(Above: Dick Biondi - front left - was the last surviving member of the WCFL airstaff in this photo.) 2023 is in the books. As we have seen in recent years, many parts of our pop culture, as they age, leave us each year. This past year saw some big names pass on. As it … Continue reading 2023 rewound: voices we lost last year
1980s
The last “summer vacation” begins: The Billboard Hot 100, May 28, 1988
(Above: Some of the management team of WLRA/Lewis University, April 1988, just before summer vacation. The author is on the left in clashing Hawaiian shirt and shorts. We all went back to work that fall, and that was it.) I got a chance to see some family members that I haven't seen in a while … Continue reading The last “summer vacation” begins: The Billboard Hot 100, May 28, 1988
Rest in peace, Tina Turner: “Better Be Good To Me” (1984)
Anna Mae Bullock passed away this week after an illness. She was 82. Those sentences technically tell a story, but the story is much more complicated than that. Much has been written - better than I will or could be able to - about the story of Tina Turner, the stage name that Anna used. … Continue reading Rest in peace, Tina Turner: “Better Be Good To Me” (1984)
2022 in review: acts that we lost this year
(Above: The Killer, ironically, passed on in October.) 2022 was, by all accounts, a difficult year once again in terms of popular culture. For the last several years we've been seeing more and more of the acts that we grew up with aging and passing on. During more "normal" workload years for me - when … Continue reading 2022 in review: acts that we lost this year
Pop goes to college: The Billboard Hot 100, September 19, 1987
(Above: Lewis University's Fitzpatrick Hall, where I spent my Saturday afternoons in the fall of 1987. Watch this space for the FitzHall story, coming soon.) September 19, 1987 marked my third Saturday on the radio at Lewis University's WLRA. There's nothing significant about the show. Oh, sure, I have the tape of it somewhere, but … Continue reading Pop goes to college: The Billboard Hot 100, September 19, 1987
Rest in peace, Charlie Watts: The Rolling Stones, “Mixed Emotions” (1989)
Charlie Watts, the drummer for the greatest rock and roll band ever, has died at the age of 80. Just last week Watts decided that he would not be taking part in the Rolling Stones' tour this fall. He had beaten cancer once, but decided that the rigors of the road - and his ongoing … Continue reading Rest in peace, Charlie Watts: The Rolling Stones, “Mixed Emotions” (1989)
So long, 2020: Sending off a troublesome year in song
2020 has been one for the books, hasn't it? It seems like a lifetime ago that we were all gathering, making our plans for New Year's Eve, organizing parties and such. This year looks very different. Or does it? The last several years we've spent NYE at home in relative quiet. It's different when it … Continue reading So long, 2020: Sending off a troublesome year in song
Rest in peace, Benny Mardones: “Into the Night” (1980)
(Above: Benny Mardones. Credit: Billboard/Getty Images) Billboard magazine is reporting the death of pop singer/songwriter Benny Mardones today at the age of 73 following a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Mardones was born in Cleveland in 1946. His musical career began after serving in the Vietnam War when he moved to New York City and … Continue reading Rest in peace, Benny Mardones: “Into the Night” (1980)
On a mission from God: Solomon Burke, “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” (1964)
Forty years ago today - June 16, 1980 - The Blues Brothers made its film premiere. It was the first R-rated film I ever saw. In an age just in line with the advent of home video recorders and the infiltration of cable TV, it just wasn't as easy to see an "under 17 not … Continue reading On a mission from God: Solomon Burke, “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” (1964)
Rest in peace, Phil Phillips: “Sea of Love” (1959)
R&B singer John Philip Baptiste passed away Saturday at the age of 94. You know him as Phil Phillips, who - from a pop standpoint - had one hit: 1959's "Sea of Love," recorded with The Twilights as the backing group. Originally released on the Khoury record label, it was later picked up by … Continue reading Rest in peace, Phil Phillips: “Sea of Love” (1959)
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