Country music legend Roy Clark has passed away at the age of 85. I have to admit - Hee Haw was not something that I watched. Growing up as a kid in the Chicago area, I didn't have much exposure to Country music. Sure, there were radio stations playing it, like WMAQ (during the "WMAQ's … Continue reading Rest in peace, Roy Clark: “Yesterday, When I Was Young” (1969)
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Rest in peace, Don Sandburg: The Banana Splits, “Tra-La-La Song” (1969)
(Above: The original Bozo's Circus cast: Ringmaster Ned Locke, bandleader Bob Trendler, Bozo [Bob Bell], Oliver O. Oliver [Ray Rayner], Sandy [Don Sandburg].) Don Sandburg, the last surviving original cast member of the Chicago edition of Bozo's Circus, passed away over the weekend in Oregon as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was … Continue reading Rest in peace, Don Sandburg: The Banana Splits, “Tra-La-La Song” (1969)
Rest in peace, Peggy Sue Gerron: Buddy Holly & the Crickets, “Peggy Sue” (1957)
(Above: Jerry and Peggy Sue Allison) Word has come out of Lubbock, Texas by way of TV station KCBD that Peggy Sue Gerron has passed away at the age of 78. You likely don't know her, but you know the song that was written for her. Peggy Sue dated Jerry Allison in high school, and … Continue reading Rest in peace, Peggy Sue Gerron: Buddy Holly & the Crickets, “Peggy Sue” (1957)
Multiple-hit wonders: How a music network got a countdown wrong
(Above: Hits, as in "more than one.") Today is some sort of holiday called National One-Hit Wonder Day. I don't remember celebrating this as a kid, so I suspect that it came out of social media as an opportunity for people to share forgotten songs that are fun to dig out every once in a … Continue reading Multiple-hit wonders: How a music network got a countdown wrong
Rest in peace, Art Hellyer: Ray Charles, “America the Beautiful” (1972)
(Above: Art having fun at WCFL, circa 1951.) Sad news from the world of Chicagoland radio: Art Hellyer, longtime radio and television host, passed away last night. He was 95. Art held the distinction of being my oldest Facebook friend. Before becoming ill earlier this year, he was in the habit of sharing Facebook live … Continue reading Rest in peace, Art Hellyer: Ray Charles, “America the Beautiful” (1972)
RIP Matt “Guitar” Murphy: Chuck Berry, “Bye Bye Johnny” (1960)
(Above: His guitar playing was much better than his cooking.) Word circulated this weekend that Matt "Guitar" Murphy passed away at the age of 88. My first exposure to Murphy's work, like many people, was through his role as a part of the Blues Brothers band in the film of the same name. I don't … Continue reading RIP Matt “Guitar” Murphy: Chuck Berry, “Bye Bye Johnny” (1960)
Motown 60: Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (1983)
(Above: I still can't quite figure it out.) "Did you see it?" Conversations on a typical Tuesday morning in high school weren't interesting: tests, girls, dirty jokes, and the like. But the morning of May 17, 1983 wasn't typical. The baseball season was just getting started, and the White Sox had gained a game on … Continue reading Motown 60: Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (1983)
Rest in peace, Bob Dorough: Schoolhouse Rock, “Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here.”
Bob Dorough passed away on April 23, 2018 at the age of 94. That's not a name most people recognize, but if you are an American between, say, 30 and 50, you are intimately familiar with his work and may not even realize it. In fact, you may owe him a debt of gratitude. Dorough … Continue reading Rest in peace, Bob Dorough: Schoolhouse Rock, “Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here.”
50 years of magic: The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
(Above: An album cover that - I gotta admit - freaked me out a bit as a kid.) Fifty years ago this week The Beatles released the LP Magical Mystery Tour. The LP is an interesting mish-mash, in a sense: Side One is the soundtrack of the made-for-TV film of the same name, and Side … Continue reading 50 years of magic: The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
The politically incorrect jukebox: Bill Dana, “The Astronaut” (1961)
(Above: the cover of Bill Dana's breakthrough LP.) Comedian Bill Dana passed away last week at the age of 92. Dana wrote one of the most powerful television episodes dealing with race in the history of the medium - the episode of All in the Family where Sammy Davis, Jr. pays a visit to the … Continue reading The politically incorrect jukebox: Bill Dana, “The Astronaut” (1961)
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