show to see if it ever makes its way out here to Chicago. (Hint - hint - to Ron Onesti!!!)
Knowing how Steam was so closely (and solely) identified with their one monster hit, I remember asking Arnie Karr one time "What does a Steam concert consist of?" ... to which he replied "An hour of 'Na Na Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye'". (lol)
After a bout of bad press questioning their validity (fueled in part by our Forgotten Hits article and then picked up by other music press around the country) The Cavaliers ultimately ended up changing their name to "Golden Group Memories" (a more accurate description of what they really performed anyway). In addition to Arnie Karr and Leo Lucas, the group at various times also included Vito Balsamo, former lead singer of Vito and the Salutations (who did that God-Awful rendition of "Unchained Melody") and Randy Silver, who Arnie says was (at one time) in The Impalas ... but was NOT with the group when they recorded THEIR big hit "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)".
While on the one hand I believe The Cavaliers did right by presenting faithful and respectful versions of these early '60's hits, it's still hard to forgive the fact that they tried to deceive the public into believing something they weren't. Despite YEARS and YEARS of correspondence since our series first ran, we have yet to see a SINGLE shred of evidence that Leo Lucas had ANYTHING at all to do with the group that recorded "Last Kiss" ... and that includes several conversations with Leo himself, during which I told him that if he can produce ANYTHING proving he was involved with the recording ... or had the legal rights to the use of the name ... I would publish it in Forgotten Hits along with a retraction and apology. Even with his fate in his own hands, this failed to ever happen. (kk)

Lots of respect paid to New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint after his passing this past week ... Tom Cuddy sent just a few loving tributes from artists who had worked with, come to know, or simply loved his work ... an innovator if there ever was one.

ALLEN TOUSSAINT: Music World Remembers

Many musicians are remembering legendary singer-pianist-songwriter-producer Allen Toussaint, who died suddenly Monday night in Madrid at age 77.

Paul McCartneysays on Instagram, "Having worked with him in New Orleans I know what a sweet and gentle guy he was and a massive songwriting talent with songs like ‘Fortune Teller,’ ‘Southern Nights,’ 'Working in the Coal Mine' and 'Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues).' His songs will be cherished by people like me who will have fond memories of Allen forever. Deepest sympathies and love to his family from me and my family."

Paul Simon, who was to play a benefit show with him in New Orleans, said, "Allen Toussaint was my dear friend. The most gifted, gracious and generous man that you could ever want to meet."

John Oatescalls him "one of the architects of Rhythm and Blues; a writer of many of America's most well-known and beloved early rock and roll songs. I had the pleasure of hosting him at the Aspen Songwriters Festival some years ago and was honored to be able to perform with him and witness his inspired one man show. Sending love to his family and friends around the world -- he will be missed by millions, but his music will never die."

The Rolling Stones tweeted the simple message "RIP Allen Toussaint," along with a link to their recording of Toussaint's song "Fortune Teller."

Doctor John tweeted a message that he's "heartbroken at the loss of his very dear friend," along with a pair of photos of them together.

Robbie Robertson of The Band told us, "I had the joyful experience of working with Allen on a couple of magical occasions. The horn arrangements he wrote for The Band became a staple of our sound from the Academy of Music / Rock of Ages concerts to The Last Waltz. He was not only a brilliant songwriter, record producer, arranger and performer; he was also one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known. I had the honor of inducting Allen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I couldn’t find enough kind words to express how strongly I felt about him and his music. The world has lost a true musical treasure that can never be replaced and I will miss him deeply."

Bonnie Raitt posted, "I’m so deeply saddened to hear of the loss of my dear friend, Allen Toussaint. He was one of the most gentle, loving, and wise people I’ve ever known. He was totally unique in his quiet manner and understated elegance, with not an insincere or grandiose bone in his body. His musical genius has touched the far corners of the world and will remain an indelible part of our cultural DNA."

Lenny Kravitz says on Instagram, "A friend and mentor passed on this morning. Allen Toussaint, legendary musician, songwriter, producer and arranger from New Orleans. I was blessed to have received his love and attention. My condolences go out to the Toussaint family. Love and Respect."

Actor-singer Hugh Laurie (TV’s “House”) says on Twitter, "Allen Toussaint. Poor old world, lucky old heaven."

Andy White, the studio drummer George Martin employed to record The Beatles' first hit "Love Me Do", has passed away after suffering a stroke. He was 85.

When The Beatles first auditioned for Martin, their drummer was still Pete Best. Martin wasn't happy with Pete's drumming, a feeling that John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison had been sharing for awhile ... so shortly thereafter Best was canned from the group and replaced by Ringo Starr.

Hedging his bets, Martin invited proven session drummer Andy White down to The Beatles' official first recording session. Ringo drummed on a couple of takes of their first single, "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" ... and then Martin had Andy White have a go of it, moving Ringo to tambourine on "Love Me Do" and maracas on "P.S. I Love You". (Poor Ringo ... when he had his tonsils removed in 1964, John, Paul and Ringo replaced him with Jimmy Nichol in order to fulfill their touring commitments ... no respect, I tell ya ... he's the Rodney Dangerfield of the drumming world!)
When the "Love Me Do" single was first released in Great Britain, it was the Ringo version that hit the streets ... but all subsequent versions released since (including the one featured on their first LP) and in print to this day have been the one featuring Andy White on drums. When all of The Beatles recordings were repackaged, the Ringo version resurfaced on the "Past Masters" CD, providing two alternate versions of The Beatles' classic. ("Love Me Do" peaked at #17 in Great Britain in 1962 ... when it was finally released here in America in 1964 at the height of Beatlemania, it went all the way to #1. White was paid a flat fee of £5 for the session and never earned royalties thereafter.

He later claimed to have also drummed on The Beatles' second hit, "Please Please Me", but has never officially been acknowledged or given credit for doing so. He did, however, go on to drum on several other tracks recorded during The British Invasion, including the Tom Jones hit "It's Not Unusual", as well as tracks recorded by Herman's Hermits, Lulu, Rod Stewart and others.

Later in life, White settled in America, where he became a drumming instructor. You can count Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band amongst his pupils.

Hi Kent -

The Rock 'N' Roll Capital of the World, Cleveland, Ohio, hosted the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame's 20th Annual Music Masters Concert this past Saturday night. This year's concert honored Rock Hall Inductee Smokey Robinson.
The day started with the Music Masters Conference at the Rock Hall, featuring interviews, panel discussions and music to the delight of fans.

Highlight of the Conference was a Q & A session with Rock Hall Inductees Martha Reeves and Mary Wilson. Both ladies were extremely funny and informative about the early years at Motown, their music, their relationship with Smokey, and the fact that "they had no babies looking like Berry Gordy"!!! Berry Gordy was also on hand ... and so was Dennis Edwards of The Temptations. I have met Dennis and Mary before ... .got to meet with Martha for a bit ... what a sweet woman.

The concert was held at Cleveland's Playhouse Square State Theater and had many artists performing various songs that Smokey wrote or performed. The show was capped off with performances by Ms. Reeves, Ms. Wilson and Dennis Edwards.

Smokey received an Honorary Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University, and came out to sing an encore with the entire group of artists.

I've sent along some photos of the event for you to share with your readers. (Sorry for the quality of the Concert pics ... taken from the Balcony using my maximum telephoto lens.)

Tom Apathy

Mary Wilson and Martha Reeves

Mary Wilson

Martha Reeves

Smokey Robinson (receiving his honorary Doctorate)

Martha Reeves

Mary Wilson

Smokey Robinson

Mary Wilson, Dennis Edwards, Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves

Mary Wilson, Dennis Edwards and Smokey Robinson

Mary Wilson, Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves

Harvey Kubernik has been ALL over the radio these days, talking about his brand new Neil Young book (and it's a beauty! A top-notch coffee-table book all the way).
Here is a link to one of his most recent interviews, which just happened to air on Neil Young's 70th Birthday! (FH Reader Geoff Dorsett will be interviewing Harvey live on his programme on November 22nd)
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Author Harvey Kubernik on his "Neil Young - Heart of Gold" Book on 11/12 @ 11:12 A.M. on WBKM.org U.S.
http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2015/11/exclusive-interview-author-harvey.html
Editor, Neil Young News Blog - http://NeilYoungNews.ThrashersWheat.org

Kent,

Talking about the Roy Orbison CD's coming out, do you remember or are you acquainted with the magazine that came out in the 1990's IN DREAMS? It was published by a Burt Kaufman out of Oakland, California. I have the great majority of the issues, if not all of them. It was a good publication with a page number of around 90. Also some other great magazines came out around that time or before such as RECORD EXCHANGER

Larry

"Record Exchanger" I remember ... don't think I've ever seen a copy of "In Dreams".

There were a few good attempts to rekindle the old days via magazine but most failed quickly because the audience (and, in most cases, the circulation and availability) was just too small.

My original vision for Forgotten Hits was a magazine ... but today people don't read books, newspapers and magazines like they use to ... seems like our entire lives exist online ... so this just seemed to be the most logical step to reach the largest audience. Once some of the deejays were hooked, they helped to spread the word ... I don't know that there are too many other services like ours around ... zillions of hours, zero profitability, but true love and affection for the music and the artists, shared with folks like you around the world. With our sixteenth anniversary right around the corner (November 27th), it's nice to look back and see just how we've kept this going ... especially since we had seriously considered throwing in the towel after five years. Man, look at all the stuff we would have missed!!! (kk)

Our FH Buddy Davie Allan is offering a special "holiday price" on his two latest cds ...

Happy upcoming holidays,
50th Anniversary ... $12.50
King Of TheFuzz Guitar ... $10.00
OR: both for just $18.00
(includes U.S. Shipping & Handling)
Order here: http://davieallan.com/
And, he'll even sign them for you!!! (kk)

RollingStone.com has an interesting history lesson posted about the Charlie Daniels track "The Legend Of Wooley Swamp" posted. I always liked this one ... and it's another one of those songs you just never hear anymore. (#23, 1980)
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/inside-charlie-daniels-spooky-ghost-story-wooley-swamp-20151111

Art Vuolo, lovingly nicknamed "Radio's Best Friend," has been videotaping radio DJs at work in their studios since the mid-1970s ... and now a display of his efforts, over 40 years of "banter and behind-the-scenes looks" at over 700 DJs nationwide from coast to coast is being planned as a permanent display within the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications. This future exhibit, entitled "A History of the American DJ," is being spearheaded by three highly-respected Chicago broadcasting figures: famed radio executive John Gehron, top radio manager Lisa Miller, and programmer / consultant Harv Blain. Putting this display together will not come cheap, though. Over 1,000 videos, many of which are Betamax, will have to be converted to digital form for the Museum. Donations are now being accepted to make this permanent display at the MBC a reality. Those who wish to donate can send a check to: History of the DJ, P.O. Box 10130, Chicago, IL 60610.

Art has been a Forgotten Hits Reader for many years. Early on we referred to ourselves as "Oldies Music's Best Friend" ... until I caught wind of Art's radio tag that had been around for ages. After that we billed ourselves as "Radio You Can Read" ... and strived to keep Forgotten Hits as reader-friendly as possible, providing the forum for ALL of our readers to share their memories about all this great music we all grew up loving. Congratulations, Art ... I would LOVE to have a compilation disc of all the highlights (and I still want to get that Larry Lujack Tribute DVD, too.)Others interested in this sort of thing would do well to visit Art Vuolo's website here:
http://www.vuolovideo.com/

Kent ...
In the month of November, Wild Wayne will be celebrating "The Memory Machine's" 40th Anniversary on WWUH.  Broadcast from the University Of Hartford in Connecticut. He volunteers ... no pay.
He decided to play clips of interviews he's done over the last 40 years. I told him that I thought this was a great idea.  I think he should do it all the time, not only during this anniversary month.
Don't know about you, but I love to get inside information ... things that aren't known to the general public.
Here's what I got so far:
Interviews with Joey Dee, Larry Chance, Gene Pitney and Brenda Lee, Bruce Belland (lead singer of the 4 Preps), Gary U. S. Bonds and James Darren.
I'll send the to you a few at a time and you can pick the ones you like.

Interview date: 11/27/2005 = Brenda Lee
Brenda told this story ... She was 12 years old, planning a trip to France, for an appearance at the Olympia Theatre. The people in France heard Brenda's husky voice but had never seen her. They asked Brenda for a current picture. She sent them one. They printed her picture in the newspaper and said that she was a 32 year old midget. Brenda wanted to record "I'm Sorry". Record company said no ... this wasn't the type song a 14 year old girl would sing. In 1960, they needed a song to put on the B-side of "That's All You Gotta Do" and finally gave in to Brenda. They went with "I'm Sorry." Of course the record company was wrong. "I'm Sorry" was a # 1 Hit for Brenda and "That's All You Gotta Do" was a #6 Hit.

Interview date: 7/12/1978 = Gary U. S. Bonds
Gary and the band were in the studio looking for a follow-up to his 1960 Hit "New Orleans." The guys were fooling around in the studio. They thought the music they were playing sounded good. Gary went to the next room and in fifteen minutes wrote lyrics to go along with the music the band was playing. He came up with a #1 Hit, "Quarter To Three."
Frank B.
Have ALWAYS loved the back-stories, Frank, so keep 'em coming!
OUR anniversary is this month, too. (Actually TWO of them ... Forgotten Hits began on November 27th, 1999, as an emailed newsletter to 35 oldies music fans ... and then two years later, on November 17th, 2001, Frannie and I got married ... so a REALLY big month for us here at The Forgotten Hits Ranch!) kk

Here's another very interesting radio story from back in the day, thanks to Forgotten Hits Reader Jim (Southern) Pritchard ...

Kent,
If I've sent this story to you in the past, I apologize. If not, it is one of my favorite memories ...
In 1973, I was the G.M. of a small radio station in Evanston, WY, about 75 minutes east of Salt Lake City. In town, I could pick up a few of the Salt Lake radio signals, but the station that was carrying Casey Kasem and "American Top 40" (KCPX-AM) had a north / south directional pattern and could not be heard where I was.
However, one Sunday morning in October I was driving through northern Utah and was listening to AT40 in the car. Casey was doing his usual great job with the countdown and, as was his style, playing up the fact that Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash" had just broken the record for the most weeks charting on the Billboard "Hot 100". As it happened, I had been going over the Billboard survey and had noticed this was not the case.
" ... Mash" had done 14 weeks in 1962, 3 weeks in '70 and was credited with 23 weeks in 1973. That made it a total of 40 weeks, breaking the record of 39 weeks by Johnny Mathis'"Wonderful, Wonderful". The error was that for some reason Billboard had lumped the 3 weeks in '70 in
with the 20 weeks in '73, but not the 14 in '62. Take away those 3 weeks and the '73 run was 20 weeks, making the total 37, a great showing but not the record.
On Monday, I wrote Casey a note pointing this out, using my KEVA letterhead stationary for added credibility. Life went on, and then about 10 days later I was in my office when my secretary called "Jim, Casey Kasem on the phone for you!". I about fell out of my chair grabbing for the phone.
Casey introduced himself and was just as friendly on the phone as he was on the air. He told me I was correct and thanked me for calling it to his attention. We talked for about 15 minutes, mostly about DJ things. I mentioned to him that I had listened to him often back in 1964 when he was doing a mid-day shift on KRLA in Los Angeles. I had even stopped in to the KRLA studios in 1965 to talk to the Program Director and watched Casey doing his program for a few minutes. Our phone visit remains one of my favorite episodes of the DJ days of yore.
Even better, in November I got a package from "AT40". Inside was the 3 vinyl disc set of the 11/3/73 program. On side 1 of disc 1, Casey read my letter exactly as I had written it, mentioned I was right, noted the correction and thanked me for listening. As you might guess, that package is still with me and what a treat it is to break it out now and then and listen to the show.
As the years rush by, I look back on my DJ days and give thanks for the privilege it was to have been one of the "good guys" on the radio. I couldn't have been luckier.
Jim (Southern) Pritchard
Gladstone, OR

↧

Brian Wilson Concert Review

November 13, 2015, 4:36 am

≫ Next: The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 15 - 15 )

≪ Previous: Thursday This And That

One thing that I can absolutely assure you without the slightest reservation is that the Forgotten Hits Readers who won tickets to Wednesday Night's Brian Wilson Concert at The Genesee Theatre will NEVER forget the experience ... it was absolutely OUTSTANDING!!!

The night was a series one highlight after another. First, we were all completely shocked and amazed when the ushers escorted all ten of us to our front row seats. (We could literally rest our elbows at the feet of Brian Wilson for the entire performance!) There aren't enough thank you's in the world to tell Colleen Rogalski and the whole Genesee Theatre crew how much we appreciate this ... our entire group was blown away by this incredible experience.

And the fact that Brian and his band COMPLETELY blew us away with an outstanding show simply put the icing on the cake ... which, in the case of FH Reader and ticket winner Mark Magel just happened to be his birthday cake that night.

FH Ticket Winners Bob Benham

and The Birthday Boy, Mark Magel ...
both sporting appropriate Beach Boys attire for the concert!

Supported by a ten piece band, Wilson ran through the hits in rapid-fire fashion. Throughout the night, he shared the lead vocal dutieswith special guest Al Jardine, Al's son Matt (who now handles all of the high harmonies and also solo'd on several tracks), Darian Sahanaja (fresh off the road from The Zombiesreunion tour, celebrating their "Odessey and Oracle" album) and Scott Bennett, who was all over the stage filling in on various instruments throughout the performance. (In fact, many of the members of Brian's band are capable and quite adept and proficient at playing multiple instruments, filling in wherever necessary to give the audience the fullest sound possible ... at times it felt like you were actually in the recording studio, the music was so perfect and precise.)

Split into two sets (followed by a lengthy encore that included "All Summer Long", "Help Me Rhonda", "Barbara Ann", "Surfin' USA", "Fun Fun Fun" and the closing track "Love And Mercy"), they opened the show with "Our Prayer", blending right into the extended "cantina" version of "Heroes And Villains" followed by "California Girls". Along the way, they covered a bunch of car songs ("Shut Down", "Little Deuce Coupe", "I Get Around")and ballads ("Don't Worry Baby", "Please Let Me Wonder", "In My Room", "Surfer Girl" and the song Brian described as "The best song I ever wrote", "God Only Knows"). We were also treated to "Good Vibrations", "Do It Again" (one of my all-time favorites ... and it sounded GREAT when they did it again Wednesday Night), "Dance Dance Dance", "Sloop John B", "Wild Honey", "Sail On Sailor" (the last two featuring outstanding lead vocals by Scott Bennett, filling in since Blondie Chaplin wasn't part of this particular performance), "Darlin'" (a great job by Darian Sahanaja ... and one of the highlights of the show), "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and several others, all performed to pop perfection by this stellar group of musicians. (In fact, if I was surprised by anything it was the fact that only one new track from Brian's "No Pier Pressure" album was performed ... the very Beach Boys-sounding "The Right Time", featuring Al Jardine on lead vocals. The original intention of this tour was to help promote the new CD ... and at various stops along the way, other guests vocalists would join Brian on stage to perform one of their tracks from this excellent collaboration. The new release is HIGHLY recommended.)

One always has to wonder during a Brian Wilson concert if Brian himself is having fun up there ... he rarely appears to be ... but he must be proud to see the reaction to the songs he created over the past 50+ years. (Truth be told, I think he may have been a bit under the weather ... he seemed congested and, sitting that close to his piano, looked a little tired ... but I've still got to hand it to him ... out of ALL of The Beach Boys who have come and gone over the years, Brian Wilson has proven to be a TRUE survivor ... and the world is a better place because of it. At one point he asked the audience, "Have you seen my new movie?", obviously referring to the biopic "Love And Mercy" starring Paul Dano and John Cusak in the Brian Wilson role. Still it drew rousing cheers from the audience.)

All in all, a top notch concert experience ... so thank you again, Colleen and The Genesee Theatre for hosting our group. (And congratulations again to our winners, Bob Benham, Bob Burns, Tom Crowe and Mark Magel, and their respective guests ... see, it PAYS to read Forgotten Hits!!!)

70% of our group ...

L-R - George, Bob, Bob, kk, Mark, Tom and Christopher

(not pictured: Frannie ... who took this shot ... Floand Marty)

Working from our "locals list", it was great to see some of these readers again, many of whom I haven't seen in YEARS!!!

For our out-of-town followers, there are still several chances to catch these guys in concert before the end of the year ... you'll find the complete tour itinerary here: http://www.brianwilson.com/tour/

I had seen the Beach Boys eight times total but none since Carl passed away. First time was back in '68. My memory says Brian was at maybe two of the shows I had attended. One time in particular was in the early '80s at Holiday Star Theater in Indiana. He sat at the piano as more a figurehead than a performer. I had read a few reviews of this year's tour so I kind of knew what to expect.
Maybe it was the front row seats that had me almost shaking hands with Al Jardine or maybe it was the company of the other winners and our host, but I was blown away by how well Brian and his band created the sound of days past. In a day where many hit makers forget what made them famous and only want to perform new material, it was a joy to hear a concert where most of the tunes were the songs we all sung along with in our youth. Kudos to Al Jardine for coming out of the shadows and performing like a star instead of the Beach Boys fifth member.
Saying all this, it was still a night to celebrate the genius of Brian Wilson and he did not disappoint. My wife mentioned that she noticed a few tears coming from his eyes as he sang Love and Mercy as the finale of the evening. It was clear that the audience appreciated not only the performance but the fifty years of memories.
Truly a night to remember on many levels.
-- MarkMagel

I'm echoing Kent's review about the Brian Wilson show we

saw Wednesday. The cool thing about seeing a show from

the vantage point of the first row is to see how the musicians interact - and "witness the magic" close up. When I watched Paul Mertens play his sax, I heard the acoustic sound of his horn as well as the ampified sound.

The musicians in Brian's band were top-notch, and performed flawlessly - but man they looked like they were having a ball doing it!

I was surprised that Jardine's voice was so close to Mike Love's in a live setting. And his son reproduced the high notes and harmonies that are hallmarks of the Beach Boys sound.

They played all the hits - Wild Honey was one that stood out for me.

If I had complaints at all, it was the fact that Brian really didn't do too much of his solo work at this show, and his piano blocked my sight lines - but I know that I witnessed a show the likes of I'll ever see again.

Thanks to Forgotten Hits and the Genesee Theater for making it happen!

-- Bob Burns

The Genesee Theater, Forgotten Hits and Kent Kotal had a contest to win tickets to see Brian Wilson and Al Jardine. I wrote a small paragraph about what Brian Wilson has meant to me. Boy, was I surprised when Kent notified me that I had won two tickets to see Brian Wilson. I have been going through rough times with my wife. She has cancer and is three weeks into treatment getting Chemo and Radiation. Cancer and the treatment are very hard on my wife ... no energy as she fights her battle. I provide 24/7 for Deb, but she said I deserve a break and to go for all I do for her ... you go and have a great time.

My son Christopher, a Marine that served in Iraq was celebrating Veteran’s Day and went with me. We arrived and parked in the rear lot. There were four million dollar tour buses and a huge new semi for moving from concert to concert. These buses were totally first class and security kept everyone away. Brian’s was a multi blue colored bus. What a way to travel!

The Genesee Theater is simply beautiful inside and out.

All of the staff was extremely nice and helpful at all times. We picked up our tickets at the ticket booth and they gave us directions as to where we needed to go for our seats. As we walked through the two white doors, we were directly in front of the stage, directly in the center. I kept checking the tickets. This has to be a mistake. It was no mistake. We would be 10 - 15 feet away from Brian Wilson at his piano, front row. Something like this has never happened to me before. Kent, his wife, all the other winners and myself were in total shock at our seat location ... especially with this happening for a Brian Wilson Concert. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Brian came walking out on the stage, looking great and sounding like he definitely owned the stage. Brian walked across the stage and gave a huge wave above his head to the crowd ... and he says “Hi, everyone ... how are you doing?” He immediately sits down at the piano and starts playing. The richness of the music was literally perfect. Every song was perfectly performed and Brian was in great form. Brian is all business on stage. He doesn’t talk much, but he has talked to each of us through all of his music. As one song finished they would immediately start another.

Brian and Al share the stage with all the other musicians. Each was lead singer on many songs. Brian really respects all of his musicians. There is so much raw talent in everyone that you have to be very alert to all that is going on.

Brian's voice was perfect!

Al’s voice was perfect!

Matt Jardine has an incredible range in his voice. He nailed all of the highest notes, midranges and lower ranges. Brian and Al can’t hit the ranges like they used to.

On one of the songs two of the guys joined the drummer and they each were banging perfectly in rhythm together. Three guys on one drum set made use of every single piece of equipment. Totally Awesome!

Every song they played and sang were totally stunning. Brian and his band is a must see concert. There is no better!!!! I asked my son how he felt and he was totally blown away. He said “this is the best concert I have ever been to. The sounds, harmonies and songs don’t get any better than this”. I raised him right I guess! He said the groups he likes and goes to see in concerts don’t compare with a Brian Wilson concert.

I didn’t sleep the night before the concert with anticipation and the night after the concert I was up until 3:30 PM wide awake relieving all that I had witnessed at Brian’s concert. PERFECTION!!!!!!!

I have followed Brian Wilson from the beginning. His happiness and creativeness and all he has created have been a very important part of my life. Whether you are happy or sad, Brian’s music takes you on a beautiful journey that will make all days better.

Thank you, Kent, Forgotten Hits and the Genesse Theater, for literally giving me a perfect evening with Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and all of the band members.

-- Tom Crowe

Once the concert started and I saw how Christopher was reacting to the music, I told him that it was great to see that he had so much appreciation for this music. And he said, "Are you kidding me? I grew up on this stuff! I love it!!!" Glad you were both able to get out and enjoy the music for a few hours ... sometimes it's the best escape-mechanism there is. Glad you both could make it. (kk)

WOW!!!

I knew the music and the band would be GREAT, but sure didn’t expect to be sitting front-row-center in front of Brian’s piano!!!

It was a surreal night — I felt I had to pinch myself — is this really happening ?!?!

The band played mostly classic Beach Boys’ hits, after kicking it off with the beautiful vocal ensemble Our Prayer.

I expected to hear more from Brian’s latest album No Pier Pressure — I believe they did one number from it, featuring Al Jardine on vocal.

This band has talent to burn … Brian sat at the piano, singing along with the band, who carried the night, playing each song to perfection.

This was my first visit to The Genesee Theatre, and l hope to return for subsequent shows!! The place is acoustically perfect, majestic and grand.

An unbelievable evening … it was wonderful seeing some friends I hadn’t seen in years!

All in all it was Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

-- Bob Benham

More pix from Wednesday Night's Concert ...

Al Jardine in action

The master, Brian Wilson

Scott and Darian

(with Matt Jardine in between in the background)

The final bow

Me and Frannie after the show

And don't forget ... we've got MORE tickets to give away to the Richard Marx show at The Genesee Theatre on December 4th. Get your entries in NOW!!!

(Just tell us ... in 25 words or less ... why you want to go to the show ... but remember ... your answer HAS to include the title of one of Richard Marx's Top 20 Hits!)

↧

The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 15 - 15 )

November 14, 2015, 4:48 pm

≫ Next: 50 Year Flashback - November 16th, 1965

≪ Previous: Brian Wilson Concert Review

re: Cornerstones Of Rock: American Garage Bands:

Jim Peterik of The Ides of March just sent us this updated air date schedule for the WTTW broadcast of this historic concert ... as well as news about how you'll be able to get copies of the concert dvd and bonus cd's through donations to PBS once the program airs.

Here's the scoop:

Hope you are doing well, Kent!

I wanted you to know that the Cornerstones of Rock: American Garage show - world television premier - airs on December 10th at 7:30 cst ... and then again right after at 9:30 pm. It will be rebroadcast on December 12th at 9 pm.

It's a pledge drive with great incentive to pledge -
3-disk set DVD of the show with interview and behind the scenes footage. Also available will be a cd of the show with extra cuts ... and a bonus disk of the original masters of the songs performed plus other garage classics.

Thanks for helping us get the word out. Rock on!

Jimbo

re: Richard Marx:

Brother Kotal -

Truthfully, Richard Marx's vocal effort on "Hazzard" really doesn't resonate with me. However, the video for the song is a magnificent, mind bending, visual effort.

Questions for the house: Does the video remind anyone of Billy Joel's "River of Dreams" or, in the bigger picture, the film adaptation of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood?" Whatever the case, the "Hazard" video proves that 35 years after the arrival of an entity known as MTV, strong producers with good story lines are still capable of entertaining us and challenging us intellectually with short film inspired by song. In simple terms, the Marx video was spell binding.

Keep on rockin', Kent.

Chet Coppock

Host: Notre Dame Football on WLS Radio

It has long been my favorite ... I don't know if any of you out there have been following the excellent Sundance Television Series "Rectify" ... but Frannie mentioned the other day while we were listening to this track that it reminded her very much of the story of Daniel Holden. Great series ... great song! (kk)

Alas, we'll be moving to Phoenix from Colorado Springs (I'm retiring) on December 8, so there's no chance we can make the concert, alas.

But I wonder if anyone other than me considers Marx's best song to be "At the Beginning," from the 1997 *Anastasia* soundtrack. It was the only good song from a so-so movie. Very clean, upbeat, feel-good thing with an extremely catchy tune --it got stuck in my head for days after we saw the film.

Like you I'm a big fan of "Hazard," but it's kind of a downer, as much as I like Nebraska. Hazard is a real place, by the way, with a population of 68, about 30 miles north of Kearney. It lacks a river, however.

In truth, I've liked a lot more of his songs than I've disliked, and I hope he comes back to recording in a big way.

-- 73 --

-- Jeff Duntemann

Colorado Springs, Colorado

I've been a Richard Marx fan from Day One ... doesn't matter if he's doing his uptempo stuff (like "Don't Mean Nothing", his breakthrough hit from 1987, "Should've Known Better" or "Satisfied") ... or his beautiful love ballads (like "Right Here Waiting" or "Now And Forever"), his bluesy story songs (like "Hazard" and "Keep Coming Back") or a "touch of doo-wop" ("The Way She Loves Me") ... it's all good music to my ears.

Marx took second billing to Donna Lews (hot off her #1 Hit "I Love You Always Forever") with the 1998 hit "At The Beginning" (#45) from "Anastasia". It's a goodie ... and definitely worth a spin here today.

Too bad you can't make it to the show ... it's gonna be a good one! (Congratulations on your retirement, Jeff! As things stand right now they'll probably just sweep me out with the garbage the day I go!!!) kk

Don't miss YOUR chance to see Richard Marx live in concert ... December 4th at The Genesee Theatre ... just tell us in 25 words of less why you'd like to go. Your entry must include the title of one of Richard's Top 20 Hits ... but we've made that a WHOLE lot easier for you today if you read our other postings! Email your entries to forgottenhits@aol.com (kk)

re: Brian Wilson:
WOW ... front row seats for a legend like that ... amazing! Very cool!

Awesome Kent ... quite an experience ... so close to a true genius and legend.
Tom Apathy
I've been very fortunate when it comes to seeing Brian and The Beach Boys ... this is the THIRD time we've had front row seats to a Brian Wilson concert ... and twice I've sat in the second row to see The Beach Boys (without Brian). I took my four year old daughter to her very first concert (The Beach Boys with Chicago) and Mike Love gave her a beach ball from the stage. She's had a crush on him ever since ... and she's 30 now!!! (lol) kk

It has to be weird to essentially have two versions of The Beach Boys out there, both playing (for the most part) the same music ... one featuring the guy who sang most of the hits, the other featuring the guy who wrote most of the hits. If you're going strictly for the music, who do you think is going to present it better to the audience?
Dave
First of all, let me just say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to go see a Beach Boys show and not have a good time, no matter who's out front that night. And this is true for ANY age fan, whether you've seen them before or not ... this is just good old fashioned fun fun fun music ... and it's infectious and it carries you away. And honestly, in many ways, it's nice to have TWO sanctions of The Beach Boys touring ... but if pressed to choose, I'm going to go with Brian every time ... his back-up band is just phenomenal ... top-notch musicianship throughout. Mike Love tends to try too hard to convince everybody that he WAS The Beach Boys ... while Brian just calmly and serenely let the genius shine right on through. Granted, Love sang the bulk of the leads ... and cowrote many a hit with Brian ... but the genius of The Beach Boys is and has always been Brian Wilson. Mike's version of the band consists of him and Bruce Johnston, the guy who took over for Brian when he left the road to concentrate on the studio aspect of things. Nothing wrong with that ... I love BOTH of these guys and have probably seen them 20 times over the years ... but with Carl gone (he was always my favorite anyway), Dennis gone and Al Jardine on Love's "cannot fly" list, it's hard not to feel some amount of resentment toward the way he has treated the others. Once Love put the kabosh of the continuation of The Beach Boys' 50th Anniversary Tour ... and a second "comeback" album ... he fell off my list for good. Meanwhile, Brian has gone out of his way to keep the legacy alive by including other Beach Boys mainstays like Al Jardine, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, and others as part of his means of keeping the music alive ... and we love it. (I've often joked that if Brian wanted to create a more realistic sound to match the records, he should simply hold his nose when he sings ... like he used to do in the old days when trying to capture the nasally aspect of Mike Love's lead singing voice.) The overall strength of Brian's voice is hit or miss these days ... and I think he'd be the first to admit it ... but I felt that by trading off lead vocals with Al Jardine, Darian Sahanaja and Scott Bennett the other night, he really delivered the goods in top-notch fashion.

I will admit that I was disappointed to see Jeff Foskett jump ship and leave Brian's band to join the Mike and Bruce Show. He has been such an integral part of The Brian Wilson Band sound for so long ... and their ties together go way back. I honestly think this may be the main reason why Brian has re-teamed with Al Jardine ... to reap the benefit of Al's son Matt on the high-end vocals. I have to wonder if there isn't a part of Brian that sometimes thinks, when he hears Matt sing the beautiful "Don't Worry Baby" for example, that "I used to sing that part ... and sang it perfectly ... and was somewhat self-conscious about singing it because my voice was so high"!!! (Thirty-something years ago, Brian made a comment that Beach Boys Music is YOUNG people's music and should be performed by young people who could best represent those sounds ... at one point, he even advocated bringing on new, fresh voices to keep the music sounding vibrant and alive now that most of the original members can no longer hit the notes. To that degree, I'm happy to see that Brian, Al, Mike and Bruce are all still able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis ... let them augment their sound with young, vocally talented musicians ... we still want to see the "real deal" up there on stage, even if they're now in their 70's and better fit the bill as The Beach Grandpas!!!)

I love ALL Beach Boys music ... it has been part of our collective DNA for over fifty years now ... and I never get tired of hearing it ... truly timeless music that captures each new generation as it comes along. If you haven't seen the DVD for The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Show, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. It's incredible the way they all sound together. True, it's less than half the actual show ... this really should have been a 2-DVD Set ... but still it is VERY well done. (kk)

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Boys-50-Live-Concert/dp/B009KKLQKO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447424238&sr=8-1&keywords=beach+boys+50th+anniversary+dvd

Dear Kent -

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the GREAT review and photos of the Brian Wilson Concert!

What a THRILL it must have been to hear all those great songs he wrote in the sixties at the height of the Beach Boys career.

Brian is a true genius NOT ONLY with his singing and writing but his ARRANGING of music that created the "Surf Sound". I have followed his career all these years and only wish I was there in person. Hope to see him next year if he tours.

You said he didn't show much emotion, but he has been quoted as saying " I can't smile with my mouth but I do in my heart." He is a true SURVIVOR for all he has went through during his lifetime.

Great to have him and Al Jardine together and share all these wonderful songs!!

Keep rockin' guys -- you are the GREATEST AMERICAN BAND !!!!

Carolyn

Wow, what a great review! Thank you, Kent!!!! I'm so glad you had fun!

Colleen

re: Allen Toussaint:
After hearing about the passing of Allen Toussaint, I had to get out his 1962 hit FORTUNE TELLER, recorded by Benny Spellman, and play it one more time. There was also version by a group called the Hardtimes in 1966, don't know if you remember that version or not.

Larry Neal

Check out the link below to see Allen's tribute to Benny, the bass voice on Ernie K-Doe's #1 Hit "Mother-In-Law", as well as the first one to record Toussaint's "Lipstick Traces", a track covered by numerous artists over the years. (kk)

Hi Kent -

SAD news of the passing of Allen Toussaint.

He has quite a musical legacy but I will ALWAYS remember him for writing "MOTHER-IN-LAW".

In my top twenty of favorite songs, that is one of them. What a catchy tune. Thank You, Allen.

If possible, Kent, can we have a bit of history of the making of that song?

When in doubt ask the Master.

Carolyn

Like Allen Toussaint, Ernie K-Doe was another New Orleans artist and he recorded "Mother-In-Law" back in 1961. The song was written and produced by Allen Toussaint ... but the recording nearly didn't happen.

According to various sources (including Ernie), K-Doe found the song in a garbage can. He once told a reporter, "Allen wrote it and had thrown it away. I saw it in the garbage can and pulled it out. I looked at the words and said, 'Hey man, this is good. I want to do it.'" Other sites report that during the recording session, Ernie just couldn't nail the sound. After several takes, Allen (who also played piano on the track) became frustrated, crumpled up the sheet music and threw it into the garbage. One of Ernie's back-up singers, a guy by the name of Willie Hopper, thought it was a good song ... and eventually convinced K-Doe to give it one more shot ... and that was the track he nailed it on that became the hit record. (For the record, Toussaint long maintained that both of these stories are false ... yet I'll betcha you can find 200 website that state one of these versions of the story as the gospel truth!)

Toussaint is considered an American Music Genius with a style uniquely his own ... he was, without question, one of the architects of what became known as "The New Orleans Sound". In 1998, The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame recognized his contribution and inducted him in the "Non-Performer" category.

A few of his other compositions also crossed over and did well on the pop charts, including "Working In A Coal Mine", a hit for Lee Dorsey in 1966, "I Like It Like That", a hit for both Chris Kenner and The Dave Clark Five, "Play Something Sweet / Brickyard Blues", a hit for Three Dog Night in 1974, and the #1 Hit Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country Hit "Southern Nights", recorded by Glen Campbell in 1977. Incredibly the official Allen Toussaint web page (as of 11/12/15) still hadn't posted the news of his death. (kk)

Kent ...

Here's Allen Toussaint singing the # 1Hit he wrote for Ernie K-Doe.

If you listen close, Allen tells you the name of the guy with the bass voice that sings "Mother-In-Law."

Frank B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ2JUZkl7hY

Kent ...
My sister-in-law filmed this off the screen in, I think, New Orleans.
I worked with Allen on a few projects early in my career. Amazing man and what a talent. Saw him live two or three years ago here in Santa Fe, NM, where I live. He saw me in the second row and waved ... I was like a fan that night. Hit after hit of 'and then I wrote' ... we really have lost a big one!!!!
Denny Diante
Thanks, Denny ... we've heard nothing but the highest praise for Allen as both a musician and a friend. (Unfortunately, after several tries, I still can't get your clip to play on the website for some reason so am unable to share with the group.) kk

re: The Top 100 Biggest Hits Of Popular Music (1958 - 2015):

For the third time in the past eight years, Billboard Magazine has revamped their list of The Top 100 Songs of The Hot 100 Era. Vintage Vinyl News printed the complete list (see below) as well as a list of The Top 40 Artists for this era. (Once again this list has been greatly distorted due to the elimination of all of the early Elvis Presley hits from 1956 and 1957 ... Elvis hit The Billboard Top 100 Chart 32 times before the magazine switched over to The Hot 100 List on August 4, 1958.)

And, once again, this is a somewhat weighted list ... back in the '60's, for example a BIG hit record stayed on the chart for about 10-12 weeks tops ... artists were releasing three, four and five new singles every year back then. Today it is not at all uncommon to see titles chart for over a year ... and in some cases even longer, thus racking up more accumulated points along the way and greatly distorting the proper scheme of things. (As such we have always advocated a "hit index" ... taking the accumulated point total and then dividing by the record's total weeks spent on the chart. Now granted, you'll still get distortion ... flash-in-the-pan hits like "Harper Valley PTA" and "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haa!" will rank far higher than they deserve to ... but at least hits from the '50's, '60's and '70's can be fairly represented when placed side-by-side with hits from the '90's, 2000's and 2010's due to an equally weighted starting base point.)

Anyway, here goes ...
The complete story can be found in Billboard Magazine or at billboard.com ... but Vintage Vinyl News does a GREAT recap of the results so that's the one we're going with ...

Billboard has published their list of the 100 biggest hits of Hot 100 era for the third time in the last eight years.
First put out in 2007, it was updated two years ago for the 55th anniversary of the Hot 100 chart. This time around, it is for their Greatest of All Time issue.
The new version is based on the Billboard Hot 100 charts from August 4, 1958, the date the first chart was printed, through the chart of October 10, 2015. An inverse point system was used for each records position on each week's chart with the highest points being awarded to number 1 and the least to number 100, with adjustments made to points based on different eras and chart methodologies.
As this is only based on records that made the Billboard Hot 100 since its inception, there are a number of prominent big rock hits missing including Bill Haley and the Comets' Rock Around the Clock and a number of Elvis Presley's earliest and biggest hits, all of which charted prior to August 1958.
The biggest new record to make the list that was popular in the last two years is Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars which comes in at number 12. There are also five other new entries from Robin Thicke, Lorde, Meghan Trainor, Katy Perry and two featuring Pharrell Williams.

1. The Twist - Chubby Checker (1960 & 1962)
2. Smooth - Santana with Rob Thomas (1999)
3. Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin (1959)
4. How Do I Live - LeAnn Rimes (1997)
5. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO Featuring Lauren       Bennett & Goon Rock (2011)
6. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas (2009)
7. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) - Los Del Rio (1996)
8. Physical - Olivia Newton-John (1981)
9. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone (1977)
10. Hey Jude - Beatles (1968)
11. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey (2005)
12. Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars (2015)
13. Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton (1996)
14. Yeah! - Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris (2004)
15. Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (1981)
16. Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (1981)
17. Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart (1976)
18. Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me - Jewel (1997)
19. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (1991)
20. I'll Make Love to You - Boys II Men (1994)
21. The Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith (1960)
22. Le Freak - Chic (1978)
23. How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees (1977)
24. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor (1982)
25. We Found Love - Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris (2011)
26. Low - Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain (2008)
27. I Just Want to Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb (1977)
28. Too Close - Next (1998)
29. Every Breath You Take - Police (1983)
30. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra (2012)
31. Flashdance...What a Feeling - Irene Cara (1983)
32. Rolling in the Deep - Adele (2011)
33. Tossin' and Turnin' - Bobby Lewis (1961)
34. The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton (1959)
35. One Sweet Day - Mariah Carrey & Boys II Men (1995)
36. Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden (1998)
37. Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney & Wings (1976)
38. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye (1973)
39. Night Fever - Bee Gees (1978)
40. Another One Bites the Dust - Queen (1980)
41. Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (1983)
42. How You Remind Me - Nickelback (2001)
43. Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Tony Orlando and Dawn (1973)
44. It's All in the Game - Tommy Edwards (1958)
45. I Want to Hold Your Hand - Beatles (1964)
46. Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb (1978)
47. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)
48. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. + Pharrell (2013)
49. Candle in the Wind 1997/Something in the Way You Look Tonight - Elton John (1997)
50. No One - Alicia Keys (1997)
51. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (1992)
52. End of the Road - Boys II Men (1992)
53. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas (2009)
54. Call Me - Blondie (1980)
55. Let Me Love You - Mario (2005)
56. Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees (1978)
57. Lady - Kenny Rogers (1980)
58. Tik Tok - Ke$ha (2010)
59. I'm a Believer - Monkees (1966)
60. Gold Digger - Kanye West Featurning Jamie Foxx (2005)
61. Apologize - Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic (2008)
62. The Sign - Ace of Base (1994)
63. Centerfold - J. Geils Band (1982)
64. (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon (1980)
65. Royals - Lorde (2013)
66. The Boy is Mine - Brandy & Monica (1998)
67. Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B (1990)
68. I Love Rock 'N Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (1982)
69.All About That Base - Meghan Trainor (2014)
70. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In - Fifth Dimension (1969)
71. Whoomp! (There It Is) - Tag Team (1993)
72. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 Featuring Christina Aguilera (2011)
73. Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (1982)
74. Rush Rush - Paula Abdul (1991)
75. That's What Friends Are For - Dionne & Friends (1986)
76. Happy - Pharrell Williams (2013)
77. Upside Down - Diana Ross (1980)
78. Sugar, Sugar - Archies (1969)
79. Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars (2010)
80. Dilemma - Nelly Featuring Kelly Rowland (2002)
81. I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (1968)
82. You're Still the One - Shania Twain (1998)
83. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson (1983)
84. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer (1979)
85. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio Featuring L.V. (1995)
86. Abracadabra - Steve Miller Band (1982)
87. You're So Vain - Carly Simon (1973)
88. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry (1976)
89. Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie (1985)
90. My Sharona - Knack (1979)
91. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie (1983)
92. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor (1990)
93. I Swear - All-4-One (1994)
94. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige (2001)
95. Waiting For a Girl Like You - Foreigner (1981)
96. Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Elvis Presley (1960)
97. Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack (1973)
98. Hurt So Good - John Cougar (Mellencamp) (1982)
99. I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans Featuring 112 (1997)
100. Dark Horse - Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J (2013)

New to the latest list are:

Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars (2015)

Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. + Pharrell (2013)

Royals - Lorde (2013)

All About That Base - Meghan Trainor (2014)

Happy - Pharrell Williams (2013)

Dark Horse - Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J (2013)

Falling below number 100:

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head - B.J. Thomas (1970)

Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins (1989)

One More Night - Maroon 5 (2012)

Best of My Love - Emotions (1977)

We Are Young - fun. Featuring Janelle Monae (2012)

You Make Me Wanna... - Usher (1997)

The magazine also, for the first time, compiled the list of the top singles artists of the same 57 year period. The Beatles lead the list followed by Madonna, Elton John, Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey.

Once again, Elvis most likely would have given the Beatles a run for their money had the period for the list extended back to the beginning of the rock era in 1955.

Here's the top 40 singles artists according to Billboard:
1. Beatles
2. Madonna
3. Elton John
4. Elvis Presley
5. Mariah Carey
6. Stevie Wonder
7. Janet Jackson
8. Michael Jackson
9. Whitney Houston
10. The Rolling Stones
11. Paul McCartney
12. Bee Gees
13. Rihanna
14. Usher
15. Chicago
16. The Supremes
17. Daryl Hall & John Oates
18. Prince
19. Rod Stewart
20. Olivia Newton-John
21. Aretha Franklin
22. Marvin Gaye
23. Phil Collins
24. Katy Perry
25. Billy Joel
26. Diana Ross
27. The Four Seasons
28. The Temptations
29. Donna Summer
30. The Beach Boys
31. Lionel Richie
32. Neil Diamond
33. Carpenters
34. Taylor Swift
35. Boyz II Men
36. The Jacksons
37. Connie Francis
38. Kenny Rogers
39. Beyonce
40. Brenda Lee

Not enough space here to even BEGIN a debate about how ridiculous this list looks, even with the benefit of nearly 60 years of hindsight ... but definately fodder for another day! (kk)

re: This And That:
Big news for all of us Emitt Rhodes fans who've been waiting 43 years for his next album ...
It's finished!!!
Here are a couple of links explaining how you can preorder the new cd ...
And also hear an exclusive track featured (in of all places) The Wall Street Journal!!!
(Emitt's gotta be beside himself wondering how there could possibly be this much interest and publicity about him releasing new music again ... he never had what anybody would call a legitimate hit ... "Fresh As A Daisy" was as close as he came ... and that one hit #38 in 1971 ... and only registered a #54 ranking in Billboard ... yet his cult-following was enormous ... faithful ... and, obviously, VERY patient!!!)
For the few of you out there who may be as excited about this as I am, check out these links ...
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/11/12/emitt-rhodes-returns-after-four-decades-with-dog-on-a-chain-exclusive-song/
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/emittrhodes?referrer=popular
A recent report hints that Rhodes may have a presence at next years South By Southwest Festival down in Austin ... now THAT would be pretty cool to see (as long as he also did material from his past catalog along with the new stuff.) Rhodes typically played all of the instruments himself in the studio so fronting a band will be a bit different for him as well (although he was the lead singer of Merry-Go-Round back in 1967 when they hit the charts twice with "Live" and "You're A Very Lovely Woman" ... and prior to that he fronted Palace Guard.)

Here's Emitt's only legitimate Top 40 Hit ... I blame a big part of this on Dunhill Records for not pushing the right tracks ... listen to "You Should Be Ashamed", the song that made all the radio commercials back in the day, trying to get folks to buy the album. THIS should have been the follow-up single ... you won't find a more McCartney-esque song out there! (kk)

Vintage Vinyl News reported on Friday about the continuation of the Chicago / Earth Wind And Fire tour into 2016 ... but Forgotten Hits Readers knew that about this six or sevenmonths ago when Chicago's Lee Loughnane told us exclusively that the two superstar groups would be heading back to Chicago for another performance. (We just couldn't contractulaly discuss the date until after their Ravinia gig was over.)

So yes, we're happy to let ALL of our readers know that you can catch TWO incredible acts sharing the same stage (one most certainly Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame bound ... and the other certainly deserving of their own nomination) next April at The United Center here in Chicago ... and at several OTHER stops along the way as well.

Here's the complete 2016 itinerary so far ...

03/23 – Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena

03/25 – West Palm Beach, FL – Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre

03/26 – Tampa, FL – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre

03/29 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center

03/31 – Milwaukee, WI – BMO Harris Bradley Center

04/01 – Chicago, IL – United Center

04/02 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

04/05 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena

04/06 – Hershey, PA – GIANT Center

04/09 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena

04/10 – Allentown, PA – PPL Center

04/12 – Baltimore, MD – Royal Farms Arena

04/15 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena

04/16 – Moline, IL – I Wireless Center

04/18 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden Arena

As tipped here a couple of weeks ago, Three Dog Night (aka Danny Hutton ... aka ONE Dog Night) has announced the hiring a new singer to allow the band to continue on the road. (Now we told you then that it would NOT be ... no how, no way ... Chuck Negron, one of the three (and perhaps the KEY) original leads ... Hutton maintains that this will never happen. So instead, he's brought on David Morgan to cover some of the bluesy, grittier lead vocals previously handled by the recently-departed Cory Wells.

In an officialstatement, Hutton said:

“David has a super versatile voice that stands out on the bluesy leads as well as warmer lyrical songs,” according to Danny Hutton, the band’s founder, “plus he blends beautifully with the rest of the band on harmonies. He has come in with a lot of grace but no drama or ego and allowed us to get back to a more original three-voice structure on a lot of the hits. Our first show was really well received and we feel very good about upcoming shows.”

While he's got numerous studio credits (primarily in the country field) he seems to be BEST known for singing the theme song from the hit television series "Who's The Boss". (Since Three Dog Night were very instrumental in the launching of Elton John's career here in The States, I wonder if Morgan will sing the tribute "Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza" as part of the show???)
Too bad. Even after Davy Jones died, Michael Nesmith came back to sing and tour with the other three, perhaps realizing A) how short life can be ... or B) just how magical the music they all made together really was. WAY too many artists out there living in their own heads instead of giving the fans who MADE them superstars what they really want to see. Sad. But song-for-song, hit-for-hit, if you're going to make me choose, I'm going to go listen to Chuck's show ... because he voice was FAR more prevalent on these recordings than Danny's ever was. In fact, although he was the best-known name in the business when the group started up, he was the LEAST recognized voice on their records once the band hit the big time. (kk)

A few days ago we told you about the new duet recorded by Dion and Paul Simon for Dion's upcoming album. You can now find the video for this clip up on YouTube ...

Or right here in Forgotten Hits!

>>>the group at various times also included Vito Balsamo, former lead singer of Vito and the Salutations (who did that God-Awful rendition of "Unchained Melody") kk
I take issue with "the god awful version of Unchained Melody." Many doo-wop lovers from NYC prefer that version.

Mark

We've debated this one numerous times over the years ... but I stand by my guns on this one. Forgetting EVERY other version of "Unchained Melody" ever recorded ... and with COMPLETE disregard for anything resembling a melody of ANY sort ... I find the Vito and the Salutations version virtually UNLISTENABLE in ANY context. Now that's just me ... doo-wop aficionados may LOVE it ... but I would rather be subjected to 24 hours of "American Pie" than to ever have to listen to this track again. (And now I'll wait for the onslaught of pro-"American Pie" email to start flooding in!) kk

Kent,

Jim Southern was telling you his recollections he had with Casey Kasem and his AT40. I was instantly reminded of the time that the radio station I was working for at the time (early 70's), had AT40 on late Sunday afternoons of which I was the board operator for it.

Now if memory serves me right (and I could be wrong about this), but after the stations across the country aired the program, they were supposed to send the program back to the company which put the show out. I believe it was Watermark, Inc. At the time I was board oping AT40, I was privileged to obtain (on legitimate and honest methods), two shows that I really wanted to keep. They were the shows for 5/26/73, which mentioned the call letters of the station I was working for at the time, and the show dated 7/7/73, which was a special show of the 40 greatest disappearing acts of the rock era. Still have them.

Larry Neal

>>>Lead singer Gary DeCarlo of Steam has been back out on the road again recently, performing as part of a "lead singers" show that often includes other artists like Ron Dante, Dennis Tufano and Tony Burrows ... actually, a VERY interesting show to see if it ever makes its way out here to Chicago. (Hint - hint - to Ron Onesti!!!) kk

Speaking of Gary DeCarlo, I had the pleasure of meeting him last Sunday at the Keystone Record Collectors record show in Lancaster, PA:

I will say that a number of other people (including KRC officers) and to a lesser extent, myself, were incredibly put off by the fact that Gary was charging $10 apiece for autographs, even on merchandise we brought (apparently he is afraid of people taking his autographs and selling them online. If they were worth anything, I'd think he would be doing it himself - the more autographs he signs, the less valuable each of them becomes!) I had him sign my Best of Steam CD, onn which he co-wrote every track (and provided background vocals for the other tracks). He told me he refused to sing lead on any of the other songs because the producers wanted to take all the credit for the recordings and send the fake group out anyway. The whole story is detailed in the book he was selling, I'm not sure if it's the same as this one, though: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1477225358/chinewben-20/

That said, there was a touring version of Steam around for something like 30 years including two brothers who were in the touring group the entire time, and they had originally been commissioned by the producers to go out and perform the hit ... while it doesn't make them legitimate, they made a living doing it for a long time.

Tom Diehl
I've talked to Gary several times over the last few years ... we announced his book when it first became available several years ago.

I still haven't read it ... reviews like this one, posted on Amazon, is one of the reasons why:

I was truly interested in reading Gary DeCarlo's story and I am glad I did. I was always curious to know the history of his music career and the Na Na song. However, this was the worst book I've ever read. With spelling errors and missing punctuation, sentences running together and the sequence of events way out of order, it was really hard to follow what decade it was in from page to page. The author started 90% of the sentences with 'Gary said', 'Gary was', 'Gary did' and so on. The reader knows this book is from Gary's point of view but it read as a 4th grader's book report with a hodgepodge of facts in no particular order.

Another is the fact that I've always been bothered by the fact that he let the other stories circulate for so many years (about him walking away from the band in an effort to launch a solo career) without ever making a contrary statement ... but then came back all gung-ho strong to "set the story straight" ... once all of the other players involved in the original recording had passed on. That just never felt right to me. Still, he sang the #1 Hit ... so he certainly has every right to go out there and perform it at every venue he can. At least you're getting the real deal! (kk)

>>> another great magazine that came out around that time was RECORD EXCHANGER (Larry)

>>>I remember "Record Exchanger" (kk)

Unfortunately the owner / publisher became a crook by going into another business while still holding 100's of records that had been sent in for consignment sales. Mine were among the batches that he hadn't returned. I called numerous times until he stopped answering that line. I began writing letters in to Discoveries Mag and many others chimed in. I contacted the Orange Co D.A. and managed to get my records back to help many others get theirs. This was all circa '91-92.

Gary E. Myers / MusicGem

>>>Brenda wanted to record "I'm Sorry". Record company said no ... this wasn't the type song a 14 year old girl would sing. In 1960, they needed a song to put on the B-side of "That's All You Gotta Do" and finally gave in to Brenda. They went with "I'm Sorry." Of course the record company was wrong. "I'm Sorry" was a # 1 Hit for Brenda and "That's All You Gotta Do" was a #6 Hit. (Frank B)

In this case, the artist themselves may not know the full story. Decca most definitely issued I'm Sorry as the A side. They had a policy of putting a marking of some sort next to the matrix number on their B side labels (either a clover or a diamond depending on which pressing plant the record came from), and in the case of Brenda Lee, well ...

Tom Diehl

More from Wild Wayne's 40th Anniversary Flashback Interviews ...

Interview Date: 11/5/ 2005 = Bruce Belland (Lead singer of the Four Preps)
They recorded eight straight bombs for Capitol Records and needed a hit badly.

Bruce and his friends cut summer school and went to the beach. One of the guys pointed and said 26 miles to Santa Catalina ... which gave Bruce an idea for a song.

He took the song he wrote to Capitol. They didn't like it ... didn't think the rest of us would be interested in Santa Catalina.

A week later he saw Nancy Sinatra at the movies. She said,"Bruce, when are you going to record the song you were singing at the beach? Me and& my friends can't stop singing it."

Bruce tried again. This time, Capitol gave in and put it on the B-side of a Broadway tune. (Bruce couldn't remember the name of it.)

A DJ in Hartford, Connecticut flipped the Broadway tune over and started playing 26 Miles (Santa
Catalina).
Like they say, the rest is history. Bruce couldn't remember the name of the DJ. (His memory is worse than mine.)
Frank B.

Here's an interesting ad I saw in the Nashville Symphony printed program.

David Lewis

Going way back to the Thursday This And That from June 15, 2015(http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2015/06/thursday-this-and-that_18.html), I love re-reading Al Kooper's account of the Like A Rolling Stone recording session. I kept thinking to myself for the longest time, "Man, I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that one". Thanks to The Bootleg Series Volume 12 (either the 6 or 18 CD versions), that is now possible. They've included (almost) the complete recording session for the song. They left out a bit of the dialogue, unfortunately, including some of what I'd wanted to hear, given Al Kooper's description of the session. I'd definitely recommend fans of Bob Dylan to pick up some version of this collection:

http://www.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=41819_42464_73047_73055&page=1

Tom

↧

50 Year Flashback - November 16th, 1965

November 16, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Tuesday This And That

≪ Previous: The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 15 - 15 )

OK, here's one of the more unusual charts we've seen this year ... from KLMS out of Lincoln, Nebraska, home of Clark Besch who supplied the majority of the charts used in this weekly feature.

Topping the chart this week is local favorites The Coachmen with "Mr. Moon". (Nationally this "bubbled under" for five weeks in Billboard, peaking at #114.)

Also in The Top Ten this week are obscurities like "Lifetime Of Loneliness" by Jackie DeShannon, "Il Silenzio" by Nini Rosso and "Heide" by Horst Jankowski along with lesser-played tracks like "Early Morning Rain" by Peter, Paul and Mary. All of these tracks are competing equally alongside popular hit artists like The Rolling Stones, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, The Supremes and The Byrds.

The top debut of the week belongs to The McCoys, who premier at #33 with their version of "Fever", the follow-up to their chart-topping hit "Hang On Sloopy".

And check out the #18 record this week ... it's the latest dance sensation "The Lurch" by Lurch of "The Addams Family"!

↧

Tuesday This And That

November 17, 2015, 4:21 am

≫ Next: Thursday This And That

≪ Previous: 50 Year Flashback - November 16th, 1965

re: Billboard's New List of the Biggest Hits and Biggest Artists of All-Time:

>>>Not enough space here to even BEGIN a debate about how ridiculous this list looks, even with the benefit of nearly 60 years of hindsight ... but definitely fodder for another day! (kk)
I agree Kent (full disclosure: I am a rapid Beach Boys fan) ... The Beach Boys long-term influence on music (as well as the nations emotional status) is far greater than their #30 spot on the list. Their songs and sounds will far out distance most of the list.

Phil

PrayForSurfBlog.blogspto.com

Again, my biggest objection to a list like this is the fact that it's not comparing apples to apples ... the criteria for a "hit record" drastically changed from decade to decade. How do you compare a hit like "Yesterday" by The Beatles (which spent an average of 12 weeks on the national charts, four of them at #1) with a song like "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO, which charted for 68 weeks, six at #1? In 1965, a legitimate hit record stayed on the charts for about 10-12 weeks ... by 2011 (when "Party Rock Anthem" first charted), it was not at all uncommon for a record to stay on the charts for a year or more. That's party because the '60's were so INCREDIBLY competitive that artists were releasing three, four or five singles per year ... and, in some cases, as many as two or three albums as well ... while today the competition isn't nearly as severe and an artist can take up to three or four years to deliver their next release. Plus how many more people might have bought "Yesterday" (which doesn't even make The Top 100 List) had they had access to it for downloading ... or in an age where YouTube views counts toward a record's point total? It's apples and oranges ... and SOME method of continuity MUST be applied to put together such a list. (Jewel's "Foolish Games", Nickelback's "How You remind Me" and LeAnn Rimes'"How Do I Live" bigger than "I Want To Hold Your Hand"??? Even recent monster hits like "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen and "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke ... bigger than "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston??? Seriously?

If you break things down to "The Forgotten Hits Era" (roughly 1956 - 1985, thirty years of Top 40 Hits), the new Top Ten Biggest Hit Records of All-Time become:

1. THE TWIST - Chubby Checker (1960 and 1962) 3 (combined)

2. MACK THE KNIFE - Bobby Darin (1959) 9

3. PHYSICAL - Olivia Newton-John (1981) 10

4. YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - Debby Boone (1977) 10

5. HEY JUDE - The Beatles (1968) 9

6. BETTE DAVIS EYES - Kim Carnes (1981) 9

7. ENDLESS LOVE - Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (1981) 9

8. TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT - Rod Stewart (1976) 8

9. THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE" - Percy Faith (1960) 9

10. LE FREAK - Chic (1978) 6

(Weeks at #1 on the Billboard Chart follow each entry in red)

Even here you can see a bit of a shift as THREE records from 1981 each spent 9 or 10 weeks in the #1 spot ... a feat virtually unheard of before. "Le Freak" (with six weeks at #1) outranks "Night Fever" by The Bee Gees (which had eight weeks at #1 that same year) and "Shadow Dancing" by baby brother Andy Gibb, who spent seven weeks on top of the chart.

"I Want To Hold Your Hand" (seven weeks at #1 ... and the record that launched Beatlemania and the entire British Invasion) sits at #45, behind Paul McCartney solo hits like "Silly Love Songs" (#37) and "Say Say Say" (#41). In fact, McCartney has THREE hits in The Top 100 ("Ebony And Ivory" is the other one at #73) while The Beatles only have two. ("Hey Jude", #10 and "I Want To Hold Your Hand", #45). And the COMPLETE disregard for Elvis is TOTALLY unacceptable. Billboard was charting the hits WAY before they released their first Hot 100 Chart in August of 1958 ... at the very least, recap "The Rock Era", long designated as records released beginning in 1955 when "Rock Around The Clock" (also missing from this list) forever changed the way we listened to music.

Madonna bigger than Elvis? And Mariah Carey nipping at his heels? And how does Janet Jackson rank higher than her brother Michael when Michael revolutionized the music world with his MAMMOTH string of success in the early '80's? It just doesn't make sense. Again, it's because the points are fairly accumulated to represent the shifts in music and purchasing over the past sixty years. But hey, Billboard is considered to be "The Music Bible" ... so who are we to argue??? That'd be like us saying we don't always agree with the act inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... and we would NEVER dream of doing that!!! (kk)

After looking at that Top hit list, I have concluded that people buy a lot of rubbish! Also, I’m not sure how some of this stuff is calculated. I don’t know if a comparison of purchases from 1960 coincides with 2015. There are more than 100 Million more people around today. I would have to see the variables.

Ken

Tom Cuddy sends us THIS list ... another Billboard Magazine ranking, this time combining the overall point total accumulated by both singles and albums points ...

http://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-billboard-200-artists

The ranks are based on a new tabulation Billboard released last week. It combines an artist’s performance on both the Hot 100 singles charts and the Top 200 album charts from 1958 through last month.

Tom

re: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame:

Another interesting take on who should be in there ... courtesy of FH Reader Frank B ...

http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2015/nov/14/barry-levine-mailbag-full-with-hall-of-fame/

re: This And That:

Kent ...

Can you believe it's the 30th Anniversary of the Golden Boys!http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/entertainment/2015/11/10/rydell-and-pals-serve-up-50s-hits/75531782/Frank B.
Wow! Incredible. Of course these guys first started hitting the charts back in 1958 ... so even MORE amazing that 30 of their 57 years have been spent doing these "Golden Boys Reunion Shows"!!!

Check out this hit list ... 41 Top 40 Hit between them!:

# 1 - 1959 - Venus - Frankie Avalon (#1)

# 2 - 1959 - Why - Frankie Avalon (#1)

# 3 - 1960 - Wild One - Bobby Rydell (#2)

# 4 - 1959 - We Got Love - Bobby Rydell (#2)

# 5 - 1959 - Tiger - Fabian (#3)

# 6 - 1960 - Volare - Bobby Rydell (#4)

# 7 - 1963 - Forget Him - Bobby Rydell (#4)

# 8 - 1960 - Swingin' School - Bobby Rydell (#5)

# 9 - 1959 - Bobby Sox To Stockings - Frankie Avalon (#6)

# 10 - 1958 - DeDe Dinah - Frankie Avalon (#7)

# 11 - 1959 - Just Ask Your Heart - Frankie Avalon (#7)

# 12 - 1959 - Turn Me Loose - Fabian (#8)

# 13 - 1959 - Hound Dog Man - Fabian (#9)

# 14 - 1958 - Ginger Bread - Frankie Avalon (#9)

# 15 - 1959 - A Boy Without A Girl - Frankie Avalon (#10)

# 16 - 1962 - The Cha-Cha-Cha - Bobby Rydell (#10)

# 17 - 1961 - Good Time Baby - Bobby Rydell (#10)

# 18 - 1959 - Kissin' Time - Bobby Rydell (#11)

# 19 - 1960 - Sway - Bobby Rydell (#12)

# 20 - 1959 - This Friendly World - Fabian (#12)

# 21 - 1962 - I'll Never Dance Again - Bobby Rydell (#14)

# 22 - 1958 - I'll Wait For You - Frankie Avalon (#15)

# 23 - 1960 - Togetherness - Frankie Avalon (#15)

# 24 - 1961 - The Fish - Bobby Rydell (#16)

# 25 - 1961 - That Old Black Magic - Bobby Rydell (#17)

# 26 - 1963 - Wildwood Days - Bobby Rydell (#17)

# 27 - 1960 - Ding-A-Ling - Bobby Rydell (#17)

# 28 - 1962 - I've Got Bonnie - Bobby Rydell (#17)

# 29 - 1960 - Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops - Frankie Avalon (#19)

# 30 - 1960 - Little Bitty Girl - Bobby Rydell (#19)

# 31 - 1961 - Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker (#20)

# 32 - 1961 - I Wanna Thank You - Bobby Rydell (#21)

# 33 - 1960 - Where Are You - Frankie Avalon (#22)

# 34 - 1963 - Butterfly Baby - Bobby Rydell (#22)

# 35 - 1962 - You Are Mine - Frankie Avalon (#26)

# 36 - 1959 - Come On And Get Me - Fabian (#29)

# 37 - 1959 - I'm A Man - Fabian (#31)

# 38 - 1960 - About This Thing Called Love - Fabian (#31)

# 39 - 1976 - Venus (Disco) - Frankie Avalon (#32)

# 40 - 1960 - String Along - Fabian (#35)

# 41 - 1959 - Swingin' On A Rainbow - Frankie Avalon (#39)

Ron Onesti has booked Frankie Avalon for an appearance at The Arcada Theatre next May ... check out the COMPLETE list of upcoming shows hitting our area between now and the end of the year at the end of today's posting! (kk)

From The Golden Boys to The Rat Pack ...

DJ Stu Weiss just sent us this vintage clip from 1965 ...

This is supposed to be the ONLYtime Johnny Carson sang in public!

This show is at Kiel Opera House in St Louis in June, 1965, when Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show. The Rat Pack were playing Vegas, but visited Carson for this wonderfully entertaining performance. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson, and to top it off Quincy Jones was conducting the Count Basie band, and he is visible in the background. http://biggeekdad.com/2011/02/birth-of-the-blues/

Hey kk!

Couple of things ...

The group "Steam" ... that was another street name for PCP (Angel Dust) back in the day. They were on the Arthur Smith Show in Charlotte, NC, in the heyday of their prime hit. So if the book is discombobulated, maybe it should be! I really love that tune until the drunken football team enters in and ruins it! Don't get steamed at my opinion! Gary Glitter was the quarterback perhaps. They later crashed the Hey Jude sessions and Journey's Lights offering.

And Walter Egan ... with his new hip replacement I wonder if a magnet will stick to his buttock now? He's a surf guitarist which makes him great in my heart of hearts!

Vibeman

Will anyone ever decipher what Davie Allan is yelling into his pickups on "Cycledelic"?

Kent,

While watching a football game on television, they played a commercial I have never seen before. It was for Amazon with the background music being TWEEDLE-DEE. I believe it was Lavern Baker's version in lieu of Georgia Gibbs' version. I can only imagine that the younger viewers have no idea where that song came from.
Larry

Don'tcha just love it when these pop up? Hopefully a younger audience, hearing these tunes for the very first time, will seek them out and download a ditty as catchy as this one! (kk)

Kent,I had posed this question for another internet forum, but had tepid response.In a world where many popular classic tunes are considered unlistenable nowadays because of their continued overplaying on the radio, there are some songs I have come across where I can't stand hearing them like I once could because of overkill from another source.

This could be from use in multiple movies or commercials, or that it is regularly heard on a TV Show, or is used at darn near every sporting event or venue in the country.What once-great song(s) do you and your readers now despise, not because of overkill on the radio, but because of another form?Here are a couple of mine to start:• Hang On Sloopy -- The McCoys: Blame the hating of this song because of *THE* Ohio State University making this *THE* song their marching band plays after darn near every play when *THE* Ohio State Football team plays a game. Not to mention the frequent spellings of O-H-I-O during the chorus.

• Sweet Caroline -- Neil Diamond: You can thank the Boston Red Sox and their fans for ruining this song for me -- making this their official 7th-inning stretch song, and the insertions of sung BA-BA-BAHHH's and "So Good, So Good, So Good" during it's chorus.Others???Uncle T.Jay

I can't make it past the third note on "Sweet Caroline" anymore ... and I used to love that song. Between the very situation you describe above (and fans seems to LOVE singing along with it in this fashion now ... no matter how or where it's being performed ... it's like these "add-ons" have become part of they lyrics) and the fact that Neil admitted lusting after a then twelve-year-old Caroline Kennedy as his inspiration for this tune (OK, lusting is MY word and not his ... but still, I find it rather creepy!), I find it difficult to listen to this song in ANY fashion today.

The first live concert I ever saw was Neil Diamond at Chicago's Civic Opera House back in 1970 ... this was a LONG time ago (back when Neil used to actually SING his lyrics instead of recite them) and I was a big fan at the time. Really until about 1972 I enjoyed most of what he did ... but then his vocals became over-the-top dramatic readings instead. Still, post 1972, I'll admit to liking "Forever In Blue Jeans" and "Yesterday's Songs" ... but not many others. I do, however, to this day consider "Tap Root Manuscript" and "Beautiful Noise" amongst my favorite albums of all-time. (kk)

Kent ...

Wild Wayne just played this interview ...

Interview Date: August 1 , 2005 = Jack Scott
In 1958 they were playing "Leroy" on the radio. Jack said it was doing well ... sold about 250,000 copies. Cincinnati DJ wanted to flip it over and play "My Own True Love. He even called Joe Carlton (the label owner) in New York and told him he was making a mistake pushing fast side ... ballad would be a bigger hit. Joe Carlton told him not to do it.
DJ went ahead and played "My Own True Love." He was right.
"Leroy " was a #11 Billboard hit ... "My Own True Love" was a #3 hit.
Frank B.

re: Three Dog Night / Ribfest:

FH Reader Rich Turner told us last week that he was still planning on attending this year's Ribfest down in St. Petersburg, Florida. Three Dog Night was scheduled to appear and, despite the recent death of founding member Cory Wells (and to quote one of their big hit records), "The Show Must Go On".

Then the official announcement came through the other day ... Danny Hutton had named David Morgan as Cory's official replacement in Three Dog Night.

Rich sent us this concert review along with a ton of photos, some of which are shown below.

Kent,

Here is my review of the Three Dog Night concert I saw just last Saturday, November 14th, at our annual Ribfest event here In St. Petersburg, Fl. Along with them I will mention the other bands on the bill that day.

It was simply a beautiful day weather-wise with the temperature at around 80 degrees under a completely cloudless blue sky. And that was actually about five degrees cooler than it had been over the previous five or six days. Yes, Florida in November is hard to beat! 25,000 fans certainly enjoyed that.

The music started off at 12:15 PM with Robby Steinhardt playing the music of Kansas. Steinhardt played the violin and was an occasional lead singer of a couple songs per album back in Kansas' heyday. He left the band in the mid-80's, rejoined ten years later and left again in 2006. He lives down here in the Tampa Bay area and after the first time he left Kansas, he joined up with local guitarist Rick Moon to form the well-known local group Steinhardt - Moon Band. They had a few successful years around here in the late 80's until Robby rejoined Kansas. Flash-forward fifteen years and I guess Steinhardt was looking to get back on stage again. He joined up with Tampa Bay area legends Stormbringer, whose lead guitarist just happens to be ... yes, Rick Moon and presto ... the Robby Steinhardt band. This was their first gig playing together.

Stormbringer is one of our most well-known local bands and have been playing together in the area for close to twenty years. They specialize in classic rock from the 70s and 80s and many times when a rock and roll legend comes to our area and they need a backup band, Stormbringer takes the gig. Just last year this was the case with Mark Farner. Stormbringer has always incorporated Kansas songs in their set list and with the Rick Moon connection they were perfect for the gig.

So we heard about an hour of Kansas songs with Steinhardt playing the violin and singing backup vocals along with the lead on one song. Everything else was Stormbringer. Steinhardt is probably in his mid 60s and looked pretty rough ... still has his big wild hair and beard, and probably has gained another fifty pounds and appeared healthwise to be somewhat out of shape. Several times he had to sit on a speaker to catch his breath and even played his violin from that perch a few times. Stormbringer presented their usual outstanding musical approach to Kansas music but disappointingly in my opinion for them was not even given a mention by Steinhardt even though about 95% of what we heard was Stormbringer. IMHO should have been billed as Stormbringer featuring Robby Steinhardt playing the music of Kansas. Great sounding show ending of course with Carry On Wayward Son.

Next up at 2:00 was .38 Special, which, in my opinion, should have been the headliners and closed the show. What followed was an hour and a half of high-energy rock and roll in the middle of the afternoon with no light show. .38 Special is led by their one original member, lead vocalist and guitarist Don Barnes, although two other members have been with the band for over 25 years, lead guitarist Danny Chauncey and keyboardist Bobby Capps. The group is rounded out by Gary Moffatt on drums (who has been with the band for close to 20 years) and recent addition Barry Dunaway on bass. Long-time original member Donnie Van Zant was forced to retire a couple of years ago due to health issues and apparently has not been replaced. He was always a very entertaining presence who brought a good Southern Rock vibe to the band along with contributing background vocals, rhythm guitar and an occasional lead vocal. I think he's missed.

The band opened with the same song that they have opened up every show with for the last twenty years, Rockin' Into The Night. In general, their setlist has not changed much over the years, maybe modified slightly here and there. In the middle of the show they do a medley of ten of their hits, which I personally think is a great idea. Some fans don't approve of the medley form and would rather hear the entire song but I say it's better to hear some of the tune and hear more songs than to have to cut a few out due to time constraints. So basically through the entire show you probably heard 20 - 22 songs and just about every song they recorded that made the Top 40. They closed with the two songs you hear on classic rock radio constantly, Caught Up In You and Hold On Loosely. A very entertaining and rockin' show and even though .38 Special has played these same songs at every show for years and years, they still made them sound fresh and appeared to be having a good time.

At 4:00 and 5:00 we had performances by a couple of tribute bands, one named China Grove playing Doobie Brothers music and Supernatural, playing Santana music. Except ... it turned out to be the same band playing the music of both bands. I need to give a shout-out to the lead singer (whose name escapes me) who was outstanding. He sang Tom Johnston songs, Pat Simmons songs and Michael McDonald songs and made each one sound very similar to that particular singer. How he can sound like Johnston singing Long Train Runnin' and then, on the very next song sound like McDonald singing What A Fool Believes, was very impressive. And then when the band came back out as Supernatural (after changing their shirts and adding some hats and the guitarist put on a Carlos Santana wig and mustache) the singer sounded just like Gregg Rollie ... and even Rob Thomas when they played the hit Smooth. Whether you are a fan of tribute bands or not, you had to be impressed by the versatility and playing of the band. An excellent decision by the promoters to place them late in the afternoon to give concert goers time to get their ribs and beer, although the beer was flowing constantly from 11 AM till almost closing time.

At 6:30 it was time for America to hit the stage. After a fifteen minute delay, they finally hit the stage while the instrumental Miniature was playing so you were reasonably certain that Tin Man was going to be the opening song since those two tunes open the Holiday album. And Tin Man it was followed by You Can Do Magic and then Don't Cross The River. Let me just say this right now: this is not your daddy's America. This band now ROCKS! Two new additions in just this past year, Ryland Steed on drums and Bill Worrell on lead guitar have brought much-needed new energy to this band. I'm not here to criticize former long-time members Willie Leacox and guitarist Michael Woods but their retirement (?) is the best thing that could have happened to this band. No, they are not Metallica now, but the show is much more rocking with these guys pounding the skins and wailing away on the guitar. Even Gerry Beckley mentioned more than once to keep your eye on Bill Worrell because he will be a superstar someday. And speaking of Beckley, the band is, of course, still led by him and Dewey Bunnell. And longtime member Richard Campbell is still playing the bass guitar and contributing the very important background vocals. However I would be remiss not to mention this ... Gerry Beckley's voice seems to have some issues. Everybody sitting around me were commenting on this. It was quite rough and he had a hard time hitting any kind of high notes and this affected not only his lead vocals but the harmonizing that went on with the entire band. Now I saw America just last year here at the Capitol Theater in Clearwater and his voice was just slightly off then but nowhere near as bad as it was during this show. I really want to give him the benefit of the doubt because I knew that this was America's sixth show in six days, which nowadays most bands never attempt to do. Maybe his voice was shot from all those performances in a row and rather than cancel in front of over 25,000 people their belief was On With The Show. Anyway I was wondering if any of the Forgotten Hits readers or even you, Kent, who might have seen the band in the last year or so had noticed the same thing about Gerry's voice. Just curious. Maybe the fifteen minute delay had something to do with that. Who knows?

Anyway America played all the hits and several key album tracks (probably around twenty songs). They finished up with the usual three ending songs and that is Sandman (and wow did this rock with Worrell just jamming on the guitar), Sister Golden Hair (another song heard millions of times on radio) and finally with A Horse With No Name. Hopefully America can hold onto Bill Worrell and Ryland Steed for a few years. They really have helped make this the best sounding version of America you will ever hear and see. Hopefully Gerry can get his voice issues straightened out.

And now for the headliners, Three Dog Night (or is it Two Dog Night or even One Dog Night?). By now everybody knows that longtime and original lead vocalist Cory Wells passed away just a few weeks ago and it was questionable as to whether Three Dog Night were even going to continue. Well I am here to let everyone know that continue they did as I witnessed their performance here Saturday night. Before the band came on stage an announcement was made that "This show is being dedicated to the memory of Cory Wells and Jimmy Greenspoon." The group came out and who do we have here? Well, I see, of course, Danny Hutton and some new guy standing next to him and the next to him is longtime bassist and singer Paul Kingery. About four songs in the new guy was introduced as David Morgan and yes, he was singing the Cory Wells leads. Anyway I'm getting ahead of myself here.

The group opened up with Family Of Man sung by the entire band and then came One Man Band, again sung by the entire band with the one verse sung by Hutton. Next up was one of the two hit songs that Hutton originally sang the lead on, Back And White. And now we had the introduction of Morgan and he sang Never Been To Spain. How did it sound? If your eyes were shut you would have thought it was Cory Wells up there. Great performance. Next up was perhaps my favorite Dog song, Out In The Country. A great, just great group vocal. Everybody on stage contributed to this tune. Now would be a good time to mention new keyboard player Eddie Reasoner, who took over following the death of original member Jimmy Greenspoon last April. He did a great job, especially on this song and also sung background vocals. The band is rounded out by Paul Bautz on drums (who has been in the band over 20 years) and original lead guitarist Mike Allsup.

At this time Hutton made the announcement that tonight all we are going to play is songs that made the Top 40. Nothing else. And so the hits came ... Shambala, One (sung by Paul Kingery who sounded very similar to the long-departed Chuck Negron), Sure As I'm Sitting Here (Morgan), An Old-Fashioned Love Song (sung by Hutton), Let Me Serenade You, Liar, Mama Told Me Not To Come and Celebrate among a few others. The band left the stage after Celebrate and then came back for two encores. Before the first Hutton said just for one song we are backing away from the Top 40 announcement and we are playing this song for the tragedy that happened just the night before. It was called Prayer For The Children and it was simply a beautiful a capella version sung by the entire band. This was absolutely one of the highlights of their show and possibly of the entire day. It sounded outstanding, which proved, if nothing else, that this band of performers can sing. Then, of course, the finale with Joy To The World sung by Danny Hutton. It turned into a huge sing-a-long with the entire crowd. An then they were done.

Final opinion: with David Morgan contributing the Cory Wells vocals, this band can prosper a few more years, although they are getting a little long in the tooth. One suggestion I would have would be to allow Paul Kingery to contribute a few more of the Chuck Negron vocals (because lets face it, Chuck ain't coming back). He did a great job on One and probably would have sounded better than Hutton on Old Fashioned Love Song and / or Joy To The World. Fun fact; when Kingery joined the band in 1996 as the bassist, who did he replace? None other than Richard Campbell the current bassist for America. It would have been cool if Campbell had come out to join the Dogs for a few songs but, alas, he did not. I did want to mention that at no time during the performance was Cory Wells name even mentioned by Danny Hutton which really surprised me. I thought he would say something about the passing but no. Just the mention by the announcer before the band hit the stage.

The show wrapped up at 10:00. After seeing six bands (I'm counting the tribute band twice) and almost ten hours of music by bands playing absolute complete sets, I was extremely musically satisfied. And what did it cost? The amazing price of just $20 admission. A great time was had by all!

Rich Turner

Safety Harbor, Florida

That sounds like one hell of a line-up for twenty bucks, Rich! What a great day of music!

Quite honestly, I think it's pretty unlikely that we'll go see Three Dog Night again now that it's down to just Danny ... but at some point, curiosity may get the better of me, especially if David Moran sounds as good as you said he does. I find it completely unacceptable that Danny wouldn't recognize his 40+ year partner from the stage, especially coming so closely after his passing.

Chuck Negron is coming to The Arcada Theatre next spring with Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad ... now that's a show I WOULD like to see.

As for Gerry Beckley, I have always loved his voice ... but he has been struggling for several years now to not only hit the high notes but also keep the tonality of what we've come to expect when we hear him sing. I've mentioned several times that he's trying so hard now that it comes across as fake and affected ... and quite nasal if I'm being totally honest.

We get it ... we've ALL gotten older since your first hits some 40+ years ago. We'll cut you some slack if you just get to those notes on your own, even if they don't sound exactly the same. (There are times where you almost feel as if he's trying to do a Gerry Beckley impersonation!) America is also appearing at The Arcada later this month ... we're on the fence on that one, having seen them SO many times over the years. But again you've piqued my curiosity with your comments about their rockin' new band. Time will tell. (kk)

Meanwhile, enjoy some of Rich's pictures from his all-day concert event ...

Above two: .38 Special

Danny and David, Three Dog Night

Danny Hutton

David Morgan

America: Dewey and Gerry

Dewey Bunnell

Gerry Beckley

re: Passing On:

Heard about this yesterday from a coworker ... and FH Reader Tom Cuddy just sent us the Rolling Stone Magazine clipping ...

P.F. Sloan, 'Eve of Destruction' Songwriter, Dead at 70 -

Singer-songwriter penned hits for the Turtles, Jan & Dean, Herman's Hermits and more

P.F. Sloan, the songwriting great behind classic singles like Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" and Johnny Rivers'"Secret Agent Man," passed away Monday night after a short bout with pancreatic cancer, the musician's representative confirmed to Rolling Stone. Sloan, who was born Philip Schlein, was 70.

"Phil was a key element on the music that became the sound of the Sunset Strip. Phil was a true prodigy, signing his first record deal with Aladdin Records when he was thirteen," Sloan's reps said in a statement. "P.F. Sloan's 'Eve Of Destruction' was an anthem for a generation. It is as relevant now as it ever has been."

After recording his debut single "All I Want Is Loving" / "Little Girl in the Cabin" for the Aladdin Records label, the still-teenaged Sloan got a job with music publisher Screen Gems, who hired Sloan to work with surf rock duo Jan & Dean; Sloan is heard on that group's 1964 hit, "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena." Sloan then moved to Dunhill Records, where he penned hits for artists like Herman's Hermits, the Turtles, the Searchers, the Grass Roots and Barry McGuire.

It was McGuire who was the recipient of Sloan's most enduring song, "Eve of Destruction," an ominous, apocalyptic and catchy single that prophesized the anti-war protests and civil rights movement percolating in the United States in the mid-Sixties. Despite its political undertones, "Eve of Destruction" hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.

Bob Dylan once said of "Eve of Destruction," which was originally penned with the Byrds in mind, "There are no more escapes. If you want to find out anything that's happening now, you have to listen to the music. I don't mean the words. Though, 'Eve Of Destruction' will tell you something about it."

"I was a songwriter and my record label really didn't want me out there in the public," Sloan told Rolling Stone in 2014. "The label thought if I knew how popular I was, I'd want more money. I was literally destroyed three months later. The label told me to sign away everything I'll ever earn and earned and sent out word that I was persona non grata. They wanted to destroy me and this kind of music. They thought Bob Dylan was an idiot and a communist."

Sloan was also a singer in his own right, recording a pair of albums of Dunhill (1965's Songs of Our Time, 1966's Twelve More Times) alongside a handful of other solo LPs spread across the past decades. However, after branching out on his own, Sloan claimed the music industry shunned him. "I wasn't taken seriously as a talent," Sloan told American Songwriter. "Except by Dylan. Dylan told me that the word was out and they were out to destroy me." In 2014, Sloan released his last album My Beethoven as well as his memoir, What’s Exactly The Matter With Me?.

Sloan took part in the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival, the first ever rock music festival that took place in the Bay Area in June 1967, a week before the Monterey Pop Festival. The singer-songwriter was also the subject of a song titled "P.F. Sloan," penned by fellow songwriter Jimmy Webb.

Read more (and catch some cool videos of some of Sloan's best-know hits) here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/p-f-sloan-eve-of-destruction-songwriter-dead-at-70-20151116#ixzz3rkMj6xOg

I expect you know Kent but just in case you don't -

Charlie Dick, the widower of Patsy Cline and the man who kept her legacy alive over the years, died earlier on Sunday the 15th at the age of 81. Dick was a linotype operator for the Winchester Star in Winchester, VA, when he went to a 1956 concert by Cline. The two met and hit it off right away, marrying the next year. They had two children, Julie (born 1958) and Randy (born 1961). Their marriage was rough at times, Dick said they were both hard-headed and hot tempered, but not as rough as was portrayed in the 1985 biopic Sweet Dreams. They remained married until Cline's death in 1963 in a plane crash. After Cline's death, he used the contacts from being with Patsy to enter the record business, working as a record promoter. He remarried in 1965 to Jamey Ryan but they divorced in 1970 after having one child. Throughout his life, Dick remained involved in protecting Cline's legacy, including the boom in interest in her recording output that was spurred by the 1980 film Coal Miner's Daughter and the 1985 Cline biopic. He worked with Hallway productions on two documentaries on Cline's life that he dedicated to setting the record straight on their marriage and her career to counteract some of the inaccuracies in Sweet Dreams. He also was active on the fan circuit.

Take care,

Rockin' Lord Geoff (In England)

Who?

Hoh.

Who?

Hoh ... read on ...

Edward “Fast Eddie” Hoh, age 71, passed away Saturday, November 07, 2015, in Westmont, IL.

An American rock drummer who was active in the 1960s, he played the drums on several well-known rock songs and albums, including those by Donovan and the Monkees. He also performed at the seminal 1967 Monterey Pop Festival as a member of the Mamas and the Papas touring band.

In 1968, he participated in the recording of Super Session, the highly successful 1968 Mike Bloomfield / Al Kooper / Stephen Stills collaboration album.

Hoh first became known around 1964 on the Los Angeles club circuit as a drummer for the Joel Scott Hill groups the Strangers and the Invaders. Hill recorded several singles and the Strangers were an opening act for the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show, headlined by the Rolling Stones and James Brown. His flurry of activity came to an end by the early 1970s and has since remained out of the public eye.

-- submitted by Ken Voss

Again, I ask ... who???

Kent ...

On 10/16/2015 George McCannon III died.

I can see you shaking your head, Kent. Who the heck is this guy?

He's a local Connecticut talent. He recorded a version of Roy Orbison's "Lana."

The rest comes from a 5/19/1991 interview he did with Wild Wayne ...
For ten years George was the announcer for Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars.
George talks about this one tour when Paul (Ray Hilderbrand) and Paula (Jill Jackson) were the headliners.
Ray decided to quit and went home to Houston, Texas. What to do?

For one night Dick Clark became Paul and sang with Paula.

For the rest of the three month tour George McCannon III played the part of Paul.

George's biggest hit came in 1970 ... "Birds Of All Nations."
George told Wild Wayne that Glen Campbell and The Wrecking Crew backed him up on this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Fcw4OdmpY

Not bad, if you don't compare it to Roy Orbison.

Frank B.

re: Up-Coming Shows:

LOTS of great entertainment coming our way between now and the end of the year ...

Check out THIS incredible list! (kk)

THE ARCADA THEATRE:

November 21st - Christopher Corss

November 25th - Carl Palmer

November 28th - America

December 1st - Todd Rundgren

December 5th - Michael McDonald (Christmas and Hits Show)

December 6th - The Lettermen (Christmas Show)

December 11th - Felix Cavaliere's Rascals (Christmas and Hits Show)

December 13th - Ronnie Spector's Christmas Show

December 18th - The Ides Of March (Christmas and Hits Show)

purchase tickets: www.oshows.com

THE GENESEE THEATRE:

November 17th - The Brian Setzer Orchestra (Christmas Show)

November 22nd - Christopher Cross

December 4th - Richard Marx (Forgotten Hits Free Ticket Give-Away ends Friday, November 20th!)

December 8th - Michael Bolton

purchase tickets: http://www.geneseetheatre.com/events/all

THE RIALTO SQUARE THEATRE:

December 6th - Tony Bennett

buy tickets: http://www.rialtosquare.com/box_office.asp

THE CITY WINERY

November 29th - Eric Burdon and the Animals (sold out ... add your name to the wait list)

December 7th - JD Souther

December 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th - Los Lobos (Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominees)

order tickets: http://www.citywinery.com/chicago/tickets.html#/page/6

↧

Thursday This And That

November 19, 2015, 4:16 am

≫ Next: Helping Out Our Readers

≪ Previous: Tuesday This And That

re: P.F. Sloan:
Hey kk!
Did anyone notice the timing of P F SLOAN's departure?

Ironic!

If this is not the eve of destruction ... then what the heck is it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdARD9Qi8w0

Lookin''round boy!

Vibeman

We lost a true legend in P.F. Sloan! What great songs he wrote solo & with Steve Barri. RIP

Ken

His hit list is quite impressive ... he certainly helped provide the Soundtrack to the '60's!

(Here's the list of hits Wikipedia ran) kk

Year	Song	Original artist	^{U.S. Hot 100}	Other versions
1964	"Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann"	Round Robin	61
	"Summer Means Fun"	Bruce & Terry	72	Fantastic Baggys (1964); Jan & Dean(1966)
	"One Piece Topless Bathing Suit"	The Rip Chords	96	Jan & Dean (1966)
	"Unless You Care"	Terry Black	99	#2 in Canada^[8]
1965	"(Here They Come) From All Over the World"	Jan & Dean	56	#9 in Canada
	"I Found A Girl"	Jan & Dean	30	#2 in Canada
	"Eve of Destruction"	Barry McGuire	1	#1 in Canada, #3 in Britain,^[9] The Turtles (1970 – #100); P.F. Sloan (1965); The Grass Roots (1966); D.O.A.(1982); The Screaming Jets (1997)
	"Let Me Be"	The Turtles	28	#14 in Canada, P.F. Sloan (1966)
	"Take Me For What I'm Worth"	The Searchers	76	P.F. Sloan (1965)
	"Child of Our Times"	Barry McGuire	72
	"The Sins of a Family"	P.F. Sloan	87	Murray the K (1965)
	"Little Liar"	Terry Black	-	#10 in Canada^[10]
1966	"A Must to Avoid"	Herman's Hermits	8	#3 in Canada, #6 in Britain^[9]
	"You Baby"	The Turtles	20	#11 in Canada, The Grass Roots (1966);The Mamas and the Papas (1966)
	"Where Were You When I Needed You"	The Grass Roots	28	#12 in Canada, Herman's Hermits (1966), The Adult Net (1989, #66 in Britain)^[9]
	"Secret Agent Man"	Johnny Rivers	3	#4 in Canada, Mel Torme (1966); The Ventures (1966 – #54); Devo (1979),Bruce Willis (1987, #43 in Britain),^[9]Blues Traveler (1995)
	"Only When You're Lonely"	The Grass Roots	96
	"Can I Get to Know You Better"	The Turtles	89
1967	"Another Day, Another Heartache"	The Fifth Dimension	45	#41 in Canada
	"Things I Should Have Said"	The Grass Roots	23	#9 in Canada
	"Wake Up, Wake Up"	The Grass Roots	68	#18 in Canada

Got this obituary from long-time FH Reader Blossmwrld ...

Hi Kent ...
I am sending this along.
P.F. Sloan made some important contributions to the music world with some great classics. To quote Billy Joel, "They don't write them like that anymore."
P.F. Sloan, the songwriting great behind classic singles like Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" and Johnny Rivers'"Secret Agent Man," died Sunday evening after a short bout with pancreatic cancer, according to multiple news sources.
He was 70. "Phil was a key element on the music that became the sound of the Sunset Strip. Phil was a true prodigy, signing his first record deal with Aladdin Records when he was 13," Sloan's reps said in a statement.
"P.F. Sloan's 'Eve Of Destruction' was an anthem for a generation. It is as relevant now as it ever has been." After recording his debut single "All I Want Is Loving" / "Little Girl in the Cabin", the still-teenaged Sloan got a job with music publisher Screen Gems, who hired Sloan to work with the surf rock duo Jan and Dean. Sloan then moved to Dunhill Records, where he wrote hit songs for artists such as Herman's Hermits, the Turtles, the Searchers, the Grass Roots and Barry McGuire.
McGuire was the recipient of Sloan's best-known song, "Eve of Destruction," a catchy single that predicted the anti-war protests and civil rights movement surfacing in the U.S. during the 1960s. "Eve of Destruction" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Bob Dylan once said of "Eve of Destruction," which was originally penned with the Byrds in mind, "There are no more escapes. If you want to find out anything that's happening now, you have to listen to the music. I don't mean the words. Though, 'Eve Of Destruction' will tell you something about it." Sloan was also a singer, recording a handful of solo albums over the past decades. In 2014, Sloan released his last album, "My Beethoven," as well as his memoir, "What’s Exactly the Matter With Me?"

Here's a nice piece on P.F. Sloan, written by Jim Bessman ...

http://www.examiner.com/article/p-f-sloan-an-appreciation?CID=PROD-topic-email-articles

Bessman also wrote a real nice piece on Allen Toussaint ...

http://www.examiner.com/article/allen-toussaint-an-appreciation?CID=PROD-topic-email-articles

re: Johnny Sings:
>>>This is supposed to be the ONLYtime Johnny Carson sang in public! This show is at Kiel Opera House in St Louis in June, 1965, when Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show. The Rat Pack were playing Vegas, but visited Carson for this wonderfully entertaining performance. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson, and to top it off Quincy Jones was conducting the Count Basie band, and he is visible in the background.

http://biggeekdad.com/2011/02/birth-of-the-blues/

(DJ Stu Weiss)

Regarding Johnny Carson singing only once "in public" ... not really. Carson also quite famously sang "Our Love Is Here To Stay" as a duet with Pearl Bailey on "The Tonight Show." That live recording was later issued on vinyl as a track on the Casablanca "Magic Moments from 'The Tonight Show'" LP package.

Gary Theroux

You'll catch the song right after the seven minute mark ... but the dialog leading up to it is probably even MORE entertaining! (Pearl Bailey telling Carson that she doesn't need the microphone because she started singing before there was electricity is hysterical!!!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHfnf-tEBoo

And here's a link to the album Gary is referring to ... a VERY abbreviated clip from the song "Our Love Is Here To Stay":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlTUHhdIgZ0 (kk)

re: More Wild Wayne Interview Snippets:

As long as FH Reader Frank B keeps sending us interesting factoids about some of our favorite pop stars, we'll keep running them.

Here are just a few more from the Wild Wayne archives ...

Kent ...

Here are a couple of Wild Wayne's Interview Quickies ...

Interview Date: April 2, 1977: Joey Dee

Joey told Wild Wayne that he was doing background vocals. He wasn't supposed to sing lead on "Peppermint Twist." They were having trouble with this recording session so they asked Joey to give it a try. He did it and it worked.

Interview Date: January 11, 2004: James Darren
James told Wild Wayne that the calliope sound on his hit "Goodbye Cruel World" was actually a woman's voice played back at faster a speed.

James lost the best Rock Record Award to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1961.

The late Gene Pitney and Wild Wayne were friends. They both come from Rockville, Connecticut. Gene's nickname was "The Rockville Rocket." That's why it was no surprise to me when Wild Wayne said that the singer he interviewed most was Gene Pitney, nine times over the years.
Interview Date: September 7, 1980

Gene Pitney was talking about his first Hit "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away in 1961.
Gene was working nights (as a movie usher) and weekends (in a gas station).

Gene had no intentions of recording this song. He just wanted to make a demo and shop it around
for sale. It cost $30.
In order to save money, Gene sang every part and played every instrument.
He couldn't sell it so Gene recorded it himself. It took a long time to be a hit ... at least six months
before it got any play on the radio.

Gene sang at every dance and sock hop he could find in order to promote the record. It wasn't easy. I say it paid off in the long run. He had a great career.Frank B.

I was never much of a Gene Pitney fan ... I mean I liked the obvious hits ... "A Town Without Pity" (#11, 1961); "Only Love Can Break A Heart" (#2, 1962); "It Hurts To Be In Love" (#6, 1964); and "She's A Heartbreaker" (#16, 1968) ... and I think "I Wanna Love My Life Away" is a GREAT record. (It did much better here in Chicago than it did nationally, peaking at #8 on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey (compared to a #39 showing in Billboard). It did a little better in Cash Box where it peaked at #31.

One of the best interviews I ever heard was done by Plash Phelps of then XM Radio, shortly before Gene passed away. I found him to be totally entertaining, very honest and interesting ... and quite fun to listen to ... and I've liked him all that much more ever since. Sadly by then it was too late and he was gone.

I've talked to several artists who toured with Gene back in the '60's and all of them have told me what a great guy he was ... a real fun guy and a non-stop cut-up. I wish I would have appreciated him more while he was still with us.

Here's his first chart hit ... and one of my favorites ... "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away".

And YOU can listen to Wild Wayne, too ... here's the link ...

http://wildwaynerocks.com/

re: On The Radio:
Chicago Broadcasting Legend Dick Biondi is moving to weekends this week on WLS-FM. The 83-year-old Biondi still has an INCREDIBLE legion of fans, many of whom have been unable to listen to their hero when the last regime at WLS stuck him on the late shift, starting at 11 pm.
The hope is that Biondi's loyal listeners will tune in again on the weekends at the more listener-friendly broadcast times of 6 am - 10 am on Saturdays and 7 am - 10 am on Sundays. (Damn!!! A seven hour work week?!?! Who wouldn't go for that?!?!?)
Here's a listen live link ... http://www.947wls.com/

And, keep watching these pages for an announcement about a brand new, very special True Oldies Channel / Forgotten Hits Weekend ... more info to come! (kk)

re: The Shangri-Las:
Kent ...
11/16/2010 = The Shangri-Las, Lou Reed and Al Kooper are among those enshrined in the Long Island (New York) Music Hall of Fame.
Marge use to work as a bartender in the bar around the corner from my house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKpPqBDuYQE
Frank B.

Here's a follow up story from Entertainment Tonight in 1989 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQB8mYd-ozo
This has been a pretty big story the last several years ... and there's WAY too much of this going on in the music industry. It is SO obvious that the young girls on stage couldn't POSSIBLY be the original Shangri-Las, but Richard Fox owns the legal right to the name ... and maintains that he can put ANYBODY of his choosing up on stage and call them The Shangri-Las.
Most annoying (and we probably see this at least thirty times a year) is when these "fakes" refer to "their" hit record ... or make comments like "when we recorded this" ... when nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, SOME people in the audience are fooled ... or, worse yet, have been duped into buying tickets for something that isn't the real deal ... and it's a shame. (kk)

And here's a classic clip from "I've Got A Secret" featuring Betsy Palmer, Bess Myerson and Robert Goulet ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9WA5I2t26w
Too cool! (kk)

re: This And That:
It's time to promote our FH Buddy Paul Evans' Christmas Hit "Santa's Stuck Up In The Chimney" again ... now closing in on TWO MILLION VIEWS!!!

To my "Oldies" community friends,

It will soon be Christmas programming time and I wanted to remind you all about "Santa's Stuck Up InThe Chimney". Now withover 1,866,000 You Tube views!

(I used to chase 1,000,000 record sales. Now I'm chasing 2,000,000 You Tube views!)

Thanks for the plays and for clicking on the video. You've all influenced my life.

Paul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=557tQC86thA

Speaking of Christmas Music, one of the holiday shows we saw last year was Matthew and Gunnar Nelson at The Arcada Theatre. At the time, they promised that they would absolutely have their brand new Christmas album finished in time for this year's holiday season.
And they kept their word.
Here's an article we found on RollingStone.com ... http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/matthew-and-gunnar-nelson-ready-this-christmas-holiday-album-20151116
The blend of their voices is truly incredible. We'll be picking up THIS CD in a couple of weeks! (kk)

From Tom Cuddy ...
Meet Man Who Discovered Elvis in Essential New Sam Phillips Book ...
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/meet-man-who-discovered-elvis-in-essential-new-sam-phillips-book-20151116

He also sent us this Billboard link where Carly Simon FINALLY admits that at least ONE verse of "You're So Vain" was written about Warren Beatty ... something that was speculated about from Day One!!! (No big surprise here!)
Hard to pay much attention to this after she's denied it for nearly 45 years ... and then recently revealed the secret of the song's inspiration to winning bidder Dick Ebersol, who swore he'd take the information to the grave with him ... but with a brand new 2-CD set coming out, why not drudge it all up again???
http://m.billboard.com/entry/view/id/148451?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_term=Daily_Digest_MWF

I remember when THIS album cover had everybody talking ...

But somehow Carly doesn't look quite as appealing today ...

Then again, talking about great album covers, Forgotten Hits Reader Guy Arnston sent us this link honoring the classic Herb Alpert album "Whipped Cream", released again on vinyl in honor of its 50th anniversary.

http://www.soundstagedirect.com/herb-alpert-whipped-cream-other-delights-180-gram-vinyl-records.shtml?cyEmail=guyarnston@sbcglobal.net&utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Herb+Alpert&utm_content=Epic+Vinyl+Newsletter!!+Gift+Ideas+%28Adele,Zeppelin,Nirvana,Jazz,Sinatra,Soundtracks%29&utm_campaign=New+Release+Mailer+November+20 Perhaps some of you have seen this album cover before (???) Ya know, I kinda like it! (kk)

The very first BOX TOPS dates are now booked!

Re-formed five years after passing of Alex Chilton, original founding members BILL CUNNINGHAM (bass, keys, vocals) and GARY TALLEY (guitar, electric sitar, vocals) with Rick Levy (guitar, vocals), Barry Walsh (keys vocals), Ron Krasinski (drums), plus HORN SECTION

JAN 9 - GRAND CASINO - Shelbyville, IN

JAN 23 - GRAND FALLS CASINO - Larchwood, IA

FEB 6 - PEABODY AUDITORIUM - Daytona Beach, FL

MAY 28 - CANNERY CASINO - Las Vegas, NV

Thanks -

RICK

Way before it became the Red Sox theme song, Sweet Caroline was overplayed [especially at karaoke] with the ba ba ba's and so good's. The reason the Red Sox picked it was because it was so well known. They could have just as easily picked Build Me Up Buttercup or Brown Eyed Girl. However, the fact that it was inspired by New Englander, Caroline Kennedy, possibly gave that song the edge.

Mark

Kent;
I have often wondered what Paul McCartney was smoking when he turned out the dishwater-dull "Silly Love Songs", a tune so listlessly hopeless it clobbers the senses.
It seem unthinkable to me that this song writing genius would waste his time on an effort best described as a musical "train wreck." However, what's worse is that John Q. Public actually bought the sucker.
There are so many solo efforts by Paul I can hear non-stop such as "Junior's Farm and "Nineteen Hundred Eighty Five."
The unanswered question: how much memorable material would McCartney and John Lennon have turned out if they had not broken ranks in 1969 - 70?
Meanwhile. has it really been 35 years since John was gunned down? I still recall ABC's Howard Cosell announcing the death of John on Monday Night Football in December, 1980.
Silly Love Songs? Can't we all just groove to "Harper Valley P.T.A?"
Chet Coppock

Paul has turned out some drivel over the years ... and he's had some "lucky" #1's with songs that, in hindsight, hardly seem deserving. ("Hello Goodbye"? "Get Back"? "Let 'em In"? "Ebony And Ivory"? And, according to many "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" and "Silly Love Songs".) (Not all of these have aged well either!) But the guy sure knows how to create a memorable hook ... no matter how hard you try, it's nearly impossible to get ALL of these songs out of your head once you hear them!)

You're right ... December 8th is right around the corner ... hard to believe that John has now been gone nearly as many years as he was with us. (Ditto Elvis Presley!)

We've been talking about the new Dion / Paul Simon duet ... and recently posted a link to the new video. Now this from Dion's Facebook page ... courtesy of FH Reader Frank B ...

Jeez ... even THESE guys look better than Carly Simon!!! And they're both considerably older!!! (kk)

Hi Kent -
Being a huge Cory Wells fan, it was with much anticipation that I wanted to read the review by Rich Turner of the "new" Three Dog Night and the incorporation of David Morgan into the mix. I am glad to hear they have found someone to fill Cory's shoes -- and, as you know, they are very big shoes to fill, considering his vocal prowess. Enclosed is a video of Michael Grimm singing "Try A Little Tenderness", the artist that I thought Danny Hutton was going to give a listen to and consider after Cory Wells' passing. I wasn't familiar with David Morgan, but I am glad to hear Danny Hutton and Three Dog Night are able to continue their legacy as their record speaks for itself. By the way, one of the unsung heroes of the band is lead-guitarist Michael Allsup -- and after all these years and all those riffs, you can tell by his incredible guitar playing and smiles, he is still enjoying himself. You talk-about seamless and stellar playing -- he delivers -- and "we ain't talkin' Domino's!"
https://youtu.be/y_IbyC7x75E
I see where Burton Cummings is again returning to the Orleans in Las Vegas this January for the third year in a row. I saw a few concerts last year and I must say his was the best -- and believe me I saw some good concerts -- but the night we caught his show in Vegas it was the best performance I have ever seen of his career and I have seen him over his entire career. I never thought he would top his performance when I saw him when he was 17 and performing with his first band, the Deverons, but he did. You wonder why he still sounds so good, certainly one of the reasons now is that he takes care of his voice.
As with Vegas, He is performing Thursday, January 14th, then taking a one night break, and then again performing the following Saturday and Sunday. I wish Sam Boyd would talk him into breaking out the white baby grand and three back-up soul-singers for part of the show to capture a bit of his first solo album. That is just one of the fun things of watching Burton Cummings perform ... he can sing demanding material such as "American Woman" and "Hand Me Down World", then slide into an oldie and then hit you with some jazz like "Shiny Stockings." Even Ray Charles had a nice compliment for him when he heard Burton perform "That's Enough." Looking forward in January to seeing Winnepeg's rockin' blue-eyed soul-brother -- now where in the hell are the Raelettes when you need 'em! https://youtu.be/P3xywfslSkw
In closing, want to hear one Chuck Berry's most under-rated songs?
Try this one:
https://youtu.be/mc7oGWgeA8s?list=RDmc7oGWgeA8s Peace,
Tim Kiley
Wish we could see Burton Cummings in Vegas ... that would be awesome! I know he enjoys playing there (but confided that things are done in a much stricter, timely fashion ... your show has to start and end a VERY specific times because they want to get the patrons out of the theater and back out on to the casino floor.) Burton likes to let the spirit of the music move him ... regardless of how long that happens to take on any given night. And there isn't a harder working guy out there ... he's typically drenched by the third song!!! In many of his online videos he looks like he just stepped out of the rain forest! (lol) But absolutely one of MY all-time favorites, too. (We've seen him four times in the last three years!) And, he was cool enough to record this little ditty for Forgotten Hits ...

The recruitment of David Morgan sure seemed to happen quickly ... Cory was barely gone and already Danny was back up on stage with somebody else ... that one has left my head spinning a little bit. Granted, I'm sure they didn't want to have to cancel any bookings ... but stepping into a role like this must have taken so serious rehearsal time ... which makes me wonder if Cory was sicker for a lot longer than we've all been led to believe. As I stated earlier in the week, I found Cory's voice to be the strongest of the three over the past couple of years of appearances ... and there may come a time (a free concert perhaps?) where I'd go see Morgan and Danny Hutton just for curiosity's sake ... but I think I'll be a lot more inclined to see Chuck Negron instead as I've always felt that it was HIS voice most closely associated with the sound of Three Dog Night. (kk)

↧

Helping Out Our Readers

November 20, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Black Is Black ... The "Eyes" Have It

≪ Previous: Thursday This And That

Some rather unusual ... and more difficult requests this time around ...

But that's ok ... we're up to the challenge.

Let's see if any of you can help solve some of these mysteries.

(Besides, we haven't done one of these in awhile!)

re: Helping Out Our Readers:

Let's kick things off with a little success story ...

Hey Kent,

I stumbled upon your blog somewhat randomly, but I hope you can appreciate the request. Awhile back, on 97.1 The Drive, Bob Stroud would do his Rock n Roll Roots Salute on Sunday mornings, and he had this intro that he played before the show. It was the coolest thing, and my family and would listen to it on the way to church. Especially after my mother died, it became even more of a tradition. I’ve been searching for the audio to this intro (in the beginning, there was nothing but rock … ); for ages, and I was hoping that I would be able to get the audio MP3 or video or something for my older brother for his birthday in November. I know this is a long shot, but any leads you can provide would be extremely appreciated.

Cheers,

Jane

I went right to the source on this one. That montage ran for YEARS on Bob Stroud's "Rock And Roll Roots" radio program ... so I asked him if might not be able to share a copy (and help make somebody's day.)

From what I've since been told, Stroud was kind enough to share this with me you.

So, Happy Birthday to your brother ... and here's hoping this rekindles a memory for you as well. (kk)

Hi Kent,

Thank you so, so, so much for the email! I did receive it on Friday of last week and I’m so thrilled. My brother, the birthday boy, will be absolutely ecstatic.

Have a great day!

Cheers,

Jane

Hi Kent,

I ran across your website and thought you might know about Richard Gardner.

I'm helping a friend, Daniel Tyler Pohnke, look for him. He is his biological father. We were told he passed away a few years ago in Houston.

He was with the Coastliners for a short period of time in the 60's and with the Buzz Bone band in the 70's.

He copyrighted one song called "Too Pooped To Pucker" under the name Richard Dayton Gardner.

Any help you could give would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kathy Brantingham

Thousand Oaks, CA

I'm not at all familiar with any of this but, believe it or not, we have reunited long-last family members before in Forgotten Hits so I'm willing to give it a shot. We've got some pretty long-reaching arms in music circles these days ... so if anybody out there is able to help make this connection, please get back to me so that I can pass the information along.

Thanks! (kk)

Good morning Beatles people,

Can anybody out there help make this Beatles fan's dream come true?

I received the following email from a man I met at a nostalgia show last month. His last name is Hall, so I can likely assume that his sister’s name would have also been Hall at the time of this event. Can any of you help him give his sister the ultimate birthday present when she’s 64? I will provide his email to anyone with information that can assist him. Thank you!

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,

HELP PLEASE ...

My sister, Karen, is a Beatle Freak! She entered a write-in Beatle contest hosted by radio WABC New York. This contest was a "send in the name of your favorite Beatle" contest. John was my sister's favorite, but in the end, she felt bad for the other three so she sent in their names as well.

My sister listened for the winners every night, but ... tragedy!!! She missed one night.

That night our phone started ringing and all her fellow Beatle fanatics were calling to congratulate her ... BUT SHE MISSED JOHN LENNON'S ANNOUNCING HER NAME OVER THE RADIO!!!

CAN YOU HELP ME? I would love to supply her with a recording of John reading her name. This year she turned 64. I made her a "When I'm 64" card, sent her valentines, a bottle of wine, and 64 red roses. I would love to top it all with her hearing John read her name over the radio.

DOES ANYONE ON THE PLANET KNOW WHERE THERE MIGHT BE A RECORDING OF THAT TIME WHEN THE BEATLES WERE ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE CONTEST? IT IS THE GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN MY SISTER'S LIFE. PLEASE CONTACT ME AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN FIND IT, OR IF THERE ARE ANY LEADS.

Gratefully,

Younger Brother Eric

A pretty tall request to find somebody who just happened to be listening to that EXACT radio program at that EXACT time ... and also happened to have a tape recorder rolling ... but hey, we'll give it a shot! We've found numerous people who used to tape their favorite radio programs back then ... and let's face it, the early days of Beatlemania was a pretty crazy time ... it was almost non-stop Beatles Broadcasting back then ... and nobody wanted to miss a thing.

If you can tell us the name of the deejay who hosted this program ... and approximately when that year this would have aired, perhaps we can narrow it down a bit ... but my guess is that unless you listened specifically to WABC and remember a contest like this (or maybe even ENTERED this contest), we're not going to be able to make this connection. But as I said before, I'm game for the challenge ... so come on, readers, let us hear from you. Thanks. (kk)

↧

Black Is Black ... The "Eyes" Have It

November 21, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 22 - 15 )

≪ Previous: Helping Out Our Readers

↧

The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 22 - 15 )

November 22, 2015, 9:43 am

≫ Next: 50 Year Flashback - November 23rd, 1965

≪ Previous: Black Is Black ... The "Eyes" Have It

Looks like this is turning into a seven-day work week for me, so I'm posting what I can before dashing off to the office ...

re: The Shangri-Las:
>>>Here's a follow up story from Entertainment Tonight in 1989 (Frank B)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQB8mYd-ozo
>>>This has been a pretty big story the last several years ... and there's WAY too much of this goingon in the music industry. It is SO obvious that the young girls on stage couldn't POSSIBLY be theoriginal Shangri-Las, but Richard Fox owns the legal right to the name ... and maintains that he canput ANYBODY of his choosing up on stage and call them The Shangri-Las. Most annoying (and we probably see this at least thirty times a year) is when these "fakes" refer to "their" hit record ... or make comments like "when we recorded this" ... when nothing could be further from thetruth. Sadly, SOME people in the audience are fooled ... or, worse yet, have been duped into buyingtickets for something that isn't the real deal ... and it's a shame. (kk) Regarding fake Shangri-Las, while co-hosting "The Saturday Night Special" oldies series on New York radio with the ever popular Kerin McCue (who's now a Fox News Radio anchor), one night Kerin remained back in the studio while I went on location to Playland Amusement Park in Rye, N.Y. There I was to host a string of oldies acts, including The Shangri-Las. Several years earlier, from Los Angeles, I had interviewed by phone the surviving Shangri-Las for "The History of Rock 'n' Roll" and looked forward to meeting them in person. Instead, to my surprise, in the dressing room, were four ladies obviously far too young to have been alive during the real Shangri-Las hit streak (1964-6). In interviewing these girls, I discovered that each had been hired by the promoter, who claimed to own the trade name "Shangri-Las." I then found the promoter outside by a tree and asked him what the deal was. He explained that he had found that the original group had never trademarked their name and so he did it himself for himself -- and then would hire any four girls to portray The Shangri-Las. When I asked him if he has the OK of the original members, he said, "Why bother?" I told him I would never delude audiences by serving as the MC for acts which did not include at least ONE original member. His response was that, as far as he was concerned, his girls were the "official" Shangri-Las. I then had to go onstage -- and set up the act by offering highlights of the REAL Shangri-Las story and then introducing the fakes as "a tribute to the Shangri-Las." The fakes then bounced onstage and set up their first number by saying, "Hi, we're the Shangri-Las and this was our debut hit." They then sang "Leader of The Pack" -- which, of course, was actually their second hit (after "Remember: Walkin' In The Sand"). Although I never let it show onstage, I was really quite upset about the fraud and after the concert not only told the promoter I'd never work for him again but the next day phoned the REAL Shangri-Las to tell them about the rip-off. By then the girls were actually kind of used to it as none had received a royalty check for their recordings in years -- despite continuing sales. I put the real Shangri-Las in touch with a lawyer who handles such cases and the girls wound up winning back all the rights to their famous name. In an ironic twist, though, none of the originals felt like performing any more -- so they wound up licensing the rights to the Shangri-Las name -- back to the very same promoter who'd been ripping off them (and their fans) in the first place!

Gary Theroux
"The History of Rock 'n' Roll"

OK, that's gotta be one of the STRANGEST stories in rock and roll! The funny thing is the original Shangri-Las had no interest whatsoever in going out and performing together again ... they just didn't like or appreciate the idea of some OTHER group of girls going up on stage claiming to be them and then collecting the money. So I guess in the end it all worked out ... obviously the promoter had the connections to keep the first group booked ... and now at least the surviving members of the original Shangri-Las got a piece of the pie! (kk)

re: Maurice Williams:
Hello,

My name is Lauren Barbieri and I work for AristoMedia in Nashville, TN. We are currently working on a project from the doo wop legend Maurice Williams, and I was curious to see if you would be interested in featuring it on Forgotten Hits?

Williams recently re-recorded his #1 hit from the 1960's, "Stay" with 10-year old Luke Balbosa. They attend the same church in Charlotte, NC, where Balbosa is under Williams tutelage in the choir. A fellow church member heard Balbosa singing the classic doo wop song, told Williams, and as a result, they recorded this touching video showing the power of music that brings people together, no matter what age, race, or background.

You can watch the video here:

I'd love to hear your thoughts and if you had any opportunities or interest in featuring the video.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your time.
Best,
Lauren Barbieri
Happy to help spread the word, Lauren ... and if Maurice would like to say hello to all his fans out there, we'd love to provide the forum for him to do so! (kk)

re: Johnny Rivers:
Secret Agent Man’s last mission
Ya know, sometimes things just get interesting around here. As I produce show after show, week after week, rarely a day goes by that something extra-ordinary doesn’t happen, either on stage or off, on the phone or in person. I’ll start our weekly journey with a show that we did last Saturday night. It was with the legendary Johnny Rivers.
He charted several times between 1964 and 1967, and continued to do so well into the 70s. His biggest hits include: Memphis (#2, 1964), Mountain Of Love (#9, 1964), Seventh Son (#7, 1965), The Poor Side Of Town (#1, 1966), Baby I Need Your Lovin’ (#3, 1967) and Secret Agent Man (#3, 1966). He was definitely a hit-maker, and remains as popular today as he ever was.
We do so many shows at The Arcada, and many sell out our 900-seat theatre. But you would be surprised who doesn’t sell out. We get good numbers, but they don’t “pack” the place. Especially artists from the 1960s. In Johnny’s case, he waaaaaaaay sold out, for the second year in a row! Johnny is a pretty humble guy, but he is a perfectionist and can get a bit “impatient.” His sound check is extremely thorough, and he does not leave the stage until it is absolutely the way it should be. I welcomed him back to the theatre, and he responded, “Hey Ron, how’s it goin’?” in that familiar Baton Rouge Louisiana accent.
I had just been in New York City and told him that I was in a cab there and the driver played his hit, “Secret Agent Man” over and over, like three times! He asked where I was in New York, and I told him I was in the Bronx, my favorite part of NYC. “Did you know I was born there?” he proudly asked. “Yep, right around the transition between Rhythm and Blues into Rock and Roll in the south, my father got a job and moved me and my brother down there. Guys like Fats Domino would play our high school dances. That’s what got me into Rock, and it was a good thing it happened when it did. I probably would have been doing the “Do Wop” thing like Dion!” he said.
One of my favorite songs growing up was “Secret Agent Man” by Rivers. It was one of those songs that everybody knew, and it just sounded cool to sing. It was like playing air drums and guitar to The Surfaris’ “Wipeout”. It was just that cool. It came out in 1966, rose to #3 on the charts, and has remained a fan-favorite to this day. It was the last song of his live show at The Arcada that night, and the crowd went absolutely crazy upon his finale.
So there we were, backstage after the show. He was toweling off, after throwing me a shot about the “warmth” of the theatre. (“Hey Ron, throw another log on the air conditioning,” he shouted to me from the stage during his show.) “Man, they still love ‘Secret Agent Man’, I keenly observed. “Yes, it is till the thing I get asked about the most, and it is still fun to perform.”
“It wasn’t actually a song in the beginning,” he blurted. “I actually wrote a few regional hits prior to that and we started to tour abroad. It actually all started when we were touring in England. We did a place called the “Ad Lib” club in London. These four guys came in specifically to see us. It turned out to be the Beatles! I got to be friendly with George. We talked about Elvis and Carl Perkins, whom I knew very well. My band members hung out with the rest of them, it was a very cool, laid back night.”
He continued, “We then met the producers of a very popular television show in the U.K. called ‘Danger Man’. They were bringing the show to the states and needed an opening song, one that was more ‘hip’ for the American audience, since theirs was based on an instrumental version featuring a harpsichord. My producer, Lou Adler, was also the producer for the team of two performer/songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. So Lou got us all together and we came up with the theme song,” Johnny said.
“What do you mean it wasn’t a song in the beginning,” I asked. He said, “Well, it was just supposed to be an opening of a TV show. So we just recorded a verse, a chorus and a little instrumental part. But everybody was bombarding the radio stations to play the song, but it didn’t exist! So we went into the studio and recorded the whole song, and people went nuts over it!”
I had never really heard of P.F. Sloan before, so after the show on Saturday night, I went back to my office to shut down, as I customarily do. Before I closed my computer, I Googled this P.F. Sloan guy. He was a guitarist who played on many session albums, including some for the vocal group of the sixties, The Mamas and the Papas. He went on to write for groups including Jan and Dean, The Turtles and Herman’s Hermits. Along with Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” he wrote the Viet Nam protest anthem “Eve Of Destruction” for Barry McGuire.
“Wow!” I thought it would be cool to try and contact this guy, maybe to bring him to the theatre, or even just for an interview on my radio show or for this column. That was Saturday night. A few hours later, I learned that P.F. Sloan passed away from pancreatic cancer at 70 years old.
As I said, some pretty interesting things happen in my crazy world, on a regular basis. The way I got to “meet” P.F. Sloan was a bit odd, and somewhat unfulfilling as it turns out, yet it happened in such a way that from not knowing him, I got to know him well, in a hurry. Equally as odd is that now I say goodbye to this songwriting icon, as he took his last breaths almost at the same time Johnny Rivers was performing Sloane’s biggest song our historic stage. A salute to him, and an honor for us.
-- Ron Onesti
By the way, our buddy Ron has been named "Man Of The Year" by The Italian-American Community in a ceremony held last night at The Alta Villa Banquet Hall in Addison, IL. (Again, due to this week's crazy work schedule we were unable to attend ... but extend our heartiest congratulations on this fine honor.) kk

And, speaking of P.F. Sloan ...

re: P.F. Sloan:
I recorded "What Am I doing Here With You?" which was one of P.F. Sloan's tunes (with Steve Barri perhaps?). It was never released and I don't even know if Curb kept the tape.
Davie Allan
Don't suppose YOU have a copy to share with our readers, do you Davie??? (kk)

re: Next Weekend:
A great opportunity for the locals to pick up an autographed copy of Jim Peterik's biography ... and the Ides Of March Box Set we plugged earlier this year in Forgotten Hits!

re: Carly Simon:

We were taken to task for our Carly Simon comment last week ...

Jeezy Peezy! on your snarky comment and picture to back up Carly Simon's aging process. She's also a breast cancer survivor, not to mention the ravages of a public exposure of her personal life details. There is no shame in growing older and I'd hope for kinder treatment from someone who lauds and applauds our rock 'n' roll roots. You didn't show before and after of Bobby Rydell's or Freddie Cannon's surgeries. PS: We always knew it were Warren Beatty.

Patti

Apologies if any offense was taken ... the comments were purely meant in jest. Kinda tough to feel sorry for Carly right now ... Frannie says the same day my comments ran Carly went public with a story about having sex as a nine year old with a teenage acquaintance because she had raging hormones ... and the fact that up to thirty different affairs were speculated as inspiration for "You're So Vain" would indicate that she knew (any enjoyed!) what she was doing!!! It's all to hype her new memoirs ... and double hits cd ... I guess, like they say, there's no such thing as bad publicity ... especially when you're the one fueling it! (kk)

CARLY SIMON: "Your libido overpowers everything! You’re so libidinous, even at the age of nine and ten."
Really? I wonder how many of our female readers out there were feeling these urges at the ripe old age of nine ... much less the fact that she apparently told several sources that she started this "fling" at the age of seven!!! Apparently you can read all about it in this week's People Magazine. (kk)

re: The Beatles:

Believe it or not, last week marked the 25 Year Anniversary of The Beatles Anthology airing on ABC Television. (Unreal!!!) This also means that it's the 25th Anniversary of the release of "Free As A Bird", the first new piece of Beatles music since the group disbanded in 1970. (Jeff Lynne produced this track, which featured Paul, George and Ringo adding their voices and instruments to a John Lennon demo track. Jeff's new single ... and video ... bare a striking similarity to The Beatles'"Free As A Bird" in my opinion.)

Next year's Fest For Beatles Fans (I don't care ... I STILL have to refer to this as Beatlefest!!!) boasts a stellar line-up of guests ... including many of the artists who participated on this year's British Invasion Reunion Tour. Check this out ...

PETER ASHER &

CHAD AND JEREMY

British Invasion icons Peter Asher (Peter and Gordon, legendary Producer) & Chad and Jeremy will be uniting for their BRAND NEW Musical Memoir Concerts on Saturday (Part 1) and Sunday (Part 2) at the FEST.

MIKE PENDER of THE SEARCHERS

As part of The Searchers in the early 60s, Mike played the Cavern, clubs in Hamburg, and many other venues where the Beatles played. At the FEST, he'll be in concert with fellow Liverpudlian Billy J. Kramer and will also be playing with Liverpool on

Sat. and Sun. evenings.

This is Mike's first NY METRO FEST appearance.

BILLY J. KRAMER

A native Liverpudlian who is premiering his new memoir (Do You Want To Know A Secret), Billy had many of his hits ("Bad To Me,""From A Window") written by John. At the FEST, Billy will perform in concert with Mike Pender, with legendary drummer Liberty DeVitto keeping the beat!

MARK RIVERA

Billy Joel's Horn Player, Ringo's Musical Director

First Solo album -- Common Bond

LOUISE HARRISON

George's big sister returns to New York!

First time in 17 years!

New book: My Kid Brother's Band a.k.a.The Beatles

MARK HUDSON

Host of Sunday's Musicians' Forum. Heads the nightly Jams with Liverpool!
We Can Write It Out Recording Sessions. Ringo's Producer for 10 years.

LIVERPOOL

John Merjave, Chris Camilleri, Drew Hill, Glen Burtnik

WORLD'S FINEST BEATLES TRIBUTE BAND

In a Salute to the 50th Anniversary of Revolver, they will perform the entire album - Side 1 on Sat., Side 2 on Sun.

BIRDS OF PARADOX

Appearing in concert, Birds of Paradox is local artist Jeff Slate's band that includes Jimmy McElligott, Steve Holley (Wings), and Gary Van Scyoc and Adam Ippolito from John Lennon's Elephant's Memory Band. Two other musicians who played on some of John's NYC sessions will be joining in -- Ron Aprea (Sax) and Jon Cobert (Keyboards).

THE WEEKLINGS

Consisting of Glen Burtnik and John Merjave from LIVERPOOL, Bob Burger, and Dave Anthony, The Weeklings play songs the Beatles wrote but never officially released, their Beatles-inspired originals, and other Beatles cuts. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2015.

RON APREA

Ron played saxophone on John's Walls and Bridges LP, appearing on the No. 1 hit Whatever Gets You Through the Night. Ron made his FEST debut in Chicago in August and is thrilled to be joining us in New York.

JON COBERT

Jon played keyboards on John's Walls and Bridges LP, and also on John's hit of Stand By Me. This is Jon's first FEST appearance

CELLOPHANE FLOWERS

Featuring Jeff Lubin, Cellophane Flowers is a reinterpration of Beatles songs arranged for string quartet and voice. They made their FEST debut last year in New York, thrilling the audience on two of our stages.

SCHOOL OF ROCK

School of Rock is the leader in performance-based music education. Their show team from Bedford, New York will be making their FEST debut.

PIG LIGHT SHOW by MARC RUBINSTEIN

ROB SHANAHAN

Ringo's personal Photographer sets up a fabulous Exhibit of photos from Ringo's tours including the 2015 tour and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

KEN DASHOW (Q104.3 FM) - MC

Ken has been our Master of Ceremonies for the last 16 years. He can be heard afternoons on Q104.3 FM and on iHeart Radio, and every Sunday morning on Breakfast With The Beatles.

The fest will run on April 15th, 16th and 17th at The Hilton Westchester in New York City. More details and ticket information here ...
http://www.thefest.com/2016-fests/new-york-metro-april-15-16-17-2016/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Fest%20Newsletters&utm_content=20151122

I know some of the later Beatles 45’s could be disappointing, but I don’t think you can lump them in with Paul’s Solo Swill!

Ken

The Beatles tracks I referred to were Paul's ... what I would consider to be "sub-par" when compared alongside some of his finest work. (Let's just say that the fact that these records were made by The Beatles certainly gave them a distinct advantage ... I don't know that they would have been #1 Hits had they been recorded by any of the other popular artists of the day.) kk

re: Bernie Allen ... and On The Radio:
Dear Kent,
Thank you for the info on Bernie Allen's passing! I once had the opportunity to meet those "Famous DJ's of WLS" in their hey day but not Bernie Allen.
It must have been a thrill for you to be with him and Clark Weber!
He will be missed and will always be a legend in Chicago Radio!!
Carolyn

Sad to hear about Bernie Allen. Like you, I did not hear him much because I lived far away and he was on when I was at school. Still, I have heard tapes and he was the perfect midday "housewives" DJ in the 60's. He played more LP cuts than most of the others, often the softer LP cuts. Bernie did all the hops, etc, just like the others, so it must have been quite fun at WLS. He was onstage with the Beatles in Chicago too, I believe. Sorry to hear about him and the great P.F. Sloan, too. I have been humming those tunes of his all day at work the past two days.
Clark Besch

Regarding Dick Biondi - I would rather he still be on starting at 11:00 pm - that's the time I'm driving home from work when I work - but I won't be listening at 6 or 7 am. My schedule's a little different than most, and I also hate those early morning sales calls!!!

Marlene

Hey Kent,
It's funny how a song will take you back to a time and a place in your life. Back in the days when music of the British Invasion was in full-swing in America, I was downtown with a buddy and ended up at a Woolworth's department store. As we walked by a glass display case, I saw a transistor radio that I just had to have. It was a Standard Micronic, 7 Transistor Radio! It couldn't have measured any larger than two inches square, and we both thought it was super-cool! I asked the sales lady to see it, and when I had it in my hands, I turned it on. It was already tuned to the local top-40 station, and what was playing was "Someday We're Gonna Love Again", by The Seachers. My friend told me that he really liked the song, and I agreed, plus the sound of that little radio wasn't too bad! Well, nobody had any money in those days, so I had to settle on another brand's much cheaper version to buy, but I returned it the same day. The sales lady wasn't very nice about the refund, but I had to have the real thing, which I never could afford to buy! I'll bet it's been fifty years since I've heard the song again, thanks to today's "oldies" stations.

- John LaPuzza

Two of the best known deejays here in Chicago in the early '70's had to be Bob Dearborn (over at WCFL) and Fred Winston (making his mark at WLS).

But did anybody know that these two guys almost teamed up together to take to the air at Super 'CFL???

Chicagoland Radio and Media Guide is reporting this teaser, thanks to a new posting on Scott Childers' excellent WLS Histoy Website ...

Do you remember the successful morning team of Bob Dearborn and Fred Winston on WCFL-AM / Super CFL in 1972? Of course not, because it never officially happened ... but it almost did.
WCFL-AM tried to hire Winston away from rival WLS-AM and pair him with Dearborn in mornings, only WLS-AM wasn't too happy about it. WLS Radio historian Scott Childers has the newly uncovered details of the huge morning team that almost was on his website WLSHistory.com, which can be viewed at this link http://www.wlshistory.com/jox/DW.htm
Scott Childers has made an appearance or two in our pages over the years ... his WLS History website is awesome ... and he's also written a book about the history of the radio station.
Bob Dearborn has been a Forgotten Hits List Member for several years and chimes in from time to time ... we used to love listening to him back in the day. He was with WCFL from 1970 until they switched formats in 1976.
Fred Winston used to be on the list ... and I think we may have heard from him once. This is a guy who absolutely should still be on the air today here in Chicago. (He's been on virtually every radio station in town over the years at some point anyway!) He was last dropped from WLS-FM in 2013 and hasn't been heard from since.
Check out Bob's EXCELLENT Almanac Website here: http://oldediscjockeysalmanac.blogspot.com/

Kent ...
Do you guys in Chicago know Murray The K.? He was very popular in New York.
http://www.murraythek.com/radio.html
Frank B.
Are you kidding me??? Everybody in the WORLD knows who Murray The K was ... he was one of the many "Fifth Beatles" back in the day ... and traveled with The Fabs on their first couple of visits to America. Thanks for sending. (kk)

re: Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame:
As we close in on the voting deadline for the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees (December 9th), let's take one more look at the candidates and where they stand today ...

CHICAGO = 37 1/2 million votes (23.5% of all voting)

YES = just under 26 million votes (16% of all voting)

CARS = just under 26 million votes (16% of all voting)

(These two have been neck-and-neck throughout this entire process and have flip-flopped numerous times, sometimes separated by as few as a couple thousand votes!)

DEEP PURPLE = 25.5 million votes (16% of all voting)

STEVE MILLER = 25.5 million votes (16% of all voting)

Likewise, these two ... in fact, the total vote spread between Yes and Steve Miller is less than 500,000 votes.

JANET JACKSON = 9.5 million votes (6% of all voting)

CHEAP TRICK = 2.2 million votes (1.5% of all voting)

THE SPINNERS = 2 million votes (1% of all voting)

CHAKA KAHN = 1.8 million votes (1% of all voting)

And, bringing up the rear (with the remaining votes split between them) ...

CHIC = 1.3 million votes

THE JB's = 950,000 votes

NWA = 660,000 votes (I guess the Compton film didn't help them after all! I figured these guys were a shoe-in ... but then again these counts represent the votes of the people ... the nominating committee has LONG made it a policy to do whatever the hell they feel like doing with little or no regard to what the fans really think)

THE SMITHS = a little over 450,000 votes

LOS LOBOS = just under 400,000 votes

NINE INCH NAILS = 550,000 votes

You can still cast your votes here:

http://rockhall.com/voting/2016-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees-vote/

↧

50 Year Flashback - November 23rd, 1965

November 23, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Tuesday This And That

≪ Previous: The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 22 - 15 )

WERX / Boss Radio must have had a crystal ball when it came time for them to finally issue their fist survey chart in November of 1965. Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds Of Silence" was just premiering on the national charts this week across the country ... yet WERX already had it at #1, ahead of some of the biggest groups on the countdown like The Rolling Stones (#2 with "Get Off My Cloud"), The Byrds (#3 with "Turn Turn Turn"), The Supremes (#4 with "I Hear A Symphony") and The Four Seaons (at #6 with "Let's Hang On". ALL of these records show up together as their first week on the chart this week in '65.

That's not to say that there aren't some great obscurities listed here ... "Cara Lin" by The Strangeloves sits at #5, the virtual non-hit "Ring Dang Do" by Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs is at #7 and "Run Baby Run" by The Newbeats (#9) all made the initial Top Ten.

Premiers like "Just Like Me" by Paul Revere and the Raiders,"Well Respected Man" by The Kinks and "My Generation" by The Who (which wouldn't debut in Billboard for another seven or eight weeks) all seemed to get a little jump on the national charts as well. (Pretty remarkable for the "new kid on the block" to be that progressively ahead of the rest of the pack ... I would think they would have had a VERY unique sound in November of 1965 ... as every other radio station in town would now have to play catch-up just to compete.)

So who WERE these guys???

Not many clues here ... no radio station call letters anywhere on the chart. It mentions "Hollon" and "The Grand Valley Armory" on 44th Street ... but even those clues didn't help us track them down.

We finally found them in Wyoming, Michigan ... or, perhaps more accurately, out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, according to Clark Besch who sent us this list for our weekly feature.

As 2015 draws to a close we've only got a few of these 50 Year Old gems left to share ... so be sure to join us each Monday Morning for our 50 Year Flashback!

↧

Tuesday This And That

November 24, 2015, 4:37 am

≫ Next: Article 0

≪ Previous: 50 Year Flashback - November 23rd, 1965

re: The Beatles:

>>>Believe it or not, last week (November 19th) marked the 25 Year Anniversary of The Beatles Anthology airing on ABC Television. (Unreal!!!) This also means that it's the 25th Anniversary of the release of "Free As A Bird", the first new piece of Beatles music since the group disbanded in 1970. (kk)

Believe it or not, I don't believe it! The Beatles' Anthology, which I taped off of TV (and still have the VHS of somewhere) aired between November 19 and 23, 1995, making it only 20 years ago.

Tom Diehl

You are absolutely correct, sir, and I stand corrected. (Funny thing is I KNEW it was the 20th Anniversary and yet I typed "25th" anyway. Must be that 67 hour work week!)

In fact, here's the release sent out by The Fest For Beatles Fans, whose information we also passed along about the 2016 New York show ...

NOVEMBER 19, 1995: It was 20 years ago today,The first installment of The Beatles Anthology first aired on a Sunday night on ABC. Over 47 million people watched and at the end of the show was the world premier of the first new Beatles song in 25 years - Free As A Bird. We got to HEAR and SEE it for the first time. The next day most radio stations around the country were playing it. Capitol Records wanted to take no chances of a leak, so they did something unprecedented in the industry. They changed the release date of Beatles Anthology 1 to Monday, Nov 20th (NOT the usual Tuesday). To make that happen, at their own expense, they FEDEXED all shipments on the Saturday so that no store would receive it until Monday. It ended up selling over 3.5 Million copies. The single for Free As A Bird was not ready for another 3-4 weeks and it made it to #6 on the charts. Had it been released that same week, it most certainly would have gone straight to Number 1. 3 Nights later Anthology Part Two aired and we heard and viewed Real Love for the first time. Anthology Part Three would air the next night on Thanksgiving night.

I also taped the entire television series ... and then waited in line (in VERY cold temperatures!) a few years later when the complete series (with ALL kinds of bonus footage) was first released as a VHS Box Set and went on sale at Midnight at Best Buy ... and there were quite a few of us in that line, too! It is nothing short of amazing the amount interest that still surrounds this supposed "flash-in-the-pan", never-gonna-last band from Liverpool who have captivated the hearts of the world since 1962. (kk)

re: And Another Anniversary ... :

Kent ...

On 11/20/1955 Bo Diddley was supposed to sing "Sixteen Tons" on the Ed Sullivan Show.

He switched songs at the last minute. Ed didn't like it. That's what it says in Ron Smith's book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlcU_CpqNu4

Frank B.

re: The Wild Wayne 40th Anniversary Interviews:

More play-by-play from FH Reader Frank B.

(Hey, I've got to be careful here ... this is starting to turn into The Frank B Newsletter!!!)

Kent...

Interview Date: February 15, 1989 - The late Niki Sullivan (The Crickets)
Wild Wayne asked Niki to tell the story about what happened on October 5, 1957.

When Niki stopped laughing, he told this story ...
The Crickets traveled from the east coast to Corpus Cristi, Texas. They arrived at the motel at 10 PM. Tired, they just wanted to get some sleep.

When they open the door, what do they find in their room?

CRICKETS.

Not one or two ... but A THOUSAND!!!

They complain at the desk ... no empty rooms available.

The guy says sweep them out of the room.

Do you know how long it takes to sweep 1000 crickets out of a room ?
Buddy sure picked the right name for his group.

On one of their early recordings a cricket outside the window can be heard on the record. Now there was a room full of crickets.

Like they say truth is stranger than fiction.

Interview Date: September 16, 1984 - Bobby Vee
One person's career ends, due to tragedy ... turns out to be a break for somebody else.

In February of 1959, Bobby was 15 years old ... a sophomore in high school.

After Buddy Holly's death, the next scheduled stop on their tour was Fargo, North Dakota.

Radio station asks for local talent to help out. Bobby and his group , The Shadows, open the show. This led to a recording contract with the local Summa Label.

In 1959, "Suzy Baby" becomes Bobby Vee's first Hit. It's later picked up by The Liberty Label.
Frank B.

re: Sonny Geraci:

Kent ...

According to Ron Smith's book, 11/22/1947 = Today is Sonny Geraci's Birthday.

Do you have any information on how he's doing?
Frank B.

We get asked about this all the time ... at one point we were in contact with one of Sonny's daughters, who would give us updates ... but lately we've been relying on Sonny's close friend Dennis Tufano, former lead singer of The Buckinghams, to fill us in.

We ran this posting from Dennis recently on the website ...

Sonny Geraci is slowly coming back. Mentally he is in very good stead but physically he is not strong

enough to get on the stage. He’s working hard to get back out there.

The jerk who stole the money has been released from his prison stay and there’s hope that he will be paying back the money or go back to prison.

I will keep you posted as much as they keep me posted. Thx.

Dennis

re: This And That:

Here is a GREAT concert review, sent in by Forgotten Hits Reader Tom Cuddy, of a recent Brian Wilson show in Easton, PA. Sounds like pretty much the same show we saw only this time Blondie Chaplin was back in the line-up.

And apparently the "Love And Mercy" closer gets to Brian every time. Read on ...

Rant 'n' Roll: Brian Wilson Is The Beach Boys - Accept No Substitute

by Mike Greenblatt, November 18, 2015

Easton, PA — The music of the Beach Boys, since 1961, and their debut “Surfin’” single, has been the soundtrack to our Baby Boomer lives. I was 10. I thought it was the greatest thing I ever heard. As hit after juvenile hit assailed our young ears over the radio in the early ‘60s, the Beatles were listening, too, and putting out their own string of juvenile hits across the pond. The difference between the two pioneering bands is that while The Fab Four matured into writing whatever the hell they wanted, Brian, while also maturing in compositional scope, was lambasted by his own band, management, label and lawyers into putting out the same feel-good pop they started with. So instead of naturally growing, he turned inward, and with the help of a copious amount of drugs and a creeping mental illness, turned into America’s Recluse.

That was fine for The Evil Beach Boy, Mike Love, who always only wanted “Fun Fun Fun” and still does. So if you want empty jukebox soulless versions of these songs performed in robotic fashion as if time has stood still and nostalgia is the primary emotion, indeed, go see Mike Love and his feel-good traveling whore band of non-Beach Boys calling themselves The Beach Boys. But if you want the real thing, with chances taken, with all of the profound angst and rock ‘n’ roll adventurism that only the true giants embrace, you owe it to yourself to see Brian Wilson and his band of 10 that includes original Beach Boy Al Jardine and, at the State Theatre in Easton, Pennsylvania, recently, a wonderful surprise.

That surprise came in the form of Blondie Chaplin who added some stirring rock-out moments. His vocal on “Wild Honey” tore the house down and his lead guitar electricity was as exciting as anything he ever did with the Rolling Stones both onstage and in the studio from 1997 to 2007. Chaplin, along with fellow South African Ricky Fataar, joined the Beach Boys in 1972 as full-fledged members. They infused the Boys with promise anew and made them stronger, tougher than the rest and awash with creativity. When Chaplin launched into singing “Sail On Sailor,” a song on which he originally sang lead on the Beach Boys’ 19th studio album in 1973 (Holland), all bets were off and we were dizzyingly transported to a time when this music was hardly nostalgic, but vital. Chaplin wandered about the stage shredding for some supreme moments, looking like a demented Lou Reed. The dude’s a classic.

Only four songs out of 31 (in 1:45) were not Beach Boys tunes. They were from Brian’s current — and quite excellent — No Pier Pressure. Al Jardine was goose-bumpingly good singing “Shut Down,” “”Little Deuce Coupe” and a cover of Phil Spector’s “Then I Kissed Her.” When his son, Matt Jardine, took the mic with his absolutely perfecto falsetto for “Don’t Worry Baby,” I think the crowd had a collective orgasm as his voice matched and exceeded the intent of the song as originally sung by Brian off 1964’s Shut Down Volume #2.

To hear such timeless classics as “In My Room,” “Surfer Girl,” “Darlin’,” “Surf’s Up,”, “Good Vibrations,” “Heroes And Villains” (the opener, preceded by a stunning a cappella “Prayer” which stunned the expectant crowd with wholly gospel fervor), “California Girls” and “I Get Around” performed so beautifully and harmonically dexterous was, for me, spiritual.

“This is the best song I ever wrote,” said Brian as a kind of a hush fell over the crowd for “God Only Knows,” from the eleventh — and best — Beach Boys album, 1966’s Pet Sounds. It would be the album that Paul McCartney salivated over for months before attempting to top it with his band’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. The much-deserved encore included “All Summer Long,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Barbara Ann,” “Surfin’ USA,” “Fun Fun Fun” and the last song raised a lump in more than one throat. Brian almost couldn’t get through “Love And Mercy,” the theme song to the exquisite movie of the same name, because he had taken chances vocally all night long. Coughing, sputtering on some of the lyrics, it didn’t matter at that point. We were all standing and kvelling* for this American Treasure.

(“Kvelling” is a Yiddish word I heard growing up that means bursting with happiness and pride.)

Kent ...

Starting tomorrow at 10 AM (New York Time) Top 500 Countdown starts on WCBS-FM.
Maybe you can sneak in a few songs while you're at work.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say neither one of us will like the #1 song.
Frank B.

What??? You don't think "Boogie Oogie Oogie" will win the top honors this year?!?!? (kk)

Kent,

Enjoyed Sunday's FH, especially the video you posted of Maurice Williams and Luke Balbosa doing STAY. Even though he is considered to be a "one hit wonder" today with his song STAY, Maurice Williams did have a couple of follow-ups I somewhat liked.

As for the hits of Johnny Rivers, probably one of his biggest hits here in OKC was his remake of the Miracles' TRACKS OF MY TEARS. I always did like his remake version better than the original by the Miracles.

John was giving you his reminisces about his experiences with his first transistor radio. Reading that and listening to the tune by Freddy Cannon, reminded me of a tune that Frankie Lymon came out with in 1958 on Roulette Records. Kent, do you remember or are you familiar with the song PORTABLE ON MY SHOULDER? Frankie had a "portable" on his shoulder and his baby by his side.

Larry Neal

We're hoping to have a word with Maurice Williams after the holidays to share with our readers. "Stay" is TRULY a timeless classic ... it has won over the hearts of every new generation to hear it since it first topped the charts back in 1960. (Remake versions by The Four Seasons and Jackson Browne performed pretty well on the charts, too ... but it was the original version, clocking in at just under two minutes, that captured our hearts all those years ago. Non-stop use in movies, commercials and television have kept the song alive ... and it still sounds just as fresh today as it did way back when. (kk)

Saying goodbye to a New Orleans legend ...

Kent ...

Stole this one from Ron Smith's Oldies.

Don't tell Ron.
Orpheum Theater Fills With Allan Toussaint Fans And New Orleans Musicians As Star-Studded Tribute Set To Begin / NOLA.com

http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2015/11/orpheum_theater_fills_with_all.html#incart_river_homeFrank B.

From FH Reader Ken Voss ...

P. F. Sloan (born Philip Gary Schlein; September 18, 1945 – November 15, 2015)

Some unique notes of his career:

* Wrote or co-wrote:

"Eve of Destruction" (Barry McGuire)

"You Baby" and "Let Me Be" (The Turtles)

"Secret Agent Man" (Johnny Rivers)

* Was the lead falsetto voice instead of Dean Torrence on Jan & Dean's top 10 hit "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"

* Session guitarist with The Wrecking Crew

* Production credits range from Ann Margaret to The Robbs

* Was original founder of The Grassroots

* In 2015 published memoir - What's Exactly the Matter With Me? Memoirs of a Life in Music

http://www2.gol.com/users/davidr/sloan/aboutsongs.html

Dear Film and / or Bob Dylan Buffs,
Gary Pig Gold's look at that the "Bob Dylan Revealed" documentary has just reappeared at the virtual address below.
So don't forget to read, as well as reprint, re-post, quote from or even link to if you so desire ... http://www.ballbustermusic.com/bbm/columns/pigshit/11-2015/bob_dylan_revealed

Here's a recent interview with Eric Carmen, sent in by FH Reader Tom Cuddy ...

http://fox8.com/2015/11/19/taking-a-trip-down-the-gold-and-platinum-record-lane-with-eric-carmen/

Kent ...

I found your follow-up Shangri-Las story very interesting.
Mary Weiss, lead singer, tried a solo comeback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY8UVqCUJnwFrank B.

Kent,

In Saturday's FH I was immediately reminded of a record that came out in 1961 and was fairly big here in OKC. It was Jerry Wallace's EYES (DON'T GIVE MY SECRET AWAY). I don't think it charted nationally and of course, don't know how it did in your part of the country. It was on Challenge Records of course. Also, today's feature reminded me of a girl I knew years ago from back East.

I always did like to look into THE EYES OF A NEW YORK WOMAN.

Also, while watching a football game on television just now, I saw for the second time within a few days a commercial which I believe was for Android - Google. The background song was DOWN IN MEXICO, the tune that the Coasters did back in 1956. I don't believe it was the original recording by the Coasters, but I would say it's a close second.

Larry

Hello Mr Kotal!
Just picked up a new book last night - "Everybody Knows About The Bird" by Rick Schefchik.
It's a new book on the Minnesota music scene in the 60's featuring The Trashmen of Surfin' Bird fame. The little I have perused it I think I am in for a good read. Of course you can get it on Amazon. Just thought you and the rest would be interested in it.

I was looking at the index in the back at the people, groups and songs annotated in it ... well, you will be impressed ... Al Kooper, The Beach Boys, the Stones, Elvis ... well you get the point.
And you can find a great interview with him about the book on the "Holding Court" podcast with Ron Rosenbaum. Enjoy both!
Pete Heger

I hadn't heard anything about this one ... and I can't find a link on Amazon. Maybe you can send us a review once you make your way thru YOUR copy??? (kk)

I can do that. It might be a bit as I am saving it for our vacation here in a couple of weeks. You always need a good read on the plane, you know. Put it out there 'tho. The little bit I have looked at it brings back so many memories. I just wish my group of friends back in high school would have been the kind to go to all these shows. I really missed out. I will report back when I finish it.

Wow, a book report ... like eighth grade all over!

Pete

Yeah, but a FUN one!!! Enjoy your trip, Pete! (kk)

And, speaking of cool give-aways, Davie Allan has promised to send an autographed copy of his two latest cds, "50th Anniversary" and "King Of The Fuzz Guitar" to a lucky Forgotten Hits Reader.

Interested in winning a copy? Drop me a line and simply put "Davie Allan" in the subject line.

Or you can order your OWN copy directly from Davie himself ... get BOTH CD's for only $15, including shipping ... and he'll sign YOUR copies as well

Holiday Special (two new CDs):

"50th Anniverary" AND "King of the Fuzz Guitar" for $15 (that includes the shipping).

Davie Allan

12100 Coventry Way

Unit 306

Tustin, CA 92782

Thanks,

Davie

These very well may be the last physical cd's that Davie releases ... seems like EVERYBODY has joined the digital age of downloading. (Not me ... I bought half a dozen brand new cd's last week ... but it IS getting harder and harder to find them!!!)

Don't miss out ... grab YOUR chance to pick up these cd's stat! (kk)

And a few more great reviews of Harvey Kubernik's EXCELLENT new Neil Young book ...

http://www.houstonpress.com/music/long-may-he-run-coffee-table-book-fetes-neil-young-on-his-70th-7923981

An excellent review of Neil Young: Heart of Gold at the website for reviews, Curled Up With a Good Book.

Neil Young's career has traced an arc over five decades. The ups and downs of his career could fill a book, and luckily we have the supremely talented Harvey Kubernik to provide us with it.

The author is a cultural historian with not only a tremendous gift as a writer but also the insight and understanding to unravel not only who an artist is but why.

Kubernik follows Young from his roots in Canada all the way through his most recent solo album (number 36, if you're counting) titled The Monsanto Years. In between those two goalposts, the author follows Young through the important years of the Buffalo Springfield, his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and a solo career that began in the '60s.

There are exhaustive interviews here with many of the key players in Young's life including Graham Nash, Nils Lofgren, Ian Hunter, Robbie Robertson, Richie Furay, and many others. They provide a picture of an iconic artist who has long been hard to define.

Young's extensive catalog of music is analyzed and interpreted. As side pieces to the discography, archival photos and personal memorabilia adorn this beautifully packaged book.

Once again, Kubernik has taken the reins of a wild horse and tamed him. He gives a face and focus to an artist nobody has really understood -- until now.

Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Harvey Kubernik
Backbeat Books
Hardcover
224 pages
September 2015

A number of years ago I was talking Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, of Del-Lords and Steve Earle and the Dukes fame, about some of his extracurricular activities, one of them being handling production chores for Nils Lofgren’s ’92 album Crooked Line. While working on a particularly brawny track called “Drunken Driver” Ambel remarked to Lofgren that it reminded him a lot of Neil Young & Crazy Horse; the lightbulb apparently went on over Lofgren’s head, because a day or so later who should wander into the studio but Young himself. Ambel soon found himself trading electric guitar lines with the music legend. Subsequently, while listening to the playback, Lofgren asked Young what he thought of the riffing.

“It’s ugly, it’s horrible, it’s nasty — it’s just right for the song,” was Young’s response.

That scenario came to mind while absorbing the latest book by veteran L.A. author / journalist Harvey Kubernik (most recently: 2014’s Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows, reviewed HERE). Neil Young: Heart of Gold is rife with such moments, when Young made an artistic call based not on what would seem to be the obvious or logical or even commercial decision, but upon his gut feeling, of what his instincts told him would serve the moment — and certainly the song or the album or the concert at hand — best.

With each of its 10 chapters set up to detail a specific timeline in Young’s life, the 224-page, photo-rich NYHoG pulls off the remarkable event of presenting those timelines with orderly precision based less on uniform blocks of time (for example, the “Expecting to Fly” chapter depicts 1966 - 69, while “A Long Road Behind Me, A Long Road Ahead” covers an entire decade, 1996 - 2006) and more on how proximate releases, tours, events and personal digressions informed and related to one another. Just to cite one chapter, the “Keep on Rockin’” 1987 - 96 period: late ’87 found Young legally free of Geffen Records, with which he’d had a rather, er, fractious relationship (a few years earlier the label had sued him for submitting albums that were “unrepresentative” of the man they’d thought they were signing) and back home on Reprise, where his first release was the horns-heavy/blues-rocking This Note’s For You (the accompanying tour was recently documented on the 11th installment of Neil’s archive series, Bluenote Café); apparently freed psychically as well, Young would go on a sustained creative roll and enjoy one of his most celebrated eras ever, including the release of iconic anthem “Rockin’ In the Free World,” the now-legendary “Smell the Horse” tour with Crazy Horse of the US and Canada that featured Sonic Youth as opening act, the platinum-selling Harvest Moon album, an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “Philadelphia,” the Kurt Cobain-referencing Sleeps With Angels album that earned him his “Godfather of Grunge” sobriquet, and high-profile tours with both Booker T & the MG’s and Pearl Jam serving as his backing band.

Don’t mistake this 8.5” X 10.8” volume for “just another coffeetable book,” however. Folks who spot it in the book store might initially compare it to the 2013 Neil Young: A Life in Pictures, given the similar size and similar wealth of photos — many of them familiar and considered “classic” but quite a few also quite rare and/or relatively obscure — that dot each spread and cover literally every stage of Young’s career (from high school yearbook photos all the way up to his appearance in April of this year in L.A. at Stephen Stills’ Light Up the Blues benefit for Autism Speaks).

But for my money, NYHoG is as worthy a Young biography as, say, Jimmy McDonough’s Shakey, from 2003, or Johnny Rogan’s 2000 tome Zero to Sixty. As a lifelong Young fan who even saw Buffalo Springfield back in the day, Kubernik certainly owns those books and many others, and it’s likely that he didn’t feel the need to retread similar narrative ground. Instead, he structures his book as an oral history that synchs nicely with the images he presents, quoting from Young intimates (David Geffen, David Briggs, Elliot Mazer, etc.), journalists and filmmakers (John Einarson, Henry Diltz, Stanley Dorfman, etc.), musical peers and bandmates (Randy Bachman, Eddie Vedder, Graham Nash, Richie Furay, Nils Lofgren, Frank Sampedro, etc.) and scores more. At the end of the book an appendix lists all of Kubernik’s respondents along with a capsule bio for each, so while a name like Nash or Lofgren probably needs no further explication, it’s nice to know the bonafides for some of the lesser-known people who provide quotes for the book. (Kubernik lists all these folks as “contributors.” Nice populist touch, that.) Another appendix lists the original sources (books, magazines, etc.) for all quotes not collected by Kubernik himself.

He also drops in Young quotes where appropriate, additionally making judicious use of brief but pertinent narrative segues — mindful no doubt of the number one pitfall for oral histories, namely, the ever-present risk of jumping from one “voice” to another without any accompanying context, thereby leaving the reader confused. And to bolster the time-line theme of the book, an appendix provides a very detailed 25-page discography of every Young-related official release.

Ultimately, Neil Young: Heart of Gold strikes the right balance between text and images, between brain food and eye candy. You can proudly leave it out on the table in the living room to impress visitors with your obvious appreciation of The Icon Known As Neil Young, sure. But it’s also the kind of book you can pick up while listening to a record or wondering about some stray bit of Young lore and come away feeling just a little more informed than you were previously.

And hey, Christmas is coming, and everyone’s got a Young fan in the family or circle of friends in need of a good gift idea, so… Now excuse me, I have to go. I’ve been putting off organizing into a database my 500+ Neil Young bootleg LPs, CDs, tapes and downloads for far too long, and I suddenly have an incentive to do just that.

-- Fred Mills

Order your copy here:

http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Young-Heart-Harvey-Kubernik/dp/1495003272/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448364674&sr=1-3&keywords=neil+young

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Article 0

November 26, 2015, 7:43 am

≫ Next: November 27, 2015 - Our 16th Anniversary!

≪ Previous: Tuesday This And That

HAPPY

THANKSGIVING

Does this pumpkin pie taste funny to you???

↧

November 27, 2015 - Our 16th Anniversary!

November 27, 2015, 5:32 am

≫ Next: Cornerstones Of Rock

≪ Previous: Article 0

Forgotten Hits began exactly sixteen years ago today ... which just happened to also be the Friday after Thanksgiving, 1999.

At first, it was just an emailed newsletter ... to 35 people who I had met in the AOL Oldies Music Chatroom. (We used to play trivia every night back then and even back in '99 I was already bemoaning the fact that oldies radio was ignoring all but about 500 songs that they just seemed to played repeatedly on end.)

I made it a point of mentioning SO many great songs that were extremely popular at the time ... songs we all grew up loving and singing along with on the radio ... records we all went out and bought ... and the wide variety of styles that were incorporated side-by-side within the Top 40 Radio Format.

In the simplest fashion possible I innocently asked those first 35 "subscribers" ... "If I took the time to write something about these great songs and artists that radio doesn't play anymore, would you bother to read it???" When all 35 oldies music fans said that they would, Forgotten Hits was born ... and we have turned out THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of issues ever since.

Every now and then we look back and see if radio has improved. Honestly, it's had its ups and downs .. positive things like The True Oldies Channel ... the quickly defunct Real Oldies format ... and Internet gems like Rewound Radio (along with Chicago's own ... but hopefully soon to be syndicated ... newcomer Me-TV-FM) have been bright spots along the way ... but more and more of this music has begun to focus on the '80's as their target audience, all but eliminating the majority of the music released before 1964. Even an artist as revolutionary as Elvis Presley ... who charted an incredible 127 times before "Suspicious Minds" went to #1 in 1969 ... seems to have been reduced to a two or three hit wonder. (Billboard Magazine has contributed to this decline in Elvis appreciation by now only concentrating on their "Hot 100" Charts, begun in 1958, thus eliminating 32 more Elvis classics, including some of the biggest hits of his career.)

Forgotten Hits has always provided the forum for REAL oldies fans to share their memories. For the past two years we have run 50th Anniversary Charts celebrating The Top 40 Hits of the day, 1964 and 1965 ... and on a regular basis we challenge oldies radio to step outside the box once in awhile and play something off their well-worn playlist.

Today ... in honor of our very first Forgotten Hit ... we again salute and remember Max Frost and the Troopers' Top 20 Hit from 1968, "Shape Of Things To Come" (a record that went all the way to #3 here in Chicago.)

Happy Anniversary to us ... and thanks to ALL the folks who have joined us along the way!

*****

BLACK

FRIDAY

Whereas I won't even so much as drive by a mall on Black Friday, I hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving and will spend today the way you most want to spend it.

Enjoy the long weekend ... we'll be here with brand new postings on both Saturday and Sunday.

↧

Cornerstones Of Rock

November 28, 2015, 4:00 am

≫ Next: The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 29 - 15 )

≪ Previous: November 27, 2015 - Our 16th Anniversary!

The Ides Of March (and quite a few OTHER great bands) are upon you!!!

Don't miss the World Premier Broadcast of WTTW's Cornerstones of Rock, featuring The Ides Of March, The Buckinghams, The Cryan' Shames, The New Colony Six, the reunion of The American Breed and The Shadows Of Knight ... along with special appearances by The McCoys and The Standells ... as well as tributes to Chicago greats Chase and Aliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah.

↧

The Sunday Comments ( 11 - 29 - 15 )

November 28, 2015, 6:58 pm

≫ Next: 50 Year Flashback - November 30th, 1965

≪ Previous: Cornerstones Of Rock

re: On The Radio:
>>>All weekend long WCBS-FM will be playing their Top 500 Countdown starts on WCBS-FM. Maybe you can listen now and then. (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say neither one of us will like the #1 song.) Frank B.
>>>What??? You don't think "Boogie Oogie Oogie" will win the top honors this year?!?!? (kk)
Kent ...
"I Love The Nightlife" by Alicia Bridges is song #500 on the WCBS-FM Top 500.
We're just getting started and already I'm upset.
Frank B.
Meanwhile I've been totally enjoying The Drive's A-Z Weekend Special. At lunch on Tuesday I heard "Another Brick In The Wall", "Another One Bites The Dust" and "Another Park, Another Sunday" ... and then yesterday they played four dirty songs in a row ... "Dirty Laundry", "Dirty Water", "Dirty White Boy" and "Dirty Work". (They seem to be moving through the program quite quickly this time around ... I can't believe they had already gone thru the A's, the B's, the C's and a chunk of the D's in just 24 hours!!!)
It continues all weekend long ... and you can listen live here:
http://live.wdrv.com/listen/
Or, you can suffer thru a bunch of '70's and '80's drivel on WCBS-FM ...
http://player.radio.com/listen/station/wcbs-fm/

UPDATE:
Kent ...
#1 = "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
DJ said everybody was calling in an guessing "Hotel California," one of your favorites. It came in at #2.
"Boogie Oogie Oggie" is starting to look better to me.
Frank B.
Will have to peruse the list to see how many '50's and '60's songs made it. Not very many I'd imagine. (kk)

re: This And That:

Hi Kent,

Recently, I was a guest on the Icon Fetch podcast with Tony Peters. We spent about 20 minutes discussing The Comparison Book. It’s my personal favorite of all the books that I’ve helped Joel work on over the past 23+ years. You can listen to the full interview here:
http://www.iconfetch.com/great-music-interviews/2015-shows/944-show-257-comparison-book-112715.html

Paul Haney
Record Research

It's definitely my favorite, too. As soon as Joel obtained the rights to both the Cash Box and the Music Vendor / Record World charts, my hope was that he would someday display this information side-by-side in one concise volume. I remember at the time Joel saying that Billboard would never allow him to include their chart information alongside those of other, competing publications ... so this was a HUGE step forward in totally recapturing the essence of what the music scene was like back in the '50's, '60's, '70's and early '80's. A LONG time coming ... but well worth the wait. (If you guys don't have a copy of this book yet, you need to pick up a copy ...

http://www.recordresearch.com/pop/the_comparison_book_1954-1982.php)
It's a must-have for any serious collection.

Thanks, Paul! (kk)

Kent ...
I sent out a letter with an Elvis stamp on it. It came back, wrong address. Now I have an Elvis stamped envelope that is also stamped " Return To Sender. "
Frank B.

I saw a very cool show at the Akron Civic Theater on November 13th ... The Legends of Ohio Rock ... Northeast Ohio music legends, together on one stage. Joe Vitale (Joe Walsh's Barnstorm, CSN, Eagles), John Sfera (Glass Harp), Gary Markasky (Michael Stanley Band) and Marty Lee Hoenes (Donnie Iris and the Cruisers). It provided a night of great hits like Rocky Mountain Way, She Don't Love You, Love Is Like A Rock and several others. Brought back many memories ... and I was able to go backstage afterward for the artists to sign all my albums.
Tom Apathy

Gary Markasky

Joe Vitale

John Sfera

Marty Lee Hoenes

Speaking of cool concerts, Rick Levy tells us that more Box Tops dates have been booked ...

UPCOMING BOX TOPS DATES

January 9th ... Indiana Grand Casino ... Shelbyville, IN

January 23rd ... Grand Falls Casino ... Larchwood, IA

February 6th ... Peabody Auditorium ... Daytona Beach, FL

May 28th ... Cannery Casino ... Las Vegas, NV

Brian Wilson / Beach Boys Examiner columnist David Beard files this report (and interview) after catching Brian and his band in concert a few weeks ago ...

http://www.examiner.com/article/brian-wilson-thankful-to-fans-for-their-love?CID=examiner_alerts_article

I don't know what you think of the current trend of Digitally Extracted Stereo processing of oldies but this new release is one of the best examples of the technology that I have heard.
Audio samples here:     http://www.retrofonorecords.com/samples/
Paul Urbahns
Radcliff, Ky

Speakingof jukeboxes ...

Kent ...
Another one of my jukebox complaints ...
Whenever a singer or songwriter dies, I like to play their songs in the jukebox as my own personal tribute, thanking them for entertaining me over the years.
As you know from printing this information in Forgotten Hits, I've done quite a few jukebox tributes in the last few weeks ...
#1 = Allen Toussaint wrote "Mother In Law", in addition to many other hits. I want to play Ernie K-Doe. It's in the jukebox by Allen Toussaint, the writer, but not by the guy who turned it into a #1 Hit.
#2 = P. F. Sloan wrote "Eve Of Destruction", in addition to many other hits. Same story. I can get P.F. Sloan singing songs he wrote but I can't get Barry McGuire's #1 Hit version.
Doesn't make sense to me.  If both versions (singer and songwriter) were available, I would've played both.
Frank B.
Not sure what your "jukebox" source is ... or why they would limit the selections in this way. Honestly, MOST people are going to want to hear the HIT version of the song anyway. I get it, if it's being presented as some sort of tribute to the songwriter who has recently passed away (like the two examples you cite above) ... but I think people are STILL going to want to hear the hit versions they remember. You're right ... it really doesn't make sense. (kk)

Hi Kent -
Don't forget, having just listened to Transister Sister, that it is Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon's birthday on December the 4th ... and last week was his fifty first wedding anniversary to the real Tallahassee Lassie, Jeanette.
Take care,
Rockin' Lord Geoff
(from England but on holiday at the moment in Florida)
Florida?!?!? Boy, we could use a little bit of that sunshine and heat here right now ... had about 14" of snow dropped on us last week!
Congratulations, Freddy! Happy Birthday ... Happy Anniversary ... and Keep On Rockin'!!! (Still trying to get you out to Chicago sometime in 2016!) kk

We've run this clip before ... but just received it again from our FH Buddy Clark Weber so thought we'd give it another spin ...

Tri-DuelingPianos with Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, & Fats Domino.This is a once in a lifetime appearance and one you will not forget! Ron Woods of the Rolling Stones, Carl Perkins (Blue Suede Shoes) and others playing backup. A "Cameo Appearance" by Rod Stewart and all directed by Paul Schaeffer.
http://gottaseethisvideo.com/dueling-pianos/

I suspect most people didn't know that a novelty song had been written about P. F. Sloan, way back in 1971. It was "P. F. Sloan," by Jimmy Webb, and recorded on The Association's "Stop Your Motor" album. Webb was making fun of Sloan, and it was made worse by the fact that a lot of people who had never heard of Sloan assumed that he was an imaginary character invented by Webb for the song.
Jeff
Here's Jimmy Webb, doing his composition with Jackson Browne for those of you who haven't heard it before. (Probably a lot more timely in 1971 ... but still appropriate considering Sloan's recent passing.) kk

From FH Reader Tom Cuddy ...

FELIX CAVALIERE: PBS Plans for 2016

We hear that Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals will headline a public TV concert special that will be taped in Pittsburgh next April. Gary U. S. Bonds, Peaches and Herb, The Happenings and The Reflections will round out the bill.

Felix, who released his first-ever seasonal album, Christmas Joy, in 2014, will perform several holiday shows next month:

12/11 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theater

12/13 - Culver, IN - Culver Academy

12/19 - Riverhead, NY - Suffolk Theater

12/20 - Washington, DC - Hamilton Live

---From Premiere Radio Networks

So I guess these days EVERY late night TV talk show host had better know how (and be prepared) to sing!!!

Here's the currently topical again Carly Simon with Stephen Colbert singing her Top Three Smash duet with former husband James Taylor, "Mockingbird"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tedKatFBvgw

More from Wild Wayne's 40th Anniversary Interviews:

Interview Date: July 30 , 2006 = Johnny Tillotson

Johnny talks about his 1960 hit "Poetry In Motion."

Songwriters Mike Anthony (Lyrics) and Paul Kauffman (Music) were having a tough day ... no good ideas. They decide to take a break.

Mike looked out the window at a bunch of girls coming out of the school across the street. He turns to Paul and says "Look at that ... it's poetry in motion."

Johnny said he recorded this song at 10 o'clock in the morning in Nashville.

Interview Date: June 28 , 1998 = Chris Montez

He was influenced by his idol, Ritchie Valens. He thought to himself that if Ritchie could make it,
there was a chance for him. This was in Hawthorne, California.

Chris Montez heard that Ritchie Valens was appearing at this big dance hall. He went there to hear Ritchie sing. It was a big place, maybe a 1000 people. He turned around and Ritchie was standing next to him. He shook his hand and told him how much he liked his music. Chris said that's why he goes out of his way to be nice to his fans. He knows how it feels to be on the other side.
Frank B.

re: Helping Out Our Readers:
Kent,

With this week's survey not having any radio station call letters and or town or state designating where it's located, it probably was licensed in the Twilight Zone.

I liked your description of Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's song as a virtual 'non-hit'. I liked their ten on trial and unlisted. From the five singles listed, I would say the five later would turn out to be innocent or guilty, however one wants to put it, as being hits of the future.

Finally, speaking of weekly radio surveys, Kent I am going to say that probably the average size of a station's weekly radio survey was somewhere along the dimensions of a regular piece of typing paper or 8 1/2 by 11 inches and usually smaller in size. I have a weekly survey here at home that is 2 7/8" by 3 1/2" in size. It is for radio station KWHP 97.7 FM here in OKC which was on air in the early seventies. It was called the Mini Hit List. It had listed 97 records. Now, the survey was folded three times which unfolded measured 8 3/8" I am just curious, maybe Clark would know as well, if there were any surveys put out in which the measurements were shorter than this. The one I have one could fold and put in one's billfold.

Larry Neal

Well, you know, Larry, for all these years they've told us that size doesn't matter ... but when it comes to radio station surveys I've seen them all over the place ... from the full-size 8 1/2 x 11 notebook size sheets (perfect for saving IN a notebook for future reference) to the half-size sheet (or slightly smaller) which seemed to be one of the semi-norms ... to the long and thin WLS surveys that used to come out in the '60's and '70's (approximately 3 1/2" x 8")

I always hated folding my surveys to stick them in my pocket ... and would get annoyed if the sales clerk folded it and stuck it in my bag when I bought that week's favorite 45's. I always wanted them to be nice and flat, clean without any creases ... but the "pocket pal" version does make sense I guess if you plan on carrying it around with you.

Maybe some of the other survey collectors can weigh in on what they might have in their own private stash. (Many of these guys have been collecting surveys from all over the country for the past 50 years ... I'm sure they've seen a wide (and I guess narrow!) assortment of charts! (kk)

I came across your website as I was searching for lists of B sides or Country 45's. Found a fair list on you Top 200 Biggest Two-Sided Hits of All Time, but was wondering if there was a more generic list of B sides? Thanks.
Ken Cartwright
KYAC Community Radio
Program Director

Because we primarily concentrate only on the pop charts, I don't have such a list ...
However I would strongly recommend Joel Whitburn's book "Hot Country Songs" which lists the A-Side and B-Side ... by artist ... of EVERY song to EVER make Billboard's Country Chart, 1944 - 2012. It'll give you more ideas than you could ever possibly program!!! (lol)
You can pick up a copy here:
Hit Country Records 1954-1982 | Joel Whitburn's Record Research
And, it is currently on sale for only $59.95.
Visit the website and you can view some sample pages ... it's absolutely OUTSTANDING and should serve all your needs.
Thanks, Ken ... let me know how it works out! (kk)



				Hit Country Records 1954-1982 \| Joel Whitburn's Record ... Hit Country Records 1954-1982 Save $10! / Sale Price: $59.95 List Price: $69.95 256 pages \| Size: 8.5 x 11 inches \| Hardcover NOW IN STOCK!

				View on www.recordresearch...	Preview by Yahoo

Thanks Kent, I gave this book some thought and will purchase it.
Ken Cartwright

You won't be disappointed ...
In fact, I bet it will trigger all kinds of other new programming ideas once you browse thru its pages and realize how many great songs you've forgotten all about! Good luck! (kk)

>>>I ran across your website and thought you might know about Richard Gardner. I'm helping a friend, Daniel Tyler Pohnke, look for him. He is his biological father. We were told he passed away a few years ago in Houston. He was with the Coastliners for a short period of time in the 60's and with the Buzz Bone band in the 70's. He copyrighted one song called "Too Pooped To Pucker" under the name Richard Dayton Gardner. Any help you could give would be appreciated. (Kathy Brantingham)

Searching copyrights ...
(http://www.copyrightencyclopedia.com/sterling-dollar-diplomacy-the-origin-and-the-prospects-of-2/),
I find that Richard Dayton Gardner was born in 1950 and copyrighted Too Pooped To Pucker in 1982. The Social Security Death Index online shows only one Richard D. Gardner born in 1950 passing away. That happened in Wyoming on November 4, 2012. That's not to say there aren't others, though. There seem to be several Richard Gardner's listed in whitepages but I have no idea if any of them would be a lead in the right direction.

The song does not currently show up either on the BMI or ASCAP websites, and actual copyright records for it don't seem to exist beyond what I listed above. Sorry I couldn't be of further help.

Tom Diehl

Kent,

Your first reader, Jane, was looking for the intro (in the beginning, there was nothing but rock ... ) which was used on Bob Stroud's show. I am not familiar with his show, therefore his intro, but the first thing I thought of was the Coasters' 1959 song THAT IS ROCK AND ROLL, which I believe was the flip of ALONG CAME JONES ... a particular tune I haven't heard in years. Yep, you guessed it ... I just now got it out and played it.

Larry

Stroud's opening was a montage of several songs leading into his Rock And Roll Roots Program.

Give it a listen and see what you think ...

Here's what I come up with:

The whole thing seems to be built around The Coasters' track "That Is Rock And Roll" ... it kicks off the montage and then is woven in between Bill Haley's version of "Rock This Joint", "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat and Tears" and "It Will Stand" by The Showmen.

Up next: three generations of the Chuck Berry classic "Rock And Roll Music", first by The Grandfather Of Rock And Roll himself, followed by The Beatles''60's version and The Beach Boys''70's remake.

The Beach Boys then chime in again with "I Can Hear Music", followed by Sam Cooke's "Having A Party", Reunion's #1 Hit "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)" and then the whole thing wraps up with a reprise of The Coasters' track. Not a bad little montage, is it??? (kk)

re: The Evolution of Radio (and the changes in our listening habits):

Hey, Kent! ~~~

When I was just starting my career in radio back in the day as a young, pre-driver's license, teenage disk jockey playing the Hits in South Dakota that have since become those Great Oldies and Forgotten Hits we all love today, it would have been just too cool if this would have been my bike to ride from home back and forth to those KRSD Rapid City radio studios!

Chuck Buell

It's funny how our listening choices have changed over the years.
Way back when our parents listened to the radio in the pre-TV years ... their contraption was likely some big, stand-up tube unit which later was incorporated into television consoles in the 1950's. By the time of the rock and roll revolution, every teenager had a transistor radio attached to their ear (and MOST of us slept with it under our pillows, too, because we just couldn't get enough of this hot new music.)

Then in the '70's, we went thru that whole "bigger is better" phase ... where we had speakers the size of a refrigerator mounted in our rooms, blasting out the latest sounds (probably breaking a few of mom's plates along the way thanks to the bass-boost button on our receivers!)

Before you knew it, we were listening to music on our tiny little computer radios again ... until somebody came up with the idea of taking most of your music with you ... on either an iPod or cellular phone, once again not much bigger than those little transistor radios were carried around in the '60's.

But this custom BIKE radio is to DIE for!!! (I don't think I've EVER seen one of these before!)

Anybody out there ever have one of these?

We'd love to hear from you. (DJ Stu ... you go to all these shows ... you, too, Bob Mayben ... tells us about some of the cool things you've run across over the years!

Thanks for sending, Chuck! (kk)

re: Merry Christmas:

Well, we've made it thru Thanksgiving ...

So I guess now it's Full Speed Ahead to Christmas!!!

HO! HO! HO! ~ LET THE HOLIDAZE BEGIN!
Yes, It's THAT TIME AGAIN!
Help spread the Holiday cheer.
Don't forget to add Ian Lloyd's mysterious Christmas theme:
"Everybody's Happy 'Cause It's Christmas Time"
Download 320kbps MP3 Here:
http://machinedreamrecords.com/mdr_Music/IanLloyd_ChristmasTime_320k.zip
Now Radio Ready for your Holiday playlist.
ROCK IS ON!
MDR & Ian Lloyd [aka 'Brother Louie']
www.machinedreamrecords.com
We've featured this one a few times before ... but here it is again, just in case you missed it.

If you visit YouTube, be sure to check out Paul Evans' VERY popular "Santa's Stuck Up In The Chimney" ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=557tQC86thA

... and another one of MY personal favorites, first featured here in Forgotten Hits many years ago, "Santa's Comin' Here" by Dick Eastman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9t5FBxUJoE

Aww, what the hell, how about another plug for my OWN Christmas Classic, "Lonely Christmas" ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRg_tx91XEQ

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