Rob Durkee's thoughts on...well, whatever is on his mind...AT40 or otherwise...

FOR INSTANCE...

Fifty four years ago Thursday (November 21, 1970), "American Top 40" aired its 21st show and was still a week ahead in terms of the Billboard chart. That is, Casey wasn't counting down the Top 40 hits off the November 21, 1970 Hot 100, but rather the Hot 100 of November 28, 1970. The show would use the proper week's chart starting in May, 1971.

"I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones and featuring David Cassidy was at #1 for the second of three weeks and Casey Kasem climaxed the show by noting that Shirley Jones owns a brewery.

One of AT40's more oft-repeated stories was told for the first time on this show. To tie in with "Cry Me A River" at #13, Casey told how Joe Cocker spent his early singing years dodging bottles thrown his way in first public appearance at the Minerva nightclub in England.

Casey also played three Elvis Presley songs...both sides of the two-sided "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / Patch It Up" hit at #11 and the extra "Are You Lonesome Tonight." For "Lonesome," Casey told the story of how Elvis set an attendance record, raking in $313,000 in one day.

Also, AT40 ran ads at the time...and the Osmonds' single "One Bad Apple" was promoted in ads...but this pales in comparison to the superstar singer profiled in ads the following week....the infamous Heintje!

YES! HEINTJE!!!

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A twinbill! For instance, AT40 expert Pete Battistini recalls the show of 48 years ago Wednesday...

For the weekend of November 20, 1976, one month away from AT40's 1976  year-end show, Casey counted down the Top 40 from Billboard's Hot 100 -- a  regular show, with Rod Stewart's "Tonight's The Night" at #1.  Stewart was in  his second of eight weeks at the top.

There are numerous other items worth noting about this program.  The first is  a story that Casey related about (future countdown competitor) Rick Dees, a  disk jockey who gained notoriety for making the world's largest ice cream  sundae.  He told this story as he introduced the #5 record, "Disco Duck."   Little did Casey know that, seven years later, Dees would begin to chip away  at the American Top 40 radio station subscriber list with his own weekly  countdown.

Another noteworthy item deals with a listener letter who wrote to ask about  the first white solo artists that made it to #1 on the soul singles chart.   In answering the question, Casey makes the first on-air reference to the  American Top 40 Book of Records.  Three and a half years later, on the  weekend of July 4, 1980, after numerous mentions during regular weekly  countdowns, the Book of Records concept was featured as an AT40,  non-countdown special.  Focusing exclusively on music from the 1980s, Shadoe  Stevens later used the Book of Records for a special on Labor Day 1989.

Prior to playing the 1965 hit "This Diamond Ring," Casey updates listeners  with an answer to the question, "Whatever happened to Gary Lewis & The  Playboys?"  Another oldie, Aretha Franklin's "Since You've Been Gone" was  played after relating a commemorative story about Aretha's soul chart success.

Another listener question was answered about the day of the week that  appeared most often in #1 records.

  Regarding chart action, Walter Murphy was at #34 in his 21st consecutive week  in the Top 40 with "A Fifth Of Beethoven," and Elton John likely had the  hottest record in the Top 40 as he debuted at #28 (in his 2nd week in the Hot  100) with "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word."

***

Meanwhile...

Forty two years ago Wednesday (November 20, 1982), "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes was #1 for its third and final week. The hit from the movie "An Officer And A Gentleman" remains a frequently played song today on the nation's AC (Adult Contemporary stations).

To climax the song at #1, Casey Kasem told the story of how the pair wound up singing the song together, calling it a unification of "the Princess and the Troll." Jennifer liked what she saw of Joe singing in the Grammys and caught him backstage after a Bonnie Raitt concert, telling him "I'd like to sing with you someday."

Later, when the Paramount Pictures executives told her they were thinking of using Joe Cocker on the theme song, she told them, "Why not use both of us?"

Also on this show, Casey noted that Kim Fowley, who co-produced the #1 song "Alley Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles in 1960, was producing "You Don't Want Me Anymore" by Steel Breeze. To tie in with "Heartbreaker," Casey pointed out that Dionne Warwick earned a Master's Degree in music and had wanted to teach it at one time.

***

What happened on the AT40 show of 9/21/91 typified the poor dismal management that IMO keyed the show's mid-90s demise.

Sadly, that 9/21/91 AT40 show contained a production mistake that the then-powers-that-be knew about...but ignored. Chesney Hawkes was at #29 with "The One And Only" and his dad, Chip Hawkes, was a member of the 1960's group the Tremeloes. Thus, to illustrate that fact, a drop-piece of "Silence Is Golden" was played. It was a #11 hit in 1967.

However, the original 1967 version wasn't played as the drop-piece. Instead, it was a re-recorded version that sounded like it was recorded in the 1980's. Thus, it meant that listeners were deprived of a chance to hear how a song popular from 1967 sounded production-wise. Instead, they heard what wasn't the original version...and it was a classic case of the then-AT40-powers-that-be not understanding why people turned into and listened to "American Top 40."

Certainly accuracy was one of those reasons why people listened to the show. But the powers-there-were who were in charge of the show opted to go with a misleading and incorrect drop-piece in the case of this Chesney Hawkes feature and drop-piece. Accuracy went out the window. Matt Wilson, who was working with the show then and still does now, said it best: "They'd just as soon put the wrong drop-piece on the show...because it sounds good on the radio."

This production mistake would typify the attitude of those in charge of the show in the ensuing months and years (particularly 1992 to 1994. And there was more of this awfulness...In 1992, when "End Of The Road" by Boyz en was spending 13 weeks at #1, that was the so-called rock era's (1955 to present) record for most pop chart weeks at #1 f for a black group, that would break the record set in 1969 by the 5th Dimension's "Aquarious/Let The Sunshine In." THAT record's highlight was the "Let The Sunshine In" part with Billy Davis' singing. But guess what was aired as a droppiece? Yup, "this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius" part. AGAIN, the listener was cheated by AT40's horrible inaccuracy.

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(much MUCH OLDER STUFF) When the Beatles led the British Invasion change in pop music, the first British act to give the Fab Four a run for their money wasn't the Rolling Stones. Instead, it was this group whose latest hit 51 years ago this week--about June 17, 1964-- was riding the top 40… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNVx56cmxec While the Dave Clark Five couldn't possibly match the Beatles' 27 hits on the Cash Box chart in 1964 alone, nobody else could, either. Still, the DC-5 did have eight hits that year. The others were "Glad All Over" (#4), "Bits And Pieces' (#5), "I Knew It All The Time" (#73), "Can't You See That She's Mine" (#4), "Because" (#7), "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)" (#22) and "Any Way You Want It" (#9). Ironically, the Dave Clark Five reached #41 in 1967 with a different song with almost the same title but no parenthetical expression. It was thus called "Everybody Knows"--but that would become the answer to a question Casey Kasem would sometimes get on "American Top 40" as in…"Dear Casey, Has anyone ever had two different chart hits with different songs with the same title?" For their career, the Dave Clark had 25 Cash Box charts, 17 Top 40's, 12 Top 10's and one #1 ("Over And Over" in late 1965-early 1966). For more on the Dave Clark Five... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dave_Clark_Five &&&

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"SUGAR SUGAR" HITS THE TOP

It became the biggest pop single of 1969.

And the greatest bubble gum single ever.

And it went to #1 on this weekend in 1969.,..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRenOZQMbHo

The irony surrounding "Sugar Sugar" was that the group, the Archies, was nonexistent. If anything, the Archies were a studio group who emulated the comic book characters...and who got some hand-clapping help from the king of the novelty records.

Ray Stevens didn't sing but instead clapped his hands in the taping of "Sugar Sugar." Still, he was impressed with my knowledge of that fact when I interviewed him in the late 1980's. I couldn't help but ask him if he made any money from "Sugar Sugar." He jokingly replied, "You don't get royalties for a song for clapping your hands."

Andy Kim, who had a #1 hit in 1974 with "Rock Me Gently," was supposedly a member of the Archies. The group's lead singer was Ron Dante, who five years earlier in 1964 was part of this takeoff/parody of the #1 song "Leader Of The Pack" by the Shangri-Las..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi5yDBvYUcE

Not long after "Sugar Sugar," Ron Dante was part of this hit record by the Cufflinks...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwv8KNJ0VZg

For much more on the Archies...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Archies

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--CLEVELAND'S PONI-TAILS HIT THE TOP 10

At least one of them lived in my grandparents' neighborhood in Lyndhurst, Ohio, an East side suburb of Cleveland.

Ultimately, they got their wish regarding their lifetime goal...but before that, their only Top 40 hit reached the top 10 this weekend in 1958... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxJ2gSCVZIg

"Born Too Late" by the Poni-Tails was a #7 hit on one key chart and #10 on another. Here's their followup release..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7lk_jFo1Lw

One of the Poni-Tails, Karen Topinka, lived only a few doors down from my grandparents home in Lyndhurst. I remember seeing her from a distance one day. However, she left the group before their only main hit due to parental pressure. Patti McCabe replaced Topinka, joining Toni Cistone and LaVerne Novak in the lineup. They would all graduate from Brush HIgh School, which would've been MY high school had my family not moved from Lyndhurst to Mentor in 1952, when I was six.

The REAL story of the Poni-Tails surfaced when a Cleveland TV station featured them in an update in 1981. It turned out that the Poni-Tails were told that they had to start touring once "Born Too Late"became a hit. That's when they decided that they didn't want to endure the hardship of living out of a suitcase, traveling from city to city and being away from family and friends.

And there was one more thing.

The ONE thing all the Poni-Tails wanted in life...

...to be housewives.

They got their wish.

Toni echoed those thoughts when she told writer Wayne Jancik in the book, "One-Hit Wonders," the following: "The three years (we were together as a group) were fun, but I just wanted to get out of the record business and get back to normal living." As far as I know, all the Poni-Tails are still alive with the exception of Patt (McCabe) Barnes, who died of cancer on January 17, 1989.

I will never ever forget the Poni-Tails...for one truly great ballad hit...and for sticking to their guns by going where their hearts were. For more on the Poni-Tails...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Poni-Tails

And here's my good friend Ronnie Allen's interview with the Poni-Tails…

http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/Ronnie%20Allen%20Show%20--%20Mar%202008%20--%20Poni-Tails.mp3

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TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"I THANK GOD…BECAUSE SHE MAKES EVERYTHING POSSIBLE"

Casey Kasem's intro to the song took only 27 seconds...but it packed a wallop.

Forty one years ago this week in 1973 on "American Top 40," a song about a 41-year-old woman became the new #1 song in the USA....and Casey didn't even have to mention the song's title or the singer. Here's what he said...

"At #1 in the countdown this week is the artist whose Grammy Award acceptance speech of last March is probably better remembered than anybody's. When she stepped up to receive her statuette for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female, she said, 'I want to thank my husband and manager, Jeff Wald, because he makes my success possible...and God...because SHE makes everything possible'."

Suddenly, you heard the jingle singers do their thing with their #1 jingle...and then Casey goes right into that new #1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mO7ELoXik

"Delta Dawn" became the second of at least three #1's for Helen Reddy. Her first from late 1972, "I Am Woman," made her the first Aussie to have a #1 USA single...and won her that Grammy Award. She also had a #1 hit in late 1974 with "Angie Baby." Plus, if you go by the Cash Box pop chart, she also had a chart-topper with this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULKEBJRC0gs

From 1971 to 1981, Helen Reddy had 21 hits...but it's that #75 song that's highly sentimental to me. It was the very last record I ever played as an on-air DJ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft7k1Xbz0sI

For much, much more on Helen Reddy...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Reddy

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--CASEY LEADS OFF AT40 WITH MR. LOAF

It's one of the consumate classic rock songs ever...

And thirty six years ago this week (9/16/78), Casey Kasem led off "American Top 40" with it at #40....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmPMMitJDYg

"Paradise By The Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf (and Ellen Foley) would only be heard for another week on AT40 with its peak at #38 the next week. AT40 was in its final weeks as a three-hour show. The show would expand to four hours the first weekend of October, 1978. Thus, "Paradise" had to be edited from its full length of nearly eight minutes (7:55) to about five minutes instead for both of its appearances on the show. There just wasn't time to play the entire recording. The same kind of thing happened a few weeks earlier. As AT40 expert Pete Battistini told me, "Mr. Blue Sky" by the Electric Light Orchestra had a shortened version played in all three of its weeks on AT40.

In spite of its reaching only #38 on one chart and #37 on another, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" has remained a classic rock and nightclub favorite over the years. One Cleveland station named it the #1 song of the entire year 1978. It's from "Bat Out Of Hell," which became one of the biggest selling major label debut albums with over 43 million copies sold worldwide.

I can attest to the nightclub popularity of "Paradise." As a nightclub DJ in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, from 1986-88, I could never get through the night without playing it. It would often be the highlight of the night. It's that kind of song. In fact, one night I played it...and about a minute after I went to another record, a woman came up to me at the DJ booth and asked, "Could you play 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light'?"

Meat Loaf will turn 67 later on this month. He was born Marvin Lee Aday but got his stage name as a high school player. At a practice, he stepped on the foot of an assistant coach, who yelled out "Get off my foot, you hunka meat loaf." When he appeared on the Robert Klein show, Klein addressed him as "Mr. Loaf." Others have called him "Meat." He actually survived getting hit in the head by a shot put ball. And he usually did the same thing after a concert, when he was totally exhausted. Let's put it this way...an oxygen tank was awaiting for him to use just offstage.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--PETER CETERA TURNS 70

He had two solo #1 ballads in 1986 the year after he left Chicago. Those songs were "Glory Of Love" and the duet with Amy Grant, "Next Time I Fall."

He also sang lead vocals for Chicago's first #1 from 1976, "If You Leave Me Now."

Peter Cetera turned 70 Saturday. Between his solo hits, duets and hits with Chicago, his unofficial pop chart totals are...48 hits, 31 Top 40's, 13 Top 10's and three #1's.

There's a multitude of songs to chose from to honor Cetera, but I chose a cut from his first album, "Chicago Transit Authority" from 1969. Once that LP became well known, the real Chicago Transit Authority put up a fuss, so the group eliminated "Transit Authority" and became--simply--Chicago. How good was that "Chicago Transit Authority" LP? Well, it's the only Chicago album listed under the "1001 albums you need to hear before you die."

While we've had other brass-driven groups before Chicago--most notably the Outsiders, the Grass Roots and Blood, Sweat And Tears--no brass-driven group emerged more successful into the 70's and 80's than Chicago.

Here's just one cut from that "Chicago Transit Authority" LP that symbolizes the power of Chicago's brass-driven sound. When rioters shouted out "The whole world is watching" in late August at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Chicago turned that chant into the LP cut, "Someday." Feel the power...and the thunder you hear as the song builds dramatically...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERVgkQlcw-c

For much more on that key debut album...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chicago_Transit_Authority_(album)

And for more on that historic chant...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_world_is_watching

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--13-YEAR-OLD DONNY OSMOND HITS #1

Forty three years ago today (9/11/71), a 13-year-old singer made history when he took this song to #1....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLUuWl8oMFE

"Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Osmond became the first instance of a song reaching #1 for two different singers. Steve Lawrence reached the top with the song in early 1963...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0OrTZd5KM0

Throughout most of the 1970's, Donny Osmond had 19 Top 40 hits, 11 Top 10's and two #1's between his solo hits and with his brothers, the Osmonds. Donny's other #1 was with his brothers on "One Bad Apple" earlier in 1971.

After a 12-year hit drought, Donny Osmond had a huge #2 comeback record in 1989 with "Soldier Of Love." To get the record played on a Tampa radio station, he was part of what I call "great radio." He had to beat DJ Cleveland Wheeler in a highly ballyhooed arm-wrestling contest. When Wheeler hinted to me in an interview that he let Donny win the contest, Donny quipped, "Aw, he's a wimp! I could beat him with my little finger!"

Donny also showed his sense of humor on his 1989 comeback tour. At one concert, Donny recalled, "There were these three bikers who must've had one too many. They kept yelling for me to sing 'Puppy Love.' So right in the middle of my set, I started screaming out a heavy version of 'Puppy Love.' The bikers loved it and they were with me the rest of my show. Now there's three bikers who're Donny Osmond fans."

I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Donny Osmond when he filled in for Shadoe Stevens on "American Top 40" in February, 1990. There's a photo of Donny and I on page 143 of my book, "American Top 40: The Countdown Of The Century." Donny was simply brilliant in filling for Shadoe. He was able to read show copy well thanks to his reading cue cards on his 1970's TV shows he did with his sister, Marie.

An autographed photo of Donny Osmond is proudly displayed on my office wall. He wrote, "If I ever wake up and forget my name, you'll be the first person I call."

TOMORROW: HE HAD A SEDUCTIVE VOICE, HAD #1'S AS A SINGER AND A CONDUCTOR...AND HE'S ON MY ANSWERING MACHINE

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TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--SKEETER DAVIS + DOO=WOP LYRICS = A TOP 10

In rock and roll music's early years, especially from the mid-1950's to the start of the Beatle era in early 1964, we had tons of hit songs with non-sensical lyrics. For instance, the Skyliners' hit, "It Happened Today" began with the words, "Shooby-Do-Wop."

We've even had groups take their names with those kind of lyrics. When the Silhouettes' had their only hit, "Get A Job," go to #1, a group in New York City was inspired by the song's "Sha Na Na Na" lyrics. Yup, Sha Na Na. In the mid-60's, after Jan and Dean hit with "New Girl In School," we had the garage band Papa Do Run Run.

Nobody named themselves "Doo-Doo-Doo-Shooby-Dooby-Doo-Bop-Dowm-Dowm-De-Booby-Dooby." If they had, they'd've been basing that name on this hit that was climbing the charts at this time in 1963...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpWu_V-3GLM

"I Can't Stay Mad At You" would become Skeeter Davis' second Top tenner of 1963. Her first was the #2 hit "End Of The World." Skeeter was considered a country singer, so her taking on a song written by the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin was considered a first. Both songs were huge hits on the AC chart that was then known as the Easy Listening Chart. "End Of The World" reached #1 while "I Can't Stay Mad At You" peaked at #2.

For still more on "I Can't Stay Mad At You"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can't_Stay_Mad_at_You

The Carole King-Gerry Goffin songwriting team had nearly 50 Top 40 hits. Four of them were #1's..."(Will You Love Me) Tomorrow," "Take Good Care Of My Baby," "The Loco-Motion" and….(check tomorrow)

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TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--60 MILLION VIEWERS SEE ELVIS FROM THE WAIST UP

At first, Ed Sullivan vowed he would never have THAT hip-swinging singer on HIS variety TV show.

Then Ed noticed something. A competing TV show on another network, "The Steve Allen Show," attracted twice as many viewers as Ed's show on July 1, 1956. Why?

Steve's show had Elvis on it!

That's probably when Ed Sullivan saw dollar signs...and signed Elvis Presley to appear on three of his variety TV shows at a cost of $50,000.

Elvis made his first of three "Ed Sullivan Show" appearances on this day in 1956. Ed was recovering from injuries suffered in an auto accident, so actor Charles Laughton filled in as show host.

Elvis was shown from the waist up on his first appearance that night, when he sang "Don't Be Cruel" and "Love Me Tender." On the second appearance, the cameraman must've figured "Oh, what the hell"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdDIKONSDUM

Elvis returned to "The Ed Sullivan Show" on 10/28/56 and 1/6/57. On the latter show, after singing "(There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)," Ed paid Elvis an ultimate tribute. "This a real decent fine boy," Sullivan noted, adding, "We've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you."

At the time, Frank Sinatra probably swore he'd never have Elvis on one of HIS TV shows. So when Elvis made his next TV appearance on 5/12/60 to celebrate his release from the Army, guess who's show it was? That's right, Frank Sinatra!

TOMORROW: DOO-DOO-DOO-SHOOBY-DOOBY-DOO-BOP-DOWM-DOWM-DE-DOOBY-DOOBY…

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TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--WCBS' "GREATEST OLDIE" DEBUTS

For roughly 40 of the past 42 years, WCBS/New York has been one of the most successful Classic Hits radio stations. Since its inception as an gold station on July 7, 1972, the station would annually poll its listeners as to their favorite oldie of all time...and count down the top 500. And virtually EVERY time that happened over three decades up until about 2005, THIS song was ranked #1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRb1-SAAIzs

"In The Still Of The Nite" by the Five Satins debuted on the pop chart on this day in 1956. Even though the song only reached #24 on one chart and #32 on another, it goes down in history as one of the greatest ballads of all time. On the XM50's channel, when DJ Cool Bobby B counted down the top 25 doo-wop songs of all time, it was #1. The song resurfaced in the 80's when Ronnie Milsap used the melody in "Lost In The Fifties Tonight" to make it a #1 country hit in 1985. And in 1992, Boyz II Men took their a capella remake of the song to #2 on "American Top 40," which reminds me...

When Motown Records initially released "In The Still Of The Nite" by Boyz II Men as a CD single, I was writing for AT40/ABC-Watermark. And I noticed a glaring label mistake. The songwriter was mistakenly listed as "C. Porter" as in Cole Porter. Granted, Cole Porter wrote "In The Still Of The Night" but that was a different song with nearly the same title. Fred Parris, the lead singer of the Five Satins, wrote "In The Still Of The Nite" --with the last word of the title spelled differently to differentiate the song from the Cole Porter song. Anyway, I called Motown Records to point out the label mistake...and was essentially blown off.

Undaunted, I called BMI, explained the Motown label mistake and requested that either Fred Parris or someone representing him call me. I didn't have to wait long. My phone rang about 10 minutes later. It was Fred Parris' attorney, who thanked me for the heads-up and said he'd straighten out the label goof. He added that the same kind of thing happened to "In The Still Of The Nite" when it was part of the soundtrack CD for the 1987 movie, "Dirty Dancing." All that soundtrack LP did was sell 32 million copies. Oh, and that attorney did one more thing on my behalf. He helped set up an interview I did with Fred Parris, who drove 70 miles roundtrip to make it possible. The highlight of that interview was when I asked Fred if it was true that he wrote "In The Still Of The Nite" while on overnight military guard duty. "That's right, Rob," he replied, and went on tell the story.

We not only got to play that Fred Parris interview clip on AT40, but host Shadoe Stevens earlier told how we corrected that label mistake. AT40's main writer, the late Darryl Morden, came up with a brilliant observation that Shadoe would make about correcting the label goof. Shadoe called it "Truth, Justice and the American Top 40 way."

Meanwhile, here's Sha Na Na's rendition of "In The Still Of The Nite"--and check out the emotion-filled final minute...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD1yLMRbDyE

For much more on "In The Still Of The Nite"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Still_of_the_Night_(1956_song)

http://www.nhregister.com/arts-and-entertainment/20140303/in-the-still-of-the-night-the-five-satins-recorded-biggest-hit-in-new-haven-church-basement

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TODAY IN HISTORY--REMEMBERING DADDY DURK

Once upon a time--way, way back in the 1961-62 school year--there was this student who was totally lost when it came to one subject.

The subject was Plane Geometry and the student was...

Yup, me. I was just plain lost when it came to Plane Geometry. How did I get a C for the first semester? Beats me. I got a 16--a SIXTEEN!--on my first Geometry test! And my third six weeks grade was a D+. And it got worse with a D in the fourth six weeks. That's when Daddy Durk--a/k/a Wayne Oscar Durkee, my dad--laid down the law.

"If you don't get a C for the year, you'll have to take Plane Geometry all over again in summer school."

Ouch...and I was already under the Durkee Family Law of..."No TV on school nights if you get a D or worse." What's a guy to do? Well, I went to my Plane Geometry teacher--Mr. Joseph Kostecka--and asked him, "I'm struggling. What can I do?"

Mr. Kostecka responded: "Constant review. Go over what we've covered so far." And that's what I did. It started to work! I got a C- fifth six weeks grade from Mr. Kostecka. He saw that was I trying hard and improving. When my dad saw my report card, he said something I'll never forget....

"I think you can do better."

"Gee, dad, Geometry's tough. I don't know."

He said it again. "No, I think you can do better."

So...I tried even harder. I did my homework, strived to do better with tests....and...

One day in that last six weeks, Mr. Kostecka called on me. He asked me a question in regards to what we were studying. Two months earlier, I would've said "I don't know." But this time, I KNEW the answer. I felt good about that...and I think Mr. Kostecka didn't forget that moment when it came time for my last six week's grade. He gave me a B. I know I've had my share of A's and B's over the years, but that one B has meant the most to me in my entire life. And I got that C average for the school year. And it was thanks to a lesson I learned though a very observant teacher and a father who inspired me. The lesson had almost nothing to do with the Pythagorean Theorem...but instead had everything to do with this...

If you TRY hard enough at something, no matter how difficult it is, you CAN succeed. I managed to see Mr. Kostecka at my Mentor (Ohio) High School class of 1964 union in July. He just turned 79. I thanked him for that B and the valuable lesson he helped teach me.

This was just one of the many things that Wayne Oscar Durkee--a/k/a Daddy Durk--taught me. He died of a blood disease 35 years ago Tuesday (September 2, 1979). Last Father's Day, I included my Long Distance Dedication to him that aired on Casey Kasem's shows 10 years earlier in 2004. Perhaps you missed it. Here it is in its entirety...

"Dear Casey, It's hard to believe that Labor Day weekend later this summer will mark the 25th anniversary of the passing of the most influential man I've ever met in my life.

He gave me my sense of humor. I can STILL remember how we'd be in our car listening to the radio, and when I knew a song being played was one he particularly wasn't fond of, I'd say, "Gee, isn't that song pretty?" and he'd say, "Yeah...pretty awful!"

On a much more serious note, this man taught me something I've never forgotten. When things were going bad for me, he'd say, "You've got to roll with the punches."

Then, he SHOWED me how it was done. In the last two months of his life, when there was no hope of his overcoming a debilitating blood disease, he fought it right to the bitter end. He only complained about his fate once. And true to his courage AND his sense of humor, his last words were, "I'm in agony. Isn't that a helluva note?"

There was so much more I wanted to tell him, but I missed the chance by about five minutes. Casey, could you please say it loud and say it clear? Could you play "The Living Years" as a tribute to Wayne Durkee, the man also known as Daddy Durk, and the best dog-gone dad of them all...mine. Thanks so much, Rob Durkee."

Rob, you've got it. Here's your Long Distance Dedication…"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--JERRY ALLISON TURNS 75

Jerry Allison was the drummer on probably the first established rock and roll group to have a lead guitarist...the Crickets with Buddy Holly strumming his guitar.

Jerry turned 75 Sunday. He and Buddy co-wrote the Crickets' breakthrough hit in 1957. That hit was inspired by something John Wayne kept muttering in the movie "The Searchers"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk6YDzmqZ0I

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jerry Allison in 1987, when I was a DJ for my second radio station, WAYY in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The interview came before WAYY's first "Shake, Rattle And Roll" concert. In that interview, Jerry helped point out a key misunderstanding in the movie, "The Buddy Holly Story." A cricket is heard during a rehearsal in a makeshift studio during the movie...but that's not why the group would call itself the Crickets. Instead, as Jerry pointed out, "We were inspired by the group the Spiders, so we said 'let's be insects' and decided to call ourselves the Crickets." Also, there really was a "Peggy Sue"...as in Peggy Sue Gerron, whom Jerry married but would eventually divorce. Meanwhile, Allison sang on this 1958 single...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjv5cyC-BAg

Why was Jerry Allison identified as "Ivan" in "Real Wild Child?" Because his middle name is Ivan!! He was born Jerry Ivan Allison on August 31, 1939.

Sadly, Buddy Holly died along with Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper (Jape Richardson) and the pilot, Roger Peterson, in "The Day The Music Died" plane crash of February 3, 1959.

Even though Buddy Holly was in the pop music spotlight for less than a year and a half, his songs have lived over the years via remakes. There's too many to mention, but here's some:

Linda Ronstadt, for instance, remade "That'll Be The Day," "It's So Easy" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." The Beatles did "Words Of Love" and "Crying, Waiting, Hoping." Peter And Gordon did "True Love Ways" as did Mickey Gilley. The Bobby Fuller Four sang "Love's Made A Fool Of You"...the Beach Boys did "Peggy Sue"...Bobby Darin sang "Early In The Morning"..and Leo Sayer hit with "Raining In My Heart."

For more on Jerry Allison...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Allison

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--DEBORAH GIBSON BLOWS OUT THE CANDLES

She was the first teenager to substitute host on "American Top 40" in 1989.

A year earlier, she was the youngest performer ever to write, sing and produce a #1 hit.

Deborah Gibson has a birthday Sunday. I won't mention her age...but instead will give you this hint: She was born the year AT40 began.

As Debbie Gibson, she burst onto the pop music scene at this time in 1987, when she was in the top 10 with this song..,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IivGqwQvdCI

Deborah's written or co-written all nine of her top 40's. This was the chart-topper in 1988 when she became the youngest performer to write, sing and produce a #1 hit..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf8BoWKeHow

Deborah was 18 when she filled in for Shadoe Stevens as AT40 host in June, 1989, when "Satisfied" by Richard Marx was the #1 single.

She became Deborah Gibson for good in 1996. When I had a very enjoyable phone chat with her for my book, "American Top 40: The Countdown Of The Century," she downplayed her first name change. "I've always been Deborah," she explained. "In fact, all my writing and producing credits on my albums have always said 'Deborah'. I went with 'Debbie Gibson' because I was savvy enough in the business world to know the name was catchy. It fit what I was doing at the time. But no one who's known me for more than five minutes ever called me 'Debbie'."

Among her other projects have been reality TV and Broadway plays. It's all part of a career dating back to age four, when she began to play a ukulele. She wrote her first song, "Make Sure You Know Your Classroom," when she was five.

For more on this incredibly talented lady...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Gibson

TOMORROW: A SALUTE TO BUDDY HOLLY'S DRUMMER

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--DIDDLE-LITTLE-LITTLE-LIT!!! THE RAINDROPS HAVE A HIT!

They started as a duo recording singles.

They ended as a song-writing machine, both together and separately.

In between, the Raindrops roared into the top 40 at this time in 1963 with their biggest hit and a doo-wop rocker...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWsrKu7LaPg

"The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget" was a #15 hit for the Raindrops, who named themselves after the #2 hit by Dee Clark in 1961, "Raindrops."

While everybody thought they were a group, they were actually a duo of future songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Still, they tried to make everyone think they were a group. They had a third person's photo on the LP cover to make them look like a trio, for instance. They sometimes even had someone perform with them but that someone wouldn't be singing. Instead, he or she would be lip-synching into a non-working microphone.

The Raindrops would have only two other pop chart singles, neither of which make the Top 40.

No matter. Barry and Greenwich would together or separately write seven #1 hits...which were..."Do Wah Diddy Diddy," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Sugar Sugar," "Hanky Panky," "Chapel Of Love," "Leader Of The Pack" and "I Honestly Love You." Among their other hits were "Be My Baby," "Take Me Home Tonight," "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Baby I Love You." They were married from 1962 to 1965. Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich are in the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Greenwich was 68 when she died in 2009. For more on her...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellie_Greenwich

For more on Jeff Barry...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWsrKu7LaPg

TOMORROW: THE FIRST TEENAGE GIRL TO SUBSTITUTE HOST ON "AMERICAN TOP 40."

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--GHOULARDI TEACHES CLEVELANDERS A NOVELTY HIT

I know the first question you're asking...at least if you aren't a child of the 1960's from Cleveland...

"Who in the hell is Ghoulardi?"

Native Clevelanders like me know. Ghoulardi ruled Cleveland Friday night TV ratings from early 1963 to late 1968. He was the late Ernie Anderson, who'd later become the voice of ABC and "The Carol Burnett Show." Ghoulardi hosted the two-hour "Shock Theater," which started around 11:30 p.m. and featured reruns of 1950's/early 1960's monster/horror type movies.

But you didn't see just the movies. You also saw Ghoulardi, this zany man with a beard and goofy wig that said things like "stay sick, turn blue, Ghoulardi loves you." And "Cool it with the boom booms." And "purple Knif." And "Hey group!" Plus, he'd suddenly have hilarious clips interspersed during those movies. One of them was a film clip of a man who'd swallow his nose...and you'd hear the start of this novelty hit record....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICsBw6zJRSM

"Papa Oom Mow Mow" by the Rivingtons was climbing the pop chart at this time in 1962. Believe it or not, it became a top 40 hit on the Cash Box chart, peaking at #35. The Rivingtons later had another chart hit with "The Bird Is The Word." The Minnesota rock group the Trashmen took those two Rivington hits and turned them into an early 1964 Top tenner, "Surfing Bird." The Rivingtons' followup to "Papa Oom Mow Mow" wasn't "The Bird Is The Word." Instead, it was what would become part of the "Jeopardy" subject of "Stupid Answers"...as in... "The Rivingtons' followup single to their hit, 'Papa Oom Mow Mow'."

The correct question...

"What is 'Mama Oom Mow Mow'?"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWFZLwbxKGI

Yes, "Mama Oom Mow Mow" was the followup to "Papa Oom Mow Mow"--but that's not the funniest example of a hit song and an ironic followup. In 1958, drummer Cozy Cole had a top 10 hit with "Topsy"--and his followup single was...

"Turvy"

For more on the Rivingtons...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rivingtons

And for much much more on Ghoulardi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoulardi

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--THE "MANDY" SINGER'S BACKGROUND VOCAL GROUP COMES TO THE FOREFRONT

When rock and roll music exploded onto the pop music scene in the mid- to late 1950's, one way vocal groups would get a label deal would be singing songs a cappella on street corners, particularly in the Big Apple. Then hope they get discovered. It worked for a group that sang a lot along New York City's Belmont Avenue. They became Dion and the Belmonts.

Plus, throughout the late 50's and early to mid-1960's, we had our share of hits containing nonsensical lyrics...but we didn't care. We just loved the songs.

And it all came back to us at this time in 1976, when this song was moving up the pop Top 40...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vHc6yie3KQ

"Street Singin' " by Lady Flash became a #27 peaking hit on both the main pop charts of the day. Lady Flash never had another chart hit, but they didn't have to. Instead, the group consisting of Lorraine Mazzola, Monica Pege and Debra Byrd sang background on at least seven Barry Manilow albums, mainly from about 1974-1979. They also sang background on many of Barry's concerts. According to Wikipedia, Mazzola was briefly a member for the 60's girl group Reparata and the Delrons while Byrd has been a vocal coach for "American Idol" contestants.

Here's just some of the songs I thought when I listened to "Street Singin" "--"The Shoop Shoop Song" (Betty Everett), "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (Manfred Mann), "So Fine" (The Fiestas), "The Doolang" (Cleveland's Andrea Carroll), "Hello Stranger" (Barbara Lewis, with the Dells singing the "Sho-Bop" part) and one more song. Listen carefully to "Street Singin'" at the 2:54 mark as the fade begins. I'm featuring it tomorrow...as in...

TOMORROW: GHOULARDI INTRODUCES CLEVELAND TO A NOVELTY HIT

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--EDDIE FLOYD GIVES US ONE OF THE 10 GREATEST SONGS DEDICATED TO A WOMAN

Eddie Floyd didn't just give us a classic R&B and pop hit with "Knock On Wood." He also gave us--in my opinion-- one of the 10 greatest songs dedicated to a woman....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJYRH7JhHW0

"I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me Like You Do)" was moving up the charts at this time in 1968. While it only reached #47 on the Cash Box pop chart and #40 on another, it was much more successful on the R&B chart, reaching #2.

Eddie Floyd was part of the Memphis-based Stax/Volt label which spawned over 50 Top 40 pop hits. Here are just a few of the classic hit songs produced by the Stax/Volt label: "(Sittin' On The) Dock Of The Bay" (Otis Redding), "I'll Take You There" (the Staple Singers), "Green Onions" (Booker T And The MG's), "Soul Man" (Sam And Dave), "Mr. Big Stuff" (Jean Knight), "Walking The Dog" (Rufus Thomas) and "Who's Making Love" (Johnnie Taylor).

Virtually all the Stax/Volt songs can be heard on three boxed sets. I'm proud to say I own all three.

For more on that label...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stax_Records

For more on Eddie Floyd...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Floyd

TOMORROW: CASEY'S GREATEST FEATURE IS BORN

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY -- STEVE AND EYDIE GIVE US A PARKING SONG

So...just what IS a parking song?

Why, it's that one song you hope the DJ will play on the radio when you've found that neat secluded place to park with your date. A song like this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeH-Su-_EPE

"I Want To Stay Here" by Steve (Lawrence) and Eydie (Gorme) debuted in the top 40 at this time in 1963. Steve met Eydie on the set of the Steve Allen-hosted "Tonight Show" in 1954. They married on December 29, 1957. The witnesses included two people who got married the same day--Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Steve and Eydie put out 93 albums, won a dozen Emmys and captured two Grammys.

"I Want To Stay Here" was one of nearly 50 Top 40 hits written by the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The King-Goffin team had #1 hits with "(Will You Love Me) Tomorrow," "Take Good Care Of My Baby," "Go Away Little Girl" and "The Loco-Motion."

The King-Goffin team came up with another Steve and Eydie hit in early 1964...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW-U7DZRlWY

"I Want To Stay Here" was a top 10 Easy Listening/AC hit for Steve and Eydie, along with this 1972 hit when they teamed up with the Osmonds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb6LxjV80fM

What a fantastic couple. Eydie Gorme died on August 10 of last year. She was five days away from turning 85. Steve Lawrence turns 80 next summer.

TOMORROW: ONE OF THE TEN GREATEST SONGS DEDICATED TO A WOMAN

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--OTIS AND CARLA SIZZLE ON A REMAKE HIT

Eddie Floyd co-wrote and sang it first in 1966. Amii Stewart made it a #1 hit disco-style in 1979.

In between, though, and moving up the pop charts at this time in 1967, was perhaps the most soulful version of "Knock On Wood"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVt3GWuGM9s

This wasn't the first time Otis Redding and Carla Thomas dueted on a pop and R&B hit. They did it earlier in '67 with this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlCA0-Arks

While "Knock On Wood" and "Tramp" were only modest pop hits, both were top tenners on the soul/R&B chart.

Carla Thomas was the first and only child to ever make the top 40 pop chart before one of her parents, in this case Rufus Thomas. Perhap you'll remember this top 10 ballad Carla had in 1961...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAmHhBiXVjw

"Knock On Wood" was Otis Redding's last hit before he sadly died in a plane crash in late 1967. About three days before he perished, he recorded what would become his biggest hit...and the first posthumous #1 ever...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyxLaHmOaYM

TOMORROW: THEY HAD THE MOST CONSECUTIVE TOP 10 ALBUMS...AND THEY ROAR ONTO THE POP CHART

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--DINO CROCETTI BEATS THE ODDS, HITS #1 AND DETHRONES THE BEATLES

He hadn't had a Top 40 pop hit in five years...with the forgettable "On An Evening In Roma" in 1959.

And, with the Beatles leading the way with the British Invasion, he was expected to suffer the same fate as many late 50's-early 60's singers. That is, no hits.

So....

What were the odds of him having a Top 40 hit in 1964...

...AND doing it with a 16-year-old song that was originally the B side of a Frank Sinatra hit?

...AND taking it to NUMBER ONE?

...AND dethroning the Beatles?

Whatever the odds, Dino Crocetti beat them 50 years ago this week with this incredibly romantic ballad...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxVdjw0Gm8I

"Everybody Loves Somebody" by Dean Martin replaced the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" at #1. It was his first #1 since 1956's "Memories Are Made Of This" and put him on a rather exclusive list. Only 10 acts have had a #1 hit both before and after the Beatles came along. Nine were solo men...Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Vinton, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, Neil Sedaka and Tommy Roe. The tenth act and only group to do it was the Four Seasons.

As my good friend, writer Fred Bronson, noted, the success of "Everybody Loves Somebody" led to Dean Martin starring in his own TV show for nine seasons. He also starred as Matt Helm in four movies. Over on the Easy Listening (later known as the AC) chart, Dean Martin would take "Everybody Loves Somebody" to #1 along with his followup...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgyN9WciV30

Dino had three more #1 AC hits with "You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You," "In The Chapel In The Moonlight" and "In The Misty Moonlight." He had over two dozen AC hits.

For the uninformed, Dean Martin's career dated back to 1946, when he and Jerry Lewis began as a team. Dean would be the suave handsome guy while Jerry would be the comedian in 17 movies from 1949-56.

On a personal note, I was home for Christmas on military leave in 1969 when my immediate family and I were watching a Dean Martin Christmas TV special. Dean looked into the camera, said "this one goes out to you servicemen," and sang "i'll Be Home For Christmas." It was remarkably quiet in that living room after the song was sung. It was almost as if he was singing that song to me. For sure, I became a Dean Martin fan for life. He sadly died on Christmas Day in 1995.

For more on Dean Martin...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Martin

TOMORROW: OTIS AND CARLA SIZZLE ON A SOULFUL REMAKE

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--REMEMBERING JOHNNY PRESTON

One of his his songs was recorded by the Beatles. Another would become the biggest chart single of the rock and roll era's first 21 years for someone else.

Johnny Preston was born 75 years ago Monday. He died March 4, 2011 but leaves behind the legacy of singing on the second #1 hit of the 1960's...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PfrpcqLyzY

"Running Bear" replaced the first #1 single of the 60's, "El Paso" by Marty Robbins at the top nearly a year after the tragic death of the song's writer. Jape Richardson, a/k/a The Big Bopper, wrote "Running Bear." Richardson died along with Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and pilot Roger Peterson Febraury 3, 1959 in "The Day The Music Died" plane crash. Plus, you can hear Richardson in the background of "Running Bear" providing the "Ooom Pah Ooom Pah" part along with Bill Hall and George Jones. When Richardson died, Mercury Records postponed releasing "Running Back" until the fall of 1959. The single became the first in history to debut on the pop chart, fall off it, return and then go to #1.

Johnny Preston would later record the Little Willie John song, "Leave My Kitten Alone," which the Beatles would record. Johnny also recorded a version of "The Twist," which Chubby Checker took to #1 on two separate chart runs. Chubby's version of "The Twist" became the biggest chart single of the rock era's first 21 years (1955-76).

Johnny would have two more top 10's in 1960, including this one in the spring...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWGmK_encD8

Then in the summer of 1960, he had this remake of a Shirley and Lee song originally entitled, "Feel So Good." He changed the title...sang a little falsetto...and even rapped in it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWGmK_encD8

"Feel So Fine" was by far my favorite Johnny Preston song.

On a personal note, I got to know Johnny Preston very well. He was a remarkably nice man to talk to. I called him around 2001 on his birthday, introduced myself, explained my background as an oldies DJ and music researcher...and suddenly I had a friend forever. He twice mailed me autographed CD's of his songs. What a guy. We would always talk oldies in our conversations. I would call and/or e-mail Johnny on his birthday every year until he passed away.

For more on Johnny Preston…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Preston

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--REMEMBERING JOHNNY BURNETTE

He was a rockabilly pioneer, sang the original version of one of Ringo Starr's #1's...and his memory was kept alive by his son whose LP was fittingly called "Son Of Rock And Roll,"

Johnny Burnette was only 30 when he died 50 years ago last Thursday (August 14, 1964) in a tragic boating accident. His unlit fishing boat was hit by a cabin cruiser in Clear Lake, California. The impact of the collision threw Johnny into the water and he drowned. He's buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glenville where hopefully Casey Kasem will someday also be buried.

While Ringo Starr hit #1 with "You're Sixteen" in early 1974, that was a remake of this #7 hit by Johnny Burnette from late 1960...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f6m9T9qgtk

"You're Sixteen" was Johnny's followup to this #8 hit from the summer of 1960...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnkjOHVK-H4

Twenty years later, Johnny's son, Rocky had this top tenner from that aforementioned "Son Of Rock And Roll" album...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA60raoEx18

When Rocky visited "American Bandstand" in 1980, Dick Clark fittingly showed a film clip of Rocky's dad singing "Dreamin'" on a 1960 Bandstand show. The smile in Rocky's eyes after seeing that film clip was tremendous. By the way, as a little kid, there was often another singer taking him by the hand to make sure he was OK. That singer was Elvis Presley, a friend of Johnny's...and the Beatles redid one of Johnny's songs, "Lonesome Tears In My Eyes."

For more on Johnny Burnette...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Burnette

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--ERIC CARMEN TURNS 65 (AND SHOWS WHY CLEVELAND ROCKS)

He's a testimonial as to why Cleveland Rocks.

Cleveland's own Eric Carmen turns 65 Monday (8/11/14). Even though he had 19 hits between his years fronting the Raspberries and his subsequent solo career, NONE of them compare to THIS rocker...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q_i9GG5wXI

"That's Rock And Roll" was on the debut solo LP "Eric Carmen" released in 1975...and the song was the B side of 1988's "Make Me Lose Control." In between, teen idol Shaun Cassidy took a remake of the song to #4 in 1977. Then for an encore, Cassidy's followup single was another Carmen-written song, "Hey Deanie" that he took into the 40 in 1978.

Meanwhile, here's how Eric Carmen rocked out with "That's Rock And Roll" on "The Midnight Special"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiDKFCBX2JA

One of Casey Kasem's favorite stories was how the Raspberries made one of their LP jackets smell so strong of--what else?--raspberries, that a woman smelling the LP at a record store fainted. And here's the group's biggest hit from 1972...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swicdtaddy0

For much much more on Eric Carmen...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Carmen

TOMORROW: The ultimate songwriter challenge is met...when a record exec at his desk shows him a bottle of Pepsi-Cola, shakes it and says, "You can write about anything, so write about this." The writer goes home and pens the #5 Elvis song of all time.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--40 YEARS AGO, NIXON QUIT

Forty years ago today, Richard Nixon resigned as our 37th President in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Gerald Ford would later be sworn in as our 38th President.

No record better foretold the future of Nixon than this one that charted briefly in June, 1974...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF8sxluUxGQ

Did you forget the songs that were used as clips in this Dickie Goodman flying saucer record? Here they are in order...

1. The Streak -- Ray Stevens

2. Seasons In The Sun -- Terry Jacks

3. Benny And The Jets --Elton John

4. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing -- Stevie Wonder

5. My Girl, Bill -- Jim Stafford

6. Dancing Machine -- the Jackson 5

7. The Entertainer -- Marvin Hamlisch

8. The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me -- Gladys Knight And The Pips

9. The Loco-Motion -- Grand Funk

10. Oh My My --Ringo Starr

11. Hooked On A Feeling -- Blue Swede

12. The Streak -- Ray Stevens

13. I Won't Last A Day Without You -- the Carpenters

"Mr. President" only reached #73 on one chart and #85 on another (Cash Box) in June.

Nixon wasn't all that bad a President. He just got caught. He helped end the Vietnam War. Plus, he was brilliant in an interview he once did with ESPN.

Meanwhile, this was the #1 song in the USA 40 years ago this weekend...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-L0NpaErkk

"The Night Chicago Died" was supposedly a fictional story of a battle between Chicago police and Al Capone's henchmen. The group Paper Lace never was able to perform the song live in the USA because what one source called "contractual issues."

TOMORROW: REMEMBERING THE GROUP THAT GAVE US "GET IT ON" IN 1971

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--STAN FREBERG TURNS 88

Long before Weird Al Yankovic...there was Stan Freberg.

Freberg, who turns 88 Thursday (8/7/14), is described by Wikipedia as "an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director, whose career began in 1944. He is still active in the industry in his mid-80s, more than 70 years after entering it."

While Weird Al Yankovic would parady songs with the same melody but different titles and lyrics, Stan Freberg would parody songs with usually the same titles. There's one exception, though, when Stan's parody of "Cry" by Johnnie Ray was entitled, "Try." What made Stan's material so funny was the variety of humor and the ability to effectively parody entertainers.

For instance, THIS was actually a #1 record in 1953 for a month....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT3QYb7AN6k

Yes, it was a parody of the TV show, "Dragnet" and its star, Jack Webb. But Stan Freberg could also parody Elvis...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az2rHv57zq4

Or Lawrence Welk...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0TSDcPW2Kk

Or mushy soap operas...like this, Stan's breakthrough hit in which you hear exactly two words...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0TSDcPW2Kk

People ACTUALLY BOUGHT that single, "John And Marsha" in 1951. It reached #21. Honest.

For much more on Stan Freberg...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Freberg

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--26 YEARS AGO, NO GOODBYES FROM CASEY YET

Twenty six years ago Wednesday (August 6, 1988), thousands of "American Top 40" fans tuned in to hear Casey Kasem do what was believed to be his very last AT40 show. Shadoe Stevens would replace him at the mike the following week. Fans particularly wanted to hear how Casey would end the show, fully expecting him to say goodbye.

Only he didn't. After promoting his TV show, Casey said, "Til then, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

No farewell from Casey...but that was because it really WASN'T "farewell" for him. He would be back. The ABC network would actually PAY Casey to NOT count 'em down for the rest of 1988 and the first two weekends of 1989. But that's when Casey's contract with ABC expired...and on the weekend of January 21, 1989, Casey sounded like he'd never been away when he debuted with "Casey's Top 40" on the Westwood One radio network. He was just starting a then-unheard-of radio contract for a disc jockey....five years, $15 million.

Casey stayed with Westwood One for about nine years and one month. Then, around February, 1998, he abruptly left Westwood One in a contract dispute. Essentially, Casey was able to leave Westwood One because his shows (Casey's Top 40, Casey's Countdown, Casey's Hot 20) didn't generate $6 million in profit. On the weekend of March 28, 1988, the man who pioneered the art of counting 'em down for AT40 was reunited WITH "American Top 40" on the AM-FM Network.

Oh, that show of 26 years ago at this time? "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood was #1...and there a bit of chart irony that my AT40 friend and fan, Larry Cohen, passed along to me years ago. We had one artist and one act which were on the very first AT40 show the Fourth Of July, 1970, and that August 6, 1988 show. And on the latter show, they were in the countdown back-to-back!

At #31 was "Another Part Of Me" by Michael Jackson, who was with the Jackson Five 18 years earlier at #2 with "The Love You Save." And #30 was "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by the Moody Blues, who 18 years earlier on the first AT40 show were at #27 with "Question."

So when DID Casey say goodbye? Not until 21 years later on the first weekend of July, 2009...and here's how it sounded...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxq6vjAvWs

TOMORROW: HE COULD PARODY JACK WEBB, ELVIS AND LAWRENCE WELK

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"AMERICAN BANDSTAND" GOES NATIONAL

When this TV show debuted locally in Philadelphia in 1952, the critics said something like this...

"A TV show with kids dancing? It'll never work! NOBODY will watch it!"

Then when "American Bandstand" made its national TV debut on this day in 1957....

Everybody watched it.

For at least 30 years.

Nearly a quarter of a century before MTV was born in 1981, "American Bandstand" brought pop music's latest stars right into our living rooms.

And made Dick Clark a superstar.

Contrary to what you might've read elsewhere, the first record played on that memorable "American Bandstand" show wasn't "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Instead, it was "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis.

The second record played? "Summer Love" by Joni James. Who made the most guest appearances on the show? Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon.

Who were that memorable show's first guests? Well, the first was Billy Williams who sang his remake of a 1935 Fats Waller hit. This isn't Billy's 1957 visit but a 1959 performance I found in You Tube that's just as good...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D0F-JsImHo

Also visiting Bandstand were the Chordettes, who were most famous for the 1954-55 #1 hit, "Mr. Sandman," but on this day in '57 sang this catchy song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFwsdstp9xs

For much much more on "American Bandstand"...

http://oldies.about.com/od/theculture/a/American-Bandstand-Timeline.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Bandstand

TOMORROW: THE DAY WE THOUGHT CASEY KASEM WAS SAYING GOODBYE

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--FRANKIE FORD TURN 75 (AND MEMORIES OF "AMERICAN HOT WAX" ABOUND)

He took us on a sea cruise...and 19 years later he played himself in one of the best oldies-but-goodies movies you've never seen.

Francis Guzzo was born 75 years ago Monday. He's better known as Frankie Ford and here's by far my favorite hit by him from early 1960...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82u_YKJAfTE

Frank Sinatra originally hit with "Time After Time" in 1947 while Chris Montez remade it in 1966.

OK, here's Dick Clark introducing Frankie Ford to sing his most famous hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5tIHtbctFQ

Huey (PIano) Smith and the Clowns provided the instrumental background on "Sea Cruise," a #12 hit in 1959. In 1978, Frankie sang the song in "American Hot Wax." That's among the best movies ever to capture the craziness of 1950's good time rock and roll. The two-record soundtrack is only available on vinyl while the movie has never come out on DVD or VCR tape. Ah, but you CAN see this movie in seven takes at YouTube at...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUFIkQtG0Ok&index=1&list=PLpFyTotXjhv-yN8Jwl1ipW_X1vE6HCgZF

"American Hot Wax" captures a day in the life of legendary DJ Alan Freed. For sure, the movie captures Freed's love of the new style of music and how much he defends it. A young Jay Leno is in this movie. Supposely, the day is at or around September 7, 1959, on what would've been Buddy Holly's 23rd birthday. In addition to Frankie Ford, there's at least three other performers who play themselves...Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. In the movie, Hawkins performs his best-known song, the Halloween classic "I Put A Spell On You," which ends with him falling into a coffin that closes. Once in real life, though, his co-horts/stagehands pulled a prank on him--by keeping the coffin closed and locked! Yeah, they unlocked it and let him out...but not after he screamed, kicked and pounded the insides of the coffin for an eternity.

One more thing about Screamin' Jay Hawkins--he fathered as many as 75 children.

As great and exciting "American Hot Wax" was, it was loaded with inaccuracies. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers ("Why Do Fools Fall In Love") and the Dell-Vikings ("Come Go With Me") aren't credited for their hits. Neither is the writer of the Skyliners' song, "Since I Don't Have You." The year "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is credited as 1959, but it was actually 1956. Connie Francis is perceived as a new and upcoming singer...but in reality she'd already had 10 hits. The girl duo of Patience and Prudence is likewise perceived as up and coming...but the twosome already had its main hits with "Tonight You Belong To Me" and "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" three years earlier in 1956. What are we doing seeing Rick Nelson performing "Travelin' Man" on TV? This was supposed to be September, 1959. "Travelin' Man' was a hit in 1961.

The actual year and place of the concert depicted in movie is believed to have been 1958 and Boston, not New York City in 1959. Finally, what really did it in Freed wasn't that concert riot, but rather the payola scandal. Ironically, Alan Freed and the actor who portrayed him in "American Hot Wax," Tim McIntire, were both in their early to mid- 40's and died primarily from alcoholism 21 years apart (1965 and 1986).

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--TONY BENNETT TURNS 88

He's sold over 50 million records and won 16 Grammys. He had four #1's before we even heard of Elvis Presley or rock and roll.

Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto 88 years ago Sunday (8/3/14). He had 36 pop hits and 27 hits on the AC/Easy Listening chart. One of them was this, his signature song..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryF9p-nqsWw

"I Left My Heart In San Francisco" only reached #19 on one pop chart and #22 on another (Cash Box) in 1962 but chart position doesn't always tell the story. "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" won Grammys for Record of The Year and Pop Male Vocal.

Tony's #1's in the early 1950's? "Because Of You," "Cold Cold Heart," "Rags To Riches" and "Stranger In Paradise." Elvis Presley had a minor chart hit remake of "Rags To Riches" in 1971.

Not all of Tony's hits have been ballads. In 1957, he reached #8 with this uptempo hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFXDpM9hgyA

For much, much more on Tony Bennett...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_bennett

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--REMEMBERING A COUNTRTY MUSIC SUPERSTAR

He's in the Country Music and the Texas Country Music Halls of Fame.

Nearly half of his 80 country chart hits (34) were posthumous.

He had five posthumous #1's on that chart.

And one of his posthumous hits was a duet with another country legend, the late Patsy Cline. Imagine, a posthumous duet...and between two country music superstars who both died in plane crashes.

Such was the legend of country music superstar Jim Reeves, who was 40 when he died in a plane crash 50 years ago Thursday (7/31/64). His friend and business partner, Dean Manuel, also perished in the crash.

Jim Reeves' chart span was 31 years (1953-84). Yes, he was charting 20 years after his death. This was by far his most famous hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nls0zrxx7UY

"He'll Gave To Go" was #1 on the country chart for 14 weeks in 1960. It nearly crossed over to make #1 on the pop chart, reaching #2 for three weeks. At virtually any other time, it would've been #1 pop, but it was kept out of #1 by the biggest hit of 1960, the nine-week running #1, "Theme From 'A Summer Place' " by Percy Faith.

Meanwhile, here's that amazing posthumous duet released in 1981…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lHsjTTVPPI

For much more on Jim Reeves...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Reeves

TOMORROW: REMEMBERING THE ROCKER WHO ORIGINALLY HIT WITH "YOU'RE SIXTEEN"

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--PAUL ANKA TURNS 73

Rock and Roll Music's first teenage star was Frankie Lymon. He was only 14 when his group, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, had a Top 10 hit with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." A year later in 1957, he had a solo Top 40 hit with "Goody Goody."

Frankie Lymon wasn't rock and roll music's first teenage millionaire, though. Nor was it Ricky Nelson...or Elvis Presley...because he was in his 20's when he finally broke through.

Rock and roll music's first teenage millionaire gained his unique distinction by writing most of his hits. They include his breakthrough hit he wrote when he was spurned by, of all people, his babysitter...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPw5WiABUOA

"Diana" reached #2 on the pop chart but sold nine million copies worldwide for rock and roll music's first teenage millionaire, Canada's Paul Anka.

Paul turns 73 Wednesday. When Lou Simon, DJ for the 60's channel's weekly Top 40 countdowns, counted down the Top 40 foreign acts for the 1960's, excluding those from England, Paul Anka was #1. No wonder. He's had 55 chart hits and 32 top 40's in his career spanning 1957 to 1983.

Ironically, the You Tube video of "Diana" includes another of my favorite Anka hits...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As99fxCfldo

Still, another...and, remember, this song deals with a guy's hoping to be reunited with his love interest...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta6B9OYvxwo

Hey, why not another from 1978...among my favorites...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X61JqYvXfJE

TOMORROW: REMEMBERING A COUNTRY MUSIC LEGEND, WHO HAD 34 POSTHUMOUS HITS, FIVE OF THEM #1'S

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--MAUREEN MCGOVERN TURNS 65

Sometimes she's been known as "The Disaster Movie Singer." After all, she sang at least three songs from disaster movies. But I remember her as having two Top 40 hits, one from a movie, the other a TV show theme. Now THAT'S a rarity.

Maureen McGovern turns 65 Sunday. She was born in Youngstown and graduated from Boardman High School in 1967. While she's most famous for a major movie hit, she also had this top 40 hit in the fall of 1979...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uenud_vexZA

"Angie" lasted only two seasons and 36 episodes. The song reached #18 on one chart, #26 on another pop chart...but made #1 the Adult Contemporary chart.

Meanwhile, I'd be remiss if I didn't hit you with her biggest hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KClpLzFftU

"The Morning After" still ranks as the only song to win an Oscar for top movie song and THEN go to #1. Mysteriously, while the song made #1 on one chart, it peaked at #3 on another (Cash Box). I featured that song from "The Poseidon Adventure" back on June 8, the 30th anniversary of the Barneveld (Wisconsin) tornado.

Oh, and Maureen McCovern had this disaster movie hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZWAmb6OG8g

And this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F23rRkJBrNM

For more on Maureen McGovern....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_McGovern

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--MICK JAGGER GETS SATISFACTION IN TURNING 71

They're the act with the most consecutive top 10 albums, they're still going strong and their leader, Mick Jagger, turns 71 Saturday.

What can you say about the Rolling Stones? Well, a British newspaper once had this headline in a mid-60's story...

"Would YOU let your sister go out with one of THEM?"

The headline was all part of an often-told story by Casey Kasem on "American Top 40" at various times during the 1970's. In the same Casey story, a writer called the group "perverted, outrageous, violent, repulsive, ugly, tasteless, incoherent, a travesty--and that's what's good about them."

Ironically, porn star-disco singer Andrea True was born the same day as Jagger. Sadly, the singer best known for the 1976 hit "More More More" died in late 2011 at the age of 68. Still, when "More More More" debuted at #34 on the Cash Box Top 40 the weekend of May 8, 1976, the Stones were back-to-back with "Fool To Cry" at #33. Similarly, the two songs were back-to-back again when they entered the Top 10 for the June 12, 1976 Cash Box chart, with True at #8 and the Stones at #9.

On the Cash Box chart, the Rolling Stones had 53 hits, 44 Top 40's, 27 Top 10's and nine #1's.

Last year, the Stones released to I-Tunes a 19-song LP with the best of their Hyde Park live concert performances of July 6 and 13, 2013.

Do the Rolling Stones still cook? Oh, do they ever...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG_zYBYFX2Q

Want more proof? Well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJrP2uFwGUo

For more on the Rolling Stones...

https://www.facebook.com/RollingStones.updates.news.reviews

TOMORROW: SHE'S FROM YOUNGSTOWN...AND IS THE ONLY ACT WITH TWO TOP 40 HITS, WHERE ONE IS FROM A MOVIE AND THE OTHER FROM A TV SHOW

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"FLYING SAUCER THE 2ND" DEBUTS!

It's a moment I'll never forget.

Even though it happened 57 summers ago.

I was 11 years old and at the swimming pool at Camp Loretta somewhere outside of Painesville, Ohio. Camp Loretta has long since been wiped out by a freeway. Anyway, the radio at the swimming pool was blaring out "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley and something happened to me. Suddenly, I changed from a kid who craved TV shows like "The Lone Ranger" and the "Mickey Mouse Club" to a kid who became hooked on rock and roll music.

For life. I've been a musicologist ever since. When I got home from Camp Loretta, I asked my mom if she could get "All Shook Up" for me. She did...and not long thereafter, she also got me this record...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7iDDcAvZ8c

Welcome back to the spring/summer of 1957. What records were used as snippets on "Flying Saucer the 2nd" by (Bill) Buchanan and (Dickie) Goodman? Here they are in order..

1. Young Blood--the Coasters

2. Little Darlin' -- the Diamonds

3. Mama Look At Bubu--Harry Belafonte

4. So Rare -- Jimmy Dorsey

5. Little Darlin'...

6. A White Sport Coat--Marty Robbins

7. Mama Look...

8. All Shook Up--Elvis Presley

9. Ditto

10. Ditto

11. Ditto

12. Bye Bye Love--the Everly Brothers

13. Come Go With Me--the Dell-Vikings

14. Bye Bye Love...

15. Gone -- Ferlin Husky

16. Ditto

"Flying Saucer The 2nd" debuted on the pop charts July 22, 1957. It reached #18 on one chart and #37 on another (Cash Box). My little brother, Dave, was only six at the time...and years later, he would get it transferred from the internet onto CD. It was THAT kind of record.

TOMORROW: THE LEADER OF THE GROUP WHO HAD THE MOST CONSECUTIVE TOP 10 ALBUMS (26) TURNS 71

***

DEPARTMENT OF THE RIDICULOUS--AND TOTAL NON-SENSITIVITY ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Before you read on, I must warn you, ladies (and gentlemen). You will be appalled. You will be outraged.

On February 15, 2014, Baltimore Raven running back Ray Rice knocked out his fiance, Janay Parker, after she spit in his face during an argument at an Atlantic City casino bar. You can see the video where Rice drags an unconscious Parker out of an elevator. See for yourself...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17Q_BAwKIgo

The number of games Rice has been suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for this heinous act?

Two games.

TWO GAMES!

Daryl Washington of the Arizona Cardinals has been suspended THE ENTIRE 2014 SEASON for drug related offenses. But if you knock out a woman, you get suspended for just TWO games.

Who's the dumbest one in this scenario? One writer says it's Goodell...

http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/gregg-doyel/24635920/goodell-fails-brutally-with-two-game-suspension-for-scary-ray-rice

You could make a case for Rice, who made this ridiculously lame apology...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJBkG_kyqxI

Maybe it's Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who said and I quote: "It's not a big deal."

Maybe it's the attorney representing Rice, who called the incident "a very minor physical altercation."

Maybe you can make a case of the victim, Janay Parker. Forty days after Ray Rice knocked her out cold, SHE MARRIED HIM.

Remember, this is the same Baltimore Ravens team that once had a star player who was linked to a crime where two people were murdered. That star player was allowed to play and win a Super Bowl MVP Award. They're even making him eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A relative of one of the victims to this day wishes that he were dead. Just to refresh your memory...

http://kdvr.com/2013/01/12/ray-lewis-retirement-party-is-linebackers-legacy-greatness-or-murder/

Welcome to the world of the ridiculous and the total non-sensitivity for violence against women.

***

CREEDENCE DISCO-SIZED? YES!!!

Thirty six years ago this week, a group from the West Indies that would actually disco-size Creedence Clearwater Revival would be climbing the charts with another disco song whose lyrics were taken from the Bible.

What??!!

Creedence Clearwater Revival DISCO-SIZED?

YES!

And here's the proof...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW8sBQ8lG7A

Meanwhile, here's Boney M's biggest chart hit that was climbing the charts at this time in 1978…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu7scpmY9iU

"Rivers Of Babylon" had its lyrics taken at least in part from Psalm 137 of the Bible. Depending on which chart you recognize, it was the three-woman, one-man group's only Top 40 hit with a #30 peak…or it wasn't with its #54 peak on another (Cash Box) chart. The song spent five weeks at #1 over in England and ranks among the top 10 biggest sellers in UK history.

You might also remember Boney M for this disco-pop hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIt-WiNkB8g

Boney M was created by Frank Farian, who also created one of pop music's greatest put-ons. After all, Rob and Fab didn't really sing on any of their hits, so Milli Vanilli would eventually give up their Best New Artist Grammy.

TOMORROW: A FLYING SAUCER RECORD TAKES US BACK TO THE SPRING/SUMMER OF 1957

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--DICKIE GOODMAN TAKES US BACK 52 YEARS….

The neat thing about a Dickie Goodman flying saucer hit record was how all the drop-ins/snippets were songs popular at the time. For instance, this record--a takeoff on the TV show popular at the time, "Ben Casey"--debuted at #100 on the Cash Box pop chart 52 years ago this week…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPCR65t8lbk

Did you forget any of the songs used for "Ben Crazy"? If so, here they are in order, mostly from the spring-early summer of '62…

1. PT 109--Jimmy Dean

2. Mashed Potato Time--Dee Dee Sharp

3. Palisades Park--Freddy Cannon

4. Old Rivers--Walter Brennan

5. Playboy--the Marvelettes

6. Shout! Shout! Knock Yourself Out--Ernie Mareska

7. Old Rivers

8. It Keeps Right On A'Hurting--Johnny Tillotson

9. Al Di La--Emelio Pericoli

10. Old Rivers

Why were Dickie Goodman records called flying saucer records? Because the first hit he had as half of the duo of (Bill) Buchanan and Goodman in 1956 was called "The Flying Saucer"--and the nickname stuck. Here's how it sounded...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq5cB7K6_2M

Dickie Goodman may still hold the record for longest time span in between top 10's with 19 years...from "The Flying Saucer" (1956) to "Mr. Jaws" (1975). He released and/or produced over 70 singles but only about 17 made the pop chart. There's several CD's of his material you can purchase. Sadly, Dickie Goodman was 55 when he committed suicide in 1989.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY: 40 YEARS AGO--A #1 HIT…BY A SINGER I BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD

It was the biggest selling single of the 1970's with 11 million copies sold...

...it went to the top of the pop chart 40 years ago this weekend (July 13, 1974)...

...And It was sung by the singer whom I helped bring back from the dead...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDD5BQlv8iw

"Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae was among 1974's early #1 hits with a disco/dance kind of feel. "Love's Theme" by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra and "Rock The Boat" by the Hues Corporation were previous #1's but "Rock Your Baby" had the definitive disco/dance sound. No wonder. Harry Wayne Casey and Rick Finch of the soon-to-be-very-popular group KC And the Sunshine Band co-wrote it.

Around 1987, at least two music research books said George McCrae died on January 24, 1986. Actually, though, it was singer-actor Gordon MacRae who had passed away. Phonetically speaking, their last names were pronounced the same. Understand that in the 1980's, we still didn't have the internet or e-mails, so setting the record straight was difficult.

In the summer of 1989, not long after I'd started working for ABC-Watermark as a writer/statistician for "American Top 40 With Shadoe Stevens," I was researching the song "Rock Your Baby." The show was going to air a flashback feature with the top 5 songs from mid-July, 1974. That is, drop-pieces of the #5, #4, #3, #2 and #1 songs from that time.

Anyway, my research led to a call to Steve Alaimo, a singer-producer who had some 1960's hit plus was behind the scenes as a producer by the mid-1970's. He told me his memories of "Rock Your Baby" and then I told Steve, "Gee, I feel so badly that George is no longer with us."

Alaimo replied, "Oh no, George isn't dead. I talked to him last week. He's living over in Europe."

WHOA!!!

Suddenly, I had a STORY to write and research for AT40. After a number of calls to entertainment people in European countries, I tracked down George McCrae. He left a message with the number I could call him at. I think he wanted to talk to me. After one of his performances on a TV show in Europe, the announcer told George live on the TV, "Hey, look George. It says here that you're dead!"

"I am ALIVE and in LIVING COLOR," proclaimed George McCrae to me in that long-distance call to the other side of the world. We used that very quote on a future AT40 show. As I recall, we teased the update on George McCrae when Shadoe Stevens said something like, "Whatever happened to George McCrae? Well, some sources say he's dead...but HE says he's alive!"

I provided George with addresses and phone numbers of the books that erroneously said he was deceased. He was able to straighten everything out.

Imagine, I brought back a singer from the dead.

***

45 YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND, AN UNLIKELY BALLAD DEBUTS

Forty five years ago this weekend (7/12/69), this romantic ballad by a very unlikely ballad singer entered the Cash Box pop chart at #100...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z28FCQmlDqM

Throughout the 1960's, when you thought of Paul Revere and the Raiders and lead vocalist Mark Lindsay, you thought of uptempo rock and roll songs...and NEVER ballads.

Suddenly, we had this ballad by Mark Lindsay entitled "First Hymn From Grand Terrace"--and you never hear the title. Jimmy Webb wrote the song...and his compositions are like a Who's-Who of late 60's hits. Among them: "MacArthur Park," "Up Up And Away," "By the Time I Get To Phoenix," "Galveston" and "Wichita Lineman."

"First Hymn From Grand Terrace" was Mark Lindsay's first solo release. The shock over him doing a ballad is probably one reason why the song only reached #98 one one pop chart and #81 on another. Still, it was a start for Mark, who'd go on to have solo hits like "Arizona" and "Miss America."

Mark Lindsay would become the answer to a trivia question...as in "Who was the first subject of a human interest story told by Casey Kasem on 'American Top 40'?" On the very first AT40 show heard on only seven stations the Fourth Of July weekend, 1970, Casey teased, and then paid off at #39 for the song "Silver Bird," how Lindsay was driving a Rolls Royce Phantom Five with gold-plated hubcaps.

As Mark told me for my book, "American Top 40: The Countdown Of The Century": "George Barris, who did the Batmobile for the 'Batman' show, told me, 'let me spiff it up for you'--and he did. All the chrome and hubcaps were gold. I asked him, 'What's this gonna cost me, a million bucks?' He told me, "Look, between you and me, I put a little bit of gold laquer in the brass coating, so you can say it's real gold.' So there was gold, but I had probably had as much gold in my fillings."

TOMORROW'S SPOTLIGHT: 40 YEARS AGO, A SONG HELPS LAUNCH DISCO AT #1...AND I HELP BRING THE SINGER BACK FROM THE DEAD

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"ARE YOU READY?" FOR PG&E?

Forty four years ago this week, "American Top 40" was in only its third week and this song was climbing the pop chart….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90oLUh4a3Zk

"Are You Ready?" was the only top 40 hit for a group that began as the Pacific, Gas and Electric Blues Band and ended as PG&E. In between, and at the tine of its big hit, it was known as Pacific Gas and Electric.

Perhaps you'll remember the longer version of the song, where it takes 42 seconds to pick up the tempo…along with background vocals by the Blackberries...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMVZDYwlAu0

PG&E had at least a dozen different members during its existence from roughly 1967 to 1973. Charles Allen, the group's leader and lead vocalist, was 48 when he died in 1990.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--ED AMES (AND THAT TOMAHAWK THROW)

He’s responsible for the funniest moment in the entire history of the Johnny Carson-hosted “Tonight Show” on April 29, 1965…

http://www.yourememberthat.com/media/1497/Ed_Ames_tomahawk_throw/

Ed Ames turns 87 Wednesday. His tomahawk throw can no longer be seen on You Tube but I uncovered it elsewhere on the internet. So popular was that segment that one year they left it OUT of a “Best of The Tonight Show” program thinking everyone was sick of it. No way. Thousands of people wrote “The Tonight Show” to complain about the segment being left out!

But there was much, much more to Ed Ames. He portrayed Mingo, Daniel Boone’s sidekick Indian, on the 1960’s TV show “Daniel Boone” (starring Fess Parker). As part of the Ames Brothers, the brother vocal group had over 40 hits, mostly in the 1950’s.

Then, he went solo and came up with one of the most beautiful romantic ballads ever in early 1967 with this song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvaQisHV8jw

Finally, my favorite Ames Brothers hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NvUGxXzYmk

For more on Ed Ames….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Ames

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY (JULY, 1960)--A LABEL SPOOF!!!

We all played the march in junior high school and/or high school band. When we played it, it was known as "National Emblem" but it took on a new title and musical style as a hit.

Fifty four summers ago in 1960, this unique instrumental was falling down the pop chart...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCwbuoVtJBc

How unique was it? Well, consider this...

Even though it said on the label that "National City" was by the Joiner, Arkansas, Junior High School Band...the truth is and has been...

That Joiner, Arkansas has NEVER had a junior high school.

As of the 2000 Census, Joiner, Arkansas had a population of 540.

So how did the label come up with THAT act name? Simple. Joiner, Arkansas, was the hometown of Al Bennett, the President of Liberty Records. Oh, and it's believed that Al Bennett was the Liberty Records executive named after one of the Chipmunks, Alvin!!

Actually, the act was a group of session musicians headed by the late Ernie Freeman, who was born in my hometown of Cleveland.

"Naitonal City" only reached #54 on the Cash Box pop chart....but the label spoof was far from the biggest. That honor goes to 1959 #10 hit, "The All-American Boy", a novelty record about Elvis going into the Army, among other things. The act was listed as Bill Parsons but it was really Bobby Bare. On the B side of the single was "Rubber Dolly." The label said it was by Bobby Bare, but it was REALLY performed by Bill Parsons. Yup, the label goofed with having the acts reversed erroneously.

***

60 YEARS AGO MONDAY…ELVIS DEBUTED!!!!

Sixty years ago tonight, at about 9:30 p.m. local time, DJ Dewey Phillips of WHBQ/Memphis played a record that would change music history forever….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC7YaAbkGRY

"That's All Right (Mama)" was the first song by then-19-year-old Elvis Presley to be played on a commercial radio station. It was recorded two days earlier in the Sun Records Studios. Elvis had already recorded "Harbor Lights" and "I Love You Because" onto tape with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black. Then when he started improvising with "That's All Right (Mama)," Sun Records owner Sam Phillips came out of the control room to ask Elvis to try that song again.

Eventually, an acceptable take of "That's All Right (Mama") came off and it would be released as a single as Elvis' first single on Sun Records on July 19, 1954. "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" would become the B/flip side. In the immediate interim, though, Sam Phillips would make an acetate of the two songs and would give them to Dewey Phillips (no relation) and two other DJ's.

After playing "That's All Right (Mama)," Dewey Phillips got 47 requests on the station listener line to play the song again. Dewey obliged, playing it 13 more times. Then, for an encore, he called Elvis' parents, who in turn had to whisk him out of a movie theater to visit the WHBQ studios that night.

Many listeners thought Elvis was black when they first heard him on WHBQ. However, during a short live interview with Dewey, Elvis had a roundabout way of saying he was white. He said he graduated from Humes High School, which listeners knew was an all-white school.

All of this was the culmination of something Sam Phillips said over and over…that he wished he could discover a white singer who could sound like he was black. Almost year earlier in August, 1953, Elvis walked into the Sun Records office asking to record something as a gift for his mother.

Sam Phillips wasn't there but Marion Keisker, the label's secretary, helped start the recording process. While recording Elvis singing "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," Keisker remembered what Sam said…and later told Sam that maybe Elvis might be that singer he was looking for.

He was.

"That's All Right (Mama)" was written and originally recorded by Arthur (Big Boy) Crudup in 1946. Elvis would record two other Crudup songs..."So Glad You're Mine" and "My Baby Left Me."

Another WHBQ disc jockey met Elvis that memorable July 7, 1954 night. Wink Martindale would go on to have a Top 10 spoken word hit in 1959 with "Deck Of Cards," host many TV quiz shows like "Tic Tac Dough" and substitute host for Casey Kasem on "American Top 40" in November, 1975.

"That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" never charted nationally and would only sell about 20,000 copies, but it was the start of something big. Still, Sun Records would release another nine singles by Elvis before RCA bought his services from Sam Phillips for what was considered a king's random at the time...$35,000. We all know the rest of that story.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--THE CONSUMATE PARTY RECORD HITS #1

What could be more All-American than to have, on a Fourth Of July weekend, the consummate party record going to #1…by an act known as…

Gary U.S. Bonds?

On the pop chart dated July 2, 1961, it happened with this good-time rock and roll classic…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7cAZhW-WGs

“Quarter To Three” by Gary U.S. Bonds… was the record that drove my mom nuts.

And my dad.

And my two brothers.

And my sister.

Without question the most-played record in the history of the Durkee family.

The song was based on an instrumental entitled “A Night With Daddy G” by the Church Street Five. Both THAT title and the act of the original single are in the lyrics of “Quarter To Three.”

Though it sounded like a party going on, the song actually had a whole lot of editing done. Producer Frank Guida pretty much noted that when I interviewed him when he was alive in the 1990’s. You can hear an edit at the 0:51-second mark just before “a night with Daddy G” (who was saxophonist Gene Barge).

It’s no coincidence that Gary (U.S.) Bonds enjoyed a dramatic comeback some 20 years later after his historic #1 single. Who helped U.S. Bonds in his 1981 comeback and wrote his comeback hit, “This Little Girl”?

Bruce Springsteen. And they dueted on “Jole Blon” in Gary’s 1981 comeback LP, “Dedication,” plus on live performances like this one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1VuTThuErw

U.S. Bonds burst into the pop music scene in the fall of 1960 with “New Orleans.” Everyone thought it was a group. It was just Gary Anderson being overdubbed repeatedly. Thanks to Guida’s expert production skills that even the Beatles may have copied, U.S. Bonds had other hits like “Dear Lady Twist,” “School Is Out” and “School Is In.”

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY: "SH-BOOM" (THE CHORDS) DEBUTS

Sixty years ago this weekend, this song entered the Cash Box pop chart at #26…and was a good and bad sign of things to come…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTRfRK0ahYs

The good sign? Rock and roll was soon to explode onto the music scene…and "Sh-Boom" by the Chords was among the most influential early rock and roll records ever. The Chords had already had a minor hit with "Say Hey Willie," a salute to baseball star Willie Mays. Then "Sh-Boom" got national exposure when Steve Allen jokingly read the lyrics aloud on his TV show. People laughed...but many of them bought the record.

The bad sign? "Sh-Boom" was among the earliest instance where a song by a black group was "covered" by a different recording of the same song by a white group. The era of "cover" records was roughly 1955-57.

For instance, the Crew-Cuts covered "Sh-Boom" and turned it into a seven-week-running #1 record later in 1954. Some music historians called it the first #1 rock and roll record but I disagree. That honor, in my opinion, goes to "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets (1955).

Interestingly, "Sh-Boom" was listed as a #1 hit by just the Crew-Cuts on one magazine's pop chart. But on the Cash Box pop chart, "Sh-Boom" was credited as a seven-week running chart-topper for BOTH the Chords and the Crew-Cuts. Yes, they were listed together on that chart. Stan Freberg also charted with the song, but his version was a parody.

The Crew-Cuts covered at least seven other songs that would become lesser national hits by the black acts that recorded them. Among the most notable examples were the 1955 songs "Earth Angel" (done by the Penguins) and "Story Untold" (the Nutmegs).

The list of white acts that covered black acts' songs in the mid-50's is endless, but here are some examples…

Pat Boone's first six principle singles releases were all covers, including "Ain't That A Shame," which Fats Domino did, and two Little Richard songs, "Tutti Fruitti" and "Long Tall Sally." Because of this, Pat Boone will probably never make the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. And remember, he was the #2 rock act of the 1950's, trailing only Elvis.

Meanwhile, Georgia Gibbs covered "Tweedlee Dee" (LaVern Baker) and "Dance With Me Henry" (Etta James). Elvis and Bill Haley and The Comets both covered "Shake, Rattle And Roll" but Big Joe Turner did it first.

What was the last cover record? My vote goes to "You Send Me" by Teresa Brewer in late 1957, which only reached #31 on one key pop chart. Brewer's version was listed as making #1 on the Cash Box chart, but let's face it…the black singer who sang it put a stop to cover records forever…because for years, oldies stations would only play HIS version of "You Send Me"…and that was Sam Cooke.

***

BOBBY WOMACK (1944-2014)

Bobby Womack, who was best known for the million-selling single "Harry Hippie" and for twice having a hit with "Lookin' For A Love," died Friday. He was 70. Over the years, he'd suffered from a number of health-related problems, including cancer (prostrate, colon), cocaine addiction, heart trouble, pneumonia, Alzheimer's and diabetes.

Womack had five Top 40 pop hits but was much more successful on the R&B chart, where he had nearly 40 hits. His only million-seller was 1973's "Harry Hippie," an incredibly moving and yet soulful ballad. Plus, it was a rarity...a song about a homeless man. Recorded along with the group Peace, it sounded like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMdfpqFhVng

Originally, Bobby Womack recorded the Jim Ford-written "Harry Hippie" as humorous tribute to his brother, Harry Womack, and his carefree behavior. The humor, though, turned to tragedy about a year later. In 1974, Harry Womack was stabbed to death by his girlfriend during a fight. "In our home," Bobby Womack told Wikipedia in retrospect, "It was considered to be worth less than a man to fight a woman, so he didn't fight back and she stabbed him to death." Still, Bobby over the years continued to perform singing "Harry Hippie" as a tribute to his late brother. Bobby had two other family tragedies. He had an infant son named Truth who died as an infant. In 1986, his 21-year-old son, Vincent, committed suicide.

On a much brighter note, Bobby's career in music dates back to 1952, when as an eight-year-old amazed his dad, Friendly Womack, with his guitar-playing ability. Bobby would go on to be the backing guitarist for the legendary Sam Cooke plus formed the group the Valentinos with four of his brothers. Ironically, the Valentinos' only two Cash Box pop hits would both reach #63...with "Lookin' For A Love" in 1962 and "It's All Over Now" in 1964. "It's All Over Now" was the original version of a song the Rolling Stones would popularize. Meanwhile, Bobby would remake "Lookin' For A Love" in a solo version and take it to #8 in 1974.

In addition to "It's All Over Now," Bobby Womack wrote or co-wrote two Wilson Pickett hits--"In The Midnight Hour" and "I'm A Midnight Mover"--plus "I'm In Love" (the Aretha Franklin hit). For more on Bobby Womack...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Womack

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/28/arts/music/bobby-womack-songwriter-and-musician-dies-at-70.html?_r=0

Finally, here's Bobby Womack singing "Lookin' For A Love" on "Soul Train"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNjSBkGUOTU

***

FORGOTTEN OLDIE OF THE DAY: JENNIE LEE -- JAN AND ARNIE, 1958

Fifty six years ago this week, a postage stamp cost four cents, gas was 24 cents a gallon and this song was peaking at #3…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq2XyiuarTw

Dean Torrence was in the Army when Jan Berry and Arnie Ginsberg--as Jan and Arnie--recorded "Jennie Lee" in a GARAGE. Some instruments were added later on by their label.

Jennie Lee was a real person.

A Stripper!!!

Virginia Lee Hicks, a/k/a "The Bazoom Girl" (need I have to elaborate?).

Jan and Arnie released two more singles…"Gas Money" and "The Beat That Can't Be Beat." Arnie then left the music business, Dean Torrence got out to the Army and suddenly Jan and Dean were born, starting with "Baby Talk."

We've only had a handful of Top 40 hits about strippers…but two made it to #1…"The Stripper" (David Rose, 1962) and "Centerfold" (the J. Geils Band,1982). Plus, we've had "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Ssweet Gypsy Rose" (Tony Orlando and Dawn, #4, 1973). Outside of the top 10, we've had "Girls Girls Girls" (Motley Crue, #14, 1987). Two early 90's hits are possibilities -- "Unskinny Bop" (Poison) and "Cherry Pie" (Warrant).

COMING WEDNESDAY: MY TOP 10 PATRIOTIC SONGS COUNTDOWN STARTS WITH THE SINGER WHO HAD THE MOST TOP 40'S WITHOUT A #1

***

FORGOTTEN OLDIE OF THE DAY: "DO YOU LOVE ME"--THE DAVE CLARK FIVE, 1964

When the Beatles led the British Invasion change in pop music, the first British act to give the Fab Four a run for their money wasn't the Rolling Stones. Instead, it was this group whose latest hit 50 years ago this week was peaking at #8…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNVx56cmxec

While the Dave Clark Five couldn't possibly the Beatles' 27 hits on the Cash Box chart in 1964 alone, nobody else could, either. Still, the DC-5 did have eight hits that year.

The others were "Glad All Over" (#4), "Bits And Pieces' (#5), "I Knew It All The Time" (#73), "Can't You See That She's Mine" (#4), "Because" (#7), "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You" (#22) and"Any Way You Want It" (#9).

Ironically, the Dave Clark Five reached #41 in 1967 with a different song with almost the same title but no parenthetical expression. It was thus called "Everybody Knows"--but that would become the answer to a question Casey Kasem would sometimes get on "American Top 40" as in…"Dear Casey, Has anyone ever had two different chart hits with different songs with the same title?"

For their career, the Dave Clark had 25 Cash Box charts, 17 Top 40's, 12 Top 10's and one #1 ("Over And Over" in late 1965-early 1966).

***

FORGOTTEN OLDIE OF THE DAY: "NOW THAT SUMMER IS HERE"--THE VIDELS, 1960

Now that Summer is here, I can't think of a better way to musically celebrate it than to hit you with this song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkK86wnV7_E

"Now That Summer Is Here" never charted for the Videls from Providence, Rhode Island…but I'm guess it was the following to this doo-wop calypso hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88vQrPC54_0

"Mr. Lonely" reached #66 on the Cash Box chart for the Videls in the spring of 1960.

Vince Poncia and Pete Anders were two of the five Videls…and they became essentially the Trade Winds who had this 1965 hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEHmM7IjSjE

"New York's A Lonely Town" barely cracked the top 40 in 1965, reaching #38.

Not to be outdone by one act name change, the Trade Winds became the Innocence by late 1966 with this hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cfaexYm-CA

"There's Got To Be A Word" only reached #47 for the Innocence, who shouldn't be confused for the backup group for Kathy Young (The Innocents, who also had hits on their own like "Gee Whiz").

****

GERRY GOFFIN (1939-2014)

His name may not a ring a bell for you, but his music will.

Gerry Goffin, who wrote or co-wrote some 60 top 40 pop hits, including eight #1's, died at his Los Angeles home Thursday, June 19, 2014. He was 75.

The majority of the songs Goffin penned were with his then-wife, Carole King, particularly in the 1960's. They met as teenagers at Queens College in New York, married in 1959 and divorced in 1968.

The parade of King-Goffin #1's began with this song in February, 1961...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbxxkwBQk_o

Then came "Take Good Care Of My Baby" by Bobby Vee, a chart-topper in the fall of 1961.

The first two songs to make #1 twice by different acts were both King-Goffin compositions--"The Loco-Motion" (Little Eva, 1962; Grand Funk, 1974) and "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence, 1963; Donny Osmond, 1971). Other #1's at least co-written by Goffin were "Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" by Diana Ross from 1976 and "Saving All My Love For You" (Whitney Houston, 1985).

The list of Goffin songs is practically endless but here's just some of the other memorable ones: "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin); "Up On The Roof" (the Drifters, James Taylor); "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (the Monkees); "Her Royal Majesty" (James Darren); "I Can't Stay Mad At You" (Skeeter Davis); "Hey Girl" (Freddy Scott/Donny Osmond/Bobby Vee); "I've Got To Use My Imagination" (Gladys Knight and The Pips); and "I'm Into Something Good" (Herman's Hermits/Earl-Jean).

Here's an even more extensive list of King-Goffin songs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_written_by_Goffin_and_King

The King-Goffin songwriting team was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

According to writer Elysa Gardner of USA Today, King called Goffin, "My first love. He had a profound impact on my life and the rest of the world. Gerry was a good man and a dynamic force, whose words and creative influence will resonate for generations to come."

For more on Gerry Goffin...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Goffin

***

FATHER'S DAY SONG #1…MY ULTRA-SPECIAL FATHER'S DAY GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE TO YOU

This musicologist/communicator's choice of the greatest Father's Day song was a #1 pop and AC hit in 1989. It was played by Casey Kasem as a Long Distance Dedication 10 years ago this weekend.

As my Ultra-Special Father's Day Gift of Knowledge to You…here is that LDD in its entirety...

"Dear Casey,

It's hard to believe that Labor Day weekend later this summer will mark the 25th anniversary of the passing of the most influential man I've ever met in my life.

He gave me my sense of humor. I can STILL remember how we'd be in our car listening to the radio, and when I knew a song being played was one he particularly wasn't fond of, I'd say, "Gee, isn't that song pretty?" and he'd say, "Yeah...pretty awful!"

On a much more serious note, this man taught me something I've never forgotten. When things were going bad for me, he'd say, "You've got to roll with the punches."

Then, he SHOWED me how it was done. In the last two months of his life, when there was no hope of his overcoming a debilitating blood disease, he fought it right to the bitter end. He only complained about his fate once. And true to his courage AND his sense of humor, his last words were, "I'm in agony. Isn't that a helluva note?"

There was so much more I wanted to tell him, but I missed the chance by about five minutes. Casey, could you please say it loud and say it clear? Could you play "The Living Years" as a tribute to Wayne Durkee, the man also known as Daddy Durk, and the best dog-gone dad of them all...mine. Thanks so much, Rob Durkee."

Rob, you've got it. Here's your Long Distance Dedication…"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k

***

FATHER'S DAY SONG #2: "MY DAD:"--PAUL PETERSEN, 1963

He sang it on his TV show, "The Donna Reed" show, then saw it become a top 10 hit. Here's the TV version of the #2 Father's Day song…but I warn you, it's very emotionally packed...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-vYuV3OmhE

Here's the studio version of "My Dad" by Paul Petersen, which reached #6 on the Cash Box pop chart...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cxzqs7VmDw

Carl Betz, the subject of the song, portrayed Dr. Alex Stone on "The Donna Reed" from 1958 to 1966. He was 56 when he died of lung cancer in 1978. Donna Reed passed away in 1986.

I met Paul around 1993 when I was at ABC-Watermark. At the time, he was heading "A Minor Consideration," a group that assists child actors in their later years.

Paul Petersen was among the child actors of "The Mickey Mouse Club" but only for about three to eight weeks. He was allegedly fired after punching a casting director. Still, he wrote a book around 1976-77 entitled, "Walt, Mickey and Me." For more on the book..

http://www.amazon.com/Walt-Mickey-confessions-first-ex-Mouseketeer/dp/0440193869

Shelly Fabares, who starred as Paul's sister on "The Donna Reed Show," also sang her hit song on the show, "Johnny Angel." She would go on to act in many movies and TV shows. She was in three Elvis Presley movies--"Girl Happy," "Spinout" and "Clambake" plus portrayed Joy Piccolo in the TV movie, "Brian's Song."

For still more on Paul Petersen…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Petersen

NEXT AT #1…ONE VERY POWERFUL #1 HIT

***

FATHER'S DAY SONG #3: "PAPA DON'T PREACH"--MADONNA, 1986

Seemingly everyone had an opinion to express about the #3 Father's Day Song of all time…

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=papa+don%27t+preach

Some scolded Madonna for advocating young teenage girls to get pregnant. Others supported Madonna for singing a song where a young girl makes a key decision on her own…namely, having a baby and not getting an abortion.

Regardless, "Papa Don't Preach" became one of Madonna's 15 #1 hits. She's had 38 top 10 hits…as many as Elvis Presley….to tie for the rock era (1955-present) lead. Overall, though, Elvis and Madonna are still well behind the all-time leader. Bing Crosby had around 63 top 10's over the years although many of them came before an officially-recognized pop chart began in 1940.

The video is what made "Papa Don't Preach" a success. Danny Aiello was brilliant portraying a single dad raising a girl by himself, then having a tough time facing the reality of his grown up girl deciding to have her baby. How does he finally react? Well, see it in the video and be touched…especially with the dramatic last scene.

For more on the song…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papa_Don't_Preach

NEXT AT #2: IT WAS SUNG ON THE SINGER'S TV SHOW

***

FATHER'S DAY SONG #4: "BUTTERFLY KISSES"--BOB CARLISLE, 1997

It was a #1 Adult Contemporary hit in the USA and Canada.

And it won two major Song of the Year Awards (Dove...Country Song, Grammy). Here's a dramatic live version performed on the Oprah Winfrey show of the #4 Father's Day song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65htjEw5OZQ

As Oprah noted, Bob Carlisle, a Christian singer, co-wrote "Butterfly Kisses" for his daughter, Brooke, as a 16th birthday present. Then he sang it two years later at Brooke's high school graduation.

When you've got lyrics like the following, you've got a father-daughter song...

"Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride"...and...

"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried."

Carlisle also wrote a journal entitled "Butterfly Kisses" for fathers and daughters to read.

Amazingly, Carlisle said in the liner notes of one of his albums that "Butterfly Kisses" wasn't necessarily about fatherhood, but rather "about gratitude and imperfection."

It didn't take him long to realize much impact "Butterfly Kisses" had on many women. "After the first concert where I sang it," he recalled, "Women surrounded me telling me stories about their fathers. I had always thought of the song from the perspective of a dad but I hadn't thought of its impact upon daughters."

***

FATHER'S DAY SONG #5: "COLOR HIM FATHER"--THE WINSTONS, 1969

With Father's Day weekend just around the corner, here we go with my choice of the five greatest Father's Day songs of all time.

The #5 Father's Day song isn't really about a father, but rather a stepfather.

Close enough….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SumPJuImdPI

"Color Him Father" was the only Top 40 hit for the Winstons, peaking at #8 on the Cash Box chart in the summer of 1969.

I can still remember hearing that song on our car radio while driving from our home in Mentor, Ohio, to my folks' summertime getaway in Lake Chautauqua in New York State. I was on military leave.

"Color HIm Father" is about a family whose father was "killed in the war." Thus, in steps a step-father who marries into a family and becomes the takeover dad for seven children. The word "Color" in the title and lyrics actually means "label" or "call."

Richard Lewis Spencer, the Winston's lead singer, wrote "Color Him Father" and won a Grammy for top R&B song. The record became a million seller.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--REMEMBERING RAY CHARLES (YES, IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS)

It's hard to believe, but it was 10 years ago Tuesday…when the Genius--the man and his soul--went to Rock and Roll Heaven. Yes, Ray Charles passed away on June 10, 2004.

He made the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class. Fifty two years ago this week, he had the #1 song in the USA with the biggest of his nearly 75 hits...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TgqO4V8Vyo

He had this chart topper the year before in 1961...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY4jondX6tg

Moving back another year to 1960, he had this hit that became a state song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRgWBN8yt_E

And when it comes to one particular patriotic song, nobody did it better than the Genius...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yaetvTj5DE

***

JACKIE WILSON -- BORN 80 YEARS AGO MONDAY (JUNE 9, 1934)

They didn't call him Mr. Excitement for nothing. Jackie Wilson was all that and more. He had exactly 50 Cash Box pop chart hits, made the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame's second class in 1987 and thrilled us with his onstage moves.

Jackie was born 80 years ago Monday…and what made him all the more amazing was his ability to have his exciting on-stage moves, but also his gentle ballads. In fact, his biggest hit was a ballad, a song that was moving down the pop chart at this time 1960, complete with an ultra-super-duper high toe at the end...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ctJX8qmfM

"Night" came from the opera "Sampson and Delilah."

You might remember Jackie for this 1967 hit..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcwqCmEi9Jc

Or this 1957 breakthrough hit that a 20-something DJ named Casey Kasem helped make a hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE46zm4yjhA

Or maybe this late 50's ballad…and check out the neat ending with the trumpets…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g17y5bBpGmQ

Or this late 1958 smash..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nEfuE8Pw4U

Or this 1959 hit…sung on a Saturday night "American Bandstand" show…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxxu8-u5HzE

Sadly, Jackie Wilson suffered a devastating heart attack in the fall of 1975 and never really recovered. He died on January 21, 1984, the day after Johnny Weismueller passed away.

***

JUNE 8, 1984--MY LONGEST DAY…WITH A TORNADO…AND A NATIONAL GUARDSMAN WHO THREATENED TO SHOOT ME

Friday marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day (June 6, 1944). The Normandy invasion was a key chapter and turning point in World War II history. It was memorialized in the 1962 movie, "The Longest Day." Thirty years ago Sunday--June 8, 1984--and 40 years and two days after D-Day--was MY longest day.

It started at about 1:30 a.m. and in the next 22 and half hours, a National Guardsman threatened to shoot me, my voice was used on CBS Radio news, I had to make some quick heads-up decisions as to what records to play on my one radio-job airshift...and seemingly every radio station in Wisconsin alone wanted to talk to me. Even radio stations from as far away as San Diego and Honolulu called me.

I was a mere six and half months or so into my first radio job as Robin Scott, News Director/DJ at WDMP/Dodgeville-Mineral Point, Wisconsin. We're talking about an area about 50 miles west of Madison. I believe there was only one traffic light in Iowa County at the time.

At about 1:30 a.m., my phone rang after I'd barely gotten to sleep because of stormy thunderstorm-filled weather. If only the weather was just that bad.

The caller was WDMP Program Director Wendy Hamlin. He was already at the station that usually goes off the air by 10:10 p.m. and doesn't go back on the air until about 5 a.m. But WDMP was on the air because a deadly tornado had swept through a town of about 600, Barneveld. This tornado rivaled the one that destroyed Joplin, Mo. in 2011. The Barneveld twister was upwards of 300 yards wide. There were two much smaller tornadoes traveling with the big one. At about 12:54 a.m., this tornado swept through Barneveld. In 30 seconds, nine people were killed, two of them under-10-year-old children, at least 200 wereinjured and virtually every building was destroyed. The damage was at least $21 million. The death toll would've been significantly higher were it not for a huge lightning strike that woke up most of the town. Then, as the Barneveld sheriff told me, "I could hear it coming." Many people were able to get into their basements on time.

I managed to first reach the outskirts of Barneveld at about 3 a.m. National guardsmen were helping evacuate survivors. Buildings on Barneveld's outskirts had their windows blown out. That's about all I saw. It was still pitch dark. After my first news reports at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. from WDMP came my memorable re-visit to Barneveld at roughly 8:30 a.m.

That's when things got dicey. Even though I was carrying a tape recorder and identified myself as a news media member, that wasn't enough for a National Guardsman on the outskirts of town. He said he'd shoot me if I came any closer. He cocked his gun. He meant it. Fortunately, he then got distracted talking to someone else. That's when a government official came up to me and whispered, "You can get in my car." That was someone who enabled me to see an unreal sight. Total devastation with wood splinters everywhere. People guarding what was left of the houses. Nick Basting, the Iowa County Sheriff, was busy cleaning up the damage. I asked him only two things...if there were fatalities and, if so, how many. He said there were fatalities but he didn't know how many.

At about that time, I turned on my tape recorder and described for about a half minute to 45 seconds what I saw. That tape recording made it onto a CBS radio newscast. Later in the morning, I was on a plane with a WDMP salesman and my boss, the late Dick Carroll, WDMP General Manager. The plane was small and I remember how terrified I was that it would crash. Anyway, we saw the devastation from high up in the air. As the salesman said on WDMP later on, "The whole town is gone."

Only the town's solid steel water tower-like device survived. There was a dent on it about 50 feet up. They think a car hit it. At the dome at the top—at least 100 feet up--was another dent. They think a tree hit it.

I was still able to do my normal 1-1:30 p.m. "The Other Music" air show. The station was country music but my show was pop music and mostly oldies. So what does a DJ do on the air after a nearby town was destroyed by a tornado? You do what I did...and play THIS this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KClpLzFftU

...and this song....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEkIou3WFnM

...and this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlQPnNy6JR0

We couldn't get the PSA's on the air that day or in the subsequent days. I was still working at about 3:30 p.m. that tornado day when GM Dick Carroll looked at me and boldly said, "Robin, go home." When I got home, I got three memorable phone calls from people wanting to know if I was still alive. All women. Two were old flames that I'm still in touch with today, Denise Spigiel and Judy Rehm-Norbo. The third woman caller?

Yup, good old mom.

Mom knows everything.

Looking back, here's one newsclip abou the disaster....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R47M3qRt_Lo

Amazingly, Barneveld rebuilt itself quickly. I remember doing a followup on Barneveld about five months later. Barneveld looked as good as new.

God bless Dick Carroll. My first radio boss died of liver cancer in 1988 at the age of 65. When he was still alive in 1985, about a year after the Barneveld disaster, when I was at my second radio station, WAYY/Eau Claire-Chippewa Falls, he did something that I'll never forget him for. WDMP had received a major news award from the Associated Press for the station's coverage of the Barneveld tornado. And Dick Carroll made sure I was recognized for that award. He went to a sporting goods store and had a plaque made specifically for me. And he mailed it to me along with a wonderful letter explaining how I deserved to be part of the station's winning that major AP award. What a guy. I always called him on his birthday from 1985-87. One year on his birthday, and not long before the phone rang, he told his wife how he was looking forward to getting a call from me.

That plaque is proudly on display in my current Mediabase 24/7 office. It's a reminder of my longest day, my first radio boss, a horrific disaster and how a town refused to quit in spite of it.

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY (JUNE 7, 1975)--CASEY KICKS OFF AT40 WITH ELVIS!!!!

Thirty nine years ago this weekend (June 7, 1975), Casey Kasem would kick off "American Top 40" with this song at #40...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JTi2jRtXpw

"T-R-O-U-B-L-E" by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, was similarly moving up the Cash Box chart at #48. Amazingly, Elvis ALSO had a hit song with the same one word in the title, but not spelled out….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfkLnZhhoTY

"Trouble" was sung by Elvis in one of his favorite movies, "King Creole" from 1958.

Meanwhile, we've had other hit songs with one word in the title spelled out. Among them: "P-A-S-S-I-O-N" (Rhythm Syndicate), "C-I-T-Y" (John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, "R-O-C-K" (Bill Haley and His Comets, "L-O-V-E (Love) by Al Green and "L-O-N-E-L-Y" (Bobby Vinton).

***

GARY (U.S.) BONDS--TURNS 75….AND STILL DANCING 'TIL A "QUARTER TO THREE"

When we first heard of U.S. Bonds,we thought we were hearing a group. But we weren't. It was one person sounding like a group. And that one person, Gary Anderson (a/k/a Gary U.S. Bonds) turns 75 Friday. I believe he's still going strong performing. For sure, he's most famous for this #1 party classic from the summer of 1961….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7cAZhW-WGs

There are two myths about U.S.Bonds which I hope to dispel.

First, contrary to what U.S. Bonds told Dick Clark once while visiting "American Bandstand," "Quarter To Three" wasn't recorded at a party. Instead, here's how one web site described it, calling the hit song "the result of multiple overdubs, massive amounts of echo and a live ambience created in the studio by producer Frank Guida."

Secondly, Casey Kasem's often-told story about how Guida discovered U.S. Bonds wasn't entirely correct. It's true that Guida fired a temperamental singer…BUT…this part of the story as told by Casey wasn't correct: "(after the firing), he (Guida) went out into the street, grabbed the first person he saw and brought him into the studio to finish the session. Frank swears it's true."

No, it wasn't. When I interviewed Frank Guida, I asked him how long he'd known Gary Anderson when he first brought him into a studio to replace the singer who was fired. Guida replied, "About a year." Furthermore, I've heard an interview clip with U.S. Bonds being asked if he was discovered by Guida as a total stranger being pulled off the street to finish a recording session. Bonds' response? "I don't think so."

For sure, U.S. Bonds has given us incredible hits like this one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Ib8sC_wX8 And this one… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEacKs6lIZo

And this one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEacKs6lIZo

And this one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUVAxBZojWQ

And this ANSWER record…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7WTCvLtjOU

In 1981, U.S. Bonds had a comeback album, "Dedication," that had his comeback hits "This Little Girl" and "Out Of Work" and THIS song, a duet with the rocker who helped bring him back…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwj89CtbeGo

Yup, that's Bruce Springsteen dueling with Bonds…and he wrote "This Little Girl."

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS" HITS THE TOP

Nowadays, Ryan Seacrest wouldn't play ANY country crossover hits on "American Top 40," let alone one at #1. But from the 1950's through the 1980's, we had tons of country crossover hits. Certainly this was the case 55 years ago at this time when this song went to #1…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL7XS_8qgXM

"The Battle Of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton was the biggest country chart single of 1959, spending 10 weeks at #1 on that chart. On the Cash Box pop chart, the song spent nine weeks at #1…but...strangely, wasn't named the #1 song of 1959 by Cash Box. That honor went to "Mack The Knife" by Bobby Darin.

Horton's hit was so huge that we also had this parody Top 40 hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkAGY6W1-38

Johnny Horton had two more monster hits in 1960, including this one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KecIdlEAKhU

And this one…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3tAJS0wpRY

Sadly, while "North To Alaska" was on the charts, Johnny Horton died in a car crash on November 5, 1960. He was 35.

Here's more on Johnny Horton...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Horton

***

10-CENT BEER NIGHT FIASCO TURNS 40

It was one of the lowlights in Cleveland Indians' history.

Ten Cent Beer Night.

On June 4, 1974--10 years ago Wednesday--the Indians had the potential winning run on second base in Rusty Torres, only to see them lose to the Texas Rangers by forfeit because of unruly fans. "Unruly" is probably a compliment.

To see what I mean, here's more on Ten Cent Beer Night...

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/dan_coughlin_recalls_the_india.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night

To give you an idea of how bad it was, home plate Nestor Chylak, who ruled the game a forfeit, was hit in the head by a flying chair.

Chylak is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Once, when David Clyde, an 18-year-old rookie with the Texas Rangers in 1973, addressed him as "Mr. Chylak," Mr. Chylak replied in a very friendly voice by saying…

"David…(pause)…call me Nestor."

Here's more on Nestor Chylak…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor_Chylak…

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--CELEBRATION (THE GROUP) IS "CRUISING IN A LITTLE DEUCE COUPE"

There's nothing cooler or better than hearing Casey Kasem starting to count 'em down by leading off with a dynamite new up-tempo song. And that's exactly what happened with the AT40 show of 36 years ago this week, when this song was at #40.,,,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GuVu703To

"Almost Summer," the title song from the movie of the same name, only reached #28 on Casey's chart and #35 on the Cash Box chart. Mike Love sang lead on loan from the Beach Boys while members of the group famous for 1973's "Dancing In The Moonlight" (King Harvest) were involved. How'd the movie do?

Don't ask.

For more on the movie…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost_Summer

For more on the group Celebration…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration_(1970s_band)

**&

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--CHUCK BARRIS TURNS 85 (AND HE WROTE A SUMMER OF '62 CLASSIC)

Chuck Barris turns 85 Tuesday. He's best known for hosting The Gong Show" but he also wrote this summer-of-62 classic hit …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtAvTZhPthc

"Palisades Park" was tied with "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" as the biggest of 23 hits for Freddy (Boom Boom) Cannon. Both reached #3 on the Cash Box pop chart.

Meanwhile, here's one of the many infamous "Gong Show" memories for Chuck Barris...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ozU4KcvIZ0

And here's Chuck remembering "Palisades Park"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCjOtdyUB-I

Sadly, my childhood version of Palisades Park, Euclid Beach Park (Euclid, Ohio), closed in 1969. And Palisades Park closed two years later in 1971. Here's more...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisades_Amusement_Park

And Euclid Beach Park...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclid_Beach_Park

RADIO PIONEER TOM ROUNDS (1936-2014)

Radio pioneer Tom Rounds died Sunday, June 1, 2014, from complications related to a minor surgical procedure, according to Media Confidential. He was 77 and would've turned 78 this Friday, June 6.

His name may not ring a bell to some of you, but if you listen to past "American Top 40" shows that air weekly on weekends, you'll often hear Casey Kasem in the closing credits say, "Executive Producer, Tom Rounds."

TR, as he would be fondly known in radio circles, was born June 6, 1936 in Stamford, Connecticut. He landed his first radio job at WINS/New York because "I think my uncle knew the owner and manager. You had to know somebody." WINS became famous for legendary DJ Alan Freed. TR then miraculously moved to KPOI/Honolulu, where he wound up in the "Guinness Book of World Records"--by staying awake for eight and a half days.

TR was behind the first major rock festival, the 1967 KFRC Magic Mountain Music Festival. Later on in 1967, he made the cover of the first Rolling Stone magazine when word came out that he was leaving KFRC/San Francisco to form Charlatan Productions in Los Angeles. Charlatan Productions would become Watermark. One of Watermark’s early key productions was the 12-hour (later 13 hours) special, “The Elvis Presley Story.” Plus, TR was among the first to start putting together rock videos. Another project would make radio history, though.

In the fall of 1969, it was TR, fellow radio pioneer Ron Jacobs, Casey Kasem and Don Bustany who met at Art's Deli in Studio City to agree on starting what would turn out to be the most-listened-to radio show ever. The bagels were really good when they had lunch, so they called their agreement to start "American Top 40" the following Fourth of July the Bagel Agreement. TR headed Radio Express, which he started in 1985.

Here's more on TR…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Rounds

http://mediaconfidential.blogspot.com

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/radio/6106407/tom-rounds-pioneer-of-music-videos-and-rock-fests-dead-at-77

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--GUNHILL ROAD HAS A HAIRY HIT

Forty one years ago Monday (June 2, 1973), Casey Kasem would open "American Top 40" with this song, one that could easily been a hit during the Beatle Years (1964-70)….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE2kQe0PghU

"Back When My Hair Was Short" by Gunhill Road would only spend a week on AT40 with that peak of #40. On the Cash Box chart, the song reached #25. Gunhill Road would never have another hit.

According to one message poster, the group went through three producers before its only top 40 hit. Oh, and a change in lyrics where drug references were taken out.

Gunhill Road's only hit reminded me of this mid-60's novelty record…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDpGsFI3WNg

And this one, too…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ4ESVt2TN0

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--PAT BOONE TURNS 80

He still holds the record for the most consecutive weeks with at least one song on the pop chart with 220…and his first name isn't Elvis.

It's Charles.

As in Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone, who Sunday turns 80. That's right, EIGHTY!!!

He was the second biggest rock act of the 1950's behind Elvis. Plus, he's tied with the Backstreet Boys for the most consecutive weeks with at least one top 40 hit with 169.

Of his over 50 hits, this was his biggest from 1957…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ENzT9k1LRs

And here's another of his over 30 Top 40 hits…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juKBIVEen90

And his last Top 40, the one you might remember from the summer of '62…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4s2AMKPHnE

For more on Pat Boone...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Boone

Oh, and let's not forget his LP parodying heavy metal music...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Metal_Mood:_No_More_Mr._Nice_Guy

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--REMEMBERING JOHNNY PAYCHECK AND HIS FAMOUS HIT, "TAKE THIS JOB AND…"

Seventy seven years ago Saturday (May 31, 1937), country singer Donald Eugene Lyttle (a/k/a Johnny Paycheck) was born. He had SIXTY country chart hits. He was world famous for his only #1 on that chart...with the song that became an anthem for people unhappy with their jobs…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhWhy2VGaY8

Since "Take This Job And Shove It" went to #1 on the country chart....and...

Since Casey Kasem would always tell us the #1's on the other charts, in 1978 on one "American Top 40" show, he HAD to mention this song's title.

Meanwhile, we had our share of answer records to Paycheck's classic song...such as…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-7M0rBlH8

And...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eT5GKAUACM

And...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AjU3k56dE0

Paycheck's life was riddled with problems ranging from a prison sentence for shooting somebody to filing for bankrupcy to health, drug and alcohol woes. Here's more on him…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Paycheck

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--"MY GUY" HITS THE TOP

Fifty years ago today, this song moved into the #1 spot…

. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZSPtEv6R7g

Motown had more #1 hits than any other label in the 1960's and "My Guy" by Mary Wells is just one reason why. "My Guy" would replace the Beatles' "Love Me Do" at #1 on the Cash Box chart.

Ironically, though, Mary would only have two more hits with the label. She elected to leave the label in favor of 20th Century via a contract clause….and never had another Top 10. Sadly, Mary Wells was 49 when she died of cancer and/or pneumonia in 1992...but her music lives thanks to top 10's like this one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFEksbHg4uE

And this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCUXSdg6PCc

And this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa4MqpN-A2k

For more on Mary Wells...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wells

Meanwhile, the song "My Guy" returned to the Top 40 eighteen years later…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvOewsmQeWM

Sister Sledge would never have another Top 40 after reaching #29 in 1982 with "My Guy."

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--'WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN" HITS THE TOP

Forty eight years ago this week, this anthem for boys and men went to #1….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5RCykW_yAU

"When A Man Loves A Woman" was a record we at my fraternity at Ohio University just couldn't get enough of. Just imagine this... The Phi Kappa Theta frat house had a back yard, then an annex with about a half dozen bedrooms on the second floor. On the first floor was a bathroom, a dance floor and, in one corner, a closet with a turntable inside it.

When the turntable was on, speakers blared out what was playing in the annex and in the basement/kitchen of the frat house. When I got a hold of "When A Man Loves A Woman," I'd set it up so it would play over and over and over again.

And nobody complained.

This song was SO popular that a week later, it would have an answer record on the charts…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLiHl-wo9Q

Oh, and the song became a hit in two more decades. In 1980, the Divine One hit the 40 with it…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYVgGS1_RCQ

And in 1991, Michael Bolton took it to #1 AGAIN….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHr4d2KzBzU

Can you imagine the singers on the #1 versions of this song on the stage together? Well, imagine no more...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sgTkpTWFAw

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--GLADYS KNIGHT TURNS 70

She sang on the biggest hit single of 1986…and she's had over 40 other hits.

Gladys Knight turns 70 Wednesday. She's been a fixture on the pop and R&B charts for over 50 years…and here's her biggest hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyTpu6BmE88

As Dionne and Friends, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and the birthday girl combined to make "That's What Friends Are For" a classic song. Proceeds for the recording went to AIDS research….and actress Elizabeth Taylor fully supported and endorsed it.

Believe it or not, it was a remake. Rod Stewart recorded the song first for the soundtrack of the 1982 movie "Night Shift."

Meanwhile, here's the biggest hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips..a song that was originally called "Midnight Plane To Houston" before writer Jim Weatherly changed the mode of transportation and the destination…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meaVNHch96o

And here's the group live, remaking the #1 song of 1974 a year later in 1975…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06KJr8-Wc8k

I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW…Before he became a singer-songwriter, Jim Weatherly was a quarterback at Ole Miss…Gladys Knight and the Pips' first hit actually charted TWICE at about the same time in 1961. One version of "Every Beat Of My Heart" was by the group we know and love…and another version was by, simply, "Pips." The two recordings were nearly identical with the only difference being a piano in the background.

Here's the single release by the Pips...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36I9neyNCzA

And here's the version by Gladys Knight And The Pips...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk4xVXRCozE

***

MEMORIAL DAY SONG #1: GALLANT MEN -- SENATOR EVFERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN, 1966

While you're enjoying that back yard barbecue with friends and relatives Monday, I hope you'll reflect on why you're able to do that….by listening to this…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0A7ibZr3U

"Gallant Men" by Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen is hands down this Musicoloist/Communicator's choice as the greatest Memorial Day recording ever. It's an ultra-powerful record that salutes the "Gallant Men" of ALL wars.

Dirksen’s “Gallant Men” album won the Grammy for Best Documentary Recording in 1968. At 71, Dirksen was the second oldest man to have a Top 40 hit. Only Gordon Sinclair (“Americans”, 1974) was older at 73. “The Gallant Men” was also a TV series (1962-63). Dirksen’s "Gallant Men" reached #43 on one pop chart and #27 on another…but it peaked at #4 on an Easy Listening chart. On Monday, it should be #1 in every Americans’ hearts.

My hometown of Mentor, Ohio, has had its share of "Gallant Men"…and here are 15 who come to mind…and please remember this is only a partial list…with additions and corrections welcomed.

William Dickey

George Hayward

Barry Jones

Ray Layman

James Menart

Mike Mitchell

Michael Ness

Dean Nicholas

Norman Paley

Dale Pearce

Bob Rhodes

David Riemer

Richard Stafford

Tim Stickle

Loyd Stroisch

For more on USA casualties in most if not all wars…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

***

MEMORIAL DAY SONG #2: THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS--SSGT. BARRY SADLER, 1966

It was the #1 single for the year 1966 and sold over nine million copies. It stayed #1 on one pop chart for four weeks and five on another. It also stayed at #1 for five weeks on an Easy Listening chart...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSmUOj_CnrQ

All of which explains why "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" by SSgt. Barry Sadler is this musicologist/communicator's choice as the #2 Memorial Day Song. Oh, and don't forget the movie starring John Wayne.

Despite this record's huge success, its airplay on the nation's oldies stations has been limited at best…and that's because the Vietnam War became so very very unpopular.

Here's more on the song…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad_of_the_Green_Berets

Barry Sadler's life was riddled with strife. There was a severe leg infection injury over in Vietnam… a voluntary manslaughter conviction…his being shot in the head in 1988…and his death in 1989 either from that gunshot wound and/or a heart attack. My sources differ as to the cause of Sadler's passing. Here's more on him...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Sadler

***

MEMORIAL DAY SONG #3: VOICES THAT CARE -- VOICES THAT CARE, 1991

This musicologist/communicator's choice as the #3 Memorial Day Song is an ultra-powerful song that helped win a war…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRrAzDbYc68

Who were the FIRST people to hear the superstar singers/athletes of 1991 combining to sing the moving "Voices That Care"?

The Persian War troops.

About 100 hours after the ground attack started, Kuwait was freed.

Saddam Hussein never had a chance.

Not when you've got troops inspired by THIS song. It was a top 10 AC hit, reaching #6.

Here's more on "Voices That Care"….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb3YhndsLw0

And more…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ1S_UNaWps

And still more (including the group lineup)…

. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voices_That_Care

I'll bet you didn't know: We've had other cases where acts have had a hit song where the title is the same as the act name. Kool And The Gang did it. So did Yellow Balloon, Bo Diddley, the Chairmen Of The Board, Mandrill and Living In A Box. Plus, the Sweet Inspirations came within one letter of doing it with "Sweet Inspiration."

***

MEMORIAL DAY SONG #4: "19"--PAUL HARDCASTLE, 1985

It made the top 40 a full 10 years after Saigon fell, and yet it conveyed a staggering stunning statistic…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3LdMAqUMnM

Historians dispute the claim in Hardcastle's hit that the average age of a Vietnam War casualty was 19 (compared to 26 for a World War II casualty). Regardless, "19" reached #15 on one key pop chart and #21 on another.

Here's the album version of "19", which is about a minute and a half longer than the Top 40 single version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcFFEjq5Ap8

Paul Hardcastle never had another Top 40 hit although he came close with "Rain Forest." He's better known for jazz style recordings anyway.

For more on "19"….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19_(song)

I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW: We've had more songs make the Top 40 with only numbers in their titles than you might think. Among them, there's been two entitled "1-2-3" by Len Barry and the group Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. Keith gave us "98.6"; Willie Mitchell hit with "20-75"; Brian McKnight gave us "6, 8, 12"; and Face To Face had "10-9-8." The first such rock era hit was "7-11" by the Gone All-Stars in 1958. We've had at least two hits that were just phone numbers with "853-5937" (Squeeze) and "5.7.0.5" (City Boy). Tommy Tutone's "867-5309 / Jenny" doesn't count.

***

MEMORIAL DAY SONG #5: "WAR":--EDWIN STARR, 1970

It was the biggest anti-war and protest single ever on the pop chart..and it hit #1 three months and 25 days after the Kent State incident…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d8C4AIFgUg

"War" by Edwin Starr is this writer/musicologist/communicator's choice as the #5 Memorial Day remembrance song.

"War" became the fourth #1 ever introduced by Casey Kasem, stayed at the top for three weeks and would become the #5 song of 1970. The only anti-war and protest hit song to rival "War" was "Eve Of Destruction" by Barry McGuire, which spent a week at #1 in 1965. On another chart, "War" was #1 for two weeks and #18 on the 1970 year-end rankings.

Regardless, "War" was a powerful hit song that no doubt helped the USA public increase its opposition to the unpopular Vietnam War. And Edwin Starr's anti-war sentiments didn't stop with "War" as evidenced by his followup single….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_3IlIHYzxo

"Stop The War Now" peaked in the 20's on the pop charts and would be the last of Starr's four Top 40's. His other two were "Agent Double-O Soul:" and "Twenty-Five Miles." Edwin Starr was 61 when he died in 2003.

NEXT AT #4: A staggering statistic

&&&

JERRY VALE 1932-2014

Jerry Vale, who had over 25 hits on the Easy Listening chart (the forerunner to the AC chart), died in his Palm Desert home Sunday. While most wire services claimed he was 83, this writer has his age as 81.

This was the biggest of his Easy Listening hits from 1964, which reached #1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM6ZjEfn8EY

This was his biggest pop hit, which reached #13 in 1956...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ovCJdCv2w

In late 1957, he reached #29 with this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ovCJdCv2w

For more on Jerry Vale...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Vale

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/popular-1950s-singer-jerry-vale-dies-age-83/

***

"STRANGER ON THE SHORE" HITS THE TOP!!!

Fifty two years ago this week (MAY 1962), this classic instrumental became the #1 song in the USA…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzx664u5DA

"Stranger On The Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk only spent a week at #1, but it nevertheless spent enough time on the pop chart to be named the #1 song of the year by one prominent entertainment magazine and #2 (behind "The Twist" by Chubby Checker) on another.

For years--and before we got into the world of rap--Mr.Acker Bilk was half the answer to a question Casey Kasem would often answer….

"Have we ever had an act with 'Miss' or 'Mrs.' or ';Mr.' to have a top 40 hit?"

For a long time, all we had was Mr. Acker Bilk and Miss Toni Fisher of "The Big Hurt" fame (late 1959). Oh, and Mr. Acker Bilk joined the list of performers who had a #1 hit and never made the Top 40 again. Among such acts were Debby Boone the trio of Peter, Paul and Mary and disappearing acts like Joan Weber, the Silhouettes, the Elegants and the duo of Zager and Evans.

To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Acker Bilk is still alive. Sources differ as to his date of birth so his age is somewhere between 85 and 87.

For more on Mr. Acker Bilk...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acker_Bilk

***

TODAY IN MUSIC HISTORY--THE KILLER IS BACK!!!

Forty one years ago this weekend (May 18, 1973), the song was rocking' and rollin' its way up the pop chart…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtrVRMdrPe0

Yes, the KILLER was back! This was the singer who was wilder than Elvis. He'd stir a crowd into a frenzy by setting his piano on fire!!!

Needless to say, Jerry Lee's career took a huge hit when it was discovered that he married his 13-year-old second cousin in 1958.

"Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O'Dee" was Jerry Lee Lewis' first top 40 pop hit in 12 years…or since 1961 with "What'd I Say." This would be Jerry Lee's last pop top 40 hit.

Oh, and it was a remake of this #2 R&B hit from way back in 1949…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDqVcTGFRs0

The flip side of the Killer's 1973 single cooked, too…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86XuL69w-Zk

***

JOSH WISE MAKES NASCAR SPRINT CUP ALL-STAR RACE!!!!

There really is such a thing as poetic justice. Nowhere is this more evident than what happened today (5/16/14) with the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star race scheduled for Saturday.

Josh Wise won the fans' vote to advance to the race.

Danica Patrick didn't. Opinion: HOORAY!

This was BY FAR the biggest news of the Fox Sports Network coverage of NASCAR action today…and Fox Sports dropped the ball by deliberately NOT mentioning this bit of news. That's not surprising. It's simply more evidence that shows how totally biased the Fox Sports people are for DP…just like The Sporting News, USA Today and Yahoo!

Look at the bright side for Danica. While she's watching the All-Star race she's NOT being part of, she can play with her new puppy.

For more on this latest example of news media bias, I invite you to check out this web site…

http://www.voy.com/229851/

***

FORGOTTEN OLDIE: "I'VE GOT A FEELING THAT WE'LL BE SEEING EACH OTHER AGAIN"--AL WILSON, 1976

Thirty eight years ago this weekend, this song was climbing the pop chart…and it would become the singer's biggest R&B chart hit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7gJZmf55lo

Perhaps you've forgotten Al Wilson, a soul singer deluxe who's biggest hit was this early 1974 #1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItgAlRuafaU

Johnny Mathis turned down "Show And Tell," which my good friend Jerry Fuller wrote..which became Al Wilson's good fortune. Here's another Al Wilson hit from 1968...and check out the wicked drum beat at the start...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULx9k2QkL94

Around 1969, Al Wilson gave us soul by remaking Johnny Rivers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJgx5mW1KVI

Just to show it was no fluke, here's Al Wilson remaking Johnny Rivers again...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHaooQCM1HM

Al Wilson died of kidney failure in 2008 at the age of 68 but his music lives.

For more on Al Wilson...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Wilson_(singer)

FORGOTTEN OLDIE: "DUTCHMAN'S GOLD" -- WALTER BRENNAN, 1960

Fifty four years ago this weekend, one of the most mystifying, intriguing hit records was climbing the charts. It combined singing; talking from the first actor to win three acting Oscars; and a tale of greed...about a never-found gold mine perhaps worth $200 million and how many many people have died trying to find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QpS7omGDjI

Walter Brennan was 65 years old when he took "Dutchman's Gold" to #30 on one chart and #36 on another.

Even a movie's been done about the lost Dutchman's Mine...starring Glenn Ford...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041610/

And here are just SOME of the MANY web sites that discuss the lost Dutchman's Mine...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Dutchman%27s_Gold_Mine

http://www.ajpl.org/aj/superstition/ldm.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/29/body-found-in-arizona-superstition-mountains-believed-to-that-missing-treasure/

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Lost_Dutchman_Mine

http://superstitionmountainmuseum.org/exhibits/the-jacob-waltz-lost-dutchman-exhibit/

http://www.lostdutchmandays.org/legend.htm

http://www.chuckstraub.com/Letterboxing/lostdutchman.htm

P.S. Believe it or not, Walter Brennan had a Top 10 hit in 1962 when he was 67...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmbcaQFOK78

Remember..."Old Rivers" was the name of a farmer, NOT a mule!

***

CASEY'S BEEN FOUND!

Casey Kasem has been found in Washington state. Many details are sketchy but here’s the latest story…

http://www.people.com/article/casey-kasem-found-washington-state?xid=rss-topheadlines

***

40 YEARS AGO, "THE LOCO-MOTION" RULED!

Forty years ago this week, THIS was the #1 song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxyU4W8iyeI

A heavy metal band like Grand Funk remaking a good time rock and roll song like "The Loco-Motion"? Sure, why not! Producer Todd Rundgren heard the group jamming with the song, liked what he heard, convinced the group to make a single and the rest is music history. "The Loco-Motion" became (at the time) the second song to be #1 twice for two different acts. Ironically, the first such song was "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence/1963 and Donny Osmond/1971)....and BOTH these songs were written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin.

Grand Funk began as Grand Funk Railroad in the early 1970's--and there was one huge problem once with that band's name. One newspaper -- The Shreveport (La.) Times-- once had a major typographical error with the group name. Let's just say the group was called something else in print with one significant wrong third letter in the second word. Yes, THAT F-word!!!!! At the time, newspapers were printed with lead that showed everything backwards, so catching a typo was tough. The entertainment editor told me that after that typo, he ordered his writers in their stories on the group to initially call it "Grand Funk Railroad" the first time. After that, though, the group would be called "The Railroad" in such stories.

Meanwhile, here's how "The Loco-Motion" sounded when it first hit #1 in 1962.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKpVQm41f8Y

What that a black teenage girl named Little Eva singing? Or was that Carole King mimicking a black teenage girl? Over the years, that's been the rumor...that Carole King was the one singing on the record. We'll never know for sure.

Finally, here's how "The Loco-Motion" sounded as a Top 10 hit AGAIN, this time in 1988 for Kylie Minogue....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MNHEwBkMN0

"The Loco-Motion" became the first song to reach the Top 10 in three different decades.

***

WHERE IS CASEY KASEM? ONLY HIS WIFE KNOWS FOR SURE

If you ask me about Casey Kasem's whereabouts, I have a three-word answer.

I don't know.

An AP wire story broke Monday claiming the legendary radio icon is out of the country…but here's my advice regarding the matter…

Be careful before you jump to conclusions. I consider the story mere speculation. Even the attorney representing Casey's wife doesn't know of his whereabouts.

I CAN tell you this…Casey's last known whereabouts, as least as of his birthday on April 27, was a hospital somewhere in la-la land. I believe it was in the Santa Monica area along the Pacific Ocean coast. On that day, there was a protest held outside the hospital.

Rumors have been rampant…such as the one where Casey's wife wouldn't let anyone see him on his birthday…and that Casey wants to go home and get out of the hospital, but his wife won't let him…

BUT THEY'RE RUMORS.

With what I just said in mind, here's the AP wire story…

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/05/12/judge-expresses-concerns-over-casey-kasems-safety/20884439/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D475479

***

IT'S OK TO CRY

It's OK to cry. Even if millions are watching you cry on national TV.

Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player to be selected in the NFL draft, couldn't contain himself. But again, that's OK. Sam showing his emotions was by far the most touching aspect of the third and final day of the NFL draft. Here it is…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLUA5Y7GQ0E

You may not ever see a more emotional scenario from a player picked #249 again. And a nation of NFL fans was touched.

Man, I'm happy for the guy.

Oh, and the winner of the Lowsman Award, a/k/a the Mr. Irrelevant, as the last player chosen in the NFL draft, went to defensive back Lonnie Ballentine of Memphis. THe Houston Texans selected Ballentine, and he'll be honored as Mr. Irrelevant in Newport Beach.

***

MOTHER'S DAY SALUTE SONG #1: "I.O.U." -- JIMMY DEAN, 1976

Here's my Mother's Day Weekend gift to you...

The greatest mom salute hit recording ever...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUJy3fHcYM

A secretary was cleaning out an old desk for JImmy Dean around 1975. She was throwing away mostly old papers but not one that caught her eye.

On that paper, Jimmy had written what he felt were IOU's to his mother. The secretary was so moved by what Jimmy wrote, that she suggested he turn it into a spoken word recording.

The rest is history. "IOU" by Jimmy Dean became a #9 country hit and crossed over to the pop chart to reach #35...even though the whole thing was nearly six minutes long.

DEAR BROWNS: DRAFT A RECEIVER, OK?

The Cleveland Browns have only two choices left in Saturday's final day of the 2014 NFL draft.

Hey, Browns...draft a receiver, OK?

Friday, the Browns lost one receiver due to a fractured left arm (Nate Burleson) and have probably lost their best receiver for a year.

Josh Gordon, who caught 87 passes for 1646 yards and nine touchdowns last season, has reportedly flunked another drug test. If so, he stands to be suspended for a year. He's already had one two-game drug-related suspension which he served at the start of last season.

Here are the best receivers available going into the NFL draft's fourth round.

1. Brandon Coleman, Rutgers

2. Shaq Evans, UCLA

3. Bruce Ellington, South Carolina

4. T.J. Jones, Notre Dame

5. Kevin Norwood, Alabama

6. Martavis Bryant, Clemson

OK, this is hardly an impressive cast, but still all of these guys are probably better than the best remaining receiver the Browns have. That's Greg Little, who might be the worst WR in the NFL. He reminds me too much of Braylon Edwards. Jordan Cameron is a decent tight end, but that's it. Johnny Manziel hardly has anybody to practice throwing to!!!

Meanwhile, 156 more draft choices will be selected in Saturday's final day with the fourth through seventh rounds. And that 156th pick, the last overall selection of the 2014 draft, will win the Lowsman Award (a/k/a the Mr. Irrelevant Award).

Hey, this is heady stuff! Mr. Irrelevant will be honored with a golf tournament, a roast and a regatta in Newport Beach, California. Maybe a parade, too!

For more on the coveted prestigious Mr. Irrelevant Award....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Irrelevant

***

MOTHER'S DAY SALUTE SONG #2: "A MOTHER'S LOVE" -- JOHNNIE RAY / TIMI YURO

The second greatest mom salute record sounded like a duet between an African-American woman and an African-American man...but it wasn't. Instead, it was sung by two white singers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-gFVVxJ82s<

br>

"A Mother's Love" by Johnnie Ray and Timi Yuro never charted but got airplay in late 1961 and early 1962.

Johnnie Ray had over 20 hit songs throughout the 1950's. He was the first white singer to land a #1 hit on the R&B chart with this song in late 1951/early 1952 (with background vocals by the Four Lads)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfoqXwQlsmc

Timi Yuro broke through with this, her debut and biggest hit, in the fall of 1961...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPy-Memj0vE

Oh, and somebody else had a Top 40 hit with "Hurt" at this time in 1976...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRNoT4ep3E0

Here's another hit by Timi...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3JA7tDx6t8

For more on Johnnie and Timi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Ray

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timi_Yuro

***

MOTHER'S DAY SALUTE SONG #3: "MAMA" -- B.J. THOMAS

It's Mother's Day weekend--well, almost--and each day I'm going to salute you moms with my choice of the three greatest mother salute recordings...starting today/Friday with #3...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckODkeeq6ow

B.J. Thomas took "Mama" to #15 on the Cash Box pop chart at about this time in 1966. He's better known for two #1's, including this the #1 song with the longest title (discounting medleys)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zqOU_slcgY

And then there's his most famous #1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hziG9Nr6KHU

Bob Dylan turned down the song...and B.J. sang it in spite of recovering from laryngitis. It's from the soundtrack of "Butch Cassidy And Thje Sundance Kid"--and I rate it as the #9 movie song of all time.

***

JOHNNY FOOTBALL MANZIEL -- ANOTHER BUST?

The ONE thing...

...that I DID NOT want to see happen....

...in Thursday's first round of the NFL draft...

...happened.

My Cleveland Browns drafted the most overrated, overhyped player of them all in Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel.

Hey, if Manziel leads the Browns to the promised land...a/k/a Super Bowl victory...I'll be thrilled.

Beyond belief.

But it's not going to happen.

At least in my opinion.

Why?

Here goes...

1. He's too small and too short. He will struggle to see over his offensive linemen and thus, at 5-11, will struggle to find his receivers. He will also struggle to be effective with long passes.

2. He has character issues. He was lucky to be suspended for only a half game in his autograph-signing scandal. He's been arrested at least once although admittedly it was a misdemeanor arrest that had to do with breaking up a fight. He was supposed to be a counselor at a summer school...but was dismissed for missing meetings and oversleeping. He's been labeled everything from undisciplined to a party-goer to someone who doesn't lead by example.

3. He was this year's quarterback who fell down the first round...to the #22 pick. Often a quarterback falls down the first round. It's happened before with Aaron Rodgers, Brady Quinn, Geno Smith and Matt Barkley. Even the Dallas Cowboys--who have 34-year-old Tony Romo and Browns' bust Brandon Weeden among their QB's--passed on him at the #16 pick.

4. His mechanics are horrible and he's rarely taken a snap from behind the center.

5. He's a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback--and Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks traditionally struggle to succeed at the pro level. Here's a list of 10 past Heisman Trophy QB's who went on to have little or no success at the pro level....

1962 – Terry Baker, Oregon State

1967 – Gary Beban, UCLA

1992 – Gino Torretta, University of Miami

1993 — Charlie Ward, Florida State

1996 — Danny Wuerffel, Florida

2000 – Chris Weinke, Florida State

2001 – Eric Crouch, Nebraska

2004 – Matt Leinart, Southern California

2005 – Troy Smith, Ohio State

2007 -- Tim Tebow, Florida

Yes, Tebow won a playoff game for the Denver Broncos...but he also completedly less than half his passes...and was cut twice.

6. Finally, Johnny Football has to overcome the stigma of being a Browns' QB. Since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, they've had their share of QB busts...and the top 10 worst doesn't even include Tim Sofa....er, Tim Couch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehng2E8MygI

***

"WHO IN HELL IS MEL KIPER?" (WE FOUND OUT 20 YEARS AGO)

When the NFL draft's early years, league higherups would meet at a hotel and make their selections based on what little information they had....like...maybe some college football magazines from the previous season. No radio, no TV, no cable TV, no internet, no e-mails, no scouting combine, no draft magazines, no draft books.

Nowadays, the NFL draft ia a three-day extravaganza, starting Thursday (May 8, 2014), with ESPN televising it for the 35th straight year.

Perhaps the most telling moment of the NFL draft's appeal came 20 years ago, when ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. dared to second guess the Indianapolis Colts' selection of Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts at the fifth overall choice. Kiper reasoned that the Colts should've instead chosen quarterback Trent Dilfer, whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did with the next choice. "That's why the Colts are picking second in every year of the draft," Kiper proclaimed.

Bill Tobin, the Colts' GM, wasn't happy...but let's relive that moment of 20 years ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK_ABNHjbk4

As it turned out, Kiper was correct. Dilfer would quarterback a Super Bowl winning team (Baltimore Ravens, 2000). Alberts, meanwhile, had only four sacks in three seasons, was forced to retire due to injuries and is considered one of the top 50 draft busts of all time. Tobin would be fired as Colt GM in 1997.

And Mel Kiper? Still going strong as an NFL draft analyst on ESPN TV and ESPN radio. He LIVES for the NFL draft...and the vast majority of his observations are dead-on correct. Check him out on the ESPN coverage of the NFL draft.

For more on Mel Kiper...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Kiper

Oh, and let's not forget Saturday's key announcment...the awarding of the Lowsman Award (a/k/a The Mr. Irrelevent Award), which goes to the final player chosen in the 2014 draft.

***

REMEMBERING JOHNNY MAESTRO--ON WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN HIS 75TH BIRTHDAY

You may not remember Johnny Maestro strictly by his name, but you WILL remember him by his music. He would've turned 75 Wednesday (5/7/14) had he not died in 2010.

Johnny Maestro sang for the Crests, whose biggest hit was this one in 1959….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoOuTSBAWWA

Ten years later in 1969, he sang for the Brooklyn Bridge on this their biggest hit…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRDRX4Gyq6I

Here's another Crests' hit/memory...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWlKmoqf6ew

And another...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ar-fHMwm_A

I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW...One of the Crests' members, Patricia Van Dross, left the group in 1958, the year before the group started to hit big. Patricia Van Dross...hmmm....sound familiar? Maybe you'll remember her little brother, Luther Vandross.

***

MAY 7, 1978--DISCOMANIA WAS AT ITS HEIGHT

Thirty six years ago today, men wore leisure suits and we went to nightclubs that weren't called nightclubs. They were discos...because disco music was the rage as evidenced by the song at #1...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ihs-vT9T3Q

"Night Fever" spent eight weeks at #1, more than any other song that year....and yet, it wasn't the #1 single of 1978. It was #2...behind "Shadow Dancing" by the little brother of the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb.

How? Allow me to explain.

"Shadow Dancing" was #1 for seven weeks that summer but its final week at the top was highly tainted. That's when at least three then-employees at Watermark, "American Top 40's" company, told me a strange story. The magazine Casey Kasem's show went by in July, 1978, reported that "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty went to #1. Not long thereafter, though, the magazine called Casey's staff to report that a new and different chart was forthcoming. And #1 on the new and different chart was "Shadow Dancing" for its seventh and final week. Rafferty's song would never make #1, peaking at #2 for six weeks.

So what happened? One of Casey's staffers told me that a representative of Andy Gibb's had contacted the magazine and threatened to make Andy a no-show at the publication's next key event if "Shadow Dancing" wasn't #1 for that seventh week. Simply put, the magazine gave in. Another Casey staffer, Matt Wilson, observed and continues to observe that Rafferty's song "was the shortest stay at #1 ever." Andy Gibb's reps must've had some tremendous pull...seeing how "Shadow Dancing" would later beat out "Night Fever" to become the #1 song of 1978.

"Night Fever" would be replaced at #1 by another song from the movie "Saturday Night Fever," namely "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman. Amazingly, from around Christmas Eve to mid-May, 1978, the SAME label--RSO--would be at #1 for 21 straight weeks. The streak began with these chart-toppers: "How Deep Is Your Love" (the Bee Gees), "Baby Come Back" (Player), "Stayin' Alive" (the Bee Gees) and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" (Andy Gibb).

Ohb, and there was another version of "Night Fever" on the charts. Personally, I think the Carol Douglas version is better, but you be the judge...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1tPRxA3l7Y

***

MAY 6, 1937--THE DAY RADIO'S IMMEDIACY WAS BORN

Radio as we know it was born November 2, 1920, when KDKA/Pittsburgh became the first commercial radio station.

Not much happened on any USA radio station for the first 16 and a half years. After all, broadcasts were pretty much limited to live talk and live music.

Then in about a minute and a half, everything changed for radio 77 years ago Tuesday on May 6, 1937...when Herb Morrison had his tape recorder on to report what he probably felt was an ordinary story...but suddenly became an historically huge story when something went horribly wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YY0xw5r1ro

Morrison's account wasn't heard live on WLS/Chicago...but instead would be heard nationwide on virtually every existing radio station the next day.

Suddenly, radio's immediacy was born.

Even today, the memory of the Hindenberg lives. Recently on "Jeopardy!" the final "Jeopardy!" category was "Album covers."

The final "Jeopardy!" answer: "This group had the Hindenberg disaster on the cover of its debut LP."

The final "Jeopardy!" question: What is Led Zeppelin."

***

"AQUARIUS" TOPS THE CHART 45 YEARS AGO TODAY

It was the longest running #1 medley of all time, the first chart topper to come from a rock musical and a song that stood for the late 60's generation. The #1 single in the USA 45 years ago today...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPK7ZF6jfJE

"Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension spent six weeks at #1...Or

...otherwise stated...

More than double the TOTAL number of weeks at #1 for the other three #1 medleys. "Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley" by Will To Power (1988), The "Stars On 45 Medley" (1981) and "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" by Paul and Linda McCartney (1971) each spent a week at #1. "Aquarius" came from the highly acclaimed rock musical "Hair," which gave us three other Top 40 hits in 1969--"Hair" (the Cowsills), "Good Morning Starshine" (the late Oliver) and "Easy To Be Hard" (Three Dog Night).

I can only think of two other longer running #1's by black groups on the pop chart--"Paper Doll" by the Mills Brothers was on top for 12 weeks in 1944 while "End Of The Road" (Boyz II Men) did one better with 13 weeks at #1 in 1992.

***

KENT STATE (5/4/70) REMEMBERED

To vividly remember what happened 44 years ago today, you need only one photo and one song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2UBQX7fwBQ

Here's still another version of that powerful song, courtesy of the Isley Brothers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs9IjuCOsLw

For more on that tragic day...

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-summit/kent-state-victims-and-students-remember-may-4th-1970

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/four-students-killed-at-kent-state

***

I'M SWEARING TO GOD THAT FRANKIE VALLI TURNS 80

You'll not hear a better more fun-filled feel-good lookback at the career of Frankie Valli, who turns 80 Saturday (May 3, 2014), than this dance ditty from 1982...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lktdj7_ylTA

Yes, Frankie Valli turns EIGHTY. For eons, I thought he was born on May 3, 1937. Then, when researching him, one web site said he was born on May 3, 1935. And ANOTHER said May 3, 1934, the date I believe to be true and correct.

This is another instance of an entertainer fudging on his age, but this is far from the worst case. For instance, there's the late Jimmie Jones, who reached #2 in 1960 with the original version of "Handy Man." On Jimmy's greatest hits CD, the liner notes said he was born June 2, 1942. Many other on-line sources have claimed he was born June 2, 1937. BUT...Jimmy Jones was born on June 2, 1930.

Meanwhile, here's another dandy medley performed on TV by the Four Seasons....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6h0Od2F1wk

Frankie Valli's had nearly 65 hits between his solo efforts and the Four Seasons and here's my favorite. And, if I ever do get married, at the wedding reception, I'm swearing to God that I'll dance to my bride to this, the greatest bump/dance and vow song ever...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p0YeaetFT4

I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW: The Four Seasons are the only group in history to have had a #1 hit both before and after the Beatles came along. Before...there were #1 hits like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like A Man." After, there were #1's like "Rag Doll" and "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)." There's nine other acts to have #1 hits before and after the Beatles came along and they're ALL solo men: Elvis Presley, Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tommy Roe, Stevie Wonder, Roy Orbison and Bobby Vinton.

***

EFREM ZIMBALIST JR. (1918-2014)

Efrem Zimbalist Jr., who was best remembered for his roles in the TV shows "77 Sunset Strip" and "The FBI", died Friday (May 2, 2014).

His daughter, Stephanie Zimbalist, announced:

"We are heartbroken to announce the passing into peace of our beloved father, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., today at his Solvang, Calif. ranch. He was 95 years old. A devout Christian, he actively enjoyed his life to the last day, showering love on his extended family, playing golf, and visiting with close friends. We will miss him dearly."

This writer also remembers Efrem Zimbalist Jr. for the scariest movie I've ever seen, when he co-starred with Audrey Hepburn in 1967's "Wait Until Dark."

For more on this breaking story...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/efrem-zimbalist-jr-dead-star-700983***

LESLEY GORE--IT'S HER PARTY

Lesley Sue Goldstein twice portrayed Pussycat on the Batman TV show, starred in movies like "Girls On The Beach" and from 1963-67 thrilled us with nearly 20 hit songs like this one....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEhzjJIdL0w

Yup, Lesley Gore turned 68 Friday. What marvelous lady...and joy to interview. I'll never forget my 1993 interview with Lesley for Dick Bartley when I was working for "American Top 40 With Shadoe Stevens." I was at one end of the phone line at ABC-Watermark in Los Angeles while she was at the other end at ABC-New York City. Her voice was recorded onto a DAT tape recorder as we chatted....and my friends/co-workers at ABC-New York were terrific. They came through the flying colors with my main pre-interview request...which was...

"Treat her like a queen!"

As I recall, the story behind my favorite LG hit, "That's The Way Boys Are" involved Lesley and her background singers overcoming some strict union rules. OK, something like this happened: The background singers either sang from an adjoining room...or they kept going back and forth from room to room.

Anyway, "That's The Way Boys Are" was a hit at about this time in 1964...and the followup to her greatest ballad, an ulta-powerful song that became an inspiration and anthem for thousands of teenage girls and women....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNb-8gLcXLs

"You Don't Own Me" would definitely have been a #1 hit at virtually anytime...except when it reached #2 in early 1964. It was kept out of #1 by the biggest single of 1964 and the song that launched Beatlemania. Yup, "I Want To Hold Your Hand."

There was no stopping Lesley, though, when it came to her first and biggest hit in June, 1963. Here it is...a #1...and, yup, it's her party...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsYJyVEUaC4

When she recorded "It's My Party," Lesley THOUGHT she was simply recording a demo tape. Not long thereafter, though, producer Quincy Jones, who discovered Lesley, heard that the Crystals were about to release the song as a single. Quincy quickly rush-released Lesley's version of the song. SO quickly, that there wasn't time for Lesley to be told about it. So how'd she find out about it? Well, she was driving her car down a road listening to the radio...when she suddenly heard her song! She was so shocked that she almost drove her car off the road. When I asked Lesley in our interview if that was true, she quipped, "Wouldn't you?"

I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS: On the day Lesley Gore was born (May 2, 1946), a deadly riot broke out at the infamous Alcatraz prison located on a small island in the San Francisco bay. The uprising lasted three days as inmates staged an unsuccessful escape attempt. Three inmates and two guards were killed during the uprising. Eventually, two surviving inmates would be executed. The incident was captured in the 1987 movie, "Six Against The Rock."

***

LA-LA LAND'S BIGGEST STORY -- BY FAR

Without question, THE story where I live out here in la-la land (a/k/a Los Angeles) is the Donald Sterling mess. Sterling's the one who was banned for life from anything to do with the NBA and fined the maximum $2.5 million.

This was a firecracker that was destined to explode. Sterling got away with racist comments five years ago when he was involved in a huge housing discrimination lawsuit. And he managed to overcome a huge battle waged with Elgin Baylor. This time, it was no contest. Sterling was going to go down.

No matter what.

To give you a smidgen of an idea of how BIG this story was…

I invite you to check these links below. There's the front page of Wednesday's (May 30, 2014) Los Angeles Times, followed by the latest story and then a story about Sterling's dealings with Elgin Baylor.

Finally, four EXTREMELY well written columns by the L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke. The last one listed is the BEST. I cannot recommend enough that you read that one. It came out Sunday….and Plaschke vividly paints a picture of this whole scenario.

ENJOY!

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=CA_LAT&ref_pge=gal&b_pge=1

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-v-stiviano-attorney-someone-leaked-sterling-tape-for-money-20140430,0,7230834.story#axzz3095pmPxf

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-elgin-baylor-donald-sterling-20140426,0,877251.story#axzz3095pmPxf

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-clippers-20140430,0,5582110.column#axzz3095pmPxf

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-clippers-sterling-plaschke-20140429,0,4138103.column#axzz3095pmPxf

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-clippers-plaschke-20140428,0,3541299.column#axzz3095pmPxf

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-sterling-clippers-plaschke-20140427,0,7545973.column#axzz3095pmPxf

***

DR. JACK RAMSAY 1925-2014

Dr. Jack Ramsay, the Hall of Fame coach who piloted the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA title and in recent years was a TV commentator, died overnight (Sunday night and Monday morning..April 27-28, 2014) from complications of cancer. He was 89.

Ramsay was 864-783 in his 21 years of coaching in the NBA. Plus, he had a 234-72 mark coaching at St. Joseph’s in the college ranks. For more on this story…

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/hall-fame-coach-jack-ramsay-131755771--nba.html

And for still more on this incredible basketball icon…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ramsay

***

DISGRACEFUL BIASED REPORTING, CUB REPORTING….AND NO TRUTH

If you don't think today's sports media includes absolutely disgraceful biased writing, Clark Kent-like cub reporting that a first grader could surpass and stories that simply are not telling the truth, well then…

That's OK.

You're entitled to your opinion.

I respect your opinion.

I just hope you'll respect mine.

Allow me, please, to present my case. I'll first present to you what was found on The Sporting News web site on Tuesday, April 22, 2014. You'll see not only the headline but the entire story (a mere 139 words). Then, I'm going to tell you the truth.

And you can draw your own conclusions…

Oh, before I start….

Yes, this is about auto racer Danica Patrick. No sports personality has evoked such an array of differing opinions than her. On one side of the fence, you have her fans who think she's God, the greatest thing to ever happen to auto racing and an inspiration to little girls who want to be auto racers some day. I get all that, especially about her inspiring little girls.

But I'm on the other side of the fence. A polling company recently reported that her popularity with the general public has been fading--to about half of what it was three years ago. MANY people, including me, feel she's nothing more than an overrated overhyped marketing tool who gets way WAY too much media exposure when you consider what little she's accomplished. I can give you HUNDREDS of examples of pure sport media bias for this woman but today I'm going to give you just one.

Here goes...First, the headline of the story….

Is Danica Patrick ready for another stroll down Talladega Boulevard? (end of headline) Now, the entire story….

Danica Patrick will take stroll down a pretty busy street May 3.

Talladega Boulevard.

The road that winds its way through the Talladega Superspeedway infield is known for its festive, party atmosphere. Last year, Patrick strolled through the infield to the delight of photographers everywhere, even though the Stewart-Haas Racing driver was just walking and not really participating in any of the debauchery.

She will do so again next Saturday as part of a Coke Zero promotion to crown a “tailgate champion" the night before she competes in the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup Series race.

“There’s no place on the NASCAR circuit quite like Talladega Boulevard,” Patrick said in a news release. “It has a fun, party atmosphere, and it’s easy to see the passion these fans have for NASCAR and Talladega when you take a walk down The Boulevard.”

(end of story) Opinion: What you just saw was a prime example of absolutely disgraceful biased writing, Clark Kent-like cub reporting that a first grader could surpass and a story that simply isn't telling the truth.

NOW, THE TRUTH….

It's one thing to run a story about what somebody did INSIDE a racing track and plans to do again this year. It's quite another, though, when that same story doesn't tell you what happened last year ON that track.

So what did the story NOT tell you regarding Danica Patrick's driving performance when she was at Talladega in 2013? Answer: It failed to tell you that...

SHE FINISHED 33RD, TEN LAPS DOWN…AND CRASHED AT LAST YEAR'S RACE FOR HER 148TH STRAIGHT LOSS.

Don't you just love her driving skill? Remember, this is someone who in 2013 failed to make the lead lap in 26 of 38 races.

And, as usual, The Sporting News doesn't give you the updated truth about Danica Patrick's splendid career. That is, her statistics as they stand now (or, as of Tuesday, April 22, 2014). Here they are: 185 straight losses, a lifetime 1-280 record, an 0-119 career NASCAR record and a 2014 record of 0-11. In her entire 14-year racing career, all but one of those 14 years produced zero wins.

More of the truth: DP has NEVER won a professional auto race in the entire Western Hemisphere, has NEVER won a full-field race, has NEVER won a 301-mile-plus race, has NEVER won a pro stock car race and has NEVER won a street race.

Again, I'm simply telling you the truth. And you already know my opinion of The Sporting News' ethics (see paragraph #1, sentence #1).

Oh, a few more things…

Her odds of winning Saturday's Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR S;print Cup race are…

200 to 1

Her odds of winning the 2014 Sprint Cup championship are…

500 to 1

No one is listed with worst odds than her in both cases.

Racing legend Richard Petty earlier this year was asked about Danica Patrick and her chances of winning a NASCAR race.

Petty responded by saying she would only win a race if all the other drivers stayed home.

So far, Richard Petty's observation has proven to be absolutely correct.

***

I AM BACK AT WORK!

When you've undergone a major surgery like I did (left hip surgery on March 4, 2014), you really REALLY look forward to returning to work. Well, it happened today (Thursday, April 24, 2014) and it went Extremely well. Everything was very positive, productive…and I we got some needed things done with my computer (updates, getting rid of tons of unwanted e-mails to update the computer etc.)

I called the one co-worker who starts earliest. He's the one who broke me in all those years ago. When did I call him? At 4:30 a.m. our time. He was actually there and thrilled to hear the news.

He set up a neat "welcome back Rob" banner that went across the outside of my office. People are supposed to sign it but only 1-2 did because it was posted on ultra-short notice. Usually people have time to sign such a banner a day or 2 in advance but that wasn't possible. It all happened--me getting cleared--too fast. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

Another co-worker…hugged me later on in the day!

All in all, a great day!!!!

PS Almost forgot…

I'm on medication that will help me get rid of the swelling in my ankles.

***

ME WATCH THE MOVIE 'DRAFT DAY"? NO WAY!!! This-N-That observations as I continue to recover from left hip surgery.... You need only know one thing as to why I'll never watch the movie, "Draft Day." Yes, it's supposed to depict my lowly Cleveland Browns....but whomever wrote the script should have his head examined. Some pro football writers got a sneak peak of the movie and couldn't believe one thing they saw. In the movie, the Browns actually SEND their playbook to players they're CONSIDERING drafting. Say WHAT????!!!!!!! In reality, THERE IS NOT ONE NFL TEAM THAT SENDS ITS PLAYBOOK TO PROSPECTIVE DRAFTEES. NEVER. EVER. I can't begin to tell you how NFL value their playbooks. A player ALWAYS knows he's about to be cut when the man known as "The Turk" tells him, "The coach wants to see you...and bring your playbook." To give you another idea of how valuable playbooks are was an incident that happened in the late 1960's, A quarterback known as Karl Sweetan was arrested for wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property...because he (Sweetan) tried to tell to one NFL a playbook he'd allegedly stolen from another. The charges against Sweetan never stuck, though, because it was determined that the value of the playbook wasn't enough to warrant the federal charges being levied in the first place. Still, you get the idea of the value of a team's playbook. Right? Case dismissed... When I watch a major league baseball game on the tube, the TV's sound is turned down...so I can hear via my satellite radio system the game's description. Why? Because that radio announcer doesn't have a TV screen showing the game to bail him out. He's got to paint a picture of what's going on in terms of game strategy. So what if there's a 5- to 10-second delay between my SEEING something like a home run....and hearing the radio guy's home run call. I STILL turn down the TV 's sound and listen to the radio broadcast of a game. It paid off last Thursday. That's when the best player on my favorite team, the Cleeeeeeeveland Indians (Jason Kipnis), struck out swinging but continued to complain to the home plate umpire about ball-strike calls. The ump ejected him and--lo and behold--the radio guy picked up on the ejection before going to a commercial break. The idiots showing the game on TV? They dropped the ball. They went to a commercial break. Viewers didn't find out about Kipnis' ejection until AFTER the long commercial break.... No surprise to hear that the New York Knicks fired coach Mike Woodson. Can you imagine the NBA playoffs without the Celtics, Lakers and Knicks all at once? Starting imaging...because that's the way it is this season for the first time... WHO AM I? OK, I got paid $22.3 million dollars to NOT play a second for my NBA team, the Orlando Magic. I haven't played for the Magic since the 2010-11 season because they cut me via the so-called amnesty rule (that's where what I'm owed doesn't count again the Magic's salary cap). I once was caught with a gun in the lockerroom with another of my teams, the Washington Wizards. The Magic, meanwhile, are responsible for paying the rest of my $62.4 million contact. I've been arrested for possession of a concealed weapon and for driving without a license. Hey, I even got served with child support papers at halftime of an Orlando game. I'm supposed to pay $109,000 a month and $1.3 million a year in child support. Who am I? I am best known as Gilbert Arenas….

***

OFF GOES THE BRACE!!

Today (Monday, April 21, 2014) is a pivotal key day for me with my left hip surgery recovery.

OFF WENT THE BRACE!!!

I'd had that brace on me virtually non-stop for six weeks. Doctor's orders. I even had to be bed-ridden for FIVE DAYS while waiting for that brace to arrive at the VA Hospital in the Westwood part of Los Angeles. Yup, I had a tough time staying fresh but that's what sponges on a stick are for!

Imagine a huge tight belt around your belly…and another one around your upper left leg…and the belts attached. There's some stiffness in my left leg…but that's to be expected.

Time to exercise! I still need to use a walker….but someday I won't!!!

***

RUBIN HURRICANE CARTER--BOB DYLAN HAD A HIT SONG ABOUT HIM

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became the subject of a Bob Dylan Top 40 hit, has died. He was 76.

Word of Carter's passing was confirmed Sunday (4/20/14) by a friend, John Artis. Ironically, it was Artis who spent 14 years in prison as an accomplice of Carter in the celebrated murder case. In 1967, Carter and Artis were convicted of committing three murders in a 1966 incident at a tavern in Paterson, New Jersey. According to virtually all accounts, there was very little evidence to go on plus police didn't take fingerprints.

After spending 19-20 years in prison, during which there were several appeals, Carter was freed in 1985 after the convictions were set aside.

The Carter story was told in the Bob Dylan song, "Hurricane", which reached #27 on the Cash Box magazine pop chart in early 1976. Here's that powerful song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr8Wn1Mwwwk

Here are the lyrics to "Hurricane"...

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/hurricane.html

Hurricane Carter won 27 bouts, 19 by knockout. Here's his story...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubin_Carter

***

HOW DO YOU GET INSTANT WORLDWIDE FAME? JUST SAY TWO WORDS

Who is Masai Ujiri?

Well, he's the General Manager of the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Until Firday (4/18/14), virtually nobody in the world outside of Toronto knew who he is.

Now everybody knows who he is. How? Well...

He gained world-wide game Saturday April 19, 2014 for saying two words.

The second word was "Brooklyn".

The first is a word I cannot write.

Yup, it starts with the Letter F.

He said the two words prior to the Raptors-Nets game during a pep rally... and here's how it sounded….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlowIBQu-y4

Here's more on the incident…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar0f7O6qmQo

The general NBA talk has been that the Brooklyn Nets "tanked" or--otherwise stated--deliverately lost some games in order to get a more attractive playoff opponent in the Raptors.

Was that why Ujiri sounded off? He replied, "You know how I feel. I don't like them, but I apologize."

Brooklyn Net coach Jason Kidd's reaction?

"I didn't know who the GM is."

***

HIP SURGERY RECOVERY UPDATE 4/18/14

I am starting to walk more and more with a cane. Sometimes two. Presently, though, I can only VERY SLOWLY do this about a foot at a time. That will change eventually. My rehab person worked with me extensively on this walking method. Plus, we did other exercises. He's taught me in the past a NUMBER of exercises that I do daily.

I can walk OK with a walker if I need to. It's just quicker, faster. Eventually, I will no longer need it. When? Probably not for a long time at this point, but we'll see.

***

HIP SURGERY RECOVERY UPDATE 4/14/14

This may not sound like much, but it really is. Especially when you're recovering from a major hip surgery like mine. Anyway, I started walking with a cane or two today...as opposed to using the walker. Progress in a small way. This is like learning to walk all over again.

It was 35 days ago today that I had a brace put on me. It's still on me. Just picture a huge strong belt going around your belly...and another one going around your upper left leg...and the two belts attached. This was doctor's orders since they had to take an extra hour to operate on me. My arthritis was that bad. They inserted a screw in the socket where the bone in the left leg meets the hip bone. With the brace on, I can better recover.

I do as much walking as I can either with 2 canes or with the walker. Plus, I do daily exercises right after I get up...and before I indulge in my favorite meal (breakfast).

Tuesday (4/15/14) will mark six weeks ago that I did the operation in the first place. I'm getting there. It just takes a lot of time to recover and have everything heal.

The support has been sensational. My two best friends have been especially helpful. Toby Petty transported me to and from my operation...plus he checks in with me via a cell phone call daily. Matt Wilson, meanwhile, has been very helpful in keeping me supplied with enough groceries.

Many thanks to all of you for your support, whether it be an e-mail, a phone call, a card or responding to this Facebook page. I'd never been operated on so this recovery phase is all new to me.

***

HIP SURGERY UPDATE 4/8/14

It's been five weeks since my left hip surgery. I still struggle to get around. I have to use a walker. I do daily exercises to strengthen my left leg and left hip area. A rehab helper visits me 2x a week Tuesdays and Thursdays. We'll be working on getting my balance back.

I have two tremendously wonderful friends helping me. Toby Petty transported me to and from the VA hospital. He calls me daily to check in on me. Meanwhile, Matt Wilson keeps in touch via e-mails and has been helping me in the grocery department.

I wish I could walk better but I must be patient!!!

***

HIP SURGERY RECOVERY UPDATE 4/2/14 April 2, 2014 -- It's been a lolng long time since I posted here. Anyway, Friday will mark a full month since I underwent left hip surgery on March 4, 2014. It took an extra hour to complete the surgery due to my arthritis. A screw was inserted in the socket connecting my left leg and hip...and that means I must wear a brace virtually all the time. I could take it off when I sleep but so far I've elected to keep it on. Why risk messing up the recovery?

I have two good friends assisting me. Toby Petty, who transported me to and from the VA facility in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, checks in with me daily via cell phone calls. Toby also helped transport me to the nearest Bank of America, where I cashed my most recent paycheck. Matt Wilson and his wife, Mary, meanwhile, have been purchasing needed groceries from a local store. I also have some super apartment neighbors helping out. One of them has been starting my car about every other day.

I get visits from a rehab helper Tuesdays and Thursday. We do exercises that are fairly easy and helpful for my recovery.

There's been plenty to do to keep me occupied. There was the Big Dance, a/k/a the NCAA Men's basketball tournament, and it concludes with the Final Four this weekend. The team I pick to win it all? Florida.

Also, there's tons of baseball to watch thanks to my DirecTV baseball package. One team I can't see, though, is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who're now part of a newly launched cable TV network that's very slowly catching on. On Tuesday night, only about 30 per cent of the people of Los Angeles were able to see the Dodger-Padre game. Eventually, that Dodger network will make it onto DirecTV but negotiations are ongoing.

My totals to all of you with your cards, e-mails and phone calls. A day doesn't go by without hearing from someone. I am going to walk normally some day thanks to all of you and the wonderful people at the Veterans Hospital in Westwood.

****

"HE'S A REBEL"--NOW A 50-YEAR OLD CLASSIC

The saxophone solo by the late Steve Douglas? Awesome. My favorite all-time sax solo. Bar none.

The beat? Absolutely infectious. You close your eyes while listening to the record's intro…and you swear you're envisioning a guy strutting his way down a sidewalk or street with an attitude like no one else.

After all, he's a rebel.

Fifty years ago this weekend, "He's A Rebel" by the Crystals was enjoying its second of two weeks as the biggest single in the USA. The song could've been recorded by the Shirelles, but they turned it down because of its anti-establishment attitude. The Crystals, though, would instead introduce us to the Phil Spector Wall Of Sound that would be turned into the first true rock and roll Christmas LP a little over a year later. Admittedly, Elvis Presley had his 1957 Christmas LP, but half of it was religious songs. Spector's holiday album was ALL rock and roll except for "Silent Night."

"A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector" would get lost in the music world shuffle because of its release date, November 22, 1963. That was the day JFK was assassinated. Thus, America was hardly in the mood to hear the first true Christmas rock and roll album. The album would fall by the wayside throughout most of the 1960's but small radio stations kept playing it. So much so, that the album made it onto one holiday LP chart in 1972…and the demand for its re-release increased. And that's what happened around the mid-1970's. Nowadays, almost every cut from that Phil Spector holiday album gets played on USA radio stations at Christmas time.

Meanwhile, "He's A Rebel" to this day owns an air of mystique over exactly who really did sing the song. Legend has it that it wasn't the Crystals. Instead, Darlene Love supposedly sang vocals and was backed by the Blossoms. The Crystals? Oh, they were somewhere else and not immediately available. Spector supposedly rush-recorded the song because he wanted to beat another singer to the punch. The other singer supposedly putting out the song as a single? Vicki Carr, later of 1967's "It Must Be Him" fame. Dee Dee Kinniebrew of the Crystals, in an interview I did with her around 1988, vehemently denied the story of Love and the Blossoms recording the song. Dee Dee insisted "He's A Rebel" was recorded by the Crystals.

For sure, there's a bit of trivia attached to "He's A Rebel." Gene Pitney wrote the song and guess what? He was already on the charts with his solo hit, "Only Love Can Break A Heart," which would peak at #2…and be kept out of #1…by…"He's A Rebel." Gene Pitney thus became the first and probably only solo performer to have one of his hits kept out of #1…by a song he wrote for somebody else.

Pitney's ballad hit, in case you've forgotten, sounded like this…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYya-hIus-U

And now, get ready to rock. "He's A Rebel" sounded like this…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENKIwESsA8o

***

MAJOR HARRIS ("LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT") -- 1947-2012

By ROCKIN' ROBIN

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA (RTDP) 11/9/12 -- Major Harris, who was best known for the pop and R&B hit "Love Won't Let Me Wait" in 1975, died Friday (November 9, 2012) at a Richmond hospital. He was 65. According to Harris' sister, Catherine Thomas, and the Associated Press, Harris died of congestive heart and lung failure.

"Love Won't Let Me Wait" was a #3 Cash Box pop chart hit and #1 R&B chart hit in the summer of 1975. The song sounded like this…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQAFluMiwIo

According to writer Wayne Jancik and Wikipedia, Major Harris III was born February 9, 1947 in Richmond. His dad was a guitarist, his mom the leader of the local church choir and his grandparents were into Vaudeville.

Harris was a member of Frankie Lymon's Teenagers, the Jarmels and the Delfonics. In all three cases, though, Harris joined those groups after they'd scored with their major hits. He last sang last year at a reunion show with the Delfonics. At the height of his career, Harris hired an unknown number of personal bodyguards in order to keep admiring women fans a safe distance away.

Harris had two other largely forgotten pop chart hits, both in 1976--"I Got Over Love" (#86) and"Jealousy" (#77).

Major Harris was part of a unique list of singing acts that had a military rank in their name. SSgt. Barry Sadler of "Ballad Of The Green Berets" fame in 1966, really was a Green Beret in the Army. Likewise, Tony Dawson Harrison, who performed as Captain Hollywood Project, was a U.S. Army captain when he had a #14 hit in 1993 entitled "More And More."

We've also had Major Lance, the Captain and Tennille and the highest military ranked performer, General Johnson of two groups, the Showmen and the Chairmen Of The Board.

***

CLEVE DUNCAN (THE PENGUINS) 1935-2012

By ROCKIN 'ROBIN

Cleveland (a/k/a Cleve) Duncan of the group the Penguins, the one-hit wonder group who scored in 1955 with "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)," died Wednesday (November 7, 2012) in the Los Angeles area. He was 77. At press time, the cause of death was unknown. According to Wikipedia, tenor Dexter Tisby, also 77, is the only surviving original Penguin member.

The Penguins followed the lead of many of their fellow all-African-American vocal groups of rock and roll music's early years in the 1950's by naming themselves after a species of a bird. Among them, for instance, we had Sonny Til and the Orioles, the Robins, the Crows, the Flamingos and the Falcons.

A brand of cigarettes became a "cool" idea for the name of Duncan's group. According to writer Wayne Jancik, Cleve once told Steve Flam and Sal Mondrone of "Bim Bam Boom" magazine, "We just couldn't come up with a name. It was comical. One of us just happened to be smoking a pack of Kools. We happened to be kidding each other about the picture of 'Willie The Penguin' on it (the pack). That's how we came up with the name." Duncan, Tisby, Curtis Williams and Bruce Tate formed the original Penguins' lineup that formed in 1953. The group would eventually have as many as 13 members.

"Earth Angel" was released after a previous single, "Ain't No News Today / When I Am Gone" bombed. "Hey Señorita" was supposed to be the A side when the single was released in late 1954. However, disc jockeys quickly decided to instead play the flip side as "Earth Angel" became a #3 hit in early 1955. The Canadian group the Crew-Cuts of "Sh-Boom" fame also recorded "Earth Angel" and admittedly also reached #3 on the Cash Box pop chart. But, over the years, the Penguins' version would get the airplay on the nation's oldies stations.

Sources disagree as to who sang lead for the Penguins on "Earth Angel." Some day it was Duncan while others claim it was Williams.

The Penguins are remembered not just for "Earth Angel," but also for one of the most important record deals of the mid-1950's. When Dootsie Williams, the owner of the Penguins' original label, DooTone, refused to give the Penguins any advance money, Duncan and his group hooked up with songwriter-producer Buck Ram. Ram would in turn get the Penguins a major record label but under one key condition. The only way Mercury Records could land the Penguins would be provided the label also took on another then-unknown Buck Ram group. Mercury agreed….and the next eight Penguins releases on the label all bombed. A re-issue of "Earth Angel" would bubble under one pop chart but that was it.

Oh, that other throw-in group that Mercury felt it had to take on? It only became the biggest group of the entire decade of the 1950's, the Platters.

The Penguins had broken up by 1963. That was the year, though, that Frank Zappa recorded a song entitled "Memories of El Monte," where Duncan would break into "Earth Angel" as one of the songs remembered from the past in the medley recording.

On Casey Kasem's favorite "American Top 40" special show, The Top 40 Disappearing Acts of All Time, the Penguins would rank #15 on the first of two shows in July, 1973. On the second show in April, 1975, the Penguins inexplicably slipped to #18.

Pinpointing the exact writer or writers of "Earth Angel" has been next to impossible. Gaynel Hodge has been mentioned. Two others have been mentioned, Curtis Williams and Jesse Belvin. According to writers Fred L. North and Steve D.Tamerius, Williams and Belvin were the same person who went by two names. North and Tamerius co-wrote the book "Elvis: His Life From A To Z." In that book, it's mentioned that Elvis Presley recorded "Earth Angel" privately while on Army assignment in West Germany between 1958 and 1960. That rare recording would surface on Elvis' 1984 album, "A Golden Celebration."

Several other versions of "Earth Angel" have been recorded over the years. Gloria Mann of "Teenage Prayer" fame hit with it along with the Penguins and Crew-Cuts in 1955. A group called Barry Frank and the Four Bells also recorded the song in '55. In 1960, Johnny Tillotson reached #61. And in 1986, New Edition's version of the song from the soundtrack of "Karate Kid Part II" peaked at #37. Others to have recorded "Earth Angel" include the Crests, the Fleetwoods, the Vogues, Tiny Tim, Bobby Vinton, Blink-182, Bella Morte, Aaron Neville, Slapstick and Death Cab For Cutie. Green Day has incorporated the song in a medley done in concerts. "Earth Angel" has also been heard sung on the soundtracks of movies like "Back To The Future," "Superman III" and a movie of the same name, "Earth Angel."

Radio friend and oldies buff Ronnie Allen shared this story about Cleve Duncan with this writer: "I had the pleasure of meeting Cleveland Duncan when the Penguins performed as part of an oldies show in the Detroit area back in 2003. I was the guest of the Murmaids, who also performed on that show. I mentioned to Cleve that I thought it was humorous that Buchanan and Goodman had referred to his group as "The Pelicans" on their "Flying Saucer" break-in recording. Cleve, who I am sure totally knew that it was NOT the case, started going around the room in mock anger pointed at me and saying 'HE called us the PELICANS!' He was a very nice man."

***

THE 2012 NEW YORK YANKEES -- THE BEST CHOKE TEAM MONEY CAN BUY

NORTH HOLLYWOOD (RTDP )OCT. 18, 20O12 -- Believe it or not, the New York Yankees won 95 games in the regular season, when they hit a team-record 245 home runs.

Maybe that was the problem in the aftermath of their being swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS (American League Championship series). They got too home run happy and couldn't find other ways to score runs. Certainly the Yankees are suddenly an old, overpaid team. Imagine, a team with a major league baseball-high $222 million payroll and yet this same team hit .157 vs. the Tigers and .188 in the postseason. The Yankees never led the Tigers and scored in just 3 of 39 innings.

The 2012 New York Yankees are truly the best choke team money can buy.

A quick look at the Yankee disaster key player by key player.

Alex Rodriguez -- The majors' highest paid player (around $30 million in 2012) was 3-for-25 (.125) with zero RBI. No wonder he was out of the Yankee lineup three times. He was worth $10 million per hit. You could say he tried to score from the bench. Media reports say he flirted with a woman from the dugout though A-Rod denied it. For sure, he's due to be paid another $114 million over the next five years. Don't be surprised if he winds up playing for the Miami Marlins at a significantly reduced salary. He's from the Miami area. If that happens, the Yankees will be paying him plenty to not play for them.

Robinson Cano -- The $14 million man finished in a 1-for-34 slide and was 3-for-30 (.075) for the postseason.

Curtis Granderson -- Think he's relishing the fact that he's a former Tiger? The $10 million man was .232-43-106 in the regular season. He, too, disappeared in the playoffs at .100-1-1 (3-for-30). Of his 30 at-bats, over half (16) were strikeouts.

Nick Swisher --- The $10.25 million man wasn't much better with a .167 postseason (5-for-30) showing.

Mark Teixeira -- He made $23.125 Million in 2012 so you expect more than a .281-0-1 showing in the playoffs. I figured that with nine hits, each was worth $2,569.444.40.

Eric Chavez -- A-Rod's replacement, a/k/a the $900,000 man was perhaps the most consistent Yankee at the plate….oh-for-16 (.000) with half of his at-bats being strikeouts.

Raul Ibanez -- One of the few bright spots. The $1.1 million man was .318-3-5 (7-for-22). Just imagine how much even worse the Yankees would've been without him.

***

By ROCKIN' ROBIN When I was a sports writer for The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram in the fall of 1978, I can vividly recall traveling with the Cleveland Browns for their road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was on the team bus and its was about to take off….when one final person was getting onto it. Before he sat down, that person looked at me and nicely observed, "Oh, you must be the writer from Elyria." That person was then-Browns owner Art Modell. Sadly, he died overnight at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 87. Long ago, I've learned to forgive people for things they did when they were alive. I long ago forgave Ted Williams. In 1972, as manager of the Texas Rangers, as a writer for the Fort Worth Press, I offered to shake hands with him as we met in the dugout. Williams refused to shake hands with me. It was an embarrassing moment as I had to somehow softly introduce myself. Years later after he passed away, I learned to forgive the Hall of Famer because I knew he'd had many bad relationships with the news media. I was a victim of circumstance. By the same token, I suppose I'll be the only person from Cleveland to forgive Art Modell for moving the Browns to Baltimore in the mid-1990s. So be it. The Browns were his biggest cash cow and he'd been losing money. He was seeing an antiquated Cleveland Stadium with crowds that were gradually getting smaller. He was seeing the Indians chalking up sellout after sellout at the Jake. And he was seeing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame attracting people like never before. And his attempts to get a new stadium weren't working. If you were the owner of an NFL team that was losing money playing in an old beat-up stadium…and another city offered you millions more to move your team to that city, including the guarantee of a new stadium, would you do it? Art Modell will be remembered for one business decision that went against the city of Cleveland and its long-time faithful Browns' fans….but he shouldn't. Did you know he was President of the NFL from 1967 to 1969? That he helped negotiate some key national NFL TV contracts? That he pioneered something we take for granted today, Monday night football? That he was the driving force for the NFL exhibition game double-headers that began 50 years ago in 1962? Don't be surprised if there's renewed attempts to get Art Modell into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame. I'll leave it at that. ****

JIMMY ELLEDGE ("FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY") -- 1943-2012

Jimmy Elledge, who scored his only pop chart single with the Willie Nelson-written "Funny How Times Slips Away" in late 1961-early 1962, has died from complications of a stroke. He was 69.

Elledge was born on January 8, 1943, in Nashville. Chet Atkins discovered him and produced his only hit.

Elledge had been a regular performer at the Pillars Nightclub in Biloxi, Mississippi. He'd started playing the piano at the age of six and was a conductor of a small orchestra when he was in the second grade.

"Funny How Time Slips Away" was written by Willie Nelson in about 10 minutes while on his way to work. The song would be recorded by Billy Walker and reach #23 on the country chart, also in late 1961-early 1962. Elledge's version reached #22 on the Billboard pop chart and #33 on the Cash Box pop chart. Joe Hinton would remake the song as simply "Funny" two years later in 1964, reaching #12 (Billboard) and #13 (Cash Box).

Elvis Presley recorded a studio version of "Funny How Time Slips Away" in 1970. A live version of it made the soundtrack of the 1972 film, "Elvis On Tour." Among the others to have recorded the song were Johnny Tillotson in 1963 and Dorothy Moore in 1976.

Many thanks to musicologist Ronnie Allen for his help on this sad news. Word of Elledge's passing surfaced at the WillieNelson.com web site.

***

BOB WELCH ("SENTIMENTAL LADY") -- 1945-2012

By ROCKIN' ROBIN

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (RTDP) 6/7/12 -- Bob Welch, the former singer-guitarist for Fleetwood Mac who's best remembered for his solo hits from 1977-79, died Thursday, June 7, 2012, at his home in Antioch. It's believed that he was 66. Nashville police reported that Welch's wife found his body at about 12:15 p.m. local time. Authorities went on to report that Welch died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. He'd been suffering from health issues and a suicide note was found.

According to Wikipedia, Robert Lawrence Welch Jr. was born into an entertainment family on August 31, 1945 in Los Angeles. Some sources, including musicologists Ronnie Allen and Joel Whitburn, indicate he was born July 31, 1946. His dad, Robert Welch, Sr., was a successful movie producer who worked with the likes of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. His mother, Templeton, was a singer-actress who appeared in TV and movies from 1962 to 1979. She also worked with Orson Welles' Mercury Theater in Chicago.

Bob Welch Jr. worked with a variety of marginal bands in the late 60's and early 70's. His career took off in 1971, when he was invited to join Fleetwood Mac, which was still a young unknown band that had formed in England in 1967. Welch left Fleetwood Mac in late 1974 just before the group took off with hit albums like "Fleetwood Mac" and "Rumours." When Welch left Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks would join.

Welch's leaving the group was so he could work with a group called Paris but after that project met little success, Welch went solo. His "French Kiss" album would generate his biggest hit, the ballad "Sentimental Lady," a #4 hit on the Cash Box pop chart in late 1977-early 1978. Two more songs would come from "French Kiss" to become hits in 1978..."Ebony Eyes" (#12) and "Hot Love, Cold World" (#49). His last Top 40 hit was 1979's "Precious Love" (#17).

Sadly, Welch wasn't part of Fleetwood Mac's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998. Welch was bitter over being snubbed. "I'm the one who brought the band to Los Angeles from England, which put them in the position of hooking up with Lindsey and Stevie," Welch told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1998.

"I saw the band through a whole period where they barely survived, literally. Mick Fleetwood dedicated a whole chapter of his biography to my era of the band and credited me with saving Fleetwood Mac. Now they want me out of the history of the group. It hurts."

***

HERB REED OF THE PLATTERS -- THEY HAD THE MAGIC TOUCH

By ROCKIN' ROBIN

BOSTON (RTDP) 6/5/12 -- Herb Reed, the bass singer and last surviving original member of the Platters, the most successful group of the 1950's, died here Monday, June 4, 2012. He was 83.

According to the Associated Press, Reuters and the manager of the group, Fred Balboni, Reed had been suffering from declining health, including chronic heart disease. Until 2011, he'd been touring with a group billing itself as Herb Reed and the Platters. He earned that honor because he was the one that came up with the group's original name.

According to musicologist Ronnie Allen, Reed was the only Platters member to sing on all of their approximately 400 recordings, including those with Sonny Turner as lead singer. Reed's voice was prominent on the #14 "You'll Never Never Know" in the fall of 1956. He sings with his deep voice "You'll never know" five times, including the start and finish of the record.

When Casey Kasem counted down the top 40 rock acts of the 1950's on an "American Top 40" special on October 4-5, 1975, the Platters were #3. Only Elvis Presley and Pat Boone were ranked higher at 1-2, respectively. The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

From 1955 to 1967, the Platters chalked up 39 Cash Box pop chart hits, with 28 of them making the Top 40. Among their seven top 10's was their nationwide breakthough hit, the #3-peaking "Only You (And You Alone)" in 1955. Their followup, "The Great Pretender," would become their first of four #1 hits in early 1956. The Platters were famous for taking old standards and turning them into remake hits. Among them were the group's other three chart-toppers: "My Prayer" (1956), "Twilight Time" (1958) and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (1959). In between "The Great Pretender" and "My Prayer" was the #3 "(You've Got) The Magic Touch." Among the Platters other remakes of old standards were "Red Sails In The Sunset," "I'll Never Smile Again," "Ebb Tide," "To Each His Own" and "If I Didn't Care."

Reed, who was born in Kansas City, moved to the Los Angeles area at the age of 15. He had only the clothes he wore and three dollars in his pocket when he arrived. He worked at a car wash for roughly $20 a week before he helped form the Platters in 1953. Ralph Bass originally managed the group but not for long. After two unsuccessful releases for the Cincinnati-based Federal label, Buck Ram would take over. Ram co-wrote the Christmas classic song, "I'll Be Home For Christmas," that Bing Crosby originally sang ten years earlier in 1943. Reed, lead singer Tony Wiliams, Alex Hodge and David Lynch were the original group lineup. After some early releases fizzled, Ram replaced Hodge with Paul Robi, then added Zola Taylor. Taylor was one of three women who sued for royalties from the Frankie Lymon estate as depicted in the movie, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love."

The Platters rose to fame thanks to a strange quirk of fate. According to Wikipedia, the group was having trouble making it big on the Federal label. Around 1954-55, Ram arranged a deal that would enable Mercury Records, a major label, to land the group the Penguins. There was one catch. To make the deal work, Ram insisted that Mercury also take on a then-known group. Mercury agreed. Ironically, the Penguins would become essentially a one-hit-wonder group with "Earth Angel" while the then-unknown group, the Platters, would become the biggest group of the 1950's. According to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll, the Platters appeared in two 1956 movies, "The Girl Can't Help It" and "Rock Around The Clock."

One incident severely hurt the Platters' image. According to writer Fred Bronson, four male members of the group were arrested at a Cincinnati hotel on August 10, 1959. They were charged with using drugs and soliciting prostitutes. The charges would eventually be dismissed. Nevertheless, the trial judge scolded the quartet, telling the four members that they had a duty to their fans to keep their records clean.

What perhaps hurt the group even more was Williams' decision to leave the Platters in 1960 to go solo. Mercury Records sued the group and Williams for breach of contract. Buck eventually won the lawsuit, primarily with the defense that the individual Platters weren't signed as individuals to Mercury. After that court case, many labels would sign group members to individual contracts.

Ram was just getting warmed up in the courtroom. Even though the Platters' name was copywritten all over the world, Ram would be involved in 50-plus lawsuits against fake Platters. This writer can recall seeing a fake group of Platters performing at a Non-Commissioned Officers' nightclub at Clark Air Base, Republic of The Philippines, in 1970. There have been as least 116 performers who've claimed to have sung with the Platters over the years.

"Harbor Lights," which reached #7 in early 1960, was the last top tenner for the Platters. Their last top 40 hit was the uptempo "With This Ring," with Turner singing lead, in 1967.

***

ROBIN GIBB -- 1949-2012

LONDON (RTDP) 5/20/12 -- Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, who along with Elton John dominated the 1970's musically and had a 22-year span of Top 40 hits, died Sunday (May 20, 2012) after a long battle with cancer. He was 62. He had been battling a variety of other ailments in recent weeks, including a coma, pneumonia and intestinal surgery related to stomach and colon problems.

Barry Gibb, who was born September 1, 1946, is the last surviving member of the Bee Bees. Also surviving in the immediate Gibb family, according to musicoloigst Matt Wilson, is a sister, Lesley, who was born in 1945. Wilson also believes that the Gibbs' mother is still alive. Andy Gibb, the family's little brother, died of a heart ailment five days after turning 30 years old in 1988. His father, Hugh Gibb, died shortly thereafter. Maurice Gibb was 53 when he died in early 2003 of heart failure and/or a twisted intestine. Robin and Maurice were twins born on December 22, 1949.

Robin Gibb is the third performer linked to the 1970's disco years to have died within five days. "American Top 40" collector Tom Best vividly recalled how all three were on the AT40 show of March 24, 1979. "Bustin' Loose (Part 1)" by Chuck Brown and the Soul-Searchers was at #36. "Heaven Knows" by Donna Summer and Brooklyn Dreams was at #4 and the Bee Gees were at #1 with "Tragedy." Brown died on May 16 and Summer died the next day.

The accomplishments by the Bee Gees are long and impressive. According to one web site, they wrote or co-wrote nearly a thousand songs (993). According to the Associated Press, there have been over 6000 cover versions of their songs done by others. According to Wikipedia, over 2500 artists recorded their songs...and the group sold over 220 million records worldwide. The Bee Gees were induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys presented the prestigious award. The group's rock hall citation said, "Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees."

The Bee Gees' span of Top 40 hits began in 1967 with "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mrs. Jones)," which reached #17 on the Cash Box chart. The span ended in 1989 with "One," which reached #9. In between, the Bee Gees battled Elton John for chart supremacy in the 1970's. Elton won all four major chart statistical battles with the Bee Gees on the Cash Box chart box but all four of those battles were close. Elton had a 28-25 edge in chart hits, led 25-19 in Top 40's and 15-13 in Top 10's. Elton had only one more #1 than the Bee Gees, 9-8.

The Bee Gees' eight #1's on the Cash Box chart were "Lonely Days" (1970), "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" (1971), "Jive Talkin' " (1975), "You Should Be Dancing" (1976), "How Deep Is Your Love" (1977-78), "Stayin' Alive" (1978), "Night Fever" (1978) and "Tragedy" (1979). Two other big Bee Gee hits of 1979 reached #2 on the Cash Box chart: "Too Much Heaven" and "Love You Inside And Out."

It's believed the Bee Gees wrote all their hits. Plus, they wrote or co-wrote many key hits for others. Among them were "Grease" (Frankie Valli), "If I Can't Have You" (Yvonne Elliman), "Emotion" (Samantha Sang) and "Woman In Love" (Barbra Streisand). All of those hits, with the exception of Streisand's, came in 1978. Plus, 1978 was the year Robin Gibb had a Top 40 solo hit with "Oh! Darling" from the movie "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

The roots of the Bee Gees go back to the 1950's. According to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock, the brothers began singing in 1955, going by group names like the Bluecats, Wee Johnny Hays and the Rattlesnakes.

The trio worked talent shows after the family moved to Brisbane, Australia, in 1958. By that time, they were calling themselves the Bee Gees, a nickname for the Brothers Gibb. It's about this time when the Gibbs would perform by lip-synching to records. During one performance, the record they wanted go lip-synch to, "Wake Up Little Susie" by the Everly Brothers was dropped and broke. However, as Casey Kasem would tell in one of his famous "American Top 40" stories in August of 1972, the Brothers Gibb had to actually sing...and they didn't do badly. The theater's manager encouraged them to continue to practice and return to sing at a later date.

The group signed with Australia's Festival Records in 1962. Despite releasing at least a dozen singles and two albums plus having a weekly Australian TV show, the group's material received generally little exposure. Along the way, the Bee Gees were a quintet that included two Aussies, drummer Colin Peterson along with Vince Melouney. The group finally broke through in 1967 with "Spicks And Specks" which was a #1 hit in Australia. That same year, 1967, saw the Bee Gees break through in the USA with the Atco label, starting with "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mrs. Jones)."

After hitting big in 1968 with "I've Gotta Get A Message To You" (#3) and "I Started a Joke" (#6), the group experienced the first of two hit droughts. In 1969, Peterson and Melouney left the group. Their exodus, along with in-fighting among the Gibbs, saw the Bee Gees have few hit records from roughly mid-1969 to late 1970. "Lonely Day" broke the drought by going to #1 in late 1970. Then came "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" in the fall of 1971, another chart-topper.

The group's second drought came in 1972-74 before producer Arif Mardin helped bring them back. A squeeky sounding bridge they were driving over often led to the Bee Gees' #1 hit, "Jive Talkin'," in 1975. More hits in 1976 with "Nights On Broadway" and "Love So Right." That year, 1976, saw the group's label, RSO, break away from Atlantic Records. That meant Mardin was no longer the Bee Gees' producer, but it didn't matter. Albhy Galuten took over as producer for the group's greatest hit string ever. RSO's head, Robert Stigwood, asked the Bee Gees to provide some songs for a movie coming out starring John Travolta and all about the disco dancing craze of the time.

The rest was music history. "Saturday Night Fever" would become one of the biggest selling soundtrack albums of all time with sales of over 30 milion copies worldwide. The only soundtrack that's since been able to rival "Saturday Night Fever" has been "The Bodyguard." The "Saturday Night Fever" album would spawn three unforgettable Bee Gees classics..."How Deep Is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever." Still another #1 hit, "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, was also written by the Brothers Gibb. They were so successful with hits at the time that one of their songs, "More Than A Woman," was on the album but would become a Top 40 hit for the group Tavares.

The "Saturday Night Fever" two-disc set was like a Who's Who of disco music. Among the other cuts on that historic soundtrack were"Disco Inferno" (the Trammps), "Boogie Shoes" (KC and the Sunshihe Band), "Open Sesame" (Kool and the Gang) and "A Fifth Of Beethoven" (Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band).

The success of "Saturday Night Fever" and the RSO label spilled over onto the Cash Box pop singles chart. From late 1977 to the spring of 1978, the #1 song on the Cash Box pop chart was an RSO label release for 20 of 22 weeks. Only one-week stays at #1 by "Short People" (Randy Newman) and "Emotion" (Samantha Sang) interrupted the #1 RSO string.

The year 1978 was thus by far the zenith of the Bee Gees' success. "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive" would be ranked 1-2 as the top songs for the calendar year. At #3 for 1978 was "Shadow Dancing" by the Gibbs' little brother, Andy. That song's ascent to #1 made Andy Gibb the first performer ever to hit #1 with his first three USA singles releases. He'd earlier had #1's with "I Just Want To Be Your Everything," and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water."

At #8 for 1978 was "Emotion", which the Bee Gees wrote and sang background vocals on. Just outside the top 10 of 1978 at #11 was Frankie Valli's "Grease," which Barry Gibb wrote by himself.

The success of "Saturday Night Fever" carried over with the Bee Gees' next album, the chart-topping "Spirits Having Flown," That LP generated three massive top five Cash Box chart hits with "Too Much Heaven," "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out." After all that success, the Brothers Gibb could only muster four Top 40 hits in the 1980's. Only the #9-peaking "One" in 1989 made the Cash Box top 10.

***

OPINION: VILMA'S LAWSUIT IS BASELESS!!!

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is one of the key figures in the NFL bounty scandal. He's been suspended without pay for a year (or, otherwise stated, the 2012 season).

You may have read or heard how Vilma has filed a defamation of character lawsuit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Opinion: This lawsuit is baseless. We're talking about two public figures for starters.

For another, it's next to impossible for a public figure to win this kind of lawsuit. Back in the early to mid-1980's, the late Ted Stepien, the former owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, filed a defamation lawsuit against Cleveland radio station WWWE. It was in the $8 million range. Stepien was called everything from "a Neo-Nazi" to "an unmitigated liar" to "a fascist" by one WWWE sportscaster, the late Pete Franklin. According to Franklin, T.S. stood for "Too Stupid."

There was some real malace there...and Stepien STILL LOST THE LAWSUIT. He's a public figure.

So is Jonathan Vilma. He will have to prove malace on the part of Goodell, who made his rulings on the NFL bounty scandal after consulting at least one high-profile attorney. Vilma will have to prove that Goodell made false statements and deliberately tried to smear Vilma. I doubt if that'll happen.

This is strictly a desperation move by Vilma.

I believe there's only one real reason for Vilma's lawsuit.

Money.

Vilma has been suspended without pay. He stands to lose a whole lot of money. His base salary for 2012 is $1.6 million. With bonuses, it could reach $2.8 million.

Vilma is trying to get his suspension cut in half to eight games or thereabouts.

Good luck, Jonathan. You may want to try another line of work for a year.

***

DONNA SUMMER--SHE WORKED AHRD FOR THE DANCE HITS

By ROCKIN' ROBIN

INGLEWOOD, FLORIDA (RTDP) 5/17/12 -- Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco whose string of hits never had the word "disco" in their lyrics or titles, died of cancer on Thursday, May 17, 2012. She was 63. In recent years, she'd been living here with her husband, Bruce Sudano.

Donna Summer had 28 Cash Box pop chart hits, with 19 of them making the top 40, 13 in the top 10 and four #1's. She won five Grammys and sang the 1978 Oscar Award-winning movie song of the year, "Last Dance" (from "Thank God It's Friday").

Her four chart-toppers, all at the height of the disco craze in 1978-79, were "MacArthur Park," "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls" and the duet with Barbra Streisand, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)." On the Cash Box chart of June 30, 1979, Donna Summer pulled a chart rarity with two songs in the top five. ""Hot Stuff" was at #3 and "Bad Girls" at #5.

Donna Summer was born LaDonna Andrea Gaines on New Year's Eve, 1948, in suburban Boston. After singing in Boston area gospel groups and a rock band called Crow (not to be confused with the upper Midwest band of the same name), she honed her music skills over in Europe for about three years about the early 1970's. Her overseas career started with a role in the Broadway Musical, "Hair," over in Munich, Germany. That's where she met her first husband, Helmut Sommer. Although they eventually divorced, she took his last name and turned it into the last name of her professional name.

Summer's even bigger break, though, was meeting legendary producer Georgio Moroder. Together, they came up with the sultry, seductive "Love To Love You Baby," which was originally a 17-minute long song. An edited down 4:57-long version would be released as a single. It would cross over and reach #3 on the Cash Box pop chart. Not only did the song put Donna Summer on the music map for good, it also saved a then-struggling Oasis record label that was the subsidiary of the label that made Summer famous, Casablanca Records.

"I Feel Love" (1977) and "Last Dance" were both #4 hits before Summer scored her first #1 with "MacArthur Park," a remake of a 1968 Richard Harris hit of 10 years earlier. After more #1 success with "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls," Summer reached #3 with "Dim All The Lights." After "No More Tears" topped the charts, Summer ushered in the 1980's with two more top tenners in 1980 with "On The Radio" (#4) and "The Wanderer" (#2).

A few years later, Summer came across an older woman sleeping on the job as a bathroom attendant. It became the inspiration for the #3 hit, "She Works Hard For The Money," in 1983. Summer's last major hit was the #6-peaking "This Time I Know It's For Real" in 1989. Summer was active as recently as four years ago in 2008, when she sang on "American Idol." That year, she also released "Crayon," her first full studio LP in 17 years.

Commentator Rush Limbaugh took the news of Summer's passing hard. "It is really sad," Limbaugh said. "We grew up with Donna Summer. I met Donna Summer and her husband on an airplane one time. She and her husband, after the flight took off, came up to me and introduced themselves. We had a nice conversation. They were as nice as they could be."

Summer's family, in a statement issued by her label, Universal Music, said in part, "She was a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."

&&&

A SALUTE TO DICK CLARK...COMING THE APRIL 28-29, 2012 WEEKEND!!!

Dick Clark, who sadly passed away on April 18, 2012, will be honored on many of the USA’s radio stations this weekend for one of his many achievements.

The historic March 25, 1972 edition of “American Top 40,” when Dick Clark substitute hosted for Casey Kasem, has been offered as a possible show to air this week to the stations which carry the past 1970’s “American Top 40” programs. About 200 USA radio stations, mostly AC’s and Classic Hits stations, carry the past Casey shows each weekend. If a station that traditionally airs past Casey 1980’s requests the 3/25/72 show, it’s believed that they’ll also be given permission to air it.

Stations have the option of substituting the Dick Clark-hosted show for the 1970’s shows that was originally planned (April 28, 1979) or they can carry both if they like. Likewise, if a station runs the 70’s show twice on the weekend, it can run both shows or pick which show they want to air in both time slots.

Fans of AT40 are advised to listen to their AT40 past show affiliates for announcements about this show and/or check the station’s web site.

Dick Clark forever changed weekend radio countdown syndication with this show. Before he stepped into the booth for Casey Kasem, who was out of town visiting Muscle Shoals, Alabama, he (Dick Clark) was told that he’d have to introduce the records in the tracking session and then hear all of the records. That’s the way it was done at the time…to real time. The jingles, records and show theme would all be recorded at once. If there was a mistake, they’d have to start all over again…and listen to all the records in that show’s segment again. The AT40 show was young and the staff wanted it to sound like a three-hour airshift for Casey. They just didn’t know of any other way to record it.

But Dick Clark did. He essentially told the AT40 staff that the better way to record the show would be to have Casey’s voice tracks recorded and edited in. The songs’ beginnings and endings would be heard by Casey in his headphones so he could use the proper voice inflections. AT40’s staff followed Dick Clark’s advice. The show was still a money-loser in 1972. But everyone involved with the show believed in it and their belief was paid off by the summer of 1973. AT40 started showing a profit by then...thanks in part to an historic bit of advice by Dick Clark.

***

DICK CLARK 1929-2012 By ROCKIN’ ROBIN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA (RTDP) -- Dick Clark, the legendary TV and radio personality icon known as "the world's oldest teenager" and who thrilled at least two generations of people for over 54 years, died of a heart attack today (April 18, 2012). He was 82. According to Wikipedia, the heart attack happened after a medical procedure at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica.

Dick Clark brought a new fad of popular music called rock and roll into America's living rooms in 1957 with his most famous TV show, "American Bandstand." He would host "Bandstand" for over 30 years. Among his many other TV shows were "Where The Action Is," "New Year's Rockin' Eve," "TV's Bloopers And Practical Jokes" and "The $25,000 Pyramid."

He was also the driving force behind TV shows like "The American Music Awards," "The Golden Globes" and "The Academy Of Country Music Awards."

The list of awards and achievements Dick Clark is attached to is endless but here's the more notable ones: He's won four Emmy Awards, one Peabody Award and one Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. He's been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the National Radio Hall of Fame, the Broadcasting Magazine Hall Of Fame, The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame and the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

According to writer Fred Bronson, Dick Clark became the first personality to host a top-ranked TV series on each of the three major networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) at the same time.

Clark overcame a stroke in 2004 and learned how to talk all over again. He made it back alongside Ryan Seacrest for “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on December 31, 2005. He'd been part of that New Year's Eve TV show since 1972.

Clark’s legacy goes back to the 1950’s. Starting in 1956, he’d been hosting a local Philadelphia-based TV show that critics said would never work. He’d prove the critics wrong when that TV show displaying teenagers dancing to rock and roll music, “American Bandstand,” debuted on national TV on August 5, 1957. Over the years, “Bandstand” would have hundreds of singers visit, lip-synch to their latest hit records, be interviewed by Clark and then sign autographs.

Virtually every famous performer imaginable would visit “Bandstand” with the notable exception of Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

On the radio, Clark in 1982 kicked off a lookback show at pop music with his weekly weekend show, “Rock, Roll And Remember,” which was also the title of one of autobiographies. He began his own countdown show on Memorial Day weekend, 1981, with “The Dick Clark National Music Survey.”

However, it was a suggestion by Clark that would forever change weekend radio countdown show history. Since its birth in July, 1970, “American Top 40,” host Casey Kasem would be recorded to real time for the show's first year and eight months of existence. That is, the jingles, records and Casey’s voice would all be recorded at once. If there was a mistake, the segment would have to be recorded all over again. Thus, Casey and his staff would have to hear all the records involved again in such segments.

When Dick Clark was preparing to fill in for Casey for the March 25, 1972 AT40 show, he was told about how everything would be recorded at once. Essentially, Clark told the AT40 staff that the show would be recorded easier if Casey’s voice tracks were recorded and edited in. Plus, it would sound better. Casey would hear the records he’s introducing and back-selling in his headphones to get the most of out his voice inflections. Clark’s suggestion was followed...and about a year later in 1973, AT40 stopped losing money and instead became a money-maker.

Clark was behind at least two major hit records. When a teenage group was trying to hit big with a song called “Doing The Bop,” Clark suggested that the group change the song’s title to “At The Hop.” That song would become a huge #1 hit in late 1957 and early 1958 for Danny And The Juniors. Plus, “At The Hop” was the first song used to dance to for a “Bandstand” dance contest.

In 1960, Clark was amazed how teenagers would dance to a Hank Ballard dance song that was the B side of “Teardrops On Your Letter.” However, the song was a bit too suggestive and R&B-sounding in Clark’s opinion. He thought the song would be a hit for someone else. Freddy Cannon was suggested.

Instead, that dance song would become a hit for the singer that Clark's wife gave his stage name to. When Mrs. Clark first saw Ernest Evans, she mentioned that he reminded her of Fats Domino as "sort of a chubby checker." Thus, “The Twist” by Chubby Checker became a #1 hit, the greatest dance song ever and the #1 song when Casey Kasem counted down the Top 40 hits of the rock era (1955-72) in July, 1972.

Dick Clark was also an established actor. Among his more memorable roles were as the murderer in the last Perry Mason TV show in 1966 and as a teacher in the 1960 movie,"Because They're Young."

When "American Idol" aired Wednesday night, Seacrest began the show by saying, "We can't begin tonight's show without acknowledging the passing of a television pioneer and my dear friend, Dick Clark. Without Dick, a show like this would not exist. He will be missed greatly."

Seacrest pointed to his watch and added, "I know he's in a better place, saying, 'Hey let's get on with this show.' YOU GOT IT, BOSS!"

***

WE'VE BEEN ROCKIN' AROUND THE CLOCK FOR 58 YEARS!!!!!

(By ROCKIN' ROBIN)

When the song was first recorded 58 years ago this month on April 12, 1954, hardly anybody noticed.

For almost a year.

After all, the song was supposed to be the throwaway B side to "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town)."

Still, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets would become the first bonafide #1 rock and roll single on the Cash Box pop chart by the late summer of 1955.

Today, it's still known as our rock and roll national anthem as well as the biggest selling rock and roll single of all time with sales of at least 25 million copies. There was even a 1956 movie ENTITLED "Rock Around The Clock." Not bad for a song that's only 128 seconds long...and in part borrowed from an earlier song by Haley and His Comets. According to rock music historian Ronnie Allen, "Rock The Joint" from 1952, a/k/a "We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight," has the same guitar solo note-for-note as "Rock Around The Clock."

When it comes to ranking the 20th Century's greatest songs, this writer ranks "Rock Around The Clock" at #4. The only songs ahead of it are, in 1-2-3 order, "Yesterday," "Star Dust" and "White Christmas."

"Rock Around The Clock" was endured through the years so much so that it would re-enter the Cash Box pop chart 20 years after its initial recording, peaking at #36 in 1974. That was thanks to "Clock" becoming the theme song of the TV show "Happy Days."

"Thirteen Women" and "Rock Around The Clock" had little success when first released, though. In fact, according to writer Fred Bronson, it took Bill Haley and His Comets three more releases with "Shake, Rattle And Roll," "Dim Dim The Lights" and "Mambo Rock" before "Clock" got its big break.

Jimmy Meyers, who as Jimmy DeKnight co-wrote "Clock" along with Max Friedman, had sent copies to everyone he knew in Hollywood. The people behind a movie about unruly New York City ghetto high school students were listening. "The Blackboard Jungle" was released in March of 1955, about eleven months after "Rock Around The Clock" was originally recorded. The song was heard at the start and finish on the movie's soundtrack. Glenn Ford starred as teacher Richard Dadier, whose unruly students were played by, among others, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow and Jamie Farr.

Needless to say, the violence depicted in "Blackboard Jungle" gave "Rock Around The Clock" and rock music in general a bad name. One scene in the movie had a student trying to rape a teacher, something considered extremely violent for the mid-1950's. In another scene, Dadier is writing his name with a piece of chalk on a blackboard with his back to the students. One of them throws a baseball that hits the blackboard. But Dadier stands up to his students starting with that incident. He picks up the baseball and tells his class, "I'll tell you one thing. You'll never pitch for the Yankees."

Thus, music critics and the older generation who grew up on big band music called this new style of music everything from "the devil's music" to something that contributed greatly to juvenile delinquency. Even though those critics claimed rock and roll music was just a fad that would soon die, it never did. That was thanks to early rockers like Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, the Platters, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.

The exact number of singles and album releases by Bill Haley and His Comets from 1950-80 isn't known but here's an estimate: According to Wikipedia, Bill Haley and His Comets had at least 89 singles and 27 albums on at least 19 different labels. For sure, Bill Haley and His Comets had 15 Cash Box charted hits. The group's first, "Crazy Man, Crazy" reached #7 in the summer of 1953 in what's generally recognized as the the first rock and roll top tenner. Over the years, it's believed there were at least 100 different members of the Comets.

Likewise, there's almost no limit to the collectable Bill Haley and The Comets material nowadays. For starters, though, this writer recommends two boxed sets put out by Bear Family Records of Germany. One covers the group's pre-"Rock Around The Clock" years. It's entitled, "Rock 'N' Roll Arrives...Bill Haley And His Comets..The REAL birth of Rock 'n' Roll, 1946-1954." The other has a self-explanatory title: "Bill Haley And His Comets...The Decca Years and more." Both sets include outstanding booklets with dozens of priceless photos.

Bill Haley's later years were plagued by bouts of alcoholism and paranoia. He was 55 when he died on February 9, 1981 in Harlingen, Texas. Amazingly, after Haley's death, there were at least six different groups claiming to be Haley's backup group. As of four years ago in 2008, there were at least three such groups performing all over the world.

According to writer Clifford Hughes, the only for-real Comets are scheduled to perform in Branson, Missouri, from the middle of this month (April 2012) until mid-November. The only living two original Comets are part of this group. They are sax player Joey D'Ambrosio, who's about 89 years old, and drummer Dick Richards, who's about 77, The Comets are due to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year.

***

CHER IS VERY MUCH ALIVE!

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATE 1/27/12 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Joe Public...

Contrary to what you may have heard overnight, Cher is alive and well. Rumors of her death spread like wildfire overnight after somebody identified as Lorainne_Star tweeted that "American recording artist Cher dies at 65. Found dead in Malibu home." Cher's close friend, fashion jewellry designer Loree Rodkin put the rumor REST, saying, "It's a hoax. She's fine."...

Etta James was the victim of a similar death hoax last July and died a week ago today...

The big news over the Indianapolis Colts naming their coach wasn't whom they named (Chuck Pagano) but whom they didn't name. Ex-Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was serving as a consultant for the team and probably still is. Was he a serious candidate to succeed Jim Caldwell? I'm not sure, but my sources indicate that QB (well, for now) Peyton Manning didn't approve of Tressel being in charge. Nor, for that mannder, was the Colts' probable first round draft pick, Andrew Luck. One rumor I've heard is that Manning will be cut by the Colts by March...and that Manning will join the Jets. Stay tuned...

There really was a Joe Public. Not a sports personality or a solo singer, but rather a group. Hard to believe Joe Public had a #5 Cash Box pop hit with "Live And Learn" nearly 20 years ago...

Getting back to the NFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have named Greg Schiano their new coach. Schiano used to coach at Rutgers. National signing day for high schools seniors is five days away. Schiano's leaving Rutgers will kill that school's 2012 recruiting....

Jim Morrison's been deceased for over 40 years but that didn't stop the Doors from releasing an obscure previously unreleased song called "She Smells So Nice." It was an outtake from the group's 1971 L.A.Woman sessions. The song was scheduled to be part of the "L.A. Woman: 40th Anniversary Edition" set released three days ago...

Always remember that things can be worse. For instance, Southern Cal's dreadful men's basketball season got even worse with Thursday night's 74-50 loss to Colorado. Dewayne Dedmon, probably the Trojans' best player, suffered a knee injury. The Trojans are playing two walk-ons and have lost four other players to injury. Still, USC coach Kevin O'Neill found a way to look at things in perspective THIS WAY...

"How about you come home and your wife takes all your furniture? I've had that happen one time. That's the way it goes. Exercise bike. Big screen TV. Bed. That was it. I didn't know where to sit."

***

JANUARY 2, 1987 -- THE NIGHT JOE PATERNO AND PENN STATE SHOT DOWN ONE OF SPORTS' MOST ARROGANT TEAMS

Remember Joe Paterno, who sadly passed away earlier today (January 22, 2012) of cancer at the age of 85, not for what happened in the past 69 days.

Instead, remember Joe Paterno for having the most overall wins (409), the most bowl games (37) and the most bowl wins (24) among college football coaches. Remember Joe Paterno for coaching at the same school school, Penn State, for 46 seasons, posting 38 winning seasons; for making the College Football Fall Of Fame; and for becoming the first college football coach to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the year.

Above all, remember Joe Paterno for January 2, 1987, the night he and his Penn State underdog football team beat Miami (Florida), 14-10, in the Fiesta Bowl dubbed "The Duel In The Desert." In so doing, Paterno's Nittany Lions shot down one of sports most blatantly arrogant teams ever. Penn State was a seven-point underdog. To be certain, the Hurricanes showed their arrogance even when they got off the plane that landed in the Phoenix-Tempe area. Many of them wore combat fatigues...and many wore those same combat fatigues at the steak fry dinner a few nights later.

Penn State's players were first to put on a skit. Though Paterno probably didn't endorse it, the Nittany Lions' skit aluded to how the Hurricanes had more blacks than the Penn State roster did.

Then it was Miami's turn. Jerome Brown, who would die in a car crash about five years later, boldly went up to the mike and said..."Did the Japanese go, sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?" Brown's teammates yelled out "No!" and Brown then said, "Fellas, let's go."

Yes, the Hurricanes WALKED OUT on the dinner. Fiesta Bowl officials were outraged. Ditto the Nittany Lions, whose punter, John Bruno, muttered, "Excuse me, but didn't the Japanese lose that war?" Another Penn State player said it best: "We were ready to play them right then and there."

Vinny Testaverde, who'd won the Heisman Trophy, was intercepted five times. The last of them came on the game's final play, when Penn State's Pete Giftopoulos picked off the Testaverde pass at the goal line on a fourth and five situation. Giftopoulos ran about five yards and fell to the ground as pandemonium ruled. The then largest national TV audience celebrated. Well, nearly everyone outside of Miami. And Joepa got a well deserved free ride to the lockerroom courtesy of his players.

Miami outgained Penn State, 445-162, and had a 22-8 edge in first downs...and lost. The Nittany Lions won with ball control, specialty team play and a defense that produced seven turnovers. And with Joe Paterno in charge.

***

RYAN BRAUN--THE ULTIMATE HYPOCRITE IN THE LATEST CHAPTER OF BASEBALL'S SHAME

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATE 12/10/11 -- The lead story on ESPN tonight wasn't Robert Griffin III winning the Heisman Trophy, thus becoming Baylor's first football player to win the coveted award.

Or the Xavier-Cincinnati brawl in men's college basketball.

Or Indiana handing Kentucky its first loss, also in men's college basketball.

Or the ongoing attempt by the Los Angeles Lakers to trade for Chris Paul.

Or the Army-Navy game in college football.

Or the aftermath of the Angels landing TWO big-name free agents, Albert Pujois and C.J. Wilson.

Or the aftermath of Reeves Nelson, the regional Sports Illustrated cover boy last month, getting kicked off the UCLA men's basketball team.

Nope, none of the above.

Instead, THE lead story was a bombshell. Imagine, the reigning National League MVP, Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, TESTING POSITIVE FOR A PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUG. This was even the LEAD story on one CBS Radio Newscast.

And the 28-year-old Braun KNEW about the whole thing when he was named NL MVP recently. At the time, he actually had the gall to say "This is beyond a dream-come-true."

In an earlier interview, Brain was asked if he'd do steroids. He replied, "I would never do it. If I did, I would hit 60 to 70 home runs." And in a past interview, Braun was asked about A-Rod's drug problems. Braun spoke of the importance of telling the truth.

What a hypocrite.

Braun is reportedly disputing this case and appealing. He faces a 50-game suspension to start the 2012 season.

NO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER HAS EVER SUCCESSFULLY OVERTURNED A DRUG SUSPENSION VIA AN APPEAL.

Oh, and this bombshell comes just two days after Manny Ramirez was reinstated as a major league baseball players. You might remember Manny. He voluntarily retired last April 8 because he didn't want to serve a 100-game suspension for a second performance-enhancing drug violation. Now that he's been reinstated, it was announced that "The office of the commissioner and the players association have decided that Ramirez can return if he first serves a 50-game suspension."

What? A 50-game suspension AND NOT A 100-GAME SUSPENSION?

And there's STILL more. Check out this ironic 2009 quote from Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig on baseball's anti-drug program: "Our minor league testing program is in its ninth year, and that means all the great players from Ryan Howard to Ryan Braun have all been tested for nine years."

Way to go, Bud. You and Major League Baseball STILL have a problem with drugs and the public's perception of MLB.

And that problem AND the public's perception...will NOT GO AWAY FOR A LONG LONG TIME.

And just think...they're actually celebrating at Penn State. They're delirious that THIS story is overshadowing theirs.

****

PREDICTION: ANDREW LUCK TO WIN 2011 HEISMAN TROPHY

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATE 12/10/11 -- As I write this, we're about seven a half hours away from the naming of the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, symbolic for the best college football player. I predict a very close race between Stanford's Andrew Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin.

In the end, though, I believe Luck will win it. He's much more well known than Griffin. Moreover, Luck has been mentioned as the #1 overall NFL draft pick not just for this spring's NFL draft, but for last spring as well. Had he not decided to forgo college and not declare for the NFL draft, he'd've been the #1 overall pick in 2010. That kind of fame is strong and in Luck's corner.

Certainly a strong case can be made for Griffin. He has passed for 828 more yards than Luck. And rushed for nearly 400 yards more than Luck (well, actually it's 391). And he shares the same last name as the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner. Running back Archie Griffin of Ohio State won the award in 1974 and 1975. Griffin would be Baylor's first Heisman Trophy winner if he wins it. Stay tuned.

***

COLLEGE SPORTS--A TRAGEDY, A SECOND SCANDAL, AN UPSET AND A BCS MESS

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATE 11/18/11 (RTDP)--How do you describe the past two days in college sports when you have a tragedy, a second scandal, a huge football upset and a BCS mess?

I can't think of the right adjective. Consider what's happened in the past two days...

* -- Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke, 50, and his assistant coach, Miranda Serna, 36, were killed along with two others in a Thursday plane crash. Ten years ago in early 2001, ten people associated with the Oklahoma State men's basketball program died in a plane crash.

* -- In addition to the ongoing Penn State scandal, still another has emerged at Syracuse, where long-time men's assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine has been placed on administrative leave. Fine has steadfastly denied the allegations that he abused two former ballboys. Orangemen coach Jim Boeheim adamantly proclaimed the two ex-ballboys as liars, backing Fine to the hilt.

* -- The Penn State scandal continues with all kinds of news. Ex-football coach Joe Paterno has lung cancer at the age of 84...but it's treatable. The statue of Paterno outside the school's football stadium is rumored to be removed in about a week. Earlier it was disclosed that Paterno transferred ownership of his house to his wife...and has hired a criminal attorney. Remember the Penn State assistant coach, Mike McQueary, who insisted in a past e-mail that he contacted authories regarding alleged sexual misconduct there? Well, the authorities there say it didn't happen. And ex-Penn State RB Franco Harris reportedly lost his job for defending Paterno. The never-ending mess.

* -- Speaking of messes, we have another one. Namely, the BCS. Iowa State, a 27-point football underdog to #2 ranked Oklahoma State, BEAT Oklahoma State in two overtimes, 37-31. We will not have a battle of the unbeatens (LSU vs. Oklahoma State) for the national title. Instead, we will probably have at least one one-loss team in the title fray to play LSU. Which one? Probably Alabama. But don't count out Oregon, Oklahoma or even Boise State. I'm against an Alabama-LSU rematch of a game won earlier by LSU, 9-6, but Alabama's the best of the one-loss teams in the first place. There's a crying need for a 16-team tournament to decide the Division I college football national title.

***

JOE PATERNO--HE HAD TO GO

At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.--Joe Paterno, in his public statement earlier today when he announced his retirement.

STATE COLLEGE, PA. 11/9/11 (RTDP) -- Joe Paterno made it easy for the Penn State University Board of Trustees.

It was a no-brainer.

He had to go.

Immediately.

Joe Paterno KNEW his former assistant coach was doing the unthinkable.

And Joe Paterno knew it nine years ago.

Contacting his supervisor wasn't enough. Why didn't he call the cops? Why didn't he confront Jerry Sandusky? Why didn't he try to find out the names of the victims and help them recover?

The Penn State Board of Trustees got it right. Joe Paterno had to go. It's a horribly sad way to see the man who's won the most games in college football history. But this is the way his career had to end. Otherwise, seeing Joe Paterno coaching on the sidelines Saturday against Nebraska would've been the most hypocritical thing to happen in college sports.

In a live interview with ESPN, Chris Fowler said Paterno experienced "terrible failure of judgement." Fowler added that "This is a sad night I thought I'd never see."

This is the most memorable college football firing since Ohio State fired Woody Hayes in late 1978. That, too, wasn't a surprise decision. Woody had punched Clemson's Charlie Bauman, whose late interception of an Art Schlichter pass clinched Clemson's 17-15 Gator Bowl win over Ohio State. The late Gib Shanley aired a to-the-point editorial on Cleveland's channel 5 later on that night. He ended it simply by saying, "Woody must go."

***

PATERNO MUST GO, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATE 11/8/11 (RTDP) -- Suddenly, the frustrations surrounding sports news items like the NBA lockout, the floundering Cleveland Browns and BSNM (Biased Sports News Media) shenanigans seem extremely moot.

Without question, THE sports news story--and perhaps THE news story-- is Penn State.

Period.

Most of you know the drill. On Saturday, former Nittany Lion football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, 67, was arrested and released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal accounts. Originally, he was accused of sexually molesting eight boys. Three days later and as of this writing, the number of alleged victims has more than doubled to upwards of 20.

It only gets worse for Penn State each day. Two school higherups have already been charged with perjury for their part in covering up Sandusky's alleged crimes, the school president is under fire and football coach Joe Paterno appears to be finished, too. More heads could roll. According to published reports, Paterno informed his supervisor of Sandusky's alleged wrongdoings in 2002...but then did little else. But then, nobody else in charge at Penn State did anything, either. Imagine, NOBODY at Penn State informing the authorities about what Sandusky was doing.

And we're talking about incidents that date as far back as 1998. It's taken THIRTEEN YEARS for this whole thing to come to a head.

Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles' Times and the Harrisburg Patriot-News are among the news organizations who by today have demanded that Paterno resign or be fired immediately. Imagine, knowing that someone who's been part of your football program has been a pervert for nine years and you didn't take steps to put a stop to it, allowing it to go on for another nine years.

Even if Paterno is allowed to be a lame duck coach, Saturday's game against Nebraska would be his last home game at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions then have road games at Ohio State and Wisconsin, then probably a bowl game. All away games.

Already the wheels of justice are in motion like a Chinese fire drill. A court hearing for Sandusky scheduled for Wednesday (11/9/11) has been rescheduled for sometime next month (December 7). More chaos today. Paterno's weekly press conference was cancelled less than an hour before it was to begin. Even before it was to begin, the huge media corps was told Paterno would only discuss the Nebraska game. One scribe responded by nothing, "Well, I didn't come here to talk about tight ends."

Oh, and the people who claimed Paterno wouldn't talk about the scandal beforehand? Afterwards, Paterno admitted he was willing to TALK about the scandal at the press conference.

The mother of one of the victims said it best. She said Penn State dropped the ball TWICE on this situation in 1998 and 2002...and that all those involved who dropped the ball should drop their jobs.

And that includes Joe Paterno. He shouldn't be allowed to coach another game. If he does, that'll just add to all their other hypocracy we've already seen.

PUJOLS SHINES; YAHOO'S "BRAINLESS IDIOTS" DO NOT

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STATE 10/23/11 -- Scatterskimming the wondering whatever happened to Blue Haze...

Hopefully, you saw it. After all, it's something you see every...oh...34 or 49 years. Albert Pujols became only the third player in World Serious history to hit three home runs in one WS game to spark the St. Louis Cardinals to a 16-7 game three win over the Texas Rangers Saturday night. Reggie Jackson last did it for the Yankees in 1977. Before Reggie, a/k/a Mr. October, it was another Yankee, Babe Ruth, in 1928. The Babe also did in 1926. Yes, he had TWO WS three-homer games.

Both 2011 WS teams' bullpens are in shambles. For Texas, there's Alexi Ogando who has a WS ERA of 27.00. Here's how Ogando's done with his first batter in three games...single, single, walk. At least four other Ranger hurlers have ERA's of 9.00. The Cardinals have Fernando Salas (16.20) and Jason Motte (18.00). Another tell-tale stat of Motte...22 pitches in the first two WS games with half of them getting hit at least as foul balls. In other words, half of Motte's 22 pitches have been situations where none of the 11 pitches swung at by Ranger hitters were swing-and-misses. Oh, and who's paying most of Cardinal reliever Arthur Rhodes his $4.1M salary? His former team! The one he's facing! The Texas Rangers!

Is it possible for an 85-year-old singer to become the oldest to have a #1 album? And for that chart-topping album to end a 54-year wait for that singer? You get it can. It happened recently to Tony Bennett, who reached the top of the LP chart for the first time in his stellar career with his latest album release, "Duets"...

I don't refer to people as "brainless idiots" often, but in the case of the web site Yahoo, I think it's true. A week ago today, the biggest auto racing story was--hands down--the tragic death of Dan Wheldon. They're still talking about it a week later. And yet, last Monday about 3 p.m. Eastern time, the Yahoos at Yahoo claimed that the "trending" (most popular web site story) wasn't Dan Wheldon, but rather Danica Patrick. When I first saw that "Danica Patrick" was the #1 "trending" topic, I figured DP was saluting and/or eulogizing Dan Wheldon.

Nope.

Instead, when I clicked on "Danica Patrick," I saw a headline with her name, a photo of her...and THIS written at 2 a.m. Sunday, less than 11 hours after Dan Wheldon's death was announced: "After seven years behind the wheel, Patrick ended her career as an IndyCar driver on Sunday, the same day fellow driver Dan Wheldon died in a horrible accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Patrick plans to drive for NASCAR full time in the coming years."

Imagine, a meaningless oft-repeated teaser story, combined with other web sites related to Danica Patrick. Even Danica Patrick HERSELF would scream that she wasn't the #1 "trending" or biggest internet story last Monday. DAN WHELDON WAS!!! HE WAS A PROFESSIONAL AUTO RACER WHO TRAGICALLY DIED!! Where are the Yahoo people's brains at! That stunt by Yahoo was classless, bush league, thoughtless, insensitive and, as one message boarder noted, "Disgusting."...

At my other web site, we're counting down the Top 10 Halloween songs. We then finish off the top 40 rock era instrumentals, followed by the top 40 Christmas songs. Christmas is two months from Tuesday. Check out this fun site at https://www.angelfire.com/music4/at40coc/...

I figured the college football national title game would be between Alabama and Oklahoma. Maybe not.Oklahoma's 41-38 home loss to Texas Tech combined with Michigan State's thrilling 37-31 win over Wisconsin has thrown the BSC title race into a frenzy. If Alabama beats LSU and wins the SEC title game, it's assured of a title game appearance. The Tide's foe? The possible team could be Stanford, Oklahoma State, Clemson and Boise State. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, we already have college football coaching openings at New Mexico, Arizona and Tulane. UCLA could be the fourth. The Rick Neuheisel Era isn't working with an 18-26 record. UCLA lost on national TV to Arizona, 48-12...and Arizona's already fired its head coach! And it's going to only get worse for UCLA in its next game against California. Six UCLA players won't play vs. Cal. They were suspended for their part in Thursday night's halftime brawl at Arizona...

Blue Haze took its remake of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" to #21 on the Cash Box pop chart in 1973...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it...

***

SCHOOL NAMED FOR CARLOS SANTANA (THE GUITARIST, NOT THE BASEBALL PLAYER)...WHILE R.E.M. HANGS 'EM UP

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011 -- Back to scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the Bill Smith Combo...

What was known as Valley Region Elementary School #12 in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley on Tuesday became the Carlos Santana Arts Academy. The school was named in honor of the legendary Rock And Roll Hall of Fame guitarist, not the Cleveland Indians baseball player of the same name. The Los Angeles Unified School Board approved the name change, saying Carlos has been a role model for children plus has been a long-time helper for the Miagro (Miracle) Foundation that's helped provide health and education for children.

The group Santana has been a mainstay in pop music since the late 60's, then reached national acclaim for the early 70's hit, "Black Magic Woman." The group's greatest achievement, though, was 1999's "Smooth," a collaboration with Rob Thomas that was a #1 Hot AC hit for 25 weeks. When "Smooth" reached #1 on the pop chart, it gave the group the record for the longest wait for a first #1. That wait was about 30 years, breaking the old record of 25 set by Aerosmith (1998, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"). "Smooth" would win major Grammy Awards for Song and Record Of the Year. Here's how "Smooth" sounded...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXp413NynFk

Surprisingly, there are very few schools named for singers and/or songwriters. Claudine Clark, the one-hit wonder best known for 1962's "Party Lights," used the proceeds from her only big hit single to start a school for underprivileged children in the Philadelphia area in the 1960's. However, it's not believed the school was specifically named for her. For sure, though, The School Of Sacred Music in New York City has been renamed The Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. The name change came in honor of the Jewish songwriter who died earlier this year in Orange County, California, at the age of 59....

Carlos Santana the baseball player plays catcher and first base for my Cleveland Indians. At last check, he was leading the Tribe in homers with 26...

Usually when you turn on the TV in the middle of the night, you're treated to replays of sporting events. Not so last weekend. The Indy Japan 500 auto race didn't end until about 2 a.m. Eastern time Sunday. Not to be outdone, Oklahoma State's 59-33 football win over Tulsa didn't end until 4:35 a.m. Eastern Time. Bad weather pushed back the kickoff to around midnight local (Central) time....

"It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" was among the many songs associated with the group R.E.M. Well, it's the end of the world as R.E.M. knows it and the group members feel fine. The rock group that formed in Athens, Georgia, in the 1980's has decided to break up. The letters R.E.M. stood for "Rapid Eye Movement." Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass) and drummer Bill Berry were the main lineup for R.E.M., which made the Rock Hall in 2007. The group was best known for the top-tenners "The One I Love," "Stand," "Losing My Religion" and my favorite, "Shiny Happy People" (which got big time vocal help from Kate Pierson of the B-52's).

Forgotten how great a rock song "Shiny Happy People" was? Well, check it out at...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNW809QqF1g

In football, look for the ax to fall on at least two coaches... Todd Haley (Kansas City Chiefs) and Rick Neuheisel (UCLA). The Chiefs have lost to injury three keys players, not to mention their first two games by scores of 41-7 and 48-3. The teams KC lost to aren't NFL powerhouses though Buffalo and Detroit are both improving. Neuheisel had been successful at the University of Washington and Colorado, but has been a disappointment at his alma mater. His record there is 16-24 but injuries have been devastating. Still, you'd think Neuheisel would be doing better in the recruiting department. UCLA is part of la-la land and thus in a warm-weather city. Like the Southeastern Conference (SEC), UCLA being in a warm-weather city gives it a huge recruiting advance...or so you'd think...

The Bill Smith Combo had a minor single release of "Tough" in the late summer of 1960. Check out the 30-second-long single saxophone note at about the 1:16 mark of this instrumental at...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeFED48n1VU

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I Like it.

***

'CLAYTON MOORE IS THE ZIPS' STARTING QB; TONTO IS BACKUP'

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Adrian Kimberley....

The ONE person who caught my eye and led to a flurry of questions in the past week is the starting quarterback for the Akron Zips, who were blanked by Ohio State last weekend, 42-0.

Clayton Moore.

Hey, Clayton, why aren't you masked? Where's your horse, Silver, and your silver bullets? Where's Tonto and his horse, Scout? When you throw a touchdown pass, do you yell "Hi-Ho Silver"?

The headline for this blog is for real. I found it during an internet search.

You long-time nostalia buffs, of course, will remember the other Clayton Moore, the actor. He's had his share of roles, including the bad guy in at least one 1940's serial and as good guy Jim Scott in the 1952 serial, "Son Of Geronimo." But he'll always and forever be remembered as "The Long Ranger" for every year except one from 1949 to 1957. The 1949 three-part TV series of how he became the Lone Ranger is a treasured possession of mine. Remember the gang the Lone Ranger avenges for murdering all of his other fellow Texas Rangers? The Cavendish Gang! Led by Butch Cavendish, who in his jail cell would become the first to ask the fabled question, "Who WAS that masked man?"

My favorite Lone Ranger show was...this one... The masked man and Tonto, portrayed admirably by Jay Silverheels, help Walter Dubbs, who's been robbed. This robbery victim was raising money to buy a harp for his wife, Hannah, for her birthday. Naturally, justice prevails as the crooks are rounded up. In the end, The Lone Ranger and Tonto are treated to a terrific dinner at the Dubbs. Suddenly, our heroes get up from the table to go to the next room...and you just KNEW what for. Yup, to push through the curtains a harp for Hannah....

"Hi-Ho Silver, Away!"...

Fortunately, I wasn't part of the huge power blackout that plagued Orange County, virtually all of the San Diego area and even northern Mexico. The blackout was particularly troublesome for drivers who needed gas and couldn't get it until the power returned...

I have two web sites. One is my "American Top 40 Fun and Games site" with numerous features including my blogs, message boards, #1's on this day, birthdays, a continuing countdown (e.g. the Top 40 Disappearing Acts), a lookback at an AT40 show on this day in the past and a daily trivia question. I invite you to daily visit this site at ...

https://www.angelfire.com/music4/at40coc/

My other site, "The Over-Hyped And Under-Deserving," has been taken to task by two national sports writers. Each has labeled this site, among other things, as "mean-spirited." One of the writers even wrote an entire column depicting this site as "almost sexist" and "unfair" and "off the mark." The column helped give the web site incredible sudden popularity with a reported 5000-plus hits in a 24-hour period. Needless to say, the writer's column and logic were hilarious. She noted, "In auto racing, talent and not performance are not the most important job requirements, unlike any other professional sports. It's money..."

Oh really? My response: Show me ANY sport where the primary standings are based on how much money the participants are making. For an encore, the writer mentioned Kevin Conway. Ever heard of him? That's what I thought. He was named NASCAR's Sprint Cup rookie of the year around March. "There was snickering," the writer wrote, "but nothing close to the venom that's routinely spewed at (Danica) Patrick."

My response: How can you compare a complete unknown driver who's virtually never had a story, photo or headline appear in major sports publications or on-line sites with someone who's been regularly featured in endless photos, headlines and stories? Someone who's never won an auto race in North America? Someone who's gone 86 straight races without a victory? Someone who, in her 12-year racing career, has never won a road/street race in any level ever? Someone with one victory in 182 career races? And who's never won a 500-mile race of any kind?

Neither writer has offered me an opportunity to give my side of this story. What these two writers are calling "mean-spirited" is merely someone exercising his First Amendment rights and telling the truth. That's what regularly happening on that web site with everyone involved. You're invited to see for yourself at...

http://www.voy.com/222481/

Adrian Kimberley was a one-hit wonder act. It took "The Graduation Song...Pomp And Circumstance" to #44 on the Cash Box chart in the summer of 1961...

Speaking of oldies, I strongly recommend you check out the "Oldies Your Way" web site, including Ronnie Allen's weekly unique program, "Nutty But Nice," at...

http://www.oldiesyourway.com/Oldies_Your_Way_Radio/Home.html

You'll hear amazing oldies you've never heard in your life, but wish you had...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

****

THE COASTERS' LEGAL MESS...WHILE THOME RETURNS TO INDIANS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Mel Gadson...

The Coasters were the Harlem Globetrotters of pop music and the first group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Sadly, Carl Gardner, their lead singer, died in June. He'd turned over lead singer duties to his son, Carl Gardner, Jr., six years ago in 2005. Throughout much of his life, the elder Gardner fought against bogus groups performing as his group and other groups like the Platters.

All that said, it's tragic to find out that Carl Gardner, Jr., has received a so-called "termination letter" from a family member that forbids him to sing any Coasters' songs and use the group's name. Look for a lengthy messy court battle for the younger Gardner. At stake in the court proceedings will be the estate's beneficiaries, the legality of the Coasters' trademark and the corporation's activities. Stay tuned...

If you're REALLY into oldies, especially rarely heard songs and novelty records, I invite you to check out Oldies Your Way at...

http://www.oldiesyourway.com/Oldies_Your_Way_Radio/Home.html

Kudos to my Cleveland Indians for landing Jim Thome, baseball's eighth player to hit 600-plus home runs. Thome, who turns 41 today, began his career with the Tribe and returned to Cleveland when the Indians sent a player to be named later to the Twins. Friday night in his Tribe return, Thome was 0-for-4 with a post-game fireworks show and hot dogs at a reduced price. It added up to a sellout crowd of over 41,000 at Progressive Field, tons of signs and tons of cheers for Thome. Oh, and a badly needed 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. Can Thome lead the Tribe to the American League Central Division title? Stay tuned...

One of the Best CD series of rare hit songs is back for more. "Hey Look What I Found" was the CD series that I thought stopped at 11 CD's. Guess what? There's Volumes 12 and 13, too....

Best of luck to all of you living on the East Coast as Hurricane Irene invades. When it's over, we can play the song "Goodnight Irene" by the Weavers...

Overshadowed with the news of the deaths of songwiters Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford was another pop music passing. Ross Barbour, the last surviving member of the Four Freshmen, died of lung cancer on or about August 20. He was 82. The Four Freshmen were best known for their 1956 version of "Graduation Day," which at the time was a hit along with a version by the Rover Boys. The Four Freshmen inspired the Beach Boys, who did a live remake of "Graduation Day." Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys described the Four Freshmen as their "harmonic education."...

Splendid news for Dodger baseball fans. Vin Scully has announced he'll be back as the team's play-by-play announcer for 2012. He's been the voice of the Dodgers since 1950 and been described as "the greatest sports broadcaster of all time." Trust me, the accolade is very true. Scully is the most well-prepared and interesting baseball announcer I have EVER heard. If you have XM Radio, then I cannot recommend enough that you listen to Scully's incredibly unique and insightful broadcasting at a Dodger home game....

Mel Gadson had a #50 hit in 1960 with "Comin' Down With Love" on the Big Top label. The next year, Big Top Records would introduce us to Del Shannon. Ohers on the Big Top label included Johnny and the Hurricanes ("Down Yonder"), Miss Toni Fisher ("West Of The Wall"), Sammy Turner ("Lavender Blue") and the duo Don and Juan ("What's Your Name")....

You're invited to check out my web site at...

https://www.angelfire.com/music4/at40coc/

You're also welcomed to check out my outspokenness at...

http://www.voy.com/222481/

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

BASEBALL HISTORY--60 YEARS AGO 60 YEARS AGO TODAY--WHEN AN UNBEATABLE BASEBALL MARK WAS SET

Friday, August 19, 2001 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Everything Is Everything...

Sixty years ago today (August 19, 1951), a unbeatable baseball record was set.

As in shortest major league baseball player ever.

How are we ever going to find someone shorter than Eddie Gaedel?

He stood 3-foot-7.

Yes, he was a midget. He was part of legendary baseball mogul Bill Veeck, who signed the then-26-year-old Gaedel to a contract to bat once for the St. Louis Browns. Gaedel walked on four pitches. Detroit Tiger pitcher Bob Cain was laughing so hard at the prospect of pitching to a midget that it was a miracle he got four pitches to come near home plate. Will Harridge, then President of the American League, ruled Gaedel ineligible a day later, saying Veeck was making a mockery of the game.

Gaedel's legacy lived on, even after he died 10 years later in 1961. Legend has it that Veeck insured Gaedel for a million bucks. AND told Gaedel that if he made any move to swing at a pitch...that he (Veeck) would shoot him with a rifle from atop the stadium roof. Gaedel's walk was initially obliterated from the record books but later restored. Believe it or not, four other players besides Gaedel in baseball history have walked in their only plate appearance and never played defense. This past June, Gaedel's grandnephew, Kyle Gaedele, was drafted by the San Diego Padres...

When singer Richard Marx toured, he would sign into hotels and motels as Vince Everett. Or Chad Gates. Or Danny Fisher. YES, the names of characters Elvis Presley portrayed in his movies!!! Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the 34th anniversary of Elvis' passing, this writer's boss knocked at a nearby door. She didn't have the proper pass, so I let her in. But I also kiddingly asked her, "You know what the password is for today?" She smiled and guessed "Elvis?"

Correct...

A weird day in sports Thursday. Minor leaguer Mike Jacobs of the Colorado Rockies became the first major leaguer and the first athlete in American sports history to be tested positive for HGH (Human Growth Hormone). Jacobs earned a 50-game suspension.

Meanwhile, Terrelle Pryor, the former Ohio State quarterback and the center of the school's ongoing controversy, was ruled eligible to be picked in Monday's NFL Supplemental draft...under one condition. If an NFL team drafts him, he must undergo a five-game suspension before playing. Remember, Pryor was going to undergo a five-game suspension at the college level had he stayed at Ohio State. But he left the school amid the controversy last spring. So, NFL Commish Roger Goodell ruled Pryor must serve a five-game suspension in the NFL after being uncooperative with the college investigators of the NCAA. I think the Browns should take a chance on Pryor if he becomes available to them. Pryor is taller, faster, stronger and more athletic than Browns' starter Colt McCoy. Nevertheless, Pryor lacks the smarts and leadership skills necessary to become a good NFL quarterback. He'll be compared to Vince Young...

There really was a rock and roll group called Everything Is Everything. A one-hit wonder that reached #61 in 1969 with "Witchi Tao To." Don't believe me? Check out the song at...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAMKL2KKumo

Remember, it's only rock and roll but I like it...

***

THE ETTA JAMES HOAX...AND A MEMORABLE BUBBA SMITH QUOTE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Manu Dibango...

One of today's biggest stories is one you may not read or hear about on the radio or on TV. Some web sites were circulating a report this morning that pop and soul singer Etta James had died Wednesday at the age of 73. A fake TMZ page triggered what turned out to be a hoax. At last check, Etta James is very much alive and living in the Riverside, California, area. "I saw her last night and she's fine," her son, Donto James, told the Los Angeles times.

Suffice to say, however, that Etta's not in good shape. She's suffering from leukemia and dementia. Artis Mills, her husband of over 41 years, is seeking control of her finances. Stay tuned...

Sadly, Bubba Smith did die Wednesday. He was 66. The one thing I remember the most about Bubba wasn't his playing at Michigan State and being part of the 1966 10-10 tie with Notre Dame. Or his playing for the then-Baltimore Colts in the 16-7 upset loss to the New York Jets in the third Super Bowl game in 1969. Or his Miller Lite commercials. Or his "Police Academy" roles.

Instead, I'll remember Bubba Smith for his controversial quote regarding that Super Bowl loss to the Jets. That's the game where the Jets were 18-point underdogs and Joe Namath came through with his pre-game "I guarantee you we'll win" quote. Smith's post-game quote is less forgotten. In so many words, Bubba insinuated that the famous Jets' victory was fixed. Smith has been quoted as saying the game was "set up" for the Jets to win. In a book written by Jeff Miller about the AFL (American Football League, which the Jets were then a member of), Smith is quoted as saying, "This may sound crazy, but I don't think the game was kosher. In order for the merger to go through (the Jets) had to win. If you read the terms of the merger, if (the AFL) didn't establish credibility by the end of three years, the terms of the merger were null and void. You're talking the difference between millions and billions of dollars."

Opinion: Hogwash. The Jets were simply the better team. They made the big plays, particularly on defense with two end zone interceptions of Earl Morrall passes....

Shame on two high-level news media organizations that completely ignored last week's passing of Gene McDaniels. Neither USA Today nor CBS Radio News acknowledged the death of McDaniels. He was most famous for his solo 1961 hit, "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay," and for writing "Feel Like Makin' Love," a #1 hit for Roberta Flack in 1974....

I think my Indians gave up WAY too much to land pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez last weekend. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees tried to land Jimenez. However, both backed down when it was felt the Colorado Rockies wanted too many of their top prospects. It's never good to trade away your top two minor league pitchers for anyone. Prediction: The Indians won't win the AL Central despite the presence of Jimenez. Not enough qualify hitting and barely enough pitching. The Rockies, meanwhile, will eventually have Drew Pomeranz as their #1 starter for years to come...

Meanwhile, Yadier Molina was lucky to be suspended only five games for bumping umpire Rob Drake after getting ejected. What set Molina off was being called out on strikes. I felt the suspension should've been more like 10 games. On second thought, maybe not. To his credit, Molina has apologized to Drake...

Manu Dibango was an African performer whose only USA top 40 hit, "Soul Makossa," reached #22 at about this time 38 years ago in 1973. The instrumental was one of the earliest disco-sounding tunes. The 45 rpm single was so popular in Africa that people paid upwards of $10 to buy it...

More sad news: Annette Charles, best remembered for her role as Cha Cha in the 1978 movie, "Grease," has died of cancer at the age of 63...

We'll miss the Hall of Fame game this weekend due to the delay in ending the NFL lockout, but NFL exhibition action picks up next Thursday with five games...

Remember...it's only rock and roll but I like it.

***

READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? YUP, SO LET THE NFL CAMPS OPEN!

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011 -- Skitterscattering while wondering whatever happened to the Bill Smith Combo...

NFL training camps could open as early as tomorrow/Saturday now that the NFL owners have approved a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement). However, I'm also hearing NFL camps may not open for another 10 days (August 1). I think the NFL players would be crazy to vote this deal down. Imagine, no more two-a-days! And I hear the players get 55 per cent of the money pie. Meanwhile, keep in mind the three things that always happen when a typical NFL camp opens.

1. A player gets hurt. There's always a player who's dying to show the coaches how good he is...and pays the price with a costly injury. Personally, I'll never forget the knee injury suffered by the Browns' first round 1977 draft choice, linebacker Robert Jackson of Texas A&M.

2. A player flunks his physical. This often happens to a low round draft choice or a non-drafted free agent. NFL teams' physicals are very thorough. And they often find out a player's physical shortcomings (e.g. a bad heart, a bad knee).

3. A player leaves camp in the middle of the night. Often this is the ninth string punter who notices the eight punters ahead of him on the depth chart have their punts travel higher and longer. And then he's asking himself, "What am I doing here?"...

Here's a name to remember in pop music: Martin Harley. "Winter Coat" by the Martin Harley Band has just started to get spins on KOSI / Salt Lake City. There's something to be said for a winter song catching on in the summer....

Wednesday (July 20, 2011) marked the 42nd anniversary of a prophecy coming true. Around 1962-64, Alvin Dark was managing the San Francisco Giants. When asked about his one pitcher, Gaylord Perry, and his inability to hit, Dark replied, "They'll put a man on the moon before he hits a home run." So what happened on July 20, 1969? Yup, not long after Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, Gaylord Perry hit his first major league baseball home run off the Dodgers' Claude Osteen. Honest...

The Bill Smith Combo had its only known single release of "Tough" in the late summer of 1960. The single never charted but the memory of a saxophone player's holding a note for TWENTY EIGHT SECONDS remains to this day. I invite you to check out the single and that unique note at...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeFED48n1VU

Jets WR Braylon Edwards, formerly of the Browns, pled guilty today to DWI. Interestingly, there's NOTHING in the AP article about Edwards serving even one day in jail. Probation, a six-month license suspension and having a breath-test device set up in his car. But no jail time? This is someone who pled guilty the previous summer to misdemeanor assault and was put on probation. Isn't THIS guilty plea for DWI a violation of THAT probation? And remember this: In November, 2008, Edwards was nailed for speeding to the tune of 125 mph. I would like to dedicate to Braylon Edwards "Let's Lock The Door (And Throw Away The Keys)" by Jay and the Americans...

Sad news out here in la-la land high school sports. Montclair Prep of Van Nuys, a private school in the San Fernando Valley, has dropped all sports and dropped its seventh and eighth grade teaching programs. It'll be a ninth-to-12th grade school as the result of massive restructuring. On his first day on the job, the school's football coach found out he didn't have a job or a team. The list of Montclair Prep graduates is impressive: Michael Jackson, Cher, Frank Sinatra Jr., Danny Bonaduce (the Partridge Family), Brad Fullmer (baseball), Russ Ortiz (baseball) and Toi Cook (football)...

Shame on our BSNM (Biased Sports News Media) for portraying the USA Women's soccer team as heroes. The last time I checked, the United States CHOKED, BLEW IT AND LOST to Japan in the World Cup title match last Sunday. Japan overcame its awful earthquake and tsunami; had been 0-25 vs. the USA; and has no professional soccer leagues at all, and yet the Japanese WON. To further give you an idea of Japan's victory, consider this: Japan has only 25,000 girls participating in soccer. California alone has 200,000. In invite you to check my rants against the Almost-Should've-Could've-Would'ves at...

http://www.voy.com/222481/

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it...

***

ROGER CLEMENS TRIAL -- THE $10 MILLION BLUNDER?

FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011 -- More scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Crabby Appleton...

Can you believe the brainless, blundering and inept prosecution in the Roger Clemens' perjury trial? The judge specifically orders the prosecution NOT to introduce any Andy Pettitte evidence, which is exactly what happened.

Duh! Is anybody paying attention?

A mistrial declared and Clemons may walk even though there's evidence of his DNA on needles. And how much has this trial cost us as taxpayers?

One observer estimates the cost at $10 million...

Scary postscript to the passing of Rob Grill of the Grass Roots: My good radio friend, Dick Bartley, remembered a story Rob Grill told him in an interview about missing a plane flight because he was late to the gate. It was the same flight that the duo McFadden and Whitehead of "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" fame missed because the duo did one too many interviews. That wasn't just any flight the three missed. It was Flight 191 out of Chicago's O'Hare Airport bound for Los Angeles on May 25, 1979. The plane lost an engine and crashed moments after takeoff. In all, 258 passengers, 13 crew members and two on the ground were killed in what ranks as the deadliest airline crash on USA soil in history. Bartley recalled in an e-mail to me, "Rob said every day after that was a bonus. A good guy and he will be missed."...

Out here in la-la land, the name of the game is to avoid the freeways altogether this weekend. One them, the highly traveled 405, is closed this weekend for repairs. The best advice given to everyone is to stay home...

A week ago, when Ohio State vacated its 12 football wins from last season, it was merely the start of more punishment to come from the NCAA next month. Look for the Buckeyes to lose 15-30 scholarships and to face a two-year bowl ban...

We really did have a rock group called Crabby Appleton. The one-hit wonder band reached #30 on the Cash Box pop chart with "Go Back" and was heard on the very first "American Top 40" show on the Fourth Of July weekend, 1970...

I'm highly confident that the NFL lockout will end in a week. I hope so. I just can't imagine us not having the annual Hall of Fame game at Canton's Fawcett Stadium...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it...

***

CAN YOU BELIEVE "THE DECISION" IS ONE YEAR OLD????

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the P-Nut Gallery....

Believe it or not, it was a year ago today that LeBron James announced "The Decision." Then came all celebrating in Miami. And all those daily Miami Heat updates in USA Ladies Home Journal Today. And the Heat turning to Ice in the NBA finals. And all those LeBron jokes that only now are starting to lose their luster. Maybe not. There's the one about LeBron's plans to remake an Elvis Presley hit. The one entitled, "(Now And then There's) A Fool Such As I."...

Warmest birthday greetings today to the world's greatest sister, Diane Louis Durkee Smith....

RIP: John Mackey, 69, died of dementia caused by his many football injuries. He revolutionized the tight end position with his 4.6 speed in the 40. Also, he was the first NFL Player's union President. Thanks to his leadership, the NFL players succeeded in staging a strike that would net them over $11 million in future benefits...

RIP: Jane Scott, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's long-time rock music critic, was 92 when she died recently. She rose to her unique fame by volunteering to write a review about a group coming to Cleveland in 1964. She was 45 at the time and, yes, the group was the Beatles. Here's one of the many on-line obits of Jane Scott found by me...

http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2011/07/rip_jane_scott.php...

RIP: Baseball Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams was 82 when he died Thursday in Las Vegas of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. He piloted the Oakland Athletics to the 1972 and 1973 World Serious titles plus managed two other teams to the fall classic, the 1967 "Impossible Dream" Boston Red Sox and the 1984 San Diego Padres. I can't emphasize enough the importance of reading his early 90's book, "No More Mr. Nice Guy." My favorite story involves another team Williams managed, the California Angels.

In his book, Williams actually had the courage to call his Angel boss, famed singing cowboy star Gene Autry, "a cheapskate." Williams remembered the aftermath of when Autry's horse, Champion, died. Autry considered having Champion stuffed, so he called his old buddy, Roy Rogers, who had Trigger stuffed. Gene asked Roy how much the procedure would cost and Roy replied, "About $25,000, but that was 10 years ago." There was then a bit of a pause and Roy broke the silence by asking, "So, Gene, what are you going to do with Champion?"

More silence.

Then, Gene's answer.

"Bury the son of a bitch."...

We not only had the Peanut Gallery as in the kids seating area for the Howdy Doody TV show, we also had the group the P-Nut Gallery. In 1971, the P-Nut Gallery took "Do You Know What Time It Is?" to #54. That song shouldn't be confused with the late 1970 #5 hit by Chicago, "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"...

How 'bout my trusty Cleeeeeeeveland Indians! A 5-4 come-from-behind win over Toronto courtesy of a walk-off grand slam Home run by Travis Hafner. Oh, and the Tribe just sent back to the minors a pitcher named Josh Judy. If Judge Judy marries Josh Judy, she would be known as Judge Judy Judy...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

50 YEARS LATER, WE STILL DANCE TIL A "QUARTER TO THREE"

It’s the record that drove my mom nuts.

And my dad.

And my two brothers.

And my sister.

Without question the most-played record in the history of my family.

It’s among the greatest good-time rock 'n roll party records ever.

And this 4th of July weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the song’s rise to #1 in the USA.

“Quarter To Three” by Gary (U.S.) Bonds was that kind of record. I still remember how it rose to #1 on the WHK Fabulous 50 Tunedex. It debuted at #45, went to #21, then #2 and then #1 for eight weeks. For the WHK year-end rankings, it was the #1 single of 1961.

The song was based on an instrumental entitled “A Night With Daddy G” by the Church Street Five. Both the title and the act of the original single are in the lyrics of “Quarter To Three.” Though it sounds like a party going on, the song actually had a whole lot of editing done. You can hear an edit just before “a night with Daddy G” (who was saxophonist Gene Barge). A few months after the song hit #1, Gary U.S. Bonds did a followup visit to “American Bandstand.” After singing “Quarter To Three,” Dick Clark handed Bonds a gold record award for the single.

It’s no coincidence that Gary (U.S.) Bonds enjoyed a dramatic comeback some 20 years after his historic #1 single that sounded like it was recorded at a party (even though producer Frank Guida would dispute that).

Who helped U.S. Bonds in his 1981 comeback and wrote his comeback hit, “This Little Girl”?

Bruce Springsteen. And they duet on “Jole Blon,” usually the powerful song to open U.S. Bonds' live performances.

Case dismissed.

U.S. Bonds burst into the pop music scene in the fall of 1960 with “New Orleans.” Everyone thought it was a group. It was just Gary Anderson being overdubbed repeatedly. Thanks to Guida’s expert production skills that even the Beatles may have copied, U.S. Bonds had other hits like “Dear Lady Twist,” “School Is Out” and “School Is In.”

For your enjoyment, I invite you to check out “Quarter To Three,” the way it sounded as a hit in 1961 and the way Gary U.S. Bonds did it on The King Biscuit Flower Hour 20 years later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3lkD1dCxRg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRxueQCqNA0

***
,p> TANGUY NGOMBO--REMINDING ME OF NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2011 -- Do you know who Tanguy Ngombo is?

That's what I thought.

Tanguy Ngombo stands 6-8, weighs about 230 pounds and was the 57th player chosen in last week's NBA draft. He was discovered while playing for Al Rayyan in the Quatar Basketball League. The champion Dallas Mavericks drafted him but did so for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who'd end up with his rights. In between the Mavs' choosing him, Ngombo was traded to Portland, then to Minnesota. Tanguy claimed he was born July 10, 1989 but guess what?

He was born July 18, 1984. He'll turn 27 next month. Big difference. NBA rules state a player can't be older than 22 when drafted. Ngombo could become an invalidated NBA draft choice and a free agent. We'll see. The NBA has bigger problems, like a possible lockout starting Friday. Meanwhile...

Ngombo's age fraud reminds me of the time New Kids On The Block fudged on their ages in 1989. They did it to keep their fans thinking they were an all-teenage group when they really weren't. I was a writer-researcher for "American Top 40" at the time and helped research the matter. In November, 1989, Shadoe Stevens gave out the New Kids' real ages as a nice way to point out they'd lied about their ages. And we had the proof in the form of their birth certificates. One New Kids' fan, though, wrote us at AT40 saying the birth certificates weren't reliable. Oh well...

It's impossible to list everyone who's lied about his-her age over the years. Here's a few memorable ones. For instance, the late Phil Seghi, a long-time Cleveland Indians front office man, tried to keep young by having his year of birth moved up by a few years whenever a Tribe press guide came out. Mariah Carey claimed she was born in 1970 but it's believed she was actually born in 1969. Only recenty did I find out about two other singers who've fudged on their ages. For years, I thought Barry Manilow and Ian Hunter were both born in 1946. Not so. Barry Manilow was born in 1943 and Hunter in 1939....

Department of the sad, weird, ironic....Over the weekend, Nick Charles died of cancer at the age of 64. He was CNN's first sports anchor. Then Monday, another sports figure with the same last name passed away. Lorenzo Charles, best known for his last-second dunk that helped North Carolina State beat Houston, 54-52, for the 1983 NCAA men's basketball title, died in a bus crash. He was 47...

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a mess. The team's management filed for bankrupcy Monday. It's the latest move for Frank McCourt, who's trying to hold onto the team and remain the team owner. His team may not make payroll in a few days but perhaps the bankrupcy filing will help McCourt's cause. Last week, major league baseball disapproved of McCourt's deal with the Fox TV network. One reason was probably the millions that would've gone to McCourt to settle his nasty divorce proceedings. One co-worker thinks McCourt will be through as Dodger owner by August 1. Stay tuned. Oh, and with the Dodgers' filing for bankrupcy, we find out the team owes Manny Ramirez about $20 million and Andru Jones another $11 million. To not play for the Dodgers....

Remember, it's only rock and roll but I like it.

***

LEBRON'S FALL--JUST LIKE ANOTHER MIAMI TEAM IN 1987

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the Bikinis...

Between some recent passings (e.g. Clarence Clemons, Wild Man Fischer) and the LeBron James jokes, I suddenly found myself out of the business of blogging. Well, I'm baaaaack!.

Three bits of sad news in the world of entertainment. Peter Falk, best known as detective Columbo in the early 1970's, was 83 when he died of dementia at his Beverly Hills home on Thursday, June 23, 2011. Meanwhile, 75-year-old Glen Campbell has been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's Disease. He's planning a final album and farewell tour. Also, I've heard that Rob Grill, the lead singer of the Grass Roots, hasn't been doing well. Details are sketchy, though, so stay tuned...

LeBron James' and the Miami Heat's downfall led me to ask myself, "When's the last time when a sports team got what it deserved with a loss where most of the USA rejoiced?" Obviously, this is subjective but I vividly recall the Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 1987 for the 1986 college football national championship. And the team that got what it deserved was ALSO a Miami team. Miami of Florida's football players came off the plane in Tempe, Arizona, highly favored to beat Penn State...and wearing cambat fatigues. Arrogance at its worst.

The Hurricanes were just getting warmed up. At a pre-game steak fry dinner involving both teams, each team was asked to put on a skit prior to the dinner. Penn State's players, probably already upset with the Miami players' cockiness, did a skit hinting that the Nittany Lions had more white players while the Hurricane had more blacks. Then came Miami's turn. Hurricane DL Jerome Brown, who sadly would die in a car crash five years later, said this to the microphone, "Did the Japanese go sit down with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?" His teammates yelled out in reply, "No!" Brown then said, "Fellas, let's go." With that, every Miami player got up and left the restaurant. Needless to say, Fiesta Bowl officials were angered and embarrassed.

Before all the Hurricane players left, one Penn State player asked, "Didn't the Japanese lose that war?" A teammate later said, "I was ready to play them right THEN." Penn State would get the last laugh in one of Joe Paterno's best-coached games ever. A superb defensive effort plus specialty team play led to Penn State's 14-10 upset win that thrilled the USA....

There really honestly was a rock and roll group called the Bikinis. They reached #57 on the Cash Box pop chart in 1958 with "Bikini." It was mostly an instrumental with the group leader sometimes saying, "Here comes Jeannie in her polka-dot bikini." Honest...

There's various quotes I especially get a chuckle out of in the world of sports. Among them are how this is "a dream-come-true." And how "they're playing for all the marbles." And, you know, there's, you know, the same two words, you know, that keep getting said by sports figures in interviews. Now you know.

Imagine my disappointment during Thursday's NBA draft. I mean, not one of the 60 players said that this is "a dream-come-true." Still, the many interviews spruced up ESPN's coverage in spite of way too many trades that involved at least 32 players. The whole thing didn't end until 12:06 a.m. today. My Cleeeveland Cavaliers did the expected by making point Kyrie Irving of Duke the first overall pick. Is Irving over the turf toe injury that limited him to 11 Duke games this past season? I hope so. The Cavs' other pick, Tristan Thompson of Texas as the overall #4 pick, must be a darn good player. But it's not because he can shoot free throws. Imagine, a 48.7 per cent free throw percentage...and for a Top 4 lottery draft choice! Go figure...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN GETS A WILD MAN AND A BIG MAN

SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2011 -- It's been a very sad day for me as two entertainers have died and entered Rock and Roll Heaven.

Most of you are familiar with saxman Clarence Clemons (a/k/a the big Man), who died today from complications of a stroke at the age of 69. You may not be as familiar with Larry (Wild Man) Fischer, the uniquely and weirdly talented performer who died of heart failure two days ago at the age of 67. For me, WMF as he was also known, was infamous for what's considered by me as the worst song ever recorded, "My Name Is Larry." Once hearing that alleged song, nobody's argued with me. WMF was truly unique, a one-in-a-trillion cult hero in the La-La Land area.

I invite you to check out my extensive obituaries of both the Big Man and the Wild Man at this site's message board section under "Latest News."

***

TOP 10 SONGS TO DEDICATE TO LEBRON JAMES

SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2011 -- Here's my top 10 songs to dedicate to LeBron James (with thanks to radio friends Ronnie Allen and Scott Lakefield)...

10. Cold As Ice -- Foreigner

9. You're No Good -- Linda Ronstadt / Betty Everett

8. Nowhere Man -- The Beatles

7. My Bad -- Rayvon

6. Shame On Me -- Bobby Bare

5. Take The Money And Run -- The Steve Miller Band

4. The Great Pretender -- the Platters

3. The Chokin' Kind - Joe Simon

2. I'm A Loser -- the Beatles

1. Fool #1 -- Brenda Lee

P.S. Why is a Heimlich Maneuver expert always on the Miami Heat bench?

(Because the Heat needs him in case LeBron chokes)

***

WHY CLEVELAND IS DELIRIOUS AND CELEBRATING....

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011 --

So LeBron betrayed Cleveland...and planned the whole thing... Conspired with 2 others.... so he'd get a ring.

But not so this year! You LOSE when you cheat...

The champs? They're the MAVS......and NOT the Heat!!!!

***

GIANTS' GM MAKES GIANT MISTAKE

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the Flavor...

On July 14, 1970, Pete Rose scored the winning run of the National League's 5-4 12-inning victory over the American League in major league baseball's All-Star game. It's how Rose scored that winning run that everyone remembers. He plowed into catcher Ray Fosse, causing him to drop the ball. To give you an idea of how famous this play was, almost nobody can tell you how got the game-winning hit. It was Jim Hickman. Anyway, Rose wasn't fined for his actions and Fosse continued to play at least until 1979.

Home plate collisions are part of baseball. They happen. Even if the catcher suffers a fractured bone in his lower left along with three torn ankle ligaments. That's the extent of injuries suffered by San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey when he collided with Scott Cousins of the Florida Marlins on May 25. Posey emphasized that "I don't think he (Cousins) did anything illegal." Cousins has repeatedly and openly apologized for the hit, explaining that he was merely trying to win the game for his game. Cousins is in a peculiar position. He played his college baseball at the University of San Francisco.

Sadly, Cousins has received death threats. Worse yet, though, were the scathing remarks made by Giant General Manager Brian Sabean on the team's flagship radio station Thursday (June 2, 2011). Sabean said, and I quote, "If I never hear from Cousins again or he never plays another game in the big leagues, I think we'll all be happy." Later, Sabean reiterated his feelings, saying Cousins' home plate collision with Posey was "a cheap hit. It was premeditated." Outfielder Logan Morrison, Cousins' roommate when the Marlins play at home, boldly spoke out on Cousins' behalf, saying: "It's wildly unprofessional for him (Sabean) to make any comment on the situation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but he's never been in a situation like that....It's (commentary by Sabean) terrible. Why would you wish anything like that on anybody? This is his (Cousins') hometown, San Francisco. He's worried about his family and his friends that are there. And he (Sabean) is going ot make ocmments like that? It's ignorant, it's inappropriate and he has no idea what the hell he's talking about."

Opinion from here: I totally agree with Morrison. Sabean was totally out of line and should be fined heavily by Major League Baseball....

The Flavor rocked us out in the summer of 1968 with the #66 hit, "Sally Had A Party." About two thirds into the song, the late 1967 hit by the Fantastic Johnny C, "Boogaloo Down Broadway," is sampled....

Now we know why Jim Tressel decided to resign as Ohio State football coach at 9 a.m. on Monday, a legal holiday. Later that day, Sports Illustrated would blow the lid off the Tressel case with stunning revelations. Among them were how Tressel's behind-the-scenes shenanigans go back to his Youngstown State coaching days, how he lied to the NCAA three times, how the tattoo controversy dates back at least nine years and how the school badly miscounted how many players were up to no good in recent years. All of which leads me to ask this burning question...

How can Gordon Gee still be President and Gene Smith the Athletic Director at Ohio State? Those two DIDN'T know what was going on? Plus, both showed incredible arrogance during the celebrated March 8 press conference. That's when Gee was asked if Tressel's job was in jeopardy and he replied, "Are you kidding? I just hope the coach doesn't dismiss me." Not to be outdone, Smith said, "Wherever we end up at the end of the day, Jim Tressel is our football coach."

I strongly recommend you read this SI expose at...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/magazine/05/30/jim.tressel/index.html?sct=cf_t11_a2#&sct=cf_t2_a3

Sad entertainment news. James Arness, Marshall Dillon on "Gunsmoke," died in his sleep overnight. He was 88. John Wayne was originally chosen to star on "Gunsmoke" but told show executives that he knew someone else who'd do the job even better. John Wayne would introduced Arness to start the first "Gunsmoke" TV show. One of Arness' earliest roles was the dreaded space creature in "The Thing" (a/k/a "The Thing From Another World"). The movie poster said, "It creeps, it crawls, your blood will be ice cold."

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

URBAN MEYER--THE NEXT OHIO STATE FOOTBALL COACH

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2011 -- Urban Meyer will eventually replace Jim Tressel as the Ohio State football coach.

And maybe sooner than you think.

Ohio State needs a big name to replace Tressel quickly and to start the healing process. Meyer has been rumored to replaced Tressel not long after the scandal broke about Tressel's failure to report violations he knew about. Meyer has a home in Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus. He has Ohio football roots, having played at Ashtabula St. John High School and the University of Cincinnati. Plus, he coached at Bowling Green prior to moving on to Utah and Florida.

Above all, I think he's available. I think the coaching bug is going to return to him very quickly, because money talks. The only big name mentioned so far in the Buckeye coaching derby is Tony Dungy.

Tressel's resignation today, a forced one according to many observers, was brought to my attention less than 10 minutes after I'd just e-mailed out my latest blog that included the foot-in-mouth award winners (Tiki Barber, Ozzie Guillen and Avril Lavigne). Why today for the resignation? On a holiday? I'm guessing a huge buyout was finally reached late Sunday night. And Ohio State officials didn't want to put this off any longer. Holiday or no holiday.

Just 3-4 days ago, the NCAA denied appeals by another troubled college football program, Southern California. When the NCAA does come down on Ohio State, it will come down hard. Vacated victories from last season, a loss of scholarships, probation and a two-year ban on bowl games are all on my mind.

Needless to say, this abrupt ending of the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State is hugely disappointing. Though we've never met, Jim and I grew up in the same community of Mentor, Ohio, where my family moved in 1952. Jim was born in 1953. His dad, the late Lee Tressel, was highly successful as football coach at Mentor High School. His resume includes 37 straight victories. The Mentor High School class of 1956 never lost a football game. Lee would coach Baldwin-Wallace to a national small school championship in the late 1970's. It meant Lee and Jim were among the very few father-son combinations to coach a national champion.

Not enough blame for this mess is going to QB Terrell Pryor and the other four Buckeye players who sold memorabilia in exchange for money. Pryor is not a popular person in Columbus. Many hope he'll never play again in a Buckeye uniform.

Ohio State overcame the shame of firing Woody Hayes for punching Clemson's Charlie Bauman late in the 17-15 loss in the 1978 Gator Bowl. Ohio State will overcome this mess, too. Hiring Urban Meyer would certainly be a good start.

***

TIKI BARBER--A BAD CASE OF FOOT-IN-MOUTH DISEASE

MONDAY, MAY 30, 2011 -- Memorial Day scatterskimming while wondering where people's brains are...

Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber is the hands-down winner of the 2011 Memorial Day weekend Foot-In-Mouth Award. Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is a close second, followed by singer Avril Lavigne.

Oh, you didn't hear what Barber said on page 50 the latest issue of Sports Elevated? Brace yourself. Barber hopes to make a comeback once the ugly NFL lockout ends. He last played during the 2006 season. He's 36 years old but has the brains of a two-year-old after what he said. And that's on top of having an extramarital affair with his 23-year-old girlfriend while his wife is pregnant. For about 13 months, he and his girlfriend have been living in the attic of his agent, Mark Lepselter. He explained the situation by saying THIS...

"Lap's Jewish and it was like a reverse Anne Frank thing."

Here's probably the best response to Barber's tasteless quote...

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/tasteless_tiki_VgoV055eG1W8NCF6bbwE8J?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=

Meanwhile, Ozzie Guillen on Saturday publicly ripped the White Sox fans so badly that I can't repeat what he said the drunk Chisox fans would do. You can read it for yourself at...

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view.bg?articleid=1341544&srvc=rss

Guillen goes to the head of my list as the major league baseball manager most likely to be fired first. He enabled Chicago baseball fans to go full cycle. How? Because back in 1983, Lee Elia, then the Cub manager, launched perhaps the most profanity-laced rant against any team's fans. For the entire rant, both printed and sound-wise, I invite you to check out...

http://www.leeelia.com/

And for the story behind the outburst, check out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Elia

All of this almost pales in comparison to what Avril Lavigne said. She was performing at a Tampa Bay Rays' postgame concert Saturday when technical difficulties intervened. When Rays' fans in attendance began to boo the glitches, Lavigne went into her own profanity-laced tirade over the mike. Rays' management profusely apologized for the incident...

Our BSNM (Biased Sports News Media) cannot see the forest with the trees. For my two-part explanation, I invite you to check out...

http://www.voy.com/222481/

And, remember...it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

MIKE BROWN--FROM THE FRYING PAN INTO THE LA-LA LAND FIRE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2011 -- Skitter-skatter-skimming while wondering whatever happened to the Wild-Cats,,,

Mike Brown, Los Angeles Laker head coach.

You could've fooled me!

Yeah, but does Mike Brown know what he's getting into? He moves up from the 17th ranked radio-TV market (Cleveland-Akron) to the second. He moves up from a team that's never won an NBA title (the Cavaliers) to one that's won 16, one behind the record set by the Boston Celtics. And he's only replacing Phil Jackson, who owns the most NBA titles as a coach with 11. Remember what happened to the last person to follow Phil Jackson as a coach? It was Rudy Tomjanovich. Rudy T. didn't even last a season. He stepped down after 41 games in 2004, citing health issues. I think he was totally stressed out.

Remember what happened to Mike Brown in his last season as Cavalier coach? The team had the league's best record, then fizzled in the playoffs. No way will the spoiled Laker fans tolerate that kind of season. When it comes to basketball, a lot of people in la-la land are spoiled. When the nomadic Larry Brown (no relation ,BTW) took over at UCLA in 1979, he couldn't get seated at his new office's desk. There was something stuck underneath the desk where one's feet would be. It was a Pacific Ten league championship trophy.

Mike Brown's going to find out quickly how different a Laker home game is compared to a Cavalier home game. At your typical Laker home game, there's tons of entertainment people, particularly actress Dyan Cannon and actor Jack Nicholson. Lotsa glamour. Lotsa pressure. Plus, this is a Laker team that's getting older with virtually all of its starters in their 30's. The Lakers need to get younger in the off-season. Landing Dwight Howard would be a good start. Stay tuned...

Sad news in the world of baseball. Paul Splittorff, who won the most games in Kansas City Royal history (166) plus spent nearly a quarter of a century as the team's broadcaster, died this morning (5/25/11) at his Blue Springs, Missouri home. He was 64. His battle against oral cancer and melanoma hadn't become public until nine days ago. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Paul during my sports writing career in the 1970's. He was a total gentleman you couldn't help but love and respect. He'll be truly missed...

Big-time congrats to 2011 American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. Terrific voice...almost certain to click big-time in country music circles. But will he cross over and succeed with adult music listeners outside of country radio? And in the world of top 40 radio? Stay tuned...

The Wild-Cats were a one-hit wonder act. In 1959, they reached #65 on the Cash Box pop chart with their only hit. Its title was "Gazachstahagen."...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

WHO IS PIPPA MANN? READ ON!!!

MONDAY, MAY 23, 2011 -- Skimmerscattering while wondering whatever happened to...Leroy Fick.

Who is Pippa Mann?

That's what I thought.

And you have our BSNM (Biased Sports News Media) to thank.

Pippa Mann is not a rock group.

Pippa Mann is not a European basketball player waiting to be picked in next Month's NBA draft.

Pippa Mann IS European.

But Pippa Mann isn't a man.

Pippa Mann is a woman.

But not just any woman.

Pippa Mann is a British woman race car driver. This past weekend, Pippa Mann made history. She became the first British woman to ever qualify for the Indianapolis 500. So what if she's in the last row? She STILL made history that our BSNM missed the boat and dropped the ball on.

Why? Because the BSNM chose to make a big deal out of the racer who Sunday qualified for the Indy 500 after failing to qualify Saturday for the top 24. No need to mention her name. You know her name. What you may not know is that she's on a streak...having gone SEVENTY straight auto races without a victory. Her racing record that dates back to 1999? One win in 165 races (1-164). OK, OK, I've said enough...except for one thing. If you want to read my various vents as well as those of others, check out this web site...

http://www.voy.com/222481/...(Want to post a vent yourself? Be my guest!)

Leroy Fick, 59, of Auburn, Michigan, won $2 million on a TV lottery show almost a year ago (June, 2010). Guess what he's still doing? Applying for and RECEIVING food stamps! Don't ask me how, but he's eligible. He told a Saginaw TV station, "If you're going to try to make me feel bad, you're not going to do it."...

This headline really happened...

"Mother's Day Rectal And Tea"

(I think they meant to say "recital")...

Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of "Hands Across America." On May 25, 1986, about six and a half million people formed a hands-holding line that stretched across the entire USA...

Finally, remember how we heard about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sense of entitlement? How he wants a statue of himself in front of the building where his former team (the Lakers) plays? Kareem's popping off led to this letter to the Los Angeles Times sports department...

“I don’t blame Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for thinking he deserves a statue outside of Staples Center. I’m pretty sure all of the current players already have them. I know because I saw the statues on TV last week playing defense against Dallas.”,,,

Just remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

KAREEM WANTS A STATUE OF HIMSELF...DOES CHUBBY CHECKER STILL WANT ONE?

FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2011 -- Scatterskimming some more while wondering whatever happened to the Rationals...

All the Los Angeles Lakers want is a new coach. All former Laker center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wants is a statue of himself in front the Lakers' building, the Staple Center.

Welcome to la-la land. Ever since the Lakers' embarrassing NBA sweep by the Dallas Mavericks, seemingly all the la-la land media has to write about is speculation over the new Laker coach to replace the retiring Phil Jackson. Since the Lakers aren't playing, there's even time to hear Abdul-Jabbar air his dirty laundry over what he feels is a lack of respect shown by the Lakers. And, hey, while you're at it, Lakers, how 'bout a statue for Kareen? He WANTS one! Which reminds me...

About 10 years ago, Chubby Checker wrote an open letter to the entertainment industry saying he would refuse induction into the Rock And Roll of Fame if the Cleveland-based building didn't erect a statue of him in the front courtyard. The performer most famous for the greatest dance single of all time, "The Twist," still hasn't been voted into the rock hall. In defense of Chubby, I find it highly unlike him to make such a demand. I had the pleasure of interviewing him in 1977. He was just wonderful, especially when you consider that when I called him at his Lorain, Ohio, hotel, I accidently woke him up from a nap. He STILL did the interview. I still hope Chubby will make the rock hall and put aside his statue request. "The Twist" is the only single to have made #1 on the pop chart in two separate chart runs (September, 1960 and early 1962). He also had a plethora of 1960's dance hits like "Let's Twist Again," "Pony Time," "Limbo Rock," "The Fly," "The Huclkebuck" and "Let's do The Freddie."...

There's a familiar name in the letters section of the latest Sports Illustrated. If you're not an SI subscriber, you can check out that letter at...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1185980/index.htm

The Rationals were a garage-band kind of group from Ann Arbor who reached #80 with perhaps the rockingest version of the song "Respect" that you've probably never heard. The Rationals' version of "Respect' came about a year after it was first released by the man who wrote it, the late great Otis Redding, and about eight months before Aretha Franklin turned it into a #1 classic...

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers own the first overall pick in next month's NBA draft via the league's draft lottery, they have to make that choice count. The Cavaliers don't want to repeat the mistake made by the Portland Trail Blazers with the #1 overall pick in 1972. Center LaRue Martin of Loyola of Chicago is still touted as the worst #1 overall NBA draft pick in history. The vast majority of the sports news media say the Cavaliers will select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving. However, I have my concerns. Irving missed 26 Duke games last season due to a nasty toe injury. Is Irving injury-prone? Stay tuned...

Cher turns 65 today. Others blowing out the candles today are former Minnesota Viking coach Bud Grant (84), former Go-Go Jane Wiedlin (53), Susan Cowsill (52) and Jayson Werth (32)...

On Tuesday at my local gas pump, the price went down from $4.19 to $4.15 a gallon...

Remember, it's only rock and roll, but I like it.

***

GOOD NEWS--AT MY NEAREST GAS PUMP!!!

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the Voxpoppers...

Good news at my nearest gas pump. You should check yours out. I checked mine Friday...and it was $4.25 a gallon. But instead of filling up with a mere quarter of a tank empty, I decided to wait and see if the price may come down as I suspected it might. It turns out I was right. On Saturday, it was $4.19. Six cents less in just one day. So much for the dumb-dumb news media saying we'd reach $5 a gallon by this summer..

When you and I have a bad day, almost nobody knows it or even notices it. But when you're a dh-catcher for the New York Yankees and have a bad day, everybody knows it and/or notices it. Jorge Posada had a bad day Saturday. Perhaps you heard. Mired in a slump (.165 and oh-for-24 vs. lefties), Posada was relegated to batting ninth and last in the lineup card vs. the Boston Red Sox Saturday. Well before the game's start and after finding out his place in the lineup, Posado begged out of the game to Yankee manager Joe Girardi. Girardi obliged, replacing Posada with Andruw Jones.

Nearly forgotten in the controversy was Posada's ailing back. Still, the Posada-Girardi meeting may have been heated. Whatever the case, Posada profusely apologized to Girardi today. Apology accepted. Ditto with Yankee management. Time to move on. Shame on the sports news media for insinuating that Posada was guilty of insubordination. No way. Posada has almost never been a problem player. Admittedly, he was fined $2500 by major league baseball for his part in a 2009 brawl vs. Toronto but that's minor stuff. Anyone who's played over 1700 games in 16 big league seasons--all with the Yankees--deserves a break. Posada turns 40 on August 17...

There really was a vocal group called the Voxpoppers. I can still remember them singing their only Top 40 hit, the #17-peaking "Wishing For Your Love" on a Dick Clark-hosted Saturday night "American Bandstand" show. Fittingly, while lip-synching to their hit, one member tossed a coin into a wishing well....

Kudos to the Chicago Bulls for beating the Miami Heat, 103-82, in the NBA Eastern Conference finals series game one. My battle cry for the NBA season all along has been "anybody but the Heat."...

***

JOHN WALKER, LEAD SINGER? NOT!

TUESDAY, MAY 10, 2011 -- More scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Jump 'N The Saddle...

A quick update and correction regarding John Walker of the Walker Brothers who died of cancer recently. My obituary said he was the Walker Brothers' lead singer. I was led to believe that he was lead singer because one story called him the group's "frontman." Sometimes the frontman isn't the lead singer as in this case. A big thank you to oldies Expert and DJ Ronnie Allen of Pennsylvania for catching my goof!

Actually, it was Scott Engel, who changed his name at least professionally to Scott Walker, who sang lead vocals on "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)." Scott probably sang lead on all the other Walker Brother hits, too. THANK YOU, RONNIE. Meanwhile, I invite you to check out Ronnie's outstanding web site, complete with many outstanding interviews, at...

http://www.jerseygirlssing.com/RonnieRadioPage.htm#Ronnie%20Allen...

In the This-Was-Really-A-Headline Department:

"Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife And Daughter"...

Telling statistic of the day: In the Dallas Mavericks' 122-86 season-ending rout of the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, the Mavs had more assists (32) than the Lakers had baskets (31).

It was a nasty weekend for the Lakers. The day before his last NBA game as a coach, Phil Jackson was fined $35,000 for comments regarding NBA officiating. Then the day of the game, the L.A. Times played down an ugly rumor about Kobe Bryant's wife causing the breakup between forward Gau Gasol and his girlfriend. Kobe said the two women barely know each other. Pau called the whole thing "lies." Kobe said there was no rift between him and Pau.

This isn't the first time Mrs. Bryant has been the subject of Laker controversy. In late 2004, Kobe accused then teammate Karl Malone of making a pass at his wife....

Meanwhile, who'll be the next Laker head coach? Here's how I rate the candidates who were listed in today's L.A Times: 1. Kurt Rambis 2. Doc Rivers 3. Brian Shaw 4. Byron Scott 5. Jeff Van Gundy 6. Rick Adelman 7. Jerry Sloan 8. Larry Brown and 9. Mike Krzyzewski. I've always felt Rambis took the Timberwolves' job all along to groom himself to someday replace Phil Jackson. Rivers is in the last year of his contract and reportedly wants to see his son, Austin, play at Duke. But money talks. Shaw is a Laker assistant whom Kobe and others love. He has no head coaching experience, however. Scott did a masterful job of piloting the Cavaliers and has an impressive resume. He's coached 11 seasons in the NBA, led the Nets to two NBA finals and while with the Hornets won a Coach Of The Year honor. Stay tuned...

Jump 'N The Saddle was the Chicago-based group whose only hit was the 1984 #9 hit, "The Curly Shuffle." I mention this because former "Laugh In" star and still-DJ Gary Owens turns 75 today...and he succeeded in leading the campaign to give The Three Stooges a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame...

Some other recent passings: Sada Thompson, best known for her role of Kate Lawrence on the 70's TV show "Family," was 83 when she died of lung cancer about May 4; David Mason, the trumpeter on the Beatles' "Penny Lane," was 85 when he died April 29; golfer Seve Ballesteros, who won five major tournaments, was 54 when he died of a brain tumor May 7; and actress Dana Wynter was 79 when she died May 5 of congestive heart failure. Wynter was best remembered for her role in the 1956 sci-fi thriller, "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" but I loved her role as 2nd Officer Anne Davis in the 1960 British black-and-white war movie, "Sink The Bismark."

The Bismark movie was the first I recorded on VCR tape in 1980...and I own a DVD of the movie, too. I'll be watching it two weeks from Friday. Why? Because May 27 will mark the 70th anniversary of the Bismark's sinking...

Just remember, it's only rock n' roll, but I like it.

***

LAKERS--A BUSH-LEAGUE WAY TO GET SWEPT

MAY 8, 2011 -- Still more scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the Assembled Multitude...

Shame on the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only did they lose their Western Conference semifinal series to the Dallas Mavericks and get swept, they also lost their heads. It's one thing to be beaten by 36 points, 122-86. It's quite another when two of your players get ejected from the game for flagrant fouls. Lamar Odom's elbow-throwing foul at Dirk Nowitzki got him a well-deserved early shower. Forty five seconds later in the fourth quarter, Andrew Bynum was even worse, throwing an elbow into the armpit area of smallish guard Jose Barea, who was airborne en route to the basket when fouled. Barea landed awkwardly and it's a miracle he wasn't seriously hurt. Bynum then made a bigger fool of himself, taking off his jersey while leaving the court.

One ESPN announcer called Bynum's foul "one of the most bush league things I've ever seen." Yahoo called it "an ugly cheap shot." I can't disagree with either observation. Bynum should start next season on the bench courtesy of a suspension.

This wasn't exactly the way Phil Jackson had it planned in his Laker coaching swan song. I still believe the next Laker coach will be Kurt Rambis....

Who'll be the new Maryland head men's basketball coach? Not Sean Miller, who's staying at Arizona. There's a special place in my heart for Maryland. The voice of the Terps is Johnny Holliday, the former DJ at WHK/Cleveland. His unique DJ style was forever captured in the 1964 Cruisin' Series...

The Assembled Multitude had its only Top 40 hit, the #16 peaking "Overture From Tommy (A Rock Opera)" in the late summer-early fall of 1970. Hard to believe it's been 41 years...

Shame on Allen Academy of Bryan, Texas. First, the private high school had the nerve to hire Dave Bliss as its basketball coach and administrator. Bliss, you may recall, was the center of a huge controversy at Baylor University circa 2003. He was caught on tape trying to cover up NCAA rules violations by lying about a murdered player. Bliss said the murdered player was a drug dealer. At Allen Academy, Bliss has allegedly illegally recruited three players. In one case, Bliss allegedly forged the signature of a higher-up on a transfer form. Allen Academy's state association ruled that Bliss must be suspended for a year while the school itself must serve two years probation.

However, Allen Academy found a way for none of those punishments to happen. How? By leaving the state association that handed down the punishments...and electing to join ANOTHER. Nice way to teach the Allen Academy students things like fair play, honesty and ethics, eh?...

My web site invites you to visit the continuing countdown feature. We're in the top 5 of my rankings of the top 40 movie songs of all time. Once that countdown's completed, we immediately dive into the Top 40 Summer songs of all time. Enjoy! BTW, my web site address in case you need it is...

https://www.angelfire.com/music4/at40coc/

***

JACKIE COOPER--MEMORIES OF PERRY WHITE, OUR GANG AND MISS CRABTREE....

FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011 -- More scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to First Choice...

Long-time actor Jackie Cooper died the age of 88 Tuesday, May 3, 2011. Many of you will remember him as portraying Daily Planet Editor Perry White in the four Christopher Reeve-starring "Superman" movies in the late 70's and early 80's. My favorite Jackie Cooper memory, though, goes back 81 years to the 1930 Our Gang episode entitled, "Teacher's Pet." Jackie would've been seven or eight years old and he played the role of the mischief-filled kid who was planning a lot of pranks for the new teacher, Miss Crabtree.

And he TOLD an attractive blond woman all about the upcoming pranks while she was giving him a ride partway to school.

You know the catch, right?

Yup, the attractive blond woman WAS Miss Crabtree!

Fully aware of what's coming---but still determined to win her new students over--Miss Crabtree (played by the late June Marlowe) quickly foils all the pranks ranging from ants to sneezing powder. Jackie and three classmates behind the pranks are suddenly told they have to go home to tend to emergency matters (which were lies that were part of the pranks). Oh, and the four are told to go home just as a nearby store is delivering and giving out cake and ice cream to all the other students. Eventually, the four misbehaving boys are at the school house front steps and furilous at Jack for spilling the beans. Wanting that cake and ice cream very badly, three of them quickly go back into the school to admit their wrongdoings. But not Jackie. "I'm too ashamed," he says.

Totally beside himself, Jackie goes to sit under a nearby tree and starts crying over the whole thing. That's when Miss Crabtree comes to the rescue. She comes out of the school house door. She's carrying something. A plate of cake and plate of ice cream for Jackie...

Believe it or not, I WATCHED that very Our Gang episode this morning. It's one of 48 in a DVD boxed set of Little Rascals' shorts. Ah, the memories of days gone by....

Best American Idol Wednesday night performance...by far, Haley Reinhart's rendition of "House Of The Rising Sun." Remember the name Jacob Lusk. Although he was voted off the Idol island, he's got a great Luther Vandross-like voice...and a promising future...

The biggest sports story out here in la-la land isn't the bumbling Lakers. Or the inept Dodger front office. Instead, it's Dodger outfielder Andre Ethier. He's on a 29-game hitting streak. Just past the halfway mark of Joe DiMaggio's historic 56-game hitting streak of 70 years ago. Remember which team stopped DiMaggio's hitting streak? Yup, the Cleeeeeveland Indians!

First Choice was an R&B group best known for its crossover pop hit, "Armed And Extremely Dangerous." The song reached #19 around March, 1973, on the Cash Box pop chart...

Elvis has left the first name building. For 55 straight years, Elvis was among the top 1,000 popular baby names though the King of Rock and Roll's first name never got higher than #312 The streak just ended for this year. When Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue discovered this, he pointed out, "I was all shook up."...

Believe it or not, Wednesday (May 4, 2011) marked the TENTH anniversary of the infamous incident where Robert Blake was accused of murdering Bonny Lee Bakley. I only live about 2-3 miles from the restaurant where it all happened. Today, the former Baretta star is 77 years old and broke. He was acquitted of murder but in a civil trial was found to have "intentionally caused" Bakley's death in a civil. The $30 million in damages would eventually be cut in half to "only" $15 million...and that's after his trial cost him $10 million in lawyer fees. Blake declared for bankruptcy five years ago and last year was hit with a state tax lien for $1.1 million...

Can you imagine a major league baseball player hitting at least one home run in every inning from the first through the SIXTEENTH? It's been done, but only by one player. He turns 80 today. Yup, the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays.

***

RASHARD MENDENHALL--WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Sounds Of Sunshine...

The biggest sports news story from Tuesday was, hands down, Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rashard Mendenhall's ridiculous comments regarding Sunday's killing of Osama bin Laden. Needless to say, our nation's weekday newspaper didn't think so, burying that news item at the bottom of sports page two. USA Today's biggest sports story today? Oh, a feature on archery.

ARCHERY!

Meanwhile...

How can ANYBODY question whether or not Osama bin Laden was the mastermind of the 9/11/01 tragedy? And question whether or not hijacked airplanes caused the World Trade Center collapse? And criticize people who cheered bin Laden's death? Mendenhall did...and for all that, he's the clear cut leader for the 2011 Sports Foot In Mouth Award. In his defense, Mendenhall has since halfway apologized for his remarks. "I'm not in support of bin Laden or against the USA," he said. "And I understand how devastating 9/11 was to this country."

Mendenhall wouldn't back down on his feelings about bin Laden's death, calling it "Murder."

Honest...

Sounds Of Sunshine was a one-hit wonder group. Forty years ago this month, the Sounds Of Sunshine reached #40 with "Love Means (You Never Have To Say You're Sorry)"...

I cannot begin to tell you my total disappointment with Shin-Soo Choo. For the uninformed, he plays right field for my Cleveland Indians baseball team and is among the team's top players. When you're among a team's top players, you act like it OFF the field. On Monday, Choo DID NOT. He was arrested and charged with suspicion of drunken driving. His blood-alcohol level was .201, which is more than twice the Ohio legal limit of .08. This comes after Sports Elevated ran a lengthy feature on him. And guess who's on the cover of the latest USA Today Sports Weekly tabloid?...

Finally, we're about three weeks away from the 25th anniversary of "Hands Across America." On Sunday, May 25, 1986, about six and a half million people formed an unbreakable hand-holding line across the USA from Los Angeles to New York City. Plus, some $34 million was raised to fight homelessness and hunger. Remember the song of the same title by the benefit group Voices Of America? Probably not, since the song only reached #78 on the Cash Box pop chart...but here's how it sounded...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKigJImnWCQ

ENJOY!

***

OWEN MARECIC--BROWNS FANS (ESPECIALLY THE DOG POUND) WILL LOVE HIM

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Get Wet...

Trust me, Browns fans, you and the Dog Pound will absolutely fall in love with Owen Marecic. He was the Browns' fourth round draft choice out of Stanford...and he's two players for the price of one. Two-way players are commonplace in high school football...but in Division I college football? Now THAT'S a rarity. Owen Marecic is right out of the Chuck Bednarik School Of Two-Way Football, playing fullback on offense and linebacker on defense. Against Notre Dame, he scored a TD rushing...and another TD on a pass interception. All within a span of about 13 playing seconds...

For the uninformed, Chuck Bednarik was the last NFL player to play two ways, center and linebacker. He last played in 1962 for the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him first in 1949. At last check, he's still alive today at age 86...

The Browns' first three draft choices were all problem children in college. One was thrown out of Penn State for fighting, another threw somebody through a glass door of a jewelry store and still another didn't even play last season for accepting illegal gifts from agents....

Get Wet was actually a singing group. Their lone hit, "Just So Lonely," reached #51 on the Cash Box pop chart about 30 years ago...

Sad news from out here in la-la land. Yvette Vickers, a former Playboy playmate and actress, was found dead at her Benedict Canyon home recently. She was 82. She co-starred in two late 1950's horror movies, "Attack Of The 50-Foot Woman" and "Attack Of The Giant Leeches",,,

Can you imagine what would've happened had the USA HADN'T killed Osama Bin Laden? Countless millions of dollars would've had to have been spent on security alone had there been some kind of trial. And what USA lawyer would have been crazy enough to defend him? We'd've probably had to spent a few more millions on attorneys from the other side of the world....

Willie Mays, the Say Hey Kid, turns 80 this week. Among the other celebrity birthdays this week...Lesley Gore (65), Engelbert Humperdinck (75), Jimmy Ruffin (72), Bob Seger (66), Peggy Santiglia of the Angels (67), Jackie Jackson (60) and Frankie Valli (74). And in about three weeks, we'll celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Hands Across America." Time flies...

....

YOUR JUSTICE SYSTEM AT WORK--INCREDIBLE GALL INCLUDED!!!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Claudine Clark...

My good friend, Matt Wilson, once said there's no end to people's gall. He's not kidding. Consider the case of Muneerah Al-Tarrah. She's 28 and living in Kuwait instead of a prison cell. Six years ago in 2005, she had a blood alcohol content more than double the legal limit when she slammed her vehicle into a motorcycle that instantly killed Todd DeGain. She fled the scene. Later, during the complicated legal proceedings, she fled the USA for her native country of Kuwait. From Kuwait, she actually had the nerve and gall to request to a judge that she be able to travel to London to seek psychiatric help without fear of arrest.

JUST IN TIME TO ATTEND FRIDAY'S ROYAL WEDDING, TOO!!!

Oh, and she swears she'll return to the Phoenix area to face the music...and a long prison sentence.

Honest, she says she will.

No word on whether the request was granted...The story I read said the judge was actually CONSIDERING APPROVING this crook's request. Honest...

Claudine Clark recently turned 70. She had a #6 hit on the Cash Box pop chart in the summer of 1962 with "Party Lights." It was her only hit single and she used the proceeds from it to start a school designed to help the less fortunate ghetto kids of Philadelphia....

We've had at least four recent passings in the world of music and sports. Phoebe Snow, most famous for her 1975 hit "Poetry Man," died Tuesday, April 26, at the age of 60. Tom King, the guitarist of the Outsiders who co-wrote the group's 1966 breakthrough hit, "Time Won't Let Me," died Saturday, April 23, 2011, at a Wickliffe, Ohio, nursing home. For more on these two passings, check out this site's message board under "latest news.". Meanwhile, Jim Mandich died Tuesday, April 26, of cancer. He was 62. Mandich was a standout tight end for Solon (Ohio) High School, the University of Michigan and the Miami Dolphins. He played for the NFL's only undefeated team, the 17-0 1972-73 Dolphins. Plus, he was one of the Dolphins' radio announcers.

Also, legendary men's college basketball coach Beryl Shipley was 84 when he died of cancer on April 15, 2011. He was Louisiana-Lafayette's winningest coach with 293 wins along with two NCAA tournament appearances. He's profiled in the latest Sports Illustrated for his being the first coach at a major university in the south to openly recruit blacks starting in the mid-60's. I can't recommend enough that you read the story of this unique coach. His school, then known as Southwestern Louisiana, saw its men's basketball program get the death penalty following his resignation in 1973.

I had the pleasure of receiving a marvelous letter from Beryl Shipley. I got in touch with his daughter via e-mail requesting more information over an infamous quote attributed to her dad....and dad responded with a letter to me via snail mail. I still have that letter. Late in the 1972-73 season, Shipley was frustrated with the politics of his school's league, the Southland Conference. So, Shipley called the conference "A Mickey Mouse League" to a sports writer, who in turn quoted Shipley in a subsequent story. Southland Conference officials were outraged...and eventually Shipley was forced to resign.

At his press conference announcing the resignation, Shipley was asked if he'd apologize for anything controversial he'd said.

Shipley said he would apologize.

But only to one person.

Who?

Give up?

MICKEY MOUSE!!!!

The NFL draft starts soon...but it's hard to get psyched up for it because of the NFL's lockout mess. Can NFL teams sign or trade players now that a judge has overturned at least temporarily the lockout? What if there's a strike that wipes out the 2011-12 season? If that happens, will they HAVE an NFL draft in April, 2012? If so, how will they figure out the draft order? Just a few questions that I'm asking aloud...and there's one more...

Who will fall down into the lower half of the NFL draft's first round? And maybe into the second round? I think it'll be DE Da'quan Bowers, who has a bad knee. QB Jake Locker and DE Robert Quinn may fall down the draft boards, too. Locker has accuracy issues with his passes. Quinn had to sit out the 2010 season after receiving improper benedits. Plus, Quinn has a tumor near his spine. Ouch...

***

DODGERS MISMANAGEMENT--HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the disco group Eruption...

While working with "American Top 40," I saw my share of mismanagement. There was the ABC-New York worker who commandeered a number of valuable computer diskettes during a 1992 visit to ABC-Watermark in la-la land when a major computer switch happened. Those diskettes were never seen again. Three years of valuable computer data entry covering at least 6,000 hours of work...all down the drain.

Oh, and then there was the person who, in his thinking, surmised that the editing of then-AT40 host Shadoe Stevens' natural pauses would help make the show move faster. "That," observed AT40 co-founder Don Bustany, "is the idiocy of one person."

So why should I be surprised that the Los Angeles Dodgers are suddenly owner-less because Major League Baseball told owner Frank McCourt to get lost Wednesday? MLB has taken over day-to-day operations of the team. Surprised? Don't be. After all...according to the Los Angeles Daily News...

* -- Frank McCourt is $430 million in dept.

* -- Frank McCourt tried to obtain a $200 million loan from Fox earlier this year. Bud Selig, the MLB comish, denied permission on it.

* -- The IRS is investigating how and why McCourt and his then-wife took $145 million from the team.

* -- The last straw? Oh, probably the mere $30 million loan McCourt obtained from the Fox network last week.

* -- So he could make the players' payroll.

All of the above on top of the opening day disaster when a San Francisco Giants' fan was beaten nearly to death by two Dodger fans.

We've had teams facing similar edicts from above. In recent years, it's happened to the defending American League champion Texas Rangers and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals team. It's also happened to in the NBA with the New Orleans Hornets and my own Cleeeeeveland Cavaliers. In 1980, the Cavs were so mismanaged by the late Ted Stepien that all team trades had to first be approved by the NBA higher-ups.

What makes THIS latest move so stunning is that it happened to the five-time World Serious championship franchise Dodgers. In la-la land, only the Lakers have more interest and fan appeal.

Ironically, this all came down Wednesday (April 20, 2011) on Dodger manager Don Mattingley's 50th birthday. However, he's probably considering the whole thing as a great birthday present. Certainly many Dodger fans feel the same way. One of them, Alexander Mendoza, said, "For us fans, it's like 'Thank God.' Ever since he (McCourt) took over, he's been spending the money on other things." Stay tuned...

Eruption had a #19 hit in 1978 with "I Can't Stand The Rain." This reminds me of the day in 1990, when my best friend and AT40 co-worker Matt Wilson were having fun compiling a pretend list of confirmees for a 20th anniversary AT40 event thought up by an ABC higher up. "I want a list of EVERY act that's EVER had a hit heard on AT40 so we can invite them to a 20th anniversary party." Another example of mismanagement. The party never happened. "Where were they going to have that party, the Rose Bowl?" someone asked. Anyway, Matt and I shared the same office. He hang up the phone one day in 1990 and said, "That was the group Eruption. They 'confirmed' for the party...but they were complaining about the weather."...

How 'bout those fans at California-Berkeley. Four teams were going to be eliminated unless enough money was raised by fans...and they DID it! Baseball and three other sports were saved when NINE MILLION DOLLARS was raised...Enjoy the sports silence this weekend. My two least favorite sports personalities are taking the Easter Weekend off. You could say they take every weekend off what with their combined record of 3-222. To enjoy my rants as well as others directed to the world's undeserving people, check out http://www.voy.com/222481/

***

MY RULING--NO NFL DRAFT UNTIL THERE'S A CBA SETTLEMENT!

FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2001 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Shana...

OK, I'm no judge. But if I was, here's what I would hand down to the NFL owners and players in their never-ending lockout standoff....

"OK, fellas, I hereby rule that there's no NFL draft, period, until you two parties come up with a CBA agreement.."

You'd have a CBA agreement so quickly....

Sad news in the world of music. Randy Wood, the founder of Dot Records, the label which spawned the career of Pat Boone, has died. He was 94. For my complete obituary on Randy Wood, go to this web site at https://www.angelfire.com/music4/at40coc/...Then go to this site's message board. It's there under Latest News.

Two other passings to report. Roger Nichols, 66, died of pancreatic cancer. He gave the group Steely Dan its unique sound as an engineer. Plus, Nichols worked with John Denver, Placido Domingo, Frank Sinatra, Rickie Lee Jones, Roseanne Cash and the Beach Boys...

Gil Robbins, who turned 80 earlier this month, has passed away due to prostrate cancer. Among the mostly-folk groups he sang with were the Highwaymen, the Cumberland Three and the Belafonte Singers. Plus, he worked with Tom Paxton...

Shana was 18 in 1990 when she had a #83 hit with "You Can't Get Away." No truth to the rumor that she married Joe Na...

If you're in the mood to see my latest rants and raves against what I feel is a highly biased sports news media, then I invite you to check out this site...

http://www.voy.com/222481/

Gas is at $4.17 a gallon near me in North Hollywood. And rising seemingly by the day...

***

KOBE BRYANT AND BARRY BONDS--A TALE OF TWO JERKS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Tim Tam And The Turn-Ons...

You can now officially call Barry Bonds a convicted felon. Imagine, baseball's all-time home run hitter convicted of obstruction of justice in his grand jury perjury trial. He should NEVER be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame. In fact, if I had a choice between Pete Rose and Bonds for the Hall of Fame, I'd pick Pete Rose...

Hands down. Rose had the guts to admit he had a gambling problem. Bonds won't admit to anything. Rose led major league baseball in career hits the right way. Without taking any performance-enhancing drugs. The same can't be said of Bonds. Oh...and...

Pete Rose turns 70 Thursday....

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for calling an NBA referee a disgusting anti-gay f-word. He's lucky he wasn't suspended. And, remember, Bryant is also lucky he's not still living in a Colorado prison cell. After all, the woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her couldn't or wouldn't take the witness stand....

Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons had a minor hit record in 1966 called "Wait A Minute"...

Sadly, Friday marks the 99th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The mistakes made regarding that luxury liner's sinking were huge. For instance, not enough lifeboats. After all, they figured the Titanic couldn't be sunk. Thus, they figured they would get help from others boats and simply use what few lifeboats they had in order to transport passengers to another boat. Over 1500 passengers perished. Many froze to death in the water, which was so cold that hypothermia would set in after being in the water for 1-2 minutes.

Hindsight is always 20-20 but I believe the Titanic wouldn't have sunk if it simply met the iceberg head-on. Instead, a huge cut-gash happened...and the poor construction on the liner saw rivets pop out like nobody's business...

Oh, and the mid-90's "Titanic" movie starring Kate Winslett and Leonardo Dicaprio had a horrible mistake. Remember Dicaprio talking about Lake Wissota? Well, I've been ON Lake Wissota, located between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Part of WAYY, my then-radio station's summery Shore Patrol promotion. Anyway, Lake Wissota is a man-make lake. It wasn't completed until 1917, FIVE YEARS AFTER THE TITANIC SUNK!

***

MANNY RAMIREZ--NEVER A HALL OF FAMER

FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2011 -- You may have heard that Manny Ramirez, a lifetime .312 hitter with 555 home runs, retired from major league baseball today.

What you may not know is why.

Allow me to explain.

Sometime last month during spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramirez reportedly failed a drug test. He had also flunked a drug test in 2009 while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. For that 2009 drug test failure, he had to serve a 50-game suspension. Under Major League Baseball's ultra-tough drug prevention program, this 2011 drug test failure would've meant a 100-game suspension for Ramirez. Rather than go through THAT, Ramirez simply and abruptly announced his retirement. Maybe it was time to hang 'em up anyway. He was hitting .059 for Tampa Bay. In his major league baseball, this writer estimates that he made $221 million.

At least.

Suddenly, the Tampa Bay Rays are without the players they had projected to be their #3-4 hitters in spring training. Evan Longoria, the Rays' standout third baseman, just went on the disabled list five days ago with a strained left oblique muscle.

Nevertheless, the loss of Ramirez is baseball's gain. He wore out his welcomes in Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles. Like Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmiero, Manny Ramirez stands for major league baseball's dark steroids-plagued era. NONE of those three should be considered for entrance into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

EVER.

***

THE WORST NCAA BASKETBALL TITLE GAME? MAYBE

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Robbie Patton...

Monday night's NCAA men's basketball title game may go down in history as the most forgettable. I can think of at least 52 reasons. As in number of Butler missed shots.

And remember, Butler actually LED U-Conn at halftime, 22-19. And led by six, 25-19, to start the second half.

Then Connecticut took over with a 22-3 spurt en route to an ugly 53-41 victory.

How bad was Butler's shooting? The 18.7% shooting (12-for-64) only part of the story. After all, Butler was 9-for-33 from behind the three-point line. That means the Bulldogs were 3-for-31 from INSIDE the three-point line. That's less than 10 per cent! I mean, that's 9.7 per cent. We have to go back 70 years for a game this dreadful. In the 1941 title game, Wisconsin beat Washington State, 38-34, as both teams combined to shoot 23 per cent. No individual team shooting stats could be uncovered by me. Maybe it's better that I didn't!

My favorite headline came in Sunday's Los Angeles Times: "A Two Dog Night." Get it? The Huskies vs. the Bulldogs with a takeoff on the rock band Three Dog Night.

Robbie Patton had a #26 hit in 1981 with "Don't Give It Up."...

Out here in California, gas costs over $4 a gallon. About $4.04 at last check...

The Master's Golf Tournament is about to begin, but where's Michelle Wie? She once said she wanted to play in the Masters. Honest. I think she said it before turning pro in the middle of the last decade. She couldn't have said it after turning pro, could she? Let's see, 106 tournaments and two wins. Zero wins in LPGA majors and zero top 5 finishes in her last 13 LPGA majors. And three missed cuts at LPGA majors in recent years (2007 on). It adds up to my two least favorite sports personalities having a combined record of 3-220. Mrs. Hospenthal of auto racing infamy is 1-116. Stay tuned...

***

THE BUTLER WON'T DO IT (BECAUSE U-CONN WILL, 74-71)

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to the English Congregation...

In my heart, I'd like to see Butler beat U-Conn in the NCAA Big Dance's title game Monday night. My realistic brain, though, says U-Conn will win, 74-71. So that's my prediction. U-Conn, 74-71.

U-Conn has the best player in the nation in Kemba Walker...and four key stats going for it. Huskie coach Jim Calhoun is 2-0 in NCAA men's basketball title games....

U-Conn is 13-0 in games played on neutral courts this season....and...

U-Conn is 22-0 in non-league games this season.

Oh, and U-Conn is favored by 3.5 to four points depending on which bookie you talk to.

I stand corrected regarding Butler trying to become the first mid-major school to win a men's basketball national championship. At least EIGHT schools who could be considered mid-majors have won the NCAA men's national title. My good friend, James Delach, sent me a super list. Here it is...Wyoming (1943), Utah (1944), Holy Cross (1947), CCNY (1950), LaSalle (1954), San Francisco (1955-'56, led by Bill Russell), Loyola-Chicago (1963..and coached by the legendary George Ireland) and UNLV (1990).

Thanks loads for the list, James. Likewise, I welcome hearing from any of you on my blog mailing list. My e-mail address is urkeejai@earthlink.net...

The English Congregation had a #28 hit on the Cash Box pop chart at about this time in 1972 with "Softly Whispering I Love You."...

The almost-completely-forgotten NFL lockout may be back in the news by Wednesday. That's the day we could have a key court ruling regarding the legality of the lockout. Usually the owners get the fans' support in these pro sports labor disagreements. Not this time. Many former NFL players are speaking out over the lack of health care help afforded them by their former teams. One poll got a surprising response regarding which side NFL fans were on. Eighty per cent sided with the players. Stay tuned...

Hey, how 'bout those Indians! A 7-1 win over the White Sox highlighted by a triple play!...

By far the best NFL draft publication is the booklet printed by Pro Football Weekly. It's not cheap ($20 or so) but well worth it....

***

CAN THE BUTLER DO IT? TUNE IN MONDAY NIGHT!

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Gonzalez...

We've never had a so-called Mid-Major school win the national men's basketball championship game. That is, a school from a league that's not among the so-called power conferences--Big 10, Big 12, Southeastern, Big East, Pac-10 (soon to be Pac-12) and Atlantic Coast. Butler out of the Horizon could become the first to do it Monday night (on CBS) after Saturday's 70-62 ousting of Virginia Commonwealth (a/k/a VCU) in the Final Four semifinals Saturday. History isn't on Butler's side. I mean, it's never happened before! Plus, Butler will have to beat a Connecticut team with the nation's best player in Kemba Walker. U-Conn made it to the title game after outlasting Kentucky, 56-55. Plus, U-Conn's coach, Jim Calhoun, has coached two other Huskie teams to national titles (1999 and 2004).

There's more. U-Conn has already become the first and only college to win the national women's and men's title the same season. It was first done seven years ago in 2004. And the Huskies' women's team is very strong, so the double-title-feat accomplishment could be repeated. Butler, which lost a nail-biter to Duke in last year's title game, 61-59, has the advantage of playing in last year's title game. Experience counts. However, Butler could join Ohio State, Michigan and Houston among schools to lose back-to-back title games. On the other hand, three schools which lost a national title game came back to win it the following season--North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke. Stay tuned...

OK, that announcement about my being engaged on Friday WAS an April Fool! Maybe I wrote the contrived press release too convincingly. Many of you were fooled by it...but I hope it gave y ou some good laughs...

Gonzalez was a European disco band while had a #46 Cash Box chart hit in 1979 entitled "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet." With "American Top 40," it was a #27 hit. In the spring of 1990, while I was working for ABC, I was asked to come up with a list of EVERY act to have a hit song heard on AT40 so we could invite them all to a 20th anniversary celebration party. However, my good friend on the AT40 staff, Matt Wilson, reasoned that this could never happen. So, we instead had some fun and came up with a pretend list of party confirmees. Big name acts. Like Matt's first choice on the list, Gonzalez...

Are my Cleveland Indians the worst team in major league baseball? Could be. The Tribe is already 0-2 and has given up 23 runs in two games. A 15-10 setback in the season (and home) opener followed by Saturday's 8-3 loss...but I haven't gotten to THE most discouraging and distressing fact. Here it is: Saturday's game drew only 9,853 fans. That's the lowest attendance figure for Progressive Field since it opened in 1994....and we're talking about the second game of the season and the first Saturday Indian home game. Clearly, the town of Cleveland is already turned off by the Indians. What can turn the town back on? An owner who's not afraid to spend the big bucks to bring the Indians and Cleveland enough free agents to put the team back where it belongs in the playoffs. A new owner like, say, Mark Cuban....

***

A FINAL FOUR LIKE NO OTHER!

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 -- Brace yourself for a Final Four like no other next weekend. For the first time since seedings began for the Big Dance in 1979, we won't have a #1 or a #2 seed participating in men's college basketball's grand finale weekend. And we'll have a mid-major team in the national championship game on Monday night for the second year in a row. For the uninformed, a "mid-major" is a team from a conference other than the so-called top-level top-notch power conferences (the Big 10, The Big 12, the Pac-10, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern and the Big East).

Each team has a uniqueness about it. To wit...

For instance, U-Conn (Connecticut) was only a .500 team in its league, the Big East (which had 11 teams in the Big Dance). Imagine, a ninth place team in the Final Four....but suffice to say that the Big East is college basketball's toughest league. Oh, and the Huskies' coach, Jim Calhoun, will be suspended for the first three league games in the next (2011-12) season. Cheating.

Meanwhile, Kentucky coach John Calipari is taking his third school to the Final Four. However, his previous two schools (Memphis, U-Mass) both had their Final Fours vacated by the NCAA. Translations: Both U-Mass and Memphis had their Final Four's eliminated from their record books due to cheating scandals. In defense of Calipari, he wasn't implicated in either school's wrongdoings. Kentucky's in its first Final Four in 13 years. Its center, Josh Harrellson, wasn't even considered a starter when the season began. Last weekend, he was a huge reason why Kentucky ousted Ohio State, 62-60, by holding his own against Buckeye star Jared Sullinger. U-Conn won the Big East tournament with five wins in five days. Nine wins in 19 days hasn't worn this team down yet.

Butler came within a half-court Gordon Hayward shot at winning it all last season, falling to Duke instead, 61-59. Ironically, the Bulldogs were on the so-called "bubble" late in the regular season. Most observers rated Butler an 11th seed if it made the 68-team field at all as an at-large team. As it turned out, Butler won its league tournament (the Horizon) to automatically qualify. Imagine, an 8th seed from the #11 league in the country making it to the Final Four. Before the Big Dance began, Butler's odds of winning it all were 150-1.

VCU, a/k/a Virginia Commonwealth, had even bigger odds against it when the tournament began. 400-1. Many of the so-called sports smarts felt VCU didn't even belong in the 68-team field since it couldn't win its league tournament. The Colonial league is only a notch better than the Horizon as the #10 league in the USA. Despite having one of the worst rebounding teams in the country (minus 3.7), VCU continues to defy the odds. The first team to win three tourney games to make the Sweet 16. The first team to win four tournament games to make the Elite Eight. The first team to win five tourney games to make the Final Four...and with a 10-point win over a first-seed, Kansas!

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OHIO STATE--TOTALLY OUTCOACHED; KANSAS--IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Nikki....

How does a men's college basketball team with four experienced seniors, three of them starters, a freshman starter who's probably an NBA lottery-pick-to-be and 34 victories wind up losing?

When it's outcoached.

I defy anyone to come with a better explanation as to how Ohio State was ousted by Kentucky, 62-60, in the Big Dance East regional semifinals tonight. Buckeye coach Thad Matta was clearly outcoached by the Wildcats' John Calipari. Kentucky controlled the game's tempo to its liking, made seemingly all of the big plays and got a stellar game from senior center Josh Harrellson. Ohio State did nothing to change the tempo. No full court press. No fast break baskets. And a whole less three's than the previous game against George Mason.

With the Buckeyes joining Duke and Pittsburgh as #1 seeds ousted, it means the 2011 NCAA men's basketball championship is there for Kansas to win. So far, it's been a cakewalk for the Jayhawks but I hesitate to say it'll continue with Sunday's regional title game vs. VCU (Virginia Commonwealth). VCU is this year's George Mason and its Cinderella run through the Big Dance should end. But don't tell VCU that. Imagine, VCU, a 72-71 overtime winner over Florida State tonight, is the first team to make the Sweet 16 with three wins. Now, it's the first team to make the Elite 8 and a regional title game with four wins. Do YOU know VCU's mascot?

Answer: They're the Rams.

What do Cee-lo, Enrique Iglesias and P!nk (Yes, P!nk) have in common? They have current Top 40 hits which, if you see their titles in their entirety, include the f-word or a dirivative of the f-word. That's how low today's popular music has sunk. I will spare you the three song titles....

More Big Dance trivia: Duke coach Mike Krzyzwski has 900 victories in his stellar career but how many wins does he have in Big Dance Sweet 16 West Regionals games?

None. He's 0-5...

There really was a solo man singer who just called himself Nikki. He was born Nikki Lee in Okinawa, Japan, and then raised in Dayton. In the summer of 1990, he had a #18 hit with "Notice Me." After that record, he never had another pop chart single. Nobody noticed him....

Our BSNM (Biased Sports News Media) will do anything to publicize my least favorite sports personality. All those photos, headlines and stories for someone who's been lapped 56 times in NASCAR competition, has gone 66 straight auto races without a win and owns a career 1-115 record. Today in the IRL section of Yahoo! sports, a writer came up with a photo of Mrs. 1-115 twirling a basketball in front of a Harlem Globetrotter. The writer had the gall to ask people to e-mail him captions of the photo.

So I did. With two.

"What are you doing trying out for US? We win all the time and you lose all the time."

And...

"You mean you won an IRL Rookie of the Year by beating only TWO people?"

My AT40 friend, Pete Battistini, came up with more, such as...

"Whether it's a balanced ball or an unbalanced media, I'm always in control."

"I can score more points with this than I can on a race track."

Still another AT40 friend, james Delach, may have come up with the best caption of them all...

"What are you doing trying out for US? You belong on the Washington Generals."

***

THE BIG DANCE CHAMPION? KANSAS

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011 -- More scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Trade Martin...

In the latest Sports Illustrated, writer Seth Davis predicts Kansas will win the Big Dance (NCAA Men's basketball tournament) title. I agree. Since the start of the tournament, I've said to myself that Kansas is the team to beat. My heart, however, is with Ohio State. A Kansas-Ohio State title game, I believe, will be won by Kansas. I believe the Jayhawks have better depth and play a more wide open game that'll wear down the Buceyes. Plus, Kansas has a much easier regional to win compared to Ohio State, which may struggle to beat Kentucky Friday night. If the Buckeyes win, then they will probably have to beat North Carolina Sunday. Kansas has to contend with 10th, 11th and 12th seeds in its regional.

Think you know your Beatles' music? If so, e-mail me (urkeejai@earthlink.net) and I'll send you a brain teaser of a Beatle music test. All you have to do is identify 25 Beatle songs in an mp3 montage that lasts about 25 seconds. And you never hear the Beatles themselves.. The mp3 and test are courtesy of my good friend, oldies expert Ronnie Allen.

Trivia time: Can you name the Big Ten school that's never made it to the Big Dance? (answer: Northwestern)

Trade Martin had a #39 hit in 1962 with "That Stranger Used To Be My Girl." What made the song totally unique was how it had a TUBA solo! I kid you not...

Regardless of the outcome of his perjury trial, I can't imagine Barry Bonds EVER making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He'll blame the news media, of course, but he has only himself to blame. Over the years, Bonds has alienated himself from fans outside of San Francisco and the news media with his surly attitude. Did baseball's all-time home run hitter reach that goal courtesy of steroids? You be the judge. Oh, with his 13 attorneys, how much will Bonds be spending? Millions. Remember actor Robert Blake? It took him about four years to clear himself of a murder charge. And it cost him $10 million. That's not including the $15 million he was ordered to pay when he lost a civil trial lawsuit. Gee, are you wondering why he filed for bankruptcy?...

BYU's Jimmer Fredette being compared to LSU's Pistol Pete Maravich? Really? Please! Yes, Jimmer's captured the fancy and hearts of college basketball fans with his unique scoring abilities, but that's where the comparison ends. Jimmer's averaging 27-28 points a game in an era where there's the three-point basket. Maravich averaged 44 points a game at a time when there was no three-point basket (1968-70). What would Pistol Pete's average have been with a three-point basket? Some say 57 points a game. Others say 70.

I had the pleasure of seeing Maravich play in a game PLUS saw him put on a memorable clinic, too. I wrote a story about that clinic in 1969 as a part-time writer during my Air Force years. After the story came out, one full-time writer for that paper, The Shreveport Times, muttered, "Durkee, we're PAYING you to write stories like the one you wrote about Pistol Pete. You should be paying US!"

Pistol Pete could do things with a basketball that Jimmer couldn't even think of doing. For instance, at that clinic, he did something I've never seen anyone else do. He took a basketball and held it in front of him while spreading his legs as far apart as possible. He then slammed the ball between his legs as hard as he could. What happened to the ball after it bounced onto the floor, between Pete's legs and went up into the air behind him?

HE CAUGHT THE BALL WITH HIS TWO HANDS BEHIND HIS BACK!!!

Maravich lasted 10 seasons in the NBA. Jimmer will be lucky if he lasts one, maybe two. He's short plus cannot play man-to-man defense. Watch him on defense. He's in a very lazy zone. That doesn't translate very well to the next (NBA) level.

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NFL MENTALITY--MORE TOUCHBACKS AND FEWER KICKOFFS FOR TD'S

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2011 -- Scatterskimming while wondering whatever happened to Wa Wa Nee...

In their infinite wisdom, the NFL's owners voted to move the start of kickoffs from the 30 to the 35-yard line. Unbelievable. We'll now have more touchbacks, fewer kickoff returns and even fewer kickoff returns for touchdowns. Joshua Cribbs of the Browns, one of the NFL's top kick returners and perhaps the overall champion of saying the words "you know," thinks the new rule will hurt players like him. Opinion: The NFL owners need to concentrate more on getting a CBA agreement with their players than silly rule changes...

Sadly, three more passings to report in the world of entertainment. Most of you by now know about Elizabeth Taylor, who was 79. Great actress. Plus, she supported the benefit single "What's What Friends Are For" by Dionne (Warwick) and Friends). Meanwhile, Loletta Holloway was 64 when she died Monday (March 21, 2011) after a brief illness. She was best known for singing on the 1991 #1 hit, "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch. She also had a huge disco-dance hit in 1980 with "Love Sensation."

Finally, Mark Tullin of the 60's psychedelic rock band the Electric Prunes, died of a heart attack on Saturday, February 26, 2011. He was 62. The Electric Prunes were best known for "I Had too Much to Dream (Last Night)," a #12 hit in early 1967. An Electric Prunes song, "Kyrie Ellison Mardi Gras," made the soundtrack of the 1969 movie, "Easy Rider." Tullin also served part-time duty with the group Smashing Pumpkins...

You'll never guess how many attorneys Barry Bonds has in his perjury trial. Would you believe 13?....

NCAA trivia: The only city with two schools in the Big Dance's Sweet 16 is Richmond, Va., with Richmond and VCU (Virginia Commonweath University). The schools are only about six miles apart....

More NCAA trivia: Of the 52 schools already ousted from the Big Dance, two had 30-win seasons: Utah State (30-4) and Belmont (30-5)...

Wa Wa Nee had a #35 hit in 1988 with "Sugar Free." Honest...

When it comes to basketball rules, much of the sports media doesn't get it. The flack over the five-second call late in Arizona's 70-69 win over Texas was ridiculous. Why? Because most of the news media doesn't know the rules. Yes, on a throw-in situation from a sideline, you DO have to get the ball touched by someone inbounds within five seconds. But...and this is the key...there's also the change-of-status rule that says a timeout can't be granted once 80 per cent of the count is done. Thus, if you're having trouble getting a ball in-bounds in five seconds, you CANNOT call timeout (like the Arizona player did) once the count reaches four. Likewise, if a team has a problem getting the ball across the 10-second line that divides the basketball court in half, the officials CANNOT by rule grant a timeout once the count reaches eight. Again, it's the change of status. As sports writing great Blackie Sherrod used to always say..."Look it up."...

My two least favorite sports personalities have a combined record of 3-217. Neither has ever won in the continental USA. But the unwarranted attention (stories, photos, headlines) continues. Have fun readying my rants on these two characters at...http://www.voy.com/222481/ ***

FERLIN HUSKY: 1925-2011

Ferlin Husky, who had over 50 country western hits and had three of them cross over to the pop chart, died Thursday at a Nashville area hospital, March 17, 2011. He was 85. According to The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, he had been struggling with heart problems in recent years. He had the first of many heart operations as far back as 1977, plus had at least two other surgeries in the past six years.

Ferlin Husky was best remembered in pop circles for the 1957 ballad, "Gone," which reached #6 on the Cash Box pop chart, and the #11 peaking "Wings Of A Dove" in early 1961. In between, Husky also had a Top 40 hit with "A Fallen Star," a #24 hit in 1957.

"Gone" had a uniquely-sounding ending, with a chorus singing loudly, "Now you've gone." This ending was so popular that it was played twice to end the #37 peaking "Flying Saucer The 2nd" by the duo of (Bill) Buchanan and (Dickie) Goodman, also in 1957. That novelty record followed in the footsteps of the legendary "The Flying Saucer" 1956 record that included then-current song drop-pieces that were the answers to questions.

"Flying Saucer The 2nd" was about a monster on Mars that's killed. The recording ends with a sped-up voice sounding like a martian saying, "You saved our planet...and now you're Goooooonnnnnnneeee." The word "Gone" was heard with an echo effect. Then the ending to Husky's "Gone" was heard. But once wasn't enough. Goodman then said "One more time" and the ending to the Husky hit song was heard a second and last time.

Ferlin Eugene Husky was born December 3, 1925 near Flat River, Missouri. After a stint with the Merchant Marines, he wound up performing in the Bakersfield, California, area, where Buck Owens and Merle Haggard also came from. Husky remembered singing in Bakersfield area bars. "I'd walk into a bar and if there wasn't any music playing, I'd ask the bartender if I could perform. Then I'd pass a hat around." Typically, he'd make 50 to 75 cents a night.

Husky burst onto the country music scene with a song about his World War II experiences. "A Dear John Letter" became a huge country western hit in 1953 during the Korean War. Jean Shepard sang the contents of a letter, singing how she was going to marry Husky's brother. Husky's records would sell over 20 million copies in his career.

Some tours would follow where Husky was the headline act. On at least one of those tours was a then-unknown singer named Elvis Presley. Husky remembered this about Elvis, "He was so eager to learn how to entertain an audience, he'd watch everything I did."

Haggard recalled, "There were a lot of years when nobody in the business would follow Ferlin Husky (onstage). He was the big live act of the day. A great entertainer."

A street named for Ferlin Husky exists in Leadwood, Mo., according to Wikipedia. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010. He told the AP that he was worried people would forget about him when he was inducted, noting "This is for my family and for the many people who want to see me go in there before I die. This is a great honor.

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SADLY, MORE MUSIC-RELATED PASSINGS

Ronnie Hammond, the former lead singer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section, died Monday (March 14, 2011) of a heart attack at a hospital in Forsyth, Georgia, a suburb of Macon. He was 60...and we've sadly had many pop music-related passings in recent weeks. For instance...

* -- Jean Dinning, a/k/a Jean Surrey, who wrote the #1 hit "Teen Angel," died February 22, 2011 in Garden Grove, California. She was 86. Jean and her twin sister, Ginger, were part of the 1940's group the Dinning Sisters whose hits included a version of "Buttions And Bows." Ironically, "Teen Angel" was originally sung by Jean's little brother, Mark Dinning, at a party as a joke. However, a demo recording led to some 45 rpm recordings. When publisher Wesley Rose heard one of those demos, he felt it could become a #1 hit...and was right. "Teen Angel" went to #1 in February, 1960, replacing "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston, whose March 4, 2011 death has been reviewed elsewhere.

"Teen Angel" was about a young girl getting killed by a train hitting the car that had stalled at a railroad track crossing. The girl had originally escaped from the car, but went back into it to retrieve her high school ring. "Teen Angel" would rank alongside "Tell Laura I Love Her" (Ray Peterson), "Leader Of The Pack" (the Shangri-Las), "Ebony Eyes" (the Everly Brothers), "Last Kiss" (J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers) and the infamous "I Want My Baby Back" (Jimmy Cross) as a teen tragedy hit song. Mark Dinning was 53 when he died in 1986.

* -- Bernard St. Clair Lee, an original member of the Hues Corporation of "Rock The Boat" fame, died of natural causes March 8, 2011 at his Elsinore, California, home. He was 66. "Rock The Boat" has generally been credited as the first disco song to go to #1 on the Cash Box pop chart in the summer of 1974. The group's only other top 40 hit was its followup, "Rockin' Soul," which reached #28. Sources disagree as to where the Hues Corporation got its name when it formed in 1969 in Los Angeles. Some say the group named itself after the legendary millionaire Howard Hughes while others claim it was in honor of the Los Angeles aviation firm, the Hughes Corp. Lee sang baritone for the Hues Corporation.

* -- Rick Coonce, the former drummer for the 1960-70's group the Grass Roots, died of heart failure on February 25, 2011. He was 64. The Grass Roots had 18 top 40 hits from 1966-73. The group's biggest hits were the #5-peaking "Let's Live For Today" (1967) and "Midnight Confessions" (1968). Among the Grass Roots' other hits were "I'd Wait A Million Years," "Sooner Or Later," "Heaven Knows," "Temptation Eyes," "Two Divided By Love" and the song that began with Coonce's dramatic drum beats, "Lovin' Things."

February 25, 2011 was also the day that Darryl Morden, the former writer-producer for "American Top 40," died of cancer. Darryl Morden was 52.

Hammond's passing was reported to this writer courtesy of oldies expert Ronnie Allen, who in turn found out about the passing via the Macon.com web site. Hammond was a recording engineer when he replaced Ronnie Justo as the lead singer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section around 1972, about two years after the group formed in Doraville, Georgia. Ironically, "Doraville" was the first pop chart single for the group, reaching #57 in 1974. The group's biggest hit was the #5-peaking "So Into You" in 1977.

The Atlanta Rhythm Section's only other top 10 hit was 1978's "Imaginary Lover" (#9). The group also had Top 40 hits with "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight," "Do It Or Die," "Spooky" and "Alien." Hammond left the band in the early 1980's but continued to write songs with producer Buddy Buie. He rejoined the group in 1987.

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ANNETTE'S HOUSE DAMAGED,,,HUGE NFL LABOR DAMAGE...AND A COACH SUSPENDED...

FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011 -- Scatterskimming some more...

We just called her Annette when we first saw her in the Mickey Mouse Club. Then came the Disney movies and then the beach movies with Frankie Avalon. Actress Annette Funicello's house in Encino, Califonria, was badly damaged by an early Friday morning fire. Annette suffered smoke inhalation but is otherwide believed to be OK. She's been battling MS for about a quarter of a century. Annette's house saw much it damaged by fire and/or smoke and/or water...

The NFL labor negotiations have turned ugly now that the NFL Players Association union has been decertified. Look for many ugly court cases...and maybe the courts finally deciding the next CBA agreement....

Southern California men's basketball coach Kevin O'Neill has been suspended for the rest of the Pac-10 tournament. According to news reports and message board postings, O'Neill and his wife got into a verbal altercation in a hotel lobby with an Arizona fan late Thursday night and following USC's 70-56 Pac 10 tourney win over California. O'Neill has apologized for the incident. He was a fill-in coach for Lute Olsen at Arizona and left that school under controversial circumstances....

The other la-la land men's college basketball coach, UCLA's Ben Howland, was horribly outcoached as second-seeded UCLA was ousted by seventh-seeded Oregon Thursday night, 76-59. It was UCLA's worst Pac 10 tournament loss ever. The setback featured UCLA actually being whistled for a technical foul...for having six players playing on the court after a time out. On its next possession, UCLA had a 24-second shot clock violation. Talk about a total lack of focus...

Look for the NCAA to come down hard on Ohio State's football program. Buckeye coach Jim Tressel could be suspended an additional three games. Plus, don't count out Ohio State forfeiting all its 2010-11 wins, having its scholarships reduced and even facing a bowl ban.

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THE NEWS MEDIA'S SHAMEFUL WITCH-HUNT AGAINST OHIO STATE COACH JIM TRESSEL

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011 -- It was, plain and simple, a disgraceful shameful witch-hunt against Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel.

Granted, the Buckeye coach did commit a rules violation. However, his superiors acted swiftly today in the form of a public reprimand, a $250,000 fine, a two-game suspension and mandatory attendance at a rules seminar. Plus, an apology, which everyone got and then some. Tressel was candid, honest and forthright in the hastily-called press conference. He faced the music. He admitted his mistake. What more do people want? I can't recall another instance where Tressel committed a rules violation in his 25-plus years of head coaching. Believe me, he will learn from this experience. So will his players.

Kudos to Ohio State for taking quick action and nipping this controversy in the bud. Enough already of the day-long witch-hunt which included the following...

In the Sports Illustrated si.com web site, Stewart Mandel wrote, "Revered Ohio State coach Woody Hayes' career ended abruptly with a punch. Is the Jim Tressel era about to end with a lie?" Mandell went on to say "probably not" but the damage was already done. At the top of the si.com web site page, a sub-headline said, "If true, Yahoo! report stating Jim Tressel knew about the infractions could lead to firing."...

The headline at frathousesports.com said "Trouble chart: Jim Tressel could be fired."...

At cyclonefanatic.com, the headline said "Ohio State AD calls press conference; Tressel could be done at OSU."...

And at the Wright State student newspaper web site, this headline: "Tressel to be fired?"...

If there's a lesson to be learned, remember this, which is what a co-worker told me: "Don't believe everything you read."

Shame on the news media for this disgraceful shameful witch-hunt.

*** JOHNNY PRESTON: 1939-2011

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011 -- On a sad note, the singer whom I began calling on his birthday starting about five years ago has died. Johnny Preston was 71 when he passed away on Friday, March 4, 2011. He was a remarkably wonderful man and a joy to chat with. His biggest hit was the second #1 of the 1960's, "Running Bear." For more on Johnny, I invite you to check out my tribute to him in this site's message board under "latest news."

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DARRYL, FRANK AND THE DUKE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011 -- More scatterskimming....

In 1981, Terry Cashman released his famous single, "Willie, Mickey And The Duke." The song, also known as "Talkin' Baseball," was a nostalgic look at baseball in the 1950's, when the Big Apple had three major league teams, each with a star center fielder. The New York Giants had willie Mays, the Yankees had Mickey Mantle and the Brooklyn Dodgers had Duke Snider. Sadly, Snider died Sunday. He was 84.

Sunday also was the day that Frank Buckles died. He was one of the oldest living veterans if not THE oldest at the age of 110. He was born the same day that Clark Gable was born. Buckles was a veteran survivor of World War ONE. Friday's passing of Darryl Morden was earlier reported and documented here. At my work Read-Me-Daily, I came up with the same headline as with this blog to paraphrase the Cashman song title...only it's "Darryl, Frank And The Duke"...

Virginia Tech beat Duke and Colorado upset Texas in men's college basketball action recently, but don't be surprised if both teams are left out of the Big Dance. They're too far down the RPI ratings. Both will have to win their respective league tournaments to make it to the Big Dance. Meanwhile, will Brigham Young get a first seed? Along with San Diego State? Both Mountain West teams have won their share of games, but the caliber of their schedule competition is suspect. That's why I think the top teams from the top four leagues deserve #1 seeds. Teams from the Big 10, Big 12, Big East and Atlantic Coast Conferences.,,,

Finally, my two least favorite sports personalities now have a combined record of 3-215. For more on those two characters, check out...

http://www.voy.com/222481/

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DARRYL MORDEN: 1958-2011

It is with tremendous sadness that I report that Darryl Morden died of cancer Friday night, February 25, 2011. He was 52.

Darryl was one of the brightest most creative writers I've ever met in my life. I remember in late 1992 receiving the CD single of "In The Still Of The Nite (I'll Remember)" by Boyz II Men on the Motown label...and how the label messed up with the song-writer credit. The label said the song was written by "C.Porter" as in Cole Porter.

Granted, Porter did write a song with a similar title but, as my good friend Ronnie Allen pointed out, "In The Still Of the Night" was a different song with almost the same title. When I called Motown to correct the mistake, I was pretty much blown off. So...I contacted BMI, which in turn alerted the attorney of the proper song-writer, Fred Parris of the Five Satins, about the mistake. The attorney called me in only about 15-20 minutes and, ironicallly, said he went through the same song-writing correction about Fred Parris when "In The Still Of The Night" made it onto the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack LP.

Anyway, Shadoe Stevens would go on to report how we corrected this song-writing mistake. And, in true Darryl Morden-written style, Shadoe said this was an example of "truth, justice and the American Top 40 way."

As Shadoe noted in a Facebook message board posting, "Darryl was one of the greatest, most creative, and funniest people I ever worked with and I'd hoped to do it again."

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SELFISH ARROGANT LAKERS GET THEIRS--THANKS TO THE....CAVALIERS!!!!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011 -- On Monday, Valentine's Day, two selfish arrogant organizations joined together to become even more selfish and arrogant. The Los Angeles Lakers and Time-Warner Cable announced a marriage that essentially means the NBA team will be shown almost exclusively on only a TWC-owned sports network that will eventually be born.

Actually, it'll be two sports channels stationed in la-la land. One heard in English, the other in Spanish. This is hardly your ordinary TV deal. Twenty years. Three billion bucks. About $150 million going to the Lakers per year. And where does all this money going to come from?

Everyone who has Time-Warner Cable or a satellite/dish TV package, that's who. Sports fans will have to pay dearly to see the Lakers...and even non-sports fans will be socked in their pocket books. This is a major deal that could have a ripple effect for pay-for-view TV for eons. And not for people in la-la land, but for people throughout the USA.

And it's all pure selfishness and greed. My hatred of Time-Warner Cable still exists. In the late summer of 2006, the cable TV company serving my area was called Adelphia. And what turned out to be its last day as Adelphia, it upped its rates. The next day, Adelphia became Time-Warner Cable, which had the gall to lie to me by saying "we don't plan to up our rates." But they DID up their rates the day before they became TWC! Then TWC took away the NFL network. Strange, a major cable TV company that refuses to carry the NFL network yet at the same time shells out billions of dollars for the right to own the exclusive rights to televise an NBA team's games.

I wouldn't go back to TWC if they offered it to me for free.

Yes, the Lakers ARE a unique NBA team. They're one of the most followed NBA teams, period. Yet, this major deal with TWC smells of arrogance and selfishness. Suddenly, Channel 9 in Los Angeles and Fox Sports/Los Angeles are suddenly tolOne of the key behind-the-scenes people behind the birth of "American Top 40" was born 86 years ago Saturday. Ron Jacobs (a/k/a RJ) was 79 when he died March 8, 2016 but his contributions to AT40's birth should never be overlooked or forgotten.

For one thing, RJ saw the unique talent Casey Kasem had during the 1960's. So much so, that even though Casey was at a competing radio station (KRLA), RJ still wanted him on HIS station (KHJ). It never happened, but something even better developed. When RJ was working at a struggling Watermark alongside Tom Rounds, he knew Casey's 1969 phone call about the idea of a nationally syndicated countdown show was something that would work.

The reason why RJ knew was because of his station's highly successful "History Of Rock And Roll" marathon that aired earlier in 1969. RJ knew that people enjoyed hearing the biography information included in "The History Of Rock And Roll," so hearing the same kind of thing during a countdown show would be successful.

RJ was the one who went to Dallas to get the AT40 jingle package finalized. He devised the basic hourly music and show scheduling idea. And he helped get AT40 a chart to go by with the deal he helped make with Billboard magazine.

RJ has always taken little credit for the start of "American Top 40." Not long after the show started, he moved on to other radio and production projects. One of his best was the legendary "Cruisin' Series." Perhaps you still have the vinyl albums of the series from 1955 to 1967. With each year, you felt like you were in that year because of the music, commercials, station jingles and the DJs' voices. Those albums weren't tapes of stations from those years. They were carefully put together recreations.

Another of RJ's projects was "The Elvis Presley Story," a series which began in 1971 with 12 hours. It was released in the mid-70's and again in 1977 after Elvis died. The 1977 version had an extra (or, 13th) hour added. And let's not forget that RJ was the man behind the Boss Radio sound that began in the mid-1960's.

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