Keener 13

By Bob Berry

Sunday. A favorite day of the week. Usually lazy and slow with an extra cup of coffee. Sometimes with a ridiculous breakfast. Unless, of course, there’s a golf game involved, in which case I’m out the door.

And sadly, over par.

Under any circumstances, there’s one constant: Great tunes. Sometimes, it’s jazz, blues or symphony pops. Or, how about three Keener favorites, beginning with The Rascals’ slow dance/make romance classic!

Here’s a remarkable live performance from Spanky and Our Gang. Her voice goes away, but they finish strong!

And last, but not least, The Monkees, with Mickey on lead vocal of a classic Carole King/Gerry Goffin tune.

by Bob Berry

Or his face, but you do know his music!

Keener congratulations to songwriter Mark James, who will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall on Fame on October 11th. James wrote Elvis Presley’s last Number One song “Suspicious Minds”,  plus Keener classics for BJ Thomas (“Eyes Of A New York Woman”, “Hooked On A Feeling”)  and  “Always on My Mind”, best interpreted by Willie Nelson.

Here are three remarkable performances, of Mark James’ most memorable songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pipuxjMpiaI

Ironically, Mark James’ greatest hits were recorded not in Nashville, but in Memphis, at Chips Moman’s legendary American Sound Studios, the home of more than 100 Top 40 hits from 1967 to 1972.

Joining Mark James in the NSHOF induction will be singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, Even Stevens (Eddie Rabbbit, Conway Twitty) and Craig Wiseman (Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney).

We vividly remember our first reel to reel tape recorder. It was a Craig 212, complete with external microphone and the wonderful smell of 3M Mylar recording tape for just $34.99.

After listening to the ever more scratchy playback of our LPs and 45s, the quality of a reel to reel, even with all that hiss, was something special. Graduating quickly to a Sony TC-280, we could accommodate 7 inch reels and enjoy a full hour of music, at 3 3/4 inches per second, or if we were feeling particularly indulgent, 30 minutes of ultra high quality audio at  7 1/2 ips.

Dr. Zhivago was the first professionally produced reel to reel tape in our library. We still remember listening to the overture with my David Clark headphones. It felt like we were transported to the studio, in the midst of the MGM Orchestra.

And who could forget how some manufacturers incorporated their technology inside furniture quality cabinetry? Once such item was the Arvin 8648 Solid State Stereo Tape Recorder. It came complete with a demonstration tape, narrated by the famous radio announcer, André Baruch and featured lush tastes of the music of Bobby Byrne and Enoch Light.

By today’s digital standards, reel to reel tape and it’s bargain basement cassette and 8 track versions sound pre-historic. But we’ll never forget the first moments we were transported from vinyl to mylar and got to hear what the studio engineers heard in the days when multi-track recording was still pretty darn cool.

By Bob Berry

We’ve had a sort of informal countdown to the Woodward Dream Cruise going on here at Keener13.com highlighting some cool new cars coming from the Motor City’s Big Three.

There were the Chevy Twins, the Camaro convertible and 2016 Cruze. The Dodge Boys rockin’ the Hemi, with the new “Predator” spot for the 2015 Challenger and Hellcat.

And now, it’s the “Blue Oval’s” turn, as Ford previewed The Apollo Edition 2015 Mustang, in support of the 2015 Oshkosh Airshow . 627 horsepower, 540 pound-feet of torque, Ford Performance supercharger and shifter, sport-tuned suspension, six-piston Brembo brakes and  21-inch performance wheels. This is definitely NOT the 1967 Mustang of the Totem Pole parking lot, listening to Scotty Regan on Keener!

By the way, this is the 8th year Ford has supported the airshow’s youth aviation programs , with a unique, one-of-a-kind vehicle, guaranteed to make you drool. And perhaps own. Click here to open your wallet and bid!

By Bob Berry

Linda Ronstadt is 69 years old today. And I must share a secret.

The two founders of Keener13.com, Steve and Scott, along with yours truly, have been huge fans since we first heard Linda and The Stone Poneys on Keener in the fall of ’67, with their version of Mike Nesmith’s “Different Drum”

We also know that makes us part of  huge fan base, that grew with her successes through the decades, and who wish Linda well as she cofronts the challenges of Parkinson’s Disease. And that’s the crux of this post. Our favorite singer cannot sing, because of those challenges.

And so, others sing, or sang, for her. If you did not see Linda’s long-overdue 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction, check out the presentation video, complete with Glenn Frey’s passionate induction speech.

And then, turn your speakers up a bit, and watch Carrie Underwood, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks (and Glenn singing backup just like the pre-Eagles days) give one of the great performances, honoring one of the great performers.

Happy Birthday, Linda. We Love You

By Bob Berry

The great songwriter Ernie Maresca, who wrote many of Dion DiMucci’s hits, including the #1 smash”Runaround Sue”, has passed. Mr. Maresca, who also had a solo hit in 1962 with “Shout, Shout (Knock Yourself Out)” was 78 and had resided in South Florida.

Ernie and Dion’s music largely pre-dated the Keener years, but their legacy, which also included “The Wanderer”, “Lovers Who Wander” And “Donna The Prima Donna”; is unmistakably part of the soundtrack of the “Keener Generation”.

Which is another way of saying that those beautifully produced street-corner harmonies, the soul-stew of their hometown, The Bronx in New York City, was flat-out GREAT rock and roll music.

R.I.P., Ernie. Thanks to you, and to Dion, for the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WeuX7eZs3k

By Bob Berry

We’re down to 37 days to the start of the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise, and the gear heads are gearing up. A week or so ago, it was Chevy’s turn, with the intro of the 2016 Camaro Convertible.

This week, it’s the Dodge Boys (and Girls!) turn.

Check out the extended version of a new ad for the Hemi-powered, 707 horsepower, window-rattlin’, tire-smokin’, ground-poundin’ Dodge Hellcat and Challenger. With a Viper thrown in for good measure!

Meet you on the corner of 10 Mile and Woodward. I’ll drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCxehjcYwlc

And by the way.. If you’re feeling nostalgic for a Keener Dodge Boys memory from the 60s, you’ll love this classic TV commercial for the 1967 Coronet.

A classic WKNR Music Guide from June of 1967. Keener participated in 7up’s national Wet and Wild sweepstakes (how bout the “mink shrugs” prizes?) Sgt. Pepper was white hot that summer, spending 15 weeks at the top of the Billboard LP charts. The Monkees were at the height of their popularity, so much so that an LP that Davy Jones had cut as a solo artists in 1965 had an American release two years later and found it’s way into the survey. And take a look at the top 13 for that week. Lots of enduring faves but a few tunes we don’t hear too often, “Together” by the Intruders, “You Gave Me Something” by the Fantastic Four and this Detroit produced gem from J.J. Barnes.

By Bob Berry

Can you believe it? Ringo Starr celebrates his 75th birthday today! How did he celebrate? By holding his annual “Peace and Love” celebration at the home of The Beatles in America, The Capitol Records Tower.

How do we at Keener 13.com celebrate?  By sharing favorite Ringo/Beatles video!  And let’s kick it off, with Paul’s surprise appearance at Ringo’s 70th birthday party.  And what a moment when they share a hug after the song!

Next up, a drummer’s all-star salute to Ringo, specially produced for his recent induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. (Caution: Some adult language, not suitable for office viewing)

And last but not least, Live on the BBC and in all it’s 52 year-old glory, Ringo’s take on The Shirelles’ smash “Boys”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27-q6TmJZA4

A final thought. The Beatles’ producer Sir George Martin is quoted as having said “I didn’t need a drum machine, I had Ringo”.

Happy Birthday, Peace and Love.

Remember this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdVseljx2UU

By Bob Berry

Elvis fans, rejoice!  There’s a new set of goodies coming our way on August 12th, from the United States Postal Service.

It’s a new Young Elvis stamp, to be unveiled by Priscilla Presley as part of  Elvis Week 2015. The picture, seen above,  was shot in 1955 by photographer William Speer. Individual stamps will cost cost 49 cents, and they, like Elvis, will be “forever”.

Think that’s cool? Cue the Ronco Man: “But wait! There’s more!”

Also being released on August 12th, is a new Elvis CD,  Elvis Forever, with 16 of E’s biggest hits-from “That’s All Right” to “The Wonder of You”, plus 2 previously unreleased versions of “If I Can Dream” and “What Now My Love”.

While you’re waiting for the stamps and CD, I’ll leave you with one of the definitive Elvis performances. The original version of “If I Can Dream”, written to order by Walter Earl Brown, as the closing number of the ’68 “Comeback Special”.

If you traveled the state during the Keener generation, it’s a good bet you ate a meal at Bill Knapp’s. The fare included steak, fish and fried chicken, au gratin potatoes, ham croquettes, cole slaw, a childrens’ menu where you could order a Giraffe, Bear, Seal, Elephant, Zebra or Lion, and those glorious, golden Bill Knapp’s biscuits. Remember meals in a basket, “Glorified Steakburgers” that weighed in at a third of a pound and cost $1.95, and that amazing bean soup, available seven days a week for just 45 cents a bowl? We can still see the catchup bottles lined up in the kitchen, top to top, ensuring that every one was completely full when it was put on the table.

And birthdays were a Bill Knapp specialty. The percentage you saved on your meal was equal to your age, complete with a crooned “Happy Birthday” sung by Bing Crosby over the PA system, and chocolate cake that is still available today, 14 years after the last restaurant closed its doors.

Bill Knapp’s fans exchange recipes on Pinterest and share memories on a Facebook Page. Surviving restaurant chains like Denny’s and IHOP owe a bit of their success to the consistency of service and menu that was a Bill Knapp’s hallmark.

It the height of its popularity, Bill Knapp’s operated 69 restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Fear of a declining, aging customer base motivated senior management to modify the simple business plan that had been so successful for 44 years, leading to the closure of the last locations in 2002.

But for those of us who came of age in the Keener era, a trip to Bill Knapp’s is a family tradition we’ll never forget.