Flashbacks – Page 228 – USA Radio Museum

From the MCRFB news archives: 1963

C’MON EVERYBODY, IT’S MONKEY TIME

Major Lance circa 1963. — Major Lance in 1963

NEW YORK — The ‘Monkey,’ the newest teen dance, is a mighty hot one, with three records of monkey tunes really moving this week. Hottest of all three is “The Monkey Time” by Major Lance on Okeh Records. And just to add to the scene the label has issued an LP by the same title. “The Monkey Time” jumped to No. 12 on the Hot 100 this week.

Second hottest of the Monkey hits is “Mickey’s Monkey,” by the Miracles on the Motown Records Tamla label, which is the No. 39 most popular hit on the Billboard chart for the week. And the third most popular “Monkey” tune on the chart is “Everybody’s Monkey” by Freddie Cannon listed on the chart.

There is a fourth monkey hit making the new dance scene as well, pushing forward slowly on the chart, and it is King Curtis’ “Do The Monkey,” on the Capitol record label. And there have probably been a half a dozen other monkey dance-themed recordings issued in the past few weeks. On the same kick as well, there have been other related animal-dances like the ‘gorilla,’ and the ‘frog.’ END

(Information and news source: Billboard; August 31, 1963).

**MAJOR LANCE * “The Monkey Time” * OKEH RECORDS (1963)**

FLASHBACK MOTOR CITY HAPPENINGS ’65 . . . AUGUST 21, 1965

From the MCRFB news archive: 1965

Music Happenings In and Around Detroit Town, 1965

DETROIT — The Stan Kenton Orchestra will kick off the annual Town and Country and Gown Celebrity Series at the University of Detroit, Sunday, August 29. . . . Count Basie, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith and Carmen McRae and their respective groups are due here Sunday for George Wein’s first Festival Prelude at Cobo Hall. . . . Singers Lesley Gore, Stevie Wonder, The Shangri-Las, Coasters, Sunliners, Dis-Coquettes Dancers, along with the Choker Campbell Orchestra Band will team up in a special show “The Swingin’ Kind,” on WXYZ, emceed by 1270 deejay Lee Alan. It is tentatively slated for the ABC television network. . . . Musical comedy star Tessie O’Shea opened Monday, August 16 as headliner at the Elmwood Casino across the Detroit river in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. END

Bandleader Stan Kenton of the Stan Kenton Orchestra — **Bandleader *Stan Kenton* of the Stan Kenton Orchestra.**

(Information and news source: Billboard; August 21, 1965).

FLASHBACK POP MUSIC HISTORY: AUGUST 1

From the MCRFB music calendar:

Events on this date: August 1

1954: Alan Freed presents his first Moondog Jubilee Of The Stars Under The Stars at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, featuring Fats Domino, The Clovers, The Orioles, Muddy Waters, and Little Walter. It is the first racially mixed crowd at a concert of this size.

Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash at Sun Records in 1956. — Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash all accounted for at Sun Records in 1956. (Click on image for larger view).

1958: Feeling that Sun Records head Sam Phillips is spending too much time promoting Jerry Lee Lewis while investing little time with him, Johnny Cash leaves Sun Records and signs with Columbia Records instead.

1960: For his embodiment of decadent American culture, Elvis Presley is named “Public Enemy Number One” by the East Berlin newspaper Young World.

1960: Aretha Franklin begins her first non-gospel recording session, an abortive attempt at jazz-pop with the Columbia label.

1964: A report in Billboard claims that the harmonica is hip again thanks to Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder.

1965: Marianne Faithfull collapses during a performance in Lancashire, England, taken to a hospital, while forced to cancel the remaining stops of her tour in the U.K.

Period press photo shows youngsters burning Beatles records in Waycross, Ga., 1966. — Period press photo shows youngsters burning “banned” Beatles records in Waycross, Ga., 1966. (Click on image for larger view).

1966: Birmingham radio station WACI calls for the first “Beatles Burn-In,” comprised of bonfire burning of Beatles records to protest John Lennon’s recent comments that his group was “bigger than Jesus.”

1966: In Detroit, Michigan, the top 5 songs on WXYZ-AM are No. 5: “The Pied Piper,” Crispian St. Peters; No. 4: “Lil’ Red Ridin’ Hood,” Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs; No. 3: “Sunshine Superman,” Donovan; No. 2: “Summer In The City,” The Lovin’ Spoonful; No. 1: “See You In September,” The Happenings.

1969: Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted in Los Angeles for his failure to perform his required community service hours, which were imposed upon him after he refused to be drafted as a conscientious objector; rather than the janitorial duties he was sentenced to perform at LA County Hospital, as Wilson taught music there instead.

1971: The first big all-star rock benefit concert, The Concert For Bangla Desh, was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden, helmed by George Harrison and featuring Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, and Ringo Starr. The show raised $11 million for starving people in Bangladesh, a recently-liberated area in Pakistan.

American Graffiti, directed by George Lucas; 1973. — American Graffiti; directed by George Lucas 1973. (Click on image for larger view).

1973: The first big oldies revival kicks off in anticipation as George Lucas’ new film, American Graffiti, premieres in Los Angeles. Portraying a night in the lives of several California teenagers in 1962, it made stars out of Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and more, the film went on to inspire the ABC-TV smash Happy Days.

1988: Cincinnati radio station WCVG changes its format, becoming the first US all-Elvis radio station. The Elvis concept died within a year due to “Elvis fatigue” drawn in the ratings.

1994: Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announce their marriage in the Dominican Republic 11 weeks earlier.

Deaths: Johnny Burnette; 1960. Bill Buchanan (Buchanan and Goodman); 1996.

Releases: “The Twist,” Chubby Checker; 1960. “Burning Love,” Elvis Presley; 1972.

Recordings: “Hey Jude,” The Beatles; 1968. “Because,” The Beatles; 1969.

Charts: 1959: “Lonely Boy,” Paul Anka; hits No. 1 on the charts. 1964: “A Hard Day’s Night,” The Beatles; hits No. 1 on the charts. 1970: “25 Or 6 To 4,” Chicago Transit Authority; hits No. 1 on the charts.

Certifications: ‘Chicago V,’ (LP) Chicago; certified gold by the RIAA.