The Headlines: Elvis signs with Sun Records. George gets deported. The Twist is a national craze. Dr. Who Debuts. Alices Restaurant is released.
This week in 1965 was a big one for both Elvis Presley and Sam Phillips. The owner of Sun Records sold Elvis’ contract to RCA for $35,000, the largest amount ever paid to sign a recording artist at the time. Phillips invested his proceeds from the deal in a two-year-old Memphis-based hotel chain called Holiday Inn. You can see what the original Holiday Inns looked like, inside and out at The Henry Ford.
George Harrison was deported from Hamburg, Germany this week in 1960, where The Beatles had been playing at the Kaiserkeller club. The Germans figured out he was under 18 and couldn’t legally be performing in the country.
In 1961, the popularity of The Twist (video) reached its zenith with New York television station WOR airing hourly one-to-five-minute twist lessons featuring Chubby Checker.
This week in 1963, those of us who grew up reading The Chronicles of Narnia lost a friend when author, poet and essayist, C.S. Lewis, died of uremia at 64.
That same week, the long-running sci-fi television series “Doctor Who” debuted in England on BBC One.
Record releases this week include 1965 included “My Generation” (video) by The Who and Stevie Wonder‘s “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” (video). Stevie would promote the single by singing it with Scott Regen on Keener that same month. In ’68, Diana Ross And The Supremes & The Temptations released “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.” (video) In 1970 George Harrison released “My Sweet Lord” (video) to the American audience. He would be sued for unintentionally copying Ronnie Mack’s song “He’s So Fine”, a 1963 hit for the the Chiffons.
James Brown caused a sensation and a riot in Kansas City this week in 1966. Cops stopped the show due to Brown’s “obscene dances,” and had to contend with some very unhappy fans.
A Thanksgiving radio tradition began on November 20, 1967 when Arlo Guthrie released the album “Alice’s Restaurant.” (video) It’s been a holiday staple on classic rock stations across the country every since.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (video) was still popular a year after it’s release in 1968. In Ashland, Virginia, Iron Butterfly performed in the 3,500-seat Crenshaw Gymnasium of Randolph-Macon College. Their opening act was a band called Steel Mill, that included Bruce Springsteen.
November 24, 1971…D.B. Cooper became a household name when he parachuted from a Northwest Airlines 727 over southwestern Washington state with $200,000 in ransom. Nobody ever could figure out Cooper’s whereabouts or true identity nor has all the money ever been recovered. An eight year old Brian Ingram found $5,880 in decaying $20 bills in February of 1980, which forensic experts concluded was part of the original ransom.
Keener Number Ones this week include:
1963) Louie Louie, Kingsmen
(1964) Mountain of Love, Johnny Rivers
(1965) Turn Turn Turn, Byrds
(1966) Good Vibrations, Beach Boys
(1967) Daydream Beliver/Goin’ Down, Monkees
(1968) Abraham Martin and John, Dion
(1969) Someday We’ll Be Together, Supremes
(1970) One Less Bell To Anwser, Fifth Dimension
(1971) Family Affair, Sly & The Family Stone
Our deep dive into the WKNR Music Guide features the week of November 26, 1964. For Motown records made the survey with The Supremes at Keener Hit Number One with “Come See About Me” (video). Keener was still tossing in tunes that would later be considered “Middle of the Road”, including Bobby Vinton‘s “Mr. Lonely” (video) and Matt Monro‘s “Walk Away” (video). Robert Goulet and Andy Williams also were on the survey. Confusion reigned around The Ray Charles Singers, which many thought were under the direction of the popular soul singer. In fact, they were the creation of Charles Raymond Offenberg and so named by Perry Como in 1959. They charted three times on Keener, all in 1964. Mort Crowley had departed WKNR by November, 1964, replaced in the mornings by Frank “Swingin” Sweeney. Robin Seymour, a WKMH holdover, held down the mid-day slot. He would depart for a television career in Canada as the host of “Swingin’ Time”.
We leave you with a live performance of the Beach Boys‘s “Dance, Dance, Dance”, which was on the way down at #19 on the WKNR Music Guide this week in 1964. In the day, the band was able to recreate the studio artistry of the Wrecking Crew’s backing tracks on stage. Their trademark harmonies came across well in a live environment.
