August 20, 2022 - JS - Mixed Doubles

 

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:  8/20/22

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  Mixed Gender Duets

 

 

 

It's National Radio Day, and we're celebrating in style! Teams dreamed up by A&R men, duos of married couples, siblings, pairings of former band mates....we'll hear from all of them tonight, along with your requests - here on your Saturday night place to be!

 

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

 

 

We'll have an audio clue tonight at the end of the 8:00 hour. Can you name the two singers who were randomly thrown together as "Billy 'n' Sue" and were charged with remaking a former #1 record? Hint: it was on the Crewe Records label - and she was from Tenafly, NJ.

 

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist – and to find a glossary of terms)

 

 

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)

 

It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston (1/67; #14 Pop, #5 R&B - Marvin Gaye was the king of Motown duets, and this pairing of him with Kim Weston seemed like a perfect fit  -  until they paired him up with Tammi Terrell. More on that soon.)

 

Don't Mess Up a Good Thing - Fontella Bass & Bobby McClure (2/65; #33 Pop, #5 R&B - Checkers Records paired these two up and the result was solid gold!)

 

Hey, Paula - Paul & Paula (2/63; #1 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks - "Paul" was actually Ray Hildebrand, who had written this little ditty. "Paula's" uncle was Ray's landlord, and the two discovered that they had a nice vocal blend. They cobbled together a little bit of studio time, and the rest is history!)

 

Follow Me - Lyme & Cybelle (3/66; #66 - in addition to their biggest hitmakers The Turtles, White Whale Records had signed these two singer/songwriters. Her name was Violet Santangelo. His name? Warren Zevon! This was their only charting single, and he eventually went on to bigger things.)

 

The Closer I Get to You - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (2/78; #2 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks - the two had met at Howard University as undergrads, and were eventually signed - separately - to Atlantic Records. Their blend was sublime, and they cut a couple of big records together. This was the first.)

 

Reach Out Of The Darkness - Friend & Lover (5/68; #10 - Jim and Cathy Post were husband and wife, and they cut this hippy-dippy number at just the right time. They'd score one more Hot 100 hit, but this was their peak moment.)

 

Your Precious Love - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (9/67; #5 Pop, #2 R&B for five weeks - Motown had a new production team in Nik Ashford & Valerie Simpson, and they had their greatest success with Marvin and his new duet partner. Everything they did together was a smash, until Tammi's career was cut short by a brain tumor. She collapsed on stage in Marvin's arms during a show and would be gone three years later.)

 

* Love Is Strange - Mickey & Sylvia (12/56; #11Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks - Mickey teamed up with one of his guitar students, and the results were stunning!)

 

* Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille (6/75; #1 for four weeks - husband and wife team Darryl Dragon and Toni Tennille burst upon the scene with this record, which also won them a Grammy for Record of the Year. More hits would follow, along with their own major network variety show. Alas, though, love did not ultimately keep them together "forever." Check out this video of them each playing double keyboards, along with just one other musician! )

 

Over the Mountain, Across the Sea - Johnnie & Joe (5/57; #8 Pop, #3 R&B - they were two kids from the Bronx who had a couple of hits. Curiously, Johnnie didn't do a whole lot of singing on this one - just a lot of wailing and a spoken recitation at the end - but it was their biggest hit!)

 

Playboy - Gene & Debbe (2/68; #17 - Gene Thomas had had a couple of hits a few years earlier, and these two teamed up in Nashville for a few short years. This was their biggest hit, on the tiny TRX label.)

 

45 Corner:  All I Have To Do Is Dream - William Bell & Carla Thomas (4/70; dnc - these were two of Stax Records' most busy collaborators: Carla with Otis Redding, especially, and William Bell with Judy Clay, Mavis Staples and others. This was released as a single, but failed to chart. Tonight we hear a scratchy copy from the library of local legend Bernie Milton!)

 

* Let It Be Me - Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry (1/69; #36 - a couple of different people misunderstood the theme tonight and requested some Everly Brothers. Their close harmonies made them a great source for duet material. This pairing of two of Capitol Records' brightest stars is pretty tasty.)

 

I Want You 'Round - Mary & Smokey (3/63; nr - this was all set to be released when Mary Wells left Motown, so it sat in the vault for years. That, of course, is Smokey Robinson on the duet vocal.)

 

A Dear John Letter - Skeeter Davis & Bobby Bare (3/65; #114 Pop, #11 C&W - RCA Records paired these two on this timely tale of betrayal-by-mail, just as the war in Southeast Asia was escalating. Clocking in at 1:57, this helped time out at exactly 7pm!)

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

 

August 14 – Dash Crofts – age 82

            – David Crosby (Byrds, CSN) – age 81

            

August 15 – Jimmy Webb – age 76

 

August 16 – Eydie Gorme – born in 1928

             

August 17 – Belinda Carlisle – age 64

 

August 18 - Maxine Brown – age 83 

 

August 19 – Ginger Baker (Cream) – born in 1939

            – Johnny Nash – born in 1940

            – Billy J. Kramer – age 79

 

August 20 – Isaac Hayes – born in 1942

            

 7-8pm

 

Diamond Girl - Seals & Crofts (5/73; #6 - these guys had three singles that reached #6. This was the second of them.)

 

Lady Friend - The Byrds (8/67; #82 - this non-LP single somehow failed to do better than it did, and that was the final straw that led to the band dumping David Crosby. Luckily, he fell right in with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. Personally, I think that this is a smashing record!)

 

Strange Brew - Cream (6/67; #17 in the UK - drummer Ginger Baker kicks this one off and gets the final hit at the end. It was released as a single in England, but not here in the States. That honor would go to Sunshine of Your Love.)

 

Love Years Coming - Strawberry Children (5/67; dnc - Jimmy Webb is one of the greatest songwriters of the era, and this was his attempt at being a band leader and singer. It's a really sweet record, but it never caught hold - and suddenly he was too busy to be in a band!)

 

Bad To Me - Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas (8/64; #9 Pop, #1 UK for three weeks - hailing from Merseyside, these guys had three charting hits penned by Lennon and McCartney. This was the second, and it's my personal favorite.)

 

Daddy's Home - Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown (5/67; #91 Pop, #48 R&B - they were two of Wand/Scepter's biggest stars, so it made sense to have them pair up on some duets. This had been a big hit for Shep and The Limeliters, but not so much for these two.)

 

I Want to Stay Here - Steve & Eydie (7/63; #28 - husband and wife in real life, they actually met on a television set and were one of several couples that could claim to be "America's sweethearts.")

 

Never Can Say Goodbye - Isaac Hayes (5/71; #22 Pop, #5 R&B - he was a songwriter and record producer for Stax Records before he took a stab at being a singer! This had been a big hit for the Jackson 5, but that didn't deter him from recording his own version.)

 

Knock On Wood - Otis & Carla (#30 Pop, #8 R&B - this is one of a slew of songs co-written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and was chosen as the follow-up to Otis Redding and Carla Thomas' Tramp. It seems to have worked!)

 

Our Lips Are Sealed - Go-Gos (8/81; #20 - Belinda Carlisle was the lead singer for this bonafide "girl band," and this was their first big hit. She'd go on to have a successful career as a solo artist.)

 

45 Corner:  Cupid - Johnny Nash (9/68; dnc, 11/69; #39 - originally tucked on the flipside of Hold Me Tight, there was enough interest generated by this Sam Cooke cover that the label decided to release it on its own a year later. Tonight we hear the "B-side" version.)

 

* Hold Me Tight - Johnny Nash (9/68; #5 - and sure enough, somebody called in asking to hear the "A" side. Let's do a Johnny Nash double-shot!)

 

Come Softly To Me - Billy 'n' Sue (4/70; dnc - back to our theme of "Mixed Doubles." In this case, the folks at Crewe Records decided to pair one of their bigger hit-makers with a female singer who'd stopped having hits. It was edgy and trippy and catchy...but it flopped. Can you identify the singers just by the sound of their singing?)

 

 

8-9pm

  

Some Velvet Morning - Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood (1/68; #26 - Lee was a record producer and something of a svengali for the career of Nancy Sinatra. This is a very strange record with multiple time-signature changes and a bizarre story line, but...it worked!)

 

Cryin' In The Night - Buckingham Nicks (7/74; dnc - Stevie Nicks became the most ubiquitous duet partner of them all in the late Seventies, but it was this album that brought her to the attention of  the Fleetwood Mac team. This was released as a single on the Polydor label, but it never took hold.)

 

Whenever & Call You Friend - Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks (7/78; #5 - Kenny Loggins' greatest success came after his Loggins & Messina days, and this record was a bridge to the next phase of his career.)

 

Leather & Lace - Stevie Nicks w Don Henley (10/81; #6 - Stevie Nicks wrote this for Waylon Jennings and Jesse Colter, and it was the second single released from her Bella Donna LP.)

 

We're Gonna Hold On - George Jones & Tammy Wynette (9/73; #1 C&W for two weeks - married Country superstars George & Tammy charted 14 singles on the C&W charts, including three #1s. This is one of them.)

 

* Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John & Kiki Dee (8/76; #1 for four weeks - Kiki Dee had had a couple of moderate hits with her own band, especially in the UK. That all changed when she got to team with Elton John on this summertime smash! Going out from Scottie to Peggy, and from me to the NY Yankees, who had just lost three in a row. 😳)

 

* You Don't Have to Be a Star - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. (1/77; #1 Pop and R&B - they'd felt the sparks fly when they were in the 5th Dimension together, and then married and eventually branched out as a duo. This was the pinnacle of their chart success!)

 

* Mockingbird - Charlie & Inez Foxx (6/63; #7 - the request was for James Taylor & Carly Simon's version, but I couldn't get my hands on it. Here's the original, sung by brother and sister Charlie and Inez.)

 

Shower the People - James Taylor [w Carly Simon] (7/76; #22 - I was able, though, to get my hands on this one. Carly isn't given credit on the record label, but her voice is all over this record - and I can never hear it enough.)

 

The Morning Side of The Mountain - Donny & Marie Osmond (1/74; #8 - this song had been a hit for Tommy Edwards fifteen years prior, and these two siblings from Ogden Utah made a very tasty record out of it. He was just 17 and she was two years younger!)

 

(They Long To Be) Close To You - The Carpenters 8/70; #1 for four weeks - this may have been the most successful brother/sister act of the decade, and this record was at the top of the charts on this very date in 1970. All of the background vocals are provided by Karen and Richard themselves.)

 

Everlasting Love - Rex Smith & Rachel Sweet (6/81; #32 - each decade starting in 1967 had a big hit with this song. In this case, Columbia Records paired two of their biggest voices with each other, and they also happened to be perfect for the brand new venue called MTV: they looked great on camera!)

 

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

 

Trivia Answer

 

"Billie 'n' Sue" were William Oliver Swofford and Lesley Sue Gore.

 

 

Congratulations to Dave from Dryden, for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of 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 (8/27/22):  Gregory James with a spotlight called "Back to School."

 

 

 

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 at wvbr.com/listen.

 

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

August 13, 2022 - JH: Golden Oldies

 August 13, 2022

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Spotlight: Golden Oldies Show

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)

A tribute to Judith Durham, lead singer of The Seekers, who passed away 8/5/22 at the age of 79.

I'll Never Find Another You - The Seekers (1965 - #4: first chart single for the band from down under)

The Carnival Is Over - The Seekers (1965 - #105: the group's signature song and the song played last at their concerts; it spent 3 weeks at #1 in the U.K. and is still one of the top 50 best-selling songs)

A tribute to Olivia Newton-John, who passed away 8/8/22 at the age of 73.

Hopelessly Devoted to You - Olivia Newton-John (1978 - #3: from the movie "Grease", which made ONJ a superstar; the song was nominated for an Oscar)

Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and ensemble from "Grease" (1978 - #5: song spent 7 weeks at #1 in the U.K.)

Summer Nights - Marianne Faithful (1965 - #24: Faithful was Mick Jagger's girlfriend from 1966 to 1970 and also provided backup vocals on The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine")

The Sweet Sounds of Summer - The Shangri-las (1967 - #123: the last single to chart for the girl group from Queens)

It's Summertime U.S.A. - The Pixies Three (1964 - #116: the group consisted of three teenagers from Hanover, Pa.)

Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show - Neil Diamond (1969 - #22: song is appropriate this time of year for its opening line: "Hot August night ...")

Tammy - Debbie Reynolds (1957 - #1: song was a huge smash for the actress, spending 5 weeks at the top of the BB Hot 100)

*You're Still a Young Man - Tower of Power (1972 - #29: first charting single for the R&B/funk band out of Oakland)

A Place Nobody Can Find - Sam & Dave (1965 - DNC: stardom was still a couple of years away for the duo known as "Double Dynamite" for their live act)

45 Corner

*Ariel - Dean Friedman (1977 - #26: one-hit wonder on Lifesong Records for the singer from Paramus, N.J.)

*Vehicle - The Ides of March (1970 - #2: another one-hit wonder, this one for the band out of Chicago)

Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters (1955 - #1: the sisters covered the R&B song originally recorded by the Jewels and took it to #1 for 3 weeks)

Things I'd Like to Say - New Colony Six (1969 - #16: one of several charting singles for the soft-rock group from Chicago)

7:00 - 8:00

Birthday Calendar

Background Music: The Happy Organ - Dave "Baby" Cortez (1959 - #1: Cortez recorded the song with a vocal, but did not like it; he spotted a Hammond B3 organ in the studio and decided to play the lead melody on that)

August 7:

Herbert Reed (The Platters) - born 1928

Charles Pope (The Tams) - born 1936

B.J. Thomas - born 1942

August 8:

Joe Tex (Joseph Arrington, Jr.) - born 1933

August 9:

Billy Henderson (The Spinners) - born 1939

Wanda Young (The Marvelettes) - born 1943

Barbara Mason - 75

August 10:

Eddie Fisher - born 1928

Jimmy Dean - born 1928

Bobby Hatfield (The Righteous Brothers) - born 1940

Ronnie Spector (Veronica Bennett) - born 1943

Ian Anderson - 75

August 11:

Eric Carmen - 73

David Ian (Joe) Jackson - 68

August 12:

Joe Jones - born 1926

Alvis "Buck" Owens - born 1929

Lesley Duncan - born 1943

Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) - 73

August 13:

Dave "Baby" Cortez - 84

Dan Fogelberg - born 1951

Hughie Thomasson (The Outlaws) - born 1952

Twilight Time - The Platters (1958 - #1: song spent 1 week at #1 and was used as a plot device in an episode of "The X-Files" in the early '90s)

Untie Me - The Tams (1962 - #60: song was written by Joe South; the group got their name for wearing tam o'shanter caps)

The Eyes of a New York Woman - B.J. Thomas (1968 - #28: Thomas' previous 8 singles did not break the Top 40, this one made him a mainstream success again)

One Monkey Don't Stop No Show - Joe Tex (1965 - #65: one of 27 BB H100 singles for Tex; the song is the same title but not the same song as the later hit for The Honey Cone)

Mighty Love, Pt. 1 - The Spinners (1974 - #20: Billy Henderson was a founder and original member of the group from Michigan)

Don't Mess With Bill - The Marvelettes (1966 - #7: Wanda Young was providing lead vocals for the group after 1965)

Yes I'm Ready - Barbara Mason (1965 - #5: Mason wrote her biggest hit and also had 14 Top 40 hits on the R&B charts)

I Need You Now - Eddie Fisher (1954 - #1: Fisher was married to Debbie Reynolds, Liz Taylor, and Connie Stevens; he was tremendously popular with bobby soxers and had 36 pop hits from 1948-54 and 23 singles chart on the BB Hot 100 in the rock and roll era)

P.T. 109 - Jimmy Dean (1962 - #8: Dean's tribute to the WWII heroics of then-President John F. Kennedy)

Dream On - The Righteous Brothers (1974 - #32: last original charting single for the duo; Bobby Hatfield sang tenor)

I Can Hear Music - The Ronettes (1966 - #100: written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the last charting single for the girl group; in 1969 The Beach Boys would cover the song and take it to #24)

Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull (1971 - DNC; 1976 - #62: Ian Anderson is the lead singer for the band, and also plays flute and acoustic guitar)

Let's Pretend - The Raspberries (1973 - #35: Eric Carmen wrote this hit for the Cleveland band; he later has a successful solo career)

Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Joe Jackson (1979 - #21: Jackson wrote his first hit song around the title line which originally came from the Shangri-las "Leader of the Pack")

California Sun - Joe Jones (1961 - #89: Jones studied music at Juilliard and served as pianist and arranger for B.B. King; The Rivieras had a #5 hit with the song in 1964)

Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass? - Buck Owens (1969 - #109: one of 21 #1's on the Country charts for the musician known for creating the Bakersfield Sound)

Love Song - Lesley Duncan (1970 - DNC: Duncan wrote the song that Elton John covered on his Tumbleweed Connection LP; Duncan appeared as a back-up vocalist on the original cast Jesus Christ Superstar LP as well as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon; in 2022 the song is used in the horror film Men)

8:00 - 9:00

Twisting by the Pool - Dire Straits (1983 - #105: Mark Knopfler wrote and produced this upbeat rocker)

Part of the Plan - Dan Fogelberg (1975 - #31: his first charting single, Fogelberg had a string of hits on the late '70s and early '80s)

There Goes Another Love Song - The Outlaws (1975 - #34: Hughie Thomasson co-wrote the song, the group's first charting single, and was part of The Outlaws' "Guitar Army" of three lead guitarists)

A tribute to Lamont Dozier, of the songwriting and producing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who passed away 8/8/22 at the age of 81. H-D-H were behind many, many great Motown hits.

Standing in the Shadows of Love - The Four Tops (1967 - #6: song ranks #464/RS500)

Goodbye to Love - The Carpenters (1972 - #7: Richard Carpenter added the fuzz guitar that was a departure for the soft-rock duo)

Soul Deep - The Box Tops (1969 - #18: the final Top 40 single for the blue-eyed soul group)

Mirage - Tommy James and the Shondells (1967 - #10: song has a revers chord progression of the group's hit "I Think We're Alone Now"; the band played the Waverly (NY) High School gym in the summer of 1968)

Moon River - Jerry Butler (1961 - #11: although Andy Williams' signature song, "The Iceman" had the bigger hit)

The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget - The Raindrops (1963 - #17: Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry were the main members of the group)

Silver Bird - Mark Lindsay (1970 - #25: Lindsay had several minor hits after leaving Paul Revere and the Raiders; song is featured in the 2022 movie The Gray Man on Netflix)

In Dreams - Roy Orbison (1963 - #7: Orbison wrote the song which ranks #312/RS500 and was used in the 1986 movie thriller Blue Velvet)

My Back Pages - The Byrds (1967 - #30: the band's cover of the Bob Dylan tune was their last to crack the Top 40)

Heed the Call - Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1970 - #33: the group had success fusing rock and roll, R&B, folk, and country)

*Jazzman - Carole King (1974 - #2: Tom Scott provided the sax part for the song)

New York City Mining Disaster - The Bee Gees (1967 - #14: the first of 43 BB Hot100 singles for the Brothers Gibb)

You're the One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (1978 - #1: one more from the movie Grease)

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 August 20, 2022: John Simon (JS) 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!