June 21, 2025 - JH: "Salute to Summer"

 June 21, 2025

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)

Spotlight:  "Salute to Summer"

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)

Background songs: Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith and His Orchestra: the #1 song from 1960, it spent 9 weeks at #1 and won the Grammy for Record of the Year;
Song for a Summer Night - Mitch Miller and His Orchestra: 1956 - #8
Soft Summer Breeze - Eddie Heywood: 1956 - #11

Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer - Nat "King" Cole (1963 - #6: opening track from his 1963 LP of the same name)

Summer - War (1976 - #7: song made its chart debut on 6/21/76)

Summertime, Summertime - The Jamies (1958 - #26; 1962 - #38: Tom Jamieson and his sister Serena led the group and Tom wrote the hit song that was re-released in 1962)

Hot Fun in the Summertime - Sly and the Family Stone (1969 - #2: song ranks #247/RS500 but "I Can't Get Next to You" by the Temptations kept it from #1)

Groovy Summertime - The Love Generation (1967 - #74: sunshine pop group from L.A. that existed only in the studio)

Save Your Heart for Me - Gary Lewis and the Playboys (1965 - #2: cover of a 1963 Brian Hyland  B-side; Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" kept it out of the top spot)

In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry (1970 - #3: Mungo Jerry was the name of the group led by Ray Dorset; the name comes from T.S. Eliot's poem "Mungojerri and Rumpleteazer" in the book "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats")

Summer Means Fun - Bruce & Terry (1964 - #72: duo consisted of Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher; Melcher was the son of Doris Day and would later be a producer for the Byrds)

Summertime - Billy Stewart (1966 - #10: song was written in 1935 by George Gershwin for "Porgy and Bess" and has been covered over 33,000 times)

Summer Days - The Partridge Family (1971 - NR: written by Tony Romeo, who also wrote the hit "I Think I Love You")

One Summer Night - The Danleers (1958 - #7: one-hit wonder Brooklyn group)

45 Corner

Summer Nights - Marianne Faithfull (1965 - #24: her second-highest charting single; we heard the original 45 RPM on London Records)

Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John (1978 - #5: upbeat tune from the hit movie "Grease")

Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra (1966 - #25: Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics to the original German song, which went to #1 on the Easy Listening chart)

VACATION - Connie Francis (1962 - #9: her last top 10 single for which she received songwriting credit)

Summer in the City - The Lovin' Spoonful (1966 - #1: song spent 3 weeks at #1 in August of '66 and ranks #401/RS500)

7:00 - 8:00 - The Birthday Calendar

Background song: Theme from "Bonnie & Clyde" - Flatt & Scruggs (1968 - #55: variation of their classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown")

June 15:
Nigel Pickering (Spanky and Our Gang) - b. 1929
Ruby Nash Garnett - 91
Waylon Jennings - b. 1937
Harry Nilsson - b. 1941
[Mervyn] "Muff" Winwood - 81

June 16:
Carl Burnett (Little Caesar) - ??
Lamont Dozier - b. 1941
Eddie Levert (The O'Jays) - 83
James Smith (The Stylistics) - 75

June 17:
Norman Kuhlke (The Swinging Blue Jeans) - 83
Barry Manilow [Pincus] - 83

June 18:
[Charles] Tommy Hunt (The Flamingos) - b. 1933
James Paul McCartney - 83
Sandy Posey - b. 1944
Jerome Smith (KC and the Sunshine Band) - b. 1953

June 19:
Lester Flatt - b. 1914
Tommy DeVito (The Four Seasons) - b. 1935
Al Wilson - b. 1939
Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane - 83
Ann Wilson (Heart) - 75

June 20:
Jerry Keller - 88
Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) - b. 1942
Anne Murray - 80
Dolores "La-La" Brooks (The Crystals) - 78

June 21:
O.C. Smith - b. 1932
Ray Davies (The Kinks) - 81
Joey Molland (Badfinger) - b. 1947

My Summer Love - Ruby & the Romantics (1963 - #16: follow-up single to their big hit "Our Day Will Come")

Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? - Waylon Jennings (1975 - #60: song went to #1 on the Country charts)

Me and My Arrow - Harry Nilsson (1971 - #34: song was used in a prime-time TV cartoon "The Point" and came from Nilsson's LP of the same name)

Gimme Some Lovin' - Spencer Davis Group (1967 - #7: bassist "Muff" Winwood recruited younger brother Stevie to join the group; song ranks #244/RS500)

Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me of You) - Little Caesar and the Romans (1961 - #9: group often performed in togas)

Heat Wave - Martha and the Vandellas (1963 - #4: one of many Motown hits from the songwriting/producing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland)

Love Train - The O'Jays (1973 - #1: Eddie Levert was lead singer for the soul group that formed in high school in Canton, Ohio in 1958)

Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart) - The Stylistics (1971 - #39: James Smith was an original member of the Philadelphia soul group)

Hippy Hippy Shake - The Swinging Blue Jeans (1964 - #24: Norman Kuhlke was the drummer for the Liverpool band; song was a cover of the 1959 Chan Romero original)

Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again - Barry Manilow (1976 - #10: title track to his 1975 LP)

Nobody Loves Me Like You - The Flamingos (1960 - #30: Tommy Hunt, who just passed away in February, had three charting singles as a solo artist after leaving the group in 1961)

Jet - Paul McCartney & Wings (1974 - #7: from Sir Paul and the band's classic LP "Band on the Run")

A Single Girl - Sandy Posey (1966 - #12: Posey had a number of singles make the country charts after turning to that genre of music in 1971)

Get Down Tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band (1975 - #1: Jerome Smith provides the guitar solo for this hit song, although the tape was sped up and it sounds like a synthesizer)

Working My Way Back to You - The Four Seasons (1966 - #9: Tommy DeVito played lead guitar and sang the baritone part for the New Jersey group)

Show and Tell -- Al Wilson (1974 - #1: song made its chart debut on 10/20/73)

Give a Damn - Spanky and Our Gang (1968 - #43: song began as a public service announcement for then New York City mayor John Lindsay)

Dreamboat Annie - Heart (1976 - #42: we heard the original Mushroom Records 45)

Here Comes Summer - Jerry Keller (1959 - #14: Keller wrote the one-hit wonder that fits tonight's spotlight feature)

Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys (1966 - #1: it took over 90 hours of tape and 7 months to produce this classic, which ranks #6/RS500)

What About Me - Anne Murray (1973 - #64: song was written by Scott McKenzie)

Da Doo Ron Ron - The Crystals (1963 - #3: Dolores Brooks sang lead vocal on this girl group classic, which ranks #114/RS500)

Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith (1968 - #2: song was written by Bobby Russell ("Honey"; "Saturday Morning Confusion") and won Grammys for Song of the Year and Country Sog, but The Beatles' "Hey Jude" had a lock on #1)

Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks (1966 - #14: Ray Davies was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and primary songwriter for the group)

Maybe Tomorrow - The Iveys (1969 - #67: after this minor hit, the Iveys became Badfinger; guitarist Joey Molland passed away in March of this year)

Passing: Lou Christie. Born Lugee Sacco in Glenwillard, PA. on 2/19/43, Christie passed away on 6/18/25 at the age of 82. Known for his falsetto singing, his manager told him to copy Frankie Valli. We heard "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", a #10 record from 1969.

*Things I'd Like to Say - New Colony Six (1969 - #16: song made its chart debut on 12/28/68)

Summer Rain - Johnny Rivers (1967-8 - #14: song was released in November of 1967 and would peak the next year; it references the Summer of Love - 1967)

That Sunday, That Summer - Nat "King" Cole (1963 - #12: another charter from his Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer LP)

Dancing in the Streets - Martha and the Vandellas (1964 - #2: group's signature song which ranks #40/RS500)

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 June 28: 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!

June 14, 2025 - GJ and JR - Current Events

Rockin’ Remnants

Rockin’ Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 FM or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern. (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: June 14, 2025

Host: Gregory James/John Rudan 

Feature: Current Events

Birthday Calendar

June 8

Boz Scaggs   81 years old

Nancy Sinatra   85 years old

June 9

Jon Lord  (Deep Purple keyboards)   b. 1941

Jackie Wilson  b. 1934

June 10

Shirley Owens  (Shirelles)  83 years old

June 11

Frank Beard  76 years old  (ZZ Top drummer)

June 12

Len Barry  (Dovells)  b. 1942

Reg Presley   (Troggs lead singer)   b. 1941

June 13

Dennis Locorriere  (Dr. Hook lead singer)  76 years old

Marv Tarplin    (Motown guitarist)    b. 1941

Bobby Freeman   b. 1940

Uriel Jones  (Funk Brothers drummer)  b. 1934

June 14

Rod Argent   80 years old

Junior Walker   b. 1931

Rock n’ Roll Trivia

In the 6:00 hour I played two songs that mention letting your freak flag fly. What were they?

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)

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 subsequent dates) unless otherwise noted

* glossary of terms is below the playlist

6:00

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

Street Fighting Man  Rolling Stones   1968  #48

This was the Stones’ lowest-charting record since “Not Fade Away.”

Volunteers of America  Jefferson Airplane  1969   #65

Nicky Hopkins joined in on piano.

Talkin’ Bout a Revolution    Tracy Chapman  1988   #75

Chapman wrote and performed this song before her professional music career.

*Won’t Get Fooled Again The Who  1971  #15

Dedicated to Peggy with love from Scottie. Pete Townshend has said: "Don't expect to see what you expect to see. Expect nothing and you might gain everything."

What is Truth?   Johnny Cash   1970   #3 CW  #19 H 100

Cash played this for Richard Nixon in the White House on April 17, 1970.

Impeach the President    Honey Drippers  1973

This track was in reference to Richard Nixon, but you may substitute any president of your choice.

If 6 Was 9  Jimi Hendrix   1967

The first use of the phrase "let my freak flag fly."

Almost Cut My Hair  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young   1970

David Crosby has said: "It was the most juvenile set of lyrics I've ever written ... but it has a certain emotional impact, there's no question about that."

Requiem for the Masses    The Association   1967

This was the B-side to “Never My Love” and was, at its core, an anti-war song. Richard Nixon reportedly asked Warner Brothers Records to stop promoting the record.

*Eve of Destruction    Barry McGuire   1965   #1

Unfortunately, this song never becomes irrelevant. Requested by Barbara.

Heroes and Villains The Beach Boys  1967  #12

From the “Smiley Smile” album. Co-written by Van Dyke Parks, the track was the most complex and expensive of any Beach Boys’ records—even more than “Good Vibrations”-- and Brian hoped to make a record that was better than Good Vibrations. Weak public enthusiasm over the record sent Wilson into depression. Brian Wilson died on June 11, 2025 at the age of 82.

You Haven’t Done Nothin’   Stevie Wonder  1974  #1

Aimed at Richard Nixon who resigned two days after the release of the single.

For America    Jackson Browne   1986  #30

7:00

We’re All Alone Boz Scaggs  1976  #11

Boz sings with a lot of heart on this—one of his best vocal performances.

Kind of a Woman    Nancy Sinatra  1972  NR

A wonderfully sly song sung very convincingly by Nancy Sinatra. Why this did not chart is a mystery to me.

Lonely Teardrops    Jackie Wilson   1959  #1 RB  #7 H100

Dick Jacobs created the arrangement and Decca session player George Barnes (pictured below) probably played the guitar.

Hush    Deep Purple   1968  #4

Released in the US on the Tetragrammaton label.

It’s Gonna Take a Miracle     Shirelles   1971

A Fool for Your Stockings    ZZ Top   1979

Not sure I want to delve too deep into their obsession with stockings. But if you're interested, they go into it in some detail in the video below. You've been warned...

You Can’t Sit Down Dovells  1963  #3 H100  #10 RB

Birthday boy Len Barry is in the middle below.

Wild Thing     Troggs    1966  #1

Chip Taylor has said that he composed the song in less than five minutes. The wind instrumental break is an ocarina.  The track was released on both the Atco and Fontana labels and was the first and only record to hit #1 for two different recording companies.

Do You Wanna Dance?      Bobby Freeman  1958   #5 H100   #2 RB

Freeman was 17 when he wrote and recorded the song.

A Little Bit More   Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show 1976  #11

One More Heartache    Marvin Gaye   1966  #4 RB  #29 H100

A tale of two Marvins. Marv Tarplin co-wrote the song and played the guitar on the track.

Ain’t Too Proud to Beg     Temptations   1966  #1 RB   #13 H100

Uriel Jones signature drum roll is the first thing heard on this track.

Hold Your Head Up Argent   1971   #5

This was Argent’s only charting song on the Hot 100.

Road Runner   Junior Walker and the All Stars  1965   #20 H100

Junior Walker sang the song in one key and his sax track was sped up to match the pitch of the vocal track.

Daddy Could Swear, I Declare  Gladys Knight   1973  #2 R&B  #19 H100

This evening’s Father’s Day track was from Gladys Knight’s ninth Motown record after which she and the Pips moved to Buddah Records. But Motown had enough unreleased material from the group that the label released three more albums of previously unreleased material.

8:00

Polk Salad Annie   Tony Joe White  1969  #8 

Tony Joe also scored a big hit with “Rainy Night In Georgia” in 1970.

It Came Out Of The Sky   Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969 DNC 

From the album “Willy and the Poor Boys.”

Young Americans   David Bowie  1975  #28

Recorded in Philadelphia with the MFSB studio musicians.

Nice, Nice, Very Nice    Ambrosia  1975   #63

Lyric taken from the Kurt Vonnegut, Jr novel Cat’s Cradle for which he got a songwriting credit.

She’s Gone    Hall & Oates    1976   #7

This was on their 1972 debut LP “Abandoned Luncheonette,” but was not released as a single until four years later.

Over The Hills And Far Away      Led Zeppelin 1973  #51

A rare single release from Led Zep; they only released nine singles in ten years.

Crazy Love    Poco    1979   #17 H100

The #1 single of 1979 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. 

Carmelita    Warren Zevon   1976  NR

From Zevon’s self-titled major label debut album on Asylum Records.

Everyone’s Gone To The Movies    Steely Dan 1975   NR

I earned the nickname Steely Rudan because I played them so often in my early days at the station.

RC Cola and a Moonpie     NRBQ    1972   NR

And fifty-three years later you can still indulge!  I did.

Anxious Heart     Cindy Bullens    1978   NR

A big “FM hit” that year.

Jesus Was A Crossmaker   The Hollies   1972   DNC

A cover version of a song written and first released by Judy Sill.

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

Trivia Answer

"If 6 Was 9" by Jimi Hendrix and "Almost Cut My Hair"  by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were the first lyrical mentions of letting one's "freak flag fly."

Congratulations to Bob from Interlaken for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis, downtown Ithaca’s home for first-run, international, independent and local films.

Glossary of Terms:

DNC = did not chart

NR = not released as a single at the time

H100 = Billboard Hot 100

CW = Billboard’s chart for country and western records

RB = Billboard’s chart of rhythm and blues records

Host June 21, 2025: Jan Hunsinger 

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin’ Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca NY) or streaming on WVBR.com.

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