December 23, 2023

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Spotlight: "Christmas Special"

Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

Playlist

·     songs with * were requests

·     all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted

·     a glossary of terms is below the playlist

6:00 - 7:00

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix) 

*What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder (1967: a request from last week's show with JS)

Jingle Jangle - The Penguins (1955: doo-wop group famous for their hit "Earth Angel")

Beatles Christmas Message 1963 - The Beatles produced one of these each year for members of their fan club. This was the first.

White Christmas - The Drifters (1954: featuring Clyde McPhatter singing tenor and Bill Pinckney singing bass)

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - The Harmony Grits (1959: group's name was a play on hominy grits)

Papa Noel - Brenda Lee (1958: song was released as the flip side of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree")

Beatles Christmas Message 1964

Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without the One You Love) - The O'Jays (1973: seasonal offering by the group from Canton, Ohio)

Song for a Winter's Night - Gordon Lightfoot (1975: Lightfoot re-recorded this and many of the other songs on his "Gord's Gold" LP; original version is from 1967)

Frosty the Snowman - Fats Domino (1993: though from 1993, song has an 'oldie' sound)

The 12 Gifts of Christmas - Allan Sherman (1963: Sherman had a big hit with "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" in the summer of '63)

45 Corner

Christmas for Cowboys - John Denver (1975 - #58: from his LP "Rocky Mountain Christmas")

It's Christmas Once Again - Frankie Lymon (1957: Lymon had broken with his backing group The Teenagers in September of '57)

*It Doesn't Have to Be That Way - Jim Croce (1973 - #64: a song about lost love during the Christmas season)

Beatles Christmas Message 1965

The Birthday Calendar

December 17:

Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations) - b. 1939

Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company) - 74

December 18:

[Bryan] Chas Chandler (The Animals) - b. 1938

Sam Andrew (Big Brother and the Holding Company) - b. 1941

Bobby Keys (session sax player) - b. 1943

Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones) - 80

December 19:

"Little" Jimmy Dickens - b. 1920

Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) - b. 1944

Zal Yanovsky (The Lovin' Spoonful) - b. 1944

John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) - 78

December 20:

Kim Weston - 84

Robert "Bobby" Colomby (Blood, Sweat & Tears) - 79

Peter Criss (Kiss) - 78

Stevie Wright (The Easybeats) - b. 1948

December 21:

Ray Hildebrand (Paul & Paula) - b. 1940

Carl Wilson (The Beach Boys) - b. 1946

December 22:

Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins - b. 1921

Colin "Barry" Jenkins (The Animals) - 79

Robin & Maurice Gibb (The BeeGees) - b. 1949

December 23:

Jorma Kaukonen - 83

Ron Bushey (Iron Butterfly) - b. 1945

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Temptations (1968: Eddie Kendricks was lead singer for most of the group's big hits)

All Right Now - Free (1970 - #4: song was a big one-hit wonder)

We Gotta Get Out of This Place - The Animals (1965 - #13: Chas Chandler played bass and Barry Jenkins drums for the group known for their gritty blues sound; #233/RS500)

Call on Me - Big Brother and the Holding Company (1967 - DNC: song was released as the flip side to "Down on Me")

Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones (1971 - #1: Keith Richards on lead guitar and Bobby Keys provided the sax solo; #490/RS500)

May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose - "Little" Jimmy Dickens (1965 - #15: only single to cross over to the Pop charts for the country and western star)

I'd Love to Change the World - Ten Years After (1971 - #40: Alvin Lee played lead guitar and wrote this hit for the group)

I'll Remember Tonight - The Mugwumps (1964 - DNC: folk group that included Zal Yanovsky pre-Lovin' Spoonful and future Mamas and Papas Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty)

Some of Shelly's Blues - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1971 - #64: song was written by Monkee Mike Nesmith)

Take Me in Your Arms - Kim Weston (1965 - #50: song would be a #11 hit for the Doobie Brothers in 1975, but this is the Holland-Dozier-Holland Motown original)

Sometimes in Winter - Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969 - DNC: Bobby Colomby was a co-founder and drummer for the group)

Hard Luck Woman - Kiss (1977 - #15: drummer Peter Criss, known as "The Catman" for his distinctive make-up, sang lead vocals on this hit)

Friday On My Mind - The Easybeats (1967 - #16: one-hit wonder for the Australian band; Stevie Wright was the lead singer)

Hey Paula - Paul & Paula (1963 - #1: Ray Hildebrand was 'Paul' and Jill Jackson was 'Paula')

God Only Knows - The Beach Boys (1966 - #39: lead guitarist Carl Wilson sang lead vocals on this song which ranks #25/RS500)

Lonesome 7-72003 - Hawkshaw Hawkins (1963 - #1 C&W: Hawkins was killed in the same plane crash that took the life of Patsy Cline)

New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife Mr. Jones) - The Bee Gees (1967 - #14: first charting single for the British trio)

Genesis - Jorma Kaukonen (1974 - DNC: from his solo LP "Quah")

In-a-gadda-da-vida - Iron Butterfly (1968 - #30: Ron Bushey was the drummer for the group)

Beatles Christmas Message 1966

Christmas Day - Detroit Junior (1961 - DNC: real name Emery Williams, Jr., he was a pianist, vocalist, and songwriter and wrote this song)

The Heck With Ol' Santa Claus - Loretta Lynn (1966 - DNC: Lynn wrote the song for her "Country Christmas" LP)

Here Comes Santa Claus - Elvis Presley (1957 - DNC: Elvis released a Christmas LP in 1957)

This Time of Year - Brook Benton (1959 - #66: Benton had over 50 charting singles on the BBHot100)

Beatles Christmas Message 1967

Merry Twist-mas - The Marcels (1961 - DNC: Pittsburgh doo-wop group known for hits "Blue Moon" and "Get a Job")

Presents for Christmas - Solomon Burke (1966 - DNC: once called "the greatest male soul singer of all time")

A Christmas Long Ago (Jingle Jingle) - The Echelons (1987 - DNC: part of the 1980's doo-wop revival)

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks; brothers Santo [steel guitar] and Johnny [rhythm guitar] Farina from Brooklyn)

Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time

Host December 30, 2023: Gregory James (GJ) with the best of the '50s, '60s, and '70s!

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or streaming here. 

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!