9.5.15
by Rollye James
and
Claude Hall
Rollye: “Don Graham sent the above CD to Claude Hall and me. ‘The Gold Standards’ has a
heartbreaking story behind it. All the money raised from it goes to benefit Deborah Silver’s
sister, Marjie Block, who was stricken with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) at the prime of her
life. Husband, three kids, great Hollywood TV job— and then the diagnosis that everyone
thinks must be a mistake. It wasn’t. For that reason alone, I’d plug this CD. While I’m
mostly known for loving obscure American soul & R&B, I do like pop standards. Some of
them, anyway. That’s not really surprising as I’m a huge Bossa Nova fan too. (But let’s face
it, a discussion about what’s the best song Toquinho & Vinicius ever recorded is a conversation
stopper at parties.) All that’s to say, I was predisposed to think this CD would be at least OK.
“I would have listened in the car on the way from the post office, but my car isn’t new enough
to have come with a CD player and I’m not an after-market gal. So I spent my time looking at
the song rundown. Leading with ‘Teach Me Tonight’ and ending with ‘I Could Write A Book’,
it was encouraging. There were some good choices here. ‘Ain’t Misbehaving’, ‘Pennies From
Heaven’, ‘The Nearness of You’… then I saw it: ‘Never on Sunday’. More like Never been
my Favorite. Oh well, there’s got to be a clunker in every collection. I understand the song’s
powerful success— Academy Award winning song in 1960— never happened before with a
foreign film, certainly not a Greek one. Maybe it was The Chordettes version that scarred me,
though it was a huge hit. Whatever. I planned to skip ‘Sunday’. But when I got home, I put
the disc in a CD player while I was doing a mindless digital processing task and all of a
sudden, I heard a beat. It wasn’t exactly samba— or mambo, for that matter. Generic latin,
but nice. I was gonna love this one, I decided in seconds— then I heard the opening lyric,
“Oh you can kiss me on a…” I reeled. It just wasn’t possible.
“To me the biggest compliment I can give a recording is that it made me like a song I
otherwise didn’t. Doesn’t happen often. But it does on this CD. Deborah is a big part of it,
but strong credit should go to producers Steve Tyrell and Jon Allen, and arranger Alan
Broadbent, especially on ‘Never on Sunday.’ Later, I read the liner notes. Will Friedwald
agreed with me— ‘Never On Sunday’ is what grabbed him too. It’s hard to isolate a second
favorite. Hearing “I Could Write A Book” as I type, I’m gonna go with that one.
“Deborah is able to do something rare. It’s obvious she’s an accomplished singer— jazz and
pop standards, and it probably doesn’t stop there. What sets her apart though is an ability to
infuse personality into tonality. Usually it’s the lyrics do that, and singers are lucky to live up
to them. But in this case, it’s the lyrics having to live up to Deborah, and when they don’t (back
to ‘Never on Sunday’, for me), she makes them into something better than they are.
“The CD is only $3.49, and you can get it at DeborahSilverMusic.com. Her previous CD,
Pure Silver, is available here. If you navigate around that site, you’ll find out more about
Deborah. There’s a powerful YouTube video from earlier this year of Marjie and her family
and the ALS battle they share. You can see it here.”
Claude Hall: “She’s great, this Deborah Silver, and the tunes are all great. Love ballads. All
of them beautiful, all of them great old songs. My favorites on this CD: ‘The Nearness of
You,’ ‘I Could Have Danced All Night,’ ‘I’ve Got a Crush on You,’ and ‘Never on Sunday,’ the
classic Greek hit of my days hanging out in the so-called “belly clubs” of Manhattan when the
dancers often danced on my table and tossed their many colored scarves onto my head and
laughed while I sipped at ouzo and laughed with them. Madame Silver has a beautiful, lilting
voice that enchants you. You’ll love this CD. My compliments to producers Steve Tyrell and
Jon Allen. And promotion by Don Graham. Can’t go wrong on this one!”
Don Graham: “Sorry to confirm that Jerry Heller at 75, passed away Friday 9/2, of a heart
attack…An effective and influential agent and manager throughout the 60s and 70s…Later to
become manager of N.W.A. and co-owner with “Easy-E” (Eric Wright) of Ruthless Records,
creating the #1 album ‘Straight Outta Compton’.”
Rollye: “While I usually say I’m relieved to hear it when anyone just drops dead (rather than
faces lengthy suffering)— which Jerry did, having a heart attack while driving, I’m very sad
that he didn’t live long enough to see his lawsuit through. Upon Heller’s death, his lawyer,
Mickey Shapiro, speculates it was the negative portrayal of him in ‘Straight Outta Compton’
that led to his sudden death. (Read Shapiro's comments here.) Heller led a colorful life. If
you haven’t been following his story, the wiki page is a starting point. ”
David Gleason: “It’s ben a long time since I saw one of these….
I just found five on eBay and have bought them.”
Rollye: “Speaking of Claude Hall’s writing, Woody Roberts, Robby Vee, Les Garland,
Bob Sherwood and more confirm “Popsie and Me” is a fun read. It’s here.
“Apologies to Scott Paton— I spelled his name ‘Payton’ last week. Re-reading his email, it’s
Paton, speaking of whom…. ”
Dave Anthony: “Scott Paton's note about Dean Torrance's book reminded me of an
experience I had while programming KODJ/KCBS-FM in Los Angeles. One day my assistant
buzzes me to say that a man named Brian Wilson was here to see me. My first thought was
what radio guy would be audacious enough to snag a famous name to try to get an on-air job?
Out of curiosity -- since whoever this guy was had no appointment -- I asked her to send him
in. To my surprise, it wasn't an ambitious air talent dropping off an aircheck. It was the famous
Beach Boy himself standing by my desk. He gave me a new record along with a copy of his
just-released autobiography entitled ‘Wouldn't It Be Nice, My Own Story’. I was jazzed at his
humility that day. Sadly, I packed his book away, thinking I would get to it eventually. Finally,
twenty years go by and I see his book on my shelf in Florida. I read it. Even today I have to
honestly rank this book among my top ten favorites. Without question, a very good read. I wish
I would've read it when he gave it to me in person so I could've followed up with my sincere
appreciation and commendation. Maybe with the ever-widening reach of Vox Jox, this note just
might reach him along with my apologies for waiting two decades to curl up with his book.
“In response to Morris Diamond's notes about Meshulam Riklis, the Riviera, and Pia
Zadora, they were all well-known quantities during my years programming KLUC in Las
Vegas (and doing the morning show). Ms. Zadora's name was hard to miss in huge letters on
the Strip's marquees. So were her records, although KLUC was purposely more rock flavored
at that time, making her productions not exactly an instant add. On a side note, a 40-year
anniversary of KLUC's move to Top 40 will be held next August in Las Vegas.”
Randy West: “Opening Claude's and your Vox Jox every Monday is like receiving a letter from
home. The emotional connection with the world of radio and its friendly inhabitants runs that
deep. After all, for most of us it was our first love. It felt like family seeing Scott Paton's name
in connection with Dean Torrance's new book. Scott was the best writer and interviewer for
radio production/syndication houses, as well as a great guy. Here's a memory-flogging photo
from Jim Hampton's The Creative Factor circa 1982.
L-R: Randy West, George Church III, Scott Paton
“The George Church III story could be its own book!
“Quick memory inspired by the Rod Stewart story about picking hits: As PD, MD and jock I
opened a test pressing that came in the mail, without a word or logo on the label! Not a clue
what, who or where it came from, but wow it was a hell of a commercial smash. I wrote
‘Mystery Song’ on the blank label and put it into rotation.
“A few days later, radio legend and then Atlantic Records promo rep, Bill Beamash, dropped
by the station with his weekly wares. He was the only promo guy I'd see while on the air; we
talked during the records. The ‘Mystery Song’ came up in rotation, and I segued to it straight
from a jingle. Three seconds into the test pressing's cheap vinyl, Bill looked stunned, ‘Where
did you get that?’ Bill knew what it was - the first release on Atlantic's subsidiary label Pacific
Records - ‘Undercover Angel’ by Alan O'Day. Now, forty years later, I sing Christmas carols
at retirement homes with a troupe of great voices that includes Alan's widow, Yuki.
Mel Phillips: “On the subject of ‘Reason To Believe’ and ‘Maggie May’, I could have sworn
we broke that hit out of Boston at WRKO. Credit for the breaking of a hit nationally is
impossible to verify. It depends on what the local and national promotion person told you and
whether or not it was based on accurate sales reports. All program directors and music
directors were suckers for believing all the hype. We too played ‘Reason To Believe’ before
flipping it. We played both sides after that with ‘Maggie May’ getting the most airplay.”
Don Sundeen: “It was interesting to read Chuck Buell’s story about the Rod Stewart ‘Maggie
May’ flip from the Deejay/PD side. I remember well one Monday morning flying into Houston
to meet with KILT-AM, PD, Bill Young. One of the smartest and most successful programmers
in Radio, Bill had great “Ears” and could hear the hits. When my turn came to show my wares,
I entered the Production Room where Bill would listen to new releases with the Record Reps.
He was lunching on a Whataburger with Fries and a Coke, because he did a 9-11 am airshift,
and would be starving by Record Revue time. I told Bill I had the new Rod Stewart hit,
‘Reason to Believe,’ and he said, ‘It’s Maggie May.’ I honestly hadn’t even looked or listened
to the flip side, I had just received the record and hit the road, there were already 17 stations
on, ‘Reason to Believe,’ and that was the ‘A’ Side. That’s why it resonated with me when
Chuck related his calling other P.D.’s to flip the record. You see, this had all been done over the
weekend and the record company was completely unaware of what was happening.
“Bill was one of the programmers on ‘The Gavin Call,’ that Bill and Janet Gavin had put
together with a group of Major Market Programmers whose instincts and honesty they
respected. Long story short, the record was already on the air, so I got into the rental car and
started looking for a phone booth, no cell phones in those days. I called the home office in
Chicago and told them KILT was on ‘Maggie May.’ Somebody replied that I should go in there
and tell them to flip it back, and I replied something like, ‘You call and tell them, I’ve got an
airplane to catch.’ A couple of weeks later I covered a Faces show and went back to see Rod
and Ronnie Wood before they went on. I told Rod that ‘Maggie May’ was a smash and we
expected it to go #1 shortly, and he said he was a bit surprised because he’d been under the
impression that we were going with ‘Reason to Believe,’ but he’d already seen ‘Maggie’ on the
charts. Then he said, ‘This is grand news mate, I wrote Maggie, and I’ll get the writer’s money
instead of Tim Harden,’ who of course was the author of ‘Reason to Believe.’”
Warren Cosford: “Your best Issue yet!! GREAT Gene Hackman Story. I miss him, but
happy he's healthy in retirement. I would go to a Gene Hackman movie without knowing
anything about it simply because Gene made any movie he was in....better.
“Jan and Dean? One of the best films about Rock and Roll was the little known made for TV
movie "Deadman's Curve". (info is here). It was on You Tube for a while but has been taken
off.
“‘I Love Radio’ and ‘Radio Wars’? Please send me your address again so I can send you
money. I promise not to lose it this time.
“‘Maggie May’? Thank you for taking a chance on that record! One of my ‘picking the hits’
stories is attached. It's likely a little long for your newsletter, but thought you'd enjoy it.
Rollye: “Claude Hall’s address is 2563 Paradise Village Way, Las Vegas, NV 89120. Send
cash in a plain brown wrapper. (Actually just make sure you wrap it in a sheet of paper, since
the mail gremlins have been known to strike.) Both books are .99 cents each for the Kindle
version on Amazon so two bucks should do it. (And of course, you can buy the Kindle
versions with the links to your left.)
“But I’m gonna have to disagree with Warren. I think the ‘picking the hits’ story, which
Warren wrote in 2010, will go very well right about here:
HEATING UP MEATLOAF IN CANADA
In June of 1977 I became the program director of "Progressive Rock" CHUM-FM, Toronto's
#1 FM station. Surprised the hell out of me. Although I had been in Radio for 14 years, it had
mostly been in Production. I had never Programmed before and wasn't sure I even wanted to.
Besides.....CHUM-FM was about to receive its first direct competition. Lee Abrams consulted
"Album Rock" Q-107, which was owned by former CHUM Program Director Allan Slaight,
had just gone on the air. "Underground" CFNY, programmed by a former
CHUM-FM Personality David Pritchard, had just received a power increase and a new
transmitter on a hill overlooking Toronto.
Now what do I do?
Well......I figured CHUM-FM was Coca Cola.
Coming after us was Pepsi and Royal Crown.
It was CHUM-FM's to lose.
One of The Great Mysteries of Radio Programming to me had always been.......how do you
Pick The Hits? Oh.....I had glanced through The Trade Magazines.....Billboard, Cashbox,
Record World, The Friday Morning Quarterback and Radio and Records. Seen their Charts
and read the occasional Record Review but........
How does all that Hit Picking Really Happen?
What I discovered was......although there were a few hundred albums released each week in
Canada from all over the world, only a few of them were actually promoted to Radio. What
The Record Companies called.....Priorities. The Idea seemed to be to get all of us to play the
same records. And it seemed to be working.
Then I remembered the spring of 1963 when I came home from Army Cadets to hear Jerry
Bright on CKY Winnipeg introduce The Battle of The New Sounds. Last night's winner Bobby
Vinton was facing off against tonight's challenger..... Jack Scott!
Jack Scott!!! He hasn't had a Hit in years. But I love him!!! And what a Great Song!
So....I called CKY, my mother called CKY and my friends were threatened with death if they
didn't call CKY.
Jack won. It was a Tuesday.
He also won Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Laugh and The World Laughs With You by Jack Scott became CKY's Pick Hit of The
Week......peaked at #6 and was #49 in The Top 50 for the year.
Oddly enough, CKRC.....CKY's competition......never charted the record and to the best of my
knowledge never played it. But then....neither did any other Radio Station anywhere else in
the world that I knew of.
Later that year I got my first part time job in Radio......at Middle of The Road CJOB.......and
discovered hundreds upon hundreds of Rock and Roll 45RPMs that weren’t being played by
Radio and so weren't hits. I took many of them home and discovered, what are to this day,
some of my favorite records.......including The Beatles!
Yes that’s right. The Beatles!
Beginning in June of 1963, the first three Beatle singles were released in Canada on Capitol
Records…..but were mostly ignored by Radio.
If Canadian Radio missed Jack Scott and even The Beatles......what else could they be missing?
I decided now as a first time Program Director, I’d start looking for great records that my
competition likely wouldn’t be playing.
Then Graham Powers from CBS/Epic came into my office and said......."I hear you like Phil
Spector Records".
Well.....I like OLD Phil Spector Records, but nothing I've heard lately.
Check this out Warren......I think it sounds more like Phil Spector than Phil Spector.
I threw it on My Pile of Christmas Holiday Listening.
I also took some reading home with me. Someone had sent me memos that
"Super Stars Format" Consultant Lee Abrams had sent to "his" stations. As I skimmed
through them, I read that Lee advised against adding an album by someone or some band
called Meatloaf. The songs were too long. The guitar solos were too long. Bat Out of Hell
was over the top too much.
Meatloaf? Wasn't that the Phil Spector sounding album Graham Powers had given to me? I
could hardly wait to get home. It was!! And The Production DOES sound Spector Like. And
Everything Else sounds WONDERFUL!!
Wow. Now what do I do?
I "lived" with Bat Out of Hell over Christmas and New Years and it just seemed to get better. I
checked Billboard and discovered it "Bubbling Under" the Top 100 but nothing much
else anywhere else.
9AM first day back after The Holidays, I opened my office door and turned it up LOUD!!!! As
the crowd gathered we seemed to come to a quick consensus........
Let's get it on the air!!!
A few days later, Meatloaf's manager, David Sonenberg, called me from New York to thank us
for playing "Meat" in Heavy Rotation. CHUM-FM was a Radio & Records "P1" station and it
meant a lot.
Hell David......CHUM-FM does live concert broadcasts at least once a week from The El
Mocambo....how soon can you get the band here?
I'm told that in the week following Meatloaf's El Mocambo Broadcast, Bat Out of Hell sold
25,000 copies in Toronto.
And went on to become the largest selling album in Canada.....ever.
And CHUM-FM?
Well....within a year, despite the New Competition, we went from Toronto's #1 FM Station to
Canada's #1 FM Station.
Rollye: “It’s very appropriate Warren shared some of his background. I was sitting here typing
away in my CHUM ‘Evolution of Rock’ teeshirt, which is still in pristine condition like most of
my CHUM collection, when I hear from the legendary J. Robert Wood:”
J. Robert Wood: “I write to ask if you would support the nomination of our friend, Warren
Cosford, for induction into the Canadian Music Week Broadcast Hall of Fame. If so, would
you kindly send a letter of support for Warren’s nomination to me (not CMW) by Friday,
September 9, 2016.
“Your letter should include a brief description of your role in broadcasting and/or your
connection with Warren, and your thoughts on why he would be an excellent choice for
induction into the 2017 CMW Broadcast Hall of Fame. Please address your letter on letterhead
containing your address, telephone number and/or email address to:
Neill Dixon
President
Canadian Music Week
Toronto, Ontario
Re: Nomination for CMW Broadcast Hall of Fame
“Your letter, along with all other letters received, will be sent to Neill on September 9, 2016.
Since this is a competitive process, the better your letter, the better the chance of seeing Warren
become the 2017 inductee. Thanks very much. PS: A copy of Warren’s CV (sent to me in
connection with another project), is attached for your reference.”
Rollye: “First, congratulations to J. Robert Wood for his 2016 induction into the Canadian
Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame. He was honored with the Alan Waters Lifetime Broadcast
Achievement Award at a luncheon last May. Now he’s asking for our help in convincing CMW
that Warren Cosford is the perfect choice for 2017. And he is. The only problem here is it’s
very short notice, so if you could stop what you’re doing now, and send a letter, that would be
great. Attach it to an email and send it to J. Robert Wood here . I’ve included the resume
J.Robert Wood attached to his email, here.
“As soon as I’m done with this column, I’m going to write that letter. I’ll refrain from
including pictorial evidence of how much I liked the ‘Evolution of Rock’. But digressing for a
moment, CHUM provided primo wearables. They were doing an anniversary event about 15
years ago and I ran into a a CHUM news guy at a convention who asked me to send him
pictures of what I had (belt buckle and teeshirts a plenty— I modeled all of ‘em). I have a
feeling email faeries got them as I never heard back, or maybe I should have used a better
model.
“My favorite CHUM shirt was the heavy cotton medium blue one I got in 1975 when Frank
DiLeo and I paid them a visit on Yonge Street. We were in town for the Columbia Records
convention, held at the Royal York Hotel (an establishment which asked me never to return
after I, and some of the Nashville A&R contingency, relocated a loose, leaky toilet to an
elevator). Since I had driven to Toronto (as usual), Frank suggested a ride around town, which
culminated at CHUM, where they were not expecting us, but were gracious enough to give us
two teeshirts each. That heavy cotton one might be my all time favorite radio teeshirt. (It also
came in brown but DiLeo snagged that one.) The only thing better than wearing it is
remembering how good they sounded.”
Ron Brandon: “Thumbing through the computer...came across these notes re concerts from
rainy day few months ago. We all had opportunities to witness some memorable (and less
than) concerts over the years. These are but a few memories that came to mind.
“Elvis, 1956 Tupelo, Mississippi. I bootleg recorded this one and years later it turned up on
RCA, and later lip-synched to old MovieTone video. Now all of the net as the first ever
audio/video of an Elvis Concert. Kinda proud of this one.
“Fats Domino..early 60s..met him in his dressing room..only one other guy there who was
drunk and passed out in the corner. Fats was just as welcoming and genuine as anyone you
would hope to meet. Offered me a drink from a whisky bottle on a table.. I was a bit young at
the time and declined.. Did a great show.. sang nothing but hits for over an hour and never said
a word otherwise.
“Jerry Lee Lewis.. early 60s.. Absolutely destroyed the audience with his incredible
performance. Urged him to go back out for an encore but he refused saying ‘They don’t want
to see me.’ And we could not convince him otherwise.
“Music Explosion..late 60s.. had a couple hits. I was the promoter of this show. They
launched into their first song.. a real rocker.. drummer was kicking it out from his position on a
rise a couple feet higher than the stage. Banged his cymbal..cymbal feel and metal bar that held
the cymbal badly cut the head of the guitar player. Show over. I had payed 50% in advance and
refused to pay the balance. Some settlement was made later after legal haggling.
“Billy Joel.. early 70s. Record rep invited me out to auditorium to meet and greet during
Billy’s sound check. Got to sit and listen to almost an hour with virtually no one but staff in
the building. Wonderful experience.
“Charlie Rich..early 70s. Just about the time he hit with “Behind Closed Doors”.. Met him in
the afternoon at a local nightclub.. just him and the piano. Shared a few cocktails and chatted.
“Herman’s Hermits.. mid 60s. Outdoor stadium..Long John Silver and I were jocks at Big
WAYS and Mcd the event. Terrible cold, wet weather.. and probably not more than 200 in the
audience event though he was hot with “Mrs. Brown”.. He was a trouper. Did a great show.
He’d sing a few lines and turn around and laugh at us watching.
“Jimi Hendrix..mid 60s. Opening act for The Monkees when they were hot. Worst pairing of
talents ever. He played couple of tunes and the sub-teen girls just screamed for The Monkees.
He put his guitar down on stage in full screeching feedback. Gave a “get lost’ gesture to the
audience and walked off stage. Cancelled his part of the tour shortly afterwards.
“George Harrison..mid 70s. Good concert. George was very talented..but he had Ravi
Shankar as part of the show and when Ravi came on most of the audience (including me)
departed for the bathrooms or concessions.
“Dave Clark Five..mid 60s.. Nice guys..Kinda bubblegum but good concert and the kids loved
them. They autographed one of the tennis shoes I was wearing..wonder where that is today?
“Johnny Taylor..late 60s. Had him on as one of the acts on a show I promoted. Told him he
would open the show. He was adamant that he would not and explained in no uncertain terms
what a major star he was. I came back with the matter-of-fact that if he wanted to get paid, he
would open the show. He did. Did 20 minutes or so. Very unimpressive..And demanded to be
paid. I paid. Years later..as PD of WORD I was out of the box on “Disco Lady”, which
immediately shot to #1 and stayed there for weeks. Later I received a platinum record in
thanks. The first ever RIAA certified platinum single. Small world.
“Tommy James..late 60s. Another show I promoted. Had him on the bill with Neil Diamond,
Grass Roots, Archie Bell. Sold out two shows. Tommy was exceptionally nice and easy to
work with. Never forget him looking at me with a big smile and saying, ‘You made some
money tonight, huh?’ And later reading in his book that he rarely got dime from his label,
Roulette Records, and had to make most of his money doing concerts.
“Neil Diamond.. same show as Tommy James above. By then, Neil had quite a few hits
under his belt. He was on stage going through his hits when ‘BANG”’backstage. One of the
union stagehands (that I had to hire even though I didn’t need them) had dropped his lunch
pail. Neil stopped in mid-song..stared him down..And picked it up again without saying a
word.
“Dr. Hook and Joe Tex..mid 70s. These two at were on one of our night shows at an RMR
convention. Stage power failed in the middle of Dr. Hook.. they continued acoustic and
audience did not even notice. Later the two acts jammed together for a few songs.. Just
amazing.. if I only had recorded. Dr. Hook (and their manager) were just nuts.. on and off
stage.. Great fun socializing with them.
“Kansas..late 70s..Another act we featured at an RMR convention. They were riding high
with ‘Dust In The Wind’. And had brought an additional fiddle player from Capricorn Records
(and dammit I can’t remember his name) and played a very extended version of ‘Dust’. Tears
in my eyes just remembering it.
“Eagles..late 70s. Deb and I were invited by their record rep but when we arrived our seats had
been taken. We were escorted backstage and provided folding chairs just behind the curtain.
Just a few feet from Joe Walsh would turn and grin when he hit hot lick. Very special event.
“O’Kaysions..late 60s. Had the #1 song in the country ‘I’m A Girl Watcher’. Booked them for
a dance (recall one of the riders in their contract stipulated that I had to furnish an organ with
‘Leslie’ speakers. I’d never heard of them. Speaker horns that revolve creating a unique
sound. Don’t think 50 people showed up. Someone told me you couldn’t dance to their
music.”
Rollye: “That last line about The O’Kaysions made me laugh out loud. It’s probably accurate
that ‘I’m A Girl Watcher’ was not eminently dance-able, but the band itself was formed in 1963
in Wilson and became one of the biggest Beach Music bands ever. They’re still playing today.
And everyone’s still dancing (and probably still not to ‘Girl Watcher’ but who knows?)
They’ve gone through a lot of people over the years, though Wayne Pittman, the guitarist who
wrote ‘Girl Watcher’, is still with them. Lots of stories about ‘Girl Watcher’ (most untrue)
but I’ll never forget lead singer Donnie Weaver (probably the guy requesting the Leslies, as he
was also the organist) talking about the tour that ensued due to the strength of their lone hit.
The most common reaction he got was ‘You guys are white? This is gonna be bad.’ In all
cases, it wasn’t. Youtube today punctuates that experience with repeated comments from
listeners, ‘I though they were black!’… the ultimate compliment for a blue-eyed soul group
These days they’re bi-racial.”
Joey Reynolds: “Joe Bartlett iHeart news director and Coach Purcell at Sarge's deli on
Friday. Under my pic on the wall….”.
Joey mulling the Anniversary of Star Wars - next May it'll be 40 years.
Rollye: “And what would the week be without the latest Reynolds Rap?”
If you can’t it, click here.”
Rollye: “Ken Dowe’s avatar in action! Love it!”
Mel Phillips: “When we get together to celebrate WRKO's 50th Anniversary next June,
we'll be among the fortunate former employees to enjoy it. We all worked with some great
people who won't be there. This week's update/recap pays tribute to some of those that we lost
along the way.
Jon Powers
Johnny Williams
(Bill Todd)
Dale Dorman
Curt Gowdy Roger Allen George Capalbo
Bob Fish
Dale (Dan) Tucker
“The 50th WRKO Reunion Weekend: June 2-4, 2017. A Friday night (June 2) reunion
party/dinner for all WRKO employees (past & present). On Saturday night (June 3) we'll be on
(live) WRKO (AM) from 7pm-11pm featuring a lineup of the original air staff & others
(TBD). Backbone Network will stream the show (produced by George Capalbo Jr.).
“It's not too late to make your plans to attend. It's only 9 months away. There are still a few
rooms left at the reasonably priced rate of $179 a night. For reservations, call the Crowne Plaza
(Newton) at 617-969-3010. Check-in: Friday, June 2, 2017. Check-out: Sunday, June 4, 2017.
Ask for "WRKO Reunion" special rate…”
