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.)
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Date: August 29, 2026
Host: Gregory James
Feature: Animals in the Titles
Birthday Calendar
August 23
Rick Springfield 77 years old
Rudy Lewis (Drifters lead singer) 1936
Keith Moon 1946
Jimi Jamison (Survivor vocalist) 1951
Jimy Sohns (Shadows of Knight vocalist) 1946
August 24
Jimmy Fox (James Gang drummer) 80 years old
Malcolm “Molly” Duncan (Average White Band saxophonist) 1945
John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist) 1943
David Freiberg (Quicksilver Messenger Service vocalist) 88 years old
Michael Derosier (Heart drummer) 75 years old
August 25
Elvis Costello 72 years old
Walter Williams (O’Jays) 84 years old
August 26
Valerie Simpson 80 years old
August 27
Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge bassist ) 1944
Daryl Dragon (Captain and Tennille) 1942
August 28
Joe Osborn (Wrecking Crew bassist) 1937
Danny Seraphine (Chicago drummer) 78 years old
Honey Lantree (Honeycombs drummer) 1943
Joseph Shabalala (Ladysmith Black Mambazo) 1941
Rock n’ Roll Trivia
In the 6:00 hour I played five songs with birds in the title. Name three of them.
(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)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight Tokens 1961 #1 H100--1962 #7 R&B
In Zulu, song’s original title was “Mbube” which means “lion.” Composer Solomon Linda worked at Gallo Records and moonlighted as a performer with the Evening Birds. When the group went into the recording studio, Solomon Linda improvised the melody that eventually became “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.”
Hound Dog Big Mama Thornton 1953 #1 (seven weeks) R&B
Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller were 19 years old when Johnny Otis asked them to write a 12 bar blues song that would revive Willie Mae Thornton’s career. They came up with Hound Dog in 15 minutes. Thornton added several vocal flourishes, some spoken dialogue and a syncopated delivery.
Dixie Chicken Little Feat 1978 DNC
Not really a song about an actual chicken or an actual lamb. Backing vocals by two great Bonnies—Bramlett and Raitt.
I Will Always Love You Dolly Parton 1974 #1 CW
Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026. This song was her parting gift to mentor and professional partner Porter Wagoner. One of the great break up songs of all time because it focuses on gratitude not resentment.
Blackbird Paul McCartney 1968 NR
The bird song heard at the end is an actual blackbird.
Bluebird Buffalo Springfield 1967 #58
The banjo solo at the end was played by Charlie Chin whom Stephen Stills knew from his folk music days in Greenwich Village.
White Bird It’s a Beautiful Day 1969 #118
Patti Santos sang the duet with David LaFlamme who also overdubbed all the violin parts.
Mockingbird Inez and Charlie Foxx 1963 #7 H100 #2 R&B
The track sold over a million copies on the Symbol label.
*White Rabbit Jefferson Airplane 1967 #8
Composer Grace Slick, who based the song on the Alice stories of Lewis Carroll, has said that the line “Feed your head” was as much about reading as it was about psychedelics. Requested by a listener grateful that the WVBR stream had been restored.
*Wondering Where the Lions Are Bruce Cockburn 1979 #21
This song was inspired by a dream, according to the lyrics. Requested by Scottie with love for Peggy as well as for you and yours.
Dead Skunk Loudon Wainwright III 1973 #16
The song was based on actual events. Wainwright has said, “Someone had already killed [the skunk], but I ran over it.”
The Bird is the Word Rivingtons 1963 #52 H100 #27 R&B
This was the follow up to “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” and had a similar chord progression. The melody was copied by the Trashmen in 1964 as “Surfin’ Bird.
*A Horse with No Name America 1971 #1
America recorded the track in London.
*Monkey Man Rolling Stones 1969
This Stones deep track has one of the coolest intros in their repertoire. Bill Wyman played vibraphone, Nicky Hopkins played piano and Keith Richards played the superb slide guitar. NR
7:00
Some Kind of Wonderful Drifters 1961 #6 RB #32 H100
Ben E. King had left the group by this point, and Rudy Lewis (on the right in the photo below) sang lead on this Goffin King composition.
Won’t Get Fooled Again The Who 1971 #15
This was the last song Keith Moon played live.
Eye of the Tiger Survivor 1982 #1
The song was written for “Rocky III” and no fewer than three politicians tried to use the song without authorization for their campaigns. They were either issued cease and desist orders or required to pay a licensing fee.
Gloria Shadows of Knight 1966 #10
This Chicago quintet recorded a pretty faithful cover of Them’s original, with some AM radio-friendly lyric changes.
Woman James Gang 1970 DNC
Jimmy Fox (middle in photo below) was the founder and namesake of the James Gang trio, and one of the composers of this song.
Pick Up the Pieces Average White Band 1974 #1
Malcolm “Molly” Duncan (below right) played the sax solo on this superb Scottish funk side.
Barracuda Heart 1977 #11
A song about an unscrupulous music business executive that Nancy Wilson called “a sophisticated song of rage.” Also, a song with an animal as a metaphor in the title.
Oliver’s Army Elvis Costello and the Attractions 1979 DNC
A highly charged political song cloaked in music reminiscent of ABBA and the Ronettes.
Use Ta Be My Girl O’Jays 1978 #1 RB #4 H 100
Walter Williams (below left) sang lead on the track and he still has many admirers.
The Only Living Boy in New York Simon and Garfunkel 1970 NR
The “Tom” mentioned in the song is Art Garfunkel who was half of Simon and Garfunkel’s original stage name of Tom and Jerry. Simon wrote and recorded this track while Garfunkel was shooting Catch-22 in Mexico. This track is considered one of Joe Osborn’s most evocative performances on bass.
Make Me Smile Chicago 1970 #9
This was Chicago’s breakthrough hit that re-kindled interest in tracks that had been previously released but sold poorly. Danny Seraphine was the group's drummer.
That’s the Way Honeycombs 1964
Honey Lantree was one of the first female rock drummers of note. She also sang harmony on this track.
Knocking on Heaven’s Door Dolly Parton and Ladysmith Black Mambazo (with Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar) 1997
Sweet Transvestite Tim Curry 1975 NR
Tim Curry died on August 25th. Curry’s work in Rocky Horror did much to bring cross-dressing and gender fluidity into general public awareness.
8:00
*Werewolves of London Warren Zevon 1978 #21
In 1975, Jackson Browne performed this song in concert before Warren Zevon recorded the song for his Excitable Boy album in 1978.
Grey Seal Elton John B-side 1973
Lyricist Bernie Taupin has stated that even though he wrote the song, he has never understood what it means.
Year of the Cat Al Stewart 1976 #8
The song took some inspiration from the film “Casablanca.” The song was written and recorded during the Vietnamese Year of the Cat.
*Islands in the Stream Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers 1982 #1 H 100 #1 CW #1 AC
Written by the Bee Gees. Requested by JR.
Foxy (Foxey) Lady Jimi Hendrix 1968 #67
This was Jimi’s third single in the U.S. and used the spelling of “Foxey” on the label. Hendrix used a dominant seventh sharp ninth chord, which came to be known as the “Hendrix chord.” Musician and author John Perry wrote that the Hendrix chord is “the whole of the blues scale condensed into a single chord.” The titular foxy lady was reputed to be Lithofayne "Faye" Pridgon seen below with Hendrix.
Little Red Rooster Sam Cooke 1963 #11 H100, #7 R&B
Sam Cooke adapted this Willie Dixon blues shouter to a smooth R&B track. You can hear Cooke calling out to a young Billy Preston who created with his keyboard the impression of a rooster crowing and dogs barking.
Bird Dog Everly Brothers 1958 #2 H100, #2 R&B #1 CW
After rejecting the idea of using a ventriloquist doing the voice of TV puppet Farfel the Dog, Don Everly voiced the spoken lyrics.
Too Many Fish in the Sea Marvelettes 1965 #25 H100 #15 R&B
This was one of the first hit singles written by Norman Whitfield.
See You Later Alligator Bill Haley 1956 #6
The high pitched spoken opening of the record was voiced by lead guitarist Franny Beecher.
Wildfire Michael Martin Murphey 1975 #3
Based on a Native American legend, Murphey has said that the song came to him in a dream, about a ghost horse that his grandfather had told him about.
Cat in the Window (Bird in the Sky) Petula Clark 1967 #26
Rockin’ Robin Bobby Day 1958 #2 H100, #1 R&B
Day was the original Bob in the duo Bob and Earl.
Fox on the Run Manfred Mann 1969 #97
Mustang Sally Wilson Pickett 1966 #23
This version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Walking the Dog Rufus Thomas 1963 #10 H100
Thomas was a master of many trades: singer, songwriter, dancer, dj and mentor to many younger artists associated with Stax Records, such as his daughter Carla Thomas and Otis Redding.
CLOSING THEME: Sleep Walk – Santo and Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Trivia Answer
The five songs with “bird” in the title were:
Mockingbird, Bluebird, White Bird, The Bird is the Word, Little Red Rooster
Congratulations to Greg from Ithaca 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
AC = Billboard’s chart for Adult Contemporary records
H100 = Billboard Hot 100
CW = Billboard’s chart for country and western records
RB = Billboard’s chart of rhythm and blues records
Host September 5, 2026: 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!
