July 25, 2026 - JS & JR - 1-2-3!

 

Rockin' Remnants




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!

 

Date:  7/25/26

Host:  John Simon & John Rudan

Feature:  Easy As 1-2-3!

 

 

  

Tonight on Rockin' Remnants: it's not live, it's Memorex! 

 

Because I'm playing an out-of-town event and no one on the team could cover for me, I've submitted two hours of my pre-recorded self (from 6-8pm) before JR takes over at 8 with an hour of his own. There will be no giveaways this evening, but you'll find plenty of great tunes, a cool theme and a terrific birthday calendar. I hope that you tune in - and I'll be back in a few weeks, scout's honor!

 

 

Playlist

 

·       YouTube links follow certain entries

·       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

 

 

6-7pm 

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

 

 

Hold What You’ve Got – Joe Tex (2/65; #5 Pop, #2 R&B – this was the Texas native’s first nationally-charting single, and it kicks off this week’s feature: Songs That Count To 3. He would go on to chart 32 additional R&B hits by the end of 1978, including a string of novelty records – but he could certainly sing a sweet love song.)

 

 

 

1-2-3 – Len Barry (2/65; #2 Pop, #11 R&B – the Philly-born singer got his start with The Dovells, and this was his debut single as a solo artist. It was also his biggest hit, and New York’s WABC turned part of it into a station promo. Which part? The part that says “A-B-C,” of course!)

  

Mr. Lee – The Bobbettes (9/57; #6 Pop, #1 R&B for four weeks – the five Bobbettes met at P.S. 109 in Spanish Harlem and were signed to a recording contract when they were all between 11-13 years old. This was their first and biggest hit and was also the first record by a Black group to reach both the Top Ten on the Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart, and it was written about a teacher they didn’t particularly like. Atlantic Records had them sweeten the words, and the rest is history.)

 

All Together Now – The Beatles (1/66; NR – The Beatles’ foray into film began with the black-and-white A Hard Day’s Night, followed by the campy Help! Their third cinematic project was the cartoon movie Yellow Submarine, which included this little bit of fluff. It wasn’t high art, but it fits tonight’s theme….)

  

ABC – Jackson 5 (4/70; #1 Pop and R&B – Motown’s brand new superstars burst upon the scene with four consecutive #1 records. This was the second, spending two weeks at the top of the Pop chart and four weeks at #1 R&B. As with all of them, young Michael handles the lead vocalist duties, and it exploded out of the radio!)

 

It’s As Easy As 1-2-3 – Jan & Dean (6/65; dnc – Jan Berry and his steady girlfriend Jill Gibson co-wrote this song and the two of them were the primary voices on the recording, which was tucked onto the flip side of “You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy.” They’d split soon after this, and she would later claim fleeting fame as Michelle Phillips’ short-term replacement in The Mamas & Papas, but that’s a whole other story for another time.)

  

Blue Suede Shoes – Carl Perkins (3/65; #2 Pop and R&B for four weeks – Carl Perkins recorded for Sun Records in Memphis and was a major influence on George Harrison, who recorded several of his songs with The Beatles. This particular number became strongly identified with Carl’s label mate Elvis Presley, but tonight we hear the original.)

 

Hippy Hippy Shake – The Swingin’ Bluejeans (3/64; #24 Pop, #2 UK – this record rolled in on the wave called The British Invasion, which was unleashed by a different Liverpool quartet. Just as The Beatles had cut their teeth covering American groups, these guys made a career of recording Little Richard, Girl Group songs and – in this case – Chan Romero’s dance hit. It was the biggest record of their career, and opens with “One-two-three-for goodness’ sake!”)

  

Land of 1,000 Dances – Wilson Pickett (8/66; #6 Pop, #1 R&B – “One-two-three * one-two-three!” That’s how soul shouter Wilson Pickett counts this one in, and then goes on to list a number of recent or contemporary dance crazes. It’s one of four charting versions of Chris Kenner’s song, and the one that made the biggest impact.)

 

 

 

Wooly Bully – Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs (4/65; #2 for two weeks, #31 R&B – they were a Dallas-based quintet and this was their biggest hit. The count-in was a happy accident in the studio: songwriter/lead singer Sam says he playfully counted in “in Tex-Mex” as “uno-dos-one-two-tres-quatro,” and they kept it on the recording.)

  

I Saw Her Standing There – The Beatles (2/64; #14 – this one was released as the B-side of the group’s breakout hit “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which spent seven weeks at #1. The flip side – on its own – reached #14, and Rolling Stone ranks it at #140 in the RS500. Several adult eyebrows were apparently raised when Paul counted it in as “one-two-three-FUH!”)

 

500 Miles – Peter, Paul & Mary (1/63; dnc – this lilting Folk song was paired with a low-charting single called “Settle Down,” but has become one of the group’s most memorable contributions. Their next two singles – one written here in Ithaca, the other written by that unwashed phenomenon Bob Dylan – would both reach #2. All three songs can be found on their Greatest Hits compilations.)

  

One – Three Dog Night (5/69; #5 – well, it’s time to feature the prime number by itself for a moment. This was the group’s first of eighteen consecutive Top 20 hits, and was written by none other than Harry Nilsson. Nice way to open the floodgates!)

  

White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane (7/67; #8 – the song’s writer and singer Grace Slick counts out three different pills, but just one at a time. This is also the first of two big hits from the summer of 1967 that have a counting section, and both were recorded in California.)

 

 

Let’s Live for Today – Grass Roots (6/67; #8 – PF Sloan and Steve Barri produced this one, after taking an Italian hit song and commissioning English lyrics. The group included bassist/singer Rob Grill and future cast member of “The Office” Creed Bratton, and that’s guitarist Warren Entner singing the “1-2-3-4” part.)

  

Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag – Country Joe McDonald (8/69; NR – Country Joe wasn’t scheduled to appear as a solo act that Saturday at Woodstock, but Santana wasn’t quite ready to go on, so he stepped up to the mic and led the crowd in his raucous “Fish Cheer.” He then proceeded to sing this anti-war rag and invited the audience to sing along. Those of us who remember the film might remember the bouncing ball highlighting the sing-along lyrics.)

 

  

Ball of Confusion – The Temptations (6/70; #3 Pop, #2 R&B for five weeks – David Ruffin was no longer with the group, and their producers were going for a pointedly  more topical sound. This one starts with a shouted “1-2-1-2-3-4” before the bass kicks in, and what follows is a scathing condemnation of the state of American Pop culture in 1970.)

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

 

July 19 – Bernie Leadon (Eagles) – age 78

 

 

July 20 – Dennis Yost (Classics IV) – born 1943

            – Kim Carnes – age 80

            – Carlos Santana – age 79

 

 

July 21 – Cat Stevens – age 77

  

 

July 22 – Chuck Jackson – born in 1937

            – George Clinton (Parliaments) – age 85

     – Richard Davies (Supertramp) – born 1944

     – Don Henley (Eagles) – age 78

  

July 23 – Dino Danelli (Rascals) – born 1944

 

 

July 24 – Verdine White (EWF) – age 75

            – Steve Goodman – born 1948

         

 

July 25 – Benny Benjamin (Funk Bros.) – 1925

  

Every Day With You Girl – Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost (5/69; #19 – the Jacksonville group scored a string of big radio hits in the late Sixties after relocating to Atlanta. Dennis Yost had started as the group’s drummer and lead singer, but was later moved to the front row – and was given top billing after the success of “Spooky.” Eventually, the rest of the band would leave to form The Atlanta Rhythm Section.)

  

More Love – Kim Carnes (6/80; #10 – she was an LA singer and songwriter who would later do some session singing, but her first major hit was this successful cover of Smokey Robinson’s 1967 love song to his grieving wife. A year later she’d walk away with Grammys for Record and Song of the Year for her treatment of “Bette Davis Eyes.”)

 

 

Jingo – Santana (10/69; #56 – released just two months after their blistering set at Woodstock, this was the first track pulled as a single. It wasn’t until “Evil Ways,” though, that they’d have a real hit. And the Rolling Stone record reviewer actually panned it with this snarky comment: “The record company slipped on this one and did not include a libretto. Here it is : Go-Ba-Ba Go-Ba-Ba Go-Ba-Ba Lumpa Thumpa, Boom Boom, Bang Bang Thump Thump!")

 

  

Peaceful Easy Feeling – Eagles (1/73; #22 – multi-instrumentalist Bernie Leadon had been with the Flying Burrito Brothers before co-founding this band, and his tasty guitar licks are all over this song. It was their third charting single and he’d leave after three more years, replaced by Joe Walsh. You’ll hear more from Joe in the following hour.)

  

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out – Cat Stevens (12/71; NR – in addition to churning out back-to-back hit albums Tea for The Tillerman, Teaser & The Firecat and Catch Bull at Four – all between 1970-1972 – Cat Stevens scored the film HAROLD & MAUDE. This song was the catchiest of them all, but it wouldn’t be widely released until 1984 when it was included on his second greatest hits compilation.)

 

 

Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird) – Chuck Jackson (5/62; #23 Pop, #2 R&B for three weeks – born in North Carolina and raised in Pittsburgh, he was one of the earliest interpreters of Burt Bacharach’s music. This was his signature song, and the one for which he is best remembered.)

 

 

(I Wanna) Testify – The Parliaments (7/67; #20 Pop, #3 R&B – they were from Jersey City and their leader was George Clinton, who would later help this Doo Wop group morph into a thing that he called The P-Funk Collective. Stax singer Johnnie Taylor would later have an even bigger hit with this song, but this is the prototype.)

 

 

A Girl Like You – The Rascals (7/67; #10 – the group charted five Top Twenty singles in 1967, and each was different from the last. This was the follow-up to their smash “Groovin’” and both were inspired by keyboardist Felix Cavaliere’s girlfriend. The smokin’ bass line was played by Atlantic Records’ session man Chuck Rainey.)

 

 

Spotlight on Session Drummer Benny Benjamin:

 

He was the primary drummer for Motown’s vaunted “Funk Brothers,” and his signature sound – along with the bass playing of James Jamerson – was one of the distinctive elements of “The Sound of Young America.” Here are three examples of his handiwork, but there are dozens more.

 

 

Dancing In The Street – Martha & The Vandellas (8/64; #2 for two weeks – this was their biggest hit and Rolling Stone ranks it at #40 in its RS500 list of the greatest singles of the era. It’s a rollicking call to celebrate summer across the USA – and around the world, even. That’s Benny Benjamin leading the charge.)

 

Uptight (Everything Is Alright) – Stevie Wonder (1/66; #3 Pop, #1 R&B for five weeks – he was originally marketed as Motown’s “12-year old genius,” but his voice had started to change and the hit records had stopped and the label was getting ready to end the relationship - until writer Sylvia Moy asked for one more chance. This is the record that corrected his course, and he went on to become one of the most consequential musicians of the era.)

 

 

I Heard it Through The Grapevine – Gladys Knight & The Pips (11/67; #2 Pop, #1 R&B for six weeks – this song, meanwhile, became one of Motown’s most successful ones. Gladys and The Pips’ version was a monster hit, thanks in part to Benny Benjamin’s drumming. A year later Marvin Gaye would have even a bigger hit with it. Benny Benjamin played on that version, as well.)

 

 

The Dutchman – Steve Goodman (1972; dnc – although he was best known as a songwriter, Steve didn’t write this one. It was written by fellow Chicago native Michael Peter Smith, and it opened Steve’s 1972 Somebody Else’s Troubles LP. Buddah Records released it as a single, but it never charted.)

 

That’s the Way of the World – Earth, Wind & Fire (7/75; #12 Pop, #5 R&B – this was the title track of the group’s best-selling LP and was co-written by bassist/singer Verdine White. He’s the last living member of the original group, and is still playing and touring.)

 

 

It’s Raining Again – Supertramp (10/82; #11 – keyboardist Richard Davies was given co-writing credit on this upbeat number, but it was really written by singer Roger Hodgson and ends with a kid’s chorus singing the old “it’s raining, it’s pouring” nursery rhyme.)

 

 Pssst....I'll see you next on August 22nd!  

 

 

8-9pm

  

John Rudan takes over with his signature mix of tunes from the Sixties and Seventies and early Eighties!

 

 

The Unicorn – The Irish Rovers (1967 – A request going out to my favorite Unicorn, plus a big hit from the renamed Rovers from 1980.)

 

 

Wasn’t That a Party – The Rovers (1980)

 

 

Polk Salad Annie – Tony Joe White (1970)

 

 

 

Flowers on the Wall – Statler Brothers (1966 – Re-popularized in 1994 in a gruesome scene from the movie Pulp Fiction.)

 

 

Hey Jude – The Beatles (1968 – The #1 Hot 100 single of the year.)

 

 

A World of Our Own – The Seekers (1965)

 

 

Everything Is Beautiful – Ray Stevens (1970; #1 on the Hot 100 for 2 weeks.)

 

 

Shambala – Three Dog Night (1973)

 

 

Lonesome LA Cowboy – New Riders of the Purple Sage (1973 – NRPS did not have any hit singles, but some great country-rock FM radio album cuts.)

 

 

Hot Rod Lincoln – Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (1971 – originally done by Charlie Ryan in 1955.)

 

 

Amos Moses – Jerry Reed (1971)

 

 

Drivin’ My Life Away – Eddie Rabbit (1980)

 

 

Life of Illusion – Joe Walsh (1981)

 

 

 

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

 

 

 

 

 

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 Next Week (DATE):  Kim Vaughan with a spotlight TBD

 

 

 

Thanks for tuning in - and for voting us Ithaca's Best Local Radio Show in this year's Ithaca Times Readers' Poll! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or at wvbr.com/listen.

 

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

Jul 18, 2026 - KV - Valentine's Day in July

 

 

Rockin' Remnants



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!

 

Date:  July 18, 2026

Host:  Kim Vaughan

Feature:  Valentine’s Day in July

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday Calendar

 

 

Jul 12   – Barbara Cowsill – born in 1928

            – Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) – born in 1943

Jul 13   – Roger McGuinn (Byrds) – age 84

Jul 15   – Millie Jackson – age 82 

            – Linda Ronstadt – age 80

Jul 16   – William Bell – age 87 

Jul 17   – Phoebe Snow – born in 1950

            – Nicolette Larson – born in 1952

Jul 18   – Dion DiMucci – age 87 

            – Martha Reeves – age 85

 

 

 

 Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

 

 

We’re about to hear a song that was a big hit for Bobby Darin, but we’re going to hear someone else’s version of it (which also charted on the Hot 100, although just barely).  Name the person or group performing this version of the song.  (The song Dream Lover begins to play.)

 

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)

 

 

 

 

Playlist

 

 

• yellow song titles are YouTube links 

• 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

 

 

 

6-7pm  

 

 

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

Let True Love Begin – Nat King Cole (1961, #73)

 

 

All The Love I’ve Got – Marv Johnson (1960, #63) 

 * Bell Bottom Blues – Derek & The Dominos (1973, #78)

 * I Say A Little Prayer – Dionne Warwick (1967, #4)

 

 

 * I Write The Songs – Barry Manilow (1975, reached #1 in early 1976, written by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys and Bruce & Terry) 

 * Ball Of Fire – Tommy James & The Shondells (1969, #19)

Hallelujah I Love Her So – Ray Charles (1956, R&B #5, did not chart on the Hot 100 – his first Hot 100 entry was in 1957 although he’d been on the R&B chart since 1951 with his own band and since 1949 as part of The Maxin Trio) 

He’s My Guy – Reparata & The Delrons (1965, b-side of Whenever A Teenager Cries)

 

  

For Your Precious Love – Garnet Mimms (1963, #26)

 * This Guy’s In Love With You – Herb Alpert (1968, #1 for four weeks)

 

 

 * Put Your Head On My Shoulder – Paul Anka (1959, #2 for three weeks)

 * At Last – Etta James (1961, #47)

First Taste Of Love – Ben E. King (1960, #53)

 

 

I Can’t Love You Enough – LaVern Baker (1956, #22)

I Love You Because – Jim Reeves (from his 1963 album Gentleman Jim.  This song was released as a single in many countries in 1964, but not released as a single in the US until 1976.) 

 

7-8pm 

 

 

The Path Of Love – John Cowsill (1968, did not chart.  The single is credited only to John Cowsill, but there are background singers, and it seems likely that they may be the Cowsills, including his mom -- our birthday honoree, Barbara Cowsill.) 

Songbird – Fleetwood Mac (1977, b-side of Dreams, from the Rumours album)

 

 

Change Is Now – The Byrds (1967, b-side of Goin’ Back)

My Man, A Sweet Man – Millie Jackson (1972, #42)

 

 

It’s So Easy – Linda Ronstadt (1977, #5, a cover of the Buddy Holly song)

Private Number – Judy Clay & William Bell (1968, #75)

Poetry Man – Phoebe Snow (1975, #5)

 

 

Rhumba Girl – Nicolette Larson (1979, #47)

Love Came To Me – Dion (1962, #10)

 

 

(We’ve Got) Honey Love – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas (1969, #56)

Baby, I Love You – The Ronettes (1963, #24)

Everybody Loves A Lover – The Shirelles (1962, #19)

 

 

(I Wanna) Love My Life Away – Gene Pitney (1961, #39, his first Hot 100 hit)

Oh-Oh, I’m Falling In Love Again – Jimmie Rodgers (1958, #7)

So Much In Love – The Tymes (1963, #1)

 

 

8-9pm 

 

 

Crazy Love – Van Morrison (1970, b-side of Come Running) 

 

 

Gonna Love You Til The End Of Time – Barbara Lewis (1962, did not chart)

A Groovy Kind Of Love – The Mindbenders (1966, #2 for two weeks)

 

 

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – Marvin Gaye (1964, reached #6 in early 1965)

But You Know I Love You – Kenny Rogers & The First Edition (1969, #19)

 

 

I’ve Never Seen Love Like This – Orpheus (1968, did not chart)

Let Your Love Flow – The Bellamy Brothers (1976, #1)

 

 

A Lover’s Concerto – The Toys (1965, #2 for three weeks)

 * Tonight I Fell In Love – The Tokens (1961, #15, their first Hot 100 hit)

Warm And Tender Love – Percy Sledge (1966, #17, his second entry on the Hot 100, a couple months after When A Man Loves A Woman)

 

 

Dream Lover – The Paris Sisters (1964, #91)

We’re In This Love Together – Al Jarreau (1981, #15)

  * Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers (1965, #4) 

Sweet Touch Of Love – Allen Toussaint (1970, did not chart) 

CLOSING THEME:  Sleep Walk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

 

 

 

 

Trivia Answer

 

The version of Dream Lover that we heard was by The Paris Sisters.

 

Congratulations to Mike from Ithaca, for correctly answering the question and winning two passes to Cinemapolis!

 

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 Next Week (July 25):  John Simon

 

 

 

 

 

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!