Author: Jim Feliciano
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: KNICKERBOCKERS * 1966 * HD STEREO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7fQgg_T9Gk
FLASHBACK POP MUSIC HISTORY: JUNE 22
From the MCRFB music calendar:
Events on this date: JUNE 22
1957: Liverpool skiffle group the Quarrymen, later to morph into the Beatles, play their first major gig at a fete by performing on the back of a coal truck. Four years later to the day, the Beatles (with Pete Best on the drums) would have their first formal recording session, performing “My Bonnie,” and other numbers. The sessions, produced by Bert Kaempfert in Hamburg, Germany, also features “Ain’t She Sweet.”
1961: Elvis Presley’s seventh movie, a serious drama called Wild In The Country, opens nationwide in theaters across the country.
1964: Barbra Streisand signs a $200,000 ten-year contract with the CBS Television Network for a series of TV specials.
1968: The Jeff Beck Group makes it U.S. stage debut in New York’s Fillmore East Theater.
1968: Rolling Stone first reports on the existent of an unissued Bob Dylan album recorded with The Band during his extended convalescence at Woodstock, New York in 1967; it would finally see the light of day in 1975 as The Basement Tapes.
1975: Eric Clapton joins the Rollin Stones for a version of “Sympathy For The Devil” during the band’s Madison Square Garden concert in NYC.
1981: John Lennon’s murderer pleads guilty to his crime and is sentenced to 20 years to life in New York’s Attica State Prison. He has since been up for parole five times, and has been denied every time.
1988: Peter Tosh’s murderer, Dennis Lobban, is sentenced to hanging by a court in his native Jamaica. Lobban, who was known to Tosh, and two others had murdered the reggae star in his home the previous year after a failed robbery.
1990: Billy Joel performs a concert in Yankee Stadium, the first rocker ever to do so.
1996: Diana Ross’ brother, Motown songwriter Arthur Ross, is murdered along with his wife by two robbers in his home in Detroit.
Deaths: 1969: Judy Garland. 1990: Kripp Johnson (Del Vikings).
Releases: 1959: “Maybelline,” Chuck Berry. 1963: “Wipeout,” The Surfaris. 1969: ‘Blind Faith,’ LP; Blind Faith.
Recordings: 1967: “How Can I Be Sure,” The Young Rascals.
Charts: 1959: “I’m A Tiger,” Fabian; enters the charts. 1963: “Fingertips (Pt. 1),” Little Stevie Wonder; enters the charts. 1968: “This Guy’s In Love With You,” Herb Alpert hits No. 1 on the charts. 1974: ‘Sundown,’ LP; Gordon Lightfoot hits No. 1 on the album charts.
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. JUNE 22.
WABX-FM PULLS IN DISK AD DOLLARS . . . OCTOBER 12, 1974
From the MCRFB news archives: 1974
Progressive FM Radio Reaping Millions from Recording Industry
LOS ANGELES — The record industry is spending untold millions of dollars in advertising records and recording artists on FM progressive radio and there is speculation there is even more being spent on in the AM Top 40 advertising market across the country.
One of the largest record retailing chain in California is spending $1.5 million alone in radio and television — with a large part of the tab more than likely is being shared by the record companies who are promoting more of their respective product.
The retail chain is spending that much in California and one station alone claims to be earning $140,000 of that. Tower Records, another West Coast chain, is also labeled a “big hitter” by FM progressive radio managers.
One major U.S. market radio station reports that seven record labels all have contracts each of $100,000 or more for the year.
In a general survey of FM progressive radio stations, the percent of total advertising at each station with a record company or concert promoter source range from a low 10 per cent to a high of 40 per cent. The percentage has been higher in years past. Now, with FM growing in popularity with other products, the percentage may be down, but the dollar amount is even higher.
In Detroit, one major major record company is doing $40,000 in advertising this year with WABX-FM, managed by John Detz. Only about 12 percent of his station’s business is record-oriented; “if you’re doing as much as 20 percent in a market like this, it’s because you haven’t developed other market resources.”
WABX-FM has diversified over the years; Ford is an advertiser, for example. “From the standpoint of dollars, however, record company and concert business is bigger than ever. I would have expected a cutback because of the vinyl shortage or general economic conditions, but record company dollars’ sales increase every year than the year before.”
Off the top of his head, Detz, a progressive radio veteran, feels that the top FM progressive stations so far as dollars are concerned — especially from record labels — are: WNEW-FM, New York; KMET-FM, Los Angeles; KSAN-FM, San Francisco; WABX-FM, Detroit; and WBCN-FM in Boston.
Which label is the biggest advertiser? Notes Detz: That’s hard to say. “Warner Bros. Records just had an unbelievable release… 15 big winners in it’s September release. And so they’ll be on with a lot of advertising right now. Columbia Records, on the other hand, didn’t do much in advertising because they were sort of dry.”
Though WABX-FM has diversified its sources of advertising revenues, Detz says: “We still consider record companies a very strong revenue source. Why? Because we talk to the people — our specific demographics — who buy most of the albums today.”
Record company advertising, of course, is not the total support or even half the support of an FM progressive station that could be surveyed. However, considering the gross of many stations cashing in, including WABX-FM in Detroit, the amount of money reasonably being spent by record labels is well into the millions and millions of dollars in promoting further their product. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; October 12, 1974).
FLASHBACK POP MUSIC HISTORY: JUNE 21
From the MCRFB news archives:
Events on this date: JUNE 21
1962: As part of manager Brian Epstein’s plan to get the band wider exposure by having them open for established acts, the Beatles open for Bruce Chanel of “Hey Baby!” fame at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, England.
1966: The Rolling Stones sue fourteen New York City hotels who have refused to admit the band during their North American tour, disingenuously accusing them of “discrimination on account of national origin.”
1967: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park celebrates the Summer Solstice with a free concert with entertainment by the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
1968: Influenced by the recent assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Steve Binder, director of Elvis Presley upcoming NBC-TV special, asks musical director Bones Howe to write a “socially conscience” song for Elvis’ closing number, which had been slated to be the standard, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” Howe writes the replacement song, “If I Can Dream,” that afternoon; after hearing it a half-dozen times, Elvis agrees the end with it.
1970: Who guitarist Pete Townsend, while waiting for his flight in Memphis, likens the band’s latest album, Tommy, to the atomic bomb, causing officials who misheard the remark to search the facilities for a real bomb.
1973: The band Bread, already having decided to break up, play their last live gig ever in Salt Lake City after one of its tour trucks flips over and destroys most of its gear and sound equipment.
1975: Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore leaves the rock band to form Rainbow.
1981: After a number of lawsuits, deaths, and accidents, the band Steely Dan break up, not to fully reform onstage until 2000.
1988: The Rascals reunite onstage for the first time since 1970.
1990: Little Richard is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6840 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.
2003: Johnny Cash makes a surprise appearance live on stage in Hiltons, Virginia, near the birthplace of his recently-deceased wife June Carter Cash, saying “I don’t hardly know what to say tonight about being up here without her… the pain is so severe, there’s no way in describing it.”
2007: After dating her for a full eighteen years, Tony Bennett marries teacher Susan Crow.
Deaths: 1980: Bert Kaempfert; 2001: John Lee Hooker.
Releases: 1955: “Hey Porter,” Johnny Cash. 1958: “Splish Splash,” Bobby Darin.
Recordings: 1961: “Take Good Care Of My Baby,” Bobby Vee. 1966: “She Said She Said,” Beatles. 1967: “He’s Your Uncle, Not Your Dad,” Elvis Presley. 1968: “Revolution 1,” Beatles. 1968: “It Hurts Me,” “Little Egypt,” “Trouble,” “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child, “Where Could I Go But To The Lord?,” Elvis Presley.
Charts: 1975: “Love Will Keep Us Together,” Captain and Tennille hits No. 1.
Certifications: 1972: “Outta Space,” Billy Preston, is certified gold.
And that just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. 
FLASHBACK POP MUSIC HISTORY: JUNE 20
From the MCRFB music calendar:
Events on this date: JUNE 20
1966: Capitol Records executives made the decision to replace the original “butcher cover” of the US album Yesterday And Today — which featured the Fab Four posing with decapitated dolls and raw meat, to the horror of Beatles fans and record retailers — with a more tranquil, traditional band pose for their new LP.
1968: At Hollywood’s Western Recorder, Elvis Presley records the song, “Nothingville,” “Let Yourself Go,” Guitar Man,” and “Big Boss Man.” He will use these as guides for his upcoming NBC prime-time “comeback” television special.
1969: Northridge, California host the Newport Rock Festival, featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rascals, Ike & Tina Turner, Steppenwolf, Joe Cocker, Jethro Tull and Jimi Hendrix, whose $125,000 fee is the highest ever paid to a rock act for one show.
1972: The Tallahatchie Bridge in Sidon, Mississippi, made famous by Bobbi Gentry’s “Ode To Billie Joe,” collapses. Today, motorists uses the newer bridge on County Road 512 to cross over the river.
1973: American Bandstand airs it’s 20th anniversary special on ABC-TV, featuring Little Richard, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Three Dog Night, Johnny Mathis, Annette Funicello, and Cheech and Chong. The special also features the first appearance of his many huge “all- star” rock jams.
1981: A disco medley of oldies hits called “Stars On 45” hits No. 1 in the U.S., becoming a national phenomenon. The medley, which originated in Dutch dance clubs, begins with re-creations of the Shocking Blue’s “Venus,” and The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar,” before segueing into an expert mimic of early Beatles hits.
1983: Twang king guitarist Duane Eddy performs his first concert in fifteen years with a show in San Francisco.
1987: Teddy Pendergrass marries his first and only wife, Karen Still.
1994: Beatles fans learn that the three surviving members of the group are working on a “new” song for their upcoming Anthology projects, as they overdub themselves onto a 1970s John Lennon demo-song titled, “Free As A Bird.”
1995: A Los Angeles judge ruled that the Kingsmen, and not their label Scepter, are sole owners of their 1963 smash hit, “Louie Louie,” and are entitled to royalties due the band (from the record label) the court ruled in the final judgment.
2004: Paul McCartney plays his 3,000 professional concert, performing in the Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia.
2008: Surrey University in England awarded Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page an honorary Doctorate in Music.
Deaths: Bruce Tate, The Penguins; 1973. Lawrence Payton, The Four Tops; 1994. Claydes Charles Smith, Kool & The Gang; 2006.
Releases: Bob Dylan with The Band, “Before The Flood,” 1974.
Recordings: 1955: The Four Lads, “Moments To Remember.” 1962: Ricky Nelson, “Teenage Idol.” 1967: The Buckinghams, “Susan” and “Hey Baby They’re Playing Our Song.” 1968: Beatles, “Revolution 9.” 1969: David Bowie, “Space Oddity.”
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. JUNE 20.
CLASSIC FLASHBACK 1966: MONTAGE OF GREAT DETROIT RADIO AND DEEJAYS! (PT. 2 0F 3)
DICK CLARK RAPS BRITISH GROUPS… DECEMBER 26, 1964
From the MCRFB news archives:
DICK CLARK CITES GREED FOR BRITISH ACTS HERE
LOS ANGELES — “There’s nothing deader in Liverpool than the British beat sound and we’re sitting here hyping the hell out of it.” This is the impression Dick Clark has of the overlapping music-personal appearance business. The head of his own successful “Caravan Of Stars” teen show, Clark is irked about the supposedly successful impression left by visiting British rock and roll groups.
Take away the Beatles, and the “British imitators were never a box-office boom, although people thought they were,” Clark says. Clark’s desk is heavy with newspaper clippings of box-office disasters involving these British longhairs. He personally had felt the box-office bite twice, losing $9,000 on fiascos with the Animals in Columbus, Ohio and also in Norfolk, Virginia.
The apparent paradox of radio airplay strength and declining box-office appeal perplexes Clark. “These groups make the charts but audiences won’t pay to see them,” he charges. Business for Clark’s own operation was up 11 per cent this November over a corresponding period last year. While his shows continue their popularity with teen audiences, Clark feel the bad taste incurred by local promoters booking British groups hurt the entire road show business. “It’s been a blood bath for American promoters,” he says. Clark says the Pittsburgh promoter who handled his “Caravan” made $2,000 more than he did in handling the Beatles’ concert because of their great overhead and additional costs absorbed by the fine print for the U.S. tour bookings.
Clark’s nightly guarantee is “under $5,000” and consists of a string of popular hit artists, all carefully polished to work as a single unit. The executive says the British tours have been hastily put together, featuring one or two headliners and using poorly rehearsed local acts to fill out the bill.
Clark thinks the reason people have “snowballed” by the Redcoats is plain greed. He says promoters saw the success of the Beatles and “the thought of that green led them to grasp at the Rolling Stones, Animals, Searchers, etc.”
One California disc jockey who promoted several British concerts has vowed to “never again” enter the fray, Clark was told.
On a brighter note, Clark reports the college market will be opening for his teen caravan. Last year he only played three college dates, but so far requests indicate a new market for American Top 40 performers such as the one he has been showcasing around the country for several years now. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; December 26, 1964).
FLASHBACK POP MUSIC HISTORY: JUNE 19
From the MCRFB music calendar:
Events on this date: JUNE 19
1958: Buddy Holly records his first solo songs, “Early In The Morning,” and “Now We’re One,” at Decca’s Pythian Temple Studios in New York City.
1960: At the height of the folk-music boom, the Kingston Trio premiered their own self-titled weekday show on the CBS Radio Network.
1963: For the first time, Ringo Starr uses his new Ludwig drum set, complete with the famous Beatles logo onstage as the group performs at the London Playhouse Theater.
1965: The Kinks and the Moody Blues make their U.S. stage debut in the same show, held at New York’s Academy of Music.
1967: Answering questions about a controversial interview he’d recently given to the Daily Mirror, Paul McCartney shocks the British public by admitting on BBC television that he had taken LSD four times.
1973: A strange musical ode to sci-fi and fifties kitsch starring Tim Curry, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, opens as a stage show at the Royal Court’s Theater Upstairs in London.
1973: Roberta Flack’s first (and last) television special, Roberta Flack… The First Time Ever, also starring the Blossoms and Seals and Croft, airs on ABC Television.
1976: “Rollermania” hits the U.S. as the Bay City Rollers begin their first-ever American tour with a concert in Atlanta City.
1980: David Geffen’s new self-titled record label signs it’s first artist, disco diva Donna Summers.
2000: At Bob Dylan’s concert in Portland, Oregon, British sign-language expert Professor Patrick Ladd “signs” the folk-rocker’s lyrics for the hearing impaired.
2009: North Wilkesboro, NC, holds a festival in honor of their late great native son, singer Oliver of “Good Morning Sunshine” fame.
Deaths: Bobby Helms; 1997.
Releases: “Long Tall Sally,” by the Beatles; U.K.
Recordings: 1961: “You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby,” Bobby Darin. 1962: “Ramblin’ Rose,” Nat King Cole. 1967: “All You Need Is Love,” Beatles.
Charts: 1961: “Moody River,” by Pat Boone hits No. 1. 1965: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops hit No. 1. 1965: “You Turn Me On,” by Ian Whitcomb enters the charts. 1971: “It’s Too Late,” by Carole King hits No. 1.
Certifications: 1973: The Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein” certified gold by the RIAA.
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day…. JUNE 19.
FLASHBACK ADS: “UPTIGHT” * NANCY WILSON * 1966
