Today's Date in 1986

It was on today's date back in 1986 that the results of television viewers' votes for the greatest hits of the Rock era were revealed on Dick Clark's "America Picks the #1 Songs". The month-long survey for this particular list showed that Americans picked Bill Haley (pictured) and His Comet's "Rock Around the Clock", Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (I never considered that to be a ROCK song) and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" (I never considered that to be a bona-fied Rock song either, but it was an extremely big hit at the time of the survey). The participants must have been varied in age and interests, I do not know of too many people who would ever think to categorize those three songs together on ANY list. In my humble opinion, Rock Around The Clock definitely belongs there, but Bridge Over Troubled Water for a "Greatest ROCK Hit"? Must be why there has never been a Rock and Roll chart in America, the Pop charts rule. At least the Lionel Richie song had a good beat and you could dance to it. LOL.
And, this show gave us a good video of Bill Haley and The Comets on national TV again! Hoo Rah! That's Bill Haley jamin' with Frank Beecher on stage, Frank (Franny) still tours with The Comets.

The Worst Person I Know

That's how the song went; "The worst person I know, she bothers me so, sent from down below, Mother-In-law..." by Louisiana Hall Of Fame and New Orleans Music Hall Of Fame inductee Ernie K. Doe. That song hit #1 on the charts on today's date in 1961 in America. Of all the thousands of songs I played at Paragon Casino in Marksville, LA, over the years, that one was the most requested. Ernie K. Doe passed on in July, 2001, but "The Emperor" will never be forgotten, we have his music. The photo of K. Doe is from a 1963 dance competition in the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Doe was battling James Brown in the competition! On another note, I am BEAT! I mowed two yards yesterday (my own, 'cause it needed it, and another for Ron Lindhorst, 'cause he mowed mine while I was out of town), I guess I'm not as young as I used to be, it wore me out, but look how nice and green my back yard is now! Small things satisfy me.

Charlotte Radio Performance

Just got the tabulations for the most shares in ratings by company for Charlotte radio: CBS Radio: 31%; Clear Channel: 22%; Lincoln Financial (Formerly Jefferson Pilot): 9%; Radio One: 8%.
Here's the stations (Highest rated 12+ first):
CBS: WPEG (Power 98), WSOC, WBAV, WNKS (Kiss 95.1), WKQC (K-104), WFNZ/WFNA
CLEAR CHANNEL: WLYT, WKKT, WIBT (The Beat), WRFX, WEND (The End)
LINCOLN FINANCIAL: WBT AM & FM, WLNK (The Link)
RADIO ONE: WQNC, WPZS
Both Lincon and Radio One may look like they're at the bottom, but not bad to be that high with only a couple of stations each, compared to the six that CBS has, and the five that Clear Channel has.
Oh, and another gone but not forgotten : British star Freddie Garrity, lead singer with the band Freddie and the Dreamers, died yesterday at the age of 69 at a hospital in North Wales.
His five-piece band had hits in Britain and the United States with "I'm Telling You Now," "You Were Made For Me" and "Do The Freddie".
Freddie lived in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, and was on holiday with his wife Christine when he was taken to hospital. He had been suffering from emphysema for several years and had been unable to work since 2001.
The group had a goofy picture on the cover of one of their albums with all of them in long night shirts with night caps on, strange that I'll always remember them that way, but that was one of the albums in a frame on the wall in the Oldies 104.3 studios in Alexandria, LA, where I did mornings and I saw it every day for 365 days. Plus I've had the album myself since I was 13 years old. A few people over the years have asked me why I am always smiling with my mouth wide open for pictures, now that I look at it, must have been a subliminal combination of Freddie and Bill Haley. I'm a Freddie Haley! I always thought Jeff Goldblum was Freddie's illegitimate son!

ALWAYS AND FOREVER BOOGIE NIGHTS

Another "Gone but not forgotten" to add to my list of long lost dreams and things that were: Johnnie Wilder Jr., (pictured in the middle with his band) the lead singer of Heatwave died Saturday, was 56. His daughter just released the news to the public today. If you don't remember "Boogie Nights" and the ballad "Always and Forever", then this means nothing to you. Johnnie sang lead, and, if I had a dollar for every time I roller-skated "couples only" to "Always and Forever", I'd have a nice little nest egg always and forever.
Wilder founded Heatwave, which was nominated twice for Grammys. I thought for a moment, "...hey, this was the first inter-racial group I ever listened to...", but after much more thought, it was the third, but what a sound they had. The first inter-racial group I remember hearing was The Del Vikings, they had a hit with "Come Go With Me", I must have played it a million times after school every day. The second inter-racial group I ever heard, and probably heard the most, was K.C & The Sunshine Band. I'm sure there is no use in explaining who they are and what they recorded.
Oh, and the last actor to play Clarabel The Clown on The Howdy Doody Show died Sunday at the age of 84. His name was Lew Anderson, he played the part from the mid-fifties right up to the last show in 1960. Anderson was the only one to play the part of the mute clown and actually speak, but only one time, on the last show, with trembling lips he said "goodbye kids."

Ace & TJ: 8 Years And Counting!

Charlotte Morning Team Ace and TJ announced on their Kiss 95.1 show this morning that they have agreed to a deal that will keep them on the Kiss Morning show until May 2011, GOOT GOSH! Way to go, my Alexandria Homies!!!!
Ace & TJ's show is syndicated on WSEA in Myrtle Beach, WQEN in Birmingham, WKXJ in Chatanooga, WGMR in Pennsylvania, WAKQ in Paris, Tennessee, and WWKF in Union City, Tennessee. Their show is flexible enough to be on just about any format, more stations should pick 'em up.

Zelda Gilroy and a not so big surprise

I thought I was in love with Zelda Gilroy (at left) from the Dobie Gillis Show, until I reached an age where girls with make up on began to appeal to me more. Then I fell in love with Sandra Dee, then Diana Rigg from The Avengers, and then I graduated to my love for Kristy McNichol. I even found my own Zelda (I must have been subliminally attracted to girls that looked like Zelda from watching too much Dobie Gillis), a girl from Maryville, SC who worked at WGTN-AM when I met her, that faintly resembled Zelda, but was so much more attractive, (and she even wore make up) Kathy Oliff was her name, she was sweet, I thought I was in love with her too, pictured below at right on my birthday in 1989. Back to Zelda. I remember at a very young age getting this strange feeling that Zelda not only bugged the crap out of Dobie, but it bugged the crap out of me that she seemed to look more and more like a boy than a girl. It was later revealed that the four lone episodes of her own TV show that were shot (and never aired) were tossed by the network because she was too "Butch". If only she had worn make up and cut those bangs, gawd I have never liked bangs since then! My interests turned towards Tuesday Weld in the show, but she was so up-ity and thought she was so high-class, then Warren Beatty started hitting on her in the show so I eventually declared Maynard G. Krebs (the late Bob Denver) as my hero of the Dobie Gillis show. I even grew a Maynard beard in College, I thought I was soooo cool.
Now, the surprise about Zelda, played by Sheila Kuehl, now a senator in California (pictured below, at right), but it's not really such a big surprise, I guess it was obvious all along, she said this weekend that she not only wants to be remembered for playing "Zelda" on the show, but also that she is gay.
She is 65 years old now and wants some gay knowledge put into our school systems, not sexually, but awareness that many historical figures are gay. I wonder if she'll get her way, I wonder if she will become a full-fledged activist for it.
Below is a picture of Kuehl during a radio interview, imagine my surprise when I saw her that day and it was the first time for me to see her since the black and white photo above, I was in shock for a bit I must say. Time goes by so fast. Rest In Peace Maynard G. Krebs, you are still my hero.

Happy Birthday Darius Rucker of Hootie and The Blowfish!

Darius turns 40 today, ooooooh, Darius, you're gettin' up there... just kidding. That's me with Darius in the picture, what was I looking down for? I asked him to autograph a CD and he said only if I would autograph a radio station bumper sticker for HIM!!! Sweet! I was looking down at the sticker while signing it.

Wink Martindale!

It was announced today that radio DJ (A DJ at age 16 and currently playing great tunes on Music Of Your Life) and game show host (Gambit, High Rollers, Tic-Tac-Dough) Wink Martindale will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on July 2nd this year. It's about time. Reminds me of the first time I played a Wink Martindale song on the radio. I'll never forget the black label on the 45 rpm record with the colorful "Dot" logo going 'round as I fumbled (trying to be quick and hip) and said "Deck Of Cards by Mart Winkendale..." Gawd, I was so embarrassed, thank goodness I was in North Carolina and Wink was in Hollywood, or New York or somehwere other than within listening distance of my square attempt at being hip. The song sold over a million, and so began my infatuation with Dot Records and collecting them, The Pat Boone maroon Dot labels all the way up to the Donna Fargo orange and red seventies Dot labels. Congrats Wink Martindale, hey, I got his name right this time!

Still ROCKIN' AROUND THE CLOCK!

Tommy Page (First on the left in the picture), an original member of Bill Haley's Comets, also known as Marshall Lytle, (but the first time I met him he was still using "Tommy Page", so he'll always be T.P. to me) sent me this photo today of THE CHARTER MEMBERS of a new Golf and Country Club in Branson, Missouri, called "Murder Rock G. and C.C.". The course is being developed by Glenn Patch, who is the builder and developer of The Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre there. The front nine will be played on MY BIRTHDAY, November 6!!! Also in the picture from the groundbreaking ceremony are, left to right: Original Comet Joey Ambrose, Mo Bandy, Shoji Tabuchi, Bill Medley, Original Comet Franny Beecher, Glenn Patch, and Paul Revere (of Paul Revere and The Raiders). WOW!!!
Oh, and by the way, it was on today's date in 1954 that "Rock Around The Clock" was released by Bill Haley and His Comets! Rock on!

Whoopi on mornings

Goot gosh, Whoopi Goldberg has announced today that she will lead a morning drive radio program beginning July 31. The show will air live, weekday mornings from 5-9am nationwide, will be called "Wake Up with Whoopi" and will be syndicated through Premiere Radio. The show is expected to especially appeal to Adult Contemporary stations with a blend of daily topics, comedy, listener call-ins, guests and music locally programmed by the radio stations that carry the show. Sounds like a perfect fit for The Link in Charlotte, if Bob and Sheri weren't already set in that slot.
Whoopi said "Radio is an area I have always wanted to play in, there aren't many women helming their own show. I'm thrilled to add my name to that small list because I believe that we have something to add to the morning groove." Groovy. I still miss Sex Talk with Phylis Levy on WLS.

Red Beans And Rice and Crawfish!

What a weekend. Got to see South Louisiana band "Red Beans And Rice Revue" (Pictured at right) reunite at Parc International in downtown Laffayette, ate crawfsih with friends Libby, Ron, Cora and Gary (That's Libby below holding the crawfish), and finally watched the latest version of King Kong after playing with Scooter and Bocelli, the two dogs in the picture with me at bottom right.
Would have been a very good weekend, except that I got word that long time friend and Crawfish Boiling King Shelby Charrrier died in a car wreck in Pineville, LA, Friday night, he was a good man.

Seems like it was just yesterday that Shelby was bringing boiled crawfish by the Q-93 Radio Studios in Alexandria, LA, on the weekend for a DJ called "The Boogie Man" and I, Boogie is also gone but not forgotten.

Cinco de Mayo 2006!

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year, I shall do as I do every Cinco de Mayo: Listen to both an aircheck of Rick Dees on 93 KHJ on Cinco DeMayo, 1980, and then listen to the BEST Herb Alpert off-shoot of all time, Los Norte Americanos and their first album "The Band I heard In Tijuana" (Actually titled "The Brass I Heard..." but some how my Mom's copy form 1966 had the Canadian issue cover with the alternate title and the American Somerset-Labeled record inside), an LP that is better described as The Big Band Sounds meet Mexico in the Swingin' Sixties, I prefer that, rather than the Alpert comparrison that is so often used. Cielto Lindo is my favorite track, if Austin Powers were Hispanic, this would have been his soundtrack.

Latest Charlotte Ratings Are In!

And WSOC FM 103.7 is the number one Country Station in Charlotte AGAIN! How many times in a row have they been number one? I lost count, I know it's more than four, that's a FULL YEAR at NUMBER ONE! Congrats to the staff!
Looking at the other stations, it's a bit odd to see WBT listed as "Lincoln Financial Group" instead of Jefferson Pilot, I guess I'll always be Old School. You can see the ratings here: Charlotte Ratings. Warning, this link will go bad as soon as the new ratings updates come out.

Soul Brothah #1 is 78

The hardest working man in show business, my mannnnnnnnn JAMES BROWN turned 78 years funky today. I just had a flashback to the first J.B. song I ever played on the radio. No, it wasn't "I Got You", "Cold Sweat", or even "Hot Pants". By the time I had gotten into full-time FM radio, Soul Brother #1 was back on the scene with a hot new one called "Living In America" on Scotti Bros. Records, it must have been 1985, I was on over-nights in Charlotte at Z-100, watching the tape roll through a blue Capitol Cart* in a BE cart machine, ahhhhh, those were the days. Happy Birthday James Brown, your moves in the movie "Ski Party" have never been out-done even to this day.
*This was a time in radioland after records and before CD's... duh.

Happy Birthday Lesley Gore!

It's her party, and, yes, she can cry if she wants to, SHE'S SIXTY YEARS OLD!
How time flies, seems like just a few years ago I was playing her Greatest Hits album (Produced by Quincy Jones) every afternoon after school. I never really took her for a serious/talented artist (The only exposure I had to visualize was seeing her lip-synching on American Bandstand) until I saw her perform on The T.A.M.I. Show (Teen Age Music International). Her performance in that concert-movie of "Hey Now" and "You Don't Own Me" adjusted my attitude towards a groovy-hair doo chick that others had told me was just a "rich chick spending her father's money". That is what I was told by the first person to sell me a Lesley Gore record, I couldn't find any Lesley Gore singles in the record stores so this guy I worked with sold me his 45 of "It's My Party." I can't remember his name, but he sold me a whole slew of 45's, in their original picture sleeves, that he'd bought right before going into the Army in 1963 and they were all just like brand new. I, of course, wore them out seeing as how I thought this was a whole "new" world of music (it was to me). I'll never forget the first time I heard "California Nights" by Lesley Gore on the radio, it was on WLAC, The Rhythm of Nashville, late at night, the DJ said "...the last charted hit by Lesley Gore...", all I could think was "I wonder if she still had that same hair doo by the time her last hit was out..."