Keener 13

On the morning of April 25, 1972, while John McRae was playing the last rock and roll records of the Keener era on WKNR-AM, Jim Cutler was at the controls in the control room on WKNR-FM. Keener-FM had pioneered a new approach to beautiful music when it launched Stereo Island in 1971. It required the DJs to put together seamless mixes of the most mellow popular tunes amongst a jingle package customized for the brand. It was a concept that was a step above the mind numbing elevator music that was an automated?staple across town at WLDM. But the human capital it required to produce the Stero Island sound didn’t throw off enough cash flow to satisfy the bean counters (sound familiar?), and as Keener AM backtimed to the top of the hour with “Turn Turn Turn” by the Byrds, Jim Cutler queued up his final Stereo Island set. Jim Nuznoff knew it was coming and had his reel to reel rolling to document the first hour of the new WNIC. The resulting aircheck ?gives a good feel for how tragically bland WNIC’s initial programming concept was. Juxtaposed against what we hear today, you can see just how far “100.3” has come.

From the Keener Key Men of music.. Here’s a 1968 New Year’s Greeting. Four decades later the Keener Magic is still felt in Detroit, and around the world. All the best from your Keener13.com curators: Scott Westerman and Steve Schram.

Keener correspondent Bob Berry sends this best-ever post from Dan O’Day. If you have ever earned a pay check in the radio biz, this one will bring back a ton of memories, both good and bad, and remind you why broadcasting is a lifelong addiction from which we never fully recover.

He never charted on Keener, but Dan Fogelberg was a key voice in the soft rock revolution that helped WNIC return the WKNR-FM frequency to number one in Detroit. The Pekin, Illinois native had a dozen hits in the 70s and 80s with a story telling style that approached Harry Chapin and lyrical melodies that found their way into hundreds of back seats during romantic Michigan evenings.

Susan Whitall’s piece, “Rock Hall of Fame stirs controversy with some oddball choices” hits the nail on the head. With people like Leonard Cohen and Grandmaster Flash getting in ahead of Gordon Lightfoot and Mitch Ryder, it makes you wonder what the voters have been smoking.

Few who lived through the 60s may remember the name Ross Bagdasarian, but his alter ego, David Seville, found a place in the rock n roll record books. It happened when he recorded his voice and sped up the tape to create Alvin, Simon and Theodore… The Chipmunks. While a number of novelty acts found their way onto the WKNR Music Guide, The Chipmunks never did. And yet, they spawned an empire that continues to provide cash flow for Bagdasarian’s descendants. Here’s Ryan Pearson’s take on the latest resurgence of interest.

Keener correspondent Bob Berry aggregates these news stories from the Freep and MHOFM:

Down in Nashville late last month, the Musicians Hall of Fame held its first ever induction and Motown’s Funk Brothers backing band (drummer Uriel Jones, bassist Bob Babbitt and guitarist Eddie Willis) was among the honorees.

At the induction ceremony concert, Peter Frampton spoke of how he was inspired by the group and sang “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” with the inductees backing him. Former Supremes singer Mary Wilson then performed “Stop in the Name of Love.”

Here’s more from the MHOFM website.

NASHVILLE, TN (October 26, 2007) — The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is happy to announce the first annual Musicians Hall of Fame Awards Show at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, November 26, 2007, 7:30 p.m.? This inaugural event celebrates the induction of some of the most esteemed and influential musicians in recording history. The inaugural inductees include the Nashville A-Team, The Blue Moon Boys, The Funk Brothers, The Memphis Boys, The Tennessee Two, and The Wrecking Crew.?

“These are the actual musicians who played on so many records that have become such a part of our everyday lives,” says Joe Chambers, CEO and founder, Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.? “There are so many more musicians to be recognized and every year we will add more names to those who will be honored.? This will be such an historic evening with all these talented inductees being paid tribute on the stage of Nashville’s incredible new Schermerhorn Symphony Center.”

The event will showcase performances with some of the original members from the groups that being honored which include; The Nashville A-Team (Harold Bradley, Ray Edenton, Charlie McCoy, Bob Moore, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, and Jerry Kennedy), Funk Brothers (Uriel Jones, Joe Messina, Eddie Willis, and Bob Babbitt), Wrecking Crew? (Billy Strange, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn, Hal Blaine, Lyle Ritz, James Burton, Jim Horn, and Mike Deasy), Memphis Boys (Bobby Emmons, Bobby Wood, Gene Chrisman, Mike Leech, and Reggie Young), Tennessee Two (Marshall Grant and Bob Wooten, who replaced the late Luther Perkins); Blue Moon Boys (Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana). These musicians played on mega-hits for such legendary superstars as the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Patsy Cline, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, George Jones, the Supremes, and Frank Sinatra.? Along with this talented roster of performers, special guest vocalists will also be announced soon.

During rock radio’s golden age, there were a few personalities who transcended the format to become a brand in their own right. Such was the case with Philly legend Hy Lit who passed away recently at age 73. He exuded charisma but couldn’t follow formats, stepped all over the vocals and just plain did things his way. Here’s Jerry Del Collano’s appreciation along with a Ron Turner compilation of Hy Lit airchecks.

For several years, we produced a podcast celebrating the music, the memories and the popular culture of Detroit. The Keener13 Podcast got hits from around the world and, depending on the topic, tens of thousands of listeners sampled our flavor of Michigan rock. Time and the complicated maze of regulations on streaming media made our show a memory, but the passion flame for Michigan music is far from extinguished. Tony Clark and Art Van, two Keener enthusiasts and audio artists in their own right produce The Michigan Oldies Podcast, a regular two hour venture into the radio wayback machine. It’s a mixture of personality, trivia and tunes, much of which are rarely heard on the conventional airwaves these days. Find them at www.michiganoldiespodcast.com?.

What’s in a name? According to the Associated press, a British judge has ordered a rival group to stop using the Four Tops name. There are tribute acts everywhere. In Las Vegas, the Elvis impersonators alone are an industry, but High Court judge Nicholas Warren says that Oliver Miller crossed the line when he used “Viscount Oliver’s American Dream the Legendary Four Tops” to promote his band’s tribute act. He also ordered Miller to pay yet to be determined financial damages. The Tops British lawyer said that, “Today’s ruling was important for the Four Tops because it permitted them to protect their legacy in the U.K.” The?Tops are in a six-way tie for the 10th most popular act to chart on Keener, with 18 different records making finding their way to the WKNR Music Guide. They share the spot with the Dave Clark Five, Neil Diamon, The Miracles, The Raiders and the Rolling Stones.

Detroit radio observers are noting another historical footnote this week, Tom Ryan’s departure from WOMC. Some felt it was a decision that should have been made years ago, while others see it as another example of how big radio has lost touch with its audience.

For me, Tom was most enjoyable as Dick Purtan’s sidekick, as Sargent Sacto and as the creative commercial voice of numerous ads (Remember Captain FFO?). Although he had a loyal following, I could never connect with him as a host. Think of the communications magic Bob Green, Tom Shannon and Scott Regen had. Tom Ryan never quite made it to that level.

If the past is any indication, Tom won’t be off the air for long. Detroit loves its media people and there’s already talk that he will resurface over at WMGC.

Perhaps what we are mourning is the death of true personality radio, from the days when we felt we had a relationship with the hosts. Personality today seems to be the demagoguery extremes, people who thrive on anger, conflict and exclusion, the opposite of what the best of the CK and Keener guys were: friendly, seeking common ground and inclusive.

Somewhere along the line, the drive to distill a winning formula and maximize profit made the non-broadcaster owners lost sight of what made great radio really work: The People.

Beyond the haircuts, one of the distinctive visuals associated with the Beatles is the logo that adorned Ringo’s Ludwig drum kit. Brian Epstein was an early believer in the holistic approach to rock n roll branding. The hair, the suits, the boots, the guitars, the drums and the logo all contributed to the total Beatle experience. As a recent Freep slide show details a band’s logo is often instantly recognizable. Throughout the Keener era, you looked for The Brand when you flipped through albums at Harmony House, when you perused the newspaper concert pages and when you made those t-shirt purchases at the live shows. Dean Torrence, famously half of Jan & Dean, made a living in the imaging space crafting logos for the Turtles, Nillson and The Beach Boys. And today, The Brand is becoming more important that the records that were once its foundation. Radiohead and Prince have virtually given away their music in support of concert dates and merchandising. And Madonna recently abandoned Warner for Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter, who will try to maximize cash flows through multiple revenue streams, the records are almost secondary.. Frank Maruca had an innate understanding of The Brand in the run-up to Keener’s Halloween night launch 44 years ago, printing matchbooks, bumper stickers?and high school book covers and plastering the station’s distinctive blue logo wherever he could. Even now, seeing it in its various incarnations instantly brings back memories.