(Above: Demonstration in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967. Photo credit: WOOD-TV) (Above: Demonstration in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2020. Photo credit: John Rothwell) I missed being alive in 1968 by about a year or so. That's not to say that I haven't studied it extensively. One doesn't teach media history to college students and not spend time … Continue reading The more things change: Spanky and Our Gang, “Give A Damn” (1968)
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New this week in ’70: May 16
(Above: A memorial to those killed at Jackson State, 5/15/1970) May 16, 1970 It's the fiftieth birthday of tennis star Gabriela Sabatini. Fifty years ago on May 15th another college campus shooting took place. This is the one we have a blind spot for in history, likely because it took place at a historically Black … Continue reading New this week in ’70: May 16
Rest in peace, Betty Wright: “Clean Up Woman” (1971)
Soul singer Betty Wright passed away today at the age of 66. Wright technically started her singing career before she turned three. She was a member of Echoes of Joy, a group that featured her whole family, in Miami in 1956. It wasn't until ten years later, at the age of 13, that she recorded … Continue reading Rest in peace, Betty Wright: “Clean Up Woman” (1971)
New this week in ’70: May 9
(Above: Mercury is really pretty small when compared to the Sun. We don't get this view again until 2032.) May 9, 1970 It's the date that Walter P. Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers, was killed in a plane crash just outside of Pellston, Michigan at the age of 62. His wife May was … Continue reading New this week in ’70: May 9
New this week in ’70: May 2
(Tin soldiers and Nixon coming. Photo credit: KSU photojournalism student and Valley Daily News staffer John Filo, who won a Pulitzer prize for this image.) May 2, 1970 It's a Saturday, and just after midnight hundreds of Kent State students went into downtown breaking windows and causing commotion in an anti-war protest. This led to … Continue reading New this week in ’70: May 2
New this week in ’70: April 25
April 25, 1970 It's the day after the People's Republic of China became the sixth nation to put a satellite into orbit. That same day was the last airing of Death Valley Days, which had been airing since 1952. Stanley Andrews was the long-running host, giving up the show in 1964 to Ronald Reagan. On … Continue reading New this week in ’70: April 25
New this week in ’70: April 11
April 11, 1970 It's the day after the Daily Mirror runs the headline PAUL QUITS THE BEATLES. McCartney basically confirms this later that day in a press release at the same time he sends forth his first solo LP, McCartney. April 11 is the day that Apollo 13 heads to space. Astronauts Jim Lovell, … Continue reading New this week in ’70: April 11
New this week in ’70: April 4
(Above: a 5th Dimension LP that got an awful lot of play in my house growing up.) April 4, 1970 It's the date of the March for Victory - a pro-war demonstration in Washington that attracted about 50,000 people unhappy with President Nixon's decision to reduce the American forces in North Vietnam. That same day, … Continue reading New this week in ’70: April 4
Rest in peace, Bill Withers: “Lovely Day” (1977)
Bill Withers passed away on Friday (April 3) at the age of 81. Heart complications were indicated as the cause of death. In total Withers put six records in the pop Top 40 with many more on the R&B charts. He's perhaps best known for two of them: "Lean On Me," which spent three weeks … Continue reading Rest in peace, Bill Withers: “Lovely Day” (1977)
Grand Rapids charts: WLAV-AM, April 1, 1974
Heading back in time today to take a look at what was popular in Grand Rapids, MI on WLAV-AM from the weekly playlist dated April 1, 1974. It's a top 30 list, and we'll count it up to the top. 30. "I Love" - Tom T. Hall (#23 last week). Let's just jump right in, … Continue reading Grand Rapids charts: WLAV-AM, April 1, 1974
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 