REMINDER:
Be sure to tune in to tonight's edition of "Making Noise with Mark Dawson" on OurGenerationRadio.com. Mark and I will be picking some of our personal favorites from 1967, The Greatest Year In Music, and playin' 'em on the air. You can listen live here: OurGenerationRadio.com
Be sure to tune in to tonight's edition of "Making Noise with Mark Dawson" on OurGenerationRadio.com. Mark and I will be picking some of our personal favorites from 1967, The Greatest Year In Music, and playin' 'em on the air. You can listen live here: OurGenerationRadio.com
It all kicks off at 9 pm Eastern / 8 pm Central ...
please join us! (kk)
Me and Mark backstage at
The Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana,
where we met up in January
for the Salute To The '60's Show,
starring The Grass Roots, The
Buckinghams and
Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone
Hey Kent,
Another memory from 1967 ...
One of the reasons “Don’t You Care” is a
favorite of mine ...
We felt like we were on top of the world!
After “Kind Of A Drag” was a #1 Record for us, we signed with Columbia Records.
It was a real whirlwind time for us. We signed our contract with James Guercio
and Garrick Ebbins at my parents' house, and then signed our Columbia contract
on the plane to New York to record our next single “Don’t You Care.” It was an
exciting time to find yourself at the CBS building called the “Big Black Rock"
at 51 West 52nd Street in New York City. A lot of Columbia artists recorded
there including Simon and Garfunkel. It was very different for us to work in a
State of the Art 16-track studio. Anyway, “Don’t You Care” was released and
moved up the charts to #6. At the same time, USA released our recording of
“Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Kind Of A Drag” was just coming down from being a #1
Record, so it was very unique that we had three records at the top of the charts
at the same time in 1967.
Carl
THE BUCKINGHAMS
THE BUCKINGHAMS
"Don't You Care" was my first Buckinghams favorite ... I
actually liked it more than "Kind Of A Drag" (and still do!) I rank "Susan"
right up there, too. But ALL of the other hits ... "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", "Hey
Baby, They're Playing Our Song", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "I'll Go Crazy" and "Back
In Love Again" all rank as very close seconds! (kk)
Man, I am just lovin' the daily 1967 postings. So many great pieces of information and a great way to start each day.
Ted
In all fairness, each day is only as good as what actually happened on that date in 1967 ... but we try to dress every day up a little bit to hold your interest. (Good example: Scroll back to March 7th ... how often do you see The Monkees and Jimmy Hoffa discussed in the same context?!?!)
It was fun putting this all together ... and even more fun watching it unfold each morning ... so PLEASE make us a "regular stop" as you start each day. (kk)
Man, I am just lovin' the daily 1967 postings. So many great pieces of information and a great way to start each day.
Ted
In all fairness, each day is only as good as what actually happened on that date in 1967 ... but we try to dress every day up a little bit to hold your interest. (Good example: Scroll back to March 7th ... how often do you see The Monkees and Jimmy Hoffa discussed in the same context?!?!)
It was fun putting this all together ... and even more fun watching it unfold each morning ... so PLEASE make us a "regular stop" as you start each day. (kk)
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/
Hi Kent -
I haven't passed comment on your great read of the sixty seven's. Although much of course is about the US pop scene there is nearly every time I receive the latest read from you something I recall so because I am a fifties man mainly it surprises me how much I recall.
Take care,
Rockin' Lord Geoff (in England)
I came across another awesome site saluting the '60's that I wanted to share with you. http://www.the60sofficialsite.com/
SO much good stuff here it'll take you DAYS to even browse through it all.
Please give it a look ... Carl Hoffman has done an OUTSTANDING job of putting this all together ... I tip my hat to him! (kk)
Kent,
I may have some additional information about the adventures of Don Phillips after leaving WLS. I am almost certain that he worked briefly at what was Chicago’s first all-news radio station, WNUS 1390 AM. WNUS was short-lived, as was its top-40 parent, WYNR (September 1962 through September 1964). I swear I heard Don doing news on WNUS shortly after the switch to all-news in the fall of 1964. Ask him about that please.
As an aside, WNUS kept that format until the day CBS announced that it was transitioning WBBM to all-news. Deciding that trying to take on a 50,000-watt giant a second time, first time being WLS, wasn’t such a good idea, they went to an elevator jam format. I think Don was long gone by then. There of course have been multiple incarnations on 1390 ever since.
Bill Fortune
Kent,
Ron Riley quoted a saying that apparently "some weirdo back in the day" (his words), spoke on the air if not every day, most days while he was on. I don't really know how many DJs through the years used a special phrase or whatever when they signed off, but I am reminded of one particular DJ here in OKC.
If I remember correctly, his air name was Neal (Neil?) Blaze. He worked for KOMA here in OKC back in 1962 - 1963 and was not on the air for very long. I remember every day as he was going off the air he would say the following: "It takes a rubber ball to roll and a rocking chair to rock. But it takes a super woman to satisfy my natural soul. Color me GONE!" If this wasn't his exact words, it was a close second. Wonder if any of your older readers remember this guy who I'm sure worked in other radio markets.
Larry Neal
For the record, the "weirdo" Ron Riley was referring to was himself! (lol)
I'm sure we've all heard numerous tag lines over the years as jock sign-off's. That might be an interesting list to put together someday. ("These truly are my last few words" - John Records Landecker - immediately comes to mind! So does "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars" - Casey Kasem.) Anybody got any other good ones? (kk)
Hi Kent -
I haven't passed comment on your great read of the sixty seven's. Although much of course is about the US pop scene there is nearly every time I receive the latest read from you something I recall so because I am a fifties man mainly it surprises me how much I recall.
Take care,
Rockin' Lord Geoff (in England)
I came across another awesome site saluting the '60's that I wanted to share with you. http://www.the60sofficialsite.com/
SO much good stuff here it'll take you DAYS to even browse through it all.
Please give it a look ... Carl Hoffman has done an OUTSTANDING job of putting this all together ... I tip my hat to him! (kk)
Kent,
I may have some additional information about the adventures of Don Phillips after leaving WLS. I am almost certain that he worked briefly at what was Chicago’s first all-news radio station, WNUS 1390 AM. WNUS was short-lived, as was its top-40 parent, WYNR (September 1962 through September 1964). I swear I heard Don doing news on WNUS shortly after the switch to all-news in the fall of 1964. Ask him about that please.
As an aside, WNUS kept that format until the day CBS announced that it was transitioning WBBM to all-news. Deciding that trying to take on a 50,000-watt giant a second time, first time being WLS, wasn’t such a good idea, they went to an elevator jam format. I think Don was long gone by then. There of course have been multiple incarnations on 1390 ever since.
Bill Fortune
Kent,
Ron Riley quoted a saying that apparently "some weirdo back in the day" (his words), spoke on the air if not every day, most days while he was on. I don't really know how many DJs through the years used a special phrase or whatever when they signed off, but I am reminded of one particular DJ here in OKC.
If I remember correctly, his air name was Neal (Neil?) Blaze. He worked for KOMA here in OKC back in 1962 - 1963 and was not on the air for very long. I remember every day as he was going off the air he would say the following: "It takes a rubber ball to roll and a rocking chair to rock. But it takes a super woman to satisfy my natural soul. Color me GONE!" If this wasn't his exact words, it was a close second. Wonder if any of your older readers remember this guy who I'm sure worked in other radio markets.
Larry Neal
For the record, the "weirdo" Ron Riley was referring to was himself! (lol)
I'm sure we've all heard numerous tag lines over the years as jock sign-off's. That might be an interesting list to put together someday. ("These truly are my last few words" - John Records Landecker - immediately comes to mind! So does "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars" - Casey Kasem.) Anybody got any other good ones? (kk)
Hi Kent;
The flyer on the New Colony Six caught my eye as it reminded me of my days as a road manager with the band.
Actually, the Colony played a twin bill that March night. We opened in Waukegan while the Robbs were at Dex's joint in Racine. As I recall, both acts played about an hour before packing up and switching venues. Was it a test? Not really. As I recall we didn't miss a beat and the night was wrapped up at 11:30 allowing me plenty of time to drive back down to Rush St. with my phony i.d.to chase chicks at Rush Up and Barnaby's.
Jeez, I miss the old days on Rush. The area wasn't about valet parking and overpriced steaks. It was a thriving mecca for rock 'n roll, r and b and boy - girl attraction. You could see the magnetic Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Ryders at the Happy Medium for about four bucks.
Chet Coppock
New book on ex-Bear Otis Wilson out in October
Wish I could have seen The New Colony Six back in the
day - Ray Graffia, Jr. has told me the band "really kicked derriere" back
then.
Was hoping to catch them at The Prairie Center on St.
Patrick's Day, too ... but the show is officially cancelled. Too bad ...
coupled with The Cadillac Casanovas, that would have been a great one to
see.
(Remember when you and I MC'd a show these two bands did
together at The Arcada Theatre a few years ago for a fund-raiser?)
kk
Meanwhile, you CAN still get tickets to see The New Colony Six (featuring both Ray Graffia, Jr. and Ronnie Rice) at The Cornerstones of Rock show at The Genesee Theatre on May 20th. (Also on stage that night: The Buckinghams, The Cryan' Shames, The Ides Of March and The Shadows Of Knight ... a "Who's Who" of Chicagoland Rock And Roll. Tickets available here:
And our Buy One / Get One Free ticket offer is still in effect for the Tommy James and the Shondells show (featuring special guests The Association) on March 25th.
Just go to the site and enter the special promotional
code FORGOTTENHITS and your ticket
price will essentially be cut in half! (kk)
Kent,
Got a comment or two about Wednesday's FH where the March 10 of WLS
survey is featured. Perusing the two surveys as well as the songs you posted,
the novelty record MECHANICAL MAN didn't make our survey but I do happen to have
that particular song(?) on an LP. I hadn't heard the name Teddy Randazzo
mentioned in a long time. He had a fairly big record here in OKC back in 1963
with his BIG WIDE WORLD and a not so big record the year before, THE MOTHER
GOOSE TWIST. The MECHANICAL MAN song reminded me of a similar if not different
record earlier in 1960 called ROBOT MAN by singer Jamie Horton (Gayla Peevey).
Thanks for posting the record by George Carlin. Hadn't heard that one in
years.
Larry
FH Reader Clark Besch has loaded us up with some GREAT, vintage articles from back in the day, circa March, 1967 ... SO cool to see some of this stuff again (and most for the very first time!) kk
FH Reader Clark Besch has loaded us up with some GREAT, vintage articles from back in the day, circa March, 1967 ... SO cool to see some of this stuff again (and most for the very first time!) kk
Kent,
Hearing from my fave DJs Ron Riley, Dex Card and Clark Weber thru your new email messages is just great! I have the Coke commercials and here's another with Ron using one of his many catch phrases "Outa-sight"!
Here's some of the things the DJs and bands were up to in March, 1967 too:
Clark Weber was handing out awards at Chicago's Grammy Awards ceremony with the Buckinghams performing. This was an actual Grammy ceremony, as they were awarded at four different cities that year!
Ron Riley would be doing a St Patrick's Day benefit dance with the incredible Saturday's Children and Mauds in South Holland!!
WCFL's jocks were hosting THE ANIMALS, the Trolls at Arlington High School!!!
And Jim Stagg would do a SOCK HOP
(they were still doing them with bands combined) in Roselle with the snotty
Dunwich garagers, the Knaves!
2000 students crammed into a
Brookfield Cryan Shames dance that had lead singer Tom Doody with a CROAK-Y
voice! As described below, it didn't hurt the sound so much just because the
band was so good and "The Hooke" had those 'frenzied stage antics." Whaaaa?
The mild mannered Jim Pilster was "frenzied?" NEVER!!
Prospect High would be getting a
soon-to-be VEGAS act, the MOB! Opening for the Vogues would be James Holvay's
band who would be playing Vegas in June, 1967!
Chicago's soon to be new Dunwich
artists, the Troys, would be doing a teen dance at Rich East
High.
Attached is their great Dunwich single from 1968. You'll hear the Shames' and Ides harmonies, the American Breed horns sound and the Association vocalizations! One of so many Chicago bands that fell through the cracks, it seems.
Attached is their great Dunwich single from 1968. You'll hear the Shames' and Ides harmonies, the American Breed horns sound and the Association vocalizations! One of so many Chicago bands that fell through the cracks, it seems.
Another band that fell thru but
had at least one terrific single that sells for probably about $500 these days
are the Huns. Yeah, it's unpolished, but "Winning Ticket" has some terrific
potential and is now well known among Chicagoland collectors. Wishing to take
"the next big step" sadly never occurred except in the March, '67 article
below.
Here's a teen club description from this month, 1967. How many went to the popular Green Gorilla teen club?
Meanwhile, our Ides of March would be playing with the newly solo Chad Mitchell to a COLLEGE crowd complete with MIXER following in Oak Park!
Another college mixer I wish I could have attended was the unveiling of the American Breed at an alumni club mixer.
Go go girls and free 45s of their GREAT very first single! BTW, they were still getting billings as Gary & the Knight Lites in April 1967!
An exciting time for teens and
bands in Chicagoland!
Hi Kent:
Here is another Top
Hits survey for your year end collection.
Ken
Freck
Ken and Joel "JK The DJ" Kiedrowski wrote
the book on the Milwaukee Charts ... "The WRIT Radio Surveys - The Rock Era -
1960 - 1974" is available now. Drop him a line at dfreck@ix.netcom.com to find out how you can
pick up your own copy. (kk)
