Today In Oldies 2/7/2011

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies.....New week, fresh news about the people who made the music of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's

• Hundreds of thousands of people descended upon Dallas for Super Bowl weekend, but not one superstar who had an expensive charity gig booked
• Rolling Stone wants to know.....who is the greatest rock drummer of all time?
• One legendary rocker has a warning for anyone coming to a show on his latest tour expecting to hear the same ol' setlist
• A Motown legend is inducted into a legendary Hall of Fame......and you wonder why it hasn't happened sooner
• If you're passing through Cleveland this summer, stop by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a major new exhibit
• Didn't stick around for last night's post-Super Bowl episode of Glee?  We've got the clips of the musical numbers (including a rip roaring cover of "Thriller") when you click here!
• A guitarist from one of the most successful Irish musical imports in history has died
• A 70's classic was featured in one of last night's Super Bowl commercials!  Click here to see it

Common Knowledge

Welcome to the first in our series of Everything Oldies Games!  Play along and show off your knowledge of the music of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's by leaving a comment with your answers.  Our first game is Common Knowledge.  We'll give you a series of 3 songs accompanied by video.  You tell us what they have in common.  ***KEEP IN MIND THE COMMON BOND COULD BE FOUND IN THE SONGS, THE ARTISTS, AND/OR THE VIDEO CLIPS***  We'll give you the answers for the entire week in Friday's Everything Oldies

 

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE GAMES.........

Monday (1/31/2011) - All 4 clips featured artists hailing from the state of New Jersey

Tuesday (2/1/2011) - All 4 clips featured artists who performed at Woodstock in 1969

Wednesday (2/2/2011) - All 4 clips featured songs featuring some contribution by Stevie Wonder.....either as a writer, producer, or performer.  In the case of Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", Stevie played the harmonica solo. 

Thursday (2/3/2011) - All 4 clips featured songs produced by Phil Collins

 

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

Which artist recorded the first album using all digital studio equipment?

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

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

Which innovative singer/songwriter had a child he named Rebop in 1992?

Answer: Todd Rundgren

 

 

Today In Oldies 1/21/2011

Golden Hits Radio and GHR-2's Everything Oldies......where your favorite 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's music news lives! 

• Two 80's superstars have buried the hatchet
• John Lennon's artistic side is featured in a new book
• The lawsuits keep flyin' from the Michael Jackson estate
• Hot on the heels of stepping out with Meg Ryan.......John Mellencamp files for divorce

A View From The Top

For the next few weeks, Everything Oldies will spotlight #1 songs from 30, 40, and 50 years ago!  We'll give you the stories behind the songs and other things you might not have known about some of your favorite 60's, 70's, and 80's music.

• Paul McCartney's first solo U.S. #1 single was not released as a single in the UK!  It was a combination of pieces of several unfinished songs, which had been the way several Beatles classics came together.  Paul's real life uncle, on which the song was based, would read and quote from the Bible when he got drunk.  The admiral was American Admiral William "Bull" Halsey.  This song won a Grammy in a now defunct category, Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. 

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

In the ultimate case of musical "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride", what song holds the Billboard Hot 100 record for most weeks on the chart at #2? 

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

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

Which superstar did movie producers have in mind to play Joe Buck in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy.....a role which eventually went to Jon Voight?

Answer: According to a memo sent from a studio executive to director John Schlesinger, "If we could clean this up and add a few songs, it could be a great vehicle for Elvis Presley."  Elvis, who by this time longed to be taken seriously as an actor, wound up doing Change Of Habit with Mary Tyler Moore, a box office dud that proved to be his last film. 

Today In Oldies 11/4/2010

Golden Hits Radio & GHR-2's Everything Oldies......Oldies news first! 

• Who's not happy about being snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
• Who's the latest artist whose music will be featured in a Cirque de Soleil show?
• Who just sold out Madison Square Garden in 30 minutes? 
• Oldies figure prominently in the 10 Best Animated Movie Trailer Songs
• Rod Stewart says he won't be refilling the Cialis prescription, and hints which musical direction he might be heading once he closes the Great American Songbook for good

Where In The World Is.......Gallery?

Detroit has been a rock & roll hotbed over the past 5 decades.  Beyond the extensive Motown roster, artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Kid Rock, The Romantics, and others hailed from the Motor City.  The city also made its contribution to soft rock, giving the world Gallery.  Gallery was primarily a vehicle for lead singer and founder Jim Gold, and in the early 70's, they made a big chart splash. 

Gold began writing and playing in various bands around Detroit at the age of 14.  By 1971, he was playing regularly with a friend in a club called the Poison Apple when he was discovered by Dennis Coffey, who was coming off the huge instrumental hit "Scorpio" and had played on dozens of Motown classics as a studio musician.  He landed a deal with Sussex Records, and while his plan was to be a solo artist, the label told him they wanted a group.  He got a band together, featuring bassist Dennis Kovarik and steel guitarist Cal Freeman.  Their first hit for Sussex was their biggest.  "Nice To Be With You" hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 and sold over a million copies.  As of 2008, the song has been played on radio more than 3.5 million times.  A few more modest hits followed, including a Top 20 cover of Mac Davis's "I Believe In Music".  Their last trip to the Top 40 was "Big City Miss Ruth Ann" in 1973. 

The end of Sussex Records in 1976 meant the end of Gallery.  Jim Gold recorded a few solo albums to end the 70's.  He hasn't recorded in quite some time, but he does still actively perform live, occasionally writes for other artists, and maintains an official website.  Click here to take a look.  Dennis Kovarik and Cal Freeman have remained active in the business as session musicians. 

In 1972, radio listeners and record buyers decided it was nice to be with Gallery.........

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

By now, most of Generation X knows that "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles was the first video ever played on MTV when the channel went live on August 1, 1981.  What was the second?

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

What was the #1 song for the week on the debut episode of Casey Kasem's American Top 40?

Answer: "Mama Told Me Not To Come" - Three Dog Night on the weekend of the 4th of July, 1970