(Above: An album cover that doesn't need explanation.) For the past few days on Facebook, many have taken the "How has aging treated you?" challenge. The premise, basically, is that you post your first profile picture, and then your current, and see how time has treated you. In most cases, the span is about ten … Continue reading 1984 turns 35: Van Halen, “Jump” (1984)
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New this week in ’69: January 11
(Above: Joe South tended to travel in triplicate.) There was positive response to the first installment in the "New this week in '69" series that started last week, so we'll continue. This is a weekly look at the new songs added to the Billboard Hot 100 exactly fifty years ago. A point of reference: a … Continue reading New this week in ’69: January 11
Fifty years ago in GR: WGRD’s Hot 30 in the Furniture City, January 8, 1969
(Above: The good folks at Woolworth's shouldn't have stamped across Mr. Merchant's picture like that....) January 8, 1969 was a Wednesday. In Chicago, Robert Sylvester Kelly was born; he would go on to have a starried if not controversial career as an R&B singer without his middle name and only an initial. In Miami, New … Continue reading Fifty years ago in GR: WGRD’s Hot 30 in the Furniture City, January 8, 1969
New this week in ’69: January 4
A lot of things will be turning 50 in 2019: the moon landing, the start of the Nixon presidency, the Chicago Cubs almost winning the pennant, the author of this blog... you get the idea. 1969 often gets overlooked in the retrospectives largely because of 1968 and the impact that that year had on American … Continue reading New this week in ’69: January 4
Rest in peace, Dean Ford: The Marmalade, “Reflections of My Life” (1970)
(Above: The Marmalade. Ford is in the blue jacket.) Dean Ford, the lead singer of the Scottish band The Marmalade, passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 72. If I were to ask you "Who was the first Scottish band to have a #1 hit in the UK," here's your answer. The … Continue reading Rest in peace, Dean Ford: The Marmalade, “Reflections of My Life” (1970)
Rest in peace, Darryl Dragon: The Captain and Tennille, “Lonely Night (Angel Face)” (1976)
It's been a rough day for 76-year-old celebrities with nicknames. All in one day, WWE announcer Gene Okerlund ("Mean Gene"), comedian Bob Einstein ("Super Dave Osborne"), and musician Darryl Dragon ("The Captain") all passed away on January 2 at the age of 76. Dragon had been suffering from kidney problems for a while, and succumbed … Continue reading Rest in peace, Darryl Dragon: The Captain and Tennille, “Lonely Night (Angel Face)” (1976)
40 Christmases ago in Chicago: The WLS Top Forty-Fives, December 23, 1978
(Above: Clearly, someone was keeping score at home.) Christmas 1978 would have placed me in the fifth grade at Helen Keller Elementary School in Tinley Park, Illinois. The upcoming year would see me start to pretend that I was on a radio station for a class assignment; this career aptitude (or ineptitude) would not be … Continue reading 40 Christmases ago in Chicago: The WLS Top Forty-Fives, December 23, 1978
Christmastime at the Voice of Labor: WCFL’s All Hit Music Chart, December 23, 1972
It occurred to me that we've never looked at a WCFL chart on this site, and it's high time we fix that. Let's travel back 46 years to the day before Christmas, 1972. What's big in the Windy City? 40. Joni Mitchell - "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio." Back in 1991 when WYTZ/Chicago … Continue reading Christmastime at the Voice of Labor: WCFL’s All Hit Music Chart, December 23, 1972
Rest in peace, Galt McDermot: Oliver, “Good Morning Starshine” (1969)
(Above: My parents had the LP. I have the 8-track.) Composer Galt McDermot passed away today, one day short of his 90th birthday. McDermot was responsible for setting the words of James Radio and Gerome Ragni to music for inclusion in a stage show the two had written - Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock … Continue reading Rest in peace, Galt McDermot: Oliver, “Good Morning Starshine” (1969)
School’s out for winter: The Billboard Hot 100 for December 15, 1984 (and what we probably listened to instead)
(Above: I was clearly enjoying my junior year of high school and in no hurry to go on break.) Friday, December 14, 1984 was the last day of school before the Christmas break began. If I remember correctly, we got out early from school that day, and a bunch of us went to Dave-we-called-Fritz's house, … Continue reading School’s out for winter: The Billboard Hot 100 for December 15, 1984 (and what we probably listened to instead)
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