- A current and future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will soon have a new album and autobiography in stores!
- Two Rolling Stones, who generally don't get along, band together to help one of their late musical heroes
- Ever wondered what some of your favorite artists have written into their tour "riders" -- their list of backstage items a promoter must provide contractually at a venue? Here are a couple.....for the environmentally conscious Paul McCartney and the morally conscious Little Richard
- A member of an influential 60's folk group has died
- One group snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn't happy about a group who did get in
- Two feuding members of the same group set aside their differences for a distinguished honor
Good Rockin' at Mid-day
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's Burning Question of the Day
Which rock and roll TV special was filmed today in 1968........but never seen until 1996?
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 60's teen idol visited Elvis @ Graceland today in 1960, lending Elvis his pants when he ripped them demonstrating karate?
Answer: Fabian
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