Courtesy of Kent Burkhart, this photo of Kent, left, Todd Storz, and Bill Stewart, right.
The day of the crewcut and the beginnings of Top 40 radio.
11.23.15
By Claude Hall
and Rollye James
Claude: My eldest son, John Alexander Hall, Esq., is into podcasts. I seriously doubt that
Jack Benny believed he would have a fan all these many years after his passing. But not just
old radio shows and early TV programs, John dotes on something as obscure, as strange as
“Old Times Rock ‘n Roll Radio” and “Songs From the Basement,” which features music from
the 60s and 70s, “Progzilla,” a British weekly podcast dedicated to hard rock from the 60s to
the present, and NPR “Mountain Stage,” a long-term radio show that’s available in podcast.
The latter features country and folk.
For me, I’ve listened to radio at one time for the music and then later mostly for the disc
jockey. These days, my favorite air personalities either gone on ahead or retired, there’s little
radio on which I can become absorbed. I’d much rather pick my own music on this laptop and
listen via earphones. When I wish to listen only for background while I’m writing, I will place
iTunes on random and let my computer do the selecting. The tunes on here are mostly
phenomenal tunes by favorite artists and there’s an enormous variety. The Mavericks, Roy
Orbison, Bobby Vee, Bill Monroe, Tom Russell, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Johnny Cash.
Anita Carter, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt. I have more than three day’s of music here …
without repeating a song. I plan to delete a few of the songs. I like them, but don’t like them
enough. I also have a couple of airchecks on here, including an hour or so by Lee Baby
Simms … and a long voicemail from Woody Roberts. And an item by Roger Carroll. May
the Good Lord bless Roger Carroll. Willie, Cash, and Tom Russell comprise the greatest
number of tunes I have for listening.
“Without music handy, I am nobody.”
Marlin Taylor: “Claude, I never knew much about ‘Tudie’ (Bernice Judis) beyond her name
until 1983, when Television/Radio Age (remember it?) published an extended article about her
years of developing and managing WNEW, written by Richard Pack. Dick had worked under
her at WNEW, then went on to Westinghouse. She truly was a major figure in the history of
radio, building a station that’s legendary. She had no experience in radio or the media; she was
simply a friend of the two gentlemen who owned the station and knew she needed a job. She
said that the station’s format grew out of following her ‘own tastes … her intuition’. I listened
to WNEW extensively from when I got my first radio in 1946 following the war into the 1950s
when it began to go down hill – it came in loud and clear in Bucks County, Pennsylvania,
where I grew up. Among the many things that Bernice Judis conceived that I early on found
innovative was her scheduling of newscasts at the half hour, when most of the news that was
aired on radio in those days started at the top of the hour. Of course, the time worked well with
the station’s frequency, 1130. I’ll always remember the announcer opening each newscast with
‘It’s 11-30 on your dial, 11:30 on the clock and time for the news’. Thanks for continuing to
share so many great memories from our industry – I’m proud to have been part of it for 60
years!”
Timmy Manocheo: “PF Sloan, the 1960s singer songwriter who wrote ‘Eve of Destruction’
and was a founding member of Grassroots, passed away Nov. 15 at home in Los Angeles.
Cancer. He was 70. Sloan's recent work includes the published memoir, ‘What's Exactly the
Matter With Me?’ with S.E. Feinberg, and his latest album, 2014’s ‘My Beethoven’ via Foothill
Records. Sloan also boasts writing credits for Johnny Rivers' ‘Secret Agent Man’. Born Philip
Gary Schlein, New York.”
Claude: “Scott St. James has been feeling poorly. All of his friends should drop him a note
with good wishes.”
Bob Sherwood: “In the 60s and 70s in San Francisco ‘Enrico’s’ on Broadway in North Beach
was the coolest, hippest place to be and filled with radio people and local and regional record
people every night. Sometimes all night. But just down the block was The Condor which
started it all! That is, the topless ‘all’. Out front was a 2 ½ story vertical billboard, half of
which was an illustration of a nude Carol Doda with occasionally flashing red lights
representing the nipples on her size 44 silicone bazooms. It took a loooong time and a lot of
court battles instituted by neighbors but eventually the club was forced to remove the red lights
and paint brief clothing over the exposed boobs and genital area of Ms. Doda. It was generally
the first stop for visiting broadcasters, music people and many other tourists. And the fabulous
and incomparable Lenny Bruce was playing just down the street.”
Claude: “I think Keith McCarthy helped on this note: Carol Doda, pioneer of topless
entertainment, dies at 78. Ms. Doda, who started a topless revolution as a 26-year-old go-go
dancer in 1964, had injected her breasts with enough silicone to expand her bra size to 44DD
from 34B.”
Don Imus, Soupy Sales, and Joey Reynolds posterized for WNBC, New York.
MUSIC MATTERS
Claude: “The late Paul Ackerman, music editor of Billboard, once said: ‘If you can’t help a
friend, what good are you?’ So Jack Gale, a walking history of Top 40 radio, sends me his
latest production job of his Playback Records label. Gina Miller with “Angel.” Good country
record! Now it’s true that I’m prejudiced; with me, Jack Gale can do no wrong. He goes back
to WTMA in Charleston, SC, one of the earliest Top 40 stations and won a programming award
at WAYS. He was the mentor of George Wilson, who rose to become head of Bartell. God
bless you, Jack Gale. I hope this is a monster hit for you. As Jack Thayer used to say: On
your side, Jack Gale.”
“And bless you, Matt Forbes, for reissuing the EP of ‘The Twelve Minutes of Christmas.”
What a nice gift for the holidays! The CD features “White Christmas” and “The Christmas
Waltz” and, yes, all of the four tunes on this CD are wonderful entertainment. This guy can
sing! Matt is being promoted by Don Graham at thanksDG@gmail.com. If you’re in radio
and don’t have a copy yet, please contact Don.”
“The world changes and I often wonder if I could have changed with it. Billboard is not the
Billboard that I knew and loved. The son of Joe Maimone, also named Joe Maimone, is
director of east coast sales and he was kind enough to place me on a trial subscription. It’s
mostly about the artists these days. And various driving forces in the music business. The
charts are expected to maintain radio readership and maybe they do. I hate it that various
things such as Vox Jox are not there. I would have kept that readership via the Internet version
of the publication. Regardless, the magazine is slick, colorful, photos galore, interesting.
Great on you, Joe.”
Bob Sherwood: “Dear Dr. Thanks [Don Graham], With ‘Thanks’ backatcha, this is an
acknowledgement of receipt of Matt Forbes “12 Minutes of Christmas” CD. Given that it’s
represented by you and I’ve played everything you ever promoted---well maybe not everything
!.... But what certainly got you an ‘add’ was an exceptional review by noted journalist,
columnist of the revived and must-read VoxJox.org and noted author Claude Hall.
“However it won’t actually go on-air (assuming I have a station to program) until the Day after
Thanksgivng. After too many years of playing Burl Ives, Alvin & the Chipmunks, that
irritating dog and far too many versions of Little Drummer Boy (a rappity tap-tap and a
rumpity rump—rump) the former disc-jockey in me overrules the Program Director. However
I may make an exception to audition “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. Sinatra owns
that song but I admire Mr. Forbes chutzpa in including it. Apologies Claude for the dangling
participle.
“As an aside, that song was part of one of the most powerful, heart-rending images I’ve ever
seen on screen. Carl Foreman used Sinatra’s version as backdrop for the scene in his mid-60s
WW II film “The Victors” when soldiers were silently paraded out to witness the execution of
a soldier charged with desertion ( a re-creation of an actual event). I still get goose-bumps
recalling it. A Happy Thanksgiving to both of you and all you hold dear. Plus, Rollye James.”
Mel Phillips: “The argument for playing all Christmas Music all the time before you even sit
down for Thanksgiving dinner is that it produces ratings. The argument against playing all
Christmas Music all the time before Christmas Day is that it's bad programming. I am totally
biased because of my RKO/Drake background but a well balanced music station plays
contemporary music/recurrents with their Christmas Music. We would always start with 1
Christmas song each hour and ramp it up to 2, 4, every other tune until Christmas Eve when
we would start offering a steady diet of holiday music. We would cut if off by afternoon drive
on Christmas Day. If I were programming a music station today I would use the same formula
- ratings be damned. If you program your station correctly you have solid numbers which will
not be affected by not playing all Christmas Music all the time before Thanksgiving. “
Rollye: I’m still reeling over the passing of Allen Toussaint. Merciful for him, death came
instantaneously while on tour, but difficult for the rest of us who are having a hard time getting
used to even the notion that he’s gone. I can’t think of anyone more associated with what we
think of as New Orleans soul than Toussaint. Dozens of songs he wrote immediately come to
mind— Ernie K-Doe’s “Mother In Law”, Irma Thomas’ “Ruler Of My Heart”, Benny
Spellman’s “Fortune Teller”, Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out Of My Life, Woman”, barely begin to
sample his creativity. In the ‘60s in New Orleans, it seemed like what he didn’t write, he
produced. Virtually everyone covered his stuff, from Herb Alpert (“Whipped Cream”, which
became the theme for The Dating Game) to Warren Zevon (“A Certain Girl”, originally done
by K-Doe). Often writing under his parents’ names (Naomi Neville, his mother, in particular),
he was able to disguise the credits, but not the sound. His website, AllenToussaint.com tells
some of the story, but there’s much more to say. Many people have contributed to the music I
love, but right now I can’t think of any of them more integral to the songs that captured me
than Allen Toussaint. No matter what genre of music you like, you are familiar with his
work, though you might not realize it. Friday there was a memorial. Here’s a print recap, but
if you’ve got five minutes to spare, check out this video from NOLA.com:
Rollye: Last week, while writing about Gene Norman, I promised I’d include a couple
samples from Rene Touzet on GNP Crescendo. Richard Berry, the writer of “Louie Louie”,
freely admitted he stole the melody from Touzet’s “El Loco Cha Cha”. Click on it to prove it
to yourself. And accompanying Gene’s story of the triangle between Bobby Troup, Jack
Webb and Julie London, my all time favorite GNP Crescendo record, “Julie Is Her Name”.
Click on it for proof that my taste encompasses more than just R&B.
Rollye: The final death notice is for the laptop I’ve used to compile Vox Jox. Ailing for a
while, I finally put it to rest this weekend, replacing it with another Macbook Pro. The process
of moving files has re-energized my quest for a workable mailing list. I’ve got plans. And
unless I’m a lot lamer at this than I think, it will be up and running before Christmas. I will
keep you posted. Until then, please remember to check VoxJox.org every Monday.
