Keener 13

In the news on January 23, 1969: Ocala, FL (AP) – An itinerant male hairdresser was jailed in Ocala, Florida, after police said he staged an Aretha Franklin show by forcing a penniless Virginia singer to pose on stage as the $20,000 a week soul singer. Lavell Hardy, ’24, of New York was booked into Marion County Jail under $500 bond on false advertising charges after he bought radio ads and plastered Ocala with posters advertising “The Aretha Franklin Review” for Thursday night at hall here. The girl, Vickie James, 26, protective custody. Investigator Martin Stephens said Miss James and Hardy staged a show for 1,000 persons at $5.50 each last Saturday night at the High Hat Club in Fort Myers, the first of nine appearances arranged by Hardy. Prosecutor C. G. Musleh said police were kept by agents for Miss Franklin after the Fort Meyers show. Musleh said party brought Ms. Jones to Florida from her home in Petersburg, VA., promising to get her in to a show with Miss Franklin, currently writing high in pop music circles as “Soul Sister No. 1”.

Quick Takes:

We often forget that Mark Hamill had many TV appearances before his Star Wars fame. Our video link takes you to his title card in the series “Eight is Enough” A versatile guy and a great actor.

Baseball is the ultimate game of statistics. Here’s one surprising data point. In its entire history, nobody has made the Hall of Fame unanimously on the first ballot, until now.

As we process Oscar nominations today, a useful vid about how accurate our favorite film rating site, Rotten Tonatoes really is. Continue reading “Today in Keenerland 1/23” →

January 22, 1969: William G. Milliken puts his hand on a borrowed bible at the State Capitol takes the oath of office as Michigan’s 44th governor. He promises “public order, social justice” and will focus on welfare improvements, educational reform and pollution control. The former Lieutenant Governor inherits a $50 million dollar budget deficit.

What we’re talking about:

Comedian Robert Klein is touring again. He came through our town on Sunday and was just as funny as he was when I first saw him in… 1974. We were looking around the venue and commenting on “how many old people are here”. Then I realized that this guy has been touring almost nonstop for 44 years. His material has evolved to suit his aging audience. But it still works.

Marie Kondo. The Netflix phenomenon is inspiring people to pick up stuff they don’t use “thank it and throw it away”. My wife is folding things differently & throwing stuff out. This is good!

Conan O’Brien is returning to TBS tonight with a new, shorter format and no live band. He’s podcasting too. Continue reading “Today in Keenerland 1/22” →

A scan from the newspaper on this date in 1969. Plan to visit your Detroit Area Sears stores this week to see a demonstration of the Roberts line of reel to reel recorders, including the 778C, which can transfer your 3 3/4 inch per second 8 track tapes with ease!

It’s a tale right out of the Twilight Zone. The Internet increasingly controls everything.. including what goes on inside our heads. For the companies behind the apps we use, it’s all about the data. For our enemies, it is something to be weaponized. There’s a lot of Twitter talk today about these items.

A frightening story in the Wall Street Journal, details how Russian hackers are infiltrating the nation’s power grid. It’s a social engineering tale that Kevin Mitnick could have thought up. And it’s working. Nearly half of the country is vulnerable.

We’ve written before about how games like the super popular Fortnite can have a negative impact on our kids.

Is the data we share about our lives having a detrimental impact on our state of mind? Our cars share “telematic” info about how we drive, which may ultimately determine our insurance rates. Companies track our buying & browsing habits and serve us ads based on what we look at. Fitbits record our every move, inspiring some of us to take those extra steps to hit a goal. And the new Apple Watch can even track our heart health with an electrocardiogram app. This report says it’s all starting to get to us.  On a related note: Is “Big Brother” watching your Tweet Stream? The ACLU sues the FBI to find out. And how private is Google’s “ingocnito mode”? Not very. Even search firms who don’t track you warn that you have to do more to protect your internet privacy.

One last thing: Ever wonder what’s really behind Facebook’s “10 Year Challenge” then-and-now photo thing? Gathering more accurate facial recognition data. Continue reading “Today in Keenerland 1/21” →

My friend Ted Randall the other day. He’s recruiting air talent for his flame thrower shortwave station and wanted to know if I was game. It got me to thinking about what I liked best about being on the air.

It was the show prep.

Even before the Internet made it easy, I loved digging into backstories about the artists we featured. I scanned newspapers and magazines for show biz news and information about the things my audience was talking about.

Done right, the host’s role is to weave bits of curated cocktail conversation in between the other elements of the program, hopefully pulling together a seamless symphony of music, entertainment and information that would entice those ears to want to come back tomorrow for more. Continue reading “In Praise of Content Curators” →

Hello Americans! It’s Friday! Today’s highlights include Fred Jacobs on the life lessons learned from the Stephen Colbert Show, super short Hollywood marriages, 97 year old Prince Phillip totals his ride. Do we take away his keys? A name we heard often but never really knew, a Dick Van Dyke anniversary and the youngest performer to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Plus much more music from Glen Frey, Johnny Paycheck, Stevie Wonder and Paul Muriat.

How long does love last in show biz? The data shows that they don’t fare as well as the average partnership in the rest of the world. Today in 1996, Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson. The marriage of two of the then biggest names in show business had lasted 19 months. We did a little research on short nuptials. Brittney Spears and Jason Alexander take the prize for the shortest in our un-scientific data.. Less than 3 days. The table at left documents other brief encounters featuring Michelle Phillips, Patty Duke, Eddie Murphy, Drew Barrymore and others. On the other hand, There are some marathon unions out there in Hollywood. Alan and Arlene Alda are in their 62nd year of marriage. Kirk Douglas and Anne Buydens are in their 65th. Chuck Berry, Bob Hope, Stan Lee, Monty Hall and Karl Malden all made it into year 70 with their spouses, until death did they part. The challenges for celebrity marriages are manifold, according to Glamour Magazine’s Andrea Syrtash. Separations due to touring and movie production, the inability to grow together as one person’s career takes off and the other’s declines, good old fashioned ego and the plethoras of temptations provided by loving fans and other enamored celebrities are the main contributors. The keys to relationship longevity? Real Simple Magazine says picking the right person in the first place and not settling for the least objectionable option is huge. Marriages that have the best chance at success happen when two people are committed for the long run. Life has its ups and downs. Riding them out with your partner can bring you closer together.

Remember the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band? From our “Names You Have Heard A Lot But May Not Know” department, Today is the 75th birthday of drummer Legs Larry Smith, immortalized as the first artist named by the announcer in the group’s surreal sleeper hit “The Intro and The Outro”. As a solo artist, Smith also toured with Eric Clapton and Elton John. Smith was a close friend of ex-Beatle George Harrison for many years and designed the cover for his 1982 Gone Troppo album. Let’s roll out “The Intro and The Outro” in honor of the birthday boy. (Video)

Tomorrow marks the 58th anniversary of the filming of the first episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. The series, about a group of comedy writers, was conceived by Carl Reiner with Van Dyke leading a mini ensemble cast of pros including Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam. It was the vehicle that launched Mary Tyler Moore‘s star into the stratosphere. The show aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, a total of 158 half-hour episodes. It was still a ratings hit when Carl Reiner pulled the plug. He wanted to turn out the lights before the audience did.

Quick Takes:

Coming up  Sunday night, the last total lunar eclipse of this decade. The next opportunity to see one? May 26, 2021.

Life lessons from Stephen Colbert, via Fred Jacobs.

What  all of us “dinks” (dual income – no kids.) need to know about parenting.

As 97 year old Prince Phillip totals his ride, when and how do we take the keys away from aging parents?

Americans are drinking less. What are the economic implications? Via The Wall Street Journal.

Most Personality Quizzes Are Junk Science. Here’s One That Isn’t. Via our friends at Five Thirty Eight.

Just because you get good grades doesn’t guarantee a good life. Look what happened to these valedictorians. Via the BostonGlobe

Today in History:

1965, Paul Simon drops out of law school to pursue music full-time.

1974, Former members from Free, (Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople(Mick Ralphs), and King Crimson, (Boz Burrell), formed Bad Company. The band went on to score a US No.1 album with their debut release.

1978, Johnny Paycheck‘s cover of David Allan Coe’s ode to workplace frustrations, “Take This Job and Shove It”, reached the top spot on the Billboard Country chart. Although the song failed to crack the Hot 100, it still seems to be one that we all know and can relate to. (Video)

Today: NBC invests in the Monkees, a classic Sue Ann Nivens bit on Betty White’s birthday, what we were watching the night Desert Storm began, a radio “meme”, “Becoming” beats “50 Shades of Grey” and remembering the man who brought the synthesizer into prime time.

Today in 1966, NBC bought The Monkees television series from Screen Gems. The Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night inspired Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider to create the program. 437 applicants auditioned for 4 roles, ending up with  Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones. Don Kirshner, produced the early sessions with help  from the songwriting duo, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. who plumbed the best of the Brill Building talent to come up with hit records for the group to record.  The show ran from September 12, 1966 to March 25, 1968, winning two Emmy Awards in 1967. The music segments are said to have inspired the progenitors of MTV, which, once upon a time, played music videos. Trivia: Many of the same sets and props from The Three Stooges short films made by Screen Gems were used in the series.

We talked about Memes on yesterday’s show. At left, one that our friend wsw1955 cooked up over at Instagram.

Quick Takes:

35 things that will make it feel like you’ve got your life together. (Via Buzzfeed)

Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” has now enjoyed the longest streak at No. 1 on Amazon since “Fifty Shades of Grey” came out in 2012. The all time best seller? Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities”. (CNN)

If you thought that Moog was the biggest name in synthesizers, you may have never known about Alan R. Pearlman. His ARP units fueled hits for Edgar Winter ( “Frankenstein,”) Herbie Hancock (“Chameleon,”) and the early-1980s version of the theme to the television series “Doctor Who.” NYT notes that the five-note signature motif of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”was played on an ARP 2500 synthesizer, which is seen in the film. An ARP 2600, mixed with natural sounds, provided the voice of R2-D2 in the first “Star Wars” movie. Alan R. Pearlman passed away on Wednesday. Heres his full obit.

Today in History:

1972, A section of Bellevue Boulevard in Memphis was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. The remaining length of road kept its original name after protests from the Bellevue Baptist Church.

1976, Barry Manilow scored his second US No.1 single with ‘I Write The Songs‘, which was written by The Beach Boys Bruce Johnston. (Video)

Tonight in 1991, Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition forces bombing Iraq, during the Gulf War. I remember we were watching a Sinbad special on HBO. Here’s a clip where he talks Motown and music. (Video)

2011, American music publisher, talent manager, and songwriter Don Kirshner who helped launch the careers of Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, The Monkees, The Archies and Kansas, died of heart failure at the age of 76. In addition to his contributions to The Monkees’ career, he also served as a music consultant for almost two dozen TV series between 1966 and 1977.

Happy Birthday to: Antonio Prohias (Spy vs Spy), 1921 (d. 1988); Betty White, 1922; Eartha Kitt, 1927 (d. 2008); James Earl Jones, 1931; Shari Lewis (Ventriloquist), 1934; Muhammad Ali, 1942 (d. 2016); Chris Montez, 1943; Mick Taylor, 1948; Kid Rock, 1971

Much More Music:

From this mornings playlist.. Robbie Dupree‘s 1981 hit, “Steal Away“. A nice mix of the original 45 with video from his performance on The Midnight Special.  (Video)

“Last Train to Clarksville“, The Monkees. Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and  recorded at RCA Victor Studio B in Hollywood on July 25, 1966, the tune was number one in the land just 4 months later. Mickey Dolenz was the only Monkee to perform on the single. Wikipedia notes that although LA’s “Wrecking Crew” provided the instrumental backing for many of the early Monkees’ songs, Boyce and Hart’s band Candy Store Prophets did the session work for this song. (Video)

Today’s Quote Worth Re-Quoting: “Everyone wants happiness. No one wants pain. But you can’t have a rainbow, without a little rain.”

We leave you with a classic clip featuring Birthday Girl Betty White. Here she is as Sue Ann Nivins, giving Ted Baxter his due on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Our highlights: Netflix takes a rate increase, the top 108 Memes of 2018, Beach Boy forgotten gems, the first Donnie & Marie show debuts, the perils of working at home and much more music from King Floyd, Jay Black, Ronnie Milsap and the Guess Who.

What’s being talked about today:

One of the things I’ve always loved about The Beach Boys albums, and particularly the CD re-releases, is the behind the scenes tracks and special mixes that are included. Rolling Stone posted this piece-worth-reading about how the Beach Boys’ Lost Late-Sixties Gems Got a Second Life.

Our daily dose of Fred Jacobs wisdom: The Power of Memes, those pictures Photoshopped with catchy phrases. Did you know that the term “Meme” predates the internet? Here are 108 of the most popular from 2018.

The Ghostbusters reboot with a female cast failed to find an audience at the box office. Now Jason Reitman, son of the original film’s producer, the wizard behind Stripes, Twins, and Dave, Ivan Reitman, wants to reboot it again, “in the original universe.”

Netflix has become one of the biggest producers of video content in the world with programming that rivals the linear networks in popularity and reach. Now, the company wants to reap some of the rewards. They announced an 11-13% rate hike… Just like the cable guys, rates never go down where video is concerned.

“Cleanup in Isle 9, HAL!” How robots are cleaning up spills in grocery stores.

More and more of us are working from home. While that feels like an ideal gig, there are definite downsides.

Quick Takes:

1936 The Screen Actors Guild incorporates with King Vidor as president.

1954 “South Pacific” closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 1928 performances

1962 Shooting begins on “Dr No” the first James Bond film. The producers were not yet sure if Ian Fleming’s character would resonate with the public, giving the film the smallest shooting budget of any in the series.

We said goodbye to Carol Channing yesterday. Today in 1964, she shot to stardom as  “Hello, Dolly!” opened at St James Theater NYC for 2,844 performances.

1965 “Outer Limits“, ABC’s answer to “The Twilight Zone” airs its last episode. It would be revived on the Pay TV service, Showtime, in 1995. “There is nothing wrong with your television set!” (Video)

1965 The Guess Who release their debut album,”Shakin’ All Over“. When the record was released, the group was calling themselves Chad Allan & the Expressions. Their cover of the Johnny Kidd & the Pirates original came out on Scepter records, which, for some reason credited the tune to “Guess Who?” The name stuck. (Video)

1965 The Searchers‘ cover of The Colvers “Love Potion Number 9” peaks at #3. (Video)

1972 David Seville (real name: Ross Bagdasarian), who created The Chipmunks, dies of a heart attack at age 52. Us DJs know that his first hit had nothing to do with chipmunks. Here’s a rare video from the Ed Sullivan Show of David’s performance of “The Witch Doctor” (Video)

1973 NBC presents 440th & final showing of “Bonanza“. It made stars of Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts and Michael Landon. Let’s listen to Lorne sing his most famous hit.. The full version of “Ringo” (Video)

1974 “Jaws” by Peter Benchley is published by Doubleday. It would become Stephen Spielberg’s first major movie hit.

1976 The “Donny & Marie”  musical variety show premieres on ABC. Here’s how they opened the first show. (Video)

1976 Peter Frampton released platinum live album “Frampton Comes Alive“. Three singles emerge from the double LP, which many DJ’s believe benefitted from sound effects which amplified audience reaction. (Video)

Happy Birthday to: A. J. Foyt (Racer), 1935; Jim Stafford (Spiders & Snakes), 1944; Ronnie Milsap, 1946; John Carpenter (Horror Director), 1948; Sade, 1959; Kate Moss, 1974;

Much More Music:

Jay Black‘s voice is one of the most distinctive of the rock era. This week in 1969, Jay & The Americans‘  “This Magic Moment” was climbing the charts. It was recorded first by Ben E. King and the Drifters . Jay’s version is the most widely remembered, spending 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. (Video)

For our birthday boy, Ronnie Milsap. One of his most underrated songs. “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life“. Trivia; Ronnie is also a well regarded #AmateurRadio enthusiast (WB4KCG). (Video)

A little reggae feel for hump day from the great King Floyd. Let’s dig “Groove Me”. Climbing the charts this week in 1971. It was covered by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd on their first Blues Brothers LP. (Video)

Today’s Quote Worth Re-quoting: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

Badfinger was top ten this week in 1972 with “Day After Day“. We leave you with Rod Stewart‘s worthy cover.

Lots of good stuff on this morning’s show: We remember Carol Channing. Oz is back in theaters & the Who tours again. Happy birthday to The Cavern Club, Dr. King & Charo. Plus much more music from The Buckinghams, Chase and The Mamas & Papas.

So long Dolly. Remembering the incomparable Carol Channing, who left us today at age 97. Nine actresses would try to recreate Carole’s magic as the original lead in the Broadway musical “Hello Dolly“. None we’re better. From Wikipedia: “As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows, from The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares. She had a standout performance as The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and had the first of many TV specials in 1966, An Evening with Carol Channing.” Here’s Louis Armstrong‘s version of the title song, which displaced the Beatles at number one in 1964. (Video)

We’re off to see the Wizard, again. The perennial television favorite, “The Wizard of Oz” returns to theaters for a brief 80th anniversary run later this month. At right, a 1939 set shot of the Kansas farmhouse where the Gales lived.  That bicycle parked outside means the nasty Miss Almira Gulch is visiting. Photo via Steve Crum an essential follow if you are on Facebook.

The Who will be touring North America again, commencing with a May 7th concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Billboard Magazine reports that original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will be joined by guitarist/singer Simon Townshend, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button and drummer Zak Starkey (son of the Beatles’ Ringo Starr), on the Moving On! tour. The band plans to release their first new CD collection in 13 years later this summer. BTW. It was on this date in 1965 when the Who’s first single, “I Can’t Explain” was released in England. (Video)

Quick Takes:

• Facebook bets $300M on local news.
• Are you having iPhone battery  problems? Apple replaced over 11 million last year. Our 10Xs seem to be rock solid but older models have been dying.
• This is how the government shut down will end; at the airports. TSA staff who have been working without pay are finally starting NOT to show up for work.
• Are you afraid of robots? American culture has a different outlook on AI tech compared to Japan.
• Workers uniting at Google and Facebook to end mandatory arbitration.

Today in History:

In 1948, “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre“, film based on B. Traven’s novel, directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart premiere. It’s famous for adding, “Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!” to the lexicon. A very young Robert Blake appears uncredited as a young boy selling lottery tickets

In 1957, The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. It became the home base for many Liverpool bands including The Beatles who appeared there 292 times. Over the years a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club, including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Hollies, The Kinks, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Queen, The Who and John Lee Hooker.

We talked yesterday about Diana Ross‘ swan song with the Supremes in Las Vegas on January 14, 1970. Nine years earlier, on this date in 1961 the trio signed with Motown Records.

Today in 1971 George Harrison releases “My Sweet Lord” in the UK. It would become a worldwide hit and get the former Beatle into legal trouble due to the tunes similarity to the Ronnie Mack song “He’s So Fine“, a 1963 hit for the New York girl group the Chiffons. (Wikipedia) (Video)

In 1973, Bruce Springsteen appeared at Philadelphia’s Villanova University, to an audience of 25 people. Due to a strike at the time by Villanova’s school newspaper The Villanovan, the concert went unadvertised. It was probably the smallest crowd Bruce and The E Street Band have ever played in front of.

Today in 1974, Ritche, Potsie, Malph and the Fonz entered our vocabulary as “Happy Days” began an 11 year run on ABC. The pilot was shot in 1972 but it wasn’t until George Lucas cast  Ron Howard as the lead in his 1973 hit film “American Graffiti” that the network got interested in the show.

In 1981 “Hill Street Blues” premieres on NBC. Mary Tyler Moore‘s MTM Enterprises developed the series on behalf of NBC, with Steven Bochco producing. In its first season, the show won eight Emmy Awards, a record surpassed only by The West Wing.

On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was forced to crash-land his aircraft in the Hudson River. All the passengers lived to tell the tale. The remarkable event now known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” Here’s WNYC’s recounting of the story that was turned into a Hollywood hit staring Tom Hanks.

Much More Music:

One of the things that used to drive me nuts as a DJ was the poor stereo mixes of some of the classic 60s tunes I loved. Case in point. This Mamas & Papas tune is much better in mono. Here’s “I Saw Her Again” from 1966. (Video)

In 1967, The Buckinghams record “Don’t You Care.” (Video)
In 1971, Chase records “Get It On.” (Video)
In 1974, Brownsville Station‘s “Smokin’ In The Boys’ Room” is certified Gold. (Video)
in 1977, Leo Sayer‘s “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” hits #1. (Video)

Happy Birthday to: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1929 (d. 1968); Bobby Bloom (Montego Bay), 1946 (d. 1974); Ronnie Van Zant, 1948 (d. 1977); Charo, 1951; Mario Van Peebles, 1957

Today’s Quote Worth Re-Quoting: “Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.”

We leave you with the number one song from this week in 1967, “Itchycoo Park” the only US hit for The Small Faces. The song got its name from the stinging nettles that grew in Suburban London’s Little Ilford Park.

From today’s morning show, sing along with Queen, we miss David Bowie, “Baby Shark” breaks into the Hot 100, The Sopranos at 20, The Beatle’s rare first US LP, Don Knotts pre-Mayberry ventriloquism, remembering Super Mario Brothers, a Summer of Love birthday and “much more music” videos.

If you are from my generation, you probably remember trekking to the local movie theater for a midnight showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show“. It was a true audience participation experience. Now, the AP reports that the smash hit film “Bohemian Rhapsody” will have a sing-along version in movie houses on Friday, complete with lyrics on the screen. Head banging, Wayne and Garth style is allowed.

It’s not too early to be thinking about where you might want to get away in 2009. The New York Times listed 52 fascinating vacation destinations. Me? I’d go back to London in a heartbeat. Meet you at the Covent Garden Cocktail Club!

Quick Takes:

Graphic of the day: Pixar‘s 22 rules of storytelling. Few do it better.

Are your kids / grandkids singing the “Baby Shark” song ad nauseum, like ours are? It’s now a hit on the Billboard charts.

From our “Now I Feel Old” department. The Sopranos debuted 20 years ago tonight. Rolling Stone‘s Alan Sepinwall picks his 10 favorite episodes.

Getting married this year? If you are a millennial, you likely spent over $3K on the ring.

According to a 60 minutes report artificial intelligence may take over 40% of our jobs in 15 years. What’s your plan B? Guy Kawasaki of Apple fame shared this link this morning on Twitter with some first steps to take you there.

On the other end of the spectrum, did you know that the video game, Super Mario Bros, was so popular that 33 1/3 years ago that  Japan’s highest-selling book that year was a strategy guide on how to beat the game? It’s true.

Much More Music:

Need a little love today? How bout this 1967 tune from Scott McKenzie, born on this date in 1939. “San Francisco, Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair” peaked at No. 4 during “The Summer of Love” and was featured on the main stage at The Monterey Pop Festival. It was Scott’s only hit. From the “I bet you didn’t know” department: McKenzie also was one of the many who auditioned for The Monkees (Video)

Missing David Bowie, who died from liver cancer on January 10, 2016 at his New York home. Just two days earlier, he released the album Blackstar on his 69th birthday. Let’s listen again to “Space Oddity”, his first top 20 US hit. (Video)

Many people think that Capitol Records’ “Meet the Beatles“, a shortened version of the UK “With the Beatles” collection, was the 4 lads first US LP? Hard core fans remember that today in 1964, The first US Beatles album was “Introducing The Beatles“. Through a quirk in the legal process, it was released on Vee-Jay Records and featured a group picture before Ringo donned the signature mop top hairstyle. There were actually two versions. One was a battle of the bands themed item vs The Four Seasons. The label finally ended up on court and had to stop selling the disc by the end of the year because. By then over 1.3 million copies had been sold. Still have yours?

“Want some Fries with that?” At the height of the CB radio craze, we were all watching Burt Reynolds and Sally Field in “Smokey and the Bandit” and listening to the 1976, CW McCall novelty hit, “Convoy”. It was at No. 1 on the US charts on this date, spawning a film starring Kris Kristofferson. CW McCall was in fact an advertising executive whose real name was Bill Fries. (Video)

Can you identify the man in this picture? This guy had a stand-up act as a ventriloquist before he became famous as a nervous Mayberry cop. He later played a fish, a reluctant astronaut and “The Shakiest Gun in the West”. His dummy’s name? “Hootch”. If you guessed Andy Griffith Show co-star, Don Knotts, you are correct.

Happy Birthday to: Scott McKenzie, 1939 (d. 2012); Frank Sinatra, Jr., 1944 (d. 2016); Jim Croce, 1943 (d.1973); Rod Stewart, 1945; Aynsley Dunbar (Jefferson Starship), 1946; Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), 1948; George Foreman, 1949; Pat Benatar, 1953.

Today’s Quote Worth Re-quoting: “Some days you may feel worthless, but to someone, you will always be priceless.”

We leave you with the number one song from this week in 1967. It was composed by Neil Diamond and produced by Jeff Berry for  The Monkees. Micky Dolenz sang lead on “I’m a Believer” which hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966 and remained there for seven weeks, becoming the last No. 1 hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling record for all of 1967. (Wikipedia)

Today’s highlights, Dion & the Belmonts debut on American Bandstand – We have the video. Stars we love who are turning 30 this year. Songs we love to sing in the car. Whats hot and what’s missing at the Consumer Electronics Show. And much more music!

Here’s some context as we watch the new gadgets come out at the Consumer Electronics Show. Today in 2001, Apple introduces the iTunes media player. Six years later, Steve Jobs shows off the first iPhone. With all the “things” that are being introduced this year, our good friends at Jacobs Media talks about the one thing that’s missing.

Today in 1963, Charlie Watts joined The Rolling Stones after leaving Blues Incorporated & his gig as a graphic designer.

Today in 1959. Dion & The Belmonts perform “A Teenager In Love” on American Bandstand. They don’t make em like this anymore. (Video)

Back when I was growing up, our young selves used to say, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Haven’t heard that one in a long time. In any event,  we still love these folks.

What tunes do you sing out loud whenever you hear them on your car radio? From 2014. Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin'” tops a best car song poll conducted by Insurance dot com. Queen‘s “Bohemian Rhapsody” &  AC/DC‘s “You Shook Me All Night Long” round out the Top 3. “Highway To Hell,” Golden Earring‘s “Radar Love” & “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar top write-ins. (Video – Don’t Stop Believin’ Live)

Today in 1975, five years after The Beatles break up, the group’s partnership is officially dissolved in court. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney and Wings start work on the “Venus And Mars” album in New Orleans. Heres the one big hit from that LP: “Listen to What the Man Said”. (Video)

Feeling the need to apologize? Here are 4 ways to do it via TED.

From the Hollywood Reporter: Tom Hanks will present Alan Alda with this years Screen Actors Guild “Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Happy Birthday to: Richard Nixon, 1913 (d. 1994); Bob Denver (Gilligan), 1935 (d. 2005); Joan Baez, 1941; Jerry Yester (Lovin’ Spoonful), 1943; Scott Walker (Walker Brothers), 1943; Jimmy Page, 1944; Bill Cowsill, 1948 (d. 2006); Crystal Gayle, 1951; Dave Matthews, 1967

We leave you with this Wee Five classic from 1965. Beverly Bivens sings lead. Michael Stewart the brother of John Stewart of Kingston Trio fame was the leader of the group. “You Were On My Mind” was originally and Ian & Sylvia tune.