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.
