August 10, 2019 - John Simon - Sunshine

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:  8/10/19
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  Random Oldies

Back on the radio from 6-9 tonight. Hangar Theater tickets, cool tunes, good company and your requests. We'll open with some Summertime tunes from Augusts past  -  and then we'll see where we go! It's been a l-o-n-g day, so there might even be some amusing mishaps. You never know with live radio.... 93.5-FM or streaming at wvbr.com. Free and fun for all ages!

  






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)

I Live for the Sun - Sunrays (8/65; #51 - this group was signed by Murry Wilson, who had recently been fired as the manager of his sons' group. They, of course, were the Beach Boys. The Sunrays used the same studio musicians as the Beach Boys, but the songs weren't as good. Neither were the harmonies. They would soon disappear from the scene.)

Out in the Sun - Beach Nuts (8/65; #106 - this was a pairing of writer/producers The Strangeloves and the NYC vocal group The Angels. It was kinda sassy, kinda sunny, and never climbed into the Hot 100 nationally.)

The Girls on the Beach - Beach Boys (8/64; dnc - this was another smashing gem from the pen and production mind of Brian Wilson. It was never released as a single, but it was included in their best-selling LP "All Summer Long.")

Beach Baby - First Class (8/74; #4 - these kids were as American as apple pie....except for the fact that they were a British studio group. There was a shorter edit released on 45, but tonight we hear the full-length version.)


Theme from "A Summer Place" - Duane Eddy (7/64; dnc - this was tucked onto the B-side of Duane Eddy's final almost-charting single called "Water Skiing," which reached #121 on the Cash Box chart. It's a tasty twangy version of Percy Faith's smash hit from three years earlier.)

Ridin' In My Car - NRBQ (1977; dnc - this evocative album track got lots of airplay in Southern New England in the Summer of 1977 but never caught on nationally. Al Anderson, who wrote it and sang it played the guitar all over it, got his start with his Connecticut high school group The Wildweeds. He eventually found his real home with NRBQ guys.)

* Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - Walker Brothers (4/66; #13 - this was requested by a guy named "Scotty," who mentioned that lead singer Scott Walker had passed away a couple of months ago. I played it the week after he'd passed, but I'm always glad to play this one!)

* Don't Sleep In the Subway - Petula Clark (6/67; #5 - Ms. Clark had been recording since she was six years old, but was currently in the middle of a string of great singles. This was one of my favorites, and always evokes memories of the Summer of '67 for me.)

* Nashville Cats - Lovin' Spoonful (12/66; #8 - this went out at the request of my buddy David, who remembered that he used to cringe at how "Country" it sounded. He's since come to recognize the genius behind the concept  -  and what a great record it is.)


* A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy (8/64; #7 - listener Betsy said that she'd considered calling this one in last week, but she and JH agreed that it was better suited to later in the summer. That said, what a great summertime treasure ANY time of the year.)

* Oh How Happy - Shades of Blue (5/66; #12 - this Blue-Eyed Soul Group from Detroit released one great record and this is it. Going out at the request of David from Vancouver. His conclusion upon having heard it on the radio? "It made me happy.")


* Big Iron - Marty Robbins (3/60; #26 - this follow-up to "El Paso" never got as far as its predecessor, but listener John-from-Freeville wanted to go on record as saying that Bob Weir's version didn't hold a candle to the original. Here's Bob's version. You be the judge.....)


I Want to Walk You Home - Fats Domino (8/59; #8 Pop, #1 R&B - classic Fats Domino: rolling piano, shuffle beat, big wide smile, and just enough innuendo to imply that he has more than an innocent stroll on his mind....)

 

Don't Take the Stars - Mystics (10/59; #98 - a beautiful little Doo Wop confection from Queens, NY. Forest Hills native Paul Simon would briefly join the group about a year later, but the Doo Wop genre was fading at that point. Luckily, the Folk Rock thing was just coming up around the bend.)


Mohair Sam - Charlie Rich (8/65; at #131 this week, headed to a peak of #21 on the Pop chart  - Charlie Rich would eventually become a C&W superstar, but he was going for success as a Pop singer in the mid-Sixties. This treasure on the Smash Records label was his biggest hit of this phase of his career.)

 

7-8pm

 Birthday Calendar


August 4 – Timi Yuro – born in 1940
            – Larry Knechtel (Wrecking Crew) – born in 1940

August 5 – Rick Derringer (McCoys) – age 72

             
August 7 – BJ Thomas – age 77

August 8 – Joe Tex – born in 1933

           
August 9 – Barbara Mason – age 72
           

August 10 – Ronnie Spector (Ronettes) – age 76
            – Bobby Hatfield (Righteous Bros.) – born in 1940

Do I Love You - Ronettes (7/64; #34 - the Ronettes rose above the rest of crowd at Philles Records partly because label owner Phil Spector had set his sights on Veronica Bennett, who would eventually change her name to Ronnie Spector. That's her in the middle.)

Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers (8/65; #4 - this was originally the intended B-side of the single, and is basically  a solo performance by tenor Bobby Hatfield. It would later re-chart in the Summer of 1990 when it was prominently featured in the film "Ghost" and made it all the way to #13 here in the States. It would also spend four weeks at the top of the British chart!)

What's A Matter Baby - Timi Yuro (8/62; #12 - Billboard calls her a "White female Soul singer," and who am I to argue? She was born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles.)


Don't Worry Baby - BJ Thomas (7/77; #17 - after he left Scepter Records, BJ recorded a number of singles on the MCA label. This is a really cool cover of the Beach Boys tune.)

That's How It Feels - Soul Clan (8/68; dnc - this was the B-side of their lone charting single Soul Meeting. The Soul Clan was an Atlantic Records "supergroup," made up of male Soul stars Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Don Covay, Ben E. King and Joe Tex  -  left-to-right.)

Yes, I'm Ready - Barbara Mason (8/65; down to #31 on this date after peaking at #5 - she was more than just a singer: she wrote this one, along with its follow-up. Teri Desario and Harry "KC" Casey would take it to #2 about fifteen years later.)

* Summertime - Sam Cooke (11/57; #81 - Sam Cooke had been a Gospel Music superstar when he decided to take a stab at secular music. His first charting single was "You Send Me," which spent three weeks at #1 in the Fall of 1957. This was the B-side.)


Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts (9/72; #6 - this is a perfect snapshot of a cool Summer evening  -  just like tonight. It appears that JH played it last week as a request, but you can never have too much of a good thing.)

* Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin (10/59; #1 for NINE weeks - the listener said "In honor of a song that made it to R& R charts from the humble origins. 'Die Moritat von Mackie Messer' from the 'Threepenny opera' composed by Kurt Weil and sung by Bertolt Brecht.")


* Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire (9/65; #1 - the nation was becoming more polarized and the culture wars were starting to spill over onto the airwaves. This scathing rant about the war and racial injustice and moral hypocrisy went all the way to the top. Several months later a USMC Staff Sergeant would achieve similar success with "The Ballad of the Green Berets.")

      

45 Corner:  Breezin' - Sammy Gordon & The Hiphuggers (1/72; dnc - contrary to popular belief, George Benson did not write this one. Bobby Womack did and he took it to #43 on the R&B chart as a duet with Jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo. Several months later this NYC bar band recorded a slinky version of it and sold lots of copies out of the trunk of their Cadillac. Here's a very clean copy, just for you!)

 

Brown-Eyed Woman - Bill Medley (8/68; #43 - after years of singing together with his Righteous Brother Bobby Hatfield, baritone Bill Medley branched out on his own. This Mann-Weil tune featured The Blossoms on background vocals. Funny enough, Bill Medley and Darlene Love were involved in an interracial romance  -  and here they are singing about some of the challenges they were facing.)

 

Slip Away - Clarence Carter (8/68; at #51, headed to #6 Pop and #2 R&B - Clarence Carter cut a bunch of fine records at Muscle Shoals studios and this is one of the finest.)

8-9pm




Fool On the Hill - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (8/68; debuting at #61 this week, headed to #6 - this tasty Bossa Nova treatment of the Beatles tune also happened to be on the very CD I'd ever purchased back in the early nineties and I got really excited when I realized it tonight! I had NO clue what a Pandora's box I was about to open....)

M'Lady - Sly & The Family Stone (8/68; debuting at #97 this week, headed only as far as #93 - perhaps it sounded too much like "Dance to The Music," but this one fizzled shortly after it arrived on the scene. Too bad  -  it's a cool tune, man....)


* Day By Day - Godspell (5/72; #13 - this was the hit from the Off-Broadway musical, and featured the dulcet tones of Robin Lamont  -  going out to JSF in Brooktondale.)

  

A Whiter Shade of Pale - RB Greaves (12/70; #82 Pop - R.B. Greaves had a couple of MOR Soul-tinged hits before ATCO released this one. It's a nice version of the Procol Harum hit. Funny enough, RB Greaves was a nephew of Sam Cooke himself.)


Lodi - Al Wilson (8/69; #67 - speaking of "MOR Soul singers," Al Wilson would eventually hit the jackpot with "Show & Tell," and you may have heard his hit "The Snake" a couple of weeks ago on JR's show. Tonight you get his cover of the Creedence tune, released on Johnny Rivers' Soul City label.)

     

(You Make Me Feel) So Good - McCoys (8/66; #53 - lead singer/guitarist Rick Derringer was 18 when this record charted, and these boys had seen a LOT since their big break the summer before with Hang On Sloopy. Soon he'd leave the band and team up with the Winter Brothers to play on some rockin' Blues records.)


I Just Can't Help Believing - BJ Thomas (8/70; #12 - BJ Thomas had an impressive string of records and is rather underappreciated as a vocalist. Hearing this one prompted a listener to call in asking for more! I had to put my foot down and say "two is enough.")

 

Don't Worry Baby - Ronnie Spector (Brian Wilson famously had to pull over the first time he heard The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" on his car radio. He was so moved that he wrote this song and offered it to Phil Spector for the girls to record. Phil declined, so the Beach Boys cut it themselves and had the hit with it. Years later, Ronnie Spector finally recorded it! Check out this live performance from 1998.)


When She Was My Girl - Four Tops (8/81; #11 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks - long after they'd left Motown Records, the Four Tops landed on Casablanca and had a very nice resurgence thanks to this single.)

Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds (7/65; #1 - this was a major breakthrough for the music industry: Folk Rock had arrived, and The Byrds were leading the charge. Little did the public know that  -  except for Roger McGuinn on electric 12-string  -  they weren't really playing their own instruments. In this case, the bass was played by session man Larry Knechtel, drums by Hal Blaine, keys by Leon Russell....yep, it was "the Wrecking Crew" again!)

Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu - Johnny Rivers (10/72; #6 - speaking of Larry Knechtel, guess who's playing the blistering piano licks on this record? You guessed it! He'd also play the lead guitar solo on Bread's "Guitar Man" a year or two later. Amazing!)

 

* Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim (9/74; #1 - caller Scotty gets the last word tonight, even though I had a different record queued up. Sometimes the squeaky wheel does get the grease.)

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





Congratulations to Jerry from T-burg, for winning tickets to see Little Women at The Hangar Theatre!



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
MOR = middle of the road




Host Next Week (8/17/19):  Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on Lullabies and the Night-Time Sky



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 3, 2019 - JH: Little of This, Little of That

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)
Date: August 3, 2019


Spotlight:  Little of This, Little of That

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

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

Summer (The First Time) - Bobby Goldsboro (1973 - #21: Goldsboro co-wrote and co-produced the somewhat controversial song of a 17-year-olds first sexual experience with a 31-year-old woman)

Summer's Comin' - Kirby St. Romain (1963 - #49: His only song to chart on the BB Hot100)

Summer Means Fun - Bruce & Terry (1964 - #72: the pair also recorded under The Rip Chords; Terry Melcher was the son of Doris Day)

Summertime's Another Name for Love - The New Colony Six (1968 - DNC: song was 'B' side of "Can't You See Me Cry", which charted at #52)

It's Summer Time USA - The Pixies Three (1964 - #116: group was a trio of teenagers from Hanover, PA)

*Eyes of a NY Woman - B.J. Thomas (1968 - #28: listener wanted to hear a BJ Thomas song, my choice; here you go!)

Mama Didn't Lie - Jan Bradley (1963 - #14: song was written by Curtis Mayfield)

Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler (1962 - #1: song spent three weeks at the top of the charts)

You'll Lose a Good Thing - Barbara Lynn (1962 - #8: her first charting single and biggest hit)

I Wish I Were a Princess - Little Peggy March (1963 - #32: her follow-up to "I Will Follow Him")

*Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts (1972 - #6: first chart single for the duo from Texas)

Nothing Takes the Place of You - Toussaint McCall (1967 - #52: R&B singer from Monroe, LA)

45 Corner:

Walk Away Renee - Southside Johnny and the Jukes (1986 - #98: His cover of The Left Banke's 1966 hit)

*You Don't Have to Walk in the Rain - The Turtles (1969 - #51: later hit for the group)

So Much in Love - The Tymes (1963 - #1: the group's first and biggest single with a summertime feel)

Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker (1962 - #2: The Champs recorded an instrumental version of the song in 1961; "Telstar" kept it out of the top spot in 1962)

Birthday Calendar:

July 28:

Peter Doyle (The New Seekers) - born 1949

July 29:

Neal Doughty (REO Speedwagon) - 73

July 30:

Christine McGuire (McGuire Sisters) - born 1929

Paul Anka - 78

July 31:

Morey Carr - (The Playmates) - born 1932

Bonnie Brown (The Browns) - born 1936

Lobo (born Roland Kent Lavoie) - 76

Gary Lewis - 73

August 1:

Jerry Garcia - born 1942

Rick Coonce (Grass Roots drummer) - born 1947

Tim Bachman (Bach-Turner Overdrive) - 68

August 2:
Garth Hudson (The Band) - 82
Doris Coley (The Shirelles) - born 1941
Jim Capaldi (Traffic) - born 1944
Andrew Gold - born 1951

August 3:
Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto) - 93
Beverly Lee (The Shirelles) - 78

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing - The New Seekers (1972 - #7: song that was used to great effect in the last episode of 'Mad Men')

Roll With the Changes - REO Speedwagon (1978 - #58:  from the LP "You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tune a Fish")


Sincerely - The McGuire Sisters (1955 - #1: written by Harvey Fuqua and Cleveland DJ Alan Freed, this cover spent 10 weeks at #1)

Times of Your Life - Paul Anka (1976 - #7: song began as a commercial for Kodak)


Beep Beep - The Playmates (1958 - #4: the song about the little Nash Rambler was a million-seller; Morey Carr was the lead singer)

The Three Bells - The Browns (1959 - #1: Bonnie Brown sang with siblings Maxine and Jim; song was #1 for 4 weeks)

Where Will the Words Come From - Gary Lewis & the Playboys (1967 - #21: Lewis now lives outside Rochester in Rush, NY)


I'd Love You to Want Me - Lobo (1972 - #2: Lobo wrote the song that was his biggest hit; "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash kept it out of the #1 spot)

Sugar Magnolia - The Grateful Dead (1973 - #91: from their classic LP "American Beauty")


Lovin' Things - The Grass Roots (1969 - #49: from the LP of the same name)

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1974 - #1: their biggest hit, spent 1 week at #1)

Up on Cripple Creek - The Band (1969 - #25: Hudson, who preferred a Lowrey organ over a Hammond, played the clavinet on this classic tune)

I Met Him on a Sunday - The Shirelles (1958 - #49: the first of 25 BB Hot 100 singles for the schoolmates from Passaic, NJ)

Feelin' Alright - Traffic (1968 - #123: Capaldi wrote the lyrics and Steve Winwood the music for the group)


Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold (1977 - #7: Linda Ronstadt supplied backing vocals for the song)

Cold, Cold Heart - Tony Bennett (1951 - #1: Bennett's cover the the Hank Williams tune spent 6 weeks at #1; song was used in the film "The Last Picture Show")


For Once in My Life - Tony Bennett (1967 - #91: Bennett's cover of the Stevie Wonder classic)

*Livin' in the USA - The Steve Miller Band (1969 - #49: listener wanted to hear something by the Steve Miller Band)


*Pretty Ballerina - The Left Banke (1967 - #15: the 'Baroque Rock' group's follow-up to "Walk Away Renee")

Hush - Deep Purple (1968 - #4: song was written by Joe South)

Thank You Girl - The Street People (1970 - #96: Rupert Holmes was a member of the band)


You Were on My Mind - Crispian St. Peters (1967 - #36: his cover of the Ian & Sylvia song that was a hit for the We Five in 1965)

Any Way That You Want Me - Evie Sands (1969 - #53: one of three songs Sands had that charted in the BB Hot 100)


I Had a Dream - Paul Revere and the Raiders (1967 - #17: the group had 24 songs on the BB Hot 100)


Daughter of Darkness - Tom Jones (1970 - #13: Jones, born in Wales, was awarded an OBE in 1999 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2006)

One Monkey Don't Stop No Show, Part 1 - The Honey Cone (1972 - #15: group was a female R&B trio from LA)

442 Glenwood Avenue - The Pixies Three (1964 - #56: the group's second charting single)

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 This Week:  JS (John Simon)  Tune in to hear Random Oldies!

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!

July 27, 2019 - JH: Novelty Songs

Host: Jan Hunsinger (JH)
Date: July 27, 2019


Spotlight:  Novelty Songs

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

Rockin' Remnants/Hangar Theater Trivia: who recorded the song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"; on what piece of classical music was it based; and who was the composer.  See answers below.

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

Pink Shoe Laces - Dodie Stevens (1959 - #3: Stevens was 'discovered' on Art Linkletter's "House Party" TV show at the age of eight)

Beans in My Ears - The Serendipity Singers (1964 - #30: "Don;t Let the Rain Come Down (Crooked Little Man)" earlier in the year was the group's biggest hit)

Western Movies - The Olympics (1958 - #8: the song reflected the popularity of western movies and TV programs in the late '50s)

Walkin' My Cat Named Dog - Norma Tanega (1966 - #22: Tanega wrote the song when her apartment did not allow dogs, so she got a cat and named it 'Dog')

Guitarzan - Ray Stevens (1969 - #8: Stevens had several novelty hit records and is a 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee)


Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred and His Playboy Band (1968 - #1: song is a parody of The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds)

Rubber Biscuit - The Chips (1956 - DNC: song was later covered by The Blues Brothers with Dan Ackroyd supplying lead vocals)

Jolly Green Giant - The Kingsmen (1965 - #4: their follow-up to "Louie, Louie"; we heard the original Wand 45)


Rang Tang Ding Dong (I Am the Japanese Sandman) - 1957 - #62: written by bass singer Alvin Williams; the group out of Queens was produced by Lew Merenstein, who would later produce Van Morrison)

It's in the Book - Johnny Standley (1952 - #1: million-seller that is part song, part revivalist preacher; used in the last scene of the movie The Last Picture Show)


45 Corner

Moonflight - Vik Venus (1969 - #38: song clips interspersed with an interview in the style of Dickie Goodman released shortly after the Apollo 11 landing; "Your Main Moon Man" was really NY radio personality Jack Spector)


Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport - Rolf Harris (1963 - #3: written in 1959, Harris re-recorded the song after traveling to the UK and meeting producer George Martin; Harris also met the Beatles and appeared with them on the BBC in December 1963)

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah - Alan Sherman (1963 - #2: won a Grammy for Comedy in 1964; song was based on actual summer camp letters from Sherman's son Robert)

Transfusion - Nervous Norvus (1956 - #8: 'Nervous Norvos' was really Jimmy Drake, who wrote the song's music and lyrics)
  

Birthday Calendar

July 21:

Cat Stevens (Yusaf Islam) - 71

July 22:

Bobby Sherman - 76

Estelle Bennett (The Ronettes) - born 1944

Don Henley - 72

July 23:

Cleveland Duncan (The Penguins) - born 1935

Madeline Bell - 77

Dino Danelli (Rascals drummer) - 75

July 24:

Barbara Love (Friends of Distinction) - 78

July 25:

Jim McCarty (Yardbirds drummer) - 76

July 26:

Bobby Hebb - born 1938

Dobie Gray (Lawrence Darrow Brown) - born 1940

Brenton Wood (Alfred Smith) - 78

Darlene Love (Wright) - 78

Mick Jagger (Sir Michael Philip Jagger) - 76

July 27:

Harvey Fuqua - born 1929

Nick Reynolds (Kingston Trio) - born 1933

Bobbi Gentry (Roberta Lee Streeter) - 75

Maureen McGovern - 70

Michael Vaughn (Paper Lace) - 69

Here Comes My Baby - Cat Stevens (1968 - NR: song was a hit for The Tremeloes)

Little Woman - Bobby Sherman (1969 - #3: big hit for the teen heart-throb who starred in the TV show "Here Comes the Brides"; we heard the original Metromedia 45)

I Can Hear Music - The Ronettes (1966 - #100: The Beach Boys would take the song to #24 in 1969)

Best of My Love - The Eagles (1975 - #1: Henley co-wrote and sang lead on the song)


Memories of El Monte - The Penguins (1963 - DNC: song was written by Frank Zappa and Ray Collins before they joined The Mothers of Invention, its subject was doo-wop dances held in El Monte, California)

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Madeline Bell (1968 - #26: Dusty Springfield sang back-up vocals on the song that would be a big hit for the Supremes and Temptations)

See - The Rascals (1969 - #27: a later hit for the group)

Grazing in the Grass - Friends of Distinction (1969 - #3: great, upbeat summer song)

*Shapes of Things - The Yardbirds (1966 - #11: has been called the first psychedelic rock song)

Sunny - Bobby Hebb (1966 - #2: Hebb toured with the Beatles in 1966)

Drift Away - Dobie Gray (1973 - #5: song was a million-seller and Gray's signature song)

Gimme Little Sign - Brenton Wood (1967 - #9: Wood also co-wrote the song)

(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry - Darlene Love (1963 - #39: Phil Spector suggested that Darlene Wright change her name to 'Love')

It's All Over Now - The Rolling Stones (1964 - #26: song was written by Bobby and Shirley Womack; first #1 Stones song in the UK)

Sincerely - The Moonglows (1954 - #20: song was co-written by Harvey Fuqua and radio DJ Alan Freed; the McGuire Sisters took it to #1 in 1955)

Bad Man Blunder - The Kingston Trio (1960 - #37: Nick Reynolds sang a third above the melody for the group)

Ode to Billie Joe - Bobbi Gentry (1967 - #1: country crossover topped the Pop charts for 4 weeks and is #412 on the RS500)

Morning After - Maureen McGovern (1973 - #1: song from the movie "The Poseidon Adventure", for which it won an Oscar;  spent two weeks at the top of the charts)

The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace (1974 - #1: Vaughn was lead guitarist/arranger for the quintet out of England)

Flying Saucer (Parts I & II) - Buchanan and Goodman (1956 - #3: first charting song to feature "break-in" bits of Top 40 songs)

Mr. Jaws - Dickie Goodman (1975 - #4: another break-in from Goodman that played on the popularity of the 1975 summer blockbuster movie 'Jaws')


*The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley (1958 - #1: Wooley wrote the song and used sped up tape for the voice of the alien and the saxophone solo)


They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV (1966 - #3: Napoleon XIV was Jerry Samuels, who wrote the song as well; the B side played the song backwards and had a reversed label)

*Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-dot Bikini - Brian Hyland (1960 - #1: Trudy Packer supplied the female voice for this #1 hit)

Stranded in the Jungle - The Cadets (1956 - #15: a one-hit wonder for the group)


*Leader of the Laundromat - The Detergents (1965 - #19: parody of "The Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-las; although JS played it the previous week, three listeners called in to request it)

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen (1967 - #2: the first of several Snoopy-themed charting songs for the group)

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight? - Lonnie Donegan (1961 - #5: biggest US hit for the skiffle artist; Bruce Springsteen has called the song one of his childhood favorites)


Saturday Morning Confusion - Bobby Russell (1971 - #28: Russell also wrote "Honey", "Little Green Apples', and "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia")

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

Trivia answers:  Allan Sherman; "Dance of the Hours"; Ponchielli - Congratulations to Donna of Ithaca!

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 This Week:  JH (again!)  Tune in to hear great oldies!

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