AM 1450 - Helendale

[howardm]

What a great, hard-to-find format, oldies & traditional country.  Great to listen to on I15 through part of Mojave on way between Vegas & LA

[LARadioRewind]

I thought only four or five people lived in Helendale but the town is big enought to have a post office and ZIP code: 92342. The station is KQTE and their slogan is "God, country and rock 'n' roll." The morning man is known as "Steverino" and probably stole the nickname from the late songwriter/pianist/tv host Steve Allen but I guess that's okay.

http://kqte.com/

[howardm]

Thanks for info.  Does LA Radio Re-wind have any memories of former Ill disc jockeys Dick Biondi & Sam Babcock, both of who had stints in LA?  Also a C&W DJ who had a short stint in Chicago, Corky Mayberry.  I see where former AS format AM 1280 is now religious station, heard during our stay there before driving to Vegas.

[LARadioRewind]

Dick Biondi, "the Wild I-tralian"? "The ugliest and skinniest disc jockey in the world"? That Dick Biondi? Hey, don't blame me---that's what he called himself! Biondi was at KRLA for three months in 1963 and then came back in 1965 and stayed until 1967. He's also worked at Chicago stations WLS, WCFL, WJMK and WZZN. Here is Biondi in 2008 when WZZN became WLS-FM, and I believe he is still on the air there: http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/multimedia/audio/2577-wzzn-fm-changes-to-wls-fm-62608

Sam Babcock was at KDAY in 1962. He died of a heart attack in 1971 at age 42.

Carleton "Corky" Mayberry worked at four southern California country stations: KBBQ, KGBS, KLAC and KFOX. In Chicago he was at WMAQ. He's now retired and lives in San Fernando.

[howardm]

Thank you LA radio rewind.  Babcock was at Peoria, IL only top 40 station 57-59.  Near where I grew up.  Biondi still on at WLS FM, but new breed pd put him in 11PM to 2AM slot, he is very durable though.  Sounds like they want him out.  He still sounds great.  Involved in Toys For Kids charity event, but they didn't allow him on live from shopping center.  That's life.  Do you remember a Bobby Fuller IV LP titled KRLA, King of Wheels, I believe.  Must have been top top 40 station in your market at one time.

[LARadioRewind]

KFWB switched from MOR to top 40 on January 2, 1958. Country KXLA became top-40 KRLA on September 1, 1959. By 1963 KRLA was beating KFWB in the ratings. Then two years later KHJ became "Boss Radio" and the ratings of KFWB and KRLA promptly plummeted. KFWB switched to news in 1968 and KRLA plugged along with various top-40 and oldies formats until 1998. KRLA had a talk format for two years, then became KSPN, an ESPN Radio affiliate. In 2003, KSPN moved to 710 and Radio Disney moved from 710 to 1110.

The Bobby Fuller Four released the KRLA King Of The Wheels album on Mustang Records (#900) in 1965. Here in Los Angeles, Let Her Dance was a big hit for the group in 1965 but nationally the song got to only #133 on the Bubbling Under chart. (Five months later came the hit I Fought The Law.) In 1966-67, KRLA also put out three oldies compilations---if you can call songs that are only one or two years old "oldies"---on Take 6 Records, a Hollywood label. The first was KRLA 21 Solid Rocks and was followed by Son Of 21 Solid Rocks and Son Of 21 Solid Rocks Strikes Again. Among the usual hits were a few lesser-known songs such as Farmer John by the Premiers, Full Measure by the Lovin' Spoonful, I Hear Trumpets Blow by the Tokens, and That Acapulco Gold by the Rainy Daze. Take 6 also pressed oldies albums for KILT, KLIF, WCFL and several other stations. Each station's albums always had a few songs that were different than those appearing on other stations' albums.

[howardm]

Premiers, great song, how about the Pastel 6 with Cinamon Cinder.  Heard that was name of club they played in.  Nice of you to furnish info, we live in Chicago market, but have been to Orange Cy & Vegas for awhile.  How about song called That's Life, it's LA group but not Original Casuals.  I have it at home but group escapes me.  Oh, Gabriel & Angels maybe?

[LARadioRewind]

"It's a very nice dance!" The Cinnamon Cinder was a teen nightclub on Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood. The Pastel Six were the house band. The club was owned by Bob Eubanks, who was a KRLA DJ, hosted The Newlywed Game on tv, and has co-hosted the January 1 Tournament of Roses Parade telecast for something like the past 200 years.

The full title of the Gabriel & the Angels song is That's Life (That's Tough). It was released in 1962 on Itzy #7, then was reissued on Swan #4118.

[MisterGort]

So -- maybe someone could tell me  where or what Jay Stevens is doing now ??   Wasn't there another teen night club -- like CC -- in Long Beach  near the traffic circle ??    Thanks