Celebrating the music that shaped our lives. The 50's. The 60's. The 70's. We give you the latest news from your favorite artists & track down those in obscurity!
Today in 1986, the #1 song in the UK belonged to an artist who had hit the British Top 10 with the same song almost 30 years earlier. It also wouldn't be the first time this artist would have a hit with the same song more than 25 years apart. He is one of many American artists whose success in the UK rivaled his domestic accomplishments.
Jackie Wilson's death in 1984 brought new attention to his music in no small part due to Michael Jackson thanking him during his acceptance speech when his landmark Thriller won Album of the Year at the Grammys. His back catalog found new life in re-release, and while he had been a huge hit with British audiences throughout his career, he only had a handful of UK chart hits. The one that had been his biggest in 1957 would be even bigger 30 years later!
Two other Jackie Wilson hits, "I Get The Sweetest Feeling" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" had the distinction of hitting the British chart on three separate occasions, but the one UK hit that would top them all, and outperform its original run up the charts in 1986, was riding atop the hit parade 25 years ago this week.............
Your favorite Oldies stars are still making music! Click here to check out new releases on CD and digital download this week
A lawsuit is settled between the surviving members of The Shirelles and the producers of a musical based on them
"What do you mean you don't have that song"?
The story behind the last #1 song of the 1970's (and 2nd #1 of the 1980's) has its origins in the same way many other classics do. It began its life out of the remnants of an unused track with a different title and what turned out to be a very different first line of the chorus, a line which might not have been nearly as memorable.
While reading New York's Village Voice newspaper one day, the song's singer and writer came across an ad in the "personals" section. In an interview, he said he became curious about what might happen if he answered the ad, and what if it turned out to be taken out by his wife? Had she become bored with him and needed an adventure? While he never actually went through with it, he put pen to paper and came up with "People Need Other People". Never heard of that one you say? Oh, I'm sure you have.
The original first line of the chorus wondered, "If you like Humphrey Bogart........". Most of his songs up to that point were ripe with movie references, so he decided to go in a different direction. Since this was a personal ad that sought someone to get away with her, a likely destination would be a tropical island. If you're on a tropical island, what do you normally drink? Certainly not beer. After considering a Mai Tai and a Daiquiri, the artist went with a drink he had never actually tried before, and has since said he hated the taste of it once he did.
While it became an unqualified international smash, it didn't start out that way. As it began to gain radio airplay, listeners began to jam radio request lines and bombard record stores wanting to hear or buy "the pina colada song". Since that wasn't the song's official title, DJs and record store workers had no idea what they were talking about. With sales initially slow, brighter minds at Infinity Records decided to change the title with all future pressings of the record. Sales and airplay skyrocketed, with the song hitting #1 in the U.S. and Canada and Top 5 status in Australia and New Zealand. Music fans weren't ready to "Escape", but they most definitely were ready to get their hands on "the pina colada song", leading to the tweak in the title that led to a smash........
From a guest shot on Solid Gold in 1981, Rupert Holmes performs his signature song, the last #1 song of the 70's that hit the top this week in 1979........
Several artists made more famous and infamous appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show during its 23 year run, but one of Sullivan's personal favorites appeared more often than any other pop or rock act of the era. This week in 1969, the most successful incarnation of this group appeared for the 16th and final time.
Their first appearance came around this same of the year in December 1964. They would average 5 appearances a year through 1967. By December 21, 1969, however, internal tensions within the group, a major shakeup at their label, Motown Records, and a shift in musical tastes had marked the end of the road for the most successful female group in music history. Motown founder Berry Gordy also had a plan in place for the leader of the group to launch a solo career, and he felt the timing was right to send her out alone.
The country was stunned following this performance at Ed Sullivan's announcement that the leader of The Supremes, Diana Ross, was leaving the group. Their story, however, ended well, with the song they performed becoming their final #1 song in that incarnation and providing a fitting springboard for Diana Ross to enter the 70's as one of the A-list superstars of the decade.
For one last time, here are The Supremes performing the hit that would be their swan song on The Ed Sullivan Show..............
The #1 song this week in 1969 was Peter, Paul, and Mary's classic "Leaving On A Jet Plane". You know who sang it, but do you remember who wrote it? Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess! Friday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day Which rock and roll TV special was filmed today in 1968........but never seen until 1996? Answer: The Rolling Stones' "Rock and Roll Circus"......a performance special featuring members of The Beatles and The Who (among others) but unseen until a VHS home video release 28 years later
This week in 1971, a landmark song which is still a staple of Oldies and "classic hits" radio stations across the United States began its climb up the Billboard Hot 100. It would eventually hit #1 in January 1972 and stay there 4 weeks.
Don McLean's classic "American Pie" has been dissected ad nauseum by music lovers, historians, and musicologists alike, but McLean himself has gone the route of Carly Simon's elusiveness about the subject of "You're So Vain" when discussing the song. He has never publicly given his own take on the song's numerous lyrics and references.
With that in mind, we at Golden Hits Radio will give you what we call our "American Pie Primer", a collection of links and websites devoted to taking their best shot at defining the song and its myriad references so you can draw your own conclusions.
Understanding American Pie - a verse-by-verse breakdown of the song's lyrics, along with an encyclopedic summation of the events to which the song refers, by Jim Fann
Songfacts.com - A comprehensive, user-contributed page devoted to the song
Which 60's teen idol took an acting turn today in 1963 on an episode of ABC's Burke's Law? Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess! Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day Which rock and roll TV special was filmed today in 1968........but never seen until 1996? Answer: The Rolling Stones' "Rock and Roll Circus"
On December 12, 1961, a big band singer who had not made the
successful transition to rock and roll had left Los Angeles for
Cleveland try his hand at something different, a daytime TV talk show. Over
the course of 21 years and over 6,000 shows, his program became a
necessary stop for the A-list, and in the process, he created some very
memorable musical moments.
Michael Dowd, Jr.'s previous claim to fame up to that point had been
as lead singer in Kay Kyser's big band in the 40's and 50's. He also
provided the singing voice of Prince Charming in Walt Disney's classic
1950 animated feature film, Cinderella. By 1961, however, big
bands were out of favor, and an old colleague hired him to host a new
daytime talk show being launched at KYW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio. It was
an immediate hit. Two years later, it went nationwide, and in 1965, it
would move its home base from Cleveland to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
where another show that would become an American daytime TV institution,
American Bandstand, launched.
The Mike Douglas Show was the standard celebrity chatfest
that exists on almost every American TV channel today. It's no surprise
that the host's musical background provided him with a fondness for
having the hottest musical acts of the day on the show, and several of
them made the most of their appearance.
The show was the highest rated program on daytime television for most
of it's 21 year run, but the week that topped them all came the week of
February 14-18, 1972, when Douglas's co-hosts were none other than John
Lennon and Yoko Ono. They brought along a rather eclectic group of
guests with them that week, but the highlight came when one of Lennon's
heroes joined them for a rip roaring musical
performance..................
One of Douglas's most bizarre moments came in 1974, when an
outlandish new group made their national TV debut. The interview with
one of the members before their performance provided fodder for one of
his other guests, comedian Totie Fields.........
Golden Hits Radio would like to congratulate the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of inductees! Several of the folks are either heard each day on our station or were responsible for some of the greatest music ever recorded in a behind the scenes capacity. Let's shine the spotlight on them.............
Donovan
The Small Faces (who later became The Faces)
Laura Nyro, a legendary songwriter who wrote a number of huge hits including.........
Legendary producer Tom Dowd, who sat behind the console during the recording of classics like..........
Producer/engineer Glyn Johns, who brought us..........
The Golden Hits Radio family lost an incredible talent yesterday, as Dobie Gray passed away at the age of 71. He is one of the few artists who had a hit with the same song across two very different generations and is still a staple of Oldies and Adult Contemporary radio stations today.
Not much is known about Dobie Gray's childhood. He is thought to have been born near Houston, Texas. In fact, even his given name is in question. Some sources indicate his birth name is Lawrence Darrow Brown. Still others claim it is Leonard Victor Ainsworth, a name he used on several early recordings.
He moved to Los Angeles in the early 60's to pursue acting, but he also sang to pick up some extra money. None other than Sonny Bono suggested he make his stage name Dobie Gray, a play on the name of the title character on the 60's TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. His big break in music came in 1965 with the original version of "The In Crowd", a Top 15 hit for him that would become an even bigger instrumental hit later that year for the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
As another hit song would elude him for nine years while recording for smaller independent labels, his acting career began to take off, with his most notable role coming during a 2 1/2 year stint in the Los Angeles production of the stage musical Hair.
In 1972, he would sign a major label contract with Decca Records, which had just become part of the MCA family of labels. Working with Mentor Williams, brother of legendary songwriter Paul Williams, his biggest hit would come with a song written and produced by Williams. "Drift Away" was a smash, going Top 5 in the U.S. and Top 10 in Canada. It has remained a mainstay on both Oldies and Adult Contemporary stations. Almost 30 years later, it was a smash all over again, as a duet between Dobie Gray and hip hop artist Uncle Kracker was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit the top of the Adult Contemporary charts in 2003. A whole new generation had discovered the laid back sounds of "Drift Away".
He would hit the Top 40 only once more in his career with 1979's "You Can Do It", but his success as a songwriter continued throughout the 1980's with a move to Nashville working with country artists.
Dobie Gray may have left us, but it's safe to say we will be "drifting away" to his 1974 smash forever. Here are all 3 of his Billboard Top 40 hits........
Hit songs come in all shapes, sizes, and packages, but the rarest of oldies genres is the "spoken word" hit. A few that come to mind are Jimmy Dean's 1961 smash "Big Bad John" and Wink Martindale's 1957 Top 10 hit "Deck of Cards". Sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 this week in 1964, however, was a spoken word hit by one of the stars of a TV show that was also #1 in the Nielsen ratings that week. It is a song that may or may not have been released to cash in on another group's massive popularity at the time.
The song was a ballad chronicling the relationship between a Western lawman and a notorious real life outlaw. While it was fast and loose with what historians know to be factual about the outlaw, radio listeners and record buyers were willing to suspend disbelief. After all, the artist was the father they probably wished they had each week on TV and a former news anchor for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in his home country. If he couldn't be trusted in song, who could?
This hit was included on an album the star had just recorded that was meant to be a companion piece to his hit TV show. In fact, the single's B-side was the show's theme song with new lyrics added. Timing can be everything when it comes to hit records, and in this case, a song that might never have seen the light of day as a single release at any other moment in music history was now at the pinnacle of the music charts thanks to its very fortunate title sharing the name of a member of music's biggest act.
While there are varying accounts of the song's release as a way to capitalize on the success of a group that had taken the country by storm earlier in the year and had quickly become the biggest band in the world, it certainly didn't hurt that the song's title and that group's drummer shared the same name, and a very unique one at that. To further brand the song with that group, a special promotional copy of the song was sent to both U.S. and Canadian radio stations with the artist providing an intro to the song by assuring radio programmers and listeners that while he was aware there might be confusion, the song had nothing to do with the group and "that wonderful drummer of theirs".
Whether record buyers and radio listeners were simply confused or fascinated by the story in the song, they sent ol' Ben Cartwright to the top of the charts........even if they did think the song was about one of The Beatles.
From the album Welcome To The Ponderosa, where millions of TV viewers spent an hour with Ben and his sons every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) on NBC......
The #1 song this week in 1978 has one of music's more fascinating "backstories". It featured the first collaboration between two established superstars, but it was not the first time they had sung together. They had previously performed together in the school choir at Brooklyn, New York's Erasmus High School. The song they recorded together after becoming household names was one they had each recorded solo. Enter a very unlikely catalyst to make to bring them together.....a heartbroken radio station Program Director.
The song was originally written as the theme song for a television show called All That Glitters, produced by the hottest name in the business in that era, Norman Lear (All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son). Before the pilot episode was filmed, however, the premise of the show changed and the song didn't fit. One of the writers of that song was one of the biggest names in the music business at the time, Neil Diamond. In spite of the song not being used for TV, Diamond had been including it in his sold out live performances and noticed it was gaining traction with his audience. Together with co-writers Alan and Marilyn Bergman, he added a few touches to finish the song and put it on his 1977 album I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight. A few months later, another superstar covered it. Barbra Streisand included it on her album Songbird.
Variations on this story over the years, including at least one by Diamond himself in a published interview, have numerous disc jockeys across the country splicing together the vocals of Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand to create an on-air "duet", but the originator was the Program Director of WAKY-AM in Louisville, Kentucky. Gary Guthrie was going through a divorce from his wife, Becky. He had heard Neil Diamond's version first and noticed how it made her cry when she heard it. Barbra Streisand was another of her favorite artists. The light went on in his head, and he spliced the vocals of the two together. He first limited airplay to the overnight hours, but once his daytime audience heard it, the request lines never stopped ringing. Soon, other mass media picked up the story worldwide, including Good Morning, America, People magazine, and the BBC. A phenomenon had been created. The only missing piece was actually getting the two singers together to record it.
The label for both artists, Columbia, finally got the two together for an "official" version. Released in October, the song shot to the top in just a few weeks. While plans for a feature film starring the duet partners based on the song never materialized (Diamond did The Jazz Singer instead), they teamed up for a memorable rendition of it at the 1980 Grammy Awards.
One radio station manager's pain produced the 3rd #1 single for both Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, and this week it was spending its first non-consecutive week atop the Billboard Hot 100. Here is that legendary Grammy performance of.............
Which Broadway musical (and later, Oscar-winning film), based loosely on the life of a legendary 60's group, made its debut today in 1981?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Wednesday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Speaking of TV specials, which legendary duo had their first network prime time special on NBC today in 1969 despite losing their title sponsor over their objection to footage aired of both the Vietnam War and Robert Kennedy's funeral?
Answer: Simon and Garfunkel -- the title sponsor who dropped out was AT&T
By late 1977, David Bowie was a superstar, albeit one who had taken a rather unconventional route to stardom. By creating the androgynous stage persona of Ziggy Stardust, Bowie, along with Alice Cooper and KISS, had taken live performance to a new level in terms of theatrics. He had become bored with the character, however, and was looking to reinvent himself. So what do you do to let the world know you're looking to become more "normal" as a performer and singer?
The first step in Bowie's career makeover provided what became one of the more bizarre moments in American TV history. He chose to appear on the annual Christmas special of one of the most non-offensive entertainer in showbiz history, Bing Crosby's yearly holiday variety hour. Their "moment" together has become a staple of holiday programming both in the U.S. and the UK. They certainly made for strange bedfellows as duet partners, and the behind the scenes story of how it all came together is equally as interesting.
The oddball pairing was the brainchild of Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion, the show's co-producers. According to Nicholas Pegg's Bowie bio, Bowie only agreed to appear on the Bing Crosby special for two reasons. First, he knew his mother was a fan, and as an added enticement, the producers agreed to include his music video for his current single, "Heroes", for airing during the show. It is unclear whether or not Crosby even knew who Bowie was.
Once the two of them arrived on the set, the duet that has since become a Christmas classic almost didn't happen! When Bowie learned he and Bing would be singing "Little Drummer Boy", he told them he hated that song and asked if there was anything else he could sing. The musical directors and writers for the special salvaged the situation by heading to a piano and penning an alternate song for Bowie to perform with Crosby simultaneously. Written in just an hour and fifteen minutes, "Peace On Earth" became Bowie's companion piece to Crosby's rendition of "Little Drummer Boy".
While neither the producers of the show nor Bowie's record label at the time, RCA, thought the song had commercial potential, it was released commercially on a compilation album in 1982. Concurrently, the meteoric rise of MTV around that same time meant that the duet would get a new lease on life as a music video. It became a staple of the channel's holiday lineup, and would eventually become a classic.
On November 30, 1977, American TV viewers were adjusting their sets. That couldn't be David Bowie on Bing Crosby's "Merrie Olde Christmas" special on CBS! It was, and a perennial holiday favorite was performed for the first time. Here is what they saw that night............
Speaking of TV specials, which legendary duo had their first network prime time special on NBC today in 1969 despite losing their title sponsor over their objection to footage aired of both the Vietnam War and Robert Kennedy's funeral?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Today in 1964, John Lennon and George Harrison met members of which legendary group at the Crazy Elephant restaurant in London?
The two voices you hear each day on Golden Hits Radio, Shane Wilson and Bob Burton, have a combined 60+ years of experience on the air in cities across the country. During that time, they have taken thousands of calls on their stations' request lines, talking to the ordinary, famous, and infamous. While those calls have provided many stories they have passed along to friends, children, and grandchildren, neither has experienced a random call from rock and roll royalty one young disc jockey received today in 1966.
Just outside Little Rock, Arkansas, a musician was passing through, but this was certainly no ordinary musician. Hearing a song on the radio for the first time, he called the radio station who played it to find out the title and artist. He asked to hear it again not once, but several times in succession. Under normal circumstances, this is the sort of thing that would get a disc jockey harshly reprimanded, if not fired. Once the caller identified himself, however, his superiors would have most likely told the aspiring announcer to do whatever the man asked. And he did.
It's not every day you hear the same song several times in a row on the radio, but then again, it's not every day the caller making that request is Elvis Presley. Nine years after he made that call, Elvis would cover that song himself. It has become a timeless classic, covered by dozens of other artists including Kenny Rogers, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash on his landmark live album At Folsom Prison.
What song did Elvis love so much he wanted to hear it on the radio multiple times?
Today in 1960, the 15th of Elvis Presley's 18 U.S. #1 singles topped the Billboard Hot 100. It was a ballad whose origins date all the way back to 1927, co-written by Lou Handman and Roy Turk. It has also been covered by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Donny Osmond among others.
This song was a staple during Elvis's live shows during his late 60's "comeback". It became custom for him to change certain lines during the spoken word portion. One night, his reaction to what urban legend says was a man in the audience adjusting what must have been a bad hairpiece at one of his shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas brought about the version you hear below. Passed around among bootleggers and Elvis collectors for years, this version was finally released commercially on the 1980 RCA box set collection Elvis Aaron Presley, becoming a Top 30 hit in the UK in 1982.
Sticking to the old showbiz adage "The show must go on", here is Elvis's attempt to keep it together after several laughing fits..............
What is the most visited music-related tourist attraction in the U.S.? Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess! Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
On whose rather unlikely recommendation did Atlantic Records sign Led Zeppelin in 1968?
Your Favorite Oldies......or Should We Call Them 'Hall of Famers'?
Yesterday, the Recording Academy (the governing body that awards the
Grammys each year) announced their list of inductees to the Grammy Hall
of Fame for 2012. These can be albums or songs, and they can be in any
genre. Oldies were well represented on the list, and we thought we
would salute them here!
From The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main St. album, a rare look inside the studio at the making of their hit "Tumbling Dice"........
From Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's landmark 1970 album Deja Vu.......
From Santana's self-titled 1969 album, a performance from Woodstock......
Freddy Fender's 1975 classic, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights........
Last but certainly not least, there's this disco smash.......
On whose rather unlikely recommendation did Atlantic Records sign Led Zeppelin in 1968?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Today in 1957, a soon-to-be-legendary music duo made their national television debut on American Bandstand, but under a different name than the one they would soon adopt. Who were they, and under what name did they appear that day?
Answer: Simon and Garfunkel, who were performing that day under the pseudonym "Tom and Jerry"
FROM ALL OF US AT GOLDEN HITS RADIO, HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!
Today marks an anniversary that most Americans who experienced it would rather forget. Everyone remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news, including a group of musicians who were just three blocks from where the tragedy occured, where they were rehearsing for a package show that night. That show never happened, and the entire nation would grieve for several days.
One of the multitude of various "Caravan of Stars" concerts in the 60's was set to feature a star-studded roster. Dale and Grace, Brian Hyland, Bobby Vee, and Jimmy Clanton were on the bill, and they were fully aware that another event was taking place in the vicinity of where they would be performing later that night. In fact, as they were preparing for the show in a rehearsal hall that afternoon, they were alerted to the fact that a motorcade was coming through. They all walked outside the rehearsal hall and waved to the guest of honor as the motorcade passed through. A mere three blocks later and several minutes later, one of the darkest moments in American history would occur.
The "Caravan of Stars" were rehearsing three blocks from Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. President John F. Kennedy was set to give a speech at the Dallas Trade Mart that afternoon. It would prove to be a speech he never made, as an assassin's bullet struck him dead passing through Dealey Plaza at approximately 1:30 p.m. Eastern time that afternoon. It should go without saying that most of the nation's routine activities, including the "Caravan of Stars", fell by the wayside as they mourned the loss of their leader.
Five years later, Dion would record a poignant tribute to some of America's greatest agents of social change, including John Kennedy and his also recently assassinated brother, Robert. It would be a million seller, and become a Top 5 hit. From a 1968 performance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour..........
Today in 1957, a soon-to-be-legendary music duo made their national television debut on American Bandstand, but under a different name than the one they would soon adopt. Who were they, and under what name did they appear that day?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Which music superstar received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday in 1975 in conjunction with the declaration of a week in his honor declared by the Mayor of Los Angeles?
Which music superstar received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today in 1975 in conjunction with the declaration of a week in his honor declared by the Mayor of Los Angeles?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
The name on his birth certificate reads "Steven Georgiou", and now he goes by yet another adopted name, but his 70's era stint topping the music charts came under the name ______________?
As an Oldies fan, your music library has most been fully replaced at least a few times over the course of your life.....from vinyl, to cassette, and currently CDs, with the possibility of a few 8-tracks as well during a misguided era of the 70's. In the opinion of several music industry analysts, you may soon be forced to change it again. The question is, how soon?
Today in 1978, the first album to ever be commercially released on CD spent its first week at #1 on the Billboard Album Chart. Four years later, it would be the very first album to usher in a new format and cause us to spend a small fortune replacing our cassettes and vinyl.
Here's a sample from that album, the biggest hit from Billy Joel's 52nd Street......
One of rock and roll's most notorious marriages came to an end today in 1970. Who were the no longer happily married divorcees?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
The name on his birth certificate reads "Steven Georgiou", and now he goes by yet another adopted name, but his 70's era stint topping the music charts came under the name ______________?
A letter written by Paul McCartney, which just auctioned for $55,000, proves that Pete Best was never meant to be their permanent drummer
Mamma Mia........That's a Lot of Records Sold!
Today was a banner day in the life of one of music's biggest selling supergroups in more ways than one. On November 17, 1974, they played their first concert outside their homeland of Sweden. Earlier that year, they won the famed Eurovision Song Contest and were well on their way to becoming global superstars. In fact, five years later, and on the very same day, they were certified in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest selling recording artists of all time! That record would be eclipsed by several artists over the years, but you could safely argue that they are easily the most recognizable and well loved artists worldwide beyond American shores.
Among their other career milestones......21 songs that hit number one in at least one country, record sales that stand at 370 million and counting worldwide, a smash Broadway musical based on their song catalog that also became a blockbuster feature film, and after unofficially calling it quits in 1982, they have turned down offers as big as one billion dollars (US) to reunite for a single show!
November 17th is a monumental day in the life of ABBA, and a year after they broke through in Europe, they came to conquer America. Here are clips of an early TV appearance on American Bandstand, featuring a performance of "S.O.S." followed by an interview with host Dick Clark......
The name on his birth certificate reads "Steven Georgiou", and now he goes by yet another adopted name, but his 70's era stint topping the music charts came under the name ______________? Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess! Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
What is the shortest #1 song in rock and roll history?
Answer: Clocking in at a marathon time of 1 minute, 39 seconds (although the label on the 45 RPM record said 1 minute, 50 seconds), it is "Stay" by Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs
Two Thumbs WAYYYYYYYYYY Down!
It is nowhere near an exaggeration to call The Beatles the most
decorated, celebrated, and revered musical act in rock and roll
history. That makes the task of doing anything involving their music
far more daunting. Recently, the Cirque de Soleil show Love playing at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas and the 2007 movie musical Across The Universe have
received rave reviews for their treatment of the Fab Four's music in
their respective productions. Early attempts to use Beatles tunes to
tell a story on the big screen, however, including 2 films that
premiered about 18 months apart in the 70's, proved to be nothing short
of disastrous.
One of the first attempts to capitalize on the Beatles catalog on the
big screen was a documentary using their music to "narrate" World War
II newsreel footage and clips from 20th Century Fox films of the 40's.
Directed by Susan Winslow, All This and World War II featured a
soundtrack of Beatles covers by the likes of The Bee Gees, Elton John,
The Four Seasons, Tina Turner, Helen Reddy, and a host of others. It
proved to be a fiasco of epic proportions, with the New York Daily News saying its PG rating stood for "Positively Ghastly". After a two week run in theaters with a disastrous box office take, All That and World War II
was pulled from theaters. It has never seen the light of day on home
video, DVD, or Blu-ray, but it has been shown, albeit very rarely, on
American cable television.
There was no bigger behind the scenes name in the media business in
the late 70's than Robert Stigwood. He had propelled Cream and The Bee
Gees into superstardom in the 60's, and by the 70's he had turned his
attention to the Broadway stage and the big screen. Two of his
theatrical productions, Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair, were worldwide smashes that spawned successful feature film versions. He also turned The Who's rock opera Tommy
into a box office hit. His next two films would become two of the
biggest blockbusters in movie history, one of which revived the musical
fortunes of a group he had made stars in the 60's. Saturday Night Fever made
John Travolta a superstar and made The Bee Gees bigger than ever. His
next production, the film version of the hit Broadway musical Grease,
continued his hot streak. So what would his next big screen spectacle
be? After all, he could do no wrong in those days, right?
With the biggest names in music part of his roster, he decided to
take on the biggest name in music history. He received the blessing of
Apple Corps and even brought in legendary music producer George Martin
to serve as musical director, conductor, and arranger of the companion
soundtrack album. How could you go wrong with The Bee Gees starring in
Stigwood's interpretation of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band surrounded
by one of the biggest star-studded casts in history, including cameos
by everyone from Steve Martin to George Burns to Connie Stevens and a
giant roster of diverse musicians including Hank Williams, Jr., Wilson
Pickett, Peter Frampton (as Billy Shears), Aerosmith, and Earth, Wind,
and Fire?
Trouble seemed to follow Sgt. Pepper from the beginning of
production. The Bee Gees, discovering the movie's high potential to be a
bomb, tried to quit but were rebuffed by Stigwood. The film's original
director, Chris Bearde, was sacked early in shooting. The finished
product was savaged by critics and is generally regarded as one of the
worst film musicals ever made.
Here is a rare look at a 10 minute segment of All That and World War II.........
One of the rare moments of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band that some critics actually praised was Steve Martin's performance of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"........
What is the shortest #1 song in rock and roll history?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Which TV sitcom brought together Oldies legends Spencer Davis,
Richie Havens, Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & The Raiders), Peter
Noone (Herman's Hermits), John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful), and
Robby Krieger (The Doors) on a 1992 episode?
Answer: A 1992 episode of Married: With Children saw the Bundy family pose as rock stars and end up in first class on an airplane flight with the aforementioned artists
Maybe The Rolling Stones will tour next year to mark their 50th anniversary, or maybe they won't
Look Ma......We're On TV!
Before the 500 channel TV world we live in these days, there was never much of an opportunity to see your favorite music stars outside of shows dedicated to music, i.e. Shindig!, American Bandstand, The Midnight Special, etc. But if you were really big, you made it to prime time with your own special! Some of the more notable ones were Elvis Presley's 1968 "Comeback" special and Barbra Streisand's My Name Is Barbra. In 1979, there was no bigger name in music than The Bee Gees, and on November 15th that year, it was their turn for their first prime time network special, seen on NBC.
As you will see below, the special revolves around their 1979 "Spirits Having Flown" concert tour, with concert footage interspersed with footage from an interview with British personality David Frost. While The Bee Gees were unmistakably a pop act, there are appearances from country music legends Glenn Campbell and Willie Nelson joining the group for a jam session.
Rarely seen since its original airing, most of the special, in order, can be seen by clicking below (Parts 1-12 top to bottom).................
Which TV sitcom brought together Oldies legends Spencer Davis, Richie Havens, Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & The Raiders), Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits), John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful), and Robby Krieger (The Doors) on a 1992 episode?
Come back to Everything Oldies tomorrow to find the answer, and leave a Comment below with your best guess!
Yesterday's Burning Question (and Answer) of the Day
Elvis Presley's 1968 film Speedway wasn't originally intended for Elvis and his co-star, Nancy Sinatra. It was originally a vehicle for which legendary male/female musical and comedy duo?
