By Bob Berry

I’m “..not too proud to shout it, tell the world about it..”, “This Old Heart of Mine” is one of the Motown copyrights I truly love.

Written by Holland-Dozier-Holland, with Sylvia Moy ( co-writer of Uptight, I Was Made To Love Her, It Takes Two and others), there’s just something about that song.

The original version, by The Isley Brothers, had me cranking up Keener while driving down 13 Mile Road. Two and a half decades later, driving around West Michigan, the car radio was just as loud for Rod Stewart’s “This Old Heart”!

But for the life of me, I can’t tell you which is my favorite. Thus a Keener Friday Song “Double Shot”.

Released in the January of 1966, “This Old Heart Of Mine” gave The Isleys their only major hit for Motown, going straight to the Top Ten. Give another listen to a stellar lead vocal by Ronnie Isley, backed by one of the classic tracks of The Funk Brothers (and the DSO strings!)

Some 23 years later, Rod Stewart released his second version (a previous single in ’75 got minor airplay) of “This Old Heart”, and this time he brought in the big gun, Ronnie Isley! The R&R duet, produced by Bernard Edwards of Chic and Trevor Horn (Yes, The Buggles), went Top Ten in the summer of 1989, and proved that Ronnie Isley had lost nothing ‘off his fastball”.

By Bob Berry

“A man walks in a bar, hears a really cool tune, thinks that has to go on the Keener blog”.

Recurring theme, sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. Hey, it’s just part of my life!

And so it was last Monday, when I stopped at one of my favorite haunts, The Brown Boxer in Mad Beach, Florida, for the Monday Burger Special. (No fries, broccoli, please.)  And while I’m waiting for lunch, Stax/Volt Records Dynamic Duo comes blazing over the speaker.

It’s Sam and Dave with 1965’s “You Don’t Know Like I Know”. One of those “forgotten 45’s“, written by the other Stax Dynamic Duo, Issac Hayes and David Porter, this was the song released before the breakthrough single “Hold On, I’m Comin“.

How “You Don’t Know..” peaked at #90 on the Hot 100 is beyond me. Enjoy a dynamite performance, and a great example of that Memphis Sound. It’s the Friday Song on Keener!

By Bob Berry

The three names, Holland-Dozier-Holland, need no further introduction.

The songs are their signature. “Baby Love”,  “Stop! In The Name Of Love”, “Baby, I Need Your Loving”, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”, “Heatwave”, “Come And Get These Memories”, “Can I Get A Witness”, “This Old Heart Of Mine”, “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)”, “(I’m A) Road Runner”.

There,  I just did a Keener Top Ten without breaking a sweat! Or going past 1966!

Brian, Lamont and Eddie were Motown’s greatest songwriting team. Except, of course, for Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, The Corporation, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and others. Hard to say who’s the greatest. It’s like all these years later, Berry Gordy’s “who’s hot?” competitions still play out.

Today is Eddie Holland’s birthday, which was gonna make an obvious, but difficult choice for the Friday Song. Until I discovered that one of H-D-H’s first hits was written for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles! Top Ten in 1963, it’s “Mickey’s Monkey” LIVE, on a Motown Revue special for Britain’s Ready, Steady Go. See how many Motown stars (is that Stevie on harmonica?) you spot.

And you can do the monkey, too-it’s The Friday Song on Keener!

By Bob Berry

Confession. The Rascals were, and are, one of my favorite groups.

I loved the songs, love-love-loved their blue-eyed soul sound. Dino twirling the sticks, Gene ripping power chords, Eddie with two tambourines, Felix half-hidden behind the Hammond B-3. They were “Jersey Boys”, with all the attitude (and “hug-ability”, right ladies?), dressed up in a combination of Carnaby Street meets Greenwich Village meets Plus Fours.

Bottom line, when the Rascals came on Keener, my volume knob went to loud. When I got into radio, and a Rascals song came up, it got very loud.

So today (10/23), we celebrate Eddie Brigati’s birthday. Eddie, along with Felix Cavaliere, co-wrote the vast majority of the Rascals’ library, including “A Girl Like You”, “Groovin”, “A Beautiful Morning”, “People Got To Be Free”, and “Lonely Too Long”. Mostly, Felix sang lead, with a notable, wonderful exception late summer of 1967.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the Friday Song on Keener!

By Bob Berry

One of the great things about writing the Keener blog is the chance to share with you my passions, be it cars, music, movies, or a good friend’s birthday.

That said, today’s Keener Friday Song goes out with a dedication to my pal Cactus Jack, the forever young leader of  Florida’s best party band, Cactus Jack And The Cadillacs.

The boys and I go back some 15 years, and from time to time I ended up playing tambourine (fairly well) and singing backups (terribly) on their version of “Nobody But Me”, the Human Beinz song from 1968.

Fun? Ridiculous fun. And I just knew all those years of playing “Nobody” and beating up a dashboard, or a control room counter top would payoff someday!

My bud Cactus had a small health issue recently, as have a couple of the other guys in the band. Suffice to say all is well, and the band will be rockin’ this weekend. So on the off-chance you’re in Eustis, Florida and a crazy guy in a zebra stripe jacket ( or a red vest) asks you to sit in with the band, here’s your chance to practice.

Enjoy the Friday Song, a monster one-hit wonder with The Human Beinz on Keener!

By Bob Berry

I was having lunch the other day, and  “Going To A Go-Go” came over the speakers in the restaurant.

And I started seat dancing to one of the great grooves in Motown history!

Bennie Benjamin fabulous tom-tom back-beat, then James Jamerson’s  bass line locking in with Marv Tarplin’s lead guitar, and The Miracles, Claudette, Bobby, Ronnie and Pete singing the hook smooth as butter.

So there you are, already movin’ in places where most people (especially from outside “The D”) don’t have places-and finally, we get Smokey’s joyful, “come join us” lead vocal: “They come from everywhere, and if you drop in there, you might see anyone in town..”.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “Going To A Go-Go”!  The Keener Friday Song. “You should have some fun, I’m telling everyone…”, and enjoy this extraordinary “real, live” performance on Hullaballoo.