Today In Oldies 12/30/2010

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies......where your favorites from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's are still making news!

• Sir Elton John explains how he chose the name for his new baby
• Yoko Ono is on hand to unveil another shrine to her husband
• Paul McCartney is honored at the Kennedy Center (click here for video)
• The favorites of the Baby Boomers and Generation X still packed 'em in in concert in 2010
• USA Today looks at how the Baby Boomers helped shape music and pop culture
• Michael Jackson's "people" think a TV re-enactment of his autopsy shouldn't take place
• Meanwhile, the defense attorneys in his case will claim he killed himself
• A 60's and 70's legend continues to rock us (gently) thanks to a little help from his much younger friends
• Daryl Hall talks about the gigs at his house that have become a Web sensation and the love for Hall & Oates

The Gift of Music

This week, Everything Oldies will spotlight hit songs written by one music superstar and performed by another.  In some cases, the writer of the song had the artist in mind when putting pen to paper, and in others, they had someone else in mind when the song was written and were advised to keep it for themselves.  In any case, the artist made it his (or her) own and fully realized the writer's vision.

Today, we look at songs written by any combination of the three members of The Bee Gees.  The Saturday Night Fever era which made them superstars was also a very prolific period in their career, when at least 5 songs they composed became hits for other artists in addition to their own string of hits. 

• A one hit wonder was born when a song Barry and Robin Gibb wrote for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack ended up not being used.  They gave it to previously unknown Australian singer Samantha Sang, and with the help of Barry on background vocals, she gained her 15 minutes of fame!

• Since Barry Gibb had the Midas touch writing songs for movies, he tried his hand at it again after Saturday Night Fever, and the results were exactly the same!  Although it had a very definite Disco feel and sound, it was the title song for a soundtrack to a period musical.  Audiences didn't mind one bit that a song that was 100% 70's was featured in a movie about the 50's.  He wrote it with a particular artist in mind, and that artist gladly agreed to record it........making it the second solo #1 song for Frankie Valli.......

• Co-written by all three Bee Gees as an R&B song, and originally intended for Marvin Gaye, this one became a Country classic instead.  Hitting #1 in 1983, it would be 17 years before another Country song topped the Billboard Hot 100.  It won an American Music Award and was voted Top Country Duet of All Time in a 2005 CMT viewer poll.  Proving that two heads are better than one, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton turned a song meant for Marvin Gaye into a classic.........

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Burning Question of the Day

What 70's album holds the record for taking the longest amount of time from its initial release to hit #1?

Check back tomorrow @ Everything Oldies for the answer, and leave a comment here with your best guess!

Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day

Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers were a Motown act who had a minor hit with "Does Your Mama Know About Me" in 1965.  That song was co-written by the group's guitarist who later became part of a wildly successful comedy duo.  Who is he?

Answer: Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong)