Keener 13

We’ve been on vacation but are back in the saddle with another review of this week in Keenerland.

Here’s a look at Campus Martius in Detroit on Friday night, courtesy of Felicia Fullwood Photography. We highly recommend that you visit her website to check out her artistry. Growing up during the Keener era always meant visits to Motor City landmarks during the holidays. We remember the annual Christmas Fantasy at the Ford Rotunda, the holiday decorations on the 12th floor of Hudson’s (and that huge Christmas Tree covering the entire front of the building) and traditions that live on to this day including Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo and the required trip north to Bronner’s in Frankenmuth. Our holiday television viewing season began with the America’s Thanksgiving Parade, which debuted in 1924 thanks to the JL Hudson Company. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, narrated by Boris Karloff, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with Burl Ives, and holiday movie musts like Miracle on 34th Street and White Christmas followed. We love how these “evergreen” productions can still be seen today.

There is lots of talk about the release of The Beatles’ White Album Box Set. We’ve got one and it lives up to the hype, with over 5 hours of originals, alternate takes, and tunes that didn’t make the cut. Giles Martin did his father, George, proud, digging up the original source material and remixing the tracks to give us the same pristine listening experience we enjoyed with his Sgt. Pepper project. Who would have thought that Back in the USSR would be in the Billboard top ten again 5 decades later? Read Jordan Orlando’s review in this week’s New Yorker Magazine.

Happy Birthday to Berkeley native, Marshall Crenshaw. He turned 65 on November 11th. Before fronting the popular Marshall Crenshaw Band, he got his first big break in 1976, winning the role of John Lennon, performing in “Beatlemania” on both coasts that year.

Last week marked the 43rd anniversary of the sinking of the Great Lakes ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The boat went down with all hands just north of Whitefish Point in Lake Superior in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot immortalized the event in song in 1976 (Video).

In 1964, Sam Cooke entered the RCA Victor’s Music Center of the World studios in New York, to record “Shake” and “It’s Got The Whole World Shakin’.” It would be his last session. Cooke was shot to death 3½ weeks later.

This week in 1968, Simon & Garfunkel  began a marathon 100 hour recording session to produce “The Boxer.” With Fred Carter, Jr. on guitar and Hal Blaine on drums, The recording was taped at multiple locations, including Nashville, in New York City at St. Paul’s Chapel and the Columbia studios.

Another defining event of our generation happened on November 17, 1968 when NBC cut away from the final minutes of a New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game to begin the TV special, “Heidi,” on schedule. Fans who had been watching the game missed the the two touchdowns the Raiders scored in nine seconds, to beat the New York Jets, 43-32. NBC switchboards were jammed with complaints. From then on a policy of waiting to begin post-game programming until the game being broadcast was over, became the rule.

November 21 will be “Bob Seger Day” in Grand Rapids. Mayor Rosalynn Bliss bestowed the honor on Michigan’s favorite Rock and Roll Son in parallel with his upcoming concerts at the Van Andel Arena

Keener number ones this week include:
(1963) Louie Louie, Kingsmen – Keener’s first Hit Number 1
(1964) Mountain of Love, Johnny Rivers
(1965) Turn Turn Turn, Byrds
(1966) Winchester Cathedral, New Vaudeville Band
(1967) The Rain The Park & Other Things, Cowsills
(1968) Abraham Martin and John, Dion
(1969) Na Na Hey Hey, Steam
(1970) Tears of a Clown, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
(1971) Family Affair, Sly & The Family Stone

Our deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide comes from the week ending November 17, 1965. Many classic hits were on their way up the charts including James Brown‘s “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (Video), Simon and Gar’s “Sounds of Silence” (Video) and “Ebb Tide” from the Righteous Brothers (Video). The Vogues “Five O’Clock World” (Video) was the Key Song of the Week. And who was Fernanda Waltmiller? Back in the day, she was the symbol of the Revlon company and the subject of a nationwide advertising campaign that inspired DJ’s in every major market to say, “We love you, Fernanda Waltmiller”. Scott Regen and Paul Cannon followed suit in the Revlon Natural Wonder ad on the back of the guide.

We leave you with this 1962 television broadcast of the Hudson’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Enjoy the holiday and keep it Keener!

This week in 1968, Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain won his 31st game of the season. It was also the game where New York Yankee legend, Mickey Mantle, hit career home run #535 in what would be his last Motor City at bat. With victory firmly in the Tiger’s hands, McLain tossed a beefsteak to Mantle who slammed the ball into the right field bleachers. (That’s Don Wert watching Mantle round the bases.)

Bob Seger is about to “Turn the Page”. Ann Arbor’s favorite rock and roll son is 73 and ready do be done with the road. He’s announced that his final tour will begin in November in Grand Rapids, ending in May in Houston. While no Detroit dates have yet been confirmed, his team has intimated that additional appearances may be added.

Remember when cereals touted sugar? In the Kellogg portfolio alone, we remember Sugar Frosted Flakes, Sugar Smacks, Sugar Pops and Sugar Jets. And how many of us ate our breakfast out of the cereal box from a Jumbo Assortment? “K – E – Double L – O – Double G – S” of Battle Creek was a perennial sponsor of classic television programs from the Keener era, from My 3 Sons to Dennis the Menace. The company is still Michigan based and providing the “best to you” for over 112 years.

A number of television dynasties got their start this week in Keener history. The Patty Duke Show (Video) premiered this week in 1963 on WXYZ and ABC. Three iconic shows got their start this week in 1965: I Dream of Jeannie (Video) and Get Smart (Video) on WWJ / NBC and the rock and roll show Shindig! (Video of the first show) on ABC.

On September 18, 1969, NBC’s “The Tonight Show” was the setting where 37-year-old falsetto singer Tiny Tim announced his forthcoming marriage to 17-year-old “Miss Vicki” Budinger. Host Johnny Carson then offered up his show as a venue for the event, which attracted 40 million TV viewers on December 17, 1969 (Video).

This week in 1967…Singer/actor Rick Nelson and wife Kris welcomed twin sons, Gunnar and Matthew. The two front men of the band Nelson have 51 birthday candles on their cake. We lost their dad in a plane crash on December 31st, 1985 at the age of 45.

This week in 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was found guilty of indecent exposure and profanity during a concert at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove, Florida. He died the following July before he could appeal.

Keener number ones this week include:

Our deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide comes from the week ending September 19, 1966. It’s filled with iconic music. Two Motown tunes were in the Top 10, Richard and the Young Lions were at Number 3 with one of the first hits to feature “fuzz” guitar, “Open Up Your Door”. (Swingin’ Time Video). The Monkees were climbing the charts with their first single, The Boyce and Hart penned “Last Train to Clarksville” (Video). The Surfaris re-entered the chart at number 29, three years after first spawning a generation of questions to drummers everywhere: “Can you play ‘Wipe Out’?” (Video).  And Ann Arbor’s Rationals were at Number 9 with their take on Otis Redding’s “Respect” (Swingin’ Time Video). The back of the guide featured Keener’s “Name the White Knight” contest. Remember the Ajax commercial featuring the phrase “Stronger than dirt”? We have the original video from 1966. What Keener hit ended with the same phrase? Answer: The Doors 1969 Keener Number 1 – Touch Me (Video).

One of our most popular Facebook posts included this photograph of Old Glory flying high above the Mackinac Bridge in remembrance of 9/11.  The world’s 20th-longest main span and the longest suspension bridge between Crossing it was a rite of passage for many in the Keener Generation.

Bringing back The Grande? The iconic Detroit landmark, that Keener’s Russ Gibb branded as the home of Motor City Rock & Roll is a few steps closer to a home on the National Register of Historic Places. The venue, which has deteriorated over the years, is currently owned by the Chapel Hill Baptist Church. The organization has indicated that a restored Grande might be made available for “secular events” if rennovated. Freep’s Brian McCollum writes that, “The Grande spawned an enduring mythology and valuable collectibles by rock-poster artists such as Gary Grimshaw and Carl Lundgren. The venue was the subject of the award-winning 2012 documentary ‘Louder Than Love.'”

Where were you when you first saw The Monkees (Video) on Television? 52 years ago, on September 12, 1966, The Monkees debuted “In Color” on WWJ-TV and NBC. Spanning 2 seasons and 58 episodes, the show set the standard for the concept of the music video, which, once upon a time, was a centerpiece at MTV – Music Television. The band members, who were hand picked by the show’s producers and backed by some of the best songwriters and session musicians of the time, have become the stuff of legend with tours featuring some or all of the surviving Monkees continuing to this day.

The fall television season was something we all looked forward to back in our youth. Other iconic shows that debuted this week in Keener history include, the sitcom “F-Troop,” (Video)  starring Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Ken Berry, and Melody Patterson, which began a two-season run on WXYZ and ABC this week in 1965. Two years later, “Ironside,” (Video) starring Raymond Burr, Don Galloway, Barbara Anderson, and Don Mitchell, premiered  on WWJ and NBC. It would last for 8 seasons. This week in 1968, “The Archies” cartoon series debuted, Saturday mornings on CBS. The fictional band, fronted in real life by Barry Manilow‘s future collaborator, Ron Dante, had a number one hit on Keener in 1969 with “Sugar Sugar”.

From the “how did we get that old” department: Happy 53rd birthday to Ringo‘s son, Zak Starkey. According to the College of Rock and Roll Knowledge: Zak has been the unofficial drummer for The Who since 1994. His Godfather was the band’s original drummer, Keith Moon, who bought Zak his first drum kit. Another percussive great, RUSH‘s Neil Peart celebrated his 66th birthday this week.

This month in 1965, Ford became the first automotive company to offer factory installed 8 track tape players. The format, based on the venerable Fidelipac tape cartridge technology used widely in broadcasting, had a brief prime from 1964 through 1968, when it was quickly supplanted by the more versatile and recordable compact cassette. How many 8 tracks did you own back in the day? Here’s a classic Radio Shack 8 Track commercial.

Keener Number Ones for this week include:

(1964) Last Kiss, J Frank Wilson
(1965) Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire
(1966) Cherish, Association
(1967) The Letter, Box Tops
(1968) Hey Jude/Revolution, Beatles
(1969) I Can’t Get Next To You, Temptations
(1970) Cracklin’ Rosie, Neil Diamond
(1971) Maggie May, Rod Stewart

Keener on Spotify: 13 Hits from September 13, 1971.

Our deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide comes from this week in 1971. Keener was touting itself as “Detroit’s only rock ‘n roll radio station”, having long ceded dominance to CKLW’s 50,000 watts and tight Drake format in Canada. Did you ever take a class at Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics?

We leave you with video of Rod Stewart singing the number one song from this week in 1971.

As the great Detroit News sports columnist Lynn Henning wrote, “you had to have been there to appreciate the ’68 Tigers.” We were, we did and we do! It was a different time. There was no free agency. The parsimonious GM, Jim Campbell was always looking to save money; the team each earned $4,000 and a ring for the championship season and many needed second jobs to make ends meet. The season had its ups and downs and as the World Series began, it seemed like the St. Louis Cardinals were invincible. As every true Detroiter knows, the Tigers did what they had done all season, they stayed in the game and ultimately prevailed. Here’s a link to the Ernie Harwell / Ray Lane documentary, “The Year of The Tiger” along with this link to Ernie’s complete play-by-play of Game 7.

52 years ago this week, Star Trek burst onto television screens on WWJ and NBC. The space opera, created by Gene Roddenberry and starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy was cancelled after 3 years and 79 episodes, but found it’s perennial audience in syndication. It became the first bonafide multimedia franchise spawning 13 films and 6 television series. Star Trek made household names of the original series stars and caused us to examine our prejudices through a sci-fi lens not unlike Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. A bit of Star Trek trivia: The series was actually first seen on Canada’s CTV network (not the CBC affiliate, CKLW/Channel 9, which we could get in much of the Detroit area) before it’s US premiere on September 8, 1966.

Bill Daily and Burt Reynolds left us this past week. Daily was a television fixture as Larry Hagman’s sidekick on “I Dream of Jeannie“. Burt was a versatile and underrated actor who played a variety of roles, becoming a giant star at the height of the CB craze when he teamed up with Sally Field, Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason in “Smokey and the Bandit“. While he claimed to have been born in Georgia, Burt was actually a native of Lansing, Michigan. Everyone has a favorite Burt Reynolds film. Ours is 1978’s tribute to the life of Hollywood stunt people, “Hooper“. Here’s a scene from that film, also featuring Brian Keith and a toupeed Terry Bradshaw.

Paul McCartney streamed a live concert from Grand Central Station over YouTube this week. His voice now reflects his mileage, but the crowd loved every minute of his review of more than 5 decades of Paul’s musical artistry. The set list was a mixture of both Beatle classics and the best of McCartney’s solo career.

Grand Funk’s Don Brewer, Beach Boy Al Jardine, Al Stewart and Gloria Gaynor are among this week’s Keener birthday celebrants. The sitcom “The Flying Nun,” (Video) starring Sally Field, Marge Redmond, Madeleine Sherwood, and Alejandro Rey, began its three-season run on WXYZ and ABC this week in 1967.

This week in 1959, Dick Clark‘s “Caravan of Stars” opened the Michigan State Fair with performances by Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Duane Eddy, LaVern Baker, Jack Scott, the Coasters, and Jan & Dean. During a 1967 television interview, Michigan Gov. George Romney claimed he had undergone “brainwashing” by U.S. officials while visiting Vietnam two years earlier. And this week in 1968, Eric Clapton became the first non-Beatle to appear on one of their recordings when he overdubbed his guitar solo for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” (Video)

Keener Number Ones for this week include:

(1964) Last Kiss, J Frank Wilson
(1965) Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire
(1966) Cherish, Association
(1967) The Letter, Box Tops
(1968) Harper Valley PTA, Jeannie C Riley
(1969) Sugar Sugar, Archies
(1970) Cracklin’ Rosie, Neil Diamond
(1971) Go Away Little Girl, Donny Osmond

Keener on Spotify: 13 Hits from September 5, 1968.

Our deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide comes from this week in 1968. “Hey Jude” was rocketing toward the top, where Jeannie C. Riley‘s tale about an uptight parent teacher association held sway. The eclectic tastes of the Detroit radio audience can be seen with diverse chart entries from the 1910 Fruit Gum Company, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, The Association and Fats Domino. With Jim Jeffries departure for Atlanta, Dave Forster took over the all night shift on Keener, and the Funny Cars were still stars at Detroit Dragway (Sibley at Dix).

We leave you with the images we saw that fall day in 1968 when the Tigers won the Series. Enjoy this video of the final inning of the final game and remember where you were and what you were doing.

Pink Cadillacs and live coverage: Detroit gave Aretha Franklin a send-off befitting her contribution to the pantheon of soul. Over 100 pink vehicles were on the scene as was Detroit television and several cable networks. See the entire funeral here.

Those of us who grew up in Keenerland also listened to and respected “The Great Voice of the Great Lakes”. WJR’s 50,000 watt signal was home to one of the steadiest and most professional lineups of talent in the market. We remember J.P. McCarthy in the Morning, Karl Hass, Mike Whorf and the Focus interview program in the Middays and Jimmy Launce in the afternoons. Ernie Harwell was the voice of summer and the WJR News Team put together long form broadcasts that covered Detroit’s ever changing scene in award winning style. Another of the WJR team left us this week when Jimmy Launce died at age 84 in Sarasota. What’s less known is Jimmy’s Keener connection. He worked at WKNR’s sister station in Battle Creek  in 1959, before the call letters were WKFR. Jimmy was also the first host of the Focus program, along with Lee Murray. Here’s a link to Jimmy’s closing theme: “Gina” recorded by Don Costa.

Were you one of the 25.7 million households to watch the last episode of “The Fugitive” on WXYZ (ABC) this past week in 1967? David Jansen as the wrongly accused Dr. Richard Kimble was pursued by Barry Morse‘s detective Philip Gerard for four seasons, climaxing in the capture of the villainous “One Armed Man”, portrayed by real life amputee, Bill Raisch. Raisch went on to become a long time acting teacher. He had a famous fight scene with Kirk Douglas in Lonely are the Brave in 1962 and can be seen in a crowd scene in the sci-fi classic, War of the Worlds. Raisch lost his arm during World War II. Watch the final 5 minutes of the penultimate Fugitive episode here.

If ever a song summed up a summertime memory it’s The Beatles‘ Hey Jude, (Video) released in the summer of 1968. Legend has it that Paul McCartney wrote it for John Lennon‘s then 5 year old son son, Jullian (Jules), in the wake of John’s divorce from Jules’ mother, Cynthia. Rolling Stone calls the tune, “a tribute to their friendship, right at the moment it was starting to fracture.”

Keener Number Ones for this week include:

(1964) Last Kiss, J Frank Wilson
(1965) Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire
(1966) Cherish, Association
(1967) The Letter, Box Tops
(1968) Harper Valley PTA, Jeannie C Riley
(1969) Sugar Sugar, Archies
(1970) Cracklin’ Rosie, Neil Diamond
(1971) Go Away Little Girl, Donny Osmond

Keener birthdays this week include, Daryl Dragon (August 27) of the Captain and Tennille, Wayne Osmond (August 28) of the Osmond Brothers,  and Van Morrison (August 31).

Keener on Spotify: 13 Hits from the week of September 3, 1964.

Our deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide comes from the week ending September 3, 1964. Keener was a month away from celebrating her first birthday and was at the top of the Detroit rock radio ratings. The musical themes included car songs, there were entries from the British Invasion and some Motown Magic, and it was a time when the likes of Earl Hagen and Al Martino could still score a Top 40 hit. Clearasil was a product that every teenager knew about (check out this 1960s vintage commercial) and The Beach Boys were about to pivot away from simply surf tunes with “All Summer Long” at the top of the LP Charts. In one of those continuity errors that often happens in Hollywood, All Summer Long plays over the closing credits of the film “American Graffiti” which documents the end of the summer of ’62.

Another oddity from this week in 1964 was the appearance of Jumpin Gene Simmons’ (no relation to the guy from Kiss). His “Haunted House” stood at Number 10, a record that would become an annual novelty hit during the Halloween season. We’ll leave you with a video rendition of this fun one-hit-wonder.

An artifact from yesteryear: Michael Audia shared this late 60s Detroit FM Radio line up on Facebook this week. We can date the find based on the inclusion of WXYZ-FM. The ABC O&O took on it’s famous moniker, WRIF, on February 14 1971. Progressive rock was germinating at the center of the dial in Detroit, with WABX, WKNR and WXYZ leading the way. Jerry Goodwin, Russ Gibb, Dan Carlisle and John Small were among the trailblazers at Keener, which evolved from a simulcast of the AM signal, to progressive/underground, to “Stereo Island” before the stations were sold in 1972.

Via the Detroit Tigers, this stunning shot of a rainbow over Comerica Park this past week as the crowd honored Aretha Franklin with a moment of silence.A public visitation will be held for “The Queen of Soul” on Aug. 28 and 29 at Charles H. Wright Museum for African American History. Franklin, who’s net worth is estimated at $80 million, died intestate (without a will).

And then there were two. Funk Brother guitarist Eddie Willis passed away this week at his home in Gore Springs, MA, at the age of 82. Guitarist Joe Messina and percussionist Jack Ashford are the last surviving members of the group of Detroit-based session musicians who backed nearly every major Motown smash from 1959 until Berry Gordy moved the company to Los Angeles in 1972.

Our cartoon this week is a “rock ‘n’ roll weather map”  from the pen of Ottawa, Ontario artist, John Atkinson. You can find more of his fascinating work at his WrongHands website. See if you can connect the references with the artists who inspired them. Click on the image to enlarge it. Several have direct connections with the Keener era.

This week in Keener History: The Marvelettes earned Motown it’s first number one with “Please Mr. Postman” (Video) in 1961. Three years later, almost to the day, Martha and the Vandellas released “Dancing in the Street” (Video). On August 16, 1962, Ringo Starr made his first appearance as a Beatle at the 17th annual celebration for the Birkenhead, England Horticultural Society. He rehearsed with the band for two hours before the show. This week in 1963, James Meredith became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Mississippi. He was the first African-American to be admitted to the segregated university, an event that was a flashpoint in the civil rights movement. This week in 1965, Tina Turner, Bo Diddley, Jackie DeShannon, and Eddie Hodges appeared on Shindig on ABC and WXYZ-TV. And in 1968, “Fire” by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (Video) enters the Keener chart at 28. It would peak at number 6 six weeks later.

Keener on Spotify: Some great listening! Here’s our playlist of The Top 13 Hits from this week in 1965. The only one not in the spotify library is Chuck Jackson’s “If I Didn’t Love You”. Here’s a link to a YouTube Video of the tune. 

Keener birthdays include Barbara Eden, who became an icon of our generation when she won the lead role in the television series “I Dream of Jeannie” (Video). The show ran for 139 episodes on NBC and WWJ-TV between 1965 and 1970. Her early screen tests began in 1957, but she earned broader recognition as Lt. Cathy Connors in Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Prior to Jeannie, Eden starred in the Cinerama film, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, and another Irwin Allen production, Five Weeks in a Balloon. After Jeannie, she co-starred in a Dallas story arc with her former “master”, Larry Hagman. Barbara Eden turned 87 on August 23.

Were you a member of Scott Regen‘s Burger Club? Scott picked up the phone one night and heard a listener declare, “How are ya doing Burger?” It turned out that at this young man’s school, everything cool had the word “burger” tagged on the end of it. The next time he cracked the mic, Keener’s evening entertainer said, “This is Scott Burger”. And the snowball started rolling from there. Eileen Shapiro, from Clinton Jr. High School, helped form “The Royal Order of Burgers” and ended up on the air. Hear the full story of the birth of the Burger Club in Scott’s own words here.

Keener Number Ones for this week include:

(1964) House of the Rising Sun, Animals
(1965) Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers
(1966) You Can’t Hurry Love, Supremes
(1967) Brown Eyed Girl, Van Morrison
(1968) Harper Valley PTA, Jeannie C Riley
(1969) Sugar Sugar, Archies
(1970) Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Diana Ross
(1971) Go Away Little Girl, Donny Osmond

This week’s deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide centers on August 24, 1970. It was an eclectic mix representative of the wide swath that was pop music in the day, with Diana Ross at Number 1 with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (We prefer the Marvin and Tammi interpretation of Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson‘s composition – Video). Detroit Dragway, promoted on the back of the guide, was still in its heyday. Here’s a link to classic Detroit Dragway commercial from 1964. Jim Tate was Keener’s morning man that year (Air Check). Bob Green remembers , “Jim came to WKNR in an Orange El Dorado with a big ‘JT’ emblazoned on the front. I was PD, and thought, ‘Oh boy, what kind of prima donna do we have here?’ This is the best example of ‘looks can be deceiving’. Jim was one of the most sincere, gentle, kind and fine individuals I ever had the luck to work with. Add to it the talent and work ethic he had… and Jim was a ‘star’ in the true sense of the word. I will always miss him.” We lost Jim to cancer in 1989.

We’ leave you with the Number 25 song from this week in 1970; a live version of Three Dog Night‘s “Out in the Country“.