By Bob Berry

The T.A.M.I. Show.

Two nights of the stars of 1964 in concert, presented over two nights (October 28 & 29th)  at the Santa Monica Auditorium in Southern California. Directed by Steve Binder, who later produced Elvis ’68 Comeback special, the best of the performances were edited into a two hour film that was presented in theaters around the country.

The greatest concert you never saw? Because after the initial theatrical run, The T.A.M.I. Show disappeared. Oh, there were references in rock journalism, there were bootlegs, and later grainy vids on You Tube,  but that only added to the mystique. Finally, in 2010, Shout Factory released a digitally remastered DVD, and what was urban legend became an true revelation. The T.A.M.I. Show was better than “advertised”!

Check the lineup. Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys and Leslie Gore. The Supremes and Marvin Gaye, plus Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The British Invasion stars included Gerry & The Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas. Plus Jan and Dean as the MC’s, the legendary Wrecking Crew as the house band, with Darlene Love and the Blossoms providing backup vocals!

And there were two more stars to close the show. James Brown and the Fabulous Flames, who gave a performance second only to his Live at the Apollo shows, and The Rolling Stones. How good was James? So good that to this day Keith Richards says following “The Godfather of Soul” was the biggest mistake of the Stones’ career!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09qbhwcpA6A

BTW. What did T.A.M.I. stand for? Teenage Awards Music International or, on occasion, Teen Age Music International. Clever either way, but no awards were ever handed out!

By Bob Berry

A dear friend of mine is celebrating a birthday this weekend, and this happens to be one of her favorite songs.

Mine, too. Pretty much since the first time I heard it.

Johnny Rivers wrote it, and cut it live with the Wrecking Crew trio of Hal Blaine on drums, Joe Osborne on bass and Larry Knechtel on keyboards. Then, the real genius moment happened, and The Blossoms overdubbed an unmistakable-and unforgettable, backup vocals:

“Do-doo-doo-wah shoo-be-doo-be…”

Jenni, the spotlight is on you and Jim. Enjoy Slow Dance Number One for Sunday Brunch on Keener.

By Bob Berry

It was a perfectly timed TV show.

The British Invasion was happening, Motown was beginning it’s great run, and within the year the West Coast was more than just The Beach Boys, with Sonny and Cher plus The Byrds leading the way.

It was Shindig!, and we dug it!

It was TV that had the hits, just like turning on Keener. No more waiting for the spinning plates guy to vacate the stage, there was host Jimmy O’Neill and here comes the Righteous Brothers, Herman’s Hermits, Marvin Gaye, Del Shannon and even The Beatles!

Throw in the greatest house band in history, The Shindogs, including Glen Campbell, James Burton, Larry Knechtel and Ray Pohlman.  Mix in The Blossoms, with Darlene Love and Co. adding world-class backup harmonies. And then put dancers, The Shindiggers on the set, and Shindig! was Must-See TV 30 years before NBC thought of it!

Shindig debuted on ABC Television on September 16, 1964. And you had to watch, to be cool in school.

By Bob Berry

He was part of the legendary Wrecking Crew, helping Phil Spector shape his Wall of Sound.  His Hammond B-3 helped The Beach Boys pick up on “Good Vibrations”. He played with The Mamas and Papas, The Fifth Dimension and The Carpenters, and David Gates and Bread.

His barrel-house piano kick-started “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” for Johnny Rivers

He was an extraordinary keyboard player, who happened to play guitar so well, that he supplied the bass tracks for The Doors’ “Light My Fire“!

His name was Larry Knechtel, and today would have been his 76th birthday. Here is his “greatest hit”, a beautiful, gospel-inspired piano that helped make the title song to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water album the Record and Song of the Year in 1971.

That’s who “that guy on keyboards” was.

By Bob Berry

I had about an hour drive on I-75 last night, and after selecting a CD for the ride (and playing it at a far too loud volume), came to this conclusion:

It had been too doggone long, since I had played or heard, Marvin Gaye’s “doggone” song, and the other early 60’s classics. Hits like “Stubborn Kind of Fellow”, “Pride and Joy”, “Hitchhike”, “Ain’t That Peculiar”, “You’re A Wonderful One”, Marvin’s first hit duet, “It Takes Two”, with the great Kim Weston, and, yes, the Smokey Robinson written and produced “I’ll Be Doggone”.

Remarkable songs, sometimes over-looked in the rightful appreciation of  “What’s Going On” and on through to  “Sexual Healing”. But take another listen to the early Marvin Gaye “songbook”. From his use of his three-octave range, through the evolution of The Funk Brothers, to working with Motown’s writer/producers Mickey Stevenson, Holland-Dozier-Holland and Smokey; the results that came out of the”Snakepit”, were fabulous!

Conclusion?  ANY Marvin is great Marvin. And maybe better, live. Check out Marvin’s medley on 1964’s “The T.A.M.I. Show”, with Darlene Love and The Blossoms and the “Wrecking Crew” house band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpnf82hD5Ic

It’s great to welcome Bob Berry to the Keener Blog. He grew up a Keenerfan and has been a nationally regarded radio announcer for more than four decades.

By Bob Berry
Sadly, Alzheimer’s Disease respects no one.

Family member, public figure, rich and famous, poor and unknown; it matters not. It is a vicious disease, ripping families apart, tearing at emotions, taking the very memories that stir emotion.

And perhaps because Glen Campbell was a star of the first magnitude, his battle with Alzheimer’s struck a chord and stirred emotions in all of us. His courage at the Grammy awards. His missing the Academy Awards. Touring, Living, Pressing On, into the unknown.

Here’s an update on Glen’s condition, from his daughter Ashley, courtesy of Rolling Stone.com, and it’s tough stuff. But, as the family has done since the announcement of Glen’s fight, there is a larger purpose: Our education.

Sunday Night at 9pm, CNN will air “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”, the beautiful and moving documentary of Glen’s last tour, and his gradual descent into the emptiness that is Alzheimer’s. It exposes raw truths, it celebrates a great entertainer; it is a testament to a family supporting and encouraging a dignified end of (cognitive) life.

For those of us of the Keener generation, who are facing the challenges of aging, and caring for aging parents who also may be facing Alzheimer’s or dementia issues, it is especially poignant.

All of us at Keener13.com hope you enjoy it. And ask for prayers of health and thanksgiving for Glen and the Campbell family.