Keener 13

On November 20, 2004 Keener13.com presented a podcast detailing the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, how radio covered the news and how the brand new WKNR became an all-news station during that staggering moment in American History.

We begin with a rare logger tape from KLIF in Dallas. Keener fan and Kennedy scholar Jim Feliciano connected us with this one-of-a-kind historical record. Rex Jones, Gary DeLaune, Joe Long and Gordon McLendon (yep, that Gordon McLendon – one of the fathers of Top 40 radio) described the rapidly unfolding events. Then we fast-forward one year later to the WKNR documentary about that day, produced by Bob Green and Philip Nye (seen at left interviewing Michigan Governor George Romney) for WKNR News. It is said that television news came of age on that day, 41 years ago. But for many,  radio was still a trusted source of timely, if not always accurate information. For those who depended on their radios during Hurricane Sandy, that’s still very much the case.

Listen to the program. 31 Minutes 11.1MB MP3

As the 60s crossed into the 70s, the Motor City 5 defined fire breathing, flame throwing rock and roll in Detroit. With Fred “Sonic” Smith and Wayne Kramer on the axes, Michael Davis on base, Dennis Thompson at the drums and the megawatt voice of singer Rob Tyner at the microphone, the band was the essence of proto-punk, rattling the rafters at the Grande and pushing the edge of the envelope everywhere they went.

Such was their magnetism that they took over the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in January of 1969, even before the release of their debut album. In the magazine’s profile of the band, Eric Ehrmann, then a student at Miami of Ohio, called them “the next rock and roll superheroes“, the act that would symbolize the migration of musical revolution from San Francisco to Detroit. To hear the MC5 in live performance was like touching a raw nerve with a cattle prod. Rock journalist Robert Bixby famously called it “a catastrophic force of nature the band was barely able to control.”

For those of us who grew up in Ann Arbor during the 5’s reign, the fact that you had to be 18 to buy their album at Jeep Holland‘s Discount records made them all the more alluring. Every Ann Arbor garage band had at least one MC5 song in our repertoire and we all dared one another to launch our version of “Kick Out The Jams” with Rob’s signature introduction.

Then as now, rock and roll was a dangerous profession. Today, only Thompson and Kramer survive. But thanks to YouTube and MP3s, the MC5 experience is just as visceral and earthshaking today as it was during their brief prime. As Blade Runner character Eldon Tyrell might have said. “The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long – and you have burned so very, very brightly.”

Happy birthday to Glyn Geoffrey Ellis, born on this date, 28 October 1945, in Manchester, Lancashire. You know him as Wayne Fontana, a name that was inspired by Elvis’ drummer, D.J. Fontana. It was a coincidence that he was signed to Fontana Records.

His biggest hit with his band The Mindbenders was “The Game Of Love” which peaked at number 4 on the WKNR Music Guide in March of 1965. The Mindbenders charted again on Keener in The Spring of 1966 with “Groovy Kind of Love“. By then, Wayne Fontana had left the band in pursuit of a solo career.

After his share of ups and downs, Wayne Fontana continues to tour in both the UK and the US.

http://youtu.be/0pLZwUSDtYU

What did Swingin Sweeney, Bob Green, J. Michael Wilson, Dick Purtain, Scott Regen and Bill Phillips sound like on the air?

You’ll find a ton of examples here at Keener13.com. But few recordings exist of Keener Uncut, the jocks and the songs they played, without edits. Back in February of 2005, we put together 30 minutes of uncut WKNR, featuring all of the above noted Key Men of Music.

For those of us who lived it, the memories will come flooding back. For those who never knew about Keener, you’ll quickly see why even the songs at the bottom of the WKNR Music Guide sounded great.

Return with us now, to those thrilling days of yesteryear with this Keener Uncut Encore.

Listen to Keener Uncut 29mb mp3

In October of 1961, Keener’s predecessor, WKMH was playing, Del Shannon‘s “Runaway” and “Blue Moon” by The Marcels. West Side Story was premiering in New York. And Chico Marx, the oldest of the Marx Brothers, died at age 74.

Across the pond on October 19, “The Beatmakers“, a Supergroup combination of The Beatles and Gerry and The Pacemakers, performed at the Litherland Town Hall in England. The line-up included Gerry Marsden, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Les Maguire, Pete Best, Freddy Marsden, plus vocalist Karl Terry from The Cruisers with Les Chadwick on bass guitar. Both bands were managed by Brian Epstein & had yet to have hit records. At left is a later shot of the two bands with Roy Orbison.

The Beatmakers show is one of the most sought after Beatles bootlegs. No recordings have yet to emerge from that night.

1961 was also the year that these other iconic acts began their careers: The Beach Boys, Golden Earring (Radar Love), The Tornados (Telstar) and Bob Seger.

Joseph Alfred Souter got his first crack at the Top 40 in 1958 with “The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor” the Big Bopper’s follow up to a pair of novelty hits recorded by Sheb Wooley and David Seville. A rather inauspicious start for a guy who would pen some of the biggest records of the 60s and 70s as “Joe South”.

His cannon spans a wide array of styles. “Walk A Mile In My Shoes”  for Brook Benton (also covered by Elvis Presley, Bryan Ferry, and Coldcut). Billy Joe Royal‘s songs “Down in the Boondocks“, “I Knew You When” and “Yo-Yo” (later a hit for the Osmonds), and the Deep Purple smash “Hush“. His biggest commercial hit happend in 1971 when he wrote  Lynn Anderson‘s I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden. Continue reading “The Games People Play” →

41 years ago this week, Keener was making it’s final stab at competitiveness. With a rejuvenated air staff and the PAMS “Motor City Music” station imaging, WKNR’s execution never sounded better.

But it was hard for a station with low power and a deficient nighttime coverage pattern to compete with CKLW’s 50,000 constantly cooking watts of power and the growing popularity of the FM band.

That didn’t stop the team from giving it all they had and that included a playlist that mirrored a lot of what was on the Big 30 across the Detroit River in Windsor.

The Canadian content influence is definitely there with the Guess Who’s Albert Flasher starting a downward slide after peaking at number 5. Bubble gum artists abounded with Donny Osmond and the Partridge Family at the height of their popularity, while new acts were enjoying their first Keener chart successes. The Five Man Electrical Band could be heard wafting out of car radios across the motor city. And Earth, Wind and Fire was peaking with their first Keener hit, Love is Life.

Rock legends like Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones were still at it. There were one hit wonders like Seatrain and Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds (Falling in Love would be released after WKNR had signed off). And new legends were bubbling up. Harry Nillson’s album The Point was getting traction and Ringo Starr was celebrating his first post-Beatles hit with the George Harrison penned It Don’t Come Easy.

At number one for the week was the third single release for  Carolyn Willis, Shelly Clark and Edna Wright. As the Honey Cone, their biggest hit, Want Ads, struck gold for Holland-Dozier -Holland’s Hot Wax label. Just two years later the group would fade into history, with Willis making a brief comeback singing backup on Seals and Crofts’ Get Closer in 1976.

http://youtu.be/g9ryNyPEyqA

While hard core CK fans may remember Jim Jackson, who had the mid-day gig at the Big 8, his name recognition was dwarfed by Keener’s Ron Sherwood. WKNR proved once again to be a career launching pad helping Ron sharpen the chops that would serve him well over a long post-Keener 13 career.

Our launch of the Keener 13 Facebook page prompted Scott Regen to share some photos from his collection.

His first professional acting gig happened when he was eleven. He was a star on the BBC’s Coronation Street at age 16. And when he was 20, Davy Jones was picked from a casting call of thousands to be part of a made-for-television rock band that became one of the most popular acts of the decade.

After seeing the film  A Hard Day’s Night, Bob Rafelsonand Bert Schneider decided to create a TV show that would feature what they hoped would be America’s answer to the Beatles. Their first choice was to sign John Sebastian’s  Lovin’ Spoonful, but that group already had a record contract. So they ran an ad in  Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter in the fall of 1965 to find their musicians. Continue reading “Remembering Davy Jones” →

From 1965 through 1968 Detroit could challenge Dick Clark’s American Bandstand dominance. The two local dance programs we remember are Club 1270 and Swingin Time. Channel 7 was home to the program named after the frequency of their sister station. Club 1270 was hosted by Lee Alan, Joel Sebastian and Dave Prince and during it’s brief run it showcased the talents of everyone from local boy Jamie Coe to mega-stars like Leslie Gore and the Rolling Stones. Continue reading “Bob Seger on Swingin Time” →

In December, 1963, Jerry Lewis‘ first solo foray into a television variety show was in trouble. ABC executives were scrambling to find a replacement for his Saturday night slot and decided to keep the variety without regular host. On January 4th, The Hollywood Palace made it’s debut and for the next six years, it was one of the most watched variety shows on television. Across 192 episodes, literally every major entertainer walked across it’s stage. Continue reading “The Hollywood Palace” →