Keener 13

By Bob Berry

If you listen closely, you can hear it coming.
The 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise is barely 6 weeks away! And the buffers are polishing, the detailing meticulous, the planning and plotting for the perfect viewing area, or a sweet ride down M1 are revving up. And why not, for the Highest of Holy Days; when we as Detroiter’s, as members of the Crusin’ with Keener on Saturday night generation, celebrate the very DNA that made Motown The Motor City?

Well, here’s the best news of all. That DNA, is stronger than ever, and this week, GM’s Chevy division doubled down on the proof.

First up, after May’s stroke of genius intro of the 2016 Camaro on Belle Isle, was this week’s introduction of the 2016 Camaro Convertible.

Personally, I thought it was the bad boy of the week, until (cue Jan and Dean) the “New Girl In School” showed up.The 2016 Chevy Cruze!  And it’s is searing, stunning, turn heads and drop jaws, homecoming queen beautiful.

Bet on two things: Years from now, when the Motor City’s DNA is still crushing it worldwide, these two new Chevy’s will be the pride and joy of our Keener kids and grandkids own Dream Cruise!

And somewhere, Ernie and Mr. Merollis, Trader Ray and all the rest, are smiling.

It’s great to welcome Bob Berry to the Keener Blog. He grew up a Keenerfan and has been a nationally regarded radio announcer for more than four decades.

By Bob Berry
Sadly, Alzheimer’s Disease respects no one.

Family member, public figure, rich and famous, poor and unknown; it matters not. It is a vicious disease, ripping families apart, tearing at emotions, taking the very memories that stir emotion.

And perhaps because Glen Campbell was a star of the first magnitude, his battle with Alzheimer’s struck a chord and stirred emotions in all of us. His courage at the Grammy awards. His missing the Academy Awards. Touring, Living, Pressing On, into the unknown.

Here’s an update on Glen’s condition, from his daughter Ashley, courtesy of Rolling Stone.com, and it’s tough stuff. But, as the family has done since the announcement of Glen’s fight, there is a larger purpose: Our education.

Sunday Night at 9pm, CNN will air “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”, the beautiful and moving documentary of Glen’s last tour, and his gradual descent into the emptiness that is Alzheimer’s. It exposes raw truths, it celebrates a great entertainer; it is a testament to a family supporting and encouraging a dignified end of (cognitive) life.

For those of us of the Keener generation, who are facing the challenges of aging, and caring for aging parents who also may be facing Alzheimer’s or dementia issues, it is especially poignant.

All of us at Keener13.com hope you enjoy it. And ask for prayers of health and thanksgiving for Glen and the Campbell family.

With all the rain we’ve been having this weekend, we thought it might be fun to review some rain songs from the WKNR Music Guide. At least one charted every year between April of 1965 and March of 1972. 16 in all.

Baby the Rain Must Fall: Glenn Yarbrough – April, 1965

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdKzdO0ItsE
Rhapsody in the Rain: Lou Christie – April, 1966

Rain on the Roof: Loving Spoonful – November, 1966

Rain: Beatles – November, 1966

Tell It To The Rain: Four Seasons – December, 1966

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7dVzU2bYQc
Don’t Go Out Into The Rain: Herman’s Hermits – June, 1967

The Rain in the Park and Other Things: Cowsills – October, 1967

Summer Rain: Johnny Rivers – December, 1967

I Wish It Would Rain: Temptations – May, 1968

You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain: Turtles – June, 1969

Walkin in the Rain: Jay and the Americans – January, 1970

Who’ll Stop the Rain: Creedence Clearwater Revival – February, 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ALnh3w32VE
Fire and Rain: James Taylor – October, 1970

Have You Ever Seen the Rain: Creedence Clearwater Revival – March, 1971

Rain Dance: Guess Who – August, 1971

In The Rain: Dramatics – March, 1972

How many tunes can you remember that were inspired by colors?

Here are a few you may have heard in and around the Keener era:

• Baby Blue – 1972 – Badfinger
• Baby’s In Black – 1964 – The Beatles
• Ballad Of The Green Berets, The – 1966 – Sgt. Barry Sadler
• Big Yellow Taxi – 1970 – Joni Mitchell
• Black Dog  – 1972 – Led Zeppelin
• Black Magic Woman – 1971 – Santana
• Black Night – 1970 – Deep Purple
• Blackbird – 1968 – The Beatles
• Blue Bayou  – 1963 – Roy Orbison
• Blue Moon – 1956 – Elvis Presley
• Blue On Blue – 1963 – Bobby Vinton
• Blue Velvet – 1963 – Bobby Vinton
• Blueberry Hill  – 1957 – Fats Domino
• Brown Eyed Girl – 1967 – Van Morrison
• Brown Sugar – 1971 – The Rolling Stones
• Color Him Father – 1969 – The Winstons
• Colour My World – 1970 – Chicago
• Colours – 1965 – Donovan
• Crimson And Clover – 1969 – Tommy James & the Shondells
• Crystal Blue Persuasion – 1969 – Tommy James & the Shondells
• Deep Purple – 1963 – Nino Tempo and April Stevens
• Don’t Make My Baby Blue – 1965 – Shadows
• Goldfinger – 1965 – Shirley Bassey
• Grass Is Greener, The – 1963 – Brenda Lee
• Green Eyed Lady  – 1970 – Sugarloaf
• Green Grass – 1966 – Gary Lewis & the Playboys
• Green Green Grass Of Home – 1966 – Tom Jones
• Green Onions  – 1962 – Booker T. & MG’s
• Green River  – 1969 – Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Green Tambourine  – 1968 – The Lemon Pipers
• Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress) – 1973 – Helen Reddy
• Lil’ Red Riding Hood  – 1966 – Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
• Love Is Blue  – 1968 – Paul Mauriat
• Maxwell’s Silver Hammer  – 1969 – Beatles
• Mellow Yellow  – 1966 – Donovan
• Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter – 1965 – Herman’s Hermits
• My Blue Heaven – 1956 – Fats Domino
• Navy Blue – 1964 – Diane Renay
• Nights In White Satin – 1972 – The Moody Blues
• 1, 2, 3, Red Light – 1968 – 1910 Fruitgum Co.
• Paint It Black – 1966 – The Rolling Stones
• Pink Panther Theme – 1963 – Henry Mancini
• Purple Haze  – 1967 – Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Red Red Wine – 1968 – Neil Diamond
• Red Roses For A Blue Lady – 1965 – Bert Kaempfert
• Red Roses For A Blue Lady – 1965 – Vic Dana
• Red Rubber Ball  – 1966 – The Cyrkle
• Roses Are Red (My Love) – 1962 – Bobby Vinton
• Say It Loud- I’m Black And I’m Proud (Part 1) – 1968 – James Brown
• Silence Is Golden – 1964 – The Four Seasons
• Silence Is Golden – 1967 – The Tremeloes
• Silver And Gold – 1991 – Dolly Parton
• Silver Bird – 1970 – Mark Lindsay
• Song Sung Blue  – 1972 – Neil Diamond
• Suite: Judy Blue Eyes  – 1969 – Crosby, Stills and Nash
• White Rabbit  – 1967 – Jefferson Airplane
• White Room – 1968 – Cream
• Whiter Shade Of Pale – 1967 – Procol Harum
• Yellow River – 1970 – Christie
• Yellow Submarine  – 1966 – The Beatles

Keenerfans well remember the energy generated at Russ Gibbs Grande Ballroom. It was an amazing place to see bands on their way up the rock n roll zigurat, coupled with hard working local acts, who sometimes upstaged their headliner counterparts.

But when an act hit the big time, they played Cobo Hall and Olympia Stadium. And radio stations like WKNR sponsored the show. From the Beatles and Beach Boys to Jimi Hendrix and the Monkees, Keener’s voice was a powerful audience attractor.

Promoters as nationally known as Dick Clark chose the station as a partner and a few lucky Keenerfans often got to to backstage to meet the acts after the show.

How many memorable concerts do you remember seeing at Cobo and Olympia?

For all of you Mad Men fans out there, here is the story behind one of the most iconic ads of a generation.

A big jump for the Beau Brummels this week in 1965. Soupy Sales novelty tune, “The Mouse” is in it’s second week on the charts. And one of the last times you’d see a name like Bert Kaempfert on the WKNR Music Guide.

On this date in 1962, Billboard Magazine reported that last year’s most-played jukebox record was ‘Big Bad John’ by Jimmy Dean. Many stations, including Keener’s predecessor, WKMH, insisted that the line “At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man,” be changed to “a big, big, man,” before they would play it.

On this day in Keener history: 100,000 young people demonstrated peacefully in Washington, D.C., demanding the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Southeast Asia. later, a few hundred militants spread through surrounding streets, causing limited damage. Police used tear gas to disperse the most threatening crowds.

The event was part of the story line in the 1994 Tom Hanks epic, Forrest Gump.

For many of us in the Keener Generation, a pivotal memory was forged in the summer of 1964 when we traveled with our family to the New York World’s fair. It’s theme was “Peace Through Understanding”, dedicated to “Man’s Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe”. At its center was the 12-story , stainless-steel Unisphere a symbol of the explosion of technology that paralleled the nascent US Space Program. The fair showcased four Disney themed attractions, Ford’s “Magic Skyway” the General Electric, “Carousel Theater of Progress”, The State of Illinois’ “Great Moments” with an animatronic Abraham Lincoln and the perennial “It’s a Small World” attraction, created for UNICEF. An enduring icon of the fair is The Giant Uniroyal Tire that still stands off of I-94, near Metro Airport. The fair enjoyed two six-month seasons, April 22 – October 18, 1964 and April 21 – October 17, 1965. Adult admission was just $2.

As Mad Men winds up, Time Magazine took a look back at some the most iconic ads of the the era.